The banning of the blog

Summary: Argyll and Bute, I think it is fair to say, isn't often in the news. But now local councillors have come up with a brilliant scheme to put their region in the west of Scotland on the map. They've reportedly banned a primary school pupil's blog .

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter UPDATE 13:57 BST: The ban on Martha taking photographs of her school meals has since been lifted. The blog in question is called NeverSeconds, and describes itself as "one primary school pupil's daily dose of school dinners". The idea is simple and brilliant. The author Martha, who calls herself "Veg", takes a picture of her meal each day and writes a review, coupled with a few thoughts about her day. Very quickly, a community has grown around the blog, with other pupils from far and wide sending in pictures of their own meals. It has attracted attention from national newspapers and even from Jamie Oliver. But yesterday Martha was called out of a maths lesson and told that her blogging had to stop. The decision, according to her father, was not taken by the school, which has been very supportive, but by the Argyll and Bute council. It's not quite clear why - perhaps there is a ban on taking photos inside schools, or maybe there is some concern about the damage to the reputation of the school meals service. I prefer to think there is another explanation - and that this is all a cunning plan by the councillors to draw attention to their beautiful region with its dramatic coastline, and fine cuisine. It seems to be working - the case of the banned blog is rapidly becoming a cause celebre, with emails, tweets, and presumably phone calls arriving at council headquarters from around the world. Amongst the many tweets this morning as #NeverSeconds became a trending topic, I spotted this from Twitter user @Marshallmedia: "A classic example of local government failing to grasp the power of social media @argyllandbute could have made PR gold from #neverseconds." But surely that is to underestimate the smart people at the council. Without the ban, this excellent blog would have received far less attention. I imagine that a couple of weeks ago one of those well-paid social media consultants arrived at the council offices in Kilmory and laid out a strategy which would generate "PR Gold " - a global Twitter storm, and mentions on national radio and TV. It seems to be working... UPDATE 12:42 BST A couple of things I should make clear. A few people have been in touch to point out that Argyll and Bute council has not banned Martha's blog - just banned the taking of photos in the school canteen. As the whole point of the NeverSeconds blog is to show pictures of school food, the effect seems to me to be the same, but I'm happy to clarify that issue. Oh, and some people have taken rather too seriously my suggestion that the whole affair was just a PR stunt got up by the council. I forgot to include this warning: Caution - May Contain Irony.

आर्गिल और ब्यूट, मुझे लगता है कि यह कहना उचित है, अक्सर समाचारों में नहीं है। लेकिन अब स्थानीय पार्षदों ने स्कॉटलैंड के पश्चिम में अपने क्षेत्र को मानचित्र पर रखने के लिए एक शानदार योजना बनाई है। उन्होंने कथित तौर पर एक प्राथमिक विद्यालय के छात्र के ब्लॉग पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया है।


Bloodhound Diary: Putting it all together

Summary: A British team is developing a car that will be capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the vehicle will mount an assault on the world land speed record. Bloodhound will be run on Hakskeen Pan in Northern Cape, South Africa, in 2015 and 2016. Wing Commander Andy Green, the current world land-speed record holder, is writing a diary for BBC News about his experiences working on the Bloodhound project and the team's efforts to inspire national interest in science and engineering.

By Andy GreenWorld Land Speed Record Holder "The design is pretty much done; now, we've just got to assemble it". Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer, was sounding confident at our recent 1K Club open day at the Bloodhound Technical Centre. If you want to find out why then come and see the world's fastest car being assembled - join here and we'll invite you down. Mark and the team have got less than 12 months to "just assemble it". This time next year, Bloodhound SSC will be on our dry lakebed track in South Africa. Things are looking good, as we've made a lot of progress recently, with lots more activity planned in the near future. The big event this month was the first trial fit of the EJ200 jet engine. Suddenly Bloodhound is starting to look like a supersonic vehicle. One engineer commented that this pretty much marks the car being 50% complete. That's just a rough estimate, but it feels about right to me. Either way, the car looks amazing. This is the first and only time that the car will be seen with the jet engine in place and exposed. Next time we fit it, the upper-chassis will be complete (with all 11,000 rivets in place) and the body panels will hide most of the engine. This test installation is just to check all of the clearances, pipe and cable runs, mounting points, etc. Good news - it all seems to fit. We've also managed to pressure test the air intake at long last. At 1,000mph, the carbon-fibre intake will experience an internal pressure of around 1.4 Bar (20 psi). To prove its strength, we tested it to 1.7 Bar (26 psi). At this point, the internal pressure is trying to force the two halves of the intake apart with a "bursting load" of almost 30 tonnes. If it fails at 1,000mph, the pressure would also tear open the car's carefully shaped aerodynamic bodywork, and that wouldn't end well. The problem with the intake test was finding an air bag that could do the job. There is no "supersonic car intake test equipment shop" listed on Google, so we had to reinforce a heavy duty custom-made air bag ourselves. Solid metal plates 20mm thick at each end, joined by 20mm thick steel rods, kept the ends of the bag in one piece while we tried to burst the intake. I'm delighted to say that we failed dismally - the intake was more than up to the task. URT, SHD and Sigmatex are still hard at work on the rest of Bloodhound's bodywork. This car has the highest proportion of composites of any Land Speed Record car ever. Since Bloodhound SSC is over 13m long, that's a lot of carbon fibre. A team of six laminators is now working on the composite parts that make up the front of the car. The parts should be completed by the end of the year - these are going to make the best Christmas presents ever. The rocket test programme is still pressing ahead. In Norway, Nammo has completed the first hybrid test firing of Bloodhound's rocket motor. They are very pleased with the results, and we should have some pictures to publish in a few weeks' time. Meanwhile, the rocket pump (which is Bloodhound's main contribution in this technical partnership) is being tested down at Newquay Aerohub. We've made a huge improvement in the pump's efficiency since our last test, so we are "characterizing" the new pump impeller (the spinning bit). The rocket is controlled by two triggers on the steering wheel. The left trigger activates the rocket light-up sequence, while the right trigger is the throttle for the pump motor - a 550hp high-performance car engine. Characterizing the pump motor will tell us exactly how much power this engine needs to deliver at each stage of the rocket firing, so it's a critical part of the process. This is also the first test of our new partner's 550hp engine - full details to follow next month. While Nammo is working on making the car go faster, SES has been equally busy making sure that we can slow down again. In addition to Bloodhound's airbrake system, we will have a brake parachute as a backup, and another brake parachute as a backup to the backup, just in case. Going fast is all very well, but we have to make sure we can stop the car safely, guaranteed, on every run. The chute system is designed to be as simple and reliable as possible. A button on the steering wheel will pull a pin from the chute pack, allowing a large steel spring to force a small drogue chute out into the 650mph airflow. The drogue will then pull the 2m diameter brake chute out, together with 16m of Marlow strop. The chute generates nine tonnes of drag, while the strop is rated to over 21 tonnes to give us a good safety margin against unexpected "snatch" loads. Needless to say, Google doesn't list much on "650mph brake parachutes" either. This system has been specially created for us by Marlow and SES, and now we're finalising the design for manufacture. It was great to see the spring-powered drogue throw itself out of the car, as advertised, and across the factory floor. With 650mph of airflow to help it along, this will deploy 9 tonnes of drag in about 3/10ths of a second. Blink and you'll miss it - literally. With less than a year to go, we're starting to look in detail at how to run the car. One of the major tasks is refuelling, as the car will need about 400 litres of jet fuel and 800 litres of rocket oxidiser (HTP) for a 1000mph run. The HTP is very corrosive, so it needs its own special storage and pumping equipment. This explains the large yellow Dalek-shaped thing in the corner of the Bloodhound Technical Centre: our first HTP refuelling tank has arrived. I've also spent some time this year preparing myself to drive Bloodhound SSC. Thanks to the generous support of the Radical sports car team, I've been the guest driver in their works race team this summer. This has clearly shown that I should stick to flying rather than circuit racing, but the practice in handling a car at its grip limit has been invaluable. Bloodhound will spend most of its life racing on a low-grip surface, so the experience will help me to "feel" what is going on at high speed. Added to my background as a Royal Air Force fighter pilot, and regular aerobatic stunt flying, this is all part of my training for 1000mph. Thank you Radical. It's sometimes easy to forget how remarkable Bloodhound's technology really is. This year, to celebrate their 50th year, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic team (better known as the Red Arrows) held an open day for local schools, to talk about science and technology. Bloodhound was invited and I introduced the car to the large student audience with a few of our big numbers - 12 tonnes of aerodynamic load per square metre, twice the temperature of a volcano inside our rocket motor, 50,000g at the wheel rim, and so on. Other guests included Jason Bradbury (from The Gadget Show) with a thought-controlled robot, and Prof Brian Cox (currently working at CERN), talking about the Large Hadron Collider and particles travelling at the speed of light. Seriously impressive stuff. After we'd introduced our different projects to the audience, Brian Cox came over to ask, 'did you say fifty thousand g at the wheel rim? How on Earth does that work?' It was a good reminder about how amazing Bloodhound engineering really is. A lot of people are impressed by the achievements of the Bloodhound engineers, including Brian Cox. It's not just our engineers that have been impressive recently. As an extension of the Bloodhound Education Programme, schools all over the country have been building their own rocket cars to set new Guinness World Records. The first was the Joseph Leckie Community Technical College, with a record of 88mph back in 2011 (have a look at the video here - it's a great story). Since then, the record has crept up to over 200mph - and now it's been absolutely smashed by Joseph Whittaker School Young Engineers, at 533mph (yes, you read that correctly, five-three-three mph!). Suddenly I'm starting to wonder if Bloodhound really will be the first car to 1,000mph. At this rate, a bunch of students in a school playground somewhere are going to get there first. I'm absolutely thrilled by that idea. This is what Bloodhound is all about - inspiring the next generation to do remarkable things.

एक ब्रिटिश टीम एक ऐसी कार विकसित कर रही है जो 1,000 मील प्रति घंटे (1,610 किमी/घंटा) तक पहुंचने में सक्षम होगी। एक यूरोफाइटर-टाइफून जेट इंजन को बोल्ट किए गए रॉकेट द्वारा संचालित, वाहन विश्व भूमि गति रिकॉर्ड पर हमला करेगा। ब्लडहाउंड 2015 और 2016 में उत्तरी केप, दक्षिण अफ्रीका में हक्सकीन पैन पर चलाया जाएगा। विंग कमांडर एंडी ग्रीन, वर्तमान विश्व भूमि-गति रिकॉर्ड धारक, ब्लडहाउंड परियोजना पर काम करने के अपने अनुभवों और विज्ञान और इंजीनियरिंग में राष्ट्रीय रुचि को प्रेरित करने के लिए टीम के प्रयासों के बारे में बीबीसी न्यूज के लिए एक डायरी लिख रहे हैं।


Corby Cube gets extra £500,000 funding

Summary: An additional £500,000 has been approved to be spent on work to complete Northamptonshire's Corby Cube.

The funding means the cost of the civic building, which houses a theatre and library, was approved by Corby Borough Council on Tuesday. The building opened in 2010, but has had numerous problems and is now more than £12m over its £35m budget. Norman Stronach, acting chief executive of the council, described the additional cost as "disappointing". The cash will be spent on work including ventilation systems and fittings.

नॉर्थम्पटनशायर के कॉर्बी क्यूब को पूरा करने के लिए काम पर अतिरिक्त £500,000 खर्च करने की मंजूरी दी गई है।


Government advisor shot dead

Summary: Ms. Maheswari Velayudhan, an advisor to Minister Douglas Devananda, was shot dead in Karavetti, Jaffna on Tuesday evening, police said.

Ms. Velayudhan was on her way to see her mother as gunmen donning clothes similar to military uniform starting firing, Nelliadi police said. A lawyer by profession, she was widely respected for working to protect human rights of Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil community before joining the government. A spokesman for Ealam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Nelson Edirisinghe, told BBC Sandeshaya that the attack was carried out by the LTTE. There was no response from the Tamil Tigers.

पुलिस ने बताया कि मंत्री डगलस देवानंद की सलाहकार सुश्री माहेश्वरी वेलायुधन की मंगलवार शाम करावेट्टी, जाफना में गोली मारकर हत्या कर दी गई।


Nagorno-Karabakh: BBC visits Azerbaijan's side of frontline

Summary: A two-decade long truce has been shattered by violence in western Azerbaijan. Armenia claims it is not directly involved in a conflict, where it says ethnic Armenians are defending their right to self-determination in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. But Azerbaijan says its lands were occupied by Armenia, and that it is Armenia doing the fighting. This is the first time that the BBC has been allowed to visit Azerbaijan's side of the frontline, as part of a government-organised trip, since the fighting broke out at the beginning of April. In April, the BBC reported from the other side of the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh.

By Tom BurridgeBBC News, Azerbaijan Alakbar Alakbarov, 65, says he was drinking a cup of tea and watching a football match, when the bombs rained down on his village. He shouts and waves his arms next to a ruined house, which he says he was lucky to escape from. He blames "Armenian fascists". "We want to take our land back by peaceful means. If not, I am ready to fight for my motherland." Azerbaijan's government took us and other journalists on a carefully organised trip to several villages and two hospitals to witness destroyed and burnt-out buildings, and to meet the injured as well as relatives of the deceased. Clutching a photo of his brother Famil, Ganbar Mustafayev was waiting with three other elderly people, also mourning dead relatives, when our bus arrived. "My brother became a martyr in his own house," he tells us. "He died for his motherland and I am also ready to die." Although our trip around Azerbaijan's regions near the conflict zone was well planned by the government, a genuine and deep sense of animosity towards Armenia was palpable among local people. Such anger partly stems from the belief among most Azerbaijanis that Nagorno-Karabakh - as well as a large area of other land within Azerbaijan's internationally recognised borders - has been occupied by Armenia. The ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh claim they are defending their right to self-determination. 'Inevitable' fighting However, Hikmat Hajiyev from Azerbaijan's foreign ministry believes his country has the backing of the international community. He points out that the UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Armenian troops from parts of Azerbaijan's territories. "Azerbaijan is committed to the negotiation process for a political resolution to this conflict," he says. The deep-rooted hate in the region on both sides is also a hangover from the bloody war the two sides fought from 1988 to 1994. An estimated 20-30,000 people were killed in that conflict, and there were allegations of human rights abuses by both sides. But when a ceasefire took effect the dispute was still unresolved, and Baku-based journalist Rauf Mirkadirov is "surprised" that the truce has more or less held for 22 years. He believes that, without an agreement, it was "inevitable" that the fighting would eventually resume. Mr Mirkadirov is one of 16 people whom human rights groups considered to be political prisoners, who were released by Azerbaijan in March this year. He points out that Azerbaijan "has increased its military muscle". "From 2003-04 Azerbaijan invested $3bn (£2bn) in its military, and Armenia invested $300-400m." Rauf Mirkadirov says "military rhetoric" linked to the conflict is very popular in Azerbaijan, and he thinks Azeri society was growing tired of the status quo, over land lost in the west of the country. "The opposition agrees with the government's policy of liberating territories occupied by Armenia. "If it is successful, it is the best way to increase their popularity," he says. Intricate allegiances The Armenian-backed forces of the unrecognised republic of Nagorno-Karabakh blame Azerbaijan for the sharp escalation in violence in early April. But Azerbaijan points the finger of blame at Armenia. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hijaev claims Yerevan has adopted a pre-emptive strategy "to capture new territories" in order to "guarantee the security of occupied territories". Russia has been the most active broker in peace negotiations. However, Turkey is Azerbaijan's main ally, and relations between Moscow and Ankara have deteriorated since Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Turkish-Syrian border in November. Baku's release of some human rights activists and journalists, including Mr Mirkadirov, has widely been interpreted as an attempt to court the West. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev met members of the Obama administration on the sidelines of a nuclear conference in Washington in March. Allegiances in this underreported region are as intricate as the language used to describe who is fighting.

पश्चिमी अज़रबैजान में हिंसा से दो दशक लंबा संघर्ष विराम टूट गया है। आर्मेनिया का दावा है कि वह सीधे तौर पर किसी संघर्ष में शामिल नहीं है, जहां वह कहता है कि जातीय आर्मेनियाई नागोर्नो-काराबाख के विवादित क्षेत्र में अपने आत्मनिर्णय के अधिकार की रक्षा कर रहे हैं। लेकिन अज़रबैजान का कहना है कि उसकी भूमि पर आर्मेनिया ने कब्जा कर लिया था, और यह आर्मेनिया लड़ाई कर रहा है। यह पहली बार है जब बीबीसी को सरकार द्वारा आयोजित यात्रा के हिस्से के रूप में अज़रबैजान की ओर जाने की अनुमति दी गई है, क्योंकि अप्रैल की शुरुआत में लड़ाई शुरू हुई थी। अप्रैल में, बीबीसी ने नागोर्नो-काराबाख में संपर्क रेखा के दूसरी तरफ से सूचना दी।


Bahrain: Between rebellion and reform

Summary: What exactly is going on in Bahrain these days?

By Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent In early 2011 this tiny island state looked poised to become the first Gulf state to experience dramatic regime change at the hands of the so-called Arab Spring. Crowds of thousands poured onto the streets, demanding first reform and then the downfall of the ruling family. There were clashes with the security forces, deaths, funerals, human rights abuses and then a comprehensive investigation by an international commission headed by respected lawyers from outside Bahrain. But today, only partly due to the conflicts elsewhere in the Arab world, Bahrain is rarely in the news. It is largely peaceful. So what has happened to that uprising and the hopes for reform? It depends, of course, on who you talk to. "Street violence is at its lowest level in years," says a western diplomat. "It reflects a fatigue in the villages." Iron-fist victory? But Human Rights Watch describes the rights situation as "dismal", saying it continues to deteriorate. "Today the iron-fisted policy has won out," says a critic of the government who asked not to be named. "A lot of people have been jailed, both rioters and bloggers. The police are easily able to put down riots and seal off Shia areas within 30 minutes. "There is no dialogue about democracy, no positive outlook." By contrast, the secretary-general of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriates, Betsy Mathieson, from Scotland, takes an upbeat view. "The economy is really flourishing," she says. "Hotel occupancy is sharply up, the government is investing heavily in tourism. "But anyone who wants change should push for it through democratic means and not rioting. Bahrain needs a strong credible opposition and that opportunity has been missed." Voting for change She is referring to the recent parliamentary elections which were boycotted by the main opposition party al-Wefaq, a move criticised by some international observers. "When al-Wefaq boycott parliament," says a diplomat, "Shia women get elected as independents which is a positive step." On 28 December, al-Wefaq's leader Ali Salman was jailed and now there are fears that a verdict on his case, due on 16 June, could once again inflame protests on the streets. "Politically there is no dialogue now between the opposition and the government," says al-Wefaq's spokesman, Ali al-Aswad. "Everything is on hold and our leaders are in jail. Now Bahrain is unstable and there is a crisis in the economy." Another prominent opposition activist, Nabeel Rajab, has also been jailed, causing mild international protestations. I say "mild" because Bahrain's allies like the UK and US are treading a delicate path when it comes to reform. They have been gently pushing the ruling Sunni monarchy, the al-Khalifas, to give more jobs, opportunities and political freedom to the Shias who form the majority of the Bahraini population. Naval links Diplomats call it "constructive and critical engagement". But they are wary of pushing too hard as Bahrain gives both countries a vital base in a strategically important region. Mina Salman, the naval base, is home to the US Navy's massive 5th Fleet. Next door, Britain's first permanent overseas base in the Middle East since 1971 is under construction. Bahrain sends its princes (called sheikhs) to Sandhurst to get their military training. Britain's Royal Military Academy even has a King Hamad Hall named after a benefactor, Bahrain's ruler, who trained there. The previous British ambassador, Jamie Bowden, was seen as a little too friendly to the opposition and too critical of the government and he was eventually frozen out by the ruling family. But his period in Manama, the capital, saw the worst of the violence which has since subsided dramatically. When I visited back then, in April 2011, Bahrain was effectively under martial law. There were armoured cars on the streets, a dawn-to-dusk- curfew, policemen in balaclavas with pump-action shotguns manning roadblocks and intimidating Shia drivers. I attended a press conference given by the then human rights minister Fatima al-Balushi where she dismissed allegations that protesters had been tortured in police custody. This I challenged, on camera, as that morning I had witnessed a tense funeral in the Shia suburb of Sahla al-Shimaliya where a body, released by the police, was briefly unwrapped. Shocking scars His back was like a zebra's, lashed and lacerated where he had been beaten to death by his jailers. It was human rights abuses like this that prompted King Hamad to commission a surprisingly frank and critical report - the BICI Report - that called for wide-reaching reforms, especially in the police service. I met him briefly around the time of its publication in late 2011 and found a man apparently bemused by the turn of events in his country. "Why are people calling me a dictator?" he asked me. "I am not like President Assad of Syria. I am listening and I am choosing reform." The jury is still very much out on whether those reforms have gone far enough. Abuses in police custody have certainly been reduced - officers now have to attend mandatory human rights courses in Europe and CCTV cameras are installed in interrogation centres - but there has been too little accountability for senior figures. Bahrain is a news story that is often misrepresented by the media. Bahrain Full country profile Inevitably, visiting reporters have sought out the most dramatic images as the generally tranquil streets of central Manama will hardly fight their way onto a packed news bulletin. That means venturing into certain restive Shia villages on a weekend evening to witness clashes between youths in bandanas hurling homemade Molotov cocktail petrol bombs at the police, who then respond with volleys of tear gas and baton charges. Hungry for reform For balance, reporters will turn to the government who usually field some dull official in an air-conditioned office, pretending that everything is fine in Bahrain. Lost in the middle without a voice are the thousands of ordinary people - shopkeepers, business men and women, both Sunni and Shia, Asian store owners - who have simply wanted Bahrain to get back to business, and perhaps be better ruled with less corruption at the top. This sizeable middle chunk of Bahrain's residents is sandwiched between violent Shia extremists, allegedly encouraged by Iran, who want to overthrow the whole system, and the Sunni hardliners who want to crush them without mercy. From all my visits to Bahrain I would say there is no appetite for revolution amongst this large, silent majority, but there is a need for reform. The more equitably this country can be ruled, the better its chances of staving off a repeat of the dark days of 2011.

बहरीन में इन दिनों वास्तव में क्या हो रहा है?


The German soldier 'liberated' by D-Day

Summary: The events of D-Day are often recounted by Allied troops who took part in the invasion. But what was it like for a German soldier surprised by the sudden - and completely unexpected - arrival of the enemy?

By Stephen EvansBBC News, Berlin Eighteen-year-old Private Helmut Roemer was the first German soldier to face the Allied invasion of mainland Europe. He was not on the beaches on the day itself, but inland on the night before, when the first airborne British troops attacked. He was a guard on watch at Pegasus Bridge on the Caen canal in Normandy on the night of 5-6 June, 1944. He had imagined it would be routine duty but suddenly, from the depths of the sky, he heard a "swishing noise", which kept coming closer. Then there was a loud bang. Initially, he assumed an aircraft had been shot down, but then large gliders capable of carrying 30 men landed ahead of him and disgorged British troops, their faces blackened. They opened fire. Roemer was not heroic - he shouted, let off a flare and ran for his life. Under Operation Deadstick, Allied planners had decided that the bridges along the canal and the nearby River Orne had to be secured because they were the route which German reinforcements would need to take if the landings on the beaches were successful. They were also crucial for the Allies to get further into Europe. The liberating troops were on the edge of the bridge firing heavily but Roemer and two fellow soldiers threw themselves into bushes and hid. They witnessed their comrades being shot in the fierce fight to take the bridge. A boat on the canal was sunk. The troops who attacked Pegasus Bridge were from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the Royal Engineers and the Glider Pilot Regiment. On the night of 5 June these 181 men were packed into six Horsa gliders in Dorset, in south-west England, and towed by propeller tug aircraft towards the skies above Normandy, then released. At 00:16, five of the gliders landed close to the bridge - 50 yards away in one case - the sixth landed close to a second crossing. Pegasus Bridge was captured within 10 minutes with the loss of two men from the Allied forces - the first to be killed under enemy fire in the D-Day invasion. Roemer and his two comrades spent more than a day hiding in their bush on the edge of the canal, drinking canal water. But after 36 hours they gave themselves up and witnessed the first British troops crossing the bridge accompanied by a piper. "We were exhausted and we decided to hand ourselves over to the British, thinking, 'Either they will shoot us or they'll take us prisoner,'" he says. They took him prisoner and it was the start of two years in captivity which he describes today as "like a holiday camp". Roemer and his comrades were held on the beach at Normandy, standing for hours in water before being marshalled and conveyed to the English south coast. There they were processed and dispatched further down the chain of captivity. Roemer's pass book has all the stamps of the destinations, from Suffolk to Scotland. Immediately after their capture they were depressed and frightened, but soon they realised they were going to survive. British soldiers were friendly, getting them to sing German songs. Roemer was surprised to see women in doorways in the south of England looking at him and smoking, something he says German women wouldn't have done in public. Cambridge University organised courses for prisoners of war and as a result, Private Roemer of the German army learned English courtesy of one of the great English universities. Britain educated the enemy. Then Roemer and his comrades were shipped across the Atlantic to Halifax, Nova Scotia before being taken across Canada by steam train to a camp near Calgary. This, Roemer says, was marvellous - like being on holiday. There were concert parties at the camp and much recreation. Male prisoners would dress up as female chanteuses and sing cabaret songs. In 1947, better fed and educated, the prisoners were freed and returned to Germany with barely imaginable luxuries like cigarettes and coffee. He was not greeted with open arms by all - he warned his wife-to-be that he would be seen as a coward. All the same, she married him and they went on to have six sons. He was depicted in the classic film of D-Day, The Longest Day - he's the lanky German who shouts a warning and then runs. He later returned to Pegasus Bridge and became friendly with Major John Howard who commanded the British operation. Today, he reflects on those events. It seemed unfortunate at the time but turned out to be very fortunate, not only for him but for Germany - it was a defeat but also a liberation. The presence of the German chancellor at the events commemorating D-Day bears that same message: Germany was defeated but liberated from its own madness. To this day, Roemer speaks warmly of the British and Canadians and how well he was treated as a prisoner of war. The Allies defeated his country, captured him - and for that, he is eternally grateful. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

डी-डे की घटनाओं को अक्सर मित्र देशों के सैनिकों द्वारा याद किया जाता है जिन्होंने आक्रमण में भाग लिया था। लेकिन दुश्मन के अचानक-और पूरी तरह से अप्रत्याशित-आगमन से आश्चर्यचकित एक जर्मन सैनिक के लिए यह कैसा था?


'Blind Dave' Heeley supports Macmillan Cancer charity

Summary: A blind man who ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents for charity has given thousands of pounds to help Macmillan Cancer Support.

Long-distance runner, Dave Heeley, from West Bromwich, met the charity's patron Prince Charles earlier. Mr Heeley, who is known as Blind Dave, completed the feat in August. At a ceremony in Birmingham on Thursday he presented the charity with a cheque for tens of thousands of pounds and said it was a "very worthy cause".

दान के लिए सात महाद्वीपों पर सात दिनों में सात मैराथन दौड़ने वाले एक अंधे व्यक्ति ने मैकमिलन कैंसर सपोर्ट की मदद के लिए हजारों पाउंड दिए हैं।


Secret gift to fossil hero Hugh Miller's museum

Summary: A museum dedicated to 19th Century geologist and fossil collector Hugh Miller has received an anonymous donation of £600,000.

The National Trust for Scotland-owned cottage in Cromarty was Miller's birthplace and family home. The donation is one of the largest the trust has received. Mr Miller's study of fossils and rocks around Cromarty has been credited with contributing to a greater understanding of the history of the Earth. Modern geologists have described him as a hero.

19वीं सदी के भूविज्ञानी और जीवाश्म संग्राहक ह्यूग मिलर को समर्पित एक संग्रहालय को 600,000 पाउंड का एक गुमनाम दान मिला है।


'Queen of crime' Agatha Christie goes to Bollywood

Summary: A murder takes place in a misty Himalayan hill resort. As the whodunit unfolds, a couple almost unwittingly begin sleuthing to get to the bottom of the crime. And the story is based on a novel by the world's most celebrated crime writer.

Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent That's all Indian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is willing to reveal now about his upcoming film, based on a novel by "queen of crime" Agatha Christie. It is also the first time that Agatha Christie Limited, which looks after the author's estate, has franchised her stories to an Indian filmmaker. "We have done many adaptations across the world and every country brings its own flavour to the piece. I have no doubt that this will be the same," James Prichard, Christie's great grandson and the CEO of the estate, told me. Bhardwaj, 55, is one of India's most exciting filmmakers. Over the past two decades, he's directed and produced 15 films, including three modern-day adaptations of Shakespeare's plays - Maqbool based on Macbeth, Omkara on Othello, and Haider on Hamlet - which have a cult following among fans. After Omkara's release, Peter Bradshaw, film critic of the Guardian, wrote that transferring Othello to a modern-day feudal Indian village appeared to be "appropriate, because Bollywood, with its liking for ingenuous fantasy and romance, has often seemed to me to resemble in style nothing so much as a late Shakespeare play". Equally at ease with tales set in feudal badlands and bleak ganglands, Bhardwaj combines gritty story telling with rootsy popular music - he began his career as a music composer. His films have often turned Bollywood cliches - lost and estranged brothers, exaggerated villains, cloying love interests, the retribution and redemption - on their head. Bhardwaj has been ensconced in his house in the hill station of Mussoorie since mid-June after escaping a grinding pandemic lockdown in Mumbai, where he mostly lives and works. He is now working on the Christie script which he hopes to finish in two months, and begin filming early next year. Most of the film will be shot in frosty Himalayan towns - Bhardwaj says he loves the "biting mountain winters". Bhardwaj, who grew up in the northern Indian town of Meerut, says he has always been "a crime fiction junkie". He devoured Christie novels when in high school and counts The ABC Murders, a thriller about a serial killer working his way through the alphabet in 1930s Britain, and Murder On The Orient Express, an edge-of-the-seat murder mystery set in a luxury train stuck in a snow bank, as his favourites. Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction was one of the films that inspired him to take up filmmaking, and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope, a gripping crime thriller shot with long uninterrupted takes, remains one of his favourite films. Although Indian literature is full of popular detective stories, Bollywood has a disappointing record in adapting them to film. Agatha Christie (Source: Agatha Christie Limited) And only a handful faintly stood out, including a few Christie rip-offs. Years ago, Bhardwaj says, he wanted to make a film inspired by a wildly popular and irreverent detective TV series Karamchand, a carrot-eating, chess-loving sleuth, played by Indian actor Pankaj Kapur. "I wanted to cast Kapur's son, Shahid, (now a Bollywood star) in the film. It didn't happen. But I always wanted to make a detective film," he says. I asked Bhardwaj whether his Christie-inspired whodunit would have songs and dances like his Shakespeare adaptations. He offers a tantalising hint. "There are one or two characters in the story who are classical singers. If songs come naturally to a story, they will [sing]. Nothing will be imposed." Bollywood's Christie would not be the first adaptation to have music and dance. An episode of a series in French - Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie - had "many musical numbers," says Prichard. "So never say never." Some 45 films have been based so far on Christie's novels, many of them featuring Hercule Poirot, one of the world's timeless fictional detectives. The 2017 film, Murder on the Orient Express, raked in $350m (£267m) at the global box office and was watched by 48 million people. The latest, Death on the Nile, set in Egypt where Poirot is on vacation, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as the detective, is expected to release soon. Pritchard says the estate's decision to franchise stories to filmmakers is "largely based on instinct". "Nearly everything starts with a conversation and usually quite quickly it becomes clear whether the project feels right or not and whether it feels like we would work well together or not. A lot of this is instinct," he said. It's possibly apt that Christie is going to Bollywood in the 100th year since the publication of her first novel The Mysterious Affairs at Styles. Since then, an astonishing two billion copies of her books have sold in more than 100 languages, including English, according to her estate. Last year alone, her books sold more than two million copies. They have been adapted by television, film and theatre, a testament to their timelessness. "My effort is to create a new detective out of my film. I like the idea of two people who are not designated detectives but end up solving a crime. It's about the making of two detectives. The story will be true to Christie's soul if not her text," says Bhardwaj. "I am itching to get behind the camera after two years when I made my last film. And if all goes well, this will the beginning of a trilogy of Christie's novels." Read more from Soutik Biswas

एक धुंधले हिमालयी पहाड़ी रिसॉर्ट में एक हत्या होती है। जैसे ही वेश्या सामने आती है, एक जोड़ा लगभग अनजाने में अपराध की तह तक जाने के लिए जासूसी करना शुरू कर देता है। और कहानी दुनिया के सबसे प्रसिद्ध अपराध लेखक के एक उपन्यास पर आधारित है।


Iraq: The minorities of Nineveh

Summary: The conflict in Iraq is often framed as a struggle between Shias and Sunnis and Arabs and Kurds - but the country is home to a number of minority groups who find themselves caught in the violence and in political bargains beyond their control.

By Mina al-LamiBBC Monitoring Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis, Shabak, Sabian Mandaeans, Bahais, Kakais and Faili Kurds have lived in Iraq for a very long time - some for centuries, others for thousands of years. Many of them, particularly Christians, Yazidis, Shabak and Turkemen, live in Nineveh, a culturally rich province 250 miles (400km) north-west of Baghdad. The area known as the Nineveh Plain, north-east of the province, is inhabited mostly by these minority groups. Since the US-led invasion of 2003, Nineveh has been racked by two parallel conflicts - between the central government and extremist Islamist groups, and the central government and the autonomous Kurdish region. Persecuted under the Ottomans, Saddam Hussein's Baathists and nowadays by jihadists, and facing prejudice and intolerance, some of the smaller minority groups, such as the Shabak and Yazidis, have led a life of secrecy. This in turn has given rise to misconceptions and suspicions about them, and led to further persecutions. With the takeover of Mosul, Nineveh's capital, on 10 June by the Islamic State (formerly known as Isis), the minorities in the city fled en masse to the villages in the Nineveh Plain or further north to Kurdish cities. Many of them took up arms alongside the Kurdish forces. Since then, there has been a steady flow of reports of attacks carried out by the Islamists against minority groups and destruction of their places of worship. The Islamic State itself has posted pictures of dozens of historic and religious sites in Nineveh that it demolished, under the pretext that reverence of such sites is heretical. The Minorities of Nineveh Christians Iraq's Christians are of diverse ethnicities and denominations, but the majority are Chaldo-Assyrians who have lived in the region for thousands of years. Their numbers have fallen from around 1.5 million in 2003 to 350,000-450,000. In Nineveh, they live mainly in the villages of Nineveh Plain, which include the Christian-dominant districts of Al-Hamdaniya (with its famous town of Qaraqosh) and Tel Kef. One of the most devastating attacks targeting Iraqi Christians happened in 2010 when jihadists stormed a church in Baghdad during Sunday mass killing 52 people. Yazidis The Kurdish-speaking Yazidis are an ancient religious minority group that live in northern Iraq, particularly in the Nineveh Plain. A highly secretive group, their origins are subject of ongoing debates, although many consider them to be ethnic Kurds. Their religion incorporates elements of many faiths, including Zoroastrian. As a result of some of their beliefs and the mystery surrounding their religion, many Muslims and non-Muslims have come to see Yazidis as devil worshippers. This has led to violent attacks by Islamist groups who consider them infidels. In August 2007 jihadists attacked Yazidi villages in Nineveh, killing between 400 and 700 people. There are estimated to be around 500,000 Yazidis today, most of them living in the Nineveh Plain in territories disputed between Arabs and Kurds. Shabak A minority group with its distinct language and customs, Shabaks are mostly Shia Muslims and a minority are Sunnis. It is thought that today there are about 250,000-400,000 Shabaks, almost all in Nineveh. Some Sunni extremists accuse the predominantly Shia Shabak of being an apostate offshoot of Islam, giving way to violent attacks against them. Located in areas of disputed ownership between Kurdish and Arab Iraq, the Shabaks have often faced persecution as well as pressure to assimilate by both Arabs and Kurds. Turkmen The Turkmen are the third largest ethnic group in Iraq, after the Arabs and Kurds, estimated to number between half a million and 2.5 million. They are mostly Muslim, roughly divided between the Sunni and Shia traditions. A minority are Catholics. Turkmen have their own language and customs. They live mainly along the line between the Arab and Kurdish regions - in the provinces of Nineveh (mostly in Tal Afar), Kirkuk, Salaheddin and Diyala, but also in other parts of the country. Often caught up in the power struggles between the Kurdish region and the central government and under Kurdish and Arab pressure to assimilate, they have also been the target of attacks by jihadists. Following the Islamic State's takeover of Tal Afar in Nineveh, most of the town's 250,000 population fled to the Kurdish region. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

इराक में संघर्ष को अक्सर शियाओं और सुन्नियों और अरबों और कुर्दों के बीच संघर्ष के रूप में तैयार किया जाता है-लेकिन देश में कई अल्पसंख्यक समूह हैं जो खुद को हिंसा में और अपने नियंत्रण से परे राजनीतिक सौदेबाजी में फंसते हुए पाते हैं।


Is NEC's private sector future bright?

Summary: The NEC group is up for sale as its owner, Birmingham City Council, faces a £1.1bn bill for equal pay settlements. But what will the group be able to do as a private company that it cannot do under council ownership?

"I think people [in the West Midlands] will see more activity and in years to come they'll ask why we didn't do this sooner." So says Paul Thandi, chief executive officer of the NEC group, which is now looking at a future as a private company. As well as the National Exhibition Centre, the group incorporates the International Convention Centre, the LG Arena and the National Indoor Arena. The council is seeking buyers for the NEC Group, which also includes national ticketing agency the Ticket Factory, hospitality company Amplify and its catering arm, Amadeus. Mr Thandi believes that being a private company will allow the group to acquire new businesses and expand its operations abroad, taking its expertise in venue management and ticketing into expanding markets such as China. It is used to handling major events, such as the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in 2013 which was handled by the Ticket Factory. "We've gone out and looked in China and there are a bunch of businesses out there we'd like to be involved in," he said. "To grow our business you have to manage risk," he said. "These opportunities are more in tune with private sector ownership - the investment levels and managed risk are much more commonplace." Exhibition and conference centres are prime ways to generate economic growth and the company can export its skills at running them, he said. The group currently already runs a convention centre in Dublin. Professor Richard Taffler, professor of finance and accounting at Warwick Business School, said that as a commercial outfit the group would be able to raise capital in ways the council could not. But he warned: "The problem with selling such a major driver of economic activity is that a private sector business would not be running the NEC group for the benefit of the broader community, but for its own shareholders and to maximise profits. "The private sector has very different goals to the city council." That is not a view shared by Mr Thandi: "If we want to grow the bottom line we have to have more economic growth." One of the NEC's major annual events is the Crufts dog show, which has been based at the venue since 1991. Chairman Gerald King said it had been assured by the council that current uses of the NEC would be "maintained". "They believe that private ownership will allow the NEC Group to develop further and faster which has to be good news for Crufts," he added. The BBC Good Food Shows and BBC Gardeners' World Live have been staged at the NEC for 20 years. Laura Biggs, managing director of the company that promotes the event, said it was looking forward to "the next stage of developments for the venue". "It's an exciting time for the NEC Group, who will be able realise their full ambitions with new ownership," she added Mr Thandi is convinced that this is the right time for the group to enter the private sector. "We're coming out of recession and the timing couldn't be better - and the man in the street will see fantastic world class shows."

एन. ई. सी. समूह बिक्री के लिए तैयार है क्योंकि इसके मालिक, बर्मिंघम सिटी काउंसिल को समान वेतन निपटान के लिए £ 1.1bn बिल का सामना करना पड़ता है। लेकिन समूह एक निजी कंपनी के रूप में क्या कर पाएगा जो वह परिषद के स्वामित्व के तहत नहीं कर सकता है?


Does being a pop star help win elections?

Summary: Musical star Youssou N'Dour could be the next president of Senegal. The singer and percussionist will run against incumbent Abdoulaye Wade in February's elections. So is it an advantage or hindrance to be a famous musician when running for office?

By Tom GeogheganBBC News Magazine There will be no need to introduce himself to voters if Youssou N'Dour goes canvassing door to door on the streets of Dakar. Born in Senegal's capital city 52 years ago, he has become one of the most famous musicians in Africa's history, collaborating with Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Sting, although his biggest global hit was 7 Seconds with Neneh Cherry in 1994. He has long been involved in humanitarian causes and was critical of the response from African leaders to the famine in Somalia. Now his fame presents him with a good chance of unseating the president, says Carlos Oya of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. "Youssou N'Dour is more than a famous musician, he's an institution in Senegal, one of the most revered celebrities in the country. Apart from his music, he's been actively promoting art and music for the grassroots, engaging lots of different people especially youth, to take a more active role in society." Coming from outside the political system and from a humble background, means N'Dour can escape the frustrations that many voters associate with Senegal's political elite. But being a famous singer is not always a recipe for sustained political success. For example, after coming third in the presidential race won by Mary McAleese in 1997, Dana Scallon became a Member of the European Parliament, representing Connaught-Ulster from 1999 to 2004, when she failed to win re-election. Last year, she stood for president for a second time but came sixth. "It was a huge advantage for her going from music to politics," says Irish political analyst Johnny Fallon. Voters in Connaught-Ulster would have known her as the 16-year-old Catholic girl who won Eurovision and later sang for the Pope - a person whose strong Christian faith resonated through her music, he says. "So when she entered politics she held true to that. She ran for office with strong family values, harking back to that era when people thought things should be more simple. "Had she tried to go into politics standing on a totally modern platform wanting to be a reformer, her background might have been held against her, but instead she appealed to people with conservative values and that was a benefit to her." In the UK, fame as the drummer in Blur did no electoral favours for Dave Rowntree, who lost two council elections, while in Haiti, hip hop star Wyclef Jean was prevented from running for president because of residency requirements. That election was won by popular singer Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly. In the US, there have been several politicians who began life in the music industry, most notably Sonny Bono who remains the only American congressman to have had a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, the singles chart. There is also a strong tradition of actors finding political success, such as Clint Eastwood, who was Mayor of Carmel in California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was governor of the same state, and Ronald Reagan, who spent two terms at the White House after 30 years in Hollywood. Minnesota Senator Al Franken first found fame as a comedian on Saturday Night Live. In politics, name recognition counts for a lot, says polling expert Steve Mitchell of Mitchell Research, based in Michigan. "Election results show that famous people running for office can do well if they have credibility and a good understanding of the political process." It's not just actors and singers, he says, there are dynasties where sons followed fathers and wives followed husbands, in the US and in other countries like India and Pakistan. "There's no doubt that having a familiar name, especially a political name, gives a leg-up in a campaign. I don't think voters are lazy but they are very busy people. "Politics may be very important to them but it's a responsibility and they don't have the time to read up on candidates, so to see a name that's familiar to them and with whom they're comfortable, they're going to vote for that man or woman based on that name recognition." Celebrity usually brings money too, which provides a campaigning advantage. But name recognition and deep pockets count for nothing without credibility, says Mr Mitchell. While Sean Penn would have every chance of winning office, he says, it's unlikely that Kim Kardashian would get sufficient support.

म्यूजिकल स्टार युसू एन 'डोर सेनेगल के अगले राष्ट्रपति हो सकते हैं। गायक और तालवादक फरवरी के चुनावों में मौजूदा अब्दौले वेड के खिलाफ चुनाव लड़ेंगे। तो क्या पद के लिए दौड़ते समय एक प्रसिद्ध संगीतकार होना एक फायदा या बाधा है?


Blackberry BBM Money app to launch in Indonesia

Summary: Blackberry is to enter the peer-to-peer money transfer market. BBM Money will soon allow owners of its handsets to send money to each other that can then be withdrawn from banks' cash machines. Indonesia will be first to get it - a country not typically associated with big tech launches, but it is a critical market for RIM.

By Karishma VaswaniBBC News, Jakarta Andy Zain is a self-confessed gadget geek. "I have at least three phones, my tablet and my laptop at any point in time - but sometimes I can have up to seven devices," Andy says, beaming proudly as he shows me his beloved tools. Like many Indonesians, Andy has long been a fan of Research in Motion's Blackberry phone. "As an Indonesian, or if you live here, you need to have a Blackberry phone - otherwise people won't talk to you!" Andy says as he chuckles, cradling his gadgets. "Blackberry is a working phone for me - it's where I do my emailing. "Then my iPhone is how I consume media, and browse the internet. "I also have an Android device - I didn't use it so much before but I am now using it more than I used to." There's no question that Blackberry still owns the bulk of the handset market share in Indonesia. It is thought that Research in Motion, the makers of the "BB" phone as it is known here, has more than 50% of the Indonesian market - one of the few places in the world where Blackberry is still king. More innovation But a recent study from the technology research group IDC suggests that Android phones - and in particular their operating system - are fast gaining ground, with their OS now owning 52% of the Indonesian market. Research in Motion says it is not ignoring the warning signals. The company will be launching its newest offering in 2013 in Indonesia - the highly anticipated Blackberry 10, which it hopes will recapture the hearts of its loyal fans in the archipelago. "Indonesia is very important for RIM," Hastings Singh, the managing director of RIM's South Asia operations, tells the BBC. "It's a huge market for us - and it is a market that has grown significantly over the last few years. "[But] we definitely can't be complacent. "So we are offering a new innovation - BBM Money which will be launched in Indonesia - first in the world - shortly. It is a peer-to-peer transfer service that anyone with a Blackberry phone can use to transfer funds to someone else with a Blackberry phone." Mr Hastings says the fact that Indonesians are some of the most social people in the world and use the BBM messenger service as much as they do is one of the key reasons behind the creation of this new application. "Indonesians spend a large amount of time communicating with their friends and family - using tools like BBM," he says. "That's why it is a focus for us to improve upon what Indonesians really value about the Blackberry." Android invasion? But critics warn that Blackberry's prized BBM service is not so unique anymore. "The uniqueness of the Blackberry is diminishing," says Sudev Bangah, the country head of IDC research - the group that published the recent study showing RIM's declining market share in operating systems in Indonesia. "Now with Apple's iPhone you have the i-message function, you also have... all sorts of different applications that are taking away the differentiator that Blackberry used to have with the BBM." Mobile phone vendors have also noticed that young Indonesians are rapidly changing their tastes. At Ambassador mall, one of the most popular mobile phone shopping centres in Jakarta, you can see how Indonesian gadget lovers are increasingly spoiled for choice. Shop keepers here say that just a few years ago, only Nokia phones and Blackberrys were on sale - but today there are all sorts of brands ranging from Blackberrys to Nokias, Samsungs, iPhones and Sonys. "Blackberries used to be very popular," mobile phone vendor Adi Ferguson tells me, "but now they're losing out to the others because they don't come up with innovative applications fast enough. "Samsung and the others come up with new apps almost every month. That's what young people want these days." Still not everyone's convinced that this is the end of Blackberry in South East Asia's largest economy. 'First love' Many big businesses are betting that Blackberry phones remain the best way to reach out to the hearts and minds of Indonesian customers. In November, the Wall Street Journal launched a Blackberry app - the first of its kind for the media conglomerate - for its Indonesian language service site. The app is unique to Indonesia. Lex Fenwick, the chief executive of Dow Jones which publishes the Wall Street Journal, says it was a no-brainer to use the Blackberry to reach Indonesian readers. "We believe Blackberry seems to be the only predominant mobile carrier in Indonesia," he told the BBC in a telephone interview. "Our research showed that people in Indonesia say they want to get their content over mobile devices and that's why we built this app. "We are carrier-agnostic - we are just interested in getting our content to as many people as possible - and Blackberry seemed to be the most effective way to do that." The Blackberry phone was Indonesia's first introduction to the smartphone. In many ways, it was the "first love" for many Indonesians. For RIM, Indonesia is still one of the most promising markets on the horizon, and nothing so far has shown that Indonesians are going to lose their love for the Blackberry phones any time soon. But the handset maker has to reinvent itself to remain attractive in a market that has become so competitive - and will only get more so, over time.

ब्लैकबेरी पीयर-टू-पीयर मनी ट्रांसफर बाजार में प्रवेश करने वाला है। बीबीएम मनी जल्द ही अपने हैंडसेट के मालिकों को एक-दूसरे को पैसे भेजने की अनुमति देगा जिसे बाद में बैंकों की नकदी मशीनों से निकाला जा सकता है। इंडोनेशिया इसे प्राप्त करने वाला पहला देश होगा-एक ऐसा देश जो आमतौर पर बड़े तकनीकी लॉन्च से जुड़ा नहीं है, लेकिन यह आरआईएम के लिए एक महत्वपूर्ण बाजार है।


Migrant crisis: Self-immolation exposes UN failures in Libya

Summary: After a horrific two-year ordeal across three countries - being bought and sold by people traffickers and surviving running out of fuel on an inflatable boat while trying to cross the Mediterranean - Mohamed finally gave up hope.

By Rana JawadNorth Africa correspondent The Somali man's wife Leyla, 21, recalls the day he burnt himself to death after hearing that they were not on a UN refugee list. They were to be evacuated from the Triq al-Sikka Detention Centre, run by a pro-government militia in the capital, Tripoli, where the UN provides humanitarian assistance. (The names of the couple have been changed for Leyla's security.) "We were told it would be our turn to leave next. So when the new list came out, Mohamed asked me to go and check it. But our names weren't there. I had to tell him that we'd been passed over again. "So many people who came in after us had already left. Mohamed was so upset and confused. It was just before early evening prayers when it happened. I saw Mohamed. He was burnt. I was told he had covered himself in petrol and set himself on fire." 'Scheduled for evacuation' Leyla says that conditions at the detention centre, one of about 12 in western Libya nominally run by the government in Tripoli, were deplorable. "I was locked in a small room with 50 other women and just a bucket for a toilet. "We barely ate and there wasn't enough water. So many people were sick with TB, some died in my arms. I was beaten up and we were tortured - with electricity," she told the BBC. Mohamed died later in hospital, she said. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told the BBC UN staff had visited the detention centre on the day he died, but that his death was unrelated to the visit. "The deceased asylum seeker and his wife were both scheduled for an evacuation the next month," it added. The UNHCR denies that its work at the centre legitimises it, and says that it actually helps to improve conditions there. But some aid workers disagree and two groups have stopped working with the UNHCR. The couple fled Islamist al-Shabab militants in Somalia in 2016 and ended up in the hands of people-trafficking gangs in Libya. After a shootout between smugglers in Bani Walid, dubbed the trafficking capital of western Libya, they escaped and managed to board a blow-up boat with 140 other migrants to attempt the crossing over the Mediterranean. But the boat ran out of fuel and Libyan coastguards, who are trained and backed by the European Union (EU), forcibly took them to Tripoli, where the migrants were met by UN staff and then transported by military trucks to the detention centre. Libyan coastguard 'collusion' The UNHCR, whose mandate is to protect refugees, and its sister agency the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), also face criticism from other humanitarian workers and migrants for co-operating with the Libyan coastguard, which has been accused of human rights violations during some sea rescues. Since 2015 both the UNHCR and IOM have been providing training workshops and equipment for the coastguard, which intercepted more than 15,000 people and returned them to Libya last year. Some say this co-operation with the coastguard compromises the impartiality of the two UN agencies. "They work together with the EU to ensure that the migration problem is not coming to Europe," a humanitarian worker said. "This is the aim of the EU and some of the European states, and I think they [UNHCR and IOM] are the implementers of that on the ground." About 800,000 migrants and 50,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers are currently living in Libya. The European Union has tightened measures to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean. In the first three months of 2019, some 15,900 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe via Mediterranean routes - a 17% decrease on the same period in 2018. In a statement, the EU says that it "does not seek to stop global migration, but works with international partners to manage international migration, protect migrants' human rights, prevent perilous irregular journeys exploited by illegal human traffickers and ensure opportunities for legal and safe pathways". "Global migration has to be addressed via numerous channels and in a multilateral approach. In the case of Libya, the EU works with partners present on the ground, including UN agencies such as UNHCR and the IOM," the statement adds. But for Julien Raikman, the MSF's mission head in Libya, migrants should not be taken back to Libya: "It is totally illegal actually and this is what we don't understand. We say that this is not a port of safety." More on Libya and the migrant crisis: The UNHCR and IOM say they are acting in the interests of saving migrants' lives. "We acted in the migrants' interests, not the coastguard's. We advocate forcefully that migrants returned to Libyan shores by the Libyan coastguard should not be detained arbitrarily and indeed that they should not be detained at all. Day in day out our staff enter these detention centres seeking to assist migrants," the IOM told the BBC. 'Aiding' militias The UNHCR says its presence at ports where the Libyan coastguards bring intercepted migrants is important because it can register them and provide assistance. "I don't think that being at disembarkation points is participating in criminal mechanisms," UNHCR country manager Jean-Paul Cavalieri, told the BBC. But critics, including former UNHCR employees, feel their presence legitimises the unlawful return of migrants to Libya and their transfer to detention centres. "Refugees like Leyla risk being tortured, abused by guards arriving high on drugs, drunk at night, abusing, beating up refugees in total impunity - deciding that they are going to intentionally starve them for weeks," said Giulia Tranchina, a lawyer who has represented people trapped in Libya. The detention centres are said to be more like prisons and an opportunity for militias to make money. The UNHCR's top official admits: "These detention centres, at least some of them, they work on a business model that involves smugglers, traffickers, sometimes forced labour." He argued that the UNHCR's work at the detention centres did not legitimise them - as they would exist anyway - and by registering jailed migrants it prevented migrants from being sold on to traffickers. However, witnesses told the BBC many detainees never manage to get registered. 'Incompetent' organisation The UN and other non-governmental organisations find that Libya is a difficult environment to work in - and the UNHCR is not even recognised by the government in Tripoli. Since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in 2011, the country has become a battleground, with rivals militias fighting for control. The UN-backed government in Tripoli has little power itself, instead relying on various armed groups to fight off a rival authority based in the east, led by the rogue general Khalifa Haftar. A tranche of confidential documents, unpublished reports and email correspondence given to the BBC by several sources also reveals a chaotic and "dysfunctional" humanitarian response, especially when dealing with other NGOs. "I have never seen this level of incompetence," a humanitarian worker in Libya, who has worked closely with UNHCR, said. Since 2014 the EU has spent 338m euro ($377m; £303m) on projects in Libya, which it says is to help migrants like Leyla and Mohamed, through funding the UN and NGOs. A UN audit of the UNHCR published in March revealed mismanagement of funds, and multiple instances of failures to assess how much aid was needed and failures in verifying its delivery. The report found $2.9m had been overspent on aid which was not then used. It also suggested bidding for contracts was not transparent and questioned why deals were done in US dollars rather than local currency. Documented evidence given to the BBC shows that donors have been made aware of failings since 2018. In June, an email leaked to the BBC, addressed to EU officials and diplomats, spoke of deteriorating conditions in the detention centre in Khoms, including human rights abuses, disappearances of migrants and suspected collusion between prison guards and human traffickers. More on EU migration crisis: Two foreign NGOs, including International Medical Corps, then unilaterally suspended their work there, citing a lack of response by both the UNHCR and IOM. In December, the UNHCR paid for a controversial "Gathering and Departure Facility" in Tripoli at a cost of $3.5m, much trumpeted by the EU as an "alternative to detention" free from the abuse seen at other detention centres. But even access to the compound is controlled by Tripoli's Ministry of Interior and there is no freedom of movement for the migrants waiting there to be evacuated to neighbouring Niger. Leyla has now left Triq al-Sikka Detention Centre. She said: "Someone from the Libyan army told me that Mohamed's death was ordained by God and that I should accept it and let it go. "They kept me there, in the same prison for three months after he died." Traumatised by her ordeal, she is now living in a tent in a UNHCR transit camp in Niger. She says returning to Somalia would be "a death sentence", but she remains frightened and still has no idea about her fate.

तीन देशों में एक भयानक दो साल की अग्निपरीक्षा के बाद-मानव तस्करों द्वारा खरीदे और बेचे जाने और भूमध्य सागर को पार करने की कोशिश करते हुए एक हवा वाली नाव पर ईंधन खत्म होने से बचने के बाद-मोहम्मद ने आखिरकार उम्मीद छोड़ दी।


BBC Young Reporters share their stories

Summary: Experiencing the menopause whilst still a teenager, being a sign language DJ, and supporting a parent with an addiction - these are just a few of the powerful personal stories young people have been sharing with the BBC as part of the BBC Young Reporter Competition.

Twelve finalists, aged between 11 and 18, have been selected from over 1500 entries from across the UK to have their stories broadcast across the BBC. Entries were judged by BBC editors, journalists and presenters including Tina Daheley, Clive Myrie, Nikki Fox, Kamal Ahmed, Ricky Boleto and Alex Jones. The finalists have been working with BBC journalists and producers to hone their storytelling skills and produce their reports, which will air across the BBC, including Newsbeat, Newsround, The One Show. BBC Three, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC News at Six. Their stories are being broadcast across the BBC. The 12 finalists were recognised at a special awards ceremony where the four overall winners - Annabelle, Eghosa, Salma and Francesca, were also announced. My Life 11-15 Finalists 15-year-old Annabelle is on HRT because she is going through an early menopause. Isabella's story is about what life is like a foster sister. When Lottie's dad was knocked off his bike it had a massive impact on the whole family. My Life 16-18 Finalists Rhys tells the story of being a disabled boxer. 16-year-old Jake explains why he's a unique DJ. As a black, Muslim female footballer Salma wants to challenge stereotypes. The 16-year-old, who plays for Brentford Women's FC, says she wants young girls to realise what is possible. She produced her story with BBC Three. My World 11-15 Finalists Jovita and her parents are deaf and use British Sign Language to communicate but life outside the home is very different for her. Eghosa shows the local council what living in a one bedroomed house is like. 12 year old Fatima has decided to wear the hijab. She knows this might incite negative comments and prejudice and wants to share her story to help inform people about the hijab and young people like her and her sisters decide to wear it. My World 16-18 Finalists 16-year-old Tia's story is about living with a parent who is an addict. She entered because she wanted to show other people what it was like to live with an addict but also that however bad things get you can recover. Tia shared her story with BBC Newsbeat - read it here. Francesca's story is about how social media has made her view her disability differently. When Tayla's mum died she helped the lives of four strangers. You can listen to her share her story on BBC Radio 5 Live's Afternoon Edition here. The BBC Young Reporter Competition gives young people a unique chance to tell their story on TV, radio, online or on social media with the help of BBC journalists, producers and programme makers. There were two categories - My Life and My World - and two age groups for each of these, 11-15 or 16-18. The judges were looking for powerful personal stories related to subjects not usually broadcast on the BBC. Watch a BBC News Channel special programme about the BBC Young Reporter Competition here. Follow us on Twitter @BBCYoungReport./ #BBCYoungReporter

किशोरावस्था में भी रजोनिवृत्ति का अनुभव करना, सांकेतिक भाषा के डीजे होना, और एक लत वाले माता-पिता का समर्थन करना-ये कुछ शक्तिशाली व्यक्तिगत कहानियां हैं जो युवा लोग बीबीसी यंग रिपोर्टर प्रतियोगिता के हिस्से के रूप में बीबीसी के साथ साझा कर रहे हैं।


Has Anna Hazare's campaign run its course?

Summary: Has Anna Hazare's popular anti-corruption campaign run its course?

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent When the folksy, septuagenarian former army driver began a new hunger strike at a ground in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding a strong anti-corruption law, only a few hundred people turned up. He had moved the venue of the fast to India's financial capital because of the cold snap in Delhi. His supporters insist that some 30,000 people had flocked at the venue but a report in The Hindu newspaper said "it did not look more than 3,000". Other papers like The Hindustan Times were cheekier. "Anna skips cold Delhi, finds Mumbai colder" read one headline. So is Mr Hazare's popularity and support on the wane? Many believe that it is unfair to come to any verdict based on a thin turnout at a protest taking place at the end of the year in India's busiest city. It is also difficult to ignore the fact that unless Mr Hazare and his spirited bunch of aides had not kicked up a storm over a strong anti-corruption bill, India's politicians would never have moved on it with the alacrity they have demonstrated in the past few months. 'Megalomania' To digress, eight similar anti-corruption bills introduced by successive governments between 1968 and 2001 had lapsed. There has been no political will to tackle graft in a country where many politicians are seen to be extremely corrupt. "India's original project," wrote Sunil Khilnani in his excellent book, The Idea of India, "seemed to have fallen into corruption and degeneration. Politics and the state, once seen as the prophylactic that would invigorate the country, were now seen as the disease." This is the desperation of a people frustrated with corruption and what they see as the country's haughty, conniving political class that Mr Hazare tapped into so successfully. But it is useful to look back at Mr Hazare's 12-day anti-corruption fast at Delhi in August - which was attended by tens of thousands of people and became the focus of a national campaign. It successfully put pressure on the government to introduce a strong anti-corruption law. Since then Mr Hazare's campaign has been dogged by controversies over the probity and political leanings of some of its leading members and a muddled foray into political campaigning. Analysts like Kumar Ketkar believe that Mr Hazare's popularity is on the wane. They say Mr Hazare has been elevated from a campaigner to a messiah, and his campaign now smacks of megalomania. Mr Hazare, they say, revels in guilt-tripping the nation with his stories about his spartan abstentious life, something which may have begun to tire people. They say people will tolerate campaigners, but not making messiahs out of one. Others feel that for many ordinary people, Mr Hazare remains a potent symbol of the fight against corruption. "There has been an element of overreach but I think Mr Hazare and his aides have also learnt a lot from the campaign," says social scientist Yogendra Yadav. If Mr Hazare's movement goads the government into bringing out a firm anti-graft law - the jury is still out on that one - and both he and the politicians learn their lessons from the experience, it would have served its purpose. PS: Mr Hazare has now called off his fast, and said he will campaign against the "nation's traitors" for their inabiity to come up with a powerful anti-corruption law in the upcoming elections in five states early next year. No prizes for guessing who the "traitors" are. So is Mr Hazare's campaign now becoming a full-blown, political battle? We live in interesting times.

क्या अन्ना हजारे का लोकप्रिय भ्रष्टाचार विरोधी अभियान अपना काम कर रहा है?


Sri Lankans in death row seek help

Summary: A number of human rights activist and organizations have urged the Sri lankan Government to take prompt action to secure the release of the four Sri Lankans who are currently facing death sentences in Saudi Arabia.

E. J. V. Corea, D.D. Ranjith de Silva and Sanath Pushpakumara, have been convicted of theft and currently being detained at Al Nayad Prison, in Riyadh. Deputy Foreign Minister Vishwa Warnapala confirmed to Sandeshaya that the government has appealed to Mayor of Riyadh and His Excellency the King of Saudi Arabia seeking mercy and pardon on behalf of the three Sri Lankans. The Hon –Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has issued an appeal urging sympathisers to take further interest in this matter by writing to His Excellency the King of Saudi Arabia seeking his intervention to commute the death sentences passed. Meanwhile film star Ranjan Ramanayaka, who has played a prominent role in safeguarding immigrant worker rights of the Middle East, said that the government has not done enough to help. Reportedly the convicts have not been able to defend themselves properly in a court of law.

कई मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ताओं और संगठनों ने श्रीलंका सरकार से उन चार श्रीलंकाई लोगों की रिहाई सुनिश्चित करने के लिए त्वरित कार्रवाई करने का आग्रह किया है जो वर्तमान में सऊदी अरब में मौत की सजा का सामना कर रहे हैं।


Unite announces strike dates in offshore dispute

Summary: The Unite union has set a series of strike dates in a dispute over proposed changes to rota patterns at several North Sea facilities.

The move came after more than 200 oil workers voted for industrial action. The contractors involved work on the Total-operated Elgin-Franklin, North Alwyn and Dunbar platforms, as well as the Shetland gas plant. A combination of 24-hour and three-hour strikes, and an overtime ban, will begin on 11 March and last five weeks. Unite has said it is open to further negotiations.

यूनाइटेड यूनियन ने कई उत्तरी सागर सुविधाओं में रोटा पैटर्न में प्रस्तावित परिवर्तनों पर विवाद में हड़ताल की तारीखों की एक श्रृंखला निर्धारित की है।


In pictures: Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley

Summary: Pete Shelley, lead singer of influential 70s punk band Buzzcocks, has died aged 63 of a suspected heart attack. The band are best known for their hit, Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've).

Born Peter Campbell McNeish in Leigh, near Wigan, Shelley formed Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto while studying in Bolton. Impressed by the Sex Pistols' high-energy performances, they brought the band to Manchester. The Manchester gigs inspired a generation of bands from the city and Buzzcocks went on to support the Pistols on their 1976 Anarchy tour. The band's debut EP, Spiral Scratch - which they raised cash to record - is credited with being the first independently-funded punk record. The record proved hugely popular and Buzzcocks' stock rose even as Devoto quit the group, leaving Shelley to take over lead vocals. The band was signed by United Artists Records, releasing debut album Another Music in a Different Kitchen in 1977 and coming to the attention of TV audiences on Top of the Pops a year later. Buzzcocks performed and recorded prolifically and by 1979 had racked up enough singles for a collection to be released in the US. The band toured the US and Canada but, despite impressing critics, were met by underwhelming record sales. Finding himself in dispute with EMI, which bought out Buzzcocks' label, Shelley broke up the band. Shelley pursued a solo career, introducing more experimental electronic music into his repertoire, and had a club hit with Homosapien. But by the end of the 80s, Buzzcocks had reformed. They went on to win over a new generation of fans when joining Nirvana on the grunge act's final tour in 1994. The band had released its final LP, The Way, in 2014. Through various line-up changes, Shelley continued to perform with Buzzcocks and is pictured below at Sounds of the City, at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl, in July.

70 के दशक के प्रभावशाली पंक बैंड बज़कॉक्स के प्रमुख गायक पीट शेली का 63 साल की उम्र में संदिग्ध दिल का दौरा पड़ने से निधन हो गया है। बैंड को उनके हिट, एवर फॉलन इन लव (विद समवन यू शुडन्ट हैव) के लिए जाना जाता है।


Coronavirus: 'Mum died while we were at dad's funeral'

Summary: John and Mary Boxer should have been celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary in the past week - marking 60 years of marriage. Their family had planned to hold a big party for all the family. They died of Covid-19 within days of each other.

By Andree MassiahBBC News "They both came from big families and both were one of seven children," says daughter, Elaine. "Four boys and three girls. Dad worked in telecommunications and mum was a cleaner and then a dinner nanny at Sunderland Royal Hospital." The couple had been friends since childhood, growing up in the same part of Sunderland, in the north-east of England. "My mum stopped work to look after her mum who lived with us and my sister all our lives. My grandmother was 103 when she had to go into a care home after my mum's hips deteriorated. She was 106 when she died." Elaine and her sister Glynis had been planning their parents' 60th anniversary. "We were thinking about booking a hall and have my brother-in-law, who is a singer, to perform," says Elaine. "We knew that my parents enjoyed his singing and would have loved to listen to him sing. But because of lockdown, we put our plans on hold." On 10 April, John fell ill and was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital, the same hospital his wife had worked in. It was Good Friday. Staff found nothing wrong with him and sent him home. But on Easter Sunday he returned and the hospital ran Covid-19 tests. On Easter Monday he tested positive. "The hospital was going to send him home again but when my brother-in-law picked him up, he couldn't stand up," says Elaine. "Dad had diabetes and Parkinson's but he said he felt tired and exhausted." John stayed in hospital, but his health deteriorated and on Friday 17 April - seven days after falling ill - he passed away. 'Mum stopped eating' "I couldn't believe it," says Elaine. "I spoke to him on the [Maundy] Thursday and he seemed fine - he was chatting away and laughing as usual." Elaine says Mary, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, initially found it hard to process what had happened. "She stopped eating, but we put it down to grief," says Elaine. A few days before her dad's funeral, Elaine went to town while her sister went to see their mum. "My sister rang me saying that I needed to come over straight away. Mum was distressed and her temperature had risen. She had no cough or other symptoms to do with Covid-19 but her oxygen levels were low." Mary went into hospital that afternoon, where she tested positive for coronavirus. She was kept in hospital and the family was able to see her via a video call. John's funeral was held on Saturday 2 May at St Hilda's Roman Catholic church, in Sunderland - but only seven people could attend. "It was me, my partner, my sister, my brother-in-law, my dad's oldest brother, my cousin and his wife. We all had our phones switched to silent," Elaine says. "After the funeral, we went back to my sister's. My brother-in-law checked his phone and saw there were missed calls. He rang the number and was put through to the hospital ward. He told my sister what the hospital said." Mary had died. "We both fell in each other's arms and started crying. We knew mum was poorly and due to her age there wasn't much they could do. But it was a shock that it happened on the day of dad's funeral. "There were tears and sadness, but my sister and I went into automatic pilot. We rang around to let the family know. We also called the priest and he said that the church held prayers for mum earlier that day. "We called the funeral directors we had just left - they couldn't believe what happened either." You may also be interested in: Mary's funeral was on VE Day on 8 May. By that time, the rules on funeral attendance changed. Sixteen people were allowed at the funeral and it was played over the internet for friends and family. "Mum and dad both have big families and I feel they were cheated from funerals they would have had," Elaine says. "Mum and dad loved each other very much and they would do anything for one another. If one was in hospital the other would constantly be by their side. "They enjoyed their holidays. For their 40th wedding anniversary they went to America and had a wonderful time in Florida and Las Vegas." The family is now planning to celebrate John and Mary's lives next year. "We were going to have a big celebration for my parents' 60th wedding anniversary and get all the family together. We will have a joint memorial for them later in the year." "We need some closure," Elaine adds. "The small comfort we have is that they are together again - they were always together." Additional reporting by Kris Bramwell

जॉन और मैरी बॉक्सर को पिछले सप्ताह ही अपनी हीरक शादी की सालगिरह मनानी चाहिए थी-शादी के 60 साल पूरे होने पर। उनके परिवार ने पूरे परिवार के लिए एक बड़ी पार्टी आयोजित करने की योजना बनाई थी। एक-दूसरे के कुछ दिनों के अंतराल में कोविड-19 से उनकी मृत्यु हो गई।


Stonehenge summer solstice celebrations see thousands gather

Summary: An estimated 37,000 people gathered to watch the sun rise on the longest day of the year, with a small number of arrests reported by police.

Wiltshire Police said the 25 arrests were mostly for drugs-related offences. Druids and pagans are among those who mark the summer solstice at sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury. "We are pleased that the solstice celebrations have been enjoyable events for the majority of people attending," said a spokesman for Wiltshire Police. The summer solstice or Litha - which means a stopping or standing still of the sun - has a long tradition of attracting people to monuments to witness the sun rising on the longest day. Police said the road system had worked well with "minimum delays" and many people used public transport . "It is always a pleasure to see so many people enjoying the event," said the spokesman.

वर्ष के सबसे लंबे दिन सूर्योदय देखने के लिए अनुमानित 37,000 लोग एकत्र हुए, जिसमें पुलिस द्वारा कुछ गिरफ्तारियों की सूचना दी गई।


Jersey survey raises concerns on Taser stun guns

Summary: More than half of those who have responded to a survey oppose the introduction of Taser stun guns to Jersey.

About 200 people have been questioned so far and 60% said they would not trust the States of Jersey Police to use Tasers responsibly. The electrical weapons are used to subdue violent suspects. The survey, which is still continuing, is part of a review by the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny panel. The review will consider when Tasers might be used in Jersey, the alternatives, the human rights issues, the costs involved and police training. There will be a public hearing on 27 April when the panel will interview the minister and the police chief.

जिन लोगों ने एक सर्वेक्षण का जवाब दिया है, उनमें से आधे से अधिक ने जर्सी में टेसर स्टन गन की शुरुआत का विरोध किया है।


Gladys Richards Gosport War Memorial Hospital death: Inquiry date set

Summary: The date for an inquest has been set into the death of a pensioner at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital in Hampshire 14 years ago.

Gladys Richards, 91, died after being injected with painkilling drugs at the hospital. Her inquest will take place at Portsmouth Coroners Court between 5 and 15 December 2012. Inquests into 10 other deaths found that drugs were a contributory factor in some cases. Police files on the 10 deaths were submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2006, but none ended in a prosecution. At the time of her death Mrs Richards had been admitted to the hospital while her family tried to find her a care home.

14 साल पहले हैम्पशायर के गोस्पोर्ट वार मेमोरियल अस्पताल में एक पेंशनभोगी की मौत की जांच की तारीख निर्धारित की गई है।


Poundworld closures: Four more Welsh stores to shut

Summary: Four more Poundworld stores in Wales are to close with 51 jobs being lost, administrators for the collapsed discount retailer have said.

The Cardiff, Llanelli, Llantrisant and Merthyr Tydfil stores will shut by 22 July. The Carmarthen branch is closing on 15 July with nine jobs lost. In total, 105 shops are closing across the UK, with more than 1,200 jobs axed. Deloitte has been trying to find a buyer for Poundworld since it went into administration on 11 June. The latest closures bring the number of stores down to 230 across the UK.

ध्वस्त छूट वाले खुदरा विक्रेता के प्रशासकों ने कहा है कि वेल्स में चार और पाउंडवर्ल्ड स्टोर बंद होने वाले हैं और 51 नौकरियां चली गई हैं।


Gang murder investigations blocked by 'wall of silence'

Summary: Police investigations of gang murders are increasingly held back by a "wall of silence", the BBC has found, with witnesses across the country unwilling to give evidence. The trend emerged during the BBC's First 100 Killings project which has tracked homicides from the start of 2019 and monitored dozens of murder trials. Youth workers, police and prosecutors believe witnesses are afraid for their own safety.

By Steve Swann & Danny ShawBBC News On a February evening in 2019, the Marcus Lipton youth club in Brixton, usually a place for children to socialise in safety, was about to erupt in violence. Outside, a BMW pulled up and two teenagers, armed with long knives, ran towards a group gathered near the entrance and chased them inside. David Marriott, 38, was in the sports hall running a football coaching session for Lambeth Tigers with children as young as three. "Everything happened really fast…The boys came running through the hall that we were working in. Everyone was really alarmed," he remembers. One of the young men who was being chased - 23-year-old Glendon Spence - fell over and was cornered by the two attackers near a table tennis table. He received stab wounds to his hand and arm as he fought to fend off the blows. Then a blade slashed his thigh, penetrating a major artery. His assailants ran out and back to the car, which was later burnt out and abandoned. Meanwhile Mr Spence managed to struggle to his feet, before collapsing in a heap. "He was bleeding really heavily," says Mr Marriott. "We found where he had been stabbed and where the blood was coming from and we tried to stop the blood coming out." But despite his best efforts and those of paramedics, the young man died on the floor of the youth club he had attended since his childhood. "It was very difficult. The young children saw blood everywhere," says Mr Marriott. "Some of them are still trying to get over it." Mr Spencer's killing was one of 100 in the first four months of 2019 which were tracked by the BBC as we looked into the reasons for the recent spike in homicides. The youth centre became a crime scene and a murder investigation was launched - but police hit an early obstacle as key witnesses would not talk to them. This made it difficult to understand the motive and whether Mr Spence or any of the people he was with, were the intended target of what police suspected was a gang attack. "It's unclear in this case who the intended gang were, or even who the attacking gangs are," says DCI Richard Vandenbergh, who leads a homicide team based at Lewisham Police Station. Officers focused on what they could prove and had an early breakthrough. In the melee a youth worker overheard a reference to "R1". A gang intelligence officer worked out this was the street name for Rishon Florant, then aged 17, who had links to a south London gang and a string of convictions for knife possession. He had also been excluded from school and banned from entering Lambeth at the time of the murder. Florant's name was immediately circulated to police and border officials at ports across the country. "He was actually found trying to leave the country at Heathrow Airport and was boarding a flight en route to Uganda," says DCI Vandenbergh. Fingerprints and CCTV Now the hunt was on for the second suspect. Sifting through CCTV at the youth club, officers saw he had touched an outside gate and the table tennis table close to where Mr Spence was stabbed. Unlike Florant, this suspect was not wearing gloves so police were able to extract a fingerprint. In the national DNA database they found a match to Chibuzo Ukonu, another 17-year-old youth with a criminal record for knife possession and drug dealing. He was tracked to Manchester where he was arrested. The pair were charged and put on trial at the Old Bailey. Florant was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 18 years. As he walked from the dock to the cell, he smiled at his friends in the public galley when they shouted 'Free R1". He has lodged an appeal against his conviction. Ukonu was found guilty of manslaughter and will serve 14 years in a young offender institution. Although Mr Spence's parents can take some comfort from these verdicts, they are still no clearer as to why their son was killed. Not knowing the motive leaves a huge gap in understanding what this homicide was all about, "frustrating" for DCI Vandenbergh who wants to understand the background to help prevent others. The men's accomplices, such as the driver of the BMW, have still not been caught. But it's not the first time DCI Vandenbergh has come up against the wall of silence. "It's incredibly common, especially with some of the under-25 knife crime murders that we have where there may be gang links. We've had instances where people will just not talk to us," he says. Mr Marriott understands why: "No-one wants to be labelled as a grass or a snitch, and if people do go down that road there will be consequences." They "could be beaten up, someone could get killed" and "as much as the police will have an opinion that these boys should come forward, it's easier said than done. Because if they were to come forward, what would the police do to protect them?". His assessment is bleak: "I wouldn't advise that they come forward. They've got to turn a blind eye to it." For Mr Marriott, who grew up in Brixton, the key is to prevent the violence happening in the first place. That means offering more support for community groups like his, which help 500 local boys. "We do everything we can to get the kids off the street but lack of facilities is a huge problem," he says. In the 100 killings cases followed by the BBC we have seen how often gang disputes and turf wars escalate into deadly violence. In October, two men and three teenage boys went on trial accused of murdering a rival gang member in a north London hair salon. Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, bled to death in front of people, including children. Earlier his friend Jason Fraser, 20, had been shot and stabbed eight times in Wood Green in scenes that "were reminiscent of a Hollywood film", an Old Bailey trial heard. Murder convictions were secured but once again we glimpsed the price that can be paid for not keeping quiet. One of the teenage defendants was stabbed in prison because he had given an account to police, albeit very limited, of what happened that night. 'Stand up and be counted' "In most of the gang violence that we prosecute, there are witnesses who have plainly seen something which would be relevant to the prosecution but are not prepared to give evidence," says Julius Capon, head of the Homicide Unit of the Crown Prosecution Service in London. He believes it's getting worse. "We're getting more instances of knife and gang crime and as a result we're getting more people who are reluctant to come forward," he says. For prosecutors like Mr Capon their reticence is "an enormous handicap", meaning that "injustice is being caused, because those that have killed people are not facing the justice they should". He acknowledges that people are afraid: "Frankly anyone that has witnessed a murder will be frightened about the repercussions but there are measures that we can put in place to protect people." And besides, people have "a moral obligation to do your bit and come to court to give evidence". "If you are worried about the number of, usually kids, that are being killed you have to stand up and be counted." Back on the streets of south London, homicide detectives are struggling to breach another wall of silence. It is more than a year since the unsolved murder in Tulse Hill of 16-year-old John Ogunjobi, who was chased and fatally stabbed by a group of men. He died in front of his mother in a targeted attack. DCI Vandenbergh believes that some of John's friends may have vital information that they have not given police and appeals to their consciences to help a grieving mum to know why it was that her son was targeted. Jackie Sebire, national lead on serious violent crime at the National Police Chiefs Council, said there is a "group of disengaged young people" who do not trust "any authority figures", including police, teachers, and youth workers. She told Radio 4's Today programme it would "absolutely" help if more witnesses and victims could remain anonymous. But she said that decision was up to the judge presiding over the case, and that applications for anonymity may be rejected to protect the defendant's right to a fair trial.

बी. बी. सी. ने पाया है कि गिरोह हत्याओं की पुलिस जांच को "मौन की दीवार" द्वारा तेजी से रोका जा रहा है, देश भर के गवाह सबूत देने के लिए तैयार नहीं हैं। यह प्रवृत्ति बी. बी. सी. की फर्स्ट 100 किलिंग्स परियोजना के दौरान सामने आई है जिसने 2019 की शुरुआत से हत्याओं पर नज़र रखी है और दर्जनों हत्या के मुकदमों की निगरानी की है। युवा कार्यकर्ताओं, पुलिस और अभियोजकों का मानना है कि गवाह अपनी सुरक्षा के लिए डरते हैं।