'Why I bought a voting machine on eBay' - the hackers protecting US election

Summary: "Earlier this year, I attended a conference and was shocked to find that you could actually buy voting machines on eBay. So I bought one, two months ago, and have been able to open it up and look at the chips."

By Joe TidyCyber reporter Beatrice Atobatele is trying to hack one of the most commonly used voting machines in the US, to look for security vulnerabilities, but not with any criminal intentions. Beatrice is actually one of more than 200 people who have signed up to a volunteer group of security experts and hackers called the Election Cyber Surge. And by understanding how this machine works, she hopes she can ensure any vulnerabilities are fixed. "I've bypassed the authentication itself," she says. "I'm still learning and trying to find any new vulnerabilities that might not be known about yet." Human error The problem with US elections, Beatrice and others say, is how disjointed they are. Most estimates suggest there are about 8,000 separate election jurisdictions. The equipment and voting methods vary dramatically. And every step of the process is vulnerable to hackers and human error. Soccer-obsessed daughters In the polling booth, there are many different systems, from direct-recording electronic voting machines to ballot-marking devices and paper-based systems. And the more digitised and connected a system is, the higher the risk of some sort of cyber-interference. Like all the volunteers, Beatrice's research is conducted outside of her day job. And as a keen footballer, and mother to two soccer-obsessed daughters in New York City, she has to fit the volunteering around a busy schedule. She didn't plan to get into cyber-security at all. But 17 years ago, she lost more than $1,000 (£775) after hackers used her account to buy five pairs of Nike trainers. It spurred her on to a new career path. And she is now a security specialist for state and local government. 'Worst-case scenario' Despite the pressure she's under, Beatrice is desperate to help the election run smoothly. "Every vote cast should count," she says. "The thing that I'm worried about is some sort of ransomware attack on these machines on the day, which would stop people from voting. "That's my worst-case scenario." A ransomware attack is when hackers take over a computer system or encrypt data until the victims have paid a ransom. Potential problems Beatrice and the rest of the Election Cyber Surge group are aware time is running out. By now, it's too late to update physical voting equipment. But she is still searching for critical software flaws and offering to help election officials better understand their machines and any potential problems. The group is being led by the University of Chicago's Cyber Policy Institute, trying to "open up a line of communication between election officials and a network of volunteers for direct communication about cyber-security matters" leading up to the 3 November vote. Hackers from all over the US have signed up to help secure the election or deal with any attacks that could derail an already fraught process. "It's not just voting machines on polling day that could be vulnerable to cyber-attack," Christopher Budd, another volunteer from Washington state, says. "With my hacker hat on, going after the registration lists being compiled right now across the US would be a great way to disrupt an election. "If I'm not registered or if my registration record is altered in some way, even if the voting system is completely secure, my vote might not count." And again, the disjointed nature of the electoral system adds risk. The security and even the actual structure of voter-registration databases vary. And an FBI alert in the lead-up to the 2016 election warned foreign actors had gained access to some of these databases. With the added complication this time of election officials remote working, and trying to plan around Covid-19 restrictions, Christopher is worried: "I always try to de-escalate things in my job "But there's no doubt that there are heightened threats in this election. "Everyone is focused on the vulnerability of this election. "And so am I. "I'm willing to give whatever time is necessary to help out." Deer peering Christopher's expertise is in crisis communication and management. As a consultant, he deals with cyber-attacks that bring large corporations to their knees. He handles everything from panicking chief executives to angry IT managers, from his rural home office overlooking the woods. And when he has to pull all-nighters, the only company he has are the local deer peering into his window, wondering what the fuss is about. Work fast Over his 20 years of experience, Christopher has developed a secret weapon for when things truly hit the fan. "I'm a huge classical music fan," he says. "When I really need to focus and work fast, there's only one place I turn to - Symphony No 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns." Christopher hopes he won't have to "crank out the Camille" in the next month - but he's ready. Leaked online The group is also putting a huge amount of effort into data protection. The last US and UK elections were hit by high-profile "hack and leak" operations. In 2016, email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and some top Democrats were hacked and then leaked. And in the 2019 UK general election, documents on UK-US trade talks were stolen from an MP's email account and leaked online. Zero-days attacks Jason Kirkland specialises in protecting "end points" - computers and phones. But he is less concerned about highly sophisticated zero-day attacks than more basic techniques. "I don't think we're going to see attackers burn through precious zero days when they can get into important networks with far easier methods," he says. "It's probably going to be things like malicious software that gets in through everyday office applications that are really going to be the threat. "I want to help people get the basics right. "For example, don't download bad files or click on malicious links." Harm democracy US and UK security services publicly blamed Russian hackers for the "hack and leak" operations and numerous other disinformation campaigns to sway voters and sow discord on social media. Russia denies the accusation. And other countries are also being blamed for cyber-activities that harm democracy. Earlier this week, Twitter removed about 130 accounts linked to Iran it said had been trying to disrupt the public conversation during the first presidential debate. Bad guys Disinformation campaigns are a major concern the volunteer hackers say they won't have time or capacity to deal with. But Jason is committed to helping keep the bad guys out as best he can. Before he got into hacking and cyber-security, he was a dispatcher for local state troopers. And his time in law enforcement is what compelled him to become involved. Wife teases "I'm definitely a rule-follower," he says. "And my wife teases me about it all the time. "But rules and laws are very important. "And we need to uphold those things. "I feel an uneasiness right now. "Election officials have so much coming at them. "So I'm really hoping I can help."

"इस साल की शुरुआत में, मैंने एक सम्मेलन में भाग लिया और यह जानकर हैरान रह गया कि आप वास्तव में ईबे पर वोटिंग मशीन खरीद सकते हैं। इसलिए मैंने एक, दो महीने पहले खरीदा था, और इसे खोलने और चिप्स को देखने में सक्षम रहा हूं।"


'MDMA gave me anxiety, depression and panic attacks'

Summary: When she went to raves with her friends Laura - not her real name - used to take Ecstasy to give her a buzz. But it got to the point where she started to take drugs most weekends even if she was just going over to a mate's house or to a barbecue or house party. Here, the 20-year-old Cardiff student explains about the lasting impact using MDMA has had on her life and mental health.

In college, I think it was quite a common thing. We all used to go to raves, and used to take pills or MDMA powder or different varying substances depending on the evening. It depended on events but we could take it every other week, it could be once a month, but it got to a point where it got to be every other week or every week. For maybe two to three years it was a very frequent occurrence, it was what we used to do most weekends or when we were going to see our friends or if we were just going to a house party or to a barbecue. It's really accessible. I think, without realising it, you will know more people that do take drugs, than not, and especially around the ages between 16 and the early twenties. Especially when you are underage, people can't always get alcohol as easy as they would be able to get drugs. Then, when people go to university, it's deemed as a cool thing for people to go out and try these new kinds of things - it's quite common and easy to get hold of. I personally haven't had one time where I took something and it sent me to hospital, but over months and years, I noticed a massive depletion in my serotonin levels and I became depressed. It wasn't for the first six months to a year that I really started to notice the effects. People know you do get a "come down" after taking it and I thought "it's OK, I'll just feel rubbish for a couple of days". But then, when the "rubbish days" start to become normal, then you notice that there's something wrong. Only after looking into that and getting help through mental health services and the NHS did I realise that it was the MDMA and the drugs that I was taking that had such a knock-on effect. Before I started taking drugs, I did not suffer with anxiety and I never would have called myself somebody who was easily susceptible to depression, but I've got really bad anxiety now, I've had panic attacks. MDMA is a party drug, so if you're going out to a rave or if you're on a night out, then it'll give you a little boost. It gives a sense of pleasure, although it is artificial pleasure - that's how you get into the cycle. You can't be short-sighted with it because, while in the short-run, yes, you do have a brilliant time and I have had memories that are amazing - but the long-lasting knock-on effects are not worth it. I will suffer with anxiety for the rest of my life now, I will be a lot more susceptible to depression and mental illnesses. I can only speak for myself, but a lot of my friends also suffer from different mental illnesses. As much as you'd like to trust the person [who gives you the drug], you can't. Even though I had a close relationship with my dealer, and I thought that he tried the substances before me, but that doesn't mean he did. I know an instance where one of my friends bought something off someone thinking they knew what it was, and it turned out to be a fake heroin substitute. He was hallucinating and got in lots of trouble and we were really worried because we had to go to hospital - and all because he thought he'd taken an MDMA pill and it wasn't at all. Recently that a girl I know, she took what she thought was MDMA powder and it was only the smallest amount and straight away she passed out. I think that was something to do with its high purity levels but she's still not sure. Thank goodness she was with her friends who were there to look after her but if she was in a club or something, you don't know what could have happened. I think the thing to remember is it [the high from these drugs] is an artificial pleasure. The pleasure it brings won't equate to real happiness you might have. I think it's really important to remember that, although it might make you feel this pleasure for a short amount of time, it won't bring you the happiness you need in the long-run.

जब वह अपने दोस्तों के साथ रैव करने जाती थी तो लौरा-उसका असली नाम नहीं-उसे एक चर्चा देने के लिए एक्स्टसी लेती थी। लेकिन यह उस बिंदु पर पहुंच गया जहां वह ज्यादातर सप्ताहांत में ड्रग्स लेना शुरू कर देती थी, भले ही वह सिर्फ किसी साथी के घर या बारबेक्यू या हाउस पार्टी में जा रही हो। यहाँ, 20 वर्षीय कार्डिफ छात्रा बताती है कि एम. डी. एम. ए. के उपयोग से उसके जीवन और मानसिक स्वास्थ्य पर स्थायी प्रभाव पड़ा है।


City of God, 10 years on

Summary: Ten years after a Rio de Janeiro slum called Cidade de Deus (City of God) burst into the world's consciousness with the hit film of the same name, very little has changed for the residents and the actors have enjoyed mixed fortunes, writes Donna Bowater.

By Donna BowaterRio de Janeiro In one of the ubiquitous street-side bars in the west of Rio de Janeiro, Leandro Firmino sits sipping water dressed in the shirt of his beloved Flamengo football team. In Cidade de Deus, the community where he grew up, he knows almost all who pass by and gives them a thumbs up or a wave. He could be any of the million who live in the city's favelas. But his famously haunting eyes are unmistakeable. A decade after playing the terrifying drug lord Li'l Ze in the unexpected box-office success, City of God, he shows few other signs of the fame he achieved back then. Sprawling poverty The film, which begins in the 1960s and ends in the early 1980s, follows the lives of Li'l Ze and Rocket, a young photographer who chronicles the decline of Cidade de Deus, against a backdrop of drugs, criminal rivalry and wanton violence. Now home to around 40,000 people, the community was originally built for families relocated to the outskirts by Rio's authorities to rid the city centre of its favelas. However, it became notorious for its gangsters, criminals and dangerous streets. In one of the most memorable scenes, Li'l Ze orders a boy to choose another boy to shoot dead. Felipe Silva, one of the children in the scene, recalls: "I was scared to death of Leandro Firmino. They kind of made me fear him so I could cry in that scene." Firmino, now 35 and father to a 21-month-old boy, was recruited directly from the favelas to make the film, an adaptation of Paulo Lins's novel. "It's gone pretty fast," says Firmino. "I'm surprised people remember it. It's very much alive, even among children of 11 or 12." High-profile visit Like many of the cast, Firmino enjoyed a high profile in the wake of the film's success, which included four Oscar nominations. He has worked with film group Nos do Cinema (We in Cinema) and acted in several Brazilian films. In 2011, Firmino was invited to the reception for US President Barack Obama when he visited Brazil. "I didn't go. I had another engagement," he says. "Barack Obama's visit to Cidade de Deus was a political thing." But while continuing to act and work in film, Firmino's life remains unaffected by one of the most enduring works of cinema to emerge from Brazil in recent years. "Do I feel like a celebrity? No. I think it's ridiculous. It's a ridiculous word. Art is about being close to people, celebrity is about being distant," he explains. "I grew up here in Cidade de Deus. I really like it here. And God willing, I will continue to work in cinema." He mentions that others also found success following the film, many of whom feature in the forthcoming documentary, City of God: 10 Years Later. Love interest Alice Braga, who played Rocket's love interest Angelica, went on to star opposite Will Smith in I Am Legend and credited City of God with launching her career. "I think that beach scene, especially the one with the kiss, really helped my career because the frame of that kiss stuck in many people's minds," she tells the documentary. "I got an agent abroad. I met many people thanks to that kiss and the picture it became." And Seu Jorge, who played Li'l Ze's arch rival Knockout Ned, continues to be one of the best known musicians in Brazil, performing at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Firmino says others have been less fortunate, mentioning Jefechander Suplino, who played Clipper, one of the impoverished thieves in the film's "Tender Trio". He could not be traced by the producers of the documentary and is feared dead. His mother insists her son is still alive and told researchers: "He's not dead, I'm sure of that." Rubens Sabino da Silva, who played Blackie, was arrested for trying to rob a woman on a bus in 2003. He appealed for help from the film's director, claiming he received no money for his part. While the cast had mixed fortunes, the film has become a steadfast cultural reference for Brazil's social problems, crime and violence. After the film was released, original novelist Paulo Lins says he feared the reaction of such a brutal depiction of Rio de Janeiro. "I was a little scared about the repercussions of the launch [of the film]." "It was the time of the presidential election in Brazil. Violence was the most discussed topic of the campaigns and the media talked every day about the movie. Everyone was looking for me to do interviews. I never thought I'd be so exposed in the press. "The launch was a show of glamour, there was a lot of talk from politicians on criminality, but so far nothing has been done to effectively stop children getting into the world of violent delinquency." Vibrant culture But for Firmino, who returned to life in Cidade de Deus after the film, there was little in the way of public response. "It was normal," he says. "I lived here. Cidade de Deus has the difficulties of the favela but it always had a kind of culture. "When I launched the film and became a public persona, it was cool, but it wasn't a big novelty because we had already seen others - musicians, some who no longer live here, and some who still live here. "For example, if you talk about funk in Rio de Janeiro, you talk about Cidade de Deus. It was normal. It just raised morale here among people that I had produced this piece of work." The reaction of the community to the new documentary is perhaps more telling. Cavi Borges, executive producer, says: "There are many people in City of God who don't like the film because of the violence. When they heard we were doing a documentary, they were like: 'Oh no, not again.' "But ours is a different form. It's a reference for Brazilian cinema; everything is City of God, City of God, City of God. It's good and bad. In 2009, Cidade de Deus became the second favela in Rio to be "pacified" as part of a government programme to improve safety and security by increasing the police presence in poorer communities. Police officers moved into the favela and installed a special unit to try and drive out drug traffickers. The murder rate fell from 36 in 2008 to five in 2012. Mr Borges says he wants to change people's perception of the area. "It's what people think Brazil is like in reality. Everyone wants to see the communities. It's like Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire," which is set in the Indian city of Mumbai. "My dream is to bring this documentary to all the countries that saw the original film."

डोना बोवाटर लिखते हैं कि रियो डी जनेरियो की झुग्गी बस्ती सिडाडे डी ड्यूस (भगवान का शहर) के इसी नाम की हिट फिल्म के साथ दुनिया की चेतना में आने के दस साल बाद, निवासियों के लिए बहुत कम बदलाव आया है और अभिनेताओं ने मिश्रित भाग्य का आनंद लिया है।


Yorkshire Regiment soldier killed 'by gunshot wound'

Summary: A soldier who died in Estonia was killed by a "gunshot wound, believed to be self-inflicted", a coroner said.

Pte Reece Miller, 29, died on 3 July while serving with the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. Oxfordshire Coroner's Office said the circumstances surrounding his death were still being investigated and an inquest will take place in December. The Ministry of Defence said Pte Miller was from Huddersfield and had served in the regiment since 2009. Read more stories from across Yorkshire His commanding officer said he was "the very epitome of the formidable Yorkshire soldier and just the sort of bloke you want in your regiment". Pte Miller's body was flown into RAF Brize Norton airbase in Oxfordshire last week.

एक मृत्यु समीक्षक ने कहा कि एस्टोनिया में मरने वाले एक सैनिक की "गोली के घाव से मौत हो गई, माना जाता है कि वह खुद को मारा गया था।"


Guernsey renewable energy projects 'on right path'

Summary: Guernsey's on the right path towards making use of its natural resources to generate electricity, according to a team from Exeter University.

Twenty-four undergraduates were in the island for 10 days to study the potential for renewable energy. Their initial findings were of "a vast wind, wave and tide resource" and "good potential for financial returns". It is one of several projects the Commerce and Employment Department is involved in with three UK universities. Mat Desforges, lead officer for the department's renewable energy team, said: "It's been a great independent check and confirmation we're going in the right direction." A public presentation of the results of the study is due to be held in June.

एक्सेटर विश्वविद्यालय की एक टीम के अनुसार, ग्वेर्नसे बिजली पैदा करने के लिए अपने प्राकृतिक संसाधनों का उपयोग करने की दिशा में सही रास्ते पर है।


Two arrests after people jump out of lorry near Luton Airport

Summary: Two people have been arrested after people were seen jumping from a lorry close to Luton Airport.

It happened on Kimpton Road in the town at about 10:30 BST. Bedfordshire Police did not say how many people were believed to be in the lorry but said two people had been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences. The driver was not detained. It comes a day after the bodies of 39 Chinese people were found in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Essex.

ल्यूटन हवाई अड्डे के पास लोगों को एक लॉरी से कूदते हुए देखे जाने के बाद दो लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Thousands join Jane Tomlinson Hull 10k race

Summary: Thousands of people have taken part in a 10k road race set up in memory of charity fundraiser Jane Tomlinson.

It is the the second year Hull has hosted the Run For All Event, which got under way at 0900 BST. Mrs Tomlinson, of Rothwell, Leeds, died in September 2007 after having cancer for seven years. She raised £1.85m for children's and cancer charities. The family set up a number of 10k races to mark her fundraising legacy.

चैरिटी फंडरेजर जेन टॉमलिंसन की याद में स्थापित 10k रोड रेस में हजारों लोगों ने भाग लिया है।


Prakash Kaur named as Coventry woman killed in crash

Summary: The family of a woman who was killed after being hit by a car say she was "loved and well-known".

Prakash Kaur, 64, was struck by a blue Subaru car in Foleshill Road, Coventry, on 14 December at about 16:00 GMT. West Midlands Police said she suffered very serious injuries and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. "She gave her time in abundance to help others, she will be a huge loss to the community and her family," relatives said in tribute. A 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and released under investigation.

कार की चपेट में आने से मारे गए एक महिला के परिवार का कहना है कि वह "प्रिय और प्रसिद्ध" थी।


Zano: The rise and fall of Kickstarter's mini-drone

Summary: When Europe's biggest Kickstarter project, the Zano mini-drone, crashed to earth last November there was plenty of blame to go round. But many of the 12,000 backers - who had put in £2.3m and ended up with nothing - had angry words for the crowdfunding platform.

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter Kickstarter responded in a creative way - by commissioning an investigative journalist to find out what went wrong. Now his report has been published. Mark Harris, a technology writer based in Seattle, travelled to South Wales, spent six weeks speaking to as many people as he could reach and produced an epic account of the history of the Zano. In more than 13,000 words he describes the origins of the Torquing Group, a business that was essentially the personal mission of self-taught engineer Ivan Reedman to build a marketable drone; how clever - though misleading - marketing turned the Zano into a Kickstarter sensation, galloping past its original funding target; and then the disaster which unfolded as Reedman and his colleagues discovered they just did not have the skills or the experience to mass produce the mini-drone. It is the backers for whom this work was designed and many of them will be hoping for a smoking gun to reinforce their belief that the whole project was just a scam to get them to part with their money. They will be disappointed. Mr Harris concludes that this was case of foul-up, not foul play. "Torquing's directors managed their business poorly and spent the Kickstarter money too freely, but I've found no evidence that any of them ended up rich on the backs of the crowd," concluded Harris. He does raise serious questions about the video which excited so much interest in the project. Reedman denies that CGI, other drones or even selfie sticks were used to create a misleading picture of what the Zano could do but admits that the video shows features that were not operational at the time it was shot. In fact, as I found when I came to shoot a demo of the project last August, the Zano never delivered what was promised in the video. But it was not only potential backers who swallowed exaggerations in the marketing campaign. Kickstarter chose Zano as a "staff pick" and the tech news site Engadget shortlisted it for its best of CES 2015 award, even though the Torquing team could not demonstrate the drone flying at the show. As late as October, Popular Science chose it as one of its 100 most amazing innovations of 2015. The writer does not accuse the Torquing team of dishonesty but says that as production problems mounted and the money began to run out they showed "a dangerous lack of self-awareness of the problems the company was making for itself". Harris has only managed to speak on the record to Reedman, but he concludes that neither he nor the other members of the team "possessed the technical or commercial competencies necessary to deliver the Zano as specified in the original campaign". But the most significant lessons to be drawn from his account are for Kickstarter. The crowdfunding platform, which paid for his work, was allowed to look at the finished article before publication but not to change anything. He says all crowdfunding platforms need to reconsider the way they deal with projects involving complex hardware, massive overfunding, or large sums of money. He wants them to look at bringing in mentors to advise projects like Zano which suddenly find themselves taking on far more than they had planned. He also wants Kickstarter to be far more explicit about the nature of the risk backers are taking - and more active in weeding out weak projects before they are funded. Harris interviewed Kickstarter's co-founder Yancey Strickler and though he appears to find a few of the suggestions helpful, he is robust in rejecting most of the criticisms. He says that while the platform does have rules about realistic videos showing a genuine prototype, they are hard to enforce. Tightening up the rules can only go so far, he argues, and it is essential for backers to understand that it is up to them to evaluate a project. "If you want 100% success with hardware and new products, I think the only solution is that you just shop on Amazon," he adds. And in the end, Harris seems to agree. If we want an alternative to banks and venture capital as a funding source for high-risk tech start-ups, he says, we may have to accept the occasional Zano alongside the Pebbles and Oculus Rifts. Now, some of the thousands of people who lost money backing this doomed project will look cynically at a piece of journalism funded by the very organisation they see as partly responsible for their losses. But what Harris - and Kickstarter - have produced is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the risky nature of any technology hardware start-up.

जब यूरोप की सबसे बड़ी किकस्टार्टर परियोजना, ज़ानो मिनी-ड्रोन, पिछले नवंबर में पृथ्वी पर दुर्घटनाग्रस्त हो गई, तो चारों ओर जाने के लिए बहुत सारे दोष थे। लेकिन 12,000 समर्थकों में से कई-जिन्होंने 23 लाख पाउंड लगाए थे और कुछ भी नहीं था-ने क्राउडफंडिंग प्लेटफॉर्म के लिए गुस्से में शब्द कहे थे।


Margate man charged over seaside town murder

Summary: A man has been charged with murder after a body was discovered at a property in Margate.

Kent Police said a 47-year-old man was found dead at a property in Dane Road on 28 July. His identity has yet to be released by police. Jonathan Cottrell, 34, of Athelstan Road, Margate, is accused of murder. Mr Cottrell was remanded in custody by Medway magistrates on Monday and is due to appear before Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday.

मार्गेट में एक संपत्ति में एक शव मिलने के बाद एक व्यक्ति पर हत्या का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Stoke-on-Trent hospital: Major incident status dropped

Summary: A Staffordshire hospital has dropped its major incident status.

The University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust (UHNM), which runs The Royal Stoke University Hospital, had raised its incident level on Monday due to "unprecedented" demand. It declared it had "de-escalated" the incident on Thursday. However, the trust advised patients with minor injuries to use "appropriate alternatives" while the health system stabilised. It blamed a national increase in demand for hospital beds on a higher-than-expected number of elderly and vulnerable patients suffering from influenza and norovirus. At the height of the major incident, paramedics told the BBC the Royal Stoke's A&E department had temporarily closed its doors, although the trust could not confirm this. But the trust, which also runs the former Stafford Hospital, was forced to cancel some operations due to the increased pressure on services. Stuart Poyner, chief executive of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust, apologised to patients who had appointments postponed. "The decision to suspend some of our services was not taken lightly," he said. Last week, UHNM recorded the worst A&E figures in England, with just 61.3% of patients seen within four hours, compared with a national target of 95%.

स्टैफोर्डशायर अस्पताल ने अपनी प्रमुख घटना की स्थिति को छोड़ दिया है।


Olympics: Men's 50km walk draws crowds

Summary: As the 2012 Olympic Games nears an end, there is a palpable sense that London's time at the centre of the sporting world is almost over. Perhaps with this in mind, thousands of people turned out to watch the 50km race walk, one of the remaining events that are free to watch.

By Alexis AkwagyiramBBC News Applause, whoops of delight and frenetic banging of hoardings rippled through the crowd as athletes glided past on the 2km course that looped around The Mall and Constitution Hill 25 times. Men, women and children pressed up against barriers waving and cheering as the athletes walked by. For the uninitiated, commentators peppered their observations with regular reminders of the rules. The grimacing competitors, eyes fixed in concentration and sweat dripping down their faces, were walking incredibly fast, hips sashaying and arms pumping like pistons. And, while the melange of flags, languages and accents was - for the most part - mixed, there were some particularly vocal national blocks. Ireland's Robert Heffernan, who eventually finished fourth in a national record of 3hrs 37mins 54secs, had particularly strong support from those who draped his nation's flag over their shoulders and others clad in green T-shirts and wigs. Katie Roberts, 42, from Marlow, near London, watched with her husband and two young sons. Her husband has a ticket to watch the US and Spain contest the men's basketball final but it was her only opportunity to see Olympic athletes in action. "I definitely wouldn't usually watch this but I'm glad that I saw something. It's been a good opportunity to experience the Olympics in London - it's a once in a lifetime opportunity," she said. She wasn't alone in highlighting the ability to watch for free as a factor. Others expressed a desire to soak up the Olympics atmosphere before it is all over. For some, it was an opportunity to watch disciplined athletes in peak condition, amidst the grand backdrop of Buckingham Palace. Carlos Flores, a 28-year-old from Mexico, added the race walk to his memories of watching diving, football, beach volleyball and sailing. The accountant, who also travelled to Athens and Beijing when they hosted the Games, said he found London to be a "beautiful city with beautiful, friendly people" during his two-week visit. In stark contrast to the veteran spectator of three Games, Nick Forbes showed what the Olympics could offer without a penny being spent. The home maintenance consultant from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, added the race walk to triathlon swimming, 10km swim and a cycling event to his tally of free sporting spectacles. "I've really enjoyed the free events. I've had a fantastic time for nothing," he said. He explained that he had been given an insight into sports he did not follow before. 'Big party' "I'm amazed at how they can walk at that speed," said Mr Forbes, as a pack of walkers passed by, before adding: "I'd definitely watch this again. It's been very entertaining." He pointed out that he has also made the 90 minute-long journey from his home to enjoy an array of free cultural events at London's South Bank. Two other people who had enjoyed the Games for free, albeit in a very different way, shared their final reflections. Two volunteers - Elizabeth Wilson and Gilliane Carlsson - agreed that they had been through "the most unbelievable experience". The pair, who met volunteering around Green Park, said they intended to remain firm friends. For Ms Carlsson, a restaurateur, it was a chance to reconnect with the "special city" she lived in before moving to Mallorca seven years ago. She nodded enthusiastically as her fellow volunteer summed up her views, between bursts of cheering from the nearby crowd. "People from around the world have been coming to London because they want to be part of the atmosphere," said Ms Wilson or Liz, as she likes to be called. "We've had so much fun and it's given us the chance to help everyone else have fun. It's just a big party."

जैसे-जैसे 2012 के ओलंपिक खेल समाप्त होने वाले हैं, एक स्पष्ट भावना है कि खेल जगत के केंद्र में लंदन का समय लगभग समाप्त हो गया है। शायद इसी बात को ध्यान में रखते हुए, हजारों लोग 50 किलोमीटर की रेस वॉक देखने के लिए बाहर निकले, जो बाकी प्रतियोगिताओं में से एक है जिसे देखने के लिए स्वतंत्र हैं।


'Jobs being lost' over Super Puma grounding

Summary: An increasing number of offshore workers are being laid off as a result of the ongoing disruption caused by the grounding of some Super Puma helicopters, it has been claimed.

EC 225 models have been out of service since one ditched off Shetland in October. It could be February at the earliest before they return to the air. The RMT union said it had evidence that workers were being made redundant because of ongoing logistical problems. Industry body Oil and Gas UK said it was making inquiries to find out to what extent the situation was affecting people. All 19 people on board were rescued safely after the Super Puma put down in the sea in October.

यह दावा किया गया है कि कुछ सुपर प्यूमा हेलीकॉप्टरों के ग्राउंडिंग के कारण चल रहे व्यवधान के परिणामस्वरूप अपतटीय श्रमिकों की बढ़ती संख्या को हटा दिया जा रहा है।


My journey from fleeing Iran to making the internet safer

Summary: Niloofar Howe is a rare woman working in internet security.

By Clare SpencerBBC News Her path to being the chief strategy officer of internet security firm RSA started when she travelled on her own to the US at 11-years-old. Ms Howe remembers vividly arriving at San Francisco airport on her own. "A tall, lanky, moustached immigration agent spends what feels like an eternity questioning me. I know the stakes are high. I know my family's future depends on me passing this interview" she explained at a Tedx event. Her family had fled Iran shortly before the 1979 revolution. They went to the UK and a few months later put her on a flight to the US as they "calculated that an 11-year-old girl on her own will not be turned away by immigration," she said. Their calculation paid off. The customs officer stamped her Iranian passport and she started her new life. The first thing she had to do was adapt to California - a place she described as "where all-you-can eat buffets and free-thinking rebellion are the norm". She found her safe space in coding. "I was happy in the computer room," she told the BBC. "I was an immigrant, trying to fit in a girls' school and the computer room was a safe place to be." Sidetracked by Spielberg But at 17-years-old she took an entirely different direction. She "fudged" a few details on her CV and applied for a job as a casting assistant for Steven Spielberg. "My 1968 birthday changed to 1966 so I could work legally full-time in that job," she explained. "I remember trying to stay as close to the truth as possible." Ms Howe was in her senior year at school, but was also doing a course at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) so just didn't mention the bit about school. She had also been an assistant director in theatre productions and gave that a prominent showing in her CV. She got the job and for around eight months she moonlighted between casting for a TV show and her senior year at high school. The UCLA course gave her more freedom than in normal high school and when she needed to take an exam she told her boss that she had a doctor's appointment. It would be decades before she returned to the world of coding. In that time she went from being an entertainment lawyer to business consultant to angel investor to venture capitalist. Ms Howe was meeting with the cyber security company Endgame to talk about investing in them when she was offered a job by the chief executive. "He said 'raising money is not going to be a problem. What I need is a business partner'." She took the job of chief strategic officer and eventually moved to a bigger cyber security company RSA. She described the path back to the computer room as "circular" and said she had been "distracted" by "bright shiny things" in the entertainment industry. But Ms Howe said she was not alone, as a female, in her interest in technology not turning into a career at first. Over the nine years of investing in tech, she said she had only met a "handful" of female company founders. Protective urge But Ms Howe urged women to consider working in internet security specifically. She said making the internet safe was a "mission" that "appeals to women". "Solving a problem that makes the world safer, makes our personal lives safer and makes our children online safer," is how she put it. Internet security companies are struggling to fill vacancies and she said the demand for workers was only going to become bigger. The 13-year-old in the computer room now needs many more protections than when she was a teenager.

निलोफर होवे इंटरनेट सुरक्षा में काम करने वाली एक दुर्लभ महिला हैं।


Scottish Green Party and SNP get first councillors in Orkney and Shetland

Summary: Orkney has elected its first ever Scottish Greens councillor, while the SNP has gained its first representative in Shetland.

Steve Sankey was elected in the East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray ward of Orkney Islands Council. Party co-leader Patrick Harvie tweeted that he was "delighted" with the first Green gain in the elections, and the party's first Orkney councillor. Robbie McGregor won the uncontested Shetland South seat for the SNP. He is the first councillor to represent the party on Shetland Islands Council. The Greens said Mr Sankey was the first member of a mainstream national party to be elected to Orkney Islands Council, where candidates have traditionally stood as independents. Both Orkney and Shetland councils were independent holds.

ऑर्कनी ने अपना पहला स्कॉटिश ग्रीन्स पार्षद चुना है, जबकि एसएनपी ने शेटलैंड में अपना पहला प्रतिनिधि प्राप्त किया है।


Who, What, Why: How dangerous is bullfighting?

Summary: The prestigious San Isidro bullfight has been suspended after three matadors were gored in one day. This is actually rarer than the uninitiated might expect - it's the first suspension for 35 years. So how dangerous is bullfighting, asks Tom de Castella.

Who, What, WhyThe Magazine answers the questions behind the news Bullfighting is a "supremely dangerous art", says Garry Marvin, professor of human-animal studies at Roehampton University. "If a normal person got into the ring with a fighting bull, I'd expect them to be severely gored or dead in a few moments." Matadors are highly skilled, however, and may go several seasons without injury. What do the figures say? Bullfighting in Spain is run by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport - but surprisingly no statistics on injuries are kept. Some unofficial figures do exist, however. In the 2013 season, 31 matadors received horn wounds, according to the datoros.com website. Some were minor, some life-threatening. As well as the matadors themselves, 16 of their assistants were injured - the assistants usually include "picadors" on horseback, "banderilleros" on foot, and a sword page. These 47 injuries occurred during a total of 661 bullfights in Spain in 2013 (the ministry does count how many bullfights take place). The profession is less perilous than it was, thanks to advances in medicine. The invention of penicillin helped, and today at big bullrings specialist surgeons are on standby to operate. The last Spanish matador to die was Jose Cubero Sanchez "El Yiyo" in 1985. Alexander Fiske-Harrison, author of Into The Arena: The World of the Spanish Bullfight, cites records showing that 533 professional bullfighters have been killed in Spain since 1700. However the records may be incomplete, he says, as bullfighting has only been regulated for 100 years. When matadors are hurt, the injuries can be gruesome. In October 2011, Juan Jose Padilla was blinded in one eye by a horn. He was back six months later. Worldwide, the last matador to die was Colombian Jose Eslava Caceres, who was trapped against boards at the edge of the ring in 1987, and suffered a fatal piercing of the lung. While the matador is there by choice, the bull is not. It dies every time, apart from rare occasions where both bull and matador perform exceptionally well. In these cases, the bull's life is spared. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

प्रतिष्ठित सैन इसिड्रो बैल की लड़ाई को एक दिन में तीन मैटाडोरों के मारे जाने के बाद निलंबित कर दिया गया है। यह वास्तव में अप्रत्याशित लोगों की अपेक्षा से दुर्लभ है-यह 35 वर्षों के लिए पहला निलंबन है। तो टॉम डी कैस्टेला पूछते हैं कि बैल की लड़ाई कितनी खतरनाक है।


Zimbabwe takeover: Five things you should know

Summary: As the world waits to see what happens next after Robert Mugabe refused to resign despite pressure from the army and the ruling Zanu-PF party, we look at some of the key things you should know about the country and its current situation.

1. The economy is in a mess Zimbabwe has gone from one economic crisis to another over the last decade. Estimates of the country's unemployment levels vary, but the country's biggest trade union claims the jobless rate was as high as 90% earlier this year. Zimbabwe has struggled with hyperinflation, which peaked in 2008 with an official rate of 231 million per cent. The country was forced to abandon its own currency at a rate of Z$35 quadrillion to US$1, adopting the use of foreign cash. Because of a continuing chronic shortage of hard money, the government issued their own version of dollars called bond notes, but they have rapidly lost their value. People with money stored electronically in banks are unable to access it, or are subject to strict limits on what they can withdraw. Because of this, crypto-currencies that are traded online have risen in popularity. Following the news of the military takeover, Bitcoin prices in Harare surged on Wednesday. Zimbabwe crisis in 10 numbers 2. Mugabe has been controversial for some time The 93-year-old leader has confounded his critics by staying in power for so long. Sometimes dismissed as a cartoon figure abroad, he was viewed in Zimbabwe, at least originally, as a revolutionary hero who fought against white minority rule, and still enjoys respect as the "father of the nation". But he and his supporters have used violence to keep a tight grip on power, using the machinery of the state to bolster his party and himself. His party says it is fighting capitalism and colonialism, but the country's economic problems have tested even his most ardent supporters. He has often said he would only step down when his "revolution" was complete, but also wants to handpick his successor - something that led to the current crisis. Robert Mugabe - Revolutionary hero or the man who wrecked Zimbabwe? 3. His unpopular wife caused his downfall Aged 93 and in visible decline, the battle to succeed him intensified in recent months. The ruling party split into two factions - one backing his wife Grace, 40 years his junior, and the other his long-time ally, Emmerson Mnangagwa. When he sacked Mr Mnangagwa, it was obvious that he was backing his wife to take power. She was deeply unpopular, partly because of her love of shopping, which led to her nickname "Gucci Grace". Mr Mnangagwa fought in the 1970s war of independence which brought Mr Mugabe to power and retains close ties with many other former comrades, who occupy senior positions across the top of all of Zimbabwe's security forces. So when he was ousted, they intervened on his behalf. Who is Grace Mugabe? 4. Any new leader may not be a big change If the ousted Mr Mnangagwa does succeed Mr Mugabe as president, he is cut from the same cloth. He has featured prominently in all of the atrocities and attacks on opposition supporters which have been carried out since Mr Mugabe came to power. However, he has hinted that he may introduce some economic reforms, and even work with the opposition in some form of transitional government. Emmerson Mnangagwa: The 'crocodile' who snapped back 5. Was it a coup or not? The military certainly intervened, however they have not replaced the president - yet. In a statement on television, the military said it had temporarily taken control to "target criminals" around the head of state, not Mr Mugabe himself, and still referred to him as "commander-in-chief". The army wants a veneer of constitutionality to be preserved, and certainly none of his former comrades wants to arrest him, or worse, as often happens to leaders when the military takes over. The army wants a political process to play out - Mr Mugabe to resign and Zanu-PF to name a new leader. And the military encouraged a public march to increase pressure on him, and show that their actions had the popular support. So far, however, he is refusing to play ball, even though the ruling Zanu-PF party has sacked him as its leader, and so parliament may have to impeach him. However, on Sunday, Mr Mugabe vowed to remain as president until the Zanu-PF congress, due in December, so it is far from clear what happens next. Do you have a question about the situation in Zimbabwe you'd like us to answer? Send your question to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk and we'll investigate a selection. You can also contact us in the following ways:

जैसा कि दुनिया यह देखने के लिए इंतजार कर रही है कि सेना और सत्तारूढ़ ज़ानू-पी. एफ. पार्टी के दबाव के बावजूद रॉबर्ट मुगाबे द्वारा इस्तीफा देने से इनकार करने के बाद आगे क्या होता है, हम कुछ प्रमुख चीजों पर गौर करते हैं जो आपको देश और इसकी वर्तमान स्थिति के बारे में पता होनी चाहिए।


Cambridgeshire fire alarm response needs 999 call

Summary: Firefighters will now respond to automatic alarms in daylight hours at 21,000 properties in Cambridgeshire only after a 999 call is made.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue has imposed the new rule from Saturday after a survey revealed 98% of callouts in 2012-13 were unnecessary. The new response regime will operate from 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday. Hospitals, schools, residential care homes and flats above four storeys will be exempt from the changes.

अग्निशामक अब कैम्ब्रिजशायर में 21,000 संपत्तियों पर दिन के उजाले में स्वचालित अलार्म का जवाब केवल 999 कॉल किए जाने के बाद ही देंगे।


Why is a condom advert with Sunny Leone angering Indians?

Summary: A condom company has been forced to pull down an advertisement promoting their popular Manforce brand ahead of the major Hindu festival of Navratri in the western state of Gujarat after protests by some Indians. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi explains the controversy.

Just days before the nine-day festival was to begin on Thursday, huge billboards went up in several cities in the state in which the Canadian actress of Indian origin Sunny Leone is seen advising people to "Play this Navratri, but with love [Aa Navratriye ramo, paraantu prem thi]". A former porn star who has made a successful transition to the role of leading lady in hit Bollywood movies, Ms Leone has a massive fan following in India and is the brand ambassador for Manforce, the country's biggest condom company. The advert outraged some conservative Indians who accused the contraceptive firm of "taking marketing to an all-time low". Many took to social media sites to criticise the "offending advert" and the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) even lodged a complaint with the government, calling for an immediate ban on it. "This is an irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural values at stake," the organisation said in a petition to Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, CAIT general secretary Praveen Khandelwal said: "Navratri is a pious festival which symbolises the strength of women and linking condoms with the festival is highly objectionable." Mr Khandelwal, who's based in Delhi, spotted the billboards during his visit to the city of Surat earlier this week. "The advert doesn't mention the word condom, but it uses double entendre to encourage youths to use Manforce condoms in the name of Navratri festival. It's unethical," he said. Following complaints, police in Surat and Vadodara city (formerly Baroda) have taken down dozens of billboards, but Mr Khandelwal is demanding action against the condom manufacturer and the actress "to set an example for future offenders". And on Wednesday night, the company tweeted saying they had withdrawn the advert: Some, however, say a condom advert during the Navratri festival is perhaps not such a bad idea. Many years ago, friends and family in the Gujarati city of Ahmedabad told me about the "fun" that young people had during Navratri - the festival of nine nights. It's a time when even the most conservative parents adopt a somewhat relaxed attitude and teenagers and young unmarried men and women are allowed to stay out until late in the night, participating in the traditional garba dances held at hotels, banquet halls, parks and private farmhouses. Since the late 1990s, there have been reports that during the festival, youngsters often throw caution to the wind, indulge in unprotected sex, and two months later, there's a spike in the rate of pregnancy and many land up at clinics seeking abortions. Although many long-time residents of Gujarat insist that these reports are hugely exaggerated and maybe even a figment of overactive imaginations, the fact remains that over the years, doctors and health workers have flagged up the issue and state authorities have expressed their concerns. There have been attempts to encourage young people to practice safe sex and reports say that revellers, in many cases girls or young women, are shedding their inhibitions to buy condoms. Jaswant Patel, chairman of the Federation of Gujarat State Chemists and Druggists Associations, says over the past 10 years, he's seen the sale of condoms go up by at least 30% during the festival period. "Condoms are sold not just at chemists and general stores, they are stocked at even corner shops that sell paan (betel leaf) and most of the buyers there are teenagers and college students," Mr Patel told the BBC. But despite the increase in condom sales, Dr Ruby Mehta, a gynaecologist who's run a clinic in Ahmedabad for the past 20 years, says a spike in teenage pregnancies after the festival has continued. "Condoms are extensively available, and couples in their 20s are more responsible, but there's not much awareness among teenagers and they get carried away. So every year, the number of people who come to our clinic seeking terminations after Navratri is double compared to other times of the year," she adds. Dr Mehta laughs when I ask her if the Manforce advert is a good idea and if Ms Leone can encourage youngsters in Gujarat to practice safe sex? "Sex education is one thing, an advert is another. What we need is better sex education in schools. Teenage girls need to be made more aware and that alone will help this issue," she says.

एक कंडोम कंपनी को कुछ भारतीयों के विरोध के बाद पश्चिमी राज्य गुजरात में नवरात्रि के प्रमुख हिंदू त्योहार से पहले अपने लोकप्रिय मैनफोर्स ब्रांड का प्रचार करने वाले एक विज्ञापन को हटाने के लिए मजबूर किया गया है। दिल्ली में बीबीसी की गीता पांडे ने विवाद की व्याख्या की।


Ahmed Ghailani sentence: The future of Guantanamo

Summary: The first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be tried in a civilian court has been sentenced to life in prison. The BBC's Laura Trevelyan in New York looks at how the trial of Ahmed Ghailani has complicated the Obama administration's strategy of trying Guantanamo inmates in federal courts.

Ahmed Ghailani was convicted on just one charge relating to the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in East Africa - conspiracy to damage or destroy US property with explosives. He was cleared of more than 200 others, including intent to kill. Republican Congressman Peter King, from Long Island just outside New York City, said afterwards: "This tragic verdict demonstrates the absolute insanity of the Obama administration's decision to try al-Qaeda terrorists in civilian courts." While the conviction was not the resounding one the US Department of Justice would have liked, US Attorney General Eric Holder seized on Ghailani's life imprisonment to press the case for civilian trials. "A life term imposed on a Tanzanian national for his role in the bombings of two US embassies proves the strength of American courts in trying terror cases," he said. 'Committed' But it is hard to envision when the next civilian trial of a Guantanamo detainee will be, or indeed when President Barack Obama can close the Guantanamo Bay military prison, as he promised in his first days in office. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated on Tuesday that the US is "absolutely committed" to closing the controversial facility. But how? In the weeks following the Ghailani verdict, Congress passed a law preventing military funds from being used to transfer Guantanamo inmates to the US. This makes it in practice very difficult for the Obama administration to empty the detention centre, and to move detainees and try them in civilian courts in the US. Professor Jonathan Hafetz of Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey, who represents a Guantanamo detainee, said it would have been much harder for Congress to pass such a law if Ghailani had been convicted on all counts. "The Ghailani verdict provided ammunition for lawmakers and groups opposed to the use of civilian courts to thwart the future use of the federal justice system," he said. Trial critics Ghailani was subject to what the government calls "enhanced interrogation" by the CIA at a secret prison, and any evidence prosecutors presented that had been obtained during that process risked being declared inadmissible in court. Indeed, US prosecutors suffered an early setback when Judge Lewis Kaplan barred a key government witness from testifying, ruling he had been named by Ghailani while "under duress". Therein lies the problem, critics of civilian trials say. They argue acts of war should not be treated as law enforcement issues. One of Ghailani's lawyers, Michael Bachrach, took the opposite view, telling the BBC the trial showed the jury was able to weigh evidence without undue influence from the politics of the case. "The fact that Mr Ghailani was able to receive a fair trial shows the system worked," he said. As a presidential candidate, Mr Obama criticised as "flawed" the military commissions the Bush administration established to try Guantanamo detainees, but he may now have to revive them. Given the barrier Congress has erected to moving detainees from Guantanamo, if the US government wants to try the inmates, for the moment the only practical option seems to be the military commissions. Indefinite detention The New York Times has reported that Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi accused of planning the 2000 bombing of the American destroyer Cole in Yemen, could be one of the first to be charged and then tried. Others like Mohamedou Slahi, a Mauritanian represented by Mr Hafetz, face the prospect of indefinite detention without trial at Guantanamo. Mr Slahi was originally arrested in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks, and accused of involvement in a series of attempted attacks in the US around the turn of the millennium. Those charges have since been dropped, and he is now being held because of his alleged connections with al-Qaeda. Mr Slahi and others were designated "enemy combatants" by the Bush administration, but they have now been renamed "unprivileged belligerents" and remain at Guantanamo. Ghailani has learned his fate and is preparing for a life spent behind bars. The Obama administration once hoped to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, in a federal court in New York. When that might happen is anyone's guess.

नागरिक अदालत में मुकदमा चलाने वाले पहले ग्वांतानामो बे बंदी को आजीवन कारावास की सजा सुनाई गई है। न्यूयॉर्क में बीबीसी की लौरा ट्रेवेलियन ने देखा कि कैसे अहमद घैलानी के मुकदमे ने संघीय अदालतों में ग्वांतानामो कैदियों पर मुकदमा चलाने की ओबामा प्रशासन की रणनीति को जटिल बना दिया है।


Letter from Africa: Zimbabwe descends into darkness

Summary: In our series of letters from African writers, journalist-turned-barrister Brian Hungwe says many people in Zimbabwe are struggling to cope with long power blackouts as the country's financial crisis worsens and fears of hyperinflation grow.

With both the government and families battling to pay electricity bills, many children now do their homework by candlelight. For the last month, as soon as the sun goes down at six o'clock, candles are lit so they can settle down to complete their assignments. It is only after they have gone to bed that the electricity comes on - usually at around 22:00 local time. The children then have to be woken the next morning before 05:00 if they want a warm breakfast, as that is when the blackout starts again. It could be their only hot meal of the day. It is like that in most households unless you have invested in solar power or a generator - but the latter is difficult to rely on because of severe petrol and diesel shortages and long queues at garages. Other people have resorted to wood to cope with the 18-hour daily blackouts - which can be purchased from the roadside vendors who, quick to spot a business opening, now populate the roads leading to residential areas with their bundles of logs. This means deforestation is on the rise. Mobile cash hit The electricity rationing, known as load shedding, is also crippling the economy and robbing people of sleep. I know people who are doing their ironing after 22:00, when they should be heading to their beds, or staying up late into the early hours to cook meals for their family. A charity that runs a retirement home has appealed for help as it struggles amid the blackouts. "We need to run on generators, not only to heat our water so people can bath, and enjoy hot meals - but more importantly, for people who rely on oxygen provision to keep them comfortable, and ultimately alive," BS Lion said in its appeal. More on Zimbabwe's cash crisis: Many businesses that rely on electricity have resorted to working a night shift. You now see artisans such as welders and carpenters heading out to work in the evening to make the most of the seven hours of electricity. The industrial area to the south of Harare, which the economic mayhem of recent decades has left a shadow of its former self, is still ominously quiet during the day. Last Saturday, the country's biggest mobile phone operator, Econet, shutdown for more than six hours thanks to a blackout after its own generators failed - this hit those out doing their weekly shopping as millions rely on mobile money to pay as cash is still in short supply here. Such prolonged blackouts are a big threat to production in the mining and agriculture sectors - and could bring job losses. Mining contributes a huge chunk to Zimbabwe's foreign currency earnings - something the country, which imports nearly everything, desperately needs. Farmers complain that it is hard to irrigate crops - which they need to do in this winter season when there is no rain. Unpaid bills And it is rain - or the lack of rain - that the government blames for these problems. The country has one hydropower plant - Kariba - but it is failing to supply its usual amount of electricity because of low water levels cause by drought. It is now only generating 358MW instead of its usual 1,050MW. Zimbabwe needs 1,700MW each day to meet demand. A coal-fired power plant in Hwange is also facing problems caused by its ageing and crumbling infrastructure, only three of its six units are operational. Zesa, the state power firm, which would usually have been able to buy electricity from its neighbours in such circumstances, has been unable to do so because it has failed to pay its outstanding bills - it owes $83m (£66.4m) to South Africa and Mozambique. Last month the government said it was paying $10m to South Africa's power utility, Eskom, which has its own problems meeting demands, as part of negotiations to open up supplies. Zesa also blames its cash-strapped customers for failing to pay their bills and it has proposed that mining firms pay for their electricity in US dollars. This flies in the face of government policy which last month banned the use of foreign currencies that had been legal tender for the last decade - in its bid to stabilise the economy. But the situation appears to be spiralling out of control because of a severe shortage of foreign currency, something that will only improve if exports grow. The most recent figures suggest inflation has risen sharply over the last year. In May it was 98% and by June, annual inflation stood at 176%. So, the trend is not encouraging. Solar power is definitely the country's one growth area - panels and such gadgets are mushrooming on rooftops. Yet it seems Zimbabweans will have to continue operating in the dark for some time to come. More Letters from Africa Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

अफ्रीकी लेखकों के पत्रों की हमारी श्रृंखला में, पत्रकार से बैरिस्टर बने ब्रायन हंगवे कहते हैं कि जिम्बाब्वे में कई लोग लंबे समय तक बिजली कटौती से निपटने के लिए संघर्ष कर रहे हैं क्योंकि देश का वित्तीय संकट बिगड़ रहा है और अति मुद्रास्फीति की आशंका बढ़ रही है।


Trending: #JusticeforLiz and the rape that's shocked Kenya

Summary: A brutal gang rape of a 16-year-old girl was first reported in Kenya three weeks ago. But the online petition calling for justice has gained over a million signatures from around the world only in recent days. How did it suddenly get international attention?

By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why The story could hardly be more horrific. A teenage girl, walking home from a funeral in western Kenya, was attacked and repeatedly raped by six men. They threw her unconscious body into a latrine. Her spine was broken, and the girl - referred to simply as Liz to protect her identity - is now in a wheelchair. Earlier this year, a similarly horrific gang rape in India sparked a worldwide frenzy in social media and brought international condemnation. Liz's case was first reported by Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper on 7 October. "This is one of many such cases that happen in rural areas and the slums," says Njeri Rugene, the journalist who broke the story. "People keep quiet about it - but it's rampant." The men who allegedly attacked Liz - three of whom she says she knows - were told to cut grass, then set free. The lack of punishment spurred a handful of journalists and activists to use social media to raise awareness of the case. The hashtags created did not get widespread traction, with #Justice4Liz getting just a couple of hundred tweets. But in recent days, an online petition set up by activist Nebila Abdulmelik started to gain international attention. Two weeks ago it had just 1,600 signatures. But by Monday, it had more than one million names from all around the world. Why the sudden spike? One reason was that Avaaz, the site hosting the petition, promoted it to all members. "I saw Nebila's tweet about it, it grabbed me and we developed it," says Avaaz campaign director Sam Barratt. The site worked with Nebila to choose the wording for the petition page, and then emailed its members, helping it stand out from about 5,000 petitions which are created each week. "With this campaign, who could not care?" says Barratt. "Not only was the attack horrendous, but the lack of justice was clear. I think people look to see parallels of change elsewhere [such as the Indian case]. There is a real power in echoes." Have you seen an interesting trend? Tweet us using #BBCtrending

केन्या में तीन सप्ताह पहले एक 16 वर्षीय लड़की के साथ क्रूर सामूहिक बलात्कार की पहली घटना सामने आई थी। लेकिन न्याय की मांग करने वाली ऑनलाइन याचिका पर हाल के दिनों में ही दुनिया भर से दस लाख से अधिक हस्ताक्षर हुए हैं। यह अचानक अंतर्राष्ट्रीय ध्यान कैसे आकर्षित किया?


Top 10 tips for diversifying your workplace

Summary: How can businesses move to better represent their customers and workforces following the cultural shifts aided by the Black Lives Matter movement? Advertising boss Karen Blackett OBE - who was made race equality business champion by former Prime Minister Theresa May - has a series of tips for bosses seeking to tackle racism and to diversify their firms. Ms Blackett is the UK manager of advertising giant WPP and UK CEO of media investment firm GroupM.

1. Watch out for microaggressions I think it's people just not even realising what they're saying. [People have said to me:] "With your skin tone you can get away with that colour." Or, a comment about the size of your lips: "She could take shares out in those." It's like a mosquito bite. It's annoying and itches, but you can live with it. If you have another, and then another, and another, all on the same arm, by the end of the day you've got an arm that's quite painful and quite swollen. And that's what it feels like if you keep getting those tiny little putdowns day after day. 2. Look at your phone I always ask senior leaders to tell me the four people in your phone that you contact most often from a work perspective. Now look at the next four people. Look at the eight people and now start telling me what these people are like. And if they're similar to you in terms of background, in terms of social class, in terms of race, none of us are doing enough. That applies to me as well. 3. BAME is too broad a category What's really important is understanding the differences - even between African and Caribbean. Understanding the differences and what the pressure points are or the triggers are so that you can address it. And I always talk about how important data is, and that really means drilling and mining the data, not lumping it together to get an average. 4. Get past uncomfortable Unless we're comfortable talking about race and making it part of our everyday vernacular, it's going to be the elephant in the room every single time. We've all got to get comfortable talking about race. But we've got one black CEO in the FTSE 100. So it's something that you have to get comfortable with. It's something you have to talk about. 5. Treat diversity like any business issue If you had a business issue you would absolutely drill down and you would look at where you can improve and where you have targets and how you set them. You break it down and you address it and you focus on it and you have a strategy for it. And actually, more diversity is a huge solution to so many business issues that we all have, where you can source growth and have that real opportunity to leap forward. We do that with any other business metric, and this should be exactly the same. 6. Use targets and reporting If you look at gender, we have seen how the Davies report and the Hampton-Alexander report were a catalyst to organisations doing more to make sure that they had senior women on their decision-making boards. We've also seen how gender pay gap reporting has made organisations really analyse and focus on the data and focus on what proportion of our business is female. We've seen how legislation can just help businesses focus. I don't believe in overloading businesses with lots of paperwork and reporting, but when it can make a huge economic difference to the UK and for society as well, I think it's something that we should do. 7. Go further than unconscious bias training I believe that unconscious bias training is hygiene. It's hygiene, which any responsible company should do. But does it make a fundamental difference to your culture? I don't believe it does. I genuinely believe in much more active interventions. And that involves the boardrooms of all of our organisations and all of our companies across the UK. 8. Don't just level the recruitment playing field You need to really focus on your people practices and your interview systems. Because if you level the playing field, you still might not allow somebody to get through the door. It's actually considering that somebody with a 2:2 degree from a university in a really deprived area, which is where they were brought up, could be the equivalent of a First from a Russell Group university (group of 24 leading universities). 9. Look beyond universities We had the first government-backed apprenticeship programme in our industry sector, whereby we looked to people aged 18-24 that haven't been to university. We specifically looked at recruiting from areas where the schools had above-average exam results, but also an above-average reliance on subsidised school meals. So you had talent, but not necessarily matched with opportunity. We started that in 2012 at MediaCom (she was UK CEO from 2011-16) and it's been one of the most successful things that we have done to bring diversity of thought and diverse talent into the organisation - not just in terms of more talent from ethnic minority backgrounds, but also social class as well. 10. 'Blind' CVs are only a start If [using anonymised CVs] helps with the sifting and getting people through the door because there's some sort of bias which is happening at the recruitment stage, I understand that. But at some point you have to meet the person, even in the remote working world which we're in now - whether it's through a laptop screen or whether it's face to face. Unless you've absolutely, fundamentally looked at your recruitment system - and that system can sometimes perpetuate inequality - then it doesn't make a bit of difference. Karen Blackett was speaking to Evan Davis for The Bottom Line on BBC Radio 4

ब्लैक लाइव्स मैटर आंदोलन द्वारा सहायता प्राप्त सांस्कृतिक बदलावों के बाद व्यवसाय अपने ग्राहकों और कार्यबल का बेहतर प्रतिनिधित्व करने के लिए कैसे आगे बढ़ सकते हैं? विज्ञापन प्रमुख करेन ब्लैकेट ओ. बी. ई.-जिन्हें पूर्व प्रधान मंत्री थेरेसा मे द्वारा नस्ल समानता व्यवसाय चैंपियन बनाया गया था-के पास नस्लवाद से निपटने और अपनी फर्मों में विविधता लाने के लिए मालिकों के लिए कई सुझाव हैं। सुश्री ब्लैकेट विज्ञापन दिग्गज डब्ल्यू. पी. पी. की यू. के. प्रबंधक और मीडिया निवेश फर्म ग्रुप. एम. की यू. के. सी. ई. ओ. हैं।


'We should give back art looted by the Nazis'

Summary: Joerg Schillinger is showing me around the extravagant foyer of the head office of frozen pizza and processed foods firm, Dr Oetker - complete with a winding marble staircase and Victorian grandfather clock - when he points to a former chief executive's bronze bust.

By Joe MillerBBC News, Bielefeld "This is Dr Richard Kaselowsky," says the manager, before adding, with a hint of embarrassment: "Unfortunately, he was a strong Nazi." The 126-year-old company, a household name in Germany and beyond, has done more than most to face up to what Mr Schillinger calls the "dark shadow" of its activities in the 1930s and 1940s. A few years ago, the family-owned firm enlisted prominent historians to write a book chronicling the relationship between former boss Rudolf-August Oetker - a member of the Waffen SS - and the Third Reich. It revealed how Dr Oetker had supported the war effort by providing pudding mixes and munitions to Nazi troops, and how the business had used slave labour in some of its facilities. Now, in a rarer move, the company is turning its attention to a more tangible reminder of former sins - its vast private art collection. In a floor-to-ceiling library at Dr Oetker's sprawling headquarters in the North-Rhine Westphalian city of Bielefeld, Dr Monika Bachtler reveals one of its treasures - a resplendent 17th Century silver goblet. "It's a typical German silversmith's piece," says the white-gloved curator of the Oetker collection, "made in Augsburg in 1612". The goblet originally belonged to Emma Budge, a wealthy Jewish socialite, philanthropist and art-lover from Hamburg. It was part of an impressive collection forcibly auctioned off by the Nazis in the early 1930s, including porcelain figures by Kaendler and paintings by van Loo. This particular piece of silverware's troubling provenance was discovered as a consequence of a voluntary audit of Dr Oetker's own collection. The collection, which includes some some 4,500 priceless pieces, scattered across several, secret locations, was mostly purchased by Rudolf-August Oetker, who was a renowned art enthusiast. The company's board, which includes members of the Oetker family, commissioned the audit in 2015. So far, just four artworks have been restored to their rightful owners - including the windmill-shaped goblet. Dr Oetker is tight-lipped about the precise value of the goblet - for which the Budge estate elected to receive financial compensation - but other items in the Budge collection are worth as much as £270,000, according to Lothar Fremy, one of just a dozen or so lawyers in Germany who represent heirs of Nazi confiscated art. Mr Fremy, a Berliner who represents the Budge heirs, says few cases are carried out this smoothly. "Sometimes it's like a big puzzle you have to put together," he explains. "Between 1933 and 1945, hundreds of thousands of items were sold, the market was flooded with artefacts." Tracing their origin is a process which will take "10, 20 or 30 years easily", he says. In this case, thanks to the meticulous paperwork left behind by Nazi bureaucrats, a comprehensive catalogue of the forced auction of the Budge collection exists, complete with images of most items. This allowed Mr Fremy to enter the details of more than 1,000 items from the catalogue onto lootedart.com, an online registry for the return of stolen cultural objects. But although many items from the Budge collection have been found in galleries, including Meissen porcelain figures at the V&A in London, it is rarer for private collections - let alone those owned by corporations - to voluntarily examine their inventory for a match to an artefact on the online database. The widely-followed principles for returning Nazi-confiscated art, outlined after a conference in Washington in 1998, are largely focused on public institutions. Private collectors, Mr Fremy says, have generally not felt inclined to look too closely into the origins of their prized possessions. Yet the return of stolen items from the Budge collection and beyond, he says, is becoming more common. "Ten or 12 years ago, it wasn't a warm or co-operative reception," says Mr Fremy, reminiscing about early approaches to individuals who may have been in possession of stolen art, "but in general it's getting better." Back in Bielefeld, Dr Oetker's researchers say it may take decades to determine how many more items in its collection are due for restitution. But Joerg Schillinger hopes that other German companies, among which huge art collections are not uncommon, will follow the frozen food firm's lead. "It's a pity that there are still some companies that haven't stepped into their history," he says. "We were quite late, 70 years after the war, but we are very happy that we did it." His recommendation to other businesses? "Just do it, for the sake of your company and for the sake of the stakeholders."

जॉर्ग शिलिंजर मुझे जमे हुए पिज्जा और प्रसंस्कृत खाद्य फर्म, डॉ. ओटकर के मुख्य कार्यालय के असाधारण घर के चारों ओर दिखा रहा है-एक घुमावदार संगमरमर की सीढ़ी और विक्टोरियन दादा घड़ी के साथ-जब वह एक पूर्व मुख्य कार्यकारी के कांस्य प्रतिमा की ओर इशारा करता है।


In pictures: Four lives changed by Nepalese earthquake

Summary: Last year, on 25 April, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, leaving more than 8,000 people dead and many thousands homeless. A large number of aftershocks followed, including one that measured 7.3 on 12 May 2015. Photographer Alison Baskerville travelled to Nepal with Handicap International UK to meet young people whose lives were changed forever by those events.

Uma Silwal Uma Silwal (right) was at home with her family when the earthquake hit. "We were sitting having lunch and the ground started to shake," she says. "At first we just froze, we had no idea what to do. Then we ran. I don't remember the wall landing on me. I just remember seeing everyone running ahead in front of me." At the time of the earthquake Uma was studying engineering. Her father had just retired from a long career in the Nepalese Fire Service and was adjusting to life at home with a reduced income. "I knew I had to get educated and find work so I could help support my family," Uma says. The earthquake destroyed their home. As well as looking after her family, Uma's mother has been involved in rebuilding their house, and feeding the workers. "My mother does so much," says Uma. "Sometimes I worry that we take her for granted. She is the closest person to me and keeps our family together." Uma later decided to change her degree to social work. "I had a few choices ahead of me before the earthquake. It felt like with two legs I have two paths to take. "After the quake I only have one leg but it's also given me one clear path. To help those who are like me." Amrit Magar Amrit Magar was sleeping in his room in the Pepsicola district of Kathmandu when the earthquake hit. With both parents at work he was home alone and unsure what to do. He tried to run from the house but as he escaped the building collapsed and he was buried in rubble. Neighbours managed to pulled him free and he was taken to hospital. "When the wall fell I was unconscious. When I woke up I thought my legs were fine," he says. But Amrit remained in a fracture ward until the decision was made to remove one of his legs because it was so badly damaged. "I loved football before my accident but now I like to read and I want to go back to school," says Amrit. His father says they can no longer keep Amrit at home as they cannot afford the taxi fares for him to go to the local clinic. Amrit's brother Amish (middle) spent four weeks by his side in hospital. His mother, Chandra Kala Magar, holds a family photograph that was recovered from the home. They now live in a temporary home built by the family's employer. Ramesh Khatri Ramesh Khatri, then 18, was trapped under rubble for almost three days. When he was eventually pulled free he was rushed to the already overcrowded Bir hospital in Kathmandu. He kept his badly damaged legs for almost five days before doctors decided they should both be amputated. "I just had to accept this new life I have been given without my legs. It has not been easy but I'm really trying to start again and adapt to my new life," he says. Ramesh uses the walkway at the National Disability Fund clinic in Kathmandu to train on his prosthetics. Although he has become highly skilled in his wheelchair, he is now focusing on his walking. A few days after breaking his third wheelchair, Ramesh decided to take part in a 3km race in the city. With bloodied hands and sweat on his brow, Ramesh pushed himself to sixth place out of 21. "Next year I'm going to win this race," he shouted as he received his finishing medal. "He is ever the optimist," says Samrat Singh Basnet, the owner of the hostel where Ramesh lives. "He's always there in the clinic, helping and encouraging people." "I want to study first and then I want to be a social worker to help other people like me," says Ramesh. "Whatever happened, happened. This is our future. We should start from here. We can start again even with our disability." Sandesh Basnet Sandesh was on his lunch break at the Nepal Police School when the earth began to shake. Along with his classmates he fled from the room where they were. But the outside wall collapsed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. "We were going to hide under the beds but then we decided to run," says Sandesh. "Then the wall fell down on me. I was unconscious until I got to hospital." He too lost his legs because of the injuries he sustained. In hospital, he also received the terrible news that his best friend had been killed. After almost nine months at home Sandesh has now returned to the police school. He is the only student with a disability and the school have tried their best to accommodate him. But there is a steep slope between the classrooms and accommodation blocks, which makes it difficult for Sandesh to move between the two areas. He stays in the classroom area throughout the school day. During his time in hospital he says he lost motivation and found it difficult to accept his condition. With help from therapists and fellow patient Ramesh, he was able to come to terms with his disability. He began using a wheelchair, later also using crutches, until he received his prosthetic legs. "I thought I would never walk again," he says. "When I stood up for the first time I was so happy." All photographs © Alison Baskerville / Handicap International

पिछले साल, 25 अप्रैल को, नेपाल में एक भूकंप आया था, जिसमें 8,000 से अधिक लोग मारे गए थे और कई हज़ार बेघर हो गए थे। इसके बाद बड़ी संख्या में झटके आए, जिसमें 12 मई 2015 को आए भूकंप की तीव्रता 7.3 थी। फोटोग्राफर एलिसन बास्करविले ने उन युवाओं से मिलने के लिए हैंडीकैप इंटरनेशनल यूके के साथ नेपाल की यात्रा की, जिनका जीवन उन घटनाओं से हमेशा के लिए बदल गया था।


'Fishing crew' in hospital after 20ft Plymouth harbour wall fall

Summary: Two men believed to be part of a fishing crew have fallen 20ft (6m) from a harbour wall.

One man was found in the water and the other was "unconscious on metal fishing equipment" near Victoria Wharf in Plymouth at 23:50 BST on Monday. One remains in intensive care in hospital, while the other is "awake and talking", police said. A man, from Dumfries, has been arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol while on a boat. The 49-year-old is being held under the Railway & Transport Safety Act 2003 and remains in police custody. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation.

माना जाता है कि मछली पकड़ने वाले दल के दो लोग बंदरगाह की दीवार से 20 फीट (6 मीटर) नीचे गिर गए हैं।


Clooney to appear in Milan court

Summary: Hollywood star George Clooney is to appear at the trial of three people accused of usurping his name for a fashion label, a judge has said.

Clooney, 49, will testify as a civil plaintiff at the trial in the Italian business and fashion capital Milan, the ANSA news agency said. Clooney's lawyer Grazia Maria Mantelli confirmed her client would be in court. Judge Pietro Caccialanza has ordered extra security to ensure the trial goes ahead smoothly. "There will be a lot of people, I imagine," said Mr Caccialanza, who also promised Clooney's fans a chance "to come close to their hero". The case dates back to April 2008, when the three unnamed defendants, who are accused of fraud, forgery and possession of stolen goods, organised a fashion show in a Milan hotel.

हॉलीवुड स्टार जॉर्ज क्लूनी को एक फैशन लेबल के लिए उनका नाम हड़पने के आरोप में तीन लोगों के मुकदमे में पेश होना है।


Crambeck deaths: Two struck on A64 after getting off bus

Summary: Two people died when they were hit by a minibus as they crossed a road after getting off a bus in North Yorkshire.

Police said the 52-year-old woman and a man, 51, were struck by a black Renault minibus on the A64 at Crambeck, near Malton, close to midnight on Saturday. The pair, who were pronounced dead at the scene, had just got off a double-decker Coastliner bus. The minibus was heading towards York at the time and police have made an appeal for witnesses.

उत्तरी यॉर्कशायर में एक बस से उतरने के बाद सड़क पार करते समय एक मिनी बस की चपेट में आने से दो लोगों की मौत हो गई।


Coronavirus: Denmark shaken by cull of millions of mink

Summary: There was shock last week when Denmark decided to cull all its mink - up to 17 million animals - because of the spread of coronavirus. That national cull has turned into a political outcry, now that the prime minister has admitted the plan was rushed and had no legal basis.

By Adrienne MurrayDenmark Danish authorities worry that a mutated form of coronavirus found in mink could potentially hamper the effectiveness of a future vaccine. As the politicians argue, mass graves have appeared in the Danish countryside filled with the slaughtered animals. 'A hard blow' Police and the armed forces have been deployed and farmers have been told to cull their healthy animals too -but the task will take weeks. "We have 65,000 mink. In the coming week all will be put down," says Martin From, pointing to rows of long huts housing thousands of mink on his farm in rural Funen. A Danish flag flies at half-mast in his garden. Warning: You may find some of the images below upsetting Overnight he has seen his livelihood wiped out. "It seems very unjust," he adds. Mr From is a third-generation fur farmer, and after 60 years of the family business, the cull has devastated him. He is not alone. Farmers have appeared on Danish TV in tears. Denmark's mink cull has in fact been going on for several weeks, with 2.85 million already put down. By Tuesday, coronavirus had been reported on 237 farms in Jutland with further cases suspected on another 33. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration says the cull is complete on 116 farms and the work continues. Why the cull was ordered Denmark is not the first country to report outbreaks on fur farms but it is the world's biggest producer. Spain, Sweden, Italy, and the US have all been affected, as has the Netherlands, where mink farming will be outlawed by spring next year. Here in Denmark, more than one in five farms have reported infections. Scientists from Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen first raised the alert after detecting mutations in strains of coronavirus found in mink. Then came the order for a mass cull last Wednesday and a four-week lockdown for people living in the northwest of the country. "Mutation happens all the time, but once in a while these mutations happen in the spike protein," says Prof Anders Fomsgaard, SSI's head of virus research. That spike protein of the coronavirus is the target of some vaccines in development. "So we are a little nervous once we see mutations that change amino acids and the shape of this protein," he tells the BBC. 'Cluster 5' Covid-19 originally came from a wild animal, it was then transmitted to humans and, later, passed on to farmed mink, before jumping back to a small number of humans. Several different mutations have been discovered in the virus in mink that do not arise in humans. But one called "Cluster 5" is of particular concern and 12 people are known to have caught it in Denmark. More than 200 other people have contracted other mink-related strains of the virus. Prof Fomsgaard stresses that the worry about a vaccine is hypothetical so far. But tests have found that patient antibodies responded less well to Cluster 5 and further laboratory investigations are being carried out. "We are working hard to find if this has any biological effects and vaccine issues. Therefore we have to look into it immediately before this potential problem grows." The infections have attracted widespread international attention, and prompted the UK to ban travellers from Denmark. However there's also concern that Denmark may have overreacted and scientists at home and abroad have tried to assess the risk. While scientists told Denmark's Berlingske Tidende newspaper that Cluster 5 had not been detected since September, the head of Denmark's health authority, Soren Brostrom, said the risk was too great when the virus was spreading among the mink population. 'Mistakes have been made' The government admitted on Tuesday it lacked the legal framework for a nationwide order and only had jurisdiction to cull infected mink or herds within a safety radius. "It is a mistake. It is a regrettable mistake," said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as she apologised to parliament. The government has tried to remedy that by rushing through emergency legislation, but opposition parties say they are unlikely to support the new bill and getting it through parliament could take time. Liberal Party chairman Jakob Ellemann-Jensen called it "shocking" and criticised a lack of transparency. Compensation for farmers should have been in place first, he said. Even parties allied to the government have called for an investigation. "Mistakes have been made," said Mogens Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. "But that does not change the fact that there is a great risk of having mink breeding in Denmark under corona." Farmers were recently sent papers telling them to cull their herds by 16 November but some have refused to co-operate. But Martin From says with coronavirus spreading between farms he cannot afford to wait. "We are just carrying on. it makes no difference." Is this the end of the mink business in Denmark? Denmark is home to more than 1,000 farms, so the head of trade body Kopenhagen Fur has termed the nationwide cull a disaster. "It is a de facto permanent closure and liquidation of the fur industry," said its chairman, Tage Pedersen, who predicted 6,000 jobs could be affected. The industry had a reported turnover of almost $1bn (£750m) in 2018-19. Furs are sold to the garment industry but also used in some false eyelash products. China and Hong Kong in particular provide the biggest market. Coronavirus outbreaks have already spelled the end of the mink industry in the Netherlands. The UK and Austria banned fur production years ago, Germany has phased it out and Belgium, France and Norway plan to as well. Across Europe there are some 4,350 mink farms, with Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Greece also part of the sector. Industry group Fur Europe insists demand for natural fur is still strong. "The market has already reacted to next year's reduced supply with higher pelt prices," it told the BBC. But Danish animal rights groups believe it is time to follow the example of other European countries and phase out the trade completely. "It's highly unacceptable to treat animals the way that mink are treated in the industry," says Birgitte Iversen Damm of Animal Protection Denmark.

पिछले सप्ताह एक झटका लगा जब डेनमार्क ने कोरोनावायरस के प्रसार के कारण अपने सभी मिंक-1 करोड़ 70 लाख जानवरों तक-को मारने का फैसला किया। वह राष्ट्रीय हत्या एक राजनीतिक आक्रोश में बदल गई है, अब जब प्रधान मंत्री ने स्वीकार किया है कि योजना जल्दबाजी में की गई थी और इसका कोई कानूनी आधार नहीं था।


Horn honked at ambulance in Chesterfield for 30 minutes

Summary: An irate motorist spent about 30 minutes sounding his horn at an ambulance that was blocking his way while medics dealt with an emergency.

Paramedics were also "verbally abused" by the man in the altercation in Chesterfield on Tuesday, East Midlands Ambulance Service said. The service said its security team had begun an investigation and could pass information on to the police. EMAS tweeted treating a patient "will always come first". It added: "Sometimes we will need to block driveways or roads so that we can access a patient experiencing a medical emergency. "Please be patient with us, one day it could be you or your family member who needs our emergency help." The location of the incident has not been disclosed due to patient confidentiality, the ambulance service said.

एक क्रोधित मोटर चालक ने एक एम्बुलेंस पर अपना हॉर्न बजाते हुए लगभग 30 मिनट बिताए, जो उसका रास्ता रोक रही थी, जबकि चिकित्सक एक आपातकालीन स्थिति से निपट रहे थे।


Man charged with Leeds student Jagdip Randhawa murder

Summary: A 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 19-year-old student who was assaulted in Leeds city centre.

Jagdip Randhawa, a student at the University of Leeds from Hounslow in London, died in Leeds General Infirmary on 17 October. Mr Randhawa was injured in Albion Street, Leeds, on 12 October. Clifton Mitchell, from Derby, will appear before Leeds magistrates on Monday. He has also been charged with assault over the incident. Police said a 23-year-old man who was also arrested remains on police bail.

लीड्स शहर के केंद्र में एक 20 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर 19 वर्षीय छात्र की हत्या का आरोप लगाया गया है, जिस पर हमला किया गया था।


World iceberg capital turns frozen blocks to cold, hard cash

Summary: Twillingate is obsessed with icebergs. The eastern Canadian fishing town calls itself the iceberg capital of the world, and tourists flock to visit in the summer when the season for the frozen goliaths is booming.

By Brandy YanchykBBC News, Twillingate, Canada Many in the community off the north-eastern shore of Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province make their living from the icebergs. "We all love to see when the icebergs are here," says Capt Perry Young. The iceberg tourism works its way into "every aspect of business in Twillingate", from accommodation to restaurants to convenience stores, he says. And when the icebergs fail to drift into the region, which happened as recently as two years ago, it places a lot of pressure on the town. "It puts a strain on us financially because, I mean, it's pretty much 50% of our income," Mr Young says. "And when you lose 50% of your income it hurts," he adds. Peak iceberg season is May and June, though this year was a relatively good one, and the mammoth frozen blocks were still floating by as late as August. 'Iceberg alley' Twillingate's traditional saltbox houses, fishing boats and docks make it look like something from a postcard. About 2,500 people live in Twillingate but when an iceberg rolls in, those numbers rise dramatically. "We are actually right beneath the iceberg alley, which is the Labrador Current," says Kim Young, who operates tourist boat tours in the town. "So when the current comes out through the alley they bring them to us," Ms Young adds. Drawing in tourists is important business in Twillingate. Like many fishing villages in Newfoundland and Labrador, residents of Twillingate suffered when they lost their cod-fishing industry, which was shut down by the Canadian government in 2003 because of declining stock. The residents have had to find another way to make a living, and attracting tourists with icebergs was the answer. Tracking icebergs Now the local tourism board has launched a new pilot programme using GPS tracking devices that allow locals to track icebergs when they are spotted. There are also three different websites dedicated to showing where icebergs are in the area. A small group of local fishermen have also started harvesting iceberg water to make iceberg vodka, beer and wine for sale in the province. "The thing about Newfoundland is that we have to adapt and change with the times, and this is the reason we have been able to survive on this rock for 500 years," says local fisherman David Boyd, the owner of the Prime Berth store, which caters to tourists. "Human beings have the ability to basically destroy everything that they touch, and we have done that with the fishery, with technology and with very poor management," he adds. "So we have to adapt and now we are basically capitalising on something that at one time we didn't want to see," Mr Boyd says. For centuries icebergs were not a welcome sight for residents of Twillingate and local fishermen. Their attraction is a recent phenomenon. Invading giants "The icebergs were the scourge of the fishery," says Mr Boyd. "The fishermen hated to see the icebergs because the big bergs would come in on their nets and their cod traps." These "invading giants", as locals describe them, come with their own myths and are making their way into local folklore, art and writing. Visitors can hear stories of murder on an iceberg or the deaths of young local children who have played around them. "There are all sorts of stories around the province of narrow escapes from them because they are unpredictable," says Twillingate artist Gilbert Manuel. "Around here and everywhere in Newfoundland, we have a healthy respect for them. We don't go near them - unless you know what you're doing - because they can tip over or founder, break apart, without any warning." WW2 plane It isn't just the icebergs themselves that are full of mystery: sometimes it's the visitors that they bring along with them to shore. One time it was a polar bear, which is extremely rare for the area. The animal's body is now on display in the town's local museum. Sometimes the icebergs bring treasures from the past. An aircraft, embedded into an iceberg, also once came drifting into the region, Mr Manuel says. "Somebody researched it and this was a plane that had crashed I think years ago during the Second World War in Greenland," he says. This dependence on icebergs can become a burden when they don't drift in. "I've seen it, a lot of hurtful faces, and I try to explain to them basically, that we are an iceberg viewing area," says Cecil Stockley, a founder of the tourism industry, who is known locally as the Iceberg Man. The unpredictable nature of icebergs have added to their allure and have started debates in the town. Some residents believe climate change is the reason the cold goliaths aren't making it into the area as often. Others think that this is just part of a natural cycle. "I believe it is the El Nino effect of warmer water moving north, icebergs are meeting these waters more farther north and melting," says Mr Stockley. "Even on our best of years, it's hard to get a small percentage of icebergs down here. Even we might get a couple hundred, probably, there is 2,000 in Greenland," adds Mr Stockley. But Mr Manuel disagrees: "There's fewer of them right now, but it was always like that. You had years when there were icebergs everywhere. Then for whatever reason you have years when there are no icebergs." The residents of Twillingate will no doubt adapt no matter what happens.

ट्विलिंगेट हिमखंडों के प्रति जुनूनी है। पूर्वी कनाडाई मछली पकड़ने वाला शहर खुद को दुनिया की हिमखंड राजधानी कहता है, और गर्मियों में जब जमे हुए गोलियाथ का मौसम फल-फूल रहा होता है तो पर्यटक यहाँ आने के लिए आते हैं।