London mayoral race 2021: Labour calls for investigation into PM's remarks

Summary: Labour is calling for an investigation after the prime minister accused Sadiq Khan of leaving a "black hole" in Transport for London's (TfL's) funding during a Downing Street press briefing.

Boris Johnson accused the mayor of London of "blowing" TfL's finances with an "irresponsible fares policy". Mr Khan dismissed the remarks as "lies". Labour has written to the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to investigate if Mr Johnson broke the ministerial code. The remarks were made from Downing Street during the pre-election purdah for the London mayoral election on 6 May. During purdah the government is required to limit announcements that might influence the outcome of an election. In a letter to Mr Case, Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, said the ministerial code "clearly states that official facilities and resources may not be used for the dissemination of party political material". Asked at Monday's coronavirus press conference about potential government support for London's pandemic recovery, the prime minister said: "As for the finances of TfL, I must respectfully remind you that I left them in robust good order. "And it is not through any fault of my own that the current Labour mayor decided to blow them on an irresponsible fares policy. "We're doing our best to help them out and will continue to do so. "And I'm afraid there was a black hole in TfL's finances even before Covid began." Mr Khan said he had reduced TfL's deficit by "more than 71% before the pandemic". Mr Khan said: "I think it is inappropriate for all of us to follow the rules and abide by the rules, and Boris Johnson to yet again break the rules in the way he's done. "Firstly, during the purdah period using a government platform to attack a Labour candidate. "But secondly, to tell lies." Related Internet Links London City Hall Electing the Mayor and Assembly London Elects

डाउनिंग स्ट्रीट प्रेस ब्रीफिंग के दौरान प्रधान मंत्री द्वारा सादिक खान पर ट्रांसपोर्ट फॉर लंदन (टी. एफ. एल.) के वित्तपोषण में एक "ब्लैक होल" छोड़ने का आरोप लगाने के बाद लेबर एक जांच की मांग कर रहा है।


Lady Gaga first to have nine million Twitter followers

Summary: Lady Gaga is the first person to have nine million followers on Twitter.

The American singer, 24, became the most popular person on the social networking site last August overtaking Britney Spears when they both had just over 5.7 million followers. She joined Twitter in 2008 with her first Tweet saying she was rehearsing for the Just Dance video. Justin Bieber is the second most popular celebrity on the site, with just over 8.3 million followers. Gaga's latest single, Born This Way, is at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 and made it to number three in the official UK singles chart. Born This Way, the singer's second album, is released on 23 May. The star also has 31 million fans on Facebook and her videos have had more than a billion views on YouTube.

लेडी गागा ट्विटर पर नौ मिलियन फॉलोअर्स वाली पहली व्यक्ति हैं।


Killer absconds from Sudbury open prison

Summary: A man serving a 12-year sentence for manslaughter has absconded from an open prison in Derbyshire.

Ashley Squires, 27, failed to return to HMP Sudbury over the weekend. In 2006 he admitted the manslaughter of farmer Michael Boffey who died during the theft of a vehicle in Withybrook, Warwickshire, in August 2005. Squires is described as white, 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build, with short blond hair and green eyes. He has an East Anglian accent. His last known address was in Leicester. Mr Boffey, 61, was struck by a Land Rover at his farm moments after Squires had tried to run over another farm worker.

हत्या के लिए 12 साल की सजा काट रहा एक व्यक्ति डर्बीशायर की एक खुली जेल से फरार हो गया है।


North Korea: How real is Seoul's assassination threat?

Summary: Reports that South Korea, in the wake of North Korea's dramatic 3 September test of a massive thermonuclear bomb, has approved plans to establish a special forces unit to assassinate Kim Jong-un appear to signal a sharp change of direction in the foreign policy of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in.

By Dr John Nilsson-WrightChatham House Why would a progressive politician elected in May on a platform of engagement with the North and who, just a few months ago in Berlin in July, talked confidently of establishing a "permanent peace regime" on the peninsula, of avoiding the "collapse" of North Korea and "easing its security and economic concerns", suddenly shift gears and appear to embrace aggressive regime change? Seoul's leaders are terrified by the apparent failure of military deterrence, and the inability of Donald Trump, through his confident "fire and fury" rhetoric, to stop Pyongyang from pressing ahead rapidly with its aggressive military modernisation campaign. More missile tests are a certainty and in the last day there have been reports of new activity at the North's nuclear testing facility at Punggye-ri that suggest a seventh nuclear test may be being prepared. If the North finally and unambiguously becomes able accurately to deliver a long-range missile, armed with a powerful, miniaturised nuclear warhead, at an urban target in the continental United States, US planners will have, albeit reluctantly, to accept the need for military action on the Korean peninsula. As Republican Senator Lindsay Graham has pointed out on a number of occasions (ostensibly channelling the thinking of Donald Trump), the US will have to risk exposing Seoul to massive civilian and military casualties in order to prevent the North from putting a US city in its strategic cross-hairs. Only by scaring Mr Kim into believing his life may be in imminent danger can Seoul hope to offset this risk by persuading the North to pause its tests and engage in constructive dialogue. But is the threat of decapitation a credible one and would it deter the North? Paranoid leadership In the past, the North's leaders have taken seriously the risk of being targeted. In March 1993, for example, at a time of heightened US-North Korea tensions, Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un, spent most of the month in a secure bunker, committed to a "semi-war" status while announcing the country's withdrawal from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). Fear of US escalation pushed Mr Kim into hiding but did not prevent the North from continuing to respond belligerently by violating international norms and abrogating past agreements. The North also has a long history of creative adaptation in the face of foreign pressure. Fear of potential targeted strikes has encouraged a paranoid North Korean leadership, both past and present, to use dummy decoy vehicles and heavily circumscribed public appearances to minimise the risk of being caught in a surprise attack. Just a few months ago in May, North Korea accused the US of instigating a CIA-coordinated plot to bribe a North Korean citizen to carry out a biochemical attack on Kim Jong-un. It is impossible to corroborate these North Korean claims, which may amount simply to a propaganda gambit designed to deflect attention away from the North's own assassination plots, most notably the dramatic killing of Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un's elder brother, apparently killed in February in Malaysia by North Korean operatives using a lethal VX nerve agent. Given the fears and precautions of the North's leaders, a South Korean directed "hit" on Mr Kim would be highly risky and could easily degenerate into a Bay of Pigs scenario, comparable to the Kennedy administration's embarrassing failure to topple Cuba's Fidel Castro in 1961. The South needs, therefore, to be especially cautious. A botched assassination attempt could easily provoke retaliation from the North in the form of limited military action that might in turn rapidly escalate unintentionally to a full-blown nuclear exchange. Policy makers in Seoul may be hoping to effect change indirectly. By threatening Mr Kim directly, they may calculate that this will undermine support for the regime amongst political elites in Pyongyang who might be persuaded to launch a coup against the feared and brutal young leader. Recent high-level North Korean defector testimony suggests this scenario is highly unlikely. As much as North Korean elites fear and resent Mr Kim, they are just as troubled by the threat to their security of rival groups within their own society. North Korea remains a highly stratified and class-conscious society. The have-nots and those historically discriminated against in the North would, in the event of the removal of the leadership, rise up and seek retribution against the hyper privileged and favoured residents of Pyongyang. Fear of being caught up in a destructive and bloody counter-revolution is likely to be sufficient to stay the hand of, or at least give pause to, anyone minded to take the perilous step of plotting against the leadership. No good options Decapitation then seems a high-risk strategy with a low chance of succeeding. Its value at this point is more declaratory than substantive. The Moon administration may also hope that it may deflect increasingly vocal South Korean conservative demands for the country to acquire its own indigenous nuclear capabilities to offset the growing North Korean threat. Notwithstanding recent positive remarks by the South Korean defence minister supporting the possible reintroduction of tactical nuclear weapons to the South, the government remains opposed to such a step, in part because it fears that this would spark a damaging and destabilising arms race in the region and further escalate tensions with the North, while increasing the risk of conflict arising through misperception and miscalculation. Ultimately, President Moon wishes to revisit the possibility of dialogue and engagement with the North, reaffirming in the process the constructive, diplomacy-centred approach of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. To do this, he needs time to delay both the North's military modernisation campaign and the related tendency for Washington to see its policy options increasingly constrained and narrowed to the point at which the use of military force becomes the least unappealing among a number of distinctly unattractive options. In an environment where there remain no good policy choices for dealing with the North Korean challenge, threatening decapitation may appear to be a viable card to play in an increasingly dangerous game of strategic poker. Dr John Nilsson-Wright is a Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia, Asia Programme, Chatham House and Senior Lecturer in Japanese Politics and the International Relations of East Asia, University of Cambridge.

रिपोर्ट है कि दक्षिण कोरिया, उत्तर कोरिया के 3 सितंबर को एक विशाल थर्मोन्यूक्लियर बम के नाटकीय परीक्षण के मद्देनजर, किम जोंग-उन की हत्या के लिए एक विशेष बल इकाई स्थापित करने की योजना को मंजूरी दे दी है, जो दक्षिण कोरिया के राष्ट्रपति मून जे-इन की विदेश नीति में तेज बदलाव का संकेत देता है।


Why is FTSE 100 shrugging off Shanghai Noon?

Summary: So why on earth has the plunge in Chinese stock markets - Shanghai fell another 7.6% today, taking the losses on shares over four days to well over 20% - left European markets unperturbed this morning after yesterday's fall?

Robert PestonEconomics editor Well, it may well be that the absence of massive (or any) Chinese state intervention to prop up the market, of the sort we saw just a few weeks ago, has delivered some kind of coldish comfort to Western investors - for two reasons. On the one hand, the lack of panic buying by Beijing's poodles implies the Chinese government does not believe that the economy is grinding to a halt in a devastating way, or that the share-price drops will damage the health of important financial institutions. Paradoxically, Beijing actually looks more in control of the events that matter - in the short term at least - in not artificially inflating share prices and bailing out the 50 million to 90 million Chinese households who've been punting on the market. That may, of course, just be an illusion. Beijing will be hard pressed to meet its target of 7% GDP growth this year without doing the opposite of what is needed to put the economy on a sustainable footing, which is to curb debt-fuelled investment in infrastructure, construction and lame-duck heavy industries. Also very difficult to gauge is the scale of the negative impact on the spending habits of investors whose wealth has been mullered and on the investing habits of companies whose share prices have been poleaxed. But there is a serious risk of economic aftershocks from the market quake: multinationals with production in China aimed at Chinese consumers tell me they are significantly scaling back their manufacturing plans. There is, however, one other positive gloss to put on the untrammelled Shanghai rout. It is widely thought that the long-term sustainability of the Chinese economy requires Beijing to place more confidence in market forces and not mess with them before breakfast, lunch and tea. So in that sense, its neglect of stock markets today would be seen as benign, a sign that Beijing gets it (at last). That said, the Chinese government is a million miles from understanding what true markets look like. In a proper open economy, Shanghai's stock market turbulence would be the big talking point in China's media. But there is no mention of it anywhere in today's People's Daily newspaper - which is laughable even by the censorship standards of the People's Republic. Two other things. Tokyo's fall, in contrast to Europe's early rise, is simply because Japanese companies are so exposed to China. And another reason why the UK market is up this morning, and Wall Street is expected to open higher, is that China's woes - and the slowdown in emerging markets in general - are seen to have delayed that fateful moment when the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve end our era of near-zero interest rates. A rise in the Fed Funds rate in September now looks marginally less probable than my beloved Arsenal winning the Premier League this season (a zilch probability). And although it is still plausible that the Bank of England will raise interest rates next March, those on the Monetary Policy Committee who want a rise may yet be Shanghaied. UPDATE 11:28 Spoke too soon. China has cut interest rates and so-called reserve ratios at banks, making it easier for banks to lend. Plainly the market falls have spooked Beijing that its 7% growth target will be missed. Ouch. FURTHER UPDATE 11:34 The big point about today's Chinese monetary stimulus is: that may revive growth and the stock market in the short term - but it will further inflate China's dangerous debt bubble and will increase the longer-term risk of a crash. As I said, ouch.

तो चीनी शेयर बाजारों में पृथ्वी पर गिरावट क्यों आई है-शंघाई आज 7.6% और गिर गया, जिससे चार दिनों में शेयरों पर नुकसान 20 प्रतिशत से अधिक हो गया-कल की गिरावट के बाद आज सुबह यूरोपीय बाजारों में कोई गड़बड़ी नहीं हुई?


AV voting referendum: Katie Ghose's viewpoint

Summary: A referendum will be held on 5 May on whether to keep the first-past-the-post system for electing MPs or to switch to the alternative vote (AV). The BBC is asking a variety of people to give their view.

By Katie GhoseChair, Yes to Fairer Votes "The alternative vote is a small change that will make a big difference - making MPs work harder to get and stay elected, and giving you more of a say. No wonder the old political establishment will say anything to cling on to the old rules. They will say anything to defend a broken system that can let them win power with just one in three voters on their side. A system that has let them enjoy jobs for life in safe seats. A system that has bred the complacency we all saw in the expenses scandal. The last general election was decided by fewer than 450,000 voters in marginal seats. Two thirds of our MPs don't have the majority of voters on their side - so most of us are now represented by MPs that most of us didn't vote for. It is not right, and in this referendum you can change the rules. AV takes what works with our current system and improves on it - making MPs work harder to win and keep their jobs. A 'Yes' vote means all the candidates who want to be your next MP will have to aim for 50% support in the communities they seek to represent. MPs will have to work harder to win - and keep - your support, reaching out to voters they can no longer afford to ignore. A 'Yes' vote will give you more say. AV lets you can rank candidates and show support for anyone you feel is up to the job. So if your favourite candidate doesn't win, you can still help decide your next MP. Good news for the millions of us forced into tactical voting. Bad news for extremists, like the BNP, because candidates who will not reach out have no future. AV is not revolutionary. It is a small, sensible step that builds on the current system, preserving and strengthening the link between MPs and their voters. This referendum is a straight choice between a broken system and a better alternative. Say Yes to AV."

5 मई को एक जनमत संग्रह होगा कि क्या सांसदों के चुनाव के लिए पहले-अतीत-द-पोस्ट प्रणाली को बनाए रखा जाए या वैकल्पिक वोट (एवी) पर स्विच किया जाए। बीबीसी विभिन्न लोगों से अपने विचार देने के लिए कह रहा है।


Gay marriage: How Lords voted

Summary: The House of Lords has rejected an attempt by crossbencher Lord Dear to kill off the government's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 390 votes to 148.

Here is a breakdown of how peers voted. Voting to kill off bill Allenby of Megiddo, V. Anderson of Swansea, L. Arran, E. Bell, L. Birmingham, Bp. Blencathra, L. Brennan, L. Bristol, Bp. Brooks of Tremorfa, L. Brougham and Vaux, L. Browne of Belmont, L. Browning, B. Butler of Brockwell, L. Butler-Sloss, B. Byford, B. Canterbury, Abp. Carey of Clifton, L. [Teller] Carswell, L. Carter of Coles, L. Cathcart, E. Chester, Bp. Clarke of Hampstead, L. Cobbold, L. Cormack, L. Coventry, Bp. Cox, B. Craig of Radley, L. Cumberlege, B. Curry of Kirkharle, L. Dannatt, L. Davies of Coity, L. Dear, L. [Teller] Deech, B. Eames, L. Eaton, B. Eccles of Moulton, B. Eccles, V. Eden of Winton, L. Edmiston, L. Elton, L. Emerton, B. Empey, L. Erroll, E. Exeter, Bp. Feldman, L. Flight, L. Fookes, B. Forsyth of Drumlean, L. Framlingham, L. Gardner of Parkes, B. Geddes, L. Glenarthur, L. Gordon of Strathblane, L. Grenfell, L. Griffiths of Fforestfach, L. Guthrie of Craigiebank, L. Hameed, L. Hardie, L. Hereford, Bp. Hooper, B. Howard of Rising, L. Howie of Troon, L. Hurd of Westwell, L. Hylton, L. Inge, L. James of Blackheath, L. Kalms, L. Kilclooney, L. Kirkhill, L. Knight of Collingtree, B. Lawson of Blaby, L. Leach of Fairford, L. Leitch, L. Lewis of Newnham, L. Listowel, E. Liverpool, E. Lloyd of Berwick, L. London, Bp. Lothian, M. Luce, L. Luke, L. Lyell, L. Lytton, E. McColl of Dulwich, L. Macfarlane of Bearsden, L. Mackay of Clashfern, L. Magan of Castletown, L. Maginnis of Drumglass, L. Mancroft, L. Mar, C. Marlesford, L. Martin of Springburn, L. Masham of Ilton, B. Mawhinney, L. Mawson, L. Methuen, L. Miller of Hendon, B. Montgomery of Alamein, V. Montrose, D. Morris of Aberavon, L. Morrow, L. Naseby, L. Nicholson of Winterbourne, B. Northbourne, L. O'Cathain, B. O'Loan, B. Oppenheim-Barnes, B. Palmer, L. Palumbo, L. Parkinson, L. Patel of Blackburn, L. Patten, L. Pearson of Rannoch, L. Pendry, L. Plumb, L. Quirk, L. Rowe-Beddoe, L. Saltoun of Abernethy, Ly. Sanderson of Bowden, L. Sandwich, E. Sassoon, L. Scott of Foscote, L. Seccombe, B. Sharples, B. Shaw of Northstead, L. Sheikh, L. Simon, V. Singh of Wimbledon, L. Skelmersdale, L. Slim, V. Stewartby, L. Stoddart of Swindon, L. Swinfen, L. Taylor of Warwick, L. Tebbit, L. Temple-Morris, L. Tenby, V. Tombs, L. Trenchard, V. Trumpington, B. Ullswater, V. Vinson, L. Waddington, L. Walker of Aldringham, L. Walpole, L. Walton of Detchant, L. Willoughby de Broke, L. Winchester, Bp. Voting in favour of bill Aberdare, L. Adams of Craigielea, B. Addington, L. Adebowale, L. Adonis, L. Afshar, B. Allan of Hallam, L. Alli, L. Andrews, B. Anelay of St Johns, B. [Teller] Armstrong of Hill Top, B. Ashton of Hyde, L. Astor of Hever, L. Astor, V. Attlee, E. Avebury, L. Baker of Dorking, L. Bakewell, B. Baldwin of Bewdley, E. Barker, B. Barnett, L. Bassam of Brighton, L. Bates, L. Beecham, L. Benjamin, B. Berkeley of Knighton, L. Berkeley, L. Best, L. Bhattacharyya, L. Bichard, L. Bilimoria, L. Billingham, B. Bilston, L. Birt, L. Black of Brentwood, L. Blackstone, B. Blair of Boughton, L. Blood, B. Boateng, L. Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, B. Borrie, L. Bottomley of Nettlestone, B. Brabazon of Tara, L. Bradley, L. Bridgeman, V. Brinton, B. Broers, L. Brooke of Alverthorpe, L. Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, L. Brookeborough, V. Brookman, L. Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, L. Browne of Ladyton, L. Browne of Madingley, L. Burnett, L. Burns, L. Caithness, E. Cameron of Dillington, L. Cameron of Lochbroom, L. Campbell of Surbiton, B. Campbell-Savours, L. Carlile of Berriew, L. Chalker of Wallasey, B. Chandos, V. Chidgey, L. Christopher, L. Clancarty, E. Clement-Jones, L. Clinton-Davis, L. Collins of Highbury, L. Colville of Culross, V. Colwyn, L. Condon, L. Cope of Berkeley, L. Corston, B. Courtown, E. Coussins, B. Craigavon, V. Crawley, B. Crickhowell, L. Cunningham of Felling, L. Darzi of Denham, L. Davidson of Glen Clova, L. Davies of Abersoch, L. Davies of Oldham, L. Davies of Stamford, L. De Mauley, L. Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, B. Deben, L. Deighton, L. Desai, L. Dholakia, L. Dixon-Smith, L. Dobbs, L. Donaghy, B. Doocey, B. Drake, B. Drayson, L. Dubs, L. Dundee, E. Dykes, L. Elder, L. Elis-Thomas, L. Elystan-Morgan, L. Evans of Parkside, L. Evans of Temple Guiting, L. Evans of Watford, L. Falconer of Thoroton, L. Falkner of Margravine, B. Farrington of Ribbleton, B. Faulkner of Worcester, L. Faulks, L. Feldman of Elstree, L. Fellowes of West Stafford, L. Fellowes, L. Fink, L. Flather, B. Foster of Bishop Auckland, L. Foulkes of Cumnock, L. Fowler, L. Freud, L. Freyberg, L. Gale, B. Garden of Frognal, B. Gardiner of Kimble, L. Garel-Jones, L. German, L. Gibson of Market Rasen, B. Giddens, L. Glendonbrook, L. Glentoran, L. Gold, L. Goldsmith, L. Goodhart, L. Goodlad, L. Goudie, B. Gould of Potternewton, B. Grantchester, L. Greaves, L. Greengross, B. Grey-Thompson, B. Grocott, L. Hamilton of Epsom, L. Hamwee, B. Hanham, B. Hannay of Chiswick, L. Hanworth, V. Harries of Pentregarth, L. Harris of Haringey, L. Harris of Peckham, L. Harris of Richmond, B. Harrison, L. Hart of Chilton, L. Haskel, L. Haskins, L. Hattersley, L. Haworth, L. Hayman, B. Hayter of Kentish Town, B. Healy of Primrose Hill, B. Henig, B. Henley, L. Hennessy of Nympsfield, L. Heseltine, L. Higgins, L. Hill of Oareford, L. Hilton of Eggardon, B. Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, L. Hogg, B. Hollick, L. Hollis of Heigham, B. Howard of Lympne, L. Howarth of Breckland, B. Howarth of Newport, L. Howe of Idlicote, B. Howe, E. Howells of St Davids, B. Hoyle, L. Hughes of Stretford, B. Hughes of Woodside, L. Hunt of Chesterton, L. Hunt of Kings Heath, L. Hunt of Wirral, L. Hussein-Ece, B. Irvine of Lairg, L. Janner of Braunstone, L. Janvrin, L. Jay of Ewelme, L. Jay of Paddington, B. Jenkin of Kennington, B. Jenkin of Roding, L. Joffe, L. Jolly, B. Jones of Cheltenham, L. Jones, L. Jopling, L. Judd, L. Kakkar, L. Kennedy of Southwark, L. Kennedy of The Shaws, B. Kerr of Kinlochard, L. Kidron, B. King of Bow, B. King of Bridgwater, L. Kingsmill, B. Kinnock of Holyhead, B. Kinnock, L. Kirkham, L. Knight of Weymouth, L. Kramer, B. Krebs, L. Laming, L. Lee of Trafford, L. Levy, L. Lexden, L. Linklater of Butterstone, B. Lipsey, L. Lister of Burtersett, B. Lloyd-Webber, L. Loomba, L. Low of Dalston, L. Lucas, L. McConnell of Glenscorrodale, L. McDonagh, B. Macdonald of River Glaven, L. Macdonald of Tradeston, L. McIntosh of Hudnall, B. MacKenzie of Culkein, L. McKenzie of Luton, L. Maclennan of Rogart, L. McNally, L. Maddock, B. Mallalieu, B. Mandelson, L. Manningham-Buller, B. Mar and Kellie, E. Marks of Henley-on-Thames, L. Massey of Darwen, B. Maxton, L. Mayhew of Twysden, L. Miller of Chilthorne Domer, B. Mitchell, L. Mogg, L. Monks, L. Moonie, L. Morgan of Drefelin, B. Morgan of Ely, B. Morgan of Huyton, B. Morgan, L. Morris of Bolton, B. Morris of Handsworth, L. Morris of Yardley, B. Moser, L. Murphy, B. Myners, L. Nash, L. Neuberger, B. Neville-Jones, B. Newby, L. [Teller] Newlove, B. Noakes, B. Noon, L. Northover, B. Norton of Louth, L. Nye, B. Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, L. O'Donnell, L. O'Neill of Bengarve, B. O'Neill of Clackmannan, L. Ouseley, L. Palmer of Childs Hill, L. Pannick, L. Parekh, L. Parminter, B. Patel of Bradford, L. Perry of Southwark, B. Phillips of Sudbury, L. Pitkeathley, B. Plant of Highfield, L. Ponsonby of Shulbrede, L. Popat, L. Prashar, B. Prescott, L. Prosser, B. Puttnam, L. Radice, L. Ramsay of Cartvale, B. Randerson, B. Razzall, L. Rea, L. Redesdale, L. Reid of Cardowan, L. Rendell of Babergh, B. Rennard, L. Richard, L. Richardson of Calow, B. Risby, L. Roberts of Llandudno, L. Robertson of Port Ellen, L. Rodgers of Quarry Bank, L. Rooker, L. Roper, L. Rosser, L. Rotherwick, L. Rowlands, L. Royall of Blaisdon, B. Sawyer, L. Scott of Needham Market, B. Selborne, E. Shackleton of Belgravia, B. Sharkey, L. Sharp of Guildford, B. Shephard of Northwold, B. Sherlock, B. Shipley, L. Shutt of Greetland, L. Smith of Basildon, B. Smith of Clifton, L. Smith of Finsbury, L. Smith of Leigh, L. Soley, L. Stedman-Scott, B. Steel of Aikwood, L. Stephen, L. Stern of Brentford, L. Stern, B. Stevenson of Balmacara, L. Stevenson of Coddenham, L. Stone of Blackheath, L. Stoneham of Droxford, L. Storey, L. Stowell of Beeston, B. Strasburger, L. Symons of Vernham Dean, B. Taverne, L. Taylor of Blackburn, L. Taylor of Bolton, B. Taylor of Goss Moor, L. Taylor of Holbeach, L. Teverson, L. Thomas of Winchester, B. Thornton, B. Tonge, B. Tope, L. Tordoff, L. Trees, L. Triesman, L. Trimble, L. Tugendhat, L. Tunnicliffe, L. Turnberg, L. Turner of Camden, B. Tyler of Enfield, B. Tyler, L. Uddin, B. Vallance of Tummel, L. Verma, B. Waldegrave of North Hill, L. Walker of Gestingthorpe, L. Wall of New Barnet, B. Wallace of Saltaire, L. Wallace of Tankerness, L. Walmsley, B. Warner, L. Warnock, B. Warwick of Undercliffe, B. Wasserman, L. Watson of Invergowrie, L. Watson of Richmond, L. West of Spithead, L. Wheatcroft, B. Wheeler, B. Whitaker, B. Wigley, L. Wilcox, B. Wilkins, B. Williams of Baglan, L. Williams of Crosby, B. Willis of Knaresborough, L. Wills, L. Wilson of Tillyorn, L. Wood of Anfield, L. Woolf, L. Woolmer of Leeds, L. Worthington, B. Wright of Richmond, L. Young of Hornsey, B. Young of Norwood Green, L. Young of Old Scone, B. Younger of Leckie, V.

हाउस ऑफ लॉर्ड्स ने सरकार के विवाह (समलिंगी जोड़े) विधेयक को 148 के मुकाबले 390 मतों से समाप्त करने के क्रॉसबेंचर लॉर्ड डियर के प्रयास को खारिज कर दिया है।


France's migrant 'cemetery' in Africa

Summary: Europe has been so transfixed by tragedies in the Mediterranean in recent years that a similar crisis in the Indian Ocean has gone almost unnoticed. It is caused by the magnetic attraction of the French island of Mayotte to the inhabitants of the neighbouring Comoros Islands.

By Elise WickerBBC World Service "Ahmed was dead before the fisherman arrived to rescue the girls and women. Initially, they agreed to take his body, but then they decided to throw it overboard." This is the last thing Nouriati el Hairia Houmadi remembers from the day where she lost her youngest brother, Ahmed, on the journey from one Comoros Island to another 60km (40 miles) away. He was 14, and she was taking him from the family home on the island of Anjouan, to Mayotte - a tiny speck of French territory in the Indian Ocean, where she and her elder sister already lived. The goal was to get him a better education. "We left Anjouan at 8pm, the accident happened at about 10.30pm in the waters near Mayotte. We could see the lights on the island," she says. At that moment a large wave overturned the overloaded boat, and those who could not swim had little chance. Eighteen died, some before the rescuers took away the women, and some after. This was back in November 1997, but it is a scenario that has been repeated again and again in the intervening years. Thousands of people have died on the journey to Mayotte from the other Comoros Islands - Anjouan, Moheli and Grande Comore - since Mayotte voted to remain part of France in 1975, and the other islands voted for independence. It's a carbon copy of the situation in the Mediterranean, where people make the crossing from North Africa or Turkey, in search of a better life - except that few in the West have paid the slightest attention to this crisis in the waters between Mozambique and Madagascar. "We have the mournful reputation of having the largest marine cemetery," the Governor of Anjouan, Anissi Chamsidine, said in May. "More than 50,000 Comorians have perished amid a deafening silence from the international community and France… "It is indifference to human suffering." The problem became acute in 1995, when the French government, under prime minister Edouard Balladur, put an end to visa-free travel. Nouriati el Hairia Houmadi had made her first visit to Mayotte before the introduction of visas. She flew by aeroplane and was legally entitled to stay for three months. By the time she went back with Ahmed both should have obtained a visa - but islanders from the villages often do not have the papers needed for a visa application, so nearly everyone travelling to Mayotte from other Comoros islands goes illegally, by fishing boat, or kwassa-kwassa. The kwassa-kwassa are not intrinsically dangerous - they are a normal form of transport between the other Comoros islands and considered by the Comorians to be quite safe. But the migrants take round-about routes, nearly always travelling at night to dodge patrol boats - and all-too-often the smugglers overload the boats, just as they do in the Mediterranean. This is why when governor Anissi Chamsidine made his comments about the "marine cemetery", he laid the blame squarely at the door of the "Balladur visa". The scale of the traffic is illustrated by the numbers picked up by the French authorities in Mayotte and sent home - about 20,000 in 2014 - and by the flood of applications made each year for residence permits - about 100,000, including renewals (of which only about 18,000 are approved). The attraction of Mayotte, which was made a French departement in 2011, is its higher standard of living. The jobs available on Anjouan are mainly agricultural - often on ylang ylang or vanilla plantations - which usually means long hours for little reward. There is not much to do on the island and few public services. A brand new Chinese-built hospital stands idle, because there are no doctors to staff it. In the past, someone returning from Mayotte with a few colourful T-shirts would have been an object of envy. Now the internet means that people don't have to travel there to see the bright lights. But the life of a migrant in Mayotte often turns out to be less attractive than it might seem. Ousmani, a 17-year-old Anjouanese boy who has lived there illegally for the last three years, slowly gathering the papers needed for a residence permit and doing odd jobs, says he lives in permanent fear of being stopped and sent home. "When I see a policeman I have to hide because I'm in an 'irregular' situation. I can't walk past them, if they ask for my identity papers, I don't have any legal papers," he says. "Sometimes friends will call me and say, 'Don't come here because the police are checking papers.' So I hide. Once they've been in touch saying they've gone, I'll go out." Normal French immigration laws have been altered, campaigners say, to allow instant deportation without recourse to a judge. They add that under French law children cannot be deported, or put in pre-deportation holding centres, unless accompanied either by their parents or a guardian approved by a judge - but if unaccompanied children arrive on a boat with adults, the campaigners say, officials in Mayotte automatically assume the adults are responsible for the children, and deport them together. Last year, more than 5,000 children were held in holding centres prior to deportation. Amirdine Mohamed, the newly elected Mayor of Anjouan's capital, Mutsamudu, says there are two reasons why people from Anjouan and the other Comoros Islands try to get to Mayotte. The first, he says, is "psychological" - they think life must be better on a French island. "Like in Africa generally, in Anjouan, people think life is much better in Europe," he says. "When they go there, those who manage to reach it are surprised to see they were wrong." The second reason is that there is a good hospital, and some other useful facilities. "In Anjouan we don't have them," he says. As Ahmed's story illustrates, some children dream of entering Mayotte's schools. Many, perhaps most, Anjouanese families are now split between the two islands, with some members living on Mayotte, legally or illegally, and waiting for relatives on Anjouan to join them by making the crossing on which far too many die. Governor Anissi Chamsidine's figure of 50,000 deaths is one of the highest around. Some say 20,000, while in 2012 a committee of the French Senate put the figure at between 7,000 and 10,000 since 1995. Members of the committee called on the French authorities to take steps to end the loss of life, and to put an end to the Balladur visa - which, they pointed out, had failed to prevent illegal migration. A foreign ministry spokesman told the BBC a French-Comorian joint committee, created in 2013, was trying to "improve maritime security in the hope of putting an end to tragedies in the water". "As in the Mediterranean it will be necessary to find solutions acceptable to all," the spokesman said. "Especially to fight the traffickers and people who profit from the migrants' distress." It's easy to understand why people in Anjouan are attracted to life in Mayotte. But the island has some attractions of its own. It is beautiful, as well as quiet. There are no beggars on the street - the islanders follow Muslim tradition and provide charity for those who do not have enough to eat. Barely a week goes by, though, when the Anjouanese don't hear or read a news story about shipwrecks and bodies washing up on their shores. Divided families on two islands On a visit to Anjouan, BBC Swahili's Zuhura Yunus calls on Ousmani's younger brother. They have not seen each other since Ousmani left three years ago, and only talk on the telephone once every three months. This is part of the Island Stories series Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

यूरोप हाल के वर्षों में भूमध्य सागर में त्रासदियों से इतना प्रभावित हुआ है कि हिंद महासागर में इसी तरह का संकट लगभग किसी का ध्यान नहीं गया है। यह पड़ोसी कोमोरोस द्वीप समूह के निवासियों के लिए फ्रांसीसी द्वीप मायोटे के चुंबकीय आकर्षण के कारण है।


Celebrating Hanukkah in the time of Covid

Summary: "Today would be the kick-off day, a really big one. I'd usually be getting together with grandparents, cousins, uncles and siblings - but this year, it's really different."

Freelance writer Emma Jacobs, like many Jewish people across the UK, is preparing for a partly virtual Hanukkah. The festival, which celebrates one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history, runs this year from today until nightfall on the 18th. "Hanukkah would usually be like the Jewish version of Christmas," Emma explains. "A super-exciting day everyone looks forward to, filled with chocolate coins and presents. Not sure if that's completely for religious reasons, or just so we don't feel left out at Christmas!" Emma will have a few close family members with her, saying: "I've got the joy of still living at home for a bit, so I'm going to be having doughnuts and latke with my parents." But at the beginning of the holiday, it's traditional for the whole family to get together. "I don't know if I'm gonna have to go and throw doughnuts at my cousin and grandparents' door," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat. "But whatever it takes this year, I hope to at least be able to say 'Hanukkah sameach' to them, even if we can't light the Hanukkiah [ceremonial candle] together." Sadie Stanton, 22, is also jumping online to connect with family. "I'm at home so I'm with my immediate family. But wishing grandparents and cousins and everyone happy Hanukkah, that's going to be over Zoom." And it's not the first holiday affected by the pandemic. "We already had Passover - that was very disjointed and separated, so it's just such a shame. "I just got off the phone with my grandparents in Israel. So they're a long way from their family and they don't know when they're next going to be able to see them and this kind of brings that home." For Eve Phillips, 22, the restrictions are a chance to get back to basics. She'll be settling down to a meal with her parents in London, but not leaping on to Zoom. "Passover was way more of a big deal for us that we couldn't get to see our grandparents and cousins and stuff," she says. "Hanukkah is much more of a low-key festival. So we're very happy, just the four of us, to light candles and do the traditions, but it's not so big of a deal that we feel like we have to be online. "And also," she adds candidly, "we're zoomed out! So we have no interest in getting online." Amy's 22 and studying history at Edinburgh uni. "I have a couple of Jewish friends, and normally we'd get together," she says. "Last year we had a little Hanukkah party and made latkes and doughnuts and had them with all our friends, which is really nice - to introduce them to Jewish culture." But for Amy, there's something about the message of Hanukkah that seems especially poignant this year. "I think it's about resilience and strength. That, to me, is what Hanukkah is about, Jewish resilience. "And I guess the whole country has to be resilient right now, and kind of look to the greater good." 'We need light more than ever' And that's something Emma certainly agrees with. "It's a classic sort of 'they tried to kill us, they didn't, we survived, let's eat!' religious festival," she tells Newsbeat. "Back then, it was the Greeks against the Maccabees. Today, you could say maybe it's coronavirus against all of us. "But we've made it through what has been such a tough year, and whatever people are celebrating - whether that's Hanukkah, Christmas, Diwali or Eid - we need light and celebration more than ever. "That's the hope of the Hanukkah miracle, whether for you that is a vaccine, or the oil lasting eight days instead of one. It's something we really need now - we really need that hope." Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

"आज शुरुआत का दिन होगा, वास्तव में एक बड़ा दिन। मैं आमतौर पर दादा-दादी, चचेरे भाइयों, चाचाओं और भाई-बहनों के साथ मिलता था-लेकिन इस साल, यह वास्तव में अलग है।"


Woman dies after being hit by vehicle on Tidworth pedestrian crossing

Summary: A woman has died and another was injured after they were hit by a vehicle on a pedestrian crossing.

They were struck by a blue Volkswagen Sharan on the A338 at Tidworth, close to the Esso petrol station, at about 14:35 GMT on Tuesday. A 55-year-old woman, Ludgershall, died at the scene and a woman, in her 20s, suffered minor injuries. A woman who was driving the vehicle remained at the scene. No arrests have been made. Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone who has dashcam footage to contact them.

एक पैदल यात्री क्रॉसिंग पर एक वाहन की चपेट में आने से एक महिला की मौत हो गई और एक अन्य घायल हो गई।


Hinkley Point: Somerset economy poised for boost

Summary: The final decision over building a new £18bn nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset has been five years in the making. Now the EDF board has voted yes, thousands of firms in the West Country are hoping to reap the benefits.

So far £250m of contracts have been agreed with companies along the supply chain and plans for several hotels are already in the pipeline. There are two main aspects to the project - building the nuclear power station itself and getting the infrastructure in place. The new plant is expected to take between eight and 10 years to build and - at the peak of construction - up to 5,600 people will be working there, living in purpose-built hostels. These will be constructed in 2017, complete with football pitches and a gym. They will go to work on a fleet of buses, many of which will be run by a Somerset coach company. About 650 workers are currently on site preparing for the major construction phase. During the lifetime of the project, up to 25,000 jobs could be created, although not all of these will be at the same time. Phil Adams, economic development manager at Sedgemoor District Council, said EDF's decision would have an immediate "ripple effect" on the local economy. He said: "It will be a catalytic project and new investment will come in pretty quickly. "Many of these big contracts are sitting there just waiting to be signed. "At present Somerset's largest employment sectors are health and manufacturing, with the production of food and drink and tourism not far behind, but the construction phase will change all that. "The potential of Hinkley C has been felt for a while and local businesses have been expanding their services and increasing their staff numbers in expectation of this decision for many months." EDF has been working with the Somerset Chamber of Commerce to prepare firms in the area for work on the plant. The energy firm has held numerous meetings with hundreds of small firms, explaining what work is available, and what they need to do to win it. The result is a unique database of 3,200 firms who have been declared "fit for nuclear". Nobody is guaranteed work, but when EDF's main contractors are looking for specialist sub-contractors, they have been told to look first at this list. It covers the full range, from high tech engineers, steel fabricators, groundworks, right through to small carpenters, electricians and even taxi drivers and hairdressers. At the chamber, Chris Langdon has spent the past five years creating the supply chain database. He hopes that, as well as creating jobs in the county during the construction, Hinkley will improve skills in engineering and construction. He said: "The skill level will lift. The careers that will come out of this for young people at school today is a massive legacy for the project and for the local economy." Analysis by Dave Harvey, BBC Points West's business correspondent "Europe's largest building site will inevitably mean lots of work for local bricklayers, carpenters, electricians and digger drivers. But to build a new power station, EDF must first build a small town. For 10 years, this quiet west Somerset coastal community will be host to 5,000 builders and engineers. They will be hungry and thirsty, they will order taxis and haircuts. They will go to the cinema, go surfing, go fishing. Every corner of the Somerset economy will be changed by this £18bn project, but the real prize is the legacy. Somerset's leaders want to use Hinkley to transform the skills of their young people. Schools and colleges have been trying to inspire students to go into engineering, manufacturing, construction. As a beautiful corner of rural England hosts the world's largest privately funded nuclear build, some want Hinkley C to cause as little disruption as possible. But Somerset's business leaders want the experience to change Somerset forever. EDF has promised to spend at least £100m a year in the local economy. As well as food and transport, Somerset is hoping to use the massive building project to boost its high tech manufacturing. A group of five family-owned steel firms have come together to offer bespoke steel construction, such as the huge beams that will support the main reactor hall itself. Will Haley employs 150 people at a steel factory near Brent Knoll, in north Somerset. They already supply big construction firms, but he hopes Hinkley will boost the company's fortunes. He said: "It will take a bit of time, but over the next five to six years we plan to grow the business as Hinkley takes off, maybe by the end of it we will have doubled in size. "Somerset is a really strong place for steel, surprising though that may be." The hope is that as many as possible of the 5,600 jobs can be filled by people in the West Country. But Professor John Glasson, a consultant for EDF Energy, says just 2,000 are likely to come from within a 90-minute commute of Hinkley, mainly due to the skill set employers will require. "However, while some of the jobs will obviously be highly specialised, there will be much construction and engineering work at the nuclear reactor and there will be a variety of administrative, security and catering jobs available," said Prof Glasson, who is from the Institute of Sustainable Development at Oxford Brookes University. He said: "This will have a very significant impact for the economy as, besides direct employment, people working in the area will spend their income locally." EDF will also create 1,000 apprenticeships as well as an education programme which has been rolled out across the region's schools to inspire pupils to consider a career in the industry. In the past some business groups had raised concerns that not enough local firms would benefit from the development. But David Hall, deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development at Somerset County Council, said: "In a way the delays have actually helped us to prepare for what is to come and put us in a better position to guard against business being sub-contracted outside the area." Previously residents from Cannington and Stogursey have voiced concerns over traffic and noise from the construction site and they have been awaiting the decision with some trepidation. Many believe the resulting traffic congestion during construction could cost the Bridgwater economy £47m with the influx of workers straining the local infrastructure to breaking point.

समरसेट में हिंकले पॉइंट पर एक नए 18 बिलियन पाउंड के परमाणु ऊर्जा संयंत्र के निर्माण पर अंतिम निर्णय लेने में पांच साल हो गए हैं। अब ईडीएफ बोर्ड ने हां में मतदान किया है, पश्चिमी देश में हजारों फर्म लाभ प्राप्त करने की उम्मीद कर रहे हैं।


#BBCtrending: Do ads such as #LikeAGirl make a difference?

Summary: A video for sanitary towels is trending on YouTube. But there isn't a direct mention of the product and only a subtle reference to the brand. It's a formula that has proven to be successful for companies. So what does it say about how advertisers are using social platforms to reach new audiences?

By BBC Trending What's popular and why The video entitled #LikeAGirl was made for the brand Always, which sells feminine hygiene products. It presents itself in a candid documentary style and asks girls and boys of different ages about their understanding of what it means to be "like a girl". The filmmaker and director Lauren Greenfield says she teamed up with Always "to shed light on how this simple phrase can have a significant and long-lasting impact on girls and women." It's a transparent attempt to debunk negative stereotyping associated with femininity. You only need to glance at the online conversation ignited by this video to understand why it's been so successful. "Moving", "amazing", "wonderful", and "inspiring" have been used to to describe it. #LikeAGirl is popular because it taps into an issue that resonates with people worldwide. Gender equality is one of the most prominent topics discussed on social media - look no further than the hashtag campaigns #NotYourAsianSidekick and #YesAllWomen. Since Thursday the #LikeAGirl video has been watched more than 20 million times on YouTube and the hashtag has been used 75,000 times on Twitter. But does it do more than get clicks and start a conversation? Can it move the gender debate forward and sell products at the same time? "It's often difficult to quantify if a specific video sold more products as it will have been part of a much wider campaign. But there are examples where this has happened. The motherhood Fiat ad sold £500,000 worth of cars." says Christopher Quigley, co-founder of the Viral Ad Network (VAN). Advertising and simultaneous campaigning on social media is not new. Last year Pantene released an ad on YouTube using the hashtag #ShineStrong. It featured men and women in the same scenarios but using different words to describe them. The intention? To ignite a debate about how genders are perceived in the workplace. Perhaps the most ringing endorsement came from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg who gave it the "'Lean In' prize of the day!" It only became apparent at the end of the video that it was an ad for Pantene. "As a fundamental principle, advertisers have to respect people's time and realise that they can click away at any point," says Christopher Quigley of VAN. "As long as you've enjoyed or engaged, there's no reason why you'd have a negative reaction to the brand." So advertisers realise they can't just blatantly flog their products on social media. They're attempting to give people something extra and be part of a conversation. But there's a fine line between success and failure. This week's Twitter Q&A with the US singer Robin Thicke is a recent example of how things can go horribly wrong. Social media users are savvy and discerning which means companies have more exposure and are more exposed than ever before. Reporting by Anne-Marie Tomchak You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending All our stories are at bbc.com/trending

सैनिटरी तौलिए के लिए एक वीडियो यूट्यूब पर ट्रेंड कर रहा है। लेकिन उत्पाद का सीधा उल्लेख नहीं है और केवल ब्रांड का एक सूक्ष्म संदर्भ है। यह एक ऐसा सूत्र है जो कंपनियों के लिए सफल साबित हुआ है। तो यह इस बारे में क्या कहता है कि विज्ञापनदाता नए दर्शकों तक पहुंचने के लिए सामाजिक प्लेटफार्मों का उपयोग कैसे कर रहे हैं?


Theresa Villiers says Haass talks task 'immensely difficult'

Summary: The Northern Ireland Secretary has described the task facing the talks group to be chaired by US envoy Richard Haass as "immensely difficult."

The UK government will not be at the talks table but Theresa Villiers said Westminster has a direct interest. It may have to implement any proposals on dealing with the past. On the past, Ms Villiers said the government will never put those who uphold the law on the same footing as those who seek to destroy it. Politically motivated violence from whatever side, she told a British Irish Association meeting at Cambridge, was never justified. Ms Villiers also argues that any mechanisms for dealing with the past will need to recognise the integrity of the rule of law and not be too expensive, given the UK's current economic situation.

उत्तरी आयरलैंड के सचिव ने अमेरिकी राजदूत रिचर्ड हास की अध्यक्षता में वार्ता समूह के सामने आने वाले कार्य को "बेहद कठिन" बताया है।


#BBCtrending: The Syrian boy all 'alone' in the desert

Summary: The story of a four-year-old Syrian boy called Marwan has gone viral after a photo of him apparently arriving alone at a refugee camp was shared on social media thousands of times.

By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why But all was not what it seemed. The photograph led to criticism online and accusations of staged photo opportunities. Anne-Marie Tomchak of BBC Trending tells Ros Atkins on BBC Outside Source about the reaction to the photo. All our stories are at BBC.com/trending Follow @BBCtrending on Twitter and tweet using #BBCtrending

मारवान नामक एक चार वर्षीय सीरियाई लड़के की कहानी तब वायरल हुई जब उसकी एक शरणार्थी शिविर में अकेले पहुंचने की तस्वीर सोशल मीडिया पर हजारों बार साझा की गई।


Pwllheli youth violence prompts police dispersal order

Summary: Increasing disorder, violence and anti-social behaviour among young people in a Gwynedd town has prompted police to issue a dispersal order.

The 48-hour order will come into force for much of Pwllheli town centre on Friday at 14:000 GMT in a bid to "limit further issues for residents". Anyone asked to leave the area by police must do so and returning may result in arrest. A video of girls fighting in the street has been circulating on social media. North Wales Police has urged parents to ensure they know where there children are and make them aware of the order. Insp Lisa Jones said: "We are committed to ensure the actions of a disorderly minority do not affect our community, and we will not tolerate behaviour which brings misery to our residents." She said officers would be patrolling the area throughout the dispersal period.

ग्वेनेड शहर में युवाओं के बीच बढ़ती अव्यवस्था, हिंसा और असामाजिक व्यवहार ने पुलिस को तितर-बितर करने का आदेश जारी करने के लिए प्रेरित किया है।


D-Day: Infrared photos reveal WW2 bunkers in new light

Summary: On 6 June 1944, World War Two allied forces launched one of the most ambitious amphibious attacks in history, landing along 50 miles of the heavily fortified Normandy coast in France and creating a significant dent in Hitler's Atlantic Wall.

More than 70 years later, Lynda Laird photographed the remnants of Normandy's bunkers using infrared film, a medium used by the military in WW2 to detect camouflage by exposing a visual spectrum that's invisible to the naked eye. The images were taken along the Normandy coast, from Utah beach to Deauville. Accompanying Laird's photographs is Odette Brefort's diary entry from 6 June 1944. A member of the French Resistance, Brefort lived in Deauville throughout WW2, providing military intelligence on the German defences by drawing intricate maps to send to her comrades in Paris. Diary of Odette Brefort, 6 June 1944 "Oh, what a night! My little head is all shell-shocked. "Since midnight it's been impossible to sleep: the humming from planes, the anti-aircraft bombs, the machine gun noise. "I went downstairs because I couldn't sleep and after 15 minutes it went quiet. Thinking it would be better, I went back to bed. What a mistake! "All night, the humming from planes, it was non-stop." "What a joy when waking this morning, someone announces there was a landing at Dives." "At 8:20am a bomb falls on the Printemps store, another one on the Normandy." "By rule we don't have the right to leave Deauville, or to ride our bicycles. "The weather remained foggy until midday, the sun shone from 4pm. It must be the English who brought the clouds! The defence volunteers will be able to move freely tonight." "Around 6:00pm, what a tremendous bang! It is the Mont Canisy. The English navy must have blown up a large artillery battery that was shooting at them. It had been deafening us since this morning. I think the shot hit the target, as we can't hear a thing anymore." "What on earth will happen to us when the Navy and Air Force take care of our region? "There is no electricity. Deauville is in the dark." Photography by Lynda Laird as part of the Dans Le Noir installation.

6 जून 1944 को, द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के सहयोगी बलों ने इतिहास में सबसे महत्वाकांक्षी उभयचर हमलों में से एक शुरू किया, जो फ्रांस में भारी किलेबंदी वाले नॉरमैंडी तट के 50 मील के साथ उतरा और हिटलर की अटलांटिक दीवार में एक महत्वपूर्ण सेंध लगा दी।


Dumfries 'super school' consultation extension welcomed

Summary: A teaching union has welcomed moves to extend the consultation on proposals to develop a new super school for S4 to S6 pupils in Dumfries.

The region's education committee is to consider a recommendation to continue the process until at least next summer. It follows calls by the local branch of the EIS for more time to address concerns about the plans. Regional Secretary John Dennis said the extension would be a vital first step in restoring faith in the consultation. A public meeting was held in Dumfries on Wednesday night about the plans. They could see the four secondary schools in the town retained for S1 to S3. However, senior students would move to the new super school which would benefit from closer links to further and higher education. The consultation process had been due to run to the end of the month, but now looks likely to run until the middle of 2013.

एक शिक्षण संघ ने डमफ्रीज़ में एस4 से एस6 छात्रों के लिए एक नया सुपर स्कूल विकसित करने के प्रस्तावों पर परामर्श का विस्तार करने के कदमों का स्वागत किया है।


Islamic State: Can its savagery be explained?

Summary: Since the sudden appearance of the extremist Sunni Islamic State (IS), the group has seized headlines with a shocking level of blood-letting and cruelty - but can its savagery be explained, asks Fawaz A Gerges.

Islamic State has become synonymous with viciousness - beheadings, crucifixions, stonings, massacres, burying victims alive and religious and ethnic cleansing. While such savagery might seem senseless to the vast majority of civilised human beings, for IS it is a rational choice. It is a conscious decision to terrorise enemies and impress and co-opt new recruits. IS adheres to a doctrine of total war without limits and constraints - no such thing, for instance, as arbitration or compromise when it comes to settling disputes with even Sunni Islamist rivals. Unlike its parent organisation, al-Qaeda, IS pays no lip service to theology to justify its crimes. The violence has its roots in what can be identified as two earlier waves, though the scale and intensity of IS' brutality far exceeds either. The first wave, led by disciples of Sayyid Qutb - a radical Egyptian Islamist regarded as the master theoretician of modern jihadism - targeted pro-Western secular Arab regimes or what they called the "near enemy", and, on balance, showed restraint in the use of political violence. Beginning with the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1980, this Islamist insurgency dissipated by the end of the 1990s. It had cost some 2,000 lives and saw a large number of militants head to Afghanistan to battle a new global enemy - the Soviet Union. 'Killing machine' The Afghan jihad against the Soviets gave birth to a second wave, with a specific target - the "far enemy", or the United States and, to a lesser extent, Europe. It was spearheaded by a wealthy Saudi turned revolutionary, Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden went to great lengths to rationalise al-Qaeda's attack on the US on 11 September 2001, calling it "defensive jihad", or retaliation against perceived US domination of Muslim societies. Conscious of the importance of winning hearts and minds, Bin Laden sold his message to Muslims and even Americans as self-defence, not aggression. This kind of justification, however, carries no weight with IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who cannot care less what the world thinks of his blood-letting. In fact, he and his cohorts revel in displaying barbarity and coming across as savage. In contrast to the first two waves, IS actually stresses violent action over theology and theory, and has produced no repertoire of ideas to sustain and nourish its social base. It is a killing machine powered by blood and iron. Going beyond Bin Laden's doctrine that "when people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse", al-Baghdadi's "victory through terrorism" signals to friends and foes that IS is a winning horse. Get out of the way or you will be crushed; join our caravan and make history. Increasing evidence shows that over the past few months, hundreds, if not thousands, of diehard former Islamist enemies of IS, such as the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic Front, answered al-Baghdadi's call. 'Shock-and-awe' IS' sophisticated outreach campaign appeals to disaffected and deluded young Sunnis worldwide because it is seen as a powerful vanguard that delivers victory and salvation. Far from abhorring the group's brutality, young recruits are attracted by its shock-and-awe tactics against the enemies of Islam. Its exploits on the battlefield - especially capturing huge swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, and establishing a caliphate - resonate near and far. Nothing succeeds like success, and IS' recent military gains have brought it a recruitment bonanza. Muslim men living in Western countries join IS and other extremist groups because they feel part of a greater mission - to resurrect a lost idealised type of caliphate and be part of a tight-knit community with a potent identity. Initially, many young men from London, Berlin and Paris and elsewhere migrate to the lands of jihad to defend persecuted co-religionists, but they end up in the clutches of IS, doing its evil deeds, such as beheading innocent civilians. The drivers behind IS' unrestrained extremism can be traced to its origins with al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed by the Americans in 2006. Not unlike its predecessor, IS is nourished on an anti-Shia diet and visceral hatred of minorities in general, portraying itself as the spearhead of Sunni Arabs in the fight against sectarian-based regimes in Baghdad and Damascus. Al-Zarqawi and al-Baghdadi view Shias as infidels, a fifth column in the heart of Islam that must be wiped out - a genocidal worldview. Following in the footsteps of al-Zarqawi, al-Baghdadi ignored repeated pleas by his mentor Ayman al-Zawahiri, head of al-Qaeda, and other top militants to avoid indiscriminate killing of Shia and, instead, to attack the Shia-dominated and Alawite regimes in Iraq and Syria. Sights on US? By exploiting the deepening Sunni-Shia rift in Iraq and the sectarian civil war in Syria, al-Baghdadi has built a powerful base of support among rebellious Sunnis and has blended his group into local communities. He also restructured his military network and co-opted experienced officers of Saddam Hussein's disbanded army who turned IS into a professional sectarian fighting force. IS has so far consistently focused on the Shia and not the "far enemy". The struggle against the US and Europe is distant, not a priority; it has to await liberation at home. At the height of Israeli bombings of Gaza in August, militants on social media criticised IS for killing Muslims while doing nothing to help the Palestinians. IS retorted by saying the struggle against the Shia takes priority over everything else. Now that the US and Europe have joined the conflict against IS, the group will use all its assets in retaliation, including further beheading of hostages. There is also a growing likelihood that it will attack soft diplomatic targets in the Middle East. While it might want to stage a spectacular operation on the American or European homeland, it is doubtful that IS currently has the capabilities to carry out complex attacks like 9/11. A few months ago, in response to chatter by his followers, al-Baghdadi acknowledged that his organisation was not equipped to attack the Americans at home. He said though that he wished the US would deploy boots on the ground so that IS could directly engage the Americans - and kill them. Fawaz A Gerges holds the Emirates Chair in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is author of several books, including Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy.

चरमपंथी सुन्नी इस्लामिक स्टेट (आईएस) के अचानक प्रकट होने के बाद से, समूह ने रक्तपात और क्रूरता के एक चौंकाने वाले स्तर के साथ सुर्खियां बटोरी हैं-लेकिन क्या इसकी बर्बरता को समझाया जा सकता है, फवाज़ ए गेर्जेस पूछते हैं।


Parliamentary sessions curtailed by change in drinking culture

Summary: Eric Joyce's admission that he assaulted four politicians in a Commons bar is just the latest episode in the colourful history of Parliament's watering holes, which have fuelled gossip, killed careers and occasionally broken out in song.

By Ben WrightPolitical correspondent, BBC News Clement Atlee knew that subsidised alcohol, late-night sittings, absent families, thwarted ambition and boredom can make a dangerous brew. His advice to new Labour MPs was simple: stay out of the bars. But for decades before and since, MPs have ignored his warning, preferring to drink their way through Westminster life in the convivial comfort of its numerous saloons. The Houses of Parliament has the feel of a cruise ship, with different watering holes for its various passengers branching off the carpeted corridors. There's the Smoking Room, the traditional haunt for Tory drinkers but where a corner was kept for Nye Bevan. There's a Bishops' bar, a Lords bar and a press bar where Neil Kinnock used to lead renditions of Cwm Rhondda. Annie's bar is no more and politicians and journalists now lubricate their gossip in the Strangers' Bar. It used to be known as the Kremlin because it was where Labour MPs and trade unionists went to sink ales from the North East. It's seen many a drunken skirmish over the years and there was once a little arrow nailed to the wall two inches off the floor - directions for MPs who were crawling out on their hands and knees. Culture change And on a warm summer's evening MPs can be seen burbling with contentment on the Commons terrace. From there, the former SDLP MP Gerry Fitt used to wave great glasses of gin and tonic to the passengers on passing pleasure boats saying, "It's free, it's all free!" It was after a heavy session on the terrace in the summer of 2010 that the new Conservative MP Mark Reckless hit the headlines and had to apologise for missing an early morning vote on the Budget. There is a long history of drinking in Parliament. In 1666, Pepys's diary records a pair of drunk MPs causing chaos in the Commons. Three hundred years later Lord Owen had to revive an MP who had collapsed from drink, and over the years successive Speakers have battled to bring order to a late-night Commons chamber filled with boisterous, boozy MPs. But it's not all convivial bonhomie. Drink has killed off the careers of prominent politicians such as George Brown and Charles Kennedy and has caused the deaths of several MPs. Last year the new Conservative MP and former GP Sarah Wollaston said the drinking culture she had witnessed in Westminster needed to change: "Who would go to see a surgeon who had just drunk a bottle of wine at lunchtime? But we fully accept that MPs are perfectly capable of performing as MPs, despite some of them drinking really quite heavily." Until the early 1990s it was a common sight to see MPs sliding down the walls during a late-night sitting. The bars were the refuge for the bored backbencher. But in the last 20 years the political drinking culture has changed. Damage of drink "Red or white?" used to be the traditional way to start a Westminster lunch. Now the dining journalist and politician are likely to restrict themselves to, "Still or sparkling?". The boozy lunch has largely gone, and so has widespread heavy drinking among Members of Parliament. Today, pop into their office block in Portcullis House to see the professional politicians tapping away on their iPads and knocking back lattes. The working life of an MP has changed and sobriety in the Commons has increased. Politicians I've spoken to in researching my book say it's down to shorter working days, fewer late-night sittings, more women in Parliament and greater awareness of the damage drink can do. There was a time when a drunk MP would not have been newsworthy, when the masonic understanding between political journalists and their parliamentary contacts could have kept it quiet. Not today. Ben Wright is writing a book on the history of politics and alcohol to be published later this year.

एरिक जॉयस का यह स्वीकार करना कि उन्होंने कॉमन्स बार में चार राजनेताओं पर हमला किया, संसद के रंगीन इतिहास की नवीनतम घटना है, जिसने गपशप को बढ़ावा दिया है, करियर को मार डाला है और कभी-कभी गीत में टूट गया है।


Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge to be repainted

Summary: Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge is to undergo repairs and be repainted as part of its refurbishment.

The work to the Grade II-listed bridge is set to start on Monday and will see repairs made to its steel work. It is part of a £2.6m project funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. Engineer Rodger Wakerley, from Taziker Industrial Ltd said the work may cause "slight disruption" but was hoping to "minimise the inconvenience to users". The bridge was last painted in 2003.

मिडल्सब्रो के ट्रांसपोर्टर ब्रिज की मरम्मत की जानी है और इसके नवीनीकरण के हिस्से के रूप में इसे फिर से चित्रित किया जाना है।


Covid in Scotland data: What's happening in the community?

Summary: More data than ever before is available about how coronavirus has affected individual neighbourhoods across Scotland. From case levels, to deaths, we can now drill down and analyse how these 1,279 communities have been impacted. Here are six things we've learned from the latest batch of figures.

By Marc EllisonData journalist, BBC Scotland 1. The neighbourhood with the highest death rate One in every 100 people has died from coronavirus in the Edinburgh neighbourhood of Liberton West. This is the highest death rate in any of the 1,279 intermediate zones across Scotland. These zones are the statistical small geographical areas designed to contain a population of between 2,500 and 6,000 household residents. It is one of the least deprived parts of Edinburgh and its high level contrasts with the relatively low figures of neighbouring Liberton East where there have been five deaths. However, a single care home - which saw 19 deaths linked to Covid - feeds into the 36 fatalities recorded in the area. 2. The deprivation factor After Liberton West, the next three zones with the highest death rates are all in the most deprived parts of the country. Burnbank South (901 deaths per 100,000 people), Drumchapel South (787), and Irvine Fullarton (766) are all in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland. This new data appears to corroborate an academic study from last year that argued those living in the poorest areas were more likely to die or be admitted to ICU. 3. Average deaths Nearly a quarter of all the 6,834 coronavirus-related deaths reported in 2020 were in the most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland. On average seven people died in one of these zones from coronavirus, compared with five in the most affluent areas; 4. December increases December saw huge rises in death figures for a number of zones across Scotland. Between 30 November and New Year's Eve, deaths jumped by 1900% in Glenrothes Woodside (Fife), by 1300% in Crathes (Aberdeenshire), and 900% in Stonehaven North (Aberdeenshire). The average national increase during this period was 27%. 5. New coronavirus hotspot While the number of new positive cases appears to be decreasing overall across Scotland, an interactive dashboard shows there are still notable hotspots like Barra and South Uist. This Western Isles zone had not reported any new cases for the 12 weeks before 6 January. The community now has the highest case rate in Scotland with 37 new cases in the last days - that's 1.2 cases per 100 people. As a result Barra was moved into level four this week. 6. Localised 'third waves' The latest Public Health Scotland data also shows the resurgence of high rates in some Scottish zones such as Milton East (Glasgow), and Langholm and Eskdale (Dumfries and Galloway). Following a brief decline the dashboard shows the latter neighbourhood had a higher rate on 17 January than it did on 6 January.

कोरोना वायरस ने पूरे स्कॉटलैंड में अलग-अलग पड़ोस को कैसे प्रभावित किया है, इसके बारे में पहले से कहीं अधिक डेटा उपलब्ध है। मामलों के स्तर से लेकर मौतों तक, अब हम अध्ययन कर सकते हैं और विश्लेषण कर सकते हैं कि ये 1,279 समुदाय कैसे प्रभावित हुए हैं। यहाँ छह चीजें हैं जो हमने नवीनतम आंकड़ों से सीखी हैं।


The Swansea Bay tidal lagoon: What happens next?

Summary: The newspapers have delivered their verdict. Tidal lagoon 'would need large subsidy' to cut costs - The Times . Swansea Tidal cost claims crumble under questioning - The Daily Telegraph .

David CornockParliamentary correspondent, Wales Both reports of Wednesday's committee hearing at Westminster will add to the frustration already felt at Tidal Lagoon Power's Gloucester headquarters, although that might be lessened slightly by the Telegraph website's inability to spell its chief executive's name correctly. Mark Shorrock's admission that the project could only match the cost of energy produced at Hinkley Point through Welsh Government investment prompted BEIS committee chair Rachel Reeves to question whether this was an "additional subsidy" on top of that required through the contract for difference. While Mark Shorrock was largely among friends - some MPs told him their constituents were rather keen on the project - Ms Reeves raised the bar for scrutiny by challenging Mr Shorrock on his sums and the way he made them add up. Brecon and Radnorshire MP Chris Davies (a parliamentary aide at the Wales Office) joined in: "Whichever way it's packaged this is taxpayers' money coming from Westminster which goes to the Welsh Assembly which is then being repackaged, which is then coming in as an additional taxpayers' allowance to your lagoon - do you think that's fair on the taxpayer?" Mr Shorrock (unsurprisingly) replied: "I don't see it like that. I see it as the Welsh Government making a commercial investment. They're making a return and what they're really doing is they're creating an enormous new industry for jobs." Former Energy Minister Charles Hendry repeated the cost comparison he made in his review published 16 months ago. "It is a pint of milk a year for 30 years," he told the MPs. "It is 30p a year." Mr Hendry is probably paying around 40% less than the rest of us for his milk and his argument was challenged by Richard Howard of Aurora Energy Research who said that "pint of milk" added up to tens of millions of pounds a year. Mr Howard wondered why there was no representative of consumers on the panel of four. Having allocated only an hour to grill four panellists that might have made proper scrutiny even more challenging. Wednesday's was the first session in this inquiry, although some MPs appear to have made up their minds already. Both Geraint Davies and Tonia Antoniazzi stressed the local support for the scheme. 'Expensive' The morning afterwards, Ms Antoniazzi told the Commons: "In Swansea and Gower, we are absolutely desperate for some good news, following the tragic job losses this week. Please can we have some good news for south Wales, and please will the Leader of the House find time to discuss the urgency of a decision on the tidal lagoon?" Andrea Leadsom was sympathetic but reminded MPs it is "a very expensive and complex project". So what happens next? Ministers from the Welsh and UK governments are due to be questioned but there is no agreed date yet - it is unlikely to before the Whitsun recess. Could an announcement be made before then? There have been rumours that the go-ahead could be announced at the Welsh Conservative conference on May 18. That may prove to be another false deadline, rather like previous spending reviews and Budgets, but I could be wrong. The lack of contact between Tidal Lagoon Power and ministers suggests an announcement is not imminent although much of the work is being done by officials. Charles Hendry said he wasn't disappointed by the delay as we are now "nearing the end game". As the MPs took evidence, Energy Minister Lord Henley said the UK government will give its response to the Hendry review "shortly" - which is an update on the usual "in due course". My colleague Steffan Messenger has a comprehensive report on Wednesday's hearing here. You can also listen to my report for Radio 4's Yesterday in Parliament here (it's 24 minutes into the programme).

समाचार पत्रों ने अपना निर्णय दे दिया है। ज्वारीय लैगून को लागत में कटौती करने के लिए 'बड़ी सब्सिडी की आवश्यकता होगी'-द टाइम्स। स्वानसी टाइडल लागत के दावे पूछताछ के तहत टूट जाते हैं-द डेली टेलीग्राफ।


Men jailed after Bordesley Green bus stop attack

Summary: Two men have been jailed, after a bus stop robbery in which a man with a walking stick was beaten to the floor with a metal bar.

The victim aged 56 had been at a bus stop in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, in July, police said, when he was approached by men demanding cash. Tayub Zaman, 25, pleaded guilty to assault with intent and possession of an offensive weapon. Kyle Causer, 25, admitted intent to rob and having an offensive weapon. Zaman of Cherrywood Road, Bordesley Green, was sentenced to four years and six months at Birmingham Crown Court. He also admitted charges of driving without a licence and driving without insurance. Causer, of HMP Stoke Heath, received four years and four months. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.

एक बस स्टॉप डकैती के बाद दो लोगों को जेल भेज दिया गया है, जिसमें चलने वाली छड़ी वाले एक व्यक्ति को धातु की छड़ से फर्श पर पीटा गया था।


Palmyra's recapture a psychological boost for fight against IS

Summary: The retaking of Palmyra by the Syrian army ends 10 months of occupation by the so-called Islamic State (IS). It is an important step in the containment and eventual defeat of the jihadist group that has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq.

By Michael StephensRoyal United Services Institute It may not mean the end for IS, whose heartlands of Raqqa, Deir Ezzor, and Mosul remain safe havens, but it is a step in chipping away at the group's power base, both geographically and strategically, as well as debasing the myth that the caliphate's armies are all-conquering and unable to be defeated. Quite apart from protecting its beauty and historic importance - which IS forces have shown no respect for - reversing the fall of Palmyra is psychologically important. The fall of the town and its historic sites to IS in May 2015 had much the same psychological effect as when IS forces rolled into Ramadi in Iraq the same month. Having suffered territorial defeats in Baiji, Tikrit, Kobani and Hassakah, IS was able to rebound almost immediately by taking both towns. In both cases, the forces of the Syrian and Iraqi state crumbled before their advance. At the time it seemed that IS could always appear on the front foot, absorbing defeats but then rebounding and outmanoeuvring its rivals at a time and place of its choosing. Palmyra's fall was a huge blow to the momentum built up by the counter-IS coalition and undoubtedly pushed back estimations of the jihadists' demise by months, if not years. That Ramadi and Palmyra are now out of IS hands, without successful counter-offensives ruining the momentum, is an extremely positive sign. There is little doubt that the noose is tightening around IS and the group is clearly on the defensive. Make no mistake, IS is still a hugely dangerous beast, able to kill innocent civilians through its relentless use of suicide bombs, most recently at a football match in Baghdad. Its forces use chemical weapons, as residents on the outskirts of Kirkuk have recently discovered, and it still retains tens of thousands of armed personnel, able to defend its key heartlands for some time to come. This is a particularly dangerous moment. As IS is forced onto the back foot it will try to strike back, wherever and however it can to keep alive its fading aura of power and invincibility. Unfortunately this suggests that the group will aim to repeat and inspire attacks globally such as occurred most recently in Belgium and Istanbul. The other problem, of course, is that it was not the counter-IS coalition or its allies that defeated the group in Palmyra, but the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backers, both of whom are opposed by many key countries participating in the anti-IS coalition. With the current political negotiations about the future of Syria's broken politics making slow headway in Geneva, President Assad will no doubt use the advance in Palmyra to strengthen his argument that he is the only player in Syria that is truly "fighting terrorism", and that he must be allowed to stay in order to finish the job properly. This is a difficult argument to stomach, particularly for Western nations who have repeatedly stated that the president must leave power, and especially for the Gulf States who heavily back opposition groups fighting him, and who believe that IS's continued strength is drawn from its position as a protector of the Sunnis from the oppression of President Assad and Iran. How the counter-IS mission handles the next steps will be critical. If President Assad's forces - battered after five years of war - can successfully use Russian airpower to push on east towards Raqqa, and arrive at the city before the forces backed by the coalition do, then it will most likely melt the glue holding the fragile anti-IS coalition together. It is an unlikely scenario, due to the current weaknesses of the Syrian army, but it bears thinking about. Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have promised to commit troops to the fight against IS if called upon, but Mr Assad's forces getting in ahead of them will more or less cement his rule over the country once more. It would be a painful defeat for the Gulf in particular, and embarrassing for Western nations who are so determined to see Mr Assad leave. There is no doubt that time is on the regime's side. Safe from imminent collapse following a massive influx of Russian airpower last September, the regime is under no pressure to compromise at the negotiating table. The key for the anti-Assad opposition will be to show their continued support for the fight against IS as well, which would undercut Mr Assad's appeal as the natural ally of all those seeking IS's demise. A recent UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee report suggested that now is the time for the anti-regime rebels and Mr Assad to put their differences aside and finish IS off once and for all. In fact, this may be the opposition's best bet to remain relevant and effective on the ground, while simultaneously keeping its hopes in the political track alive. Nevertheless, the galvanising effect the re-conquest of Palmyra will have on the beleaguered Assad regime will be significant, and unfortunately we should expect no significant progress in peace talks as the regime looks to cement its legitimacy, politically and militarily.

सीरियाई सेना द्वारा पाल्मायरा पर फिर से कब्जा करने से तथाकथित इस्लामिक स्टेट (आईएस) का 10 महीने का कब्जा समाप्त हो गया है। यह सीरिया और इराक के कई हिस्सों पर कब्जा करने वाले जिहादी समूह की रोकथाम और अंततः हार की दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है।


Belfast traders split on relaxing Sunday trading hours

Summary: Retail organisations are split on Belfast relaxing Sunday trading hours.

By Julian O'NeillBBC News NI Business Correspondent A city council consultation ends this week on whether to designate Belfast a holiday resort, which would allow all-day opening on 18 days a year. Belfast Chamber of Commerce supports the move, believing it would boost retail spending and create jobs. However, Retail NI, which represents small traders, fears it could be exploited by supermarkets and has "serious concerns." The move is also opposed by the shop workers' union, Usdaw It has requested a meeting with the council on 19 May, when a council committee is due to deliberate the move. The proposal could see large shops in Belfast having their trading hours extended on up to 18 Sundays between 1 March and 30 September each year. The step is made possible by designating the city as a holiday resort under legislation from 1997. Last year, a council paper stated there was "a strong lobby" to review Sunday trading, currently permitted from 13:00-18:00. It said the move would boost the economy, benefit tourism and support the regeneration of the city centre. Usdaw general secretary John Hannett said the current trading arrangements were a "fair compromise". "Many shop workers, particularly parents, tell us how important Sunday is to them and their family," he said. "Often it is the one day of the week when everyone can sit down together for a meal, with many saying they needed the time on Sunday to help their children prepare for the school week."

बेलफास्ट में रविवार के कारोबारी घंटों में ढील देते हुए खुदरा संगठन विभाजित हैं।


Man charged with murder, abduction and two rapes

Summary: A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a woman at a house in Falkirk in the early hours of Friday morning.

Steven Mathieson, 38, was also charged with abducting and raping two women. He made no plea or declaration during a brief hearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court and was remanded in custody. The dead woman was found in a bedroom of a house in the town's Springfield Drive at 00:30. Mr Mathieson is alleged to have carried out the crimes at his home. A Crown Office spokesman said he faced one charge of murder, two of abduction, and two of rape. He is expected to appear in court again on 16 December.

फ़ाल्किर्क में शुक्रवार की सुबह एक घर में एक महिला की हत्या के आरोप में एक व्यक्ति अदालत में पेश हुआ है।


A468 Machen crash: Man arrested after pedestrian killed

Summary: A man has been arrested after a pedestrian died when he was hit by a car in south Wales.

The pedestrian, a 30-year-old man from Cwmbran, was hit by a black Mercedes AMG on the A468 between Caerphilly and Newport at about 20:35 GMT on Friday. A 25-year-old man from the Newport area has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in police custody. Part of the road, known as the "Machen straight", was closed until Saturday. Gwent Police is appealing for witnesses to get in touch.

साउथ वेल्स में एक कार की चपेट में आने से एक पैदल यात्री की मौत के बाद एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Ayrton Senna: Racing legend's Norwich years

Summary: Ayrton Senna became a sporting legend thanks to his exploits on the Formula 1 circuit, winning trophies around the world before his death 20 years ago this month. Some people chart his road to success back to his time spent racing in Norfolk in the early 1980s. So how did a young Brazilian driver find himself in a rural county known for mustard, bird-watching and The Broads?

By Paul Hayes and Zoe ApplegateBBC Radio Norfolk Nestled on the edge of a seemingly unremarkable housing estate on the edge of Norwich is a small semi-detached bungalow. Rugge Drive, in Eaton, looks like any other in the city's suburbs, with a mix of 1960s houses and bungalows lining the quiet crescent. But one home, halfway down the street, is a little different from all the rest. In 1981 three-time world champion Ayrton Senna rented the two-bedroom bungalow during the Formula Ford racing season. No-one was to know about the spectacular feats he would later achieve and it would seem his presence went unnoticed by neighbours. Donald Campbelton bought his house in 1965 opposite the bungalow but did not know he had once lived near a sporting superstar. "The house didn't have a big board outside saying he lived there," he said. "I didn't have a clue, not that I was much of a racing fan. I was busy working." 'Mind-blowing' Two doors down, Jason Skyring, 30, was equally surprised that his grandparents had once shared the road address of a racing legend. "It's mind-blowing," he said. "I've lived here all my life and it's the first I've heard of it." Senna lived at the house while driving for Ralph Firman's Van Diemen company, according to Tom Rubython's biography, The Life of Senna. The company, based 18 miles away at Snetterton circuit, had a reputation for making the best cars in Formula Ford. It was the first step for drivers moving from junior karting events into professional racing. Brazilian talent Dennis Rushen, whose Rushen Green Racing team was also at Snetterton, often collaborated with Mr Firman. It was a foreign driver who told the pair about a star coming up the karting ranks. "Ralph asked me to run this young chap called Chico Serra, and we won all the English championships," said Mr Rushen. "Chico said to me 'I'm quite quick, aren't I?' And I went 'Well, yes you are, you win everything.' "He said 'Well, one day, I'm going to bring someone over who's proper quick'. "That was the first thing I knew about Senna. He didn't even say his name, but he gave me the nod that there was someone special coming from Brazil." "I never had any qualms about whether he was going to be very special," said Mr Firman. "It took him two or three races to understand a car is not the same as a kart, but once he got the hang of it there was no stopping him, that was it, just win win." After his Formula Ford successes, Senna worked his way through the series before reaching Formula 1 where he drove for Team Lotus, based at Hethel in Norfolk. Clive Chapman, the son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman, said Senna's three years at Norfolk's top Grand Prix outfit were their final glory days. 'Lotus legend' "He was the last driver to win a Grand Prix for Team Lotus," said Mr Chapman. "He really extended the Lotus legend beyond just my father." In 1988 Senna moved to McLaren, and his association with Norfolk ended as he became a superstar before his death aged 34. But he is still fondly remembered in Norfolk by those who knew him well. "Very straight, very honest, and he said what he meant. He was a gentleman," said Mr Firman. The Boy From Brazil, the story of Ayrton Senna in Norfolk, will be broadcast on BBC Radio Norfolk on Monday 5 May at 12:00 BST.

फॉर्मूला 1 सर्किट पर अपने कारनामों के कारण एर्टन सेना एक खेल के दिग्गज बन गए, जिन्होंने इस महीने 20 साल पहले अपनी मृत्यु से पहले दुनिया भर में ट्राफियां जीती थीं। कुछ लोग सफलता के लिए अपना रास्ता 1980 के दशक की शुरुआत में नॉरफ़ॉक में रेसिंग में बिताए समय की ओर मोड़ते हैं। तो फिर एक युवा ब्राज़ीलियाई ड्राइवर ने खुद को एक ग्रामीण काउंटी में कैसे पाया जो सरसों, पक्षी देखने और द ब्रॉड के लिए जाना जाता है?


Can the Commonwealth be good for post-Brexit Britain?

Summary: China understands the value of the Commonwealth. Between 2006 and 2016, the country's total trade with the historic organisation of 53 nations grew by 8.4 times and is now valued at nearly £200bn. That's an awful lot of power plants, motorways, food, steel and solar panels.

Kamal AhmedFormer economics editor@bbckamalon Twitter This week leaders of the Commonwealth, which accounts for a third of the world's population (and 40% of people under the age of 30), gather in London for the latest Heads of Government summit. Alongside protecting the oceans and international development support, trade and investment will be high on the agenda. Prime Minister Theresa May is scheduled to speak at the opening business forum on Monday, and will make much of the commercial opportunities available to the Commonwealth club. Read more from Kamal here With Britain officially scheduled to leave the European Union next year, one question has regularly cropped up in the Brexit debate. If the UK needs to play a greater role on the world stage, isn't the Commonwealth a ready-made springboard - a grouping of countries with broadly the same legal structures and democratic outlooks that are ideal partners for a post-EU Britain? Shouldn't the UK be seeking out some of the success China has so clearly had? The simple answer is yes. Trade with "the Commonwealth" - and particularly its substantial African and Asian members such as Nigeria and India - has often fallen short of expectations, given the historic ties between Britain and the rest of the organisation. But whatever successes may be ahead, it is important to keep the potential in perspective. After all, Commonwealth nations take just 9% of UK exports of goods and services, while the EU takes 43%. The organisation is also not a formal trading alliance with the same powers as or global heft of the EU. Critics of those that argue the Commonwealth may be able to replace any lost trade with the EU point out that being a member of both is not mutually incompatible. Indeed, many Commonwealth countries such as India backed the UK remaining in the EU, seeing it as good for Indian businesses that use Britain as a base for European operations. According to a recent report by the Bruegel think tank, trade between countries such as India and the 27 nations of the remaining EU has tripled since 2000. At the same time, UK-India trade has stayed "largely static", revealing that the "Commonwealth effect" is often over-played. 'Incredibly important' The Commonwealth leadership itself is also careful to keep its distance from the Brexit debate. I asked the Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, whether leaving the EU might be good for UK-Commonwealth trade as Britain would be freer to sign new free trade deals with members. Indeed, Canada, the second most valuable Commonwealth member to the UK in terms of trade (Australia is first), has already signalled that any new free trade deal with Britain could have more impact than the Canada-EU agreement. "I think Britain is an incredibly important member of the Commonwealth," she said. "And whether Britain decided to say within or without the EU, that relationship with the Commonwealth was always going to be there. "Now there's a strong argument to say that no longer being part of the EU could give the UK - if it chose - greater liberality in the way in which it did deals. But you'll know that there are many advantages and disadvantages [of Brexit]." Baroness Scotland added: "The good thing is, whether the UK was within the EU or without the EU, the Commonwealth [trade] advantage would and is still there, and I'm delighted that the spotlight now is on the advantage." The Commonwealth secretariat claims that intra-Commonwealth trade could increase to $1trn (£700bn) by 2020 - well above the $560bn recorded in 2016. New trade finance facilities to be agreed at this week's summit in London and new free trade agreements between a selection of Commonwealth nations (such as the African Continental Free Trade Area) should help. And the more free trade there is within the Commonwealth - which is instinctively non-protectionist - the more the UK can gain. Britain is the leading source of "greenfield investment" funding within the organisation, for example. "I think that's really exciting when you think about what a troubled and troubling time we live in," Baroness Scotland said about intra-Commonwealth trade growth. "And the fact that all these countries speak the same language, have the same political opportunities in terms of democracy and institutions and share the same common law, it's a real platform to go forward. And I don't think the world has needed the Commonwealth more than it needs it now." That is possibly especially true for post-Brexit Britain.

चीन राष्ट्रमंडल के मूल्य को समझता है। 2006 और 2016 के बीच, 53 देशों के ऐतिहासिक संगठन के साथ देश का कुल व्यापार 8.4 गुना बढ़ गया और अब इसका मूल्य लगभग 200 अरब पाउंड हो गया है। यह बिजली संयंत्रों, मोटरवे, खाद्य, इस्पात और सौर पैनलों की एक भयानक संख्या है।