Gay Ugandan asylum seekers 'in danger if sent home'

Summary: Same-sex liaisons are illegal in Uganda. People convicted of homosexual acts can be sent to jail for the rest of their lives. Some gay Ugandans survive by staying under the radar and live a shadowy half-life, presenting a straight face to the world. Others manage to leave their homeland, seeking asylum where they won't be persecuted for being who they are.

By Thomas Magill & Bethan BellReporter, BBC London Because Godfrey is both gay and Ugandan, he says he was expelled from school, rejected by his family and sacked from his job. Because Yudaya is both gay and Ugandan, she says she cannot contact her family and is being sought by police. Because Rodney is both gay and Ugandan, he says he was forced to live on the streets and used to carry poison in his pocket in case he needed to kill himself before getting arrested again. Rodney, Godfrey and Yudaya are now in the UK and have applied for asylum. None has succeeded. These are their stories. Rodney, who is now 23, was reported to his school because he was seen cuddling a boy. When he got home, his family beat him up. About two weeks later, under cover of darkness, he says he was woken by bright lights and taken away by six men who hit him and crushed his throat with a crowbar. The men, one of whom was a community leader, slapped him and interrogated him. They rubbed something on his lips, something that burned and hurt and caused a scar he still bears. He was 15. He was kept in a house for two weeks with other boys - some he recognised from his neighbourhood or football team - who were in the same kind of trouble. Some of them had been tortured, Rodney believes. "Some of the boys there, they had no fingernails. They had been pulled off. [Their captors] would call us one by one. Most of the time the person called would not come back. One time my friend Ruby was called. They brought him back dead." After various misadventures, Rodney managed to get away and lived on the streets of Kampala. Eventually a woman took him in. Rodney says he was expected to cook and clean and shop for the woman in her one-room rental home. He hated himself, he says. He bought himself some poison and kept it in his pocket, doing his best depending on how he was feeling, to either ignore or obey his internal voice telling him to drink it. Eventually he went back to his family, who had believed he was dead. His father told him to leave or he'd kill him, but an aunt pointed out that Rodney was clever and had done well at school. She also said she could "cure" him, could "turn him back". Rodney did well enough in exams to get into a British university. Arriving in Portsmouth, the 18-year-old couldn't believe his eyes. "It was a different world. Life was different, it was good. You could go to a club and all the gay people would be there. I met another Ugandan man and he took me to Pride in 2017. "I was like, 'oh my God'. I took so many pictures. But I put them on Facebook and my cousin saw them. "Then I was called into college and was told my tuition fees had not been paid. I tried to call my father and my phone had been cut off. I checked my email and I had a message from him. It said that from now on I am dead to them. That was in 2017 and it was the last time I heard from them." Africa and homosexuality laws Laws outlawing same-sex relations exist in 31 out of 54 African countries, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). Gay sex can be punishable by death in northern Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia and Mauritania. Same-sex liaisons are illegal in Uganda. People convicted of homosexuality can be sent to jail for the rest of their lives. However, Angola, Mozambique and the Seychelles have all scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years. The chaplain at Rodney's college put him in touch with the Citizen's Advice Bureau, which told him about the asylum process. Rodney was interviewed and asked about his relationships. He told them that he had never been in a serious one. His application for asylum was turned down. He says he was told it was because he was not in a same-sex relationship, and his nature was quiet rather than flamboyant. "Basically they were saying I was not outgoing or camp enough. That I could go back and behave in a discreet manner. "I had been hiding for a lifetime, I came to a country where I can go out and be myself. Now I'm just waiting to see if I really have to go back and hide again." In 2002, after being discovered in a same-sex act, 18-year-old Godfrey went on the run with a friend. Armed men found them and attacked them. Godfrey hid in the latrine, and stayed there as he saw his companion tortured and murdered. "They came with guns and surrounded the house. They grabbed the shotgun and shot him in the side of the head when he was kneeling down. I thought they were coming to the latrine to take me. "What is next for me? I am so scared, the police are looking for me and I've already committed the gay sex," he said. Godfrey and his friend had already fled the capital, Kampala, and were in the rebel-held territories of northern Uganda. He was unpopular with the authorities, he says, not just because he was gay, but because he'd spoken out against the president, Yoweri Museveni. "I was dismissed from school. When I was dismissed from school I was rejected by my family. My father said 'there is no way I can keep you here, because already the school has informed the police'". After his friend was murdered, Godfrey managed to get to Kenya and from there he was smuggled to England. Nine years later he applied for political asylum. He was refused. He then applied on the grounds of his sexual orientation. Again, he was refused. He has appealed and is waiting for the Home Office's decision. Godfrey said the screening and interviews involved in the process made him anxious because he felt his questioners did not believe he was gay. "There's no way I can prove it," he said. "I mean, do you want me to find a man and kiss him? Would that do it?" Yudaya has been studying in the UK since 2018. She was not openly gay back home but she did have a girlfriend, who is still in Uganda. Her family recently found out she is a lesbian. "My big sister called me. She said the police came, and to please not contact my family again. "She said: 'We asked why the police were looking for you and they explained you are a lesbian. You are with people spreading homosexuality around.'" Yudaya said the Home Office, although it accepted she was gay, was not convinced she would be in danger if she had to go back to Uganda. "To them, if I lived my life quietly, if I concealed my sexuality before, then it's possible i can go back and live in another area [of the country] and conceal my sexuality again, but I don't think that's the case any more". The Home Office said: "The UK has a proud record of providing protection for asylum seekers, and the Home Office recognises that discussing persecution may often be distressing, which is why our caseworkers receive extensive training, and also work closely with a range of organisations specialising in asylum and human rights protection which can provide support for LGBT+ asylum seekers during the asylum process. "However, the Home Office rightly expect individuals to be able to satisfy us that they are at a genuine risk of persecution in order to be granted asylum, which has to be obtained through oral testimony at interview." Leila Zadeh, executive director of the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, said that refugees were often disbelieved by officials who then asked inappropriate and demeaning questions. "The interview is particularly hard, because they have to try to prove something which is virtually impossible to prove, which is your sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics. "We are working with people who've been through a really traumatic past, very often fleeing persecution or fear of harm by members of their own family. "When they get to the UK and they enter the asylum system it's quite sad if they don't feel supported, but rather they feel like they're going through even more trauma and even more stress, which is the last thing that people who need our care and protection should have to experience." If Godfrey, Yudaya or Rodney are forced to return to Uganda, they face deeply entrenched and violent prejudice like that of the country's minister of state for ethics and integrity, Simon Lokodo. A former Catholic minister who believes the current penal law is "limited" and wants same-sex acts to be punishable by death, he has described [heterosexual] child rape as "preferable to homosexuality". He claims "homosexuality is not natural to Ugandans" and a "massive recruitment by gay people" took place in schools, promoting a "falsehood that people are born like that". "The current law only criminalises the act. We want it made clear that anyone who is even involved in promotion and recruitment has to be criminalised. Those that do grave acts will be given the death sentence," the politician said. Godfrey, who 19 years ago says he watched his friend being shot through the head, is terrified of having to go back to Uganda. The UK, he says, is his "safe haven". Yudaya's family can offer no support or protection. If she returns she will be alone and forced to live a lie. And Rodney might finally be driven to use that poison he kept in his pocket. Related Internet Links Amnesty: Anti-homosexuality bill becomes law LGBT+ History Month

युगांडा में समलैंगिक संबंध अवैध हैं। समलैंगिक कृत्यों के लिए दोषी ठहराए गए लोगों को उनके शेष जीवन के लिए जेल भेजा जा सकता है। कुछ समलैंगिक युगांडा के लोग रडार के नीचे रहकर जीवित रहते हैं और दुनिया के सामने एक सीधा चेहरा पेश करते हुए एक छायादार आधा जीवन जीते हैं। अन्य लोग शरण मांगते हुए अपनी मातृभूमि छोड़ने का प्रबंधन करते हैं, जहां उन्हें वे होने के लिए प्रताड़ित नहीं किया जाएगा जो वे हैं।


NI house prices drop for first time in three years

Summary: Official government figures show Northern Ireland property prices have fallen by 1% - the first dip in three years.

By Julian O'NeillBBC News NI Business Correspondent According to the Department of Finance, the standard property price in Northern Ireland now stands at £117,500. The last time prices fell was in 2013, but prices are still 6% up on this time last year. The lowest prices remain in Derry and Strabane (£100,000), with the highest in Lisburn and Castleragh (£140,700). As recently as February, the department was reporting a steady recovery in the market.

आधिकारिक सरकारी आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि उत्तरी आयरलैंड की संपत्ति की कीमतों में 1 प्रतिशत की गिरावट आई है-तीन वर्षों में पहली गिरावट।


Londonderry: Man rescued from flat fire

Summary: A man has been rescued from a fire at a flat in Londonderry.

The fire and rescue service were called to the blaze at a fourth floor flat in Crawford Square just after 14:00 GMT on Sunday. An investigation has started into the cause of the fire, which caused thick smoke to engulf the flat. Emergency services remain at the scene.

लंदनडेरी में एक फ्लैट में लगी आग से एक व्यक्ति को बचाया गया है।


Prince Philip: How Norfolk became home for the Duke of Edinburgh

Summary: For decades, the Duke of Edinburgh has joined the rest of the Royal Family in spending Christmas at Sandringham. But that was not his only connection with Norfolk and the East of England. As tributes are paid to the duke following his death aged 99 , the BBC looks back on his links with the area.

Walking down the path to St Mary Magdalene Church, the sight of Prince Philip waving, pointing and sometimes joking with well-wishers has been a familiar one. Along with the rest of the Royal Family, the short walk to the Christmas Day service gave the duke the chance to greet the crowds lined up on the Queen's Sandringham estate. It became an annual tradition that stretched back over decades. But her late husband's affiliation with Norfolk did not just centre around the festive season. Prince Philip would end up staying a few months throughout each year on the estate - both at the main house and the secluded Wood Farm in Wolferton. The 20,000-acre (8,000-ha) estate encompasses arable, livestock and fruit farms, as well as a country park. It enabled him to indulge his passions for country pursuits, such as shooting and carriage-driving. When he retired from public life in 2017, Prince Philip chose Wood Farm as his permanent home. The Royal couple already stayed there in preference to opening up Sandringham House when it was just the two of them. The duke retired from royal duties in May 2017 - a month before turning 96 - but had already stood down in 2011 as Cambridge University chancellor after a 35-year tenure. In 1987, his sense of fun was caught on TV cameras at the university when the fully-robed duke put himself at pains to point out a spectator's lens cap was still on their camera. At the time of his retirement, he was a patron, president or member of 780 organisations - and in East Anglia had links to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), Norfolk Nelson Museum, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, Harwich Yacht Club and Grafham Water Sailing Trust among many others. In the 1976 annual report for NWT, the duke's wry sense of humour was noted when meeting the Otter Trust's co-founder - who had a bandaged hand. "An otter, I presume," the duke quipped, when inquiring about how the injury had been inflicted. He also competed in carriage driving at the Royal Norfolk Show and was patron of the Wherry Trust, which owns of the last of the traditional Norfolk Broads boats. In 1991, the duke gave an interview on farming to BBC Look East from the Sandringham estate - on the eve of Peterborough's former East of England agricultural show, of which he was president. In typical style, he said: "I get depressed by... this intensive breeding... some of the breeds have become grotesque." His loyalty to the show and dogged sense of duty were also illustrated when he kept his long-standing engagement in 1999, despite it being on the same day as Prince Edward's wedding to the Countess of Wessex in Windsor. In recent years, the duke's health declined and he has been treated in hospital for abdominal surgery, bladder infections and a blocked coronary artery - the latter of which caused him to miss the Christmas Day service at the estate's church in 2011. But he even managed to put in an appearance at the church after suffering a heavy cold, which kept the Queen away, in 2016. In January 2019, he gave up driving after being involved in a car crash near Sandringham, which left a passenger in another car with a broken wrist. Then in the December of that year, the duke spent four nights in hospital as a "precautionary measure", but was discharged on Christmas Eve, in time to be driven to Sandringham and spend Christmas with the Queen. But the coronavirus pandemic caused the Royal couple, who were vaccinated against the illness weeks later, to forgo the traditional Sandringham gathering, having spent the lockdown at Windsor Castle. It was thought to be the first time the couple had not spent Christmas at their Sandringham home since the mid-1980s. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk Around the BBC First Empire Address by King George V - History of the BBC Related Internet Links Sandringham Royal Residences

दशकों से, एडिनबर्ग के ड्यूक सैंड्रिंघम में क्रिसमस बिताने में शाही परिवार के बाकी सदस्यों के साथ शामिल हुए हैं। लेकिन नॉरफ़ॉक और ईस्ट ऑफ़ इंग्लैंड के साथ उनका एकमात्र संबंध यह नहीं था। क्योंकि 99 वर्ष की आयु में उनकी मृत्यु के बाद ड्यूक को श्रद्धांजलि दी जाती है, बीबीसी इस क्षेत्र के साथ उनके संबंधों पर नज़र डालता है।


India rape: A victim's two-year wait for justice

Summary: A woman is raped in India every 13 minutes, according to the country's crime statistics but convictions are few and far between. Here is how an investigation by BBC Hindi's Sarvapriya Sangwan led to the first arrest in a two-year-old rape case.

Lalitha (name changed on request) is 16 years old but her life is unlike that of most girls her age. She has a one-and-half-year-old son. She became pregnant in 2016 after she was allegedly raped by a friend of her family. Born in a poor Dalit (formerly untouchable) family in a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, she is the second of two daughters. Her father, an illiterate daily wage labourer, is a widower. The accused, a 55-year-old friend of her father, allegedly offered to take her to state capital Lucknow in early 2016 to apply for a government scheme that would help pay for her wedding. But he allegedly raped her at knife point during the trip. She did not say anything to her father when she returned home. It was only months later, when her pregnancy became visible and women in the neighbourhood questioned her, that she told them what she says happened. "I want him to be behind bars, that's all I want," Lalitha said. Her father lodged a police complaint on 24 June 2016, about six months after the alleged rape. But the accused was only arrested two years later - on 20 June 2018 - a day after BBC Hindi published its investigation into the delays in the case. Until the arrest, BBC Hindi found, no charges had been filed against the accused. The police said they had been awaiting the results of a DNA report. A police officer told me that 5,500 cases were pending in Lucknow alone because of delayed DNA reports. 'Painfully indifferent' Rape still carries a huge stigma in India - many women still do not report it and those who do spend weeks, if not years, fighting their case. They say the police, the courts and the system as a whole are often painfully slow and indifferent. Analysts said this is partly because the police force is overworked and underpaid, and the courts are stretched thin with a lengthy backlog of cases. Victims like Lalitha, who are poor and illiterate, are worse off. Dalits are among the country's most downtrodden citizens because of an unforgiving Hindu caste hierarchy that condemns them to the bottom of the heap. A recent Supreme Court ruling sought to weaken a law - the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act - designed to protect them. The court said the law had been "misused" in the past but critics said such stringent laws were required because discrimination against the community was entrenched in the system. The law, for instance, mandates that Dalit victims of rape must receive financial compensation - a sum of 500,000 rupees ($7,340; £5,535) - immediately. Victims of gang rape are entitled to 800,000 rupees. The victims receive the money from the state government after police have registered a case. This happens prior to the conviction of the accused. But Lalitha and her father said they had not received any compensation and they did not know that they were entitled to it - they said no-one had informed them about it either. It also emerged that Lalitha had not recorded a statement before a magistrate until 19 July, some 25 days after the police complaint was lodged. But, according to a Supreme Court order, the victim's statement should be recorded within 24 hours and the police must explain in writing to the magistrate the reasons for any delay. 'Money power' I spoke to or met several government officials - from the local police to the district magistrate to the state head of the Dalit welfare commission - to find out why Lalitha's case had not progressed, why her statement had been recorded so late and why she had not been paid compensation. I was sent from one office to another and while they all acknowledged the problem, no-one was able to give me a clear answer. A police officer eventually told me, "We should have paid the compensation two years ago, but it doesn't matter, we'll send it tomorrow." If Lalitha had received the money earlier, it could have helped pay for her delivery, the child's care or legal help. There also appeared to be discrepancies in the police complaint regarding Lalitha's age. According to her father, she was 14 years old when she was allegedly raped. Her statement to the magistrate too mentioned her age as 14. But the police complaint said she had been 20 years old. The police told me that a medical examination at the time had concluded she was 20. What about her father's claim that she was only 14? The medical report cannot lie, a police officer told me. But documents examined by BBC Hindi suggested someone had tampered with the report - a charge the police denied. If the victim is younger than 18, the accused would be charged under an additional law. Lalitha's father said he had no faith in the police investigation. He alleged that the accused had influenced the investigation with "money and power at every step". With help from the head of the village council, he said he had also asked several government institutions for help but no-one had reached out to him in the past two years. Lalitha has since been married off to a relative who paid for her delivery and other medical expenses. Her son is cared for by her father. A day after the story was published by BBC Hindi, the accused was arrested and the investigation has now been reopened. The head of the village council told me that the magistrate had recorded a new statement and arranged for the compensation to be paid to Lalitha. The accused is now awaiting trial. Read the story on BBC Hindi

देश के अपराध आंकड़ों के अनुसार, भारत में हर 13 मिनट में एक महिला के साथ बलात्कार होता है, लेकिन दोषसिद्धि बहुत कम है। यहाँ बताया गया है कि कैसे बीबीसी हिंदी की सर्वप्रिय सांगवान द्वारा की गई जांच में दो साल पुराने बलात्कार मामले में पहली गिरफ्तारी हुई।


The secret of Daniel Day-Lewis' success

Summary: Daniel Day-Lewis has announced he is to retire from acting. It's a surprise - and yet not all that surprising - for an actor who made history as the first man to win three best actor Oscars, but who is also famous for leaving years between roles.

By Genevieve HassanBBC News entertainment reporter The acclaimed actor won his first Academy Award in 1990 for My Left Foot, his second in 2008 for There Will Be Blood and third for Lincoln in 2013. That tally is bettered only by the inimitable Katharine Hepburn, who secured four best actress Oscars. Having starred in just five films over the past 20 years, Day-Lewis is famous for being choosy with his roles and for the huge amount of preparation he puts into his characters, both on screen and off. He notably confined himself to a wheelchair for his role in My Left Foot and became an apprentice butcher for his part in Gangs of New York. He also made cast and crew refer to him as Mr Lincoln while filming the movie about the US president, and he refused to step out of the role off-set. The actor told the BBC just before his third Oscar win that his immersive acting method made "complete sense" to him. "All you're trying to do is lay the groundwork, which might allow the imagination to free itself," he said. "When the imagination frees itself, you have no goddamn idea what's going to happen. So it's not a constrictive or restrictive way of working - quite the opposite." He added that he found it far easier to stay in character during the filming process, saying: "What would drain me much more, in my case, is jumping in and out of that world that we've gone to such an inordinate length to create for ourselves." But this also isn't the first time Day-Lewis has stepped out of the limelight, usually leaving long stretches of years between roles. He appeared to quit the business at the end of the 1990s and reportedly worked as a cobbler until Martin Scorsese convinced him to return to acting in Gangs of New York - so he may still be tempted back in the future. So what was the secret of his success? A selection of film experts give their opinion: Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph "His unique selling point, as far as the hype around his films is concerned, is the enormous amount of preparation he puts into every role and his commitment to staying in that role when filming begins. "There's a mystique around his craftsmanship - there are anecdotes of him being addressed as Mr President on the set of Lincoln, and he got an apprenticeship in butchery after he was cast as a butcher in Gangs of New York. "But what matters is how that intensity and preparation translates onto the big screen. He is a presence that's totally cinematic and the sheer size of his character is impressive. When you think of There Will Be Blood, there was an enormous, empty landscape, but he filled it with his personality. "He did something similar with Lincoln - in preparing and inhabiting it, he's not just giving a performance as president, he embodies Lincoln and pushes through the iconic quality of the role." "The seriousness in which he takes his profession is beyond imagining - we know how dedicated he is. He's the perfect mix of English classical acting and American method acting, he merges the two perfectly. "His dilemma is - how do you become somebody who observes nature when you're as famous as he is? He's notorious for finding reasons not to do films and combs every project for reasons not to do it. "He has an extraordinary ability to mimic people and his chameleon ability is staggering. There's an extreme contrast between his role in There Will Be Blood and the role in Lincoln - you couldn't get two more different characters. "There are lengthy gaps in between his films, so when you see him, you're not bored because you've not seen him for a while. "He's got a perfect 'mid-Atlanticness', which makes it easy for him to be trans-Atlantic than someone like Hugh Grant, who's very much English." "The choice of who he works with is clearly a significant factor when it comes to recognition that those roles get. "He's very discerning - for Lincoln, it was Steven Spielberg trying to convince him as he had turned it down. So just because Spielberg comes knocking, it doesn't mean he'll take the role. It has to be pretty special. "As a result, after six months of research and method work, he delivers the goods. A role like Lincoln is the kind Oscar voters respond to because they're a bit older and this kind of prestige project is something that speaks to them. "He takes it to a level that others aren't prepared to do, where it's a much larger-than-life performance that would be corny if done by lesser actors. But he brings a truth to these roles through that method and that makes them convincing and worthy of awards. "In terms of other roles, [2009 film] Nine was a rare misfire. I think that's a case of him pushing himself in a different direction to bring a certain prestige to a musical role that hadn't been attempted before and it's association with a great film-maker like Fellini. But he's got a pretty strong hit rate." "He can play heroic characters. Even when he was starring in My Beautiful Laundrette, he turned it into a heroic character and that's not a very English quality. "Dan was always known as being top of the 'crumpet list' - he was very good looking and very sexy. He was also a good actor, but he was a dazzling fellow. "If you ask me to analyse what it is about him, about his character, I have no idea. We didn't think 'this bloke is about to become a huge star', just as we didn't think this film was going to be successful and change our lives. He was just Dan." A version of this story was first published on 25 February 2013. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

डेनियल डे-लुईस ने घोषणा की है कि वह अभिनय से संन्यास ले रहे हैं। यह एक ऐसे अभिनेता के लिए आश्चर्य की बात है, जिसने तीन सर्वश्रेष्ठ अभिनेता ऑस्कर जीतने वाले पहले व्यक्ति के रूप में इतिहास रचा, लेकिन जो भूमिकाओं के बीच वर्षों को छोड़ने के लिए भी प्रसिद्ध हैं।


'Always on guard' - one student's story of having sex for money

Summary: The first time "Jenny" was paid for sex, she was 18.

By Steffan PowellNewsbeat reporter It was in a stranger's car, in a lay-by. Around a year later, as a university student, she decided to "take it seriously" and signed up for an escort website. Now 22 years old, Jenny still chooses to earn a living by having sex with strangers, but she says she is "always on her guard" whenever she is with a client. Jenny agreed to tell her story of life as a student sex worker if we didn't use her real name. The biggest ever study looking into the issue has been published. One in 20 students who took part said they had worked in the sex industry. That includes things like glamour modelling and web-cam modelling, stripping and prostitution. "I don't think I had any positive influences that drove me to do it," Jenny told us. "I just thought, I've got nothing to lose. If I find it degrading I won't do it, but I didn't and yeah I got a taste of the good life. "My rent was so expensive and I didn't want to ask my parents for money." The student escort Sex to pay the rent 1 in 4 Students working in the sex industry don't feel safe 54% Of student sex workers say they do it to pay basic living costs 22% Of students have considered sex work, according to the research Although Jenny calls it the "good life", she said she was aware of the risks of having sex with strangers. "I'm not scared of men [but] I don't trust them. I'm always on guard." Jenny admits to being "terrified" that first time, and feeling "unsafe" at times since then, but she adds "I've never feared for my life." "They've (clients) got feedback on the site I use from other escorts. Some of them don't and in that case I will not see them. "Sometimes they just feel a bit dodgy and I'll keep my bag close to me and get out as soon as I can. "The majority of the time it's completely safe, it's fine." she says. "A lot of men are physically bigger and stronger than me. I'm not going to assume they're going to hold me down and force me to do things I don't want. "I never feel like they're going to rape me or anything." Prostitution laws in the UK are complicated. It is legal for two adults to agree to swap money for sex, but things like running a brothel, advertising sex services or encouraging another person to sell sex are illegal. Jenny says she has lost count of the number of men she's slept with. It could be anywhere "between 300 and 1,000". She says she knows of the health risks that come with sleeping with so many people. "I get tested every three months, I never have unprotected sex with them [the clients], I get offers but it's not worth it." Listen to Jenny's story on SoundCloud Jenny thinks that, like it was for her, money is the motivating factor for most students who work in the sex industry. "Sex is becoming more accepted by society. "You can earn big amount of money quick. I think some girls just see it as an easy option." Help on sexual health and relationships is available at on at BBC Advice Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

पहली बार "जेनी" को सेक्स के लिए भुगतान किया गया था, वह 18 साल की थी।


Solihull shooting: Woman seriously injured at house

Summary: A woman has been shot in the shoulder in her Solihull home.

The victim is in a "serious condition" following the incident on Dovehouse Lane, Olton, near the Jaguar Land Rover factory, at about 08:50 GMT. West Midlands Police said they are treating the attack as an "isolated incident". Officers said no arrests have been made and are appealing for information. Forensic teams are carrying out investigations. The BBC understands there was one gunman involved who is not connected to the family. The victim was shot twice in the shoulder after the gunman forced his way into the semi-detached property. Neighbour Nick Boneham said the woman was "covered in blood" when she knocked on his door shouting for help. He told the BBC: "She was bleeding. I took her into the lounge. She (said) 'help me, help me, help me.' "I was caught out a little bit. I'm not use to this sort of thing." Mr Boneham said he compressed the wound as he tried to find out what had happened. Armed police flooded the scene following reports of the shooting. Officers said their "main priority is the safety and security of the public." "Specialist officers are in the area and local schools have been advised accordingly," a spokesman said. A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We sent two ambulances and a paramedic officer. One patient, a woman, was treated and conveyed to hospital." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. Related Internet Links Home - West Midlands Police

सोलिहुल स्थित घर में एक महिला के कंधे में गोली लगी है।


Antoin Akpom murder: Stabbing victim 'left a legacy'

Summary: Football coach Antoin Akpom had been held up as a role model in his community. But in September last year, the 20-year-old father was killed by a single stab wound in his back during a confrontation in Leicester.

During a trial at Stafford Crown Court it was alleged Mr Akpom had been stabbed over a "bad feeling" that had arisen a year earlier when he stepped in to help someone who was being bullied. At the end of a trial, the judge said he was satisfied it was gang-related but Mr Akpom's family deny he ever had any involvement in gangs. Hussain Hussain, 19, was found guilty of murder and jailed for life. The judge said he must serve a minimum of 15 years. But the jury was discharged after it failed to reach a decision on his co-accused Abdul Hakim, 19 of Wood Hill, Leicester - he may face a retrial. Leicester very soon became a city in mourning - a memorial concert raised money for Mr Akpom's funeral, which was attended by 1,000 people. The school where he taught has also set up a sporting excellence award in his memory. Mr Akpom's mother, Cheryl Armatrading, said she wanted her son to be remembered for the impact he had on people. "He said he had a calling to do and he fulfilled that because he changed other people's lives and that's what he was all about," she said. "I just want to remember the impact that he had on his community. How he put himself out to help others to enhance, develop and grow, and live amongst each other. "The devastation that this one stabbing has caused is so great. It has 'turmoiled' the whole city from that one action. "It's not right that innocent people should be killed in this way, it's not right. "But the community really pulled together. People wanted to stand up against the violence and I was really grateful for all the support we received." 'Memory lives on' Mr Akpom, who taught sports at Whitehall Primary School, was engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Amber, the mother of his one-year-old son Aquil. He also volunteered as a youth team coach for Leicester Nirvana FC and had set up a sports coaching business with his best friend Joe French, with the motto "changing children's lives through sport". Mr French, who was with Mr Akpom on the night he died, said his friend had an "overwhelming presence" over people. "He had done more in his life than I'm sure a lot of grown men had done in their 50s," he added. "He brought life to everyone around him and made such an impact on people's hearts. Not many people can do that but Antoin for sure did. "His memory will always live on and I hope people will recognise Antoin for the good he did. "A light has been taken out of our life." Ms Armatrading said her family had been "destroyed" by her youngest child's death. She has built a shrine in her house where she lights candles each day and talks to her son. "What has happened was a devastating crime and a good person was taken away from us," she said. "I miss his voice, his laugh, his smile. He was just an amazing person. "I'm sad, but also happy that he left a legacy behind. He had a life that others would want to follow and I'm really proud of him."

फुटबॉल कोच एंटोइन अकपोम को उनके समुदाय में एक आदर्श के रूप में रखा गया था। लेकिन पिछले साल सितंबर में, लीसेस्टर में एक टकराव के दौरान 20 वर्षीय पिता की पीठ में एक चाकू के घाव से मौत हो गई थी।


Privacy Notice for quizzes

Summary: We want to let you know that your information is safe with us. This privacy notice tells you what personal information we collect about you, what we do with it, how long we use it for and who we share it with when you play an interactive quiz.

What will we collect and how we use it? We don't ask you to tell us any personal information when you play one of our interactive quizzes. Some quizzes may have text boxes for you to enter your answers - please don't accidentally tell us your personal information or any private information when you fill in the text boxes. We collect some information automatically when you use our digital services. When you play an interactive quiz, we use cookies to collect information about some of the things users do, like which button you pressed. We use a session cookie to show you your right/wrong answers through the quiz and to give you a score at the end. We store the information collected through the session cookie as pseudonymous information - we'd be able to see that someone has played a quiz and their progress but we choose to not link it to anything to identify you and we don't know the responses you gave. Once you have finished playing a quiz and closed your browser, the session cookie will be cleared. We also process your IP address in order to deliver the quiz to your web browser. We need to have a good reason to use your personal information. It's called the 'lawful basis for processing'. For interactive quizzes, the lawful basis is legitimate interest. We have a legitimate interest in making our quizzes work well for our users. Why do you use this information? We use the information that's collected from you for the purpose of letting you know your progress when you take a quiz and your quiz results. We use aggregated user responses and activity information to measure performance of our quizzes and to help us understand how people are using our services so we can make them better. Who do you share information about me with? Some of our interactive quizzes use technology made by a company called Riddle. You can identify these by the blue button at the start of the quiz. When you play one of these quizzes, Riddle will process your IP address to deliver the quiz to your web browser. AT Internet, processes analytics data (such as your IP address) for the BBC to help us understand how people use our digital services, including quizzes, so we can make them better. We won't share information about you with anyone else, except in special cases, like when it will help keep you safe. Find out more On our privacy pages you'll find the BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy and lots more on how we handle information about you, what rights you have, and what to do if you have a question or complaint.

हम आपको बताना चाहते हैं कि आपकी जानकारी हमारे साथ सुरक्षित है। यह गोपनीयता सूचना आपको बताती है कि हम आपके बारे में कौन सी व्यक्तिगत जानकारी एकत्र करते हैं, हम इसके साथ क्या करते हैं, हम इसे कितने समय तक उपयोग करते हैं और जब आप एक संवादात्मक प्रश्नोत्तरी खेलते हैं तो हम इसे किसके साथ साझा करते हैं।


Thames cable car stopped for 20 minutes due to storm

Summary: Services on a cable car spanning the River Thames in east London were stopped due to bad weather conditions.

Transport for London (TfL) said it had to halt services on the Emirates Air Line at 15:40 BST for 20 minutes. A spokeswoman said following a storm warning all passengers were asked to wait until the weather improved. The cable car, which can carry up to 2,500 people an hour, links two Olympic venues - the O2 Arena in Greenwich and the ExCel exhibition centre.

पूर्वी लंदन में टेम्स नदी में फैली एक केबल कार पर सेवाओं को खराब मौसम की स्थिति के कारण रोक दिया गया था।


Why people keep quiet about their battle with cancer

Summary: Close friends and family of Victoria Wood have spoken of their shock at finding out the comedian was suffering from cancer. Her brother said when it came to her final illness she was "determined" not to let the news leak out - even to relatives and loved ones. So why do some people choose to keep quiet about their battle?

By Emma AtkinsonBBC News With more than 960 cases diagnosed in the UK every day, cancer has become a word that's hard to avoid. Fun runs, bake sales and bucket lists are dedicated to publicly fighting the disease, sending the message that you don't have to suffer alone. But for each person given the news, the emotional impact can be very hard to deal with and many decide it's not something they want to share. Helen Midgley, who was 37 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2008, recalls: "As soon as the doctor told me, my instinct to look after everybody else took over," she said. "My husband was sat next to me tearing up and I just started to rub his hand to console him, even though it was me getting the diagnosis." Helen says she decided not to tell her parents or her 13-year-old twins because she did not want to burden or upset them with the news. "My mum was awaiting surgery herself and I just wanted to carry on as normal for her sake. It was the same with my children. I didn't want to worry them. "There was also this feeling that if people knew they would be just walking around on eggshells, not knowing how to talk to me like normal and the cancer just taking over everything. Whether you tell people or not is the only control you have and you just want to claim some of that back." Helen's story is not unusual. According to research from Macmillan Cancer Support almost half of people with cancer (46%) did not tell their close friends when they found out they had cancer and one in 10 (11%) people who finished treatment more than 10 years ago still have not told their wider circle of friends. John Newlands, a cancer information nurse specialist at the charity, says the sense of control is one of the main reasons people keep their diagnosis to themselves. "People are still processing the information. They don't want to lose emotional control in front of family and friends as they worry what impact that will have on their position. This is typically more common in men trying to be the strong silent type but many [women] have the same reaction." He says other common concerns are the fear of losing a job, or maintaining contact with children from a former relationship. Those battling a long-term illness also often describe feeling tired of giving constant explanations and again the fear of being treated differently creeps in. 'Not my identity' Rajee Nedunchezhian, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, when she was 11. She is now 32 but is still not in remission and says: "Doctors often say I'm like a medical miracle. I've had years of different treatments and trial medications but finding a bone marrow donor has been extremely difficult. "But I don't talk about it much and take a long time before I tell anyone. Those who have known me a long time know about it, but I really don't want it to become a part of my identity. "People associate you with an illness and then think all of your actions are due to that illness. If you get angry or upset it's all because of the cancer when really it might be nothing to do with that." The Macmillan charity says they are not there to tell patients who they should and shouldn't inform about their illness but do highlight the drawbacks of not telling anyone. John says: "When you're in this situation you are often going to need some emotional and also practical support. It can be especially hard for partners who have been told not to tell anyone, as they've got no-one to share their feelings with." For Keith Cass talking to people about his cancer has been some of the best medicine - but not always to those closest to him. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago. "I felt ashamed at first," he said. "When I thought about telling my children I worried whether it was something I had done wrong. I was supposed to be the head of the house and someone they looked up to and suddenly I had to face something very difficult. "Still now 10 years on I worry about worrying them and don't tell them all the details of what is going on but I'm a big advocate of support groups which is why I became so involved with prostate cancer awareness and started the Red Sock Campaign to help others. "People come to us because it often helps to speak to someone who is outside their circle but knows what it's like. Having cancer is a rollercoaster and no-one should have to deal with it alone."

विक्टोरिया वुड के करीबी दोस्तों और परिवार ने यह जानकर अपने सदमे के बारे में बात की है कि कॉमेडियन कैंसर से पीड़ित था। उसके भाई ने कहा कि जब उसकी अंतिम बीमारी की बात आई तो वह इस खबर को लीक नहीं होने देने के लिए "दृढ़" थी-यहां तक कि रिश्तेदारों और प्रियजनों को भी। तो फिर कुछ लोग अपनी लड़ाई के बारे में चुप रहने का विकल्प क्यों चुनते हैं?


Mark Duggan inquest: Why killing was deemed lawful

Summary: The jury at the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan has concluded by a majority of eight to two that he was lawfully killed by police. The inquest raised important questions about the way the police carry out firearms operations on the streets of Britain.

By Matt ProdgerHome affairs correspondent, BBC News Mark Duggan may have been a gangster in possession of a gun, but that alone would not have made his killing by police lawful. The law and police guidelines say that an officer can only shoot someone if absolutely necessary, and they honestly believe that person was an imminent threat. Police witnesses say Mr Duggan was such a threat when they killed him. The officer who shot him, V53, and another officer, W70, standing alongside the first, said that when Mr Duggan got out of the cab he reached toward the waistband of his trousers and pulled out a gun. A third officer standing behind Mr Duggan said he shouted "he's reaching, he's reaching". After V53 fired a first time, he said he "reassessed", Mr Duggan still had the gun, and he shot him again. However, the inquest had other evidence to consider. The account above was given by police officers. The inquest heard from only one civilian witness to the shooting itself and he gave a very different account. "Witness B" said he was watching through the open window of a ninth floor flat on the other side of the road. He described what he saw as "an execution". Gun disappeared Mr Duggan was not holding a gun, he said, but a mobile phone. He said Mr Duggan tried at first to run away, but was "trapped", appeared "baffled" and was holding his arms up as if to surrender when he was shot by an officer within five to seven steps of him. But Witness B's evidence was not enough to convince the jury. The inquest was shown police briefings which said Mr Duggan was a senior member of a gang called Tottenham Man Dem, he had previously been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of guns, and on the day that he was shot he was being followed by police. They believed he had collected a gun from another man, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, and the inquest was told that the aim of the operation was to take that gun off the streets. As soon as Mr Duggan was shot by police the gun apparently disappeared. One officer at the scene said that even as he fell to the ground, and the officer grabbed his arms, the gun was nowhere to be seen. Nobody said they saw him throw it, either before or after. Officers said they later found the gun, wrapped in a black sock, some 20ft (6m) away on the other side of some railings. An independent pathologist said that because of Mr Duggan's injuries it was "very unlikely" - but not impossible - that he would have been able to throw the gun such a distance after he had been shot. During his summing up, the coroner told the jury the conviction of Hutchinson-Foster for supplying the gun was "not determinative" of Mr Duggan having a gun in the minicab, but it was "very strong evidence". Lawyers for the Duggan family suggested police had "planted" the gun on the grass after the shooting. That was vehemently denied by the police. In their findings, the inquest jury decided that the police were right to choose the location they used for the "hard stop" - and they decided by a majority of nine to one that Mark Duggan had thrown the gun way from his minicab before he faced police. They concluded by a majority of eight to two that Duggan was lawfully killed. Crime scene The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was also scrutinised during the inquest. Because of a lack of resources, the IPCC lead investigator - a former police officer of 30 years' experience - explained that the organisation was reliant on police officers to secure the crime scene. He admitted he had not known "for some days" that the gun was found 20ft from the shooting and had not been present when the police officers sat in a room together to compose their witness statements. In the hours that followed the shooting the IPCC was also responsible for making public the most incendiary claim of all - an entirely incorrect suggestion that Mr Duggan had himself fired at police officers. The IPCC has yet to publish its long-awaited report into the Duggan shooting, but has apologised to his family. By the time relatives and friends of Mr Duggan arrived to protest at Tottenham police station 48 hours after the shooting, they were angry and suspicious. They had not been properly notified of Mr Duggan's killing, and had heard conflicting accounts of what had happened. The riots began that night.

मार्क दुग्गन की मौत की जाँच में जूरी ने आठ से दो के बहुमत से निष्कर्ष निकाला है कि पुलिस ने उसकी कानूनी रूप से हत्या कर दी थी। जाँच ने ब्रिटेन की सड़कों पर पुलिस द्वारा आग्नेयास्त्रों के संचालन के तरीके के बारे में महत्वपूर्ण सवाल उठाए।


'Burka ban' - not parliament's finest hour

Summary: After a year in Australia, I've never actually seen anyone wearing a burka, the traditional Afghan outfit which covers a woman head to toe, with a small meshed window for the eyes to peer out of.

Jon DonnisonSydney correspondent So news earlier this month that parliament was introducing what the media branded a "burka ban" was something of a surprise. Three weeks ago amid a host of new legislation to tackle Islamic extremism, the Parliamentary Speaker Bronwyn Bishop announced new rules regarding "facial coverings". It came shortly after the biggest anti-terror raids in the country's history and amid mounting concerns about support for the group Islamic State (IS) within Australia. Under the new rules anyone entering parliament with their face covered would no longer be able to sit in the open public gallery. Instead they would be segregated and put in an "enclosed area". Although the wording of the rules meant that somebody dressed as Batman or Robin might find themselves in isolation, the restrictions were widely interpreted to be aimed at Muslim women. In fact, the rules were most likely to affect women who wear the niqab, a veil that covers the face with a slit for the eyes. But "burka ban" suited alliteration-loving headline writers. Some senators went further and said the government should ban the b-word (actually she meant niqab) altogether. Many Muslims complained they were being persecuted and that the government was whipping up anti Islamic sentiment. They warned of a backlash. There have been reports of Muslims being attacked in the street and of mosques being vandalised. One Egyptian friend of mine had his hand broken when he was assaulted in central Sydney by a man wielding a chair, saying he wanted to "kill all Muslims". Australia's Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson said that the "need for separate treatment in the Federal Parliament for people who wear face covering is completely unjustified and unnecessary". So on Monday, Bronwyn Bishop performed a swift U-turn, announcing the new rules would be scrapped. Instead anyone with their face covered will have to briefly lift the covering as they pass through security at parliament house, something which is standard practice at airports. Ms Bishop now says the new rules had been introduced because of security advice that Muslims were planning a protest within parliament. But she refused to go into details about where that security advice had come from. The protest never materialised. The policy reversal apparently came after Prime Minister Tony Abbott suggested "common sense should prevail". It appears Mr Abbott was never consulted about the new rules in the first place. The fact that everyone who enters Parliament House has to pass through a body scanner anyway might be one element of common sense he was referring to. Not to mention Mr Abbott has said he's never actually seen anyone trying to enter parliament wearing a niqab, let alone a burka. Without doubt it has not been the Australian parliament's finest hour. Parliamentary rules seem to have been made up without any real consultation. And in the absence of me actually seeing anyone wearing a burka in Australia, here is a wonderful gallery of photos from Fabian Muir - Blue Burka in a Sunburnt Country.

ऑस्ट्रेलिया में एक साल के बाद, मैंने वास्तव में कभी किसी को बुर्का पहने हुए नहीं देखा, पारंपरिक अफगान पोशाक जो एक महिला के सिर से पैर तक ढकती है, जिसमें आंखों के बाहर देखने के लिए एक छोटी जालीदार खिड़की होती है।


Moortown deaths: Investigation after women's bodies found

Summary: The deaths of two elderly women whose bodies were found at a property in Leeds are being treated as "unexplained", police have said.

The women, aged 78 and 81, were found inside the property, on Stonegate Road at Moortown, on 28 February. It followed a call from a neighbour to police raising concerns about the occupants of the address. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of their deaths, according to West Yorkshire Police. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here. Related Internet Links West Yorkshire Police

पुलिस ने कहा है कि दो बुजुर्ग महिलाओं की मौत, जिनके शव लीड्स में एक संपत्ति में पाए गए थे, को "अस्पष्ट" माना जा रहा है।


Relatives protest Colombo abductions

Summary: Hundreds of relatives of mostly Tamil civilians who have been abducted gathered in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, to demand the authorities investigate their disappearance.

The director of Dissapearance Committee told BBC Sandehaya that the Committee has received information of over fifty cases of disappearance in recent weeks. “The protesters urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to immediate attention to these abductions while security is tightened in Colombo,” KVJ Dayanan said. The government appointed a retired judge, Mahanama Thilakaratne, in September to investigate the abductions, but so far no report has been submitted. Last month, the Asian Human Rights Commission accused the government of abducting suspected rebels. The government has denied any involvement. The Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission said at least four hundred Tamil youths have gone missing from the northern Jaffna peninsula since December. The Tamil Tigers have also been accused of abducting civilians by human rights groups.

अधिकांश तमिल नागरिकों के सैकड़ों रिश्तेदार, जिनका अपहरण कर लिया गया है, श्रीलंका की राजधानी कोलंबो में एकत्र हुए और अधिकारियों से उनके लापता होने की जांच की मांग की।


Epsom Hospital acquisition plans halted

Summary: A proposed hospital merger in Surrey has been halted.

An NHS London board meeting agreed that the acquisition of Epsom Hospital by Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should be stopped. A statement said the project had received a high level of support but the parties involved had been unable to develop "a financially viable plan". Urgent discussions would now take place to determine whether a way forward could be found, it said. Epsom Hospital is currently part of Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, but the partnership is due to end on 1 April 2013. Ruth Carnall, chief executive of NHS London, said: "NHS London has agreed today with the recommendation from the Transaction Board that the plan to de-merge Epsom Hospital from St Helier and for Epsom Hospital to then join with Ashford and St Peter's should not proceed at this time. "I am disappointed that this decision has had to be taken and want to acknowledge the great effort that has been undertaken to get to this stage." Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, added that the decision to halt the transaction "is not based on the ability of our staff, nor the quality of the services we provide". "We have to protect the interests of our patients and believe that this is the right decision at this point." Andrew Liles, chief executive of Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We have put a lot of time and effort into developing these plans and are very disappointed that our collective hard work has not led to us being able to bring the three hospitals together to create a new foundation trust in Surrey." The Surrey Link patients' association said it was also dismayed the acquisition would not be going ahead, and that it was concerned about what it would mean for the future of services provided by Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust. "We will be working with Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, NHS Surrey and the Strategic Health Authority to ensure existing services remain," it said.

सरे में एक प्रस्तावित अस्पताल विलय को रोक दिया गया है।


Paige Doherty death: Murder accused back in court

Summary: A man charged with murdering Clydebank teenager Paige Doherty has made his second appearance in court.

John Leathem, 31, was fully committed for trial at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday. He made no plea or declaration and was returned to custody. Paige's body was found in a wooded area just off Great Western Road in Clydebank at lunchtime on 21 March. The teenager was last seen near a deli in the town before setting off for her part-time hairdressing job. Related Internet Links Scottish Courts

क्लाइडेबैंक किशोर पेज डोहर्टी की हत्या के आरोप में एक व्यक्ति अदालत में दूसरी बार पेश हुआ है।


Waitrose gets permission for Ipswich Corn Exchange shop

Summary: Supermarket Waitrose has been granted planning permission to build a store in Ipswich's Corn Exchange & Town Hall entertainment complex.

Labour-run Ipswich Borough Council, which owns the building, has approved the scheme despite opposition from some arts groups. The proposal originated under the previous Conservative and Liberal Democrat administration. Waitrose said the shop should be open by Christmas, creating up to 60 jobs. The council's planning committee voted unanimously in favour of the proposal to convert one corner of the building, which had previously been a bar and exhibition area. Waitrose has a separate plan to build a supermarket on the former Cranes industrial site in east Ipswich, but a planning application has yet to be submitted for that.

सुपरमार्केट वेटरोज को इप्सविच के कॉर्न एक्सचेंज एंड टाउन हॉल मनोरंजन परिसर में एक दुकान बनाने की योजना बनाने की अनुमति दी गई है।


Second murder arrest over Sheffield tram death

Summary: A second person has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of a man who was hit by a tram in Sheffield.

Martin Rigg, 37, was struck on 22 May near Convent Walk on West Street and died in hospital four days later. Police said a 24-year-old man was arrested on Friday. He has been released on bail. A 26-year-old man from the Shiregreen area of Sheffield was arrested on suspicion of murder last month. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

शेफ़ील्ड में ट्राम की चपेट में आने से एक व्यक्ति की मौत के मामले में हत्या के संदेह में दूसरे व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Imran Khan in 'new Pakistan' vote pitch

Summary: Leading opposition politician Imran Khan has promised to create a "new Pakistan" ahead of general elections this summer. What are the former cricketer's prospects - and who are the "electables" he hopes will help him?

By Secunder KermaniBBC News, Lahore What's Imran Khan promising? Mr Khan addressed a rally of tens of thousands of supporters in the eastern city of Lahore, where he launched his party's campaign. No date for the vote has been announced but it is expected to take place in July or August. Mr Khan told the crowd he would create a Pakistan where all citizens were held accountable irrespective of their backgrounds. He also said he wanted to improve access to education and healthcare, as well as promote tax collection and reduce corruption. What are his chances? His PTI party currently has 32 parliamentary seats, compared with the 186 of the ruling PML-N party. Recent opinion polls also suggest the PTI is less popular than the PML-N, although the margin has narrowed since the last election in 2013. "Opinion polls can be extremely misleading," Mr Khan told the BBC in an interview. How big an issue is corruption? Mr Khan has made fighting corruption his party's central pitch. "The way Pakistan is headed, the whole issue about corruption, the issue about governance... I believe that the election campaign will swing the big undecided vote towards the PTI," he told the BBC. The former prime minister and head of the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif, is currently on trial in an anti-corruption court. A verdict is expected in the coming weeks, which could see him sent to jail. He was disqualified from office last year following an inquiry into his family's finances - which Imran Khan campaigned for. However, Mr Sharif remains a popular figure and has held a number of large rallies since his disqualification. What does Imran Khan say about the military? Supporters of Mr Sharif claim Pakistan's military establishment secretly pushed for his removal as they disagreed over key issues such as the country's relationship with India. Both the Pakistani army and Imran Khan deny that. Mr Khan alleged that the PML-N were themselves sponsored by the military in the 1990s. He added: "The current military chief, Gen Bajwa, is probably the most pro-democratic man we have ever seen." The military has directly ruled Pakistan for nearly half its existence, and it has exerted a strong influence throughout much of the rest of the country's lifespan. Politics in the country are often seen through the lens of civil-military relations - but Mr Khan told the BBC he had "no concern" about the military's role in Pakistani society. Where does Mr Khan stand on extremism? Mr Khan has faced accusations of being soft on Islamist extremism, at one stage earning the nickname "Taliban Khan". He strongly rejects the claims and says he has merely advocated peace talks with insurgent groups as a way of resolving conflict within Pakistan. When asked by the BBC whether Pakistan would be more or less "liberal" were he to be elected prime minister, he dismissed the question. "Pakistan's issue is nothing to do with liberalism or fundamentalism. Pakistan has an issue of governance," he said. "We have 25 million children out of school, we have the highest child mortality rate in the world. This is the West looking upon Pakistan as a liberalism and fundamentalism issue. "It is not an issue. Every human society has its extremists and its liberals." On international affairs Mr Khan, like other Pakistani politicians, has denied US allegations that the country is providing "safe havens" for the Afghan Taliban and its allies. At the Lahore rally, a senior politician from Mr Khan's party led a chant proclaiming, "anyone who is a friend of the US is a traitor". Mr Khan told the BBC: "The US has had the worst Afghan policy. For 16 years they've been trying to use a military solution and they failed. "Where are the safe havens? They should point them out - 70,000 Pakistanis have died fighting the US war." So who are the 'electables'? "Electables" are politicians with their own personal vote banks, who are not tied ideologically to a political party. Analysts say it is not clear what the impact would be on levels of support for the PML-N, if Mr Sharif were convicted in his ongoing anti-corruption trial. Some believe it could boost support for him as a "martyr". Others say it could lead to defections of so-called "electables" to Mr Khan's PTI. "There are some electables who have a good track record," Mr Khan said. "Especially in rural areas you have to have someone who has a network to win the election." Mr Khan said he would not allow "electables" with tarnished political records to join the party. Senior Pakistani journalist Iftikhar Ahmad, from the Daily Jang newspaper, said he believed there were around 60 such candidates in constituencies in Punjab alone who might switch allegiance to the PTI if they deemed it in their interest. Where will the vote be decided? The key battleground between Mr Khan and the PML-N will be the province of Punjab, which holds more than half of the 272 directly-elected seats in the Pakistani parliament. Lahore, where Mr Khan launched his election campaign on Sunday, is the capital of Punjab.

प्रमुख विपक्षी नेता इमरान खान ने इस गर्मी में आम चुनावों से पहले एक "नया पाकिस्तान" बनाने का वादा किया है। इस पूर्व क्रिकेटर की क्या संभावनाएं हैं-और उन्हें उम्मीद है कि कौन से "निर्वाचित" हैं जो उनकी मदद करेंगे?


#BlueLightHappy: Public thanks for paramedics

Summary: When a paramedic found himself reading too many stories about the abuse encountered by his colleagues, he decided it was "time for a morale boost" and started a campaign to get people sharing happier experiences.

By Laura LeaBBC News "Sometimes, it's hard to remember that most people are really appreciative of what we do every day," Rob Moore explained. The paramedic has been working for the West Midlands Ambulance Service in Birmingham for more than four years. Last week, one of his colleagues found a note left on an ambulance telling them not to block a driveway. And over the weekend, footage emerged online appearing to show a driver hurling abuse at a paramedic. So Rob started #BlueLightHappy with a plea on Twitter for "stories of people doing nice things" - to "show people do care" about the emergency services' work. His efforts sparked a flurry of responses - some from grateful members of the public and others from first responders themselves, recalling heartfelt letters, emails and gestures aimed their way. One of those to respond was Liv Pontin from West Sussex. Six years ago, her mum died suddenly of pancreatic cancer. "We had the paramedics out that evening. Rapid response turned up and they were really good with her," the 28-year-old told the BBC News website. Liv's mum died in A&E later that night, but shortly after, she wrote to the paramedic to say thank you for his efforts. "We were all so scared and he just reassured her." This September, an ambulance was called for Liv herself - and she came face to face with the same reassuring paramedic. "I didn't recognise him, but I saw his name and that he was a practitioner," she said. "I just remembered that the paramedic (who treated mum) had said he was training to be a practitioner. "I told him where we lived and he said that he remembered." Not only did he remember Liv and her mother, but the paramedic told her he still had the thank you letter she sent in his locker. "It meant a lot to me because no-one really knows what happened that night except my family and the ambulance workers," she said. On getting involved in the #BlueLightHappy effort, she added: "It was nice to say thank you." Other ambulance workers recalled offers of tea and biscuits and even free ice creams. Oscar Miller said someone offered to buy him lunch on the day after the Westminster Bridge terror attack in London, "I'd already paid, but a nice gesture," he added. Another Twitter user said she "cried a little bit" on receiving her first thank you letter. "And when random strangers let you skip the queue in Tesco when you pop in. So sweet," she added. Most people tweeting with the hashtag have just been saying thank you, Rob said. "To receive an unsolicited thank you is just magical... It's one of the absolute best feelings in this job." On a recent shift, Rob and some of his colleagues had a meal bought for them in the middle of the night. "It really took me back. It's heart-warming," he said. "One small gesture can make someone's whole week."

जब एक पैरामेडिक ने खुद को अपने सहयोगियों द्वारा सामना किए गए दुर्व्यवहार के बारे में बहुत सारी कहानियाँ पढ़ते हुए पाया, तो उसने फैसला किया कि यह "मनोबल बढ़ाने का समय है" और लोगों को सुखद अनुभव साझा करने के लिए एक अभियान शुरू किया।


Albert Street closed after fire at Windsor Bar in Dundee

Summary: A busy Dundee road has been closed as fire crews tackle a blaze at a pub.

The alarm at the Windsor Bar in Albert Street was raised at about 11:30 on Wednesday morning. Tayside Fire and Rescue said the fire was in the basement of the four storey building. There were no reports of any injuries. Albert Street has been closed between Victoria Street and McGill Street as a result of the fire, leading to some traffic disruption.

डंडी की एक व्यस्त सड़क को बंद कर दिया गया है क्योंकि अग्निशमन दल एक पब में लगी आग पर काबू पा रहे हैं।


Poundworld closures: Carmarthen branch among 25 set to go

Summary: Poundworld in Carmarthen will close after the budget shopping chain announced it was closing 25 stores across the UK.

Nine members of staff at the store on the Pensarn industrial state will lose their jobs after the company entered administration on 11 June. Administrator Clare Boardman thanked employees for their support and said staff would be kept updated. The Carmarthen store will close its doors on Sunday 15 July.

बजट खरीदारी श्रृंखला द्वारा पूरे ब्रिटेन में 25 दुकानों को बंद करने की घोषणा के बाद कार्मार्थेन में पाउंडवर्ल्ड बंद हो जाएगा।


The submarines and rivalries underneath the South China Sea

Summary: A tribunal is about to rule on China's territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. But Beijing's desire for control is about much more than rocks above the water, argues analyst Alexander Neill. It is also central to China's plans for a submarine nuclear force able to break out into the Pacific Ocean.

Historically, China's national infrastructure projects have tended to be of grandiose scale - the Great Wall of China and the Three Gorges Dam are ancient and modern examples. China has now proved such a capability at sea with the imminent opening of a string of advanced military bases across the South China Sea, where just two years ago little more than rocky outcrops, sandbars and reefs dotted the region. International attention has focused on why Beijing's constructed these artificial islands so speedily. There is speculation that with the imminent announcement of the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the Philippines' territorial dispute with China, Beijing fast-tracked the project to create a fait accompli or a "great wall of sand". For China, national sovereignty and the credibility of the Communist Party is at stake. But so too is its new sea-based nuclear deterrent. Q&A: South China Sea dispute China's Island Factory Mysteries and maritime claims Chinese jets "intercept" US spy plane Flying close to China's new islands The island construction serves a dual purpose, both reinforcing China's claims of sovereignty and creating a sustained Chinese presence, both military and civilian, in the South China Sea. China has argued that in addition to necessary defence measures for its islands they will also serve the public good. China has built lighthouses and a hospital on Fiery Cross Island and it is likely that Chinese government administrative departments will be created on the islands too. But a critical element to China's motivations for island-building lies beneath the surface of the sea. Mounting concern within the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) over the vulnerability of its land-based nuclear deterrent and the ability to deliver a retaliatory second strike has prompted China to place some of its nuclear warheads on board submarines. Two years ago, China deployed the Jin-class ballistic missile submarine for the first time, each armed with 12 JL-2 nuclear missiles. Operating from a state-of-the-art base near Sanya, on Hainan island's southernmost tip, Jin class submarines are now patrolling the depths of the South China Sea. But in order to be within range of the US, they must be able to break out into the Pacific Ocean. Before the submarines achieve this, they must leave their base in Hainan and cross the South China Sea to reach the Pacific Ocean undetected. The Pentagon believes that the first such Pacific patrol will occur this year. A large southern area of the South China Sea is rather shallow - under 100m (328 feet) in depth. However, roughly contiguous to China's "nine-dash line" territorial claim in the South China Sea, the continental shelf drops to a deep basin of around 4,000m, offering better cover for submarines. That is why some experts believe the deeper waters of the South China Sea, and China's enhanced anti-submarine efforts there, may offer a bastion for Chinese submarines in the future. In recent years, the depths of the South China Sea have become a theatre for intensified rivalry between China and the US. In early 2009, Chinese fishing vessels attempted to cut the cables attached to a sonar array towed by the US surveillance vessel USNS Impeccable in waters off Hainan Island. Later that year, a Chinese submarine hit an underwater sonar array being towed by the destroyer USS John McCain near Subic Bay off the coast of the Philippines. Recently, China has launched new submarine-hunting capabilities. On 8 June, The PLA Navy commissioned a new Type 056A frigate, the Qujing, which boasts an array of anti-submarine warfare capabilities and will be based in the South China Sea. The US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter has also announced that the Pentagon will invest $8bn (£5.45bn) to ensure the lethality of its submarine force - the "silent service" - including the deployment of new undersea drones in the region. In the same way as the US and its allies created a network of listening devices on the sea floor across Asia to listen out for Russian submarines during the cold war, China is now in position to deploy a similar network from its bases across the South China Sea. Satellite imagery suggests that China's new islands are bristling with advanced sensors including radar arrays and satellite communications stations, all of which bolster its navy's situational awareness above and below the South China Sea. Such technologies may also provide command and control infrastructure for communications with China's ballistic missile submarine force, not only helping it to evade detection but also to target any adversary. Alexander Neill is Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow at IISS-Asia (International Institute for Strategic Studies - Asia) .

विवादित दक्षिण चीन सागर में चीन के क्षेत्रीय दावों पर एक न्यायाधिकरण फैसला देने वाला है। लेकिन विश्लेषक अलेक्जेंडर नील का तर्क है कि बीजिंग की नियंत्रण की इच्छा पानी के ऊपर चट्टानों से कहीं अधिक है। यह प्रशांत महासागर में प्रवेश करने में सक्षम पनडुब्बी परमाणु बल के लिए चीन की योजनाओं के केंद्र में भी है।


Jersey sales see biggest drop since 2007

Summary: The value of sales in Jersey supermarkets and shops has seen the biggest drop since 2007, a fall of 6%.

Latest figures from the States of Jersey Statistics Unit also showed in the first quarter of 2012, islanders bought on average 7% less food than the same time last year. Sales of clothing, household goods and other non-food items were down 11% during the same period. And there was a 9% drop in the total volume of retail sales in Jersey.

जर्सी सुपरमार्केट और दुकानों में बिक्री के मूल्य में 2007 के बाद से सबसे बड़ी गिरावट देखी गई है, जो 6 प्रतिशत की गिरावट है।


Queen joined by prime minister at Crathie church service

Summary: The Queen has been joined by Prime Minister Theresa May for a church service at Crathie Kirk near the Balmoral estate.

A car carrying Mrs May and her husband Philip was seen taking them to the 11:30 service. Charles and Camilla, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, also attended. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are nearing the end of their annual summer break at Balmoral.

बालमोरल एस्टेट के पास क्रैथी किर्क में एक चर्च सेवा के लिए महारानी के साथ प्रधानमंत्री थेरेसा मे भी शामिल हुईं।


Workers at 2 Sisters' factory reject vote to safeguard jobs

Summary: Staff at an Anglesey poultry plant have voted to reject changes to their working conditions in a move which would have saved 50 jobs.

They voted four to one to refuse proposals at the 2 Sisters factory at Llangefni where 270 jobs are under threat, including 170 agency staff. Before the vote, Paddy McNaught from Unite union said it would have meant "staff making sacrifices" to save jobs. Union officials are due to hold further talks with bosses on Friday. If the company's proposal had been accepted, it was hoped there would be only a handful of compulsory redundancies, with 40 staff taking voluntary redundancy and agency workers being offered work elsewhere. The company wanted to cut an entire production shift from its operation.

एंग्लेसी पोल्ट्री प्लांट के कर्मचारियों ने अपनी काम करने की स्थितियों में बदलाव को अस्वीकार करने के लिए मतदान किया है, जिससे 50 नौकरियों की बचत होती।


Sound of 2012: Michael Kiwanuka

Summary: Soulful singer Michael Kiwanuka has come top of the BBC's Sound Of 2012 list. The list, compiled using tips from more than 180 tastemakers - made up of music critics, editors, broadcasters and bloggers - aims to highlight some of the most exciting emerging artists.

By Mark SavageEntertainment reporter, BBC News Backstage at Jools Holland's BBC Two show, there is a lot of stress. Young singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka has landed the sought-after "new artist" slot. It's his first television appearance, and he will have to hold his own beside Bjork, Noel Gallagher and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Adding to his nerves, the 24-year-old is playing I'm Getting Ready, a song he has never performed live before. Kiwanuka's press officer, meanwhile, has problems of her own. "We need to make sure Jools gets his name right," she mutters. "Can we send a note to his dressing room?" Kiwanuka doesn't hear about the pronunciation panic until he's finished his soundcheck - but he finds it hilarious. "I get called all sorts of things," he laughs. "Michael Kiwa-nin-nin-nooko, Michael Keena-wooka, Michael Kawaski. "Anything other than Michael Kiwanuka." For the record, his surname is pronounced Key-wa-noo-ka. It's an African name that means "God of lightning and thunder", and it's hard to imagine a description that would suit him less. Affable and quietly spoken, Kiwanuka was born to Ugandan parents and raised in London's Muswell Hill. People who have stumbled across his first two EPs will already know what to expect. Kiwanuka is blessed with a voice so soulful and mature it appears to have been beamed in directly from Memphis in 1972. When his flute-embellished single Tell Me A Tale was playlisted by BBC 6 Music last summer, some listeners were convinced the station had uncovered a long-lost Al Green record. "I love that sound," beams Kiwanuka. "So that's a great honour. "The singers I listen to are quite old-school and I think that era is really cool. The way the chords sounded, and the feeling of the playing is very loose. "There's a jazz feel compared to a lot of modern music, which is very straight." Kiwanuka grew up in a largely music-free environment, after his parents' record player broke when he was a toddler. Instead, he credits schoolfriends for his musical education. "They'd have a band name on the back of their bag at school. So I'd be like, 'who are the Red Hot Chili Peppers?' and then I'd save up seven weeks pocket money to buy one CD." Free from tribal allegiances, he flitted between genres almost at random. His favourite albums included Nirvana's live recording From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah, D'Angelo's sultry R&B platter Voodoo and a free disc from a magazine, containing a formative take of Otis Redding's Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay. By the time he was 16, Kiwanuka had picked up a guitar and started composing his own songs. But as anyone who has ever owned a tape recorder will know, hearing your own voice for the first time can be a shock. "The first few times I sang in the studio it wasn't great," he says. "I wanted to sound like other people so much, because I liked the sound of their voice through the speakers. "You always imagine having your hero's voice, so at first I tried to change it and sang in styles that didn't really suit me." Settling on a sound was something of a struggle for the musician. Kiwanuka studied jazz and worked as a session musician before finally deciding to go solo. "I felt I wasn't going to continue playing music if I kept being moulded in a way that wasn't me," he says. He spotted a MySpace advert for songwriters and sent off a couple of his demos. Almost instantly, a reply arrived, asking Kiwanuka to consider recording them himself. Those early recordings were still available on MySpace relatively recently. They showcase a folky, stripped-back aesthetic that has blossomed into a more fulsome soul sound on the finished recordings. Kiwanuka puts that down to Paul Butler of indie band The Bees, who produced the album in his home studio on the Isle Of Wight. "He saw music from the sonic, rhythmic side of things, where I saw it through just the song and the guitar part," says Kiwanuka. "It was exciting - a new sound that I hadn't quite thought I could do." The recordings have a vintage warmth to them. Analogue tape distortion and valve amplifiers add a hazy 1970s sheen, as if the MP3s have dust trapped between their ones and zeroes. "The mixing desk we used was an old 1960s Swedish broadcast desk," Kiwanuka recalls. "I guess the sound is down to the circuitry and the way they were made. Eroded elements add character and warmth." With his retro sound come spiritual lyrics: "Lord, I'm getting ready to believe," he sings on I'm Getting Ready. "We'll be waving hands, singing freely. Singing, standing tall, it's coming easy." It may sound like Kiwanuka is a man out of place and time, but he believes there's a fresh appetite for expertly crafted songs, played live by actual human beings. "There's nothing more exciting to me than using real instruments in the studio," he says. "The instruments Adele or Florence [Welch] are using have been around for decades but their records still sound fresh to me. So that must be the best way to record music." In fact, Kiwanuka toured with Adele earlier this year, an experience he describes as a "a great test". "Going on before someone who sings as well as she does gives you a kick up the backside," he says. "It's like being a footballer who gets the chance to go on at half-time in the Premiership. You see if you can last those 45 minutes and, if it goes well, you get to play the full game next time. "So hopefully next year people will be up for coming to see me do a full show." As he takes to the stage for his TV performance, it looks like all those practice matches have paid off. Kiwanuka's subtle, assured performance is a tender moment of humanity in the midst of Bjork's chirruping and the scrappy bombast of the Chili Peppers. And, to cap it all, Jools gets his name right.

भावपूर्ण गायक माइकल किवानुका बी. बी. सी. की साउंड ऑफ 2012 सूची में शीर्ष पर आ गए हैं। सूची, 180 से अधिक स्वाद निर्माताओं के सुझावों का उपयोग करके संकलित की गई है-जो संगीत आलोचकों, संपादकों, प्रसारकों और ब्लॉगर्स से बनी है-जिसका उद्देश्य कुछ सबसे रोमांचक उभरते कलाकारों को उजागर करना है।


Sajid Javid can deport mother of FGM risk girl, judge decides

Summary: The Home Secretary cannot be barred from deporting a failed asylum seeker whose daughter would be at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) if taken abroad, a senior judge decided.

The High Court heard the woman, who has links to Bahrain and Sudan, has been refused asylum by the Home Office. She fears if she leaves for Bahrain she will be trafficked to Sudan and her daughter will be put at risk. The case, brought by Suffolk County Council, is the first of its kind. Social services bosses with responsibility for the nine-year-old girl's welfare had begun High Court litigation and Sir Andrew McFarlane was asked whether a judge could bar Home Secretary Sajid Javid from deporting the girl's mother. Public interest Sir Andrew, president of the Family Division of the High Court and the most senior family court judge in England and Wales, has concluded that a judge cannot make such an order. He is expected to publish a ruling outlining his reasoning in the near future. Another judge, Mr Justice Newton, is now scheduled to analyse further issues in the case at future hearings. Lawyers say Mr Justice Newton, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, will assess issues including the level of risk the girl faces and whether she could be protected abroad. Mr Justice Newton has, at an earlier hearing, described the case as the first of its kind. He says it raises public interest issues relating to "tensions" between politicians and the courts. Judges have ruled that the girl cannot be identified in media reports of the case.

एक वरिष्ठ न्यायाधीश ने फैसला सुनाया कि गृह सचिव को एक असफल शरण चाहने वाले को निर्वासित करने से नहीं रोका जा सकता है, जिसकी बेटी को विदेश ले जाने पर महिला जननांग विकृति (एफजीएम) का खतरा होगा।


Coronavirus: Have we respected the lockdown?

Summary: After more than eight weeks of lockdown, Scotland seems poised to take the first tentative steps back to normality. So how well has the country adhered to the restrictions, and has discipline started to crack? Certainly it seems like our parks and roads are getting busier - but is there a way we can confirm this?

By Marc EllisonData journalist, BBC Scotland Enter Google. The tech giant has been publishing so-called "community mobility" reports since April. This is a rather euphemistic way of referring to the tracking people's movements during the coronavirus lockdown. These reports exist for countries ranging from Afghanistan, to the United Kingdom, to Zimbabwe. Each one is broken down into six high level categories including retail, grocery stores, parks, public transport, workplaces, and home residences. Essentially the data allows us to monitor footfall to these locations or - put another way - whether or not people have been adhering to the lockdown restrictions. This is done by comparing people's movements to baseline (or pre-lockdown) behaviour - essentially this shows us how we've changed our typical daily lifestyle. Google's motivation behind this initiative is to ostensibly help public health officials make critical policy decisions to combat Covid-19. The reports are based on location data that the company has harvested from people's smartphones. Google maintains that this data has been aggregated and, more importantly, anonymised, to protect people's privacy. So what does the data actually tell us? Overall the data suggests that - despite the divergence on 10 May in policy between the UK and Scottish governments over how and when to ease the restrictions - Scots are still largely staying at home. I've cherry-picked select councils to illustrate trends for each of the six mobility categories. Grocery stores and pharmacies Visits to grocery stores across Scotland appeared to spike a week before the lockdown began in Scotland on 23 March. They then drastically decreased by about 40%. One could argue this confirms stories we heard about the panic-buying of items such as loo roll and pasta. Since then it looks like these trips have remained fairly level - with the exception of Sundays which appears to be the day to go grocery shopping in most households. Parks and castles Trips to parks (which includes castles, gardens, national parks, campgrounds and even observation decks!) also plummeted once the lockdown began. However, the data does suggest some council areas have respected the restrictions better than others. For example, in Glasgow and Edinburgh, visits to parks have barely reached the pre-lockdown baseline level. Whereas inhabitants of Dundee and South Lanarkshire have been visiting parks significantly more than normal - even outside of weekends. Homes and workplaces Google's residential and workplace data shows a fairly uniform picture across Scotland. Since lockdown there's been about a 30% increase (from the baseline data) of people staying at home. That appears to marry with the 60% decrease on average of people going to their workplaces (and presumably now working from home or on furlough). The peaks and troughs in both sets of data unsurprisingly coincide with the weekend, or periods of good weather. Have we respected the lockdown? Transit stations Similarly the use of "transit stations" (including subways, taxi stands, car rental agencies and even motorway lay-bys) appear to have decreased by between 40% and 80% below baseline levels across the country. However, public transport usage in recent weeks has crept up by about 20% in places like Fife and West Lothian. Interestingly though, levels in Glasgow and Edinburgh have barely shifted from 80% below the normal usage. Retail and recreation Finally we have the combination of retail and recreation for which Google doesn't give an exact definition. Assuming this is primarily visits to shopping and leisure centres we can see that trips decreased by a uniform 80% below the "normal" level. However these trips have steadily increased as the lockdown has gone on. What doesn't the data tell us? While the Google reports gives us a fascinating insight into people's movements during lockdown, there are a few caveats around the data: The data also isn't as granular level as I would like. I'd like to see a breakdown by council neighbourhoods and if possible, by age, gender and deprivation indicators. If we had this data, it could provide some interesting insights into what impact deprivation has on a person's ability and/or privilege to be able to work from home. South of the border The UK government announced an easing of its lockdown restrictions for England on 10 May - a divergence from the Scottish government's policy which asked people to still adhere to the stricter restrictions. Looking at the Google data we can see that even before the prime minister's announcement, people in England and Wales seem to have been gradually venturing out more. Trips to parks have skyrocketed to 40-100% above the baseline rate in places like Southend-On-Sea and Gloucestershire. And interestingly, even before the row around Dominic Cummings erupted, trips to County Durham had increased dramatically. It also looks like people in places like Gloucestershire, Manchester and Devon were slowly starting to return to work ahead of Boris Johnson's announcement. This seems to be backed up by increases of around 20% in the use of public transport in places like Wrexham and Gloucestershire. Lastly, compared to other parts of the UK, it seems people in Neath Port Talbot were desperate to get back into groceries and pharmacies, with trips already back to pre-lockdown levels. A Cummings effect? However, the current data set from Google currently only takes us up to 16 May. The next release from Google could provide even more interesting insights. Primarily what impact, if any, will the Dominic Cummings controversy have had on people's attitudes towards staying at home both in Scotland and the rest of the UK? And will people's resolve be broken by improving weather (even here in Scotland)?

आठ सप्ताह से अधिक के लॉकडाउन के बाद, स्कॉटलैंड सामान्य स्थिति में वापस आने के लिए पहले संभावित कदम उठाने के लिए तैयार है। तो देश ने प्रतिबंधों का कितनी अच्छी तरह से पालन किया है, और अनुशासन टूटना शुरू हो गया है? निश्चित रूप से ऐसा लगता है कि हमारे पार्क और सड़कें व्यस्त हो रही हैं-लेकिन क्या कोई तरीका है जिससे हम इसकी पुष्टि कर सकते हैं?


Wales National Airshow sees 'record' crowd at Swansea

Summary: An estimated 200,000 people watched this year's Wales National Airshow over Swansea Bay, according to the council.

The two-day annual event, which concluded on Sunday, included a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a Russian-built Cold War MiG aircraft. Swansea councillor Robert Francis-Davies said: "We're certain it was a record-breaking weekend. "The vast numbers who came along for the two days will have been a valuable boost to city centre businesses."

परिषद के अनुसार, स्वानसी खाड़ी के ऊपर इस साल के वेल्स राष्ट्रीय एयरशो को अनुमानित 200,000 लोगों ने देखा।


State of the Union: The North Korean defector at Trump's side

Summary: The harrowing tale of a North Korean defector was part of the set at US President Donald Trump's first ever State of the Union address. Ji Seong-ho waved his crutches in the air to resounding applause. But what is his story?

Who is Ji Seong-ho? Few people had heard of Ji Seong-ho when Donald Trump addressed him from the podium. "In 1996, Seong-ho was a starving boy in North Korea," began Mr Trump, as he went on to describe the extent of Mr Ji's suffering as a teenager in the mid 1990s when North Korea was gripped by a devastating famine. That year Mr Ji tried to steal coal from a railroad car so he could exchange it for food. He managed to clamber on, but lost consciousness as a result of his extreme hunger. He awoke to find that he had fallen through a gap between train carriages onto the tracks - and at that moment a train ran over his limbs. He survived the accident but his left hand and leg were severed. Mr Ji was taken to hospital and operated on without morphine or general anaesthetic. The surgery took four-and-a-half hours. The defector has spoken out about his ordeal before this. "I was screaming so much that the sound would [have been] like watching an action movie in the cinema," he told a human rights group, in an interview published by The Guardian. "Nobody helped." How did he escape North Korea? In 2000, Mr Ji decided to cross the border to China to search for food and traversed a mountain with his wooden crutches. But when he returned, he was arrested and tortured by North Korean authorities. It was only in 2006 that he finally decided to permanently escape North Korea with his brother. They crossed into China through the Tumen River and later decided to split up, with Mr Ji fearing his disability would get them both captured. With the help of others, Mr Ji trekked across China on his crutches and eventually made it to South Korea where he was reunited with his brother. The boys later tried to contact their father, who had remained behind in the North Korean city of Hoeryeong. According to an interview with The Freedom Collection the duo were supposed to go back to get their father once they had settled in South Korea but found that he had tried to escape himself - but failed. He was caught by authorities and tortured to death. What does he do now? Today, the 36-year-old lives in Seoul where he has gone on to help other North Korean defectors. He founded the Now, Action, Unity, Human Rights organisation (NAUH) organisation, which aims to raise awareness of the conditions that the North Korean people live in. He has spoken in conferences across the world, including the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2015, where he gave a speech titled "My Impossible Escape from North Korea". How did people react? Mr Ji was greeted by thunderous applause in the House Chamber and received an equally warm reception online. Many on social media called him an "inspiration", though others highlighted that he would not be able to enter the US as a North Korean refugee under current immigration rules. The speech was Mr Trump's first ever State of the Union speech to Congress and in the address the US President also condemned North Korea, calling it "depraved". He warned that the US was "waging a campaign of maximum pressure" to prevent Pyongyang's "reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles." But Mr Ji's story of endurance through suffering, as he held up the crutches he used to escape North Korea, is what won over the audience. Update: A tweet from @wokeluisa was removed from an earlier version as the account does not belong to a real individual. Catch me up

एक उत्तर कोरियाई दलबदलू की दर्दनाक कहानी अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प के पहले स्टेट ऑफ द यूनियन संबोधन के सेट का हिस्सा थी। जी सेओंग-हो ने तालियों की गड़गड़ाहट के लिए हवा में अपनी बैसाखी लहरा दी। लेकिन उनकी कहानी क्या है?


Wood Group Kenny wins £5m Apache contract

Summary: A division of the Wood Group has won a contract with Apache North Sea to provide subsea engineering services.

The deal with Wood Group Kenny is worth around £5m and runs for three years with options to extend. The agreement covers all of Apache's North Sea assets, including the Forties complex and the recently acquired Beryl complex. Wood Group Kenny is one of the world's largest companies of its kind, employing 2,500 people worldwide.

वुड ग्रुप के एक डिवीजन ने अपाचे नॉर्थ सी के साथ सबसी इंजीनियरिंग सेवाएं प्रदान करने का अनुबंध जीता है।