Saudi-Iran tensions sharpen Iraq's sectarian divide

Summary: Within hours of Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the highest Shia authority in Iraq spoke out against what he called the shedding of "pure blood".

By Ahmed MaherBBC Baghdad correspondent "He is a martyr. May his soul rest in peace," Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said, indicative of the esteem in which the late sheikh was held in Iraq. For many Shia there, Sheikh Nimr was an icon for his vocal support for anti-government protests by fellow Shia in Sunni Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. No wonder they took to the streets of Baghdad in their thousands after Sheikh Nimr, along with 46 other people, was executed on 2 January, all convicted of terrorism. With the devastating civil war in Iraq between Sunnis and Shia in 2006-2007 still fresh in people's minds, his execution threatens to inflame Iraq's sectarian tensions. Two Sunni mosques have been attacked and two people killed in apparent retaliation for Sheikh Nimr's death. Ideological battle Leading Shia political and military figures in Iraq openly bear animosity towards Saudi Arabia. They are particularly critical of Riyadh's ultra-conservative form of Islam, which they perceive as the nucleus of the extremist ideology of al-Qaeda and its splinter groups, like the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). "This is an ideological battle with Sunni extremists that must be fought to the end," Jaafar al-Husseini, spokesman for the Shia Hezbollah Brigades militia, told me. The Iranian-backed group is one of several militias that constitute the backbone of nearly 120,000 volunteers, mainly Shia and known as the Popular Mobilisation (PM) forces. Able-bodied Shia men took up arms against IS in response to a fatwa (edict) by Sheikh Sistani in June 2014 as large parts of the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of the IS advance. The massive force of Shia volunteers has become the most successful example of boots-on-the-ground in Iraq. And despite accusations by international human rights groups of human rights abuses against Sunnis, the Popular Mobilisation forces remain hugely popular in Shia-majority areas. "We should not have any relations with Saudi Arabia," Mr Husseini said in a decisive tone. Cautious path The growing Saudi-Iranian crisis has put Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi between a rock and a hard place. He is a strategic ally of Tehran and trade volume between both countries reached a staggering $18bn (£12 billion) last year. But the prime minister, who quickly condemned Sheikh Nimr's execution, is also keen on cementing ties with Riyadh and navigating a middle ground between both neighbours. "Mr Abadi is extremely cautious in this crisis," says Hussein Allawi, professor of National Security at al-Nahrain University in Baghdad. "He wanted to appear as a neutral negotiator when he sent his foreign minister to Tehran where he offered to mediate. "Iraq needs all neighbouring countries to support it in its war against Daesh (Islamic State) and will not turn into another battleground of a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. "He needs to not alienate the Sunnis and to be fully committed to reinvigorating the Sunni Awakening Councils." In 2007, the US created militias of Sunni tribal volunteers, known as Awakening Councils, to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq's Anbar province and elsewhere. They provided them with arms and salaries to be on the side of the Shia-led government of Nouri al-Maliki, rather than al-Qaeda. Ghassan al-Ithawi, spokesman for anti-IS tribal fighters in Anbar, believes Mr Abadi's approach in tackling the Saudi-Iranian crisis will attract broad support among Sunnis. "We need the Saudis in the reconstruction process of Anbar when we win the war against Daesh," he said. "Sectarianism plays well into the hands of IS."

सऊदी अरब द्वारा प्रमुख शिया धर्मगुरु शेख निम्र अल-निम्र को फांसी दिए जाने के कुछ ही घंटों के भीतर, इराक के सर्वोच्च शिया अधिकारी ने "शुद्ध रक्त" के बहने के खिलाफ आवाज उठाई।


Leaders in gloves off over Type 26 frigate delay claims

Summary: MSPs might be away for the summer, but that doesn't mean political debate is in recess. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson used Twitter on Wednesday to show there's plenty to discuss outside the Scottish Parliament chamber.

By Rachel CoburnBBC Scotland news Firing the first shot Ms Davidson responded to a tweet by SNP MP George Kerevan regarding economics in an independent Scotland. That had followed on from a heated Twitter debate about whether the Type 26 frigates building programme on Clyde was being delayed. But what about this? Nicola Sturgeon didn't take long to weigh in on the conversation, asking Ms Davidson's thoughts on claims of stalling over the shipbuilding timetable. The come-back Ruth Davidson retaliated to Ms Sturgeon's comment by saying there were no plans to build any frigates on the Clyde in an independent Scotland. Hold on, let's re-cap Commitments to build the fleet were given ahead of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, when then Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said only a vote to remain would guarantee shipyard jobs. Put it in context The Ministry of Defence signed a £859m development deal in February towards the manufacturing of the Global Combat Ships, which the UK government said would safeguard 1,700 jobs in the UK. Ms Davidson insisted the design of the ships was not yet complete. Repeat the question Silence from the First Minister prompted Ms Davidson to press her for answers. Don't dodge it Nicola Sturgeon deflected the Tory leader's questions on independence. Taking another swipe Ms Davidson's retort made reference to weekly First Minister's Questions at Holyrood. Joust over - enjoy the holidays The exchange came to an amicable end, as each party leader wished the other an enjoyable holiday.

एम. एस. पी. गर्मियों के लिए दूर हो सकता है, लेकिन इसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि राजनीतिक बहस अवकाश में है। प्रथम मंत्री निकोला स्टर्जन और स्कॉटिश कंजर्वेटिव नेता रूथ डेविडसन ने बुधवार को ट्विटर का उपयोग यह दिखाने के लिए किया कि स्कॉटिश संसद कक्ष के बाहर चर्चा करने के लिए बहुत कुछ है।


Queensbury Tube station: Man dies after attack

Summary: A man has died after he was attacked at a Tube station in north-west London.

The victim suffered a serious head injury at Queensbury station in Brent at about 00:30 GMT and was pronounced dead in hospital. The station, which serves the Jubilee Line, was closed but has since reopened, Transport for London said. British Transport Police said the man was injured during an "altercation". Inquiries are ongoing and there have been no arrests.

उत्तर-पश्चिम लंदन के एक ट्यूब स्टेशन पर हुए हमले में एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


Health Minister Poots stands by ban on gay blood donors

Summary: Health Minister Edwin Poots has said he is standing by his decision to maintain a ban on gay people donating blood.

Mr Poots said he had received two new pieces of research this week which have strengthened his position. Speaking on the Sunday Politics programme he said he did not want the ban to apply to gay people only. "I think that people who engage in high risk sexual behaviour in general should be excluded from giving blood," the minister said. "And so someone who has sex with somebody in Africa or sex with prostitutes, I am very reluctant about those people being able to give blood." The full interview with Mr Poots will be broadcast on Sunday politics at 12:00 BST on Sunday.

स्वास्थ्य मंत्री एडविन पूट्स ने कहा है कि वह समलैंगिक लोगों के रक्तदान पर प्रतिबंध बनाए रखने के अपने फैसले के साथ खड़े हैं।


Sex, drink and drugs: A teenager's life in care

Summary: Urgent reforms of the residential care system in England to protect children from sexual abuse have been announced by the government following an in-depth report into child exploitation. Julie, not her real name, was placed in care at the age of 11, where she remained until she was 18, staying in a combination of foster homes and children's homes. Now 19, she has spoken to Newsnight about her experiences of sexual exploitation.

I started running away because I didn't want to go home. If it was in the children's home I didn't want to go back because of the staff or the kids, or I just wanted to stay out. If it was in foster care I just didn't want to be in the home because it wasn't my home. One night, when I was 14, me and my friend were out. She was talking to this lad - they were friends, but I didn't like him. I wanted to go home because it was late, but she was pulling my arm saying, "Stay out, stay out. I'm not staying out if you don't stay out" and stuff like that. And then because he wanted her to stay out, I got pulled along too. He sneaked us into his house and they made me sleep or whatever on the wooden floor while they were doing things. If I moved he'd hit me and then start swearing, because he'd sneaked us in and you could hear his mum downstairs. I wanted to go down and tell his mum, but I couldn't. Gullible He did stuff to me, like have sex and stuff, and was hitting me and swearing at me. Then in the morning he sneaked us back out of the house so his mum didn't know I'd been up there on the floor and didn't want to be there. I got a phone call off someone from social services and asked them to pick me up, and they came straight away. When we got back I told the police and they gave him a caution or something saying that he wasn't allowed to come near me. When I look back now all my friend ever did was get me in trouble with different things. When you're younger and you're in care, you go out and if people offer you alcohol and stuff you just go along with it really. You're probably just gullible. One time she took me to this guy's house and we ended up drinking alcohol and she had some cannabis and we ended up doing that. She was probably the only person that would stop out all night with me, so that's why I went out with her probably. Really drunk There were times where we slept in this little builder's box thing on a field. It was just a plastic roof and it didn't have a floor. And we slept in a tent on a primary school field one time. Just wherever, really. We knew one guy in a houseshare of three people. He was around a year older than me and he was fine, I didn't have a problem with him. And there was another boy - well, he wasn't a boy, he was about 19 at the time - and he was the guy that me and my friend got alcohol and stuff off. One time he was hanging out of his window and started saying, "Come up here, come up here, I'll give you a beer and stuff." So anyway, me being stupid, I went and then he did stuff to me. Afterwards he started screaming, "Get out, get out of my flat," so I left. By this time I was really drunk, like couldn't walk drunk. As I came out of the flat into the corridor there were two men. I later found out they were 25. I think they were a bit drunk as well and it was really late, so I couldn't go home or if I went out the door then the police would be there. I went back into the flat with them, into the shared living room and I fell on the settee and couldn't get up. The first guy was still screaming, "Get her out, get her out," but this other one said, "No, she's going to stay with me for the night." He took me in his bedroom and then he did stuff as well. He was 25 and I was 14. So yeah, that was another bad time. They probably just see a young girl and think she's not with her mum and dad, because they don't care and she's in care, so of course she's going to come and stay at mine. They pour a bit of alcohol in you and then you're legless. And you can't do anything and then they'll just get what they want then. Watch Newsnight's report on the sexual exploitation of children and what is being done to combat it on Tuesday 3 July 2012 at 22:30 BST on BBC Two, then afterwards on the BBC iPlayer and Newsnight website.

बच्चों को यौन शोषण से बचाने के लिए इंग्लैंड में आवासीय देखभाल प्रणाली के तत्काल सुधारों की घोषणा सरकार द्वारा बाल शोषण की एक गहन रिपोर्ट के बाद की गई है। जूली, उसका असली नाम नहीं, को 11 साल की उम्र में देखभाल में रखा गया था, जहां वह 18 साल की उम्र तक रही, पालक घरों और बच्चों के घरों के संयोजन में रही। अब 19 साल की उम्र में, उसने यौन शोषण के अपने अनुभवों के बारे में न्यूज़नाइट से बात की है।


Thieves steal lead from Bideford's listed town hall

Summary: Thieves who stole lead from the roof of a Grade II-listed building in Devon have been branded as "uncaring, greedy and callous".

Lead and lead flashing worth about £3,000 was stripped from the roof at Bideford Town Hall and Library. The theft was discovered when staff working in the library reported water leaking from the ceiling. In removing the lead, the thieves also damaged slates on the roof of the 160-year-old building. Council leader Barry Parsons said: "This act by uncaring, greedy and callous thieves has caused damage that will cost the council taxpayer of Torridge around £3,000 to repair. "That's money that could and should be spent on services for the residents of our district, not on unnecessary building repairs." Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police.

डेवोन में ग्रेड II-सूचीबद्ध इमारत की छत से सीसा चुराने वाले चोरों को "लापरवाह, लालची और कठोर" करार दिया गया है।


Archie Spriggs: Mother denies murdering seven-year-old son

Summary: The mother of a seven-year-old boy found dead at a house in Shropshire has denied his murder.

The body of Archie Spriggs was discovered at an address on Rushbury Road in Wall-under-Heywood, near Church Stretton, on 21 September. The cause of his death has not yet been confirmed. Lesley Speed, 44, pleaded not guilty to killing her son at Stafford Crown Court on Thursday. Her trial will take place in March. Midlands Live: Failed student guilty of aiding knife terror plot; HMS Coventry crew remembered 35 years on;

श्रॉपशायर में एक घर में मृत पाए गए सात वर्षीय लड़के की मां ने उसकी हत्या से इनकार किया है।


Wrexham crash: Woman critical after car hits house

Summary: A woman is in a critical condition after being airlifted to hospital when her car crashed into a house in north Wales.

The crash happened on the A539 in Overton, Wrexham, at 19:30 GMT on Wednesday, North Wales Police said. The driver, aged in her 30s, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital in Stoke by air ambulance. Sgt Nicky Collins said the car was travelling from the Wrexham direction and appealed for witnesses.

उत्तरी वेल्स में एक घर में उसकी कार के दुर्घटनाग्रस्त होने पर अस्पताल ले जाए जाने के बाद एक महिला की हालत गंभीर है।


Buxworth murder arrest after woman, 77, found dead

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 77-year-old woman was found dead in a house in Derbyshire.

Police were called to a property in Western Lane, Buxworth, just after 04:00 GMT and found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The 25-year-old man who was arrested remains in custody, Derbyshire Constabulary said. The force added its investigation was in the early stages and officers remained in the area. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

डर्बीशायर में एक घर में 77 वर्षीय महिला के मृत पाए जाने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Royal Mail in bid to end dog attacks on postal workers

Summary: About 64 postmen and women were attacked by dogs across Northern Ireland in the past year, Royal Mail has said.

The attacks escalated during school holidays. Every day about eight post men and woman are attacked by a dog in the UK, the company said. Royal Mail has launched its annual Dog Awareness Week running from Monday 29 June, in an effort to curb such attacks. The company said dog attacks were "a significant hazard" for post men and women. In Northern Ireland, the number of attacks between April 2014 and 2015 was the same as in the previous year.

रॉयल मेल ने कहा है कि पिछले एक साल में उत्तरी आयरलैंड में कुत्तों द्वारा लगभग 64 डाकियों और महिलाओं पर हमला किया गया था।


Swiss vote on going it alone in sovereignty referendum

Summary: The Swiss love their referendums, but a proposal being put to voters about Swiss sovereignty on Sunday morning has upset almost the whole of the political spectrum and could affect Swiss relations with the EU and even the United Nations.

By Imogen FoulkesBBC News, Geneva Why the fuss? The main proposal calls for Swiss law to take precedence over international law and treaties. For supporters like Aliki Panayides, it would give voters "the final say on every issue". She says: "That's all we want: it's us that says what is going on in Switzerland, not a foreign tribunal." United in opposition are the Swiss government, all major political parties bar one, and a coalition of 120 civil society organisations, from environmental groups to groups which support the elderly, the disabled, or refugees. "It's a Trojan horse… it's not about saving democracy, it's about weakening fundamental rights in Switzerland," says Andrea Huber. She believes the proposal could allow voters to unpick dozens of international commitments the Swiss have signed up to, on human rights, the rights of the child, or even on trade. So will it fail? There is one political party that supports this proposal, and it is arguably Switzerland's most powerful political force: the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP). And the People's Party has succeeded before in votes on limiting immigration from the EU and on deporting foreign criminals, although their proposals were not enacted into law as rigorously as the party had hoped. "What parliament did with them was just nothing," complains party member Aliki Panayides. "They just said 'Oh we can't do that, the EU won't like it'." What's the EU got to do with it? Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but it has signed up to much EU policy, including free movement of people and the Schengen open border zone in order to gain access to the single market. Both policies were approved in national referendums in 2005. When in 2014 the Swiss voted to introduce quotas on immigration from the EU - by the narrowest of margins: 50.33% to 49.67% - Brussels immediately signalled that this would be a violation of freedom of movement likely to put trade relations at risk. Three years of haggling finally brought a solution the People's Party regards as unacceptably weak: no quotas, but preference given to workers already resident in Switzerland, and only if unemployment reaches particularly high levels. If Sunday's proposal goes through, supporters believe parliament and government would not be able to adapt the results of a referendum so liberally. At the same time, the EU has grown tired of the endless bilateral negotiations with Switzerland: it wants an "institutional framework agreement" in which the Swiss adopt many EU laws automatically. If Sunday's proposal is passed, that idea could be dead, and Swiss-EU relations could get awkward again. Why is vote about Europe's courts? Supporters also see a yes vote as a first step towards withdrawing Switzerland from the European Convention on Human Rights. That would mean no longer being subject to the European Court of Human Rights, which is entirely separate from the EU. "Switzerland is a neutral, peaceful country," argues Aliki Panayides. "We don't need treaties for that, we will follow the rules anyway." Andrea Huber begs to differ. She says thousands of Swiss families were helped by a 2014 ruling from Strasbourg that overturned a Swiss court judgement on asbestos-related illness. The EU's Court of Justice is also a factor. If the Swiss government agrees the "institutional framework agreement", the ECJ could become influential. Again, the People's Party argues this would undermine direct democracy. The historical roots to this vote are deeper than the EU though: neutral Switzerland has always been cautious of joining big international organisations: it did not join the United Nations until 2002, and has been slow to ratify major UN conventions like the Convention on the Rights of the Child. What's going to happen? Latest opinion polls suggest voters may reject the proposal, because of the message on human rights that a yes vote might send to the rest of the world about Switzerland, which after all is home to the Geneva Conventions, and to the United Nations. But Swiss commitment to their neutrality and independence should never be underestimated, and polls have been wrong in the past. In 2009 Swiss voters defied predictions and backed a ban on the construction of minarets, violating, some argue, Switzerland's obligations to freedom of religious expression. Don't they get fed up with referendums? One thing the Swiss do not really argue about is their system of direct democracy. Although turnout is sometimes low, people do not complain about how often they are called on to vote. They even vote on the same issues more than once. Direct democracy here means anyone can put an idea to the people as long as they gather 100,000 signatures. It took three referendums over three decades before Swiss women got the right to vote in 1971.

स्विस अपने जनमत संग्रह को पसंद करते हैं, लेकिन रविवार की सुबह स्विस संप्रभुता के बारे में मतदाताओं के सामने रखे गए एक प्रस्ताव ने लगभग पूरे राजनीतिक स्पेक्ट्रम को परेशान कर दिया है और यूरोपीय संघ और यहां तक कि संयुक्त राष्ट्र के साथ स्विस संबंधों को प्रभावित कर सकता है।


Solar-powered vaccine fridges help Ebola fight

Summary: Solar-powered fridges which store vaccines are being flown to Africa to help in the fight against Ebola.

Shipments from Dulas, based in Machynlleth, Powys, are going to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. The fridges are used in countries where electricity supply is limited. Guy Watson, of Dulas, said: "We are pleased that technology designed and developed in Wales is being used to support communities during a global crisis."

इबोला के खिलाफ लड़ाई में मदद करने के लिए टीकों को संग्रहीत करने वाले सौर ऊर्जा से चलने वाले फ्रिजों को अफ्रीका भेजा जा रहा है।


Weary EU press say they're appalled by Brexit deadlock

Summary: European newspapers say UK Prime Minister Theresa May's promise to quit if MPs back her Brexit deal - and the failure of Parliament to agree on any of the eight proposed alternatives - have plunged Britain deeper into paralysis.

By BBC MonitoringThe world through its media In Germany, Die Welt says "Mrs May plays her last card - her own job". It notes growing support for her proposed deal among MPs from her Conservative Party but says it remains doubtful that it will eventually be approved, adding: "The Brexit chaos in the British Parliament goes on." Similarly Germany's Bild speaks of the "chaos becoming even more confusing" after MPs rejected all eight alternative Brexit proposals. Der Spiegel magazine describes proceedings as "another day of chaos in Westminster". France's Le Figaro observes that Mrs May made a "Faustian pact" with Conservative MPs by offering to resign, but adds "on the other side of the Channel, Europeans are watching these developments with a feeling of weariness". Meanwhile, Le Monde's headline says: "The prospect of a no-deal increases by another notch." It recalls that French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel "openly evoked it as an option" at a European Council meeting earlier this month. For Polish broadsheet Rzeczpospolita, last night's Brexit wrangling was the "Final humiliation of Theresa May". "For a moment, it seemed that the never-ending Brexit saga was over. But this illusion lasted for two hours tops" it said, referring to the continuing refusal by the Northern Irish DUP party, on whose support the Conservatives rely, to back Mrs May's deal. In a similar vein, La Libre Belgique says the votes, "far from bringing the awaited clarity, plunged the United Kingdom into confusion even more profoundly". Looking ahead, Belgium's Le Soir points out that the UK may face a "cordon sanitaire" setting it apart from the rest of the EU in case of a lengthy exit process. "The hypothesis of a long delay to the UK's departure, for example for a year, will give the British an influence in the EU that the EU27 will do their best to limit," it notes. For Stephen Collins in the Irish Times, letting the UK hold another European election would be "disastrous" as the European Parliament already faces an upsurge of populist forces. "There is a serious danger that the Brexiteers who have paralysed the House of Commons and undermined the reputation of British politics will take their wrecking tactics to the European Parliament if the United Kingdom is allowed to remain in the European Union for an extended period," he says. "It is theoretically possible that European elections in the UK could provide a rallying point for those who want to remain in the EU or at least desire a softer Brexit… The problem is that no party apart from the Liberal Democrats is committed to remaining in the EU so the odds must be that, as last time, the elections will be a vehicle for anti-EU forces to mobilise." BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

यूरोपीय समाचार पत्रों का कहना है कि ब्रिटेन की प्रधान मंत्री थेरेसा मे का इस्तीफा देने का वादा अगर सांसद उनके ब्रेक्सिट सौदे का समर्थन करते हैं-और संसद की आठ प्रस्तावित विकल्पों में से किसी पर भी सहमत होने में विफलता-ने ब्रिटेन को पक्षाघात में डाल दिया है।


Oxford's pedestrianisation plans on 'back burner'

Summary: Plans to pedestrianise streets in the centre of Oxford have been "put on the back burner" due to a lack of funds.

Conservative councillor Ian Hudspeth, responsible for transport at Oxfordshire County Council, said the work had been moved down the agenda. It affects the High Street, St Aldate's, Broad Street, George Street and Magdalen Street. He said a priority in the city was to improve Frideswide Square which was seen as a gateway to Oxford.

ऑक्सफोर्ड के केंद्र में सड़कों को पैदल चलने वालों के लिए बनाने की योजना को धन की कमी के कारण पीछे कर दिया गया है।


A routine abduction - of a 13-year-old girl

Summary: It's said that half a million children go missing in India every year. Sonia Faleiro went to meet the parents of one, a 13-year-old girl who was walking along a road with her mother when she was pulled into a car and driven away.

On the morning that I met Ram Bharan, a brick maker in a remote village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, his family was in the midst of wedding preparations. The bride was Bharan's 15-year-old daughter. The sweet-faced teenager was seated on the floor of their mud hut, slathered with turmeric, in a pre-wedding ritual meant to purify the skin. But unlike any wedding ceremony I'd been to, this one was devoid of music, dance, even joy. The atmosphere was laden with sadness. Ram Bharan hadn't planned to marry his daughter off so young. He was an illiterate, daily wage labourer, and like any father he wanted the best for his children. The legal minimum age to marry in India is 18 for girls, and Ram Bharan would have liked his daughter to finish her education. But in April last year, his youngest child was abducted. She was, he told me, 13 years, nine months, and three days old. Every morning Savitri accompanied her mother to the brick kiln, with a flask of tea for her father. The kiln was 20 minutes down a quiet mud road. But that morning, some men pulled her into a moving jeep. Her horrified mother could only scream as they drove off in a cloud of dust. The teenager is still missing, and she is just one among very many. Activists say that as many as 500,000 children go missing in India every year. Uttar Pradesh is a particularly lawless place, routinely registering the most crimes against women and children. After the abduction, Ram Bharan decided to marry off his remaining daughters - six in all - as soon as he could, to whomever was immediately willing. He could not protect them, he felt, so it was best to send them away. I was sitting opposite Ram Bharan on a charpoy. A lean man with a goatee and a thatch of salt-and-pepper hair, he wore khaki pants and a long sleeve shirt as protection from the cold. Find out more They were Shakya, he said right away, naming his caste. I hadn't asked, but caste was an introduction in these parts. The Shakyas are a low caste, so marginalised that they are beneficiaries of affirmative action. To be low-caste means to live suspended in insecurity and fear. With the abduction, Ram Bharan's fears were fully realised. The day after the disappearance he went to the police, he told me. He couldn't afford to ride the bus, so he walked. It took him two hours. He told the police what he'd learnt. One of the kidnappers was Ram Bharan's own neighbour. The police came to the village to look for the man, and when they couldn't find him, they demolished his hut to teach him a lesson. Then they left, never to return. When I visited the police station, there wasn't even a written record of his complaint. One officer who spoke to me was dismissive. "Girls run away," he said. I wasn't surprised by his response. Looking for a missing child requires time, manpower and resources, and the police in India are short on all of these. To avoid opening an investigation they pretend that no crime was committed. Savitri wasn't even the first girl to disappear in the area. According to village gossip, the neighbour who had abducted her was linked to a trafficking ring that supplied brothels in Mumbai and Delhi. When children go missing in India it's often because they are trafficked. But some children run away, hoping to make a better life for themselves. At least half of India's children live in acute poverty. They don't have adequate food or clean drinking water at home; some don't even have a roof over their heads. Some children are sold by their parents. Sometimes unwanted daughters are deliberately allowed to stray in busy market places. The government isn't doing as much as it could. And even if it were to empower the police, just finding a missing child doesn't get to the heart of the problem - which is that children need care and protection. India's courts have repeatedly denounced the prevalence of child disappearances - which they have declared "as bad as terrorism." When I returned to Ram Bharan to tell him what I had learned at the police station he recalled something else. The police had asked for a photo of his daughter, he told me. But there had never been money for photographs, not even a passport picture at the makeshift booth in the village bazaar. Now his child was gone, he sighed, and he had nothing to remember her by. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter

ऐसा कहा जाता है कि भारत में हर साल पाँच लाख बच्चे लापता हो जाते हैं। सोनिया फलेरियो एक 13 वर्षीय लड़की के माता-पिता से मिलने गई, जो अपनी माँ के साथ सड़क पर चल रही थी, जब उसे एक कार में खींचा गया और भगा दिया गया।


General election 2019: Voters in Norwich give their views

Summary: Schools, Brexit, healthcare and a fear of being overlooked. Voters in Norwich have been talking about the issues that matter to them as they prepare to go to the polls - some for the first time - in the general election on 12 December.

First-year film student Riki Buckles, 19, will be voting for the first time but is unsure which party he will back. He moved to Norwich from Woodbridge, Suffolk, in September to study at Norwich University of the Arts and said he was concerned about the number of homeless people sleeping rough. "I want a party that cares about the environment. Also, Brexit has been a big issue and that needs to be sorted," he said. "What I want from politicians is someone who is more progressive and accepting of different kinds of people, regardless of racism and sexism." Arts student Lauren Seal, 20, has lived in Norwich for two years after growing up in Maidstone, Kent. She did not vote in 2017 - her first opportunity - and said she had no plans to on 12 December because she did not trust politicians. Live: General election coverage from Norwich "I don't know that each party would make a practical difference," she said. "Politicians make false promises so you don't know who to believe. You can't guarantee they are going to do what they say." Skateboarder Emanuel Štokelj, 19, originally from Slovenia, said he had registered to vote in the UK but was still deciding which party to back. The second year University of East Anglia student said the biggest issue for him was Brexit and he would most likely vote for a pro-Remain candidate. "I wanted to come to to the UK for education because my English is good, but it was also about the international experience," he said. "It can really open up your views on things. I don't think it's a good thing when a country closes itself off." Hairdresser Bethan Innes, 23, from Norwich, said she was "50/50" in the 2016 EU Referendum but voted Leave. "I thought we should take back control, but I had no idea the process would take this long. Even now I am still unsure, but I do worry about what might happen to the NHS if we leave," she said. "I will vote in the election but I am undecided. When I listen to one politician and then the next day I listen to another, nothing is clear. They backtrack on what they said before and I can't tell if they will keep their promises." Lara Morris-Hatch, 24, is pregnant with her second child and hopes Brexit will not eclipse social issues. A GP's receptionist, she said she saw service providers struggling, especially in mental health and elder care, with charities "taking the brunt of what the NHS is not able to do". She wants politicians to do more to make full maternity leave a viable option for more mums. "The current statutory pay - it's a long time on not a lot of money. Most people like me struggle to take full leave." She said she had loved seeing Norwich become more diverse in recent years but worried not enough was done to promote the city. "I want politicians to not just be focussed on national problems but local ones. Sometimes things get missed around here." Charlie Wright, 26, grew up in Essex but stayed in Norwich after graduating from the UEA in 2015 and works at a payment software company. He said he wanted four things from candidates: "loyalty, honesty, trust and transparency". He voted Remain, but now wants Brexit done. "We've also got some fantastic people here from mainland Europe and I don't want to lose their skills but we don't know what's happening," he said. He said the "massively polarised" quality of local schools would concern him when he started a family. "I had a great education, really supportive parents and I don't want my child going to an under-funded school," he said.

स्कूल, ब्रेक्सिट, स्वास्थ्य सेवा और अनदेखी किए जाने का डर। नॉर्विच में मतदाता उन मुद्दों के बारे में बात कर रहे हैं जो उनके लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं क्योंकि वे 12 दिसंबर को होने वाले आम चुनाव में-कुछ पहली बार-चुनाव में जाने की तैयारी कर रहे हैं।


Congo sapeurs: Is the Guinness ad true to life?

Summary: The new Guinness ad featuring superbly dressed Congolese men has been getting a lot of attention since its release earlier this week, writes Tanvi Misra. But how closely do the sashaying and stout-swigging characters in the ad match reality?

Ad BreakdownThe Magazine's review of advertising The ad follows the men as they shed their working clothes and transform themselves into polished, hat-wearing, cane-wielding style moguls - because, as the narrator says, "in life, you cannot always choose what you do, but you can always choose who you are." Costume designer Mr Gammon took 28 suitcases of elegant kit to the shoot with members of the Congolese Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant Persons (SAPE) - sapeurs, as they are known. The main idea was to be true to the sapeur look, but also, "kind of, heighten it a bit," Gammon says. "I wasn't redesigning them." Photographer Per-Anders Pettersson who spent five days with sapeurs in Kinshasa in 2012 says the picture portrayed in the ad is pretty accurate. The opening frame of the ad locates the action in Congo Brazzaville. Sapeurs exist both there and in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo - but the ad was actually shot in South Africa. Hassan Salvador, seen in the ad sporting jaunty Lennon-style dark glasses, says he earns $1,000 (£610) a month working as a warehouse manager, and about 20% of that goes on clothes. Feron Ngouabi - who can be glimpsed wearing a kilt and tam-o-shanter - spends all of his earnings as a fireman on clothes, he says. Fortunately he owns two taxis, which bring in extra cash. In the ad they wore a mixture of their own wardrobe, and Mr Gammon's. During Pettersson's shoot, the sapeurs held a funeral for one of the movement's pioneers. The red carpet leading to the reception inevitably became something of a catwalk, with sapeurs "performing" - showing off the moves that show off their threads - just as they do in the ad. Sapeurs never wear more than three colours at once (or four, including white). In the Guinness ad, featuring men from Brazzaville, Gammon kept black and grey clothes to a minimum. But Pettersson encountered plenty of monochrome outfits in Kinshasa, capital of DR Congo. Mr Gammon says he was "blown away" by the experience of working with these men and celebrating their look. "They may not be wealthy," he says, "but they are wealthy in spirit." Hector Mediavilla, who directed a mini-documentary for Guinness, also released this week, says the ad is cinema - it's not intended to be 100% accurate. "But the spirit of the people? Yeah it's in the ad." Additional reporting by Sasha Gankin, Brazzaville. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

तन्वी मिश्रा लिखती हैं कि शानदार कपड़े पहने कांगोली पुरुषों की विशेषता वाला नया गिनीज विज्ञापन इस सप्ताह की शुरुआत में जारी होने के बाद से बहुत ध्यान आकर्षित कर रहा है। लेकिन विज्ञापन में भद्दे और जोरदार स्विंग करने वाले पात्र वास्तविकता से कितने करीब से मेल खाते हैं?


Mueller report: Read William Barr's summary sent to Congress

Summary: US Attorney General Bill Barr spent the weekend poring over the Special Counsel's report before sending a summary to Congress with his verdict on its main conclusions. Here is his letter in full.

Dear Chairman Graham, Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Ranking Member Collins: As a supplement to the notification provided on Friday, March 22, 2019, I am writing today to advise you of the principal conclusions reached by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller Ill and to inform you about the status of my initial review of the report he has prepared. The Special Counsel's Report On Friday, the Special Counsel submitted to me a "confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions" he has reached, as required by 28 C.F.R. 600.8(c). This report is entitled "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election." Although my review is ongoing, I believe that it is in the public interest to describe the report and to summarize the principal conclusions reached by the Special Counsel and the results of his investigation. The report explains that the Special Counsel and his staff thoroughly investigated allegations that members of the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, and others associated with it, conspired with the Russian government in its efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, or sought to obstruct the related federal investigations. In the report, the Special Counsel noted that, in completing his investigation, he employed 19 lawyers who were assisted by a team of approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff. The Special Counsel issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, issued almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses. The Special Counsel obtained a number of indictments and convictions of individuals and entities in connection with his investigation, all of which have been publicly disclosed. During the course of his investigation, the Special Counsel also referred several matters to other offices for further action. The report does not recommend any further indictments, nor did the Special Counsel obtain any sealed indictments that have yet to be made public. Below, I summarize the principal conclusions set out in the Special Counsel's report. Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election The Special Counsel's report is divided into two parts. The first describes the results of the Special Counsel's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The report outlines the Russian effort to influence the election and documents crimes committed by persons associated with the Russian government in connection with those efforts. The report further explains that a primary consideration for the Special Counsel's investigation was whether any Americans including individuals associated with the Trump campaign — joined the Russian conspiracies to influence the election, which would be a federal crime. The Special Counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As the report states: "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. "l The Special Counsel's investigation determined that there were two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election. The first involved attempts by a Russian organization, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the United States designed to sow social discord, eventually with the aim of interfering with the election. As noted above, the Special Counsel did not find that any U.S. person or Trump campaign official or associate conspired or knowingly coordinated with the IRA in its efforts, although the Special Counsel brought criminal charges against a number of Russian nationals and entities in connection with these activities. The second element involved the Russian government's efforts to conduct computer hacking operations designed to gather and disseminate information to influence the election. The Special Counsel found that Russian government actors successfully hacked into computers and obtained emails from persons affiliated with the Clinton campaign and Democratic Party organizations, and publicly disseminated those materials through various intermediaries, including WikiLeaks. Based on these activities, the Special Counsel brought criminal charges against a number of Russian military officers for conspiring to hack into computers in the United States for purposes of influencing the election. But as noted above, the Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign. 1.In assessing potential conspiracy charges, the Special Counsel also considered whether members of the Trump campaign "coordinated" with Russian election interference activities. The Special Counsel defined "coordination" as an "agreement—tacit or express—between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference." Obstruction of Justice The report's second part addresses a number of actions by the President — most of which have been the subject of public reporting — that the Special Counsel investigated as potentially raising obstruction-of-justice concerns. After making a "thorough factual investigation" into these matters, the Special Counsel considered whether to evaluate the conduct under Department standards governing prosecution and declination decisions but ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment. The Special Counsel therefore did not draw a conclusion — one way or the other — as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction. Instead, for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the Special Counsel views as "difficult issues" of law and fact concerning whether the President's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction. The Special Counsel states that "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." The Special Counsel's decision to describe the facts of his obstruction investigation without reaching any legal conclusions leaves it to the Attorney General to determine whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime. Over the course of the investigation, the Special Counsel's office engaged in discussions with certain Department officials regarding many of the legal and factual matters at issue in the Special Counsel's obstruction investigation. After reviewing the Special Counsel's final report on these issues; consulting with Department officials, including the Office of Legal Counsel; and applying the principles of federal prosecution that guide our charging decisions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. Our determination was made without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president. In making this determination, we noted that the Special Counsel recognized that "the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference," and that, while not determinative, the absence of such evidence bears upon the President's intent with respect to obstruction. Generally speaking, to obtain and sustain an obstruction conviction, the government would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person, acting with corrupt intent, engaged in obstructive conduct with a sufficient nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding. In cataloguing the President's actions, many of which took place in public view, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of justice offense. Status of the Department's Review The relevant regulations contemplate that the Special Counsel's report will be a "confidential report" to the Attorney General. See Office of Special Counsel, 64 Fed. Reg. 37,038, 37,040-41 (July 9, 1999). As I have previously stated, however, I am mindful of the public interest in this matter. For that reason, my goal and intent is to release as much of the Special Counsel's report as I can consistent with applicable law, regulations, and Departmental policies. Based on my discussions with the Special Counsel and my initial review, it is apparent that the report contains material that is or could be subject to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e), which imposes restrictions on the use and disclosure of information relating to "matter[s] occurring before [a] grand jury." Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)(2)(B). Rule 6(e) generally limits disclosure of certain grand jury information in a criminal investigation and prosecution. Id. Disclosure of 6(e) material beyond the strict limits set forth in the rule is a crime in certain circumstances. See, e.g., 18 U.S.C. 401 (3). This restriction protects the integrity of grand jury proceedings and ensures that the unique and invaluable investigative powers of a grand jury are used strictly for their intended criminal justice function. Given these restrictions, the schedule for processing the report depends in part on how quickly the Department can identify the 6(e) material that by law cannot be made public. I have requested the assistance of the Special Counsel in identifying all 6(e) information contained in the report as quickly as possible. Separately, I also must identify any information that could impact other ongoing matters, including those that the Special Counsel has referred to other offices. As soon as that process is complete, I will be in a position to move forward expeditiously in determining what can be released in light of applicable law, regulations, and Departmental policies. As I observed in my initial notification, the Special Counsel regulations provide that "the Attorney General may determine that public release of' notifications to your respective Committees "would be in the public interest." 28 C.F.R. 600.9(c). I have so determined, and I will disclose this letter to the public after delivering it to you. Sincerely, William P. Barr Attorney General

अमेरिकी अटॉर्नी जनरल बिल बर्र ने सप्ताहांत में विशेष वकील की रिपोर्ट पर गौर करते हुए कांग्रेस को उसके मुख्य निष्कर्षों पर अपने फैसले के साथ एक सारांश भेजने से पहले बिताया। यहाँ उनका पूरा पत्र है।


Glasgow fire: How the O2 ABC entertained a city for 143 years

Summary: The Glasgow School of Art was gutted after a fire broke out in the building late on Friday evening. But the blaze also severely damaged the O2 ABC music venue next door. The building is actually older than the Mackintosh and during its 143-year-old history has been a diorama theatre, a circus, a dancehall and a cinema.

By Christopher SleightBBC Scotland news From the air, the O2 ABC building is probably more recognisable than the Glasgow School of Art. The roof of the Sauchiehall Street venue has a distinctive turquoise colour, with a 180-degree fan shape at one end. It's easily spotted in satellite images of the area. But now the turquoise roof has gone, and only the outline of the elegantly curved roof remains. A photograph from a Police Scotland helicopter taken the morning after the fire shows a smoking ruin, with the roof completely collapsed in. It's under this roof that countless Glaswegians have been entertained during the building's many guises. "The O2 ABC is a building that's always survived to serve Glasgow as an entertainment venue", says Gordon Barr, who runs the Scottish Cinemas website. "The building's been through a lot of change, a lot of adaptation. There's an accretion of layers in its history. It's done it all." It first opened as the Diorama in 1875 and featured a canvas of paintings which told the story of the Battle of Waterloo. Three years later it became the Panorama, with the images animated as a large canvas scrolled around the circular end of the auditorium. The building's first reinvention came in 1885, when it reopened as Hubner's Ice Skating Palace. A visit in "midsummer warmth" was a "pleasant atmospheric experience", according to the Glasgow Herald. In 1888 it became one of the first buildings in Glasgow to be fitted with electricity and eight years later was the site of Glasgow's first public film. "What's interesting is that it's always been an entertainment venue throughout its life," says Mr Barr. "The building has adapted itself depending on what people were interested in and what the latest technology was." For much of the first quarter of the 20th Century, it was home to Hengler's Circus, complete with a large circus ring and a water tank. Next door, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's new home for the Glasgow School of Art was under construction, the first half opening in 1899 and the second half in 1909. Mr Barr says having an art school move in next door to a circus created an unusual link between the two buildings. "While the animals weren't performing they were taken around to the art school so the students could make life drawings of them. "So there are connections between the buildings." In 1927, there was another reinvention - this time into a dancehall. Or to be more precise, a ground floor car park, with a dancehall constructed above. But the dancehall incarnation lasted just two years and in 1929 the mezzanine level built for dancing became the stalls floor of the cinema. The Regal, as it was now known, opened in November as ABC's flagship cinema in Glasgow with seating for 2,359 people. It remained as a cinema for 70 years, although it went through several large-scale refurbishments along the way. The last film was shown 14 October 1999 and the building was closed for several years. In 2005 it was reinvented again, when a pub, restaurants and a music venue opened on the site. But the ABC name and logo lived on - which is telling says Mr Barr. "The name really meant something to Glasgow. It's another sad loss to the heritage of the city." Like the School of Art next door, there is uncertainty over the future of the O2 ABC following the fire. Academy Music Group (AMG), which owns the venue, said in a statement that the building was still "under the control of the emergency services". The group is trying to move or reschedule forthcoming events to other venues in the city. 'Horrible weekend' "The messages of support we have received has been incredibly overwhelming and we are grateful to everyone for their understanding and patience at what is a difficult and challenging time, in exceptional and unforeseen circumstances," the statement added. AMG said it would not make "any further comment" about the long-term future of the venue. But Mr Barr is still hopeful that a venue which has been at the heart of Glasgow's entertainment life for so long could reinvent itself one more time. "It's been a horrible, horrible, sad weekend. All we can hope is that what's been lost can be rebuilt and saved for Glasgow."

शुक्रवार देर शाम इमारत में आग लगने के बाद ग्लासगो स्कूल ऑफ आर्ट जल गया था। लेकिन आग ने बगल के ओ2 एबीसी संगीत स्थल को भी बुरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त कर दिया। यह इमारत वास्तव में मैकिनटोश से भी पुरानी है और अपने 143 साल पुराने इतिहास के दौरान एक डायोरामा थिएटर, एक सर्कस, एक डांसहॉल और एक सिनेमा रहा है।


Legal action due over North Sea helicopter deaths

Summary: Legal action by the partners of two pilots killed in a North Sea helicopter crash is due to be heard next week.

The pilots - Paul Burnham, 31, of Methlick, Aberdeenshire, and Richard Menzies, 24, of Droitwich Spa - and all 14 passengers died in April 2009 when the Super Puma came down. Their partners, Joanne McKenzie and Katherine Botham, have lodged multi-million pound personal injury claims against Bond Offshore Helicopters. A hearing will take place on Thursday.

उत्तरी सागर हेलीकॉप्टर दुर्घटना में मारे गए दो पायलटों के सहयोगियों द्वारा कानूनी कार्रवाई पर अगले सप्ताह सुनवाई होनी है।


Elstead crash: Drug driver jailed for killing pensioner

Summary: A man who killed a pensioner in a head-on crash after taking a "large quantity" of cocaine has been jailed.

Umberto Schramm, 37, ploughed into 70-year-old Frances Filby's car after losing control of his own in Elstead, Surrey, police said. He was also under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash in Farnham Road on 31 May 2019. At Kingston Crown Court, he was given a six-year sentence after he admitted causing death by careless driving. Schramm, of Burns Road, Wembley, was also disqualified from driving for just under seven years.

कोकीन की "बड़ी मात्रा" लेने के बाद एक दुर्घटना में एक पेंशनभोगी की हत्या करने वाले व्यक्ति को जेल भेज दिया गया है।


General election 2017: Will Brexit fire up Stoke's dwindling electorate?

Summary: It had the lowest turnout of any constituency in the UK at the 2015 general election. But fresh from a by-election and a fired-up electorate which overwhelmingly backed Brexit, could June's ballot see Stoke-on-Trent Central return to the polls?

By Rebecca WoodsBBC News "They are all just in it for themselves. I don't really see how my vote can change anything." Mick Billington, Hanley town centre's postman, hasn't voted in years. "The literature comes through my door from all the parties, but I don't read it. I just throw it in the bin," he says. Latest coverage on the 2017 general election "I thought about voting in the referendum. The Mrs kept saying 'come on, we should go', but you know how it is, you get in from work and you're comfortable." He is not alone. While many were moved to vote in the EU Referendum, Stoke Central's turnout at general elections has been falling steadily for 67 years - from a record high of 83% in 1950 to 51% in 2015, the lowest in the UK. This once-proud Labour heartland - the party has held the seat at every election since 1950 - is now home to an electorate that has become increasingly uninterested in politics. Mr Billington's indifference for voting is not reflected in his views of the NHS. His 86-year-old mother died six weeks ago, following a fall which saw her hospitalised for a fractured spine. She'd suffered with dementia and when he visited her in hospital, Mr Billington saw for himself the pressures staff were under. "People were lining the corridors [in their beds]. We're in 2017, not the 1940s or 50s," he says, his voice teetering on the edge of exasperation. "I was saying to my wife only last night, I'd be happy to pay an extra £1 a week to help the NHS." It's a rainy day in Hanley, one of the six Potteries towns that were amalgamated into the city of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910. Over the years, it has become the city's main shopping centre, but it has suffered some decline as shops including Argos, JD Sports and much-loved independent bookshop Webberley's all closed. While Stoke-on-Trent City Council is part way through regeneration plans - a four-star Hilton hotel is planned for the growing new Smithfield site and a shopping complex is due to replace the old bus station - some feel not enough is being done to breathe new life into the town centre. As lunchtime approaches, some streets in the centre are virtually empty of shoppers. Several units are boarded up. Carol Dugan works at JM Edwards tobacconist, opened by the late Tony Edwards in 1952. "There's not enough done in Hanley to support us. Shops are boarded up but the council doesn't lower the rent to attract new ones in," she says. "The druggies and the homeless have also become a really big problem." A staunch Conservative, she chose not to follow her late father's own political beliefs. "My dad was Labour. But he'd turn in his grave if he could see what was happening in the party now. "I don't know why so many people don't vote. I vote because I'm a woman. Women died to give us the vote and we should use it." Kevin Jones was a third generation Royal Doulton worker until he was made redundant when the china maker closed its last UK factory more than a decade ago. He now runs Oatie Mostons in Market Square, selling Staffordshire oatcakes from his van. "I haven't voted for a few year," he says. "After I was made redundant I became very disillusioned with things. They say the same things over and over but nothing ever changes." Despite his apathy, Mr Jones felt strongly enough to vote to remain in the EU - something 69.4% of Stoke-on-Trent's voting population disagreed with. He is a floating voter and says he will probably take part in the forthcoming General Election. He likes Gareth Snell, who was elected to the Stoke-on-Trent Central seat over UKIP's Paul Nuttall in February's by-election. "He's a people person. He comes into town and he talks to people," says Mr Jones. "The Labour party should have more people like him and maybe they wouldn't have as many problems." He also wouldn't mind paying more tax. "I'd be prepared to pay more to pay for the right things," he adds. "People are living longer - the money [to care for them] has got to come from somewhere. "But I disagree in giving money to young people who haven't put anything in." Mr Jones points to the pedestrian area outside his van, which is parked between Boots and Poundland. "There are people begging here all the time. They come from outside Stoke - they know people here are generous. I've seen people give them £5 notes." Stoke-on-Trent Central: Constituency profile Source: House of Commons Library Statistics Mr Jones talks of being told about families where three generations have never had jobs. "It's a lifestyle choice for some, and it shouldn't be." At the end of 2016, there was an estimated 17 rough sleepers a night on the streets of Stoke-on-Trent. Tackling homelessness is on the agenda for the three main political parties. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn plans to make 4,000 homes across the country available to the homeless, while Lib Dem boss Tim Farron wants to introduce a policy that will place long-term rough sleepers straight into independent homes rather than emergency shelters. The Conservatives aim to eradicate rough sleeping by 2027, and want to set up a homeless reduction taskforce. For lifelong Labour supporter Janet Ellis, education is a top priority. "Schools - I've got two young grandchildren, aged five and eight - and their education is very important," she says. "These schools that have large classes and just one teacher in charge - how can that be good for them?" She is in the town centre with her eldest grandson, Ethan Jenkins, having just given him a lift to an interview for an engineering apprenticeship. Aged 18, he's looking forward to being able to vote for the first time. "I'm voting because I've got the right to. A lot of people my age were in uproar that we couldn't vote in the referendum," he says. "One person in particular was very angry and he's campaigning to get the voting age lowered to 16." He's decided to back Labour, but not because his grandmother is a lifelong supporter. "I'm not very political at all, but I've read a lot about what Labour is standing for, such as getting rid of hospital parking charges," he says. "My step-dad works in the NHS and we've been a few times when relatives have been in hospital and you're there fumbling about with change." Wearing a black T-shirt with "Too Glam to Give a Damn" in bright pink letters makes Laura Cook stand out among the rain-soaked shoppers. Aged 23 and a manager at the Kurt Geiger concession in Debenhams, she and her partner have just bought a property. Despite her glittery message, pay is a big issue for her. "Costs of things are starting to rise but our wages aren't. Everything [previously] stretched quite well but it's becoming harder," she says. "I'm only 23 - owning a property is a big deal. I'm not poorly paid and I'm very fortunate. "I've worked since I was 16 - I used to work at Alton Towers. "But the cost of living is rising for everyone. I've had to work and work hard." She's voted in elections ever since she turned 18. "It's important. If you've got a vote you should use it. Plenty of people my age don't." And plenty of people who aren't her age don't either. Whether or not more constituents in Stoke Central will be fired up enough to cast their vote on 8 June is yet to be seen. All photography by Gavin Dickson

2015 के आम चुनाव में ब्रिटेन के किसी भी निर्वाचन क्षेत्र की तुलना में इसमें सबसे कम मतदान हुआ था। लेकिन एक उपचुनाव और ब्रेक्सिट का भारी समर्थन करने वाले मतदाताओं से ताज़ा, क्या जून के मतपत्र में स्टोक-ऑन-ट्रेंट सेंट्रल को चुनाव में वापस देखा जा सकता है?


Chhota Rajan deportation from Bali to India delayed by ash cloud

Summary: The deportation of an alleged Indian underworld don has been delayed by the closure of airports on Indonesia's Bali island due to volcanic ash, police say.

He was due to be deported on Tuesday, but reports now say he will be deported on Wednesday. Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, also known in India as Chhota Rajan or "Little Rajan", is accused of multiple murders and has long been wanted by police. Nikalje was detained when he flew into Bali airport from Sydney last month. Police acted on a tip-off from the Australian police who say had been living there under a different name. Nikalje, 55, is wanted in the western Indian city of Mumbai in connection with at least 17 cases of murder. Interpol's website states that Nikalje was born in Mumbai, and is wanted on multiple charges including murder and possession and use of illegal firearms.

पुलिस का कहना है कि ज्वालामुखीय राख के कारण इंडोनेशिया के बाली द्वीप पर हवाई अड्डों को बंद करने के कारण एक कथित भारतीय अंडरवर्ल्ड डॉन के निर्वासन में देरी हुई है।


Rock band 'eBay' career equipment

Summary: American rockers Nine Inch Nails, who quit touring earlier this year, are selling off their equipment through auction website eBay.

The band, lead by Trent Reznor, posted a message on their official website saying they were "getting rid of a large selection of gear the band is no longer in need of." Items already up for sale include guitars and bass guitars with "keyboards, amplifiers, drums, staging, anvil cases, cables, guitar effects and pedal boards" to be listed in the coming weeks. The group, who have released eight studio albums, enjoyed success throughout the 1990s and 2000s. They played their final gig on 10 September in Los Angeles.

अमेरिकी रॉकर्स नाइन इंच नेल्स, जिन्होंने इस साल की शुरुआत में दौरा करना छोड़ दिया था, नीलामी वेबसाइट ईबे के माध्यम से अपने उपकरण बेच रहे हैं।


Is there a tech solution for hatred of women?

Summary: Since I've been on the trail of the people threatening high-profile women with rape on Twitter I've learned a lot. I get a fair amount of grief on social media, usually from the kind of people who get driven to using the F-word about Keynesianism, or the Laffer curve .

Paul MasonFormer economics editor, Newsnight Now my timeline's been flooded with abuse - and its alter ego, gentle condescension laden with malice - from all kinds of trolls, griefers and flamers (the latter, one of the trolls explained, are not serious, adding that it is they, the trolls, who are the kings when it comes to ruining people's lives online). Proposed solutions range from forcing Twitter to suspend the account of anybody reported for threats or violent abuse, to forcing all users to sign up with a verifiable e-mail address. But who are the "trolls" and can anything be done to stop them? I spoke to US tech journalist Quinn Norton, who has worked with the hacker community for 20 years, reporting on the Anonymous group, and studying - sometime too closely for comfort - the trolls. She doesn't think the automatic blocking of abusers will work. "Fundamentally, you can't solve social problems with technology. They don't address the fundamental problem of men who attack women. And the problem with a report button is that it turns abuse into spam. And spam doesn't go away because there's more spam reported. "It is enough with a fairly basic understanding of programming to auto-generate tons of accounts, endlessly, and there isn't really a good way of stopping that. There are so many tools for getting around all the ways you can stop that, that the best thing to do is to let them have that account and to block that account so that you don't see it. Because if you remove that account they are motivated to come back ten-thousand fold." So what can we do about it. Ms Norton believes it needs "a lot more social engagement": "There are certain things that technology can help with. One of the best proposals I've heard is shareable block lists. In the same way that there might be lists of people that you can follow on Twitter, having lists of people that you never hear from on Twitter." "There's a certain amount of the internet that needs to develop a sense of what we have in cities which is civil inattention - the ability to just not pay attention to the people around us when we're not supposed to. And to some degree we need to learn how to not Google things we don't want to see and not look at the trolls on the internet." Since I did this report I've been flamed by a particular community. I put it to Ms Norton that if I sanitise my own experience by blocking individuals and - unlike with Stella Creasy MP or Caroline Criado-Perez - they do go away, this just leaves me trapped in a sanitised reality while a "dirty" reality goes on around me. She says "Throwing that 'dirty' conversation off Twitter doesn't end it. And actually knowing where it is, I think that's helpful. I thinking knowing that those dirty conversations are out there, that we can choose to engage with them or choose to ignore them depending on the time and energy and motivations that we have." If it's a social problem and not a technological one, what is the root of it? Ms Norton, believes it is stark: "The social problem is that men are raised to hate women and technology is not going to fix that. What's going to fix that is a societal conversation about why that is and why it shouldn't be, and why women aren't a threat to men. And the technology gives us the opportunity to have that conversation. It's not always a pleasant conversation, but we need to have it. Just shutting down the voices we don't like doesn't make the sentiments go away." Her strategy for dealing with threats - and she has had many - is to ignore them and make fun of them: "Typically if you ignore them they go away. There are people who are genuinely threatening, there are people who are genuinely dangerous. There are stalkers - they don't go away when you ignore them. That's how you know they are dangerous." Today I engaged one of the "trolls" in a brief discussion on Twitter. He had contacted me to say I was "getting it all wrong" about why he and his coterie had been publishing jokes about the rape of men, women and children. Here's how it went. (I won't publish his name because I did not want to get into any form of requesting consent, and in any case it is un-publishable, but makes reference to Nazism): Me: What is the motivation? Troll: Laughs. Me: I've been on here since year dot and never been seriously griefed - so why so many women targeted? Troll: Because women are easy. They get butthurt so easy and react. If they don't react no body flames. It's that simple. People target femi-nazi's because they're incredibly hypocritical and full of b******t. Me: Is there a political agenda? Troll: It's for laughs not for political cause. If the bitch had of just blocked and moved on nobody would of cared. But she reacted so [sic] further her BS beliefs. Now she wants to censor twitter for being a dumb bitch. Lol. There's more but you get the picture. The same sentiments, much more politely put, have been expressed in various right-of-centre newspapers today. I put it to Quinn Norton that it is a strange kind of person who gets off on belittling and targeting women. Ms Norton, who has both studied and been attacked by the trolls, says: "They are people who don't feel empowered in the world. They don't feel that when they walk out of the house they have power to affect the world that they are part of. The internet gives them the power to influence people, it gives them the power to say things to people, it gives them access. And it doesn't necessarily mean that they are people who don't have jobs, they could be people, in some cases, that have fairly high status jobs, but those roles attached to those jobs require them to be a person they don't feel like they are." Stella Creasy MP and Caroline Criado-Perez have been targeted now for days, together with other high profile women. They've been criticised for re-tweeting the abuse, instead of the strategy of ignore and block. Ms Norton says: "I think there's a good space for the re-tweet. I think there's a really, really good space for saying 'This is what I'm dealing with and this is what is happening.' I think that it's not something to be used in isolation, and it needs to involve critique as opposed to attack." But she says: "I think there's a point - and I've done this with my own trolls, because I get this too, especially with the communities I work with, to say "You know, I don't think you actually mean that. I think you're frustrated", and sometimes at the end of that there's a great conversation." Personally, as I get enough great conversations from the people who are prepared to debate ideas without abuse, I've resorted to the "shared block list" strategy. This focuses the wisdom of the Twitter crowd onto the most notorious idiots and enables those who sign up to engage in a collective block, without necessarily banning the perpetrators from the internet. I've installed The Block Bot and I'll be talking to the man who coded it tonight about the strange online community that revels in the belittling of women. Though I've been aware of trolls, sexism and the flaming of fellow women journalists for years now, what this has taught me is that violent misogyny is probably the defining fault line of the internet, and is what has a better chance of killing the social media than Ayatollah Khamenei and Kim Jong-un ever could. You can already feel cyberspace divided into a world that hates women and one that does not. Fortunately the former is small, but incredibly powerful - and underestimated at its peril.

जब से मैं ट्विटर पर हाई-प्रोफाइल महिलाओं को बलात्कार की धमकी देने वाले लोगों की राह पर चल रहा हूं, मैंने बहुत कुछ सीखा है। मुझे सोशल मीडिया पर काफी दुख होता है, आमतौर पर उन लोगों से जो कीनेसियनवाद, या लैफर वक्र के बारे में एफ-शब्द का उपयोग करने के लिए प्रेरित होते हैं।


Syria war: Jihadist takeover in rebel-held Idlib sparks alarm

Summary: The Islamic State group may have lost all its territory in Syria but a rival jihadist group has been making gains in the last remaining opposition stronghold in the north of the country - and it has got residents nervous.

By Lina SinjabBBC News, Beirut In a dramatic takeover last month, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept through towns and villages in Idlib province, as well as adjoining parts of Aleppo and Hama. The group - which was known as al-Nusra Front before it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda three years ago - expelled some rebel factions and forced others to surrender and recognise a "civil administration" it backs. With almost 20,000 fighters in its ranks, HTS wants to impose strict Islamic rule in areas it controls. Civilians say the group's practices are similar to those of IS. 'Black is imposed on us' Hiba, a civil society worker in her mid-20s based in western Aleppo countryside, worries that women like her will be deprived of their rights, similar to what IS did in areas it captured. International aid organisations have already suspended their work fearing reprisals by the group. "This will affect many women who work with these organisations, and who earn their living and are empowered by the work," Hiba warned. Most residents of areas that have fallen to HTS do not support the group's agenda. "This is what we have been facing for the past eight years; someone who opposes us and tries to exterminate us," said Issam Khatib, who runs a Turkey-based civil society organisation that operates in western Aleppo. Mohammed, who lives in the same area, told the BBC that HTS did not represent the people and was not welcome there. "This black colour is imposed on us," he said, in reference to the extremist agenda the group holds. "We really don't know who supports them; they have a power where no-one is able to face them." Will Turkey step in? The HTS takeover has also jeopardised the truce brokered by Turkey and Russia that has spared the 2.9 million civilians living in the enclave - including close to one million children - from a bloody government assault and a humanitarian disaster. The truce deal established a demilitarised buffer zone running along the front line to separate opposition and government forces. Rebels were required to pull their heavy weapons out of the zone, and jihadists were told to withdraw altogether. Residents are worried that the government, which is supported by Russia and Iran, will use the jihadists' gains as justification to resume their bombardment and eventually launch a full-scale ground offensive. There have been sporadic clashes along the front line since the truce began in September. But in recent weeks Idlib has been shaken by government shelling that has killed more than a dozen civilians, as well as a number of bomb attacks blamed on IS sleeper cells. Some residents are pinning their hopes on Turkey to intervene to save the truce and curb HTS's power. One Turkish newspaper close to the government has reported that 15,000 HTS fighters are willing to join the so-called National Army, a force created by Turkey in an attempt to unify the opposition in north-western Syria. "For me this is a sign there is some sort of a deal to avoid a major regime offensive," said Mr Khatib. However, President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, where they have been supporting a Kurdish militia battling IS, may change the dynamics. Turkey considers the militia, the People's Protection Units, an extension of a banned Kurdish rebel group in Turkey and it has vowed to set up a "security zone" with its allies inside Syria to prevent cross-border attacks. Alarm over cuts The presence of HTS - which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, along with the UN, the US and other Western powers - has already hit civilians living in opposition-held north-western Syria hard. At the end of September, the US and UK stopped aid they funded going through the key Bab al-Hawa crossing on Turkey's border with Idlib, saying they wanted to prevent extremists from benefiting from taxes they imposed on aid lorries. And after the latest HTS offensive, some international agencies suspended funding for medical services, prompting local health authorities to warn that dozens of facilities would have to cease operations or rely on staff working without pay. The UN has said it is still committed to its support for the millions of civilians in need throughout the opposition enclave. But Sham, an architect involved in civil society initiatives in Idlib, said civilians there were very alarmed by international funding cuts. "Those who have a job today will lose it tomorrow," she said. "Education, health facilities, and many other services will be affected." It is still not clear what will happen in the enclave, as the situation is still so fluid. But the fears of the civilians living there will not change.

इस्लामिक स्टेट समूह ने सीरिया में अपना सारा क्षेत्र खो दिया होगा, लेकिन एक प्रतिद्वंद्वी जिहादी समूह देश के उत्तर में विपक्ष के अंतिम बचे हुए गढ़ में लाभ कमा रहा है-और इसने निवासियों को परेशान कर दिया है।


Marijuana, mountains and money: How Lesotho is cashing in

Summary: Lesotho is aiming to make money from the booming medicinal marijuana industry, but the BBC's Vumani Mkhize says the southern African nation already has an unheralded illicit trade in the drug for recreational use.

Green dust swirls around Mampho Thulo as she uses her hands to scoop dried marijuana leaves from a massive heap on the floor of her home into a big linen bag. She has been cultivating the prized crop in her scenic village of Mapoteng for as long as she can remember. Seventy kilometres (43 miles) north-east of the capital, Maseru, her land lies in a lush valley surrounded by the mountains that the country is well known for. It is in this breath-taking scenery that people have been illicitly growing marijuana for recreational use for decades. The high altitude combined with fertile soils, untainted by pesticides, enables growers to produce a high-quality crop, valued all over the world. Closer to the capital, ranks of workers operate in more laboratory-like conditions in greenhouses to produce legal medicinal marijuana, as the country tries to cash in on its booming demand. Last year, Lesotho became the first African country to legalise the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes, spawning a new sector in a country where the economy struggles to create employment opportunities. But these two worlds are unlikely to meet, as the small-scale farmer cannot afford the infrastructure and licensing costs that the legal trade requires. 'At the mercy of smugglers' Nevertheless for Ms Thulo, who has five children, marijuana is a valuable cash crop. "This is how we earn a living... [as] the few jobs that are available are for educated people. So we rely on marijuana because we don't have an education," she told the BBC. Despite the lifting of the restriction on growing medicinal marijuana, what Ms Thulo does - growing it for recreational drug use - is still illegal. Five things about Lesotho: Artistic inspiration or pure plunder of African art? More about Lesotho The threat of arrest does not deter the 48-year-old. "Yes I know it's illegal to plant marijuana," she concedes. But with a note of defiance in her voice she adds, "My children are in school because of marijuana. When I sell some, I'm then able to pay school fees." She has become accustomed to the occasional police raid, which usually results in the authorities confiscating some of her crop. The inaccessibility of some of Ms Thulo's land, perched on steep mountain slopes, ensures that it is not all taken. When it comes to selling, she is at the mercy of the smugglers who, she complains, offer only a fraction of what it is worth. "They are the ones who set the price, because they know we are desperate. "The buyer will say I will take $36 [for a 50kg sack]. I'm hungry, I don't have food, the house is empty. I'll usually take it for that amount." Africa's marijuana pioneer The new medicinal marijuana industry is set to dwarf the money that the illicit small-scale farmers earn. Globally, medicinal marijuana is big business. The market for legal marijuana is set to be worth $146bn (£114bn) a year by 2025 with medicinal marijuana set to make up more than two-thirds of that, according to consultants Grand View Research. As the first mover on the continent, Lesotho aims to capitalise on its green bounty by encouraging international investment not only in cultivation but also processing. "We want to export finished products. So the plan is to cultivate and manufacture pharmaceutical products, nutritional products, cosmetics, and extraction of active pharmaceutical ingredients," says Masello Sello, legal adviser at the health ministry, the department responsible for issuing licences. Lesotho's entry into the medicinal marijuana market has encouraged other countries to get involved. Zimbabwe has also legalised its cultivation and a number of other African governments are considering it as well. In South Africa, the Constitutional Court legalised the growing and smoking of marijuana for personal consumption in a landmark ruling earlier this year. The government of Lesotho has already granted a number of international companies licences to grow, distribute and to export marijuana-based products. The country has managed to attract Canadian investors, who have found the climate and low labour costs ideal for expanding their businesses. This year, the Toronto-based Supreme Cannabis Company invested $10m into Medigrow Lesotho, giving it a 10% share of the business. Medigrow's sprawling medicinal marijuana farm, in Maseru's Makarabei district, brings the hope of job opportunities to the impoverished local community. 'Green medicine' Greenhouses dot the mountainside, and the rumble of tractors and pneumatic drills reverberate as the plant nears completion. "We are already employing 400 people, and we are projected to increase our head count to about 3,000 people," says Medigrow Chief Operating Officer Lebo Liphotho. "Traditionally the [marijuana] plant has been doing well in Lesotho, so obviously you'd want to put around a proper business structure to what has already been done naturally. Where we are, it's also about 2,000m [6,561 ft] above sea level, which is a very good environment for the plant to produce high-quality CBD [cannabidiol] oil," Mr Liphoto adds. CBD oil is essentially what all medicinal marijuana farmers are after. This is the compound which is extracted from the plant and then used in medicines to treat a variety of conditions. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is what recreational users of marijuana are after as it is the psychoactive ingredient. All of the plants at the Medigrow farm have had THC bred out of them, Christo Moller, a grower at the facility says. "We are only after the medicine, green medicine," he adds. 'Licences too expensive' Medigrow was granted permission by the Lesotho government to begin cultivation in 2016, a year before the state legalised medicinal marijuana for all companies. In just 15 months it has made a lot of progress: it has built a road, set up communication towers and is currently applying the finishing touches to staff quarters and the CBD oil processing plant. You might also like: But what about small-holder farmers? Fruit farmer Mothiba Thamae was excited about potentially expanding his business through growing medicinal marijuana on his farm. But the $10,000 growing licence has put him off the idea. "Since the government has legalised marijuana in Lesotho, we thought that maybe on a certain plot we can plant marijuana in order to diversify what we are producing, but we noticed that it's difficult to get a licence for people like us because the licence is expensive," Mr Thamae told the BBC. The government has broken down marijuana licences into different categories ranging from the main operating license, to growing, research and transportation. But these licenses are too expensive for the ordinary farmer. For the time being Ms Thulo will continue growing her illicit crop and she does not know anything about the medicinal business. "This is all I know," she chuckles as she finishes packing her giant bag of marijuana. "There's no other way I could earn a living."

लेसोथो का लक्ष्य तेजी से बढ़ते औषधीय मारिजुआना उद्योग से पैसा कमाना है, लेकिन बीबीसी के वुमानी मखिज़ का कहना है कि दक्षिणी अफ्रीकी देश में पहले से ही मनोरंजक उपयोग के लिए दवा का अवैध व्यापार है।


Robbie Williams' wife has given birth to a daughter

Summary: Robbie Williams has announced that he is now a dad.

The 38-year-old singer has become a father for the first time after Theodora Rose Williams was born yesterday. He used Twitter to tell fans that his wife, Ayda Field, had given birth to their daughter. On his blog he added: "Praise be, it's Theodora Rose Williams, affectionately known as Teddy... Born 3.33pm on 18.9.12, 7lbs 4oz. "Baby, Mummy and Daddy are all rockin...Thank you for your best wishes." Gary Barlow tweeted a message to the couple: "Massive congrats Rob and Ayda. So happy for you." Williams had previously said that he and Field planned to use a traditional name for their daughter. "No mad celebrity baby name. It's not Appleesque. It's a very solid, old-school name." The ex-Take That star was worried that he may miss the London birth while being on tour around the rest of the UK but confirmed he had a private jet on standby. He has stated that he wants to raise his daughter in the UK rather than in LA where he and his Turkish-American wife live. "I don't want to educate our baby in LA because I would much prefer her to have English sensibilities. "I want the baby to have an English passport, we're still figuring out exactly whereabouts the baby is going to be brought up. Williams and Field have been in a relationship for five years and married two years ago. His new album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jacknife Lee and features an orchestra on some tracks. The 38-year-old has sold more than 60 million albums during his solo career.

रॉबी विलियम्स ने घोषणा की है कि वह अब एक पिता हैं।


iPhone 4 launch: Your views

Summary: More than a thousand people have queued outside Apple's flagship London store for the launch of the iPhone 4.

The new phone comes with the promise of added features and is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor. BBC News website readers in the UK have been sending their reaction to Apple's latest product. Apple fans queue for new iPhone 4 PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE NEW iPHONE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNCONVINCED

आईफोन 4 के लॉन्च के लिए एप्पल के प्रमुख लंदन स्टोर के बाहर एक हजार से अधिक लोग कतार में खड़े हैं।


International Women's Day 2020: History, strikes and celebrations

Summary: You might have seen International Women's Day mentioned in the media or heard friends talking about it. But what is it for? When is it? Is it a celebration or a protest? And is there an equivalent International Men's Day?

For more than a century people around the world have been marking 8 March as a special day for women. Read on to find out why. 1. When did it all start? International Women's Day grew out of the labour movement to become a UN-recognised annual event. The seeds of it were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. It was the Socialist Party of America who declared the first National Woman's Day, a year later. The idea to make the day international came from a woman called Clara Zetkin. She suggested the idea in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. There were 100 women there, from 17 countries, and they agreed on her suggestion unanimously. It was first celebrated in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The centenary was celebrated in 2011, so this year we're technically celebrating the 109th International Women's Day. Things were made official in 1975 when the United Nations (UN) started celebrating the day. The first theme adopted by the UN (in 1996) was "Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future". This year's focuses on "An equal world is an enabled world" and asks for people to work together to create a gender equal world. International Women's Day has become a date to celebrate how far women have come in society, in politics and in economics, while the political roots of the day mean strikes and protests are organised to raise awareness of continued inequality. 2. When is it? 8 March. Clara's idea for an International Women's Day had no fixed date. It wasn't formalised until a war-time strike in 1917 when Russian women demanded "bread and peace" - and four days into the women's strike the Tsar was forced to abdicate and the provisional government granted women the right to vote. The date when the women's strike commenced on the Julian calendar, which was then in use in Russia, was Sunday 23 February. This day in the Gregorian calendar was 8 March - and that's when it's celebrated today. 3. Is there an International Men's Day? There is indeed, on 19 November. But it has only been marked since the 1990s and isn't recognised by the UN. People celebrate it in more than 60 countries, including the UK. The objectives of the day are "to focus attention on men's and boys' health, improve gender relations, promote gender equality and highlight positive male role models". The theme for 2019 was "Making a difference for men and boys". 4. How is Women's Day celebrated around the world? International Women's Day is a national holiday in many countries, including Russia where the sales of flowers doubles during the three or four days around 8 March. In China, many women are given a half-day off work on 8 March, as advised by the State Council, although many employers don't always pass the half-day on to their female employees. In Italy, International Women's Day, or la Festa della Donna, is celebrated by the giving of mimosa blossom. The origin of this tradition is unclear but it is believed to have started in Rome after World War Two. In the US, the month of March is Women's History Month. A presidential proclamation issued every year honours the achievements of American women. 5. What is happening this year? This year's International Women's Day campaign has chosen the theme #EachForEqual, which is drawn from the idea of collective individualism. "We are all parts of a whole," the campaign states. "Our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. "Collectively, we can make change happen. Collectively, we can each help to create a gender equal world." The past few years have seen the women's movement reach an unprecedented scale. In October 2017, millions began using the hashtag #MeToo on social media to speak out against experiences of harassment and sexual assault, and to denounce their widespread prevalence. In 2018, the #MeToo conversation grew to a global scale, with countries such as India, France, China, and South Korea joining in the conversation to demand change. In the US, a record number of women were elected in the midterm elections. Last year saw abortion decriminalised in Northern Ireland and the repeal of a law that controlled how women acted and dressed in public in Sudan. What is 100 Women? BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year. We create documentaries, features and interviews about their lives, giving more space for stories that put women at the centre. Follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation.

आपने मीडिया में अंतर्राष्ट्रीय महिला दिवस का उल्लेख देखा होगा या दोस्तों को इसके बारे में बात करते हुए सुना होगा। लेकिन यह किस लिए है? यह कब है? यह एक उत्सव है या विरोध? और क्या इसके बराबर कोई अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पुरुष दिवस है?