Net neutrality: The internet holds its breath

Summary: The term "net neutrality" was first deployed 15 years ago, and is commonly used to refer to the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally.

Dave LeeNorth America technology reporter But later this Thursday, a vote will almost certainly reinterpret an older law used to underpin how it is applied in the US - ending a ban on internet service providers (ISPs) being able to put the brakes on some websites' data and accelerate others'. Some believe that threatens the very fabric of the internet. Like many of the great American laws, the Communications Act of 1934 was written by a bunch of men who had absolutely no idea what they were doing. That's not a criticism. Who could have foreseen, as they put pen to paper, that one day their words would be used to govern how bits and bytes are streamed and downloaded, through copper, glass and radio-waves, under and overground, across our oceans and even into space? Sometimes, though, the most effective laws are about establishing a broad principle - in this case the idea that companies providing telecommunications must do so without discrimination. Should that rule - known as Title II - apply to the companies that provide Americans with the internet? It did, but now it won't. The pioneers of the internet are unequivocal: losing net neutrality will be nothing short of a catastrophe, for innovation, free speech and free expression. Yet the man orchestrating the change calls that notion "hysteria". We're about to find out who's right. Will untying the ISPs hands foster innovation, or cause the wider industry to hit the buffers? Verizon's puppet? The decision will be made on Thursday by the five-person board at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It will almost certainly, barring a last-minute unexpected twist, vote to overturn a decision in 2015 that said Title II should apply to internet service providers. Since President Trump took office, the balance of power at the FCC has shifted to the Republicans. And this vote was brought to the front of the agenda by Ajit Pai, the president's pick to be the FCC's chairman. Mr Pai has been on the FCC board for more than five years. He's had a career mostly in government, aside from a period beginning in February 2001, when he worked at Verizon as a lawyer. "Ah ha!" say campaigners, who believe Mr Pai's past is an obvious conflict of interest and the motivation behind this move. Verizon, one of the biggest telecoms companies in the world, stands to benefit greatly from a loss of net neutrality. But conversely, who better to know how the companies will react than a man who knows the business intimately? The perceived line between expertise and vested interest is extremely thin. In a brazen after-dinner speech last week, Mr Pai responded to the negative claims by mocking them. He showed a video comedy skit in which he attends a fictional meeting with a Verizon lawyer. "We want to brainwash and groom a Verizon puppet to install as FCC chairman," the lawyer says to Mr Pai. "Awesome," he replies. Hopes and fears Net neutrality campaigners say losing net neutrality will mean internet service providers will be free to trample all over the open web, slowing down services they don't like, and speeding up ones they do. Campaigners fear we now face an internet where you pay more to use things like Netflix, or that companies may be strong-armed into paying ISPs in order to maintain good access to their product, making things difficult for new companies who can't afford to pay for preferential treatment. On a broader level, those who support net neutrality argue that free speech could be adversely impacted, with ISPs able to hinder access to things the firms' owners do not agree with, or are under pressure to quash. The internet, for all its faults, has thrived as a level playing field. But supporters of removing net neutrality - the ISPs, mostly - argue the regulation stifles their ability to invest and innovate. They say concerns about unfair throttling and control are overblown. Besides, this is a free market - consumers can dictate what corporations do by voting with their wallets. A throttled future The notion that there is meaningful competition for internet access in America is laughable. The big players, Verizon, AT&T and Comcast, connect almost every American to the internet, but do so without significant overlap. In its most recent data (June 2016), the FCC determined that more than 50 million homes in the US had only one choice of internet provider if they wanted fast broadband, considered to be 25Mbps or above. "The marketplace isn’t sufficiently combative to make those kind of arguments," said Doug Sicker, head of engineering at Carnegie Mellon, and the FCC's former chief technology officer. It's unreasonable, then, to think that typical forces will mean ISPs are compelled to make choices that please their customers in case they up and leave for another ISP. It paves the way for campaigners' nightmare scenario, best illustrated by a tweet from Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna. He shared, as others have in the past, a "menu" from Portuguese provider MEO. It showed how unlimited use of certain services, such as "social" and "music", were offered as paid add-ons for mobile data subscriptions. Will ISPs in the US try to create parallel bundles-with-benefits for broadband? They insist not. "Will Comcast block or throttle access to internet sites? No." reads a pledge from the company. It adds that it will not engage in any paid prioritisation - that is, deals with companies to make their services faster at the expense of others. Verizon too has promised to uphold principles of the "open internet", arguing net neutrality isn't changing at all. But FCC's wording is perfectly clear. If internet providers want to throttle traffic, there is nothing stopping them - as long as they are transparent. "Those obligations include publicly providing information concerning an ISP’s practices with respect to blocking, throttling, paid prioritization, and congestion management," the FCC explained. "Should an ISP fail to make the required disclosures - either in whole or in part - the FCC will take enforcement action." Trickle-down internet According to the Center for Responsive Politics, $101m (£75.2m) has been spent by the telecoms industry in wooing the 535 members of Congress for a variety of reasons, not just net neutrality. There is no obvious partisan divide when it comes to campaign contributions - of the top four highest "earners", two are Republicans, and two are Democrats. The man who has received the most money from the industry is Republican John McCain, though there's a simple explanation for that: he's been there the longest. Though when it comes to arguing on net neutrality, Democrats have typically been in favour of net neutrality, while Republicans, with a few exceptions, haven't. Republicans like to be considered the pro-business party, and the pro-business argument for ditching net neutrality is one of investment and innovation. The ISPs, and trade organisations that represent telecoms interests, argue that until 2015, when the Democrat-controlled FCC went down strict on net neutrality, the internet was doing just fine. "For decades, the internet flourished under a bipartisan regulatory approach that allowed it to operate, grow and succeed free of unnecessary government controls," Verizon says. Investment could mean faster roll out of super-high speed fibre internet. Or, more pressingly, it could improve connections for people in rural America who barely have any kind of internet at all. But this would require that the ISPs choose to spend money in this way. The FCC's move doesn't involve any requirement to commit to investment in internet, rural or otherwise. The new players Another argument put forth by Mr Pai is that new internet providers could emerge, widening the choice for Americans getting online. He said he spoke to five small ISPs that all welcomed his plans. "One constant theme I heard was how Title II had slowed investment and injected regulatory uncertainty into their business plans," Mr Pai said in a statement. "In short, heavy-handed regulation is making it harder for smaller providers to close the digital divide in rural America." Yet that view contradicts the one expressed by no less than 30 small ISPs this past summer. In a letter to Mr Pai, they collectively said they had "long supported network neutrality as a core principle for the deployment of networks for the American public to access the Internet". Mr Sicker, formerly of the FCC, told the BBC he did not see small, local ISPs sweeping the nation to offer Americans better choice. "It would only likely happen in the same places where there is the most competition already," he said. "That doesn’t solve the problem for rural America and other areas that don’t have the same density. There might be some segments of America where people stand up, but I don’t think this will be nationwide." Also unclear is how this might impact the global picture, given the US's important role in dictating trends and governance of a platform it ultimately invented. European Union rules to protect net neutrality, put in place in 2016, were heralded as a "triumph" by digital rights campaigners. The changes in the US will not directly affect users outside of the country, but will further underline the philosophical differences between the American and European approach to digital rights. A vicious campaign The process leading up to this change has been grubby. New York's district attorney alleges that there were two million "fake" submissions, some using identities of dead New Yorkers, made to the FCC consultation. It accused the FCC of refusing to investigate - and demanded the vote be postponed until the "massive fraud" had been looked into. In May, as TV comedian John Oliver ran a segment about the issue urging viewers to send the FCC their view, the commission's website was inaccessible. The FCC said it was "attacked". In a joint letter this week, internet pioneers called for the vote's cancellation, saying the move was pushed through without consultation with appropriate experts and managed by people who simply did not know what they are doing. Mr Pai received threats towards his family, including signs outside his home. A man in Syracuse was arrested after making death threats against a senator. In short, the subject has very quickly became extremely politically charged and vicious. The undeniable result: a complete shut down of constructive dialogue on what could be a defining decision in the internet's history. Stopping the pendulum Several things could happen from here. Court challenges could delay implementation of the FCC's rules, or overturn them altogether. If President Trump - or another Republican candidate - fails to win in 2020, a Democrat-controlled FCC could simply overturn this ruling once again. Creating a political football out of net neutrality, a pendulum that swings with each new administration, could be causing the most harm to the internet economy. "Congressional action is the only way to solve the endless back and forth on net neutrality rules that we’ve seen over the past several years," argues Senator John Thune, a Republican. "So many of us in Congress already agree on many of the principles of net neutrality. "If Republicans and Democrats have the political support to work together on such a compromise, we can enact a regulatory framework that will stand the test of time." Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370

"नेट न्यूट्रैलिटी" शब्द को पहली बार 15 साल पहले लागू किया गया था, और आमतौर पर इस विचार को संदर्भित करने के लिए उपयोग किया जाता है कि सभी इंटरनेट ट्रैफ़िक को समान रूप से माना जाना चाहिए।


Analysis: Valleys jobs focus looks closer to home

Summary: When the first valleys initiative was launched nearly 30 years ago, there was a strong theme running through these south Wales communities - the sharp decline in coal and the loss of many, many thousands of jobs.

By Sarah DickinsBBC Wales economics correspondent However, there is a big question about whether an all-Valleys approach makes sense today. What unites them? Does it still make sense to have an economic strategy with such a geographical identity? Life in various valleys communities today is varied and within each community there are pockets of poverty and pockets of prosperity. This was highlighted by a recent so-called "deep place" study into Pontypool by Dr Mark Lang. However, there are clearly still serious economic challenges in the valleys and the taskforce has been gathering the opinions of people living in those communities. The minister responsible, Alun Davies, who represents one of the poorest valleys constituencies in Blaenau Gwent, has already said one message from communities was that there are not enough jobs near enough to home and there are too many zero-hour contracts and agency work. He has clearly listened not just to people on the ground but to academics such as Prof Karel Williams and Dr Lang, who for several years have been arguing for more emphasis on what they call the foundational economy. In other words, the sectors that exist in all communities: health, education, care, food and energy. Perhaps this is a new thread to weave communities together in the way that coal once did. Mr Davies has now outlined six economic or growth hubs - an idea suggested by the Bevan Foundation think-tank, although this is double the number it suggested. The charity has calculated one in 15 jobs in the valleys is temporary, one in four are paid below the living wage and there are 67,000 fewer jobs than you would expect from the age profile of its communities. But be careful with statistics - averages can be misleading. They can hide both extreme deprivation and wealth and can lead to sweeping statements about a whole community. Averages can still help to paint a picture. In the case of Blaenau Gwent, it is a depressing one. It is one of the most deprived local authorities in the UK where the rate of unemployment is 50% higher than the Welsh average. About one in six adults have no qualifications and for those who are working, wages are more than £60 a week less than the Welsh average. Changing statistics such as those are a real challenge and are complicated, with many influences beyond Welsh Government control and the impact of Brexit. We should remember the 1993 Valleys initiative was derailed by a UK-wide recession. But this initiative does feel different from those in the past with the emphasis on more bread and butter - jobs closer to home and growth hubs. The big question is how quickly the impact will be felt.

जब लगभग 30 साल पहले पहली घाटी पहल शुरू की गई थी, तो इन दक्षिण वेल्स समुदायों के माध्यम से एक मजबूत विषय चल रहा था-कोयले में तेज गिरावट और कई, कई हजारों नौकरियों का नुकसान।


Lewis crofters and airport firm in land dispute

Summary: Crofters and Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (Hial) are in dispute over an area of land near Stornoway Airport in Lewis.

Hial wants to release the land for a housing development, but a group of crofters argue that they have a right to use it as common grazing. Common grazing is land shared by crofters for raising livestock. The Scottish Land Court is due to sit in Stornoway on 6 December to hear the issue. A Hial spokesman said: "Hial has sought to release a parcel of land close to Stornoway Airport for homes which will be available to local people. "A small number of individuals with crofting interests have objected on the basis that the area is common grazing. Hial's legal advice does not support that position."

क्रॉफ्टर्स एंड हाइलैंड्स एंड आइलैंड्स एयरपोर्ट्स लिमिटेड (हियाल) लुईस में स्टोर्नवे हवाई अड्डे के पास भूमि के एक क्षेत्र को लेकर विवाद में है।


What are North Korea's other WMDs?

Summary: The warning from the South Korean President Moon Jae-in of the potential threat from North Korean chemical and biological weapons is timely, underscoring that Pyongyang has invested heavily in a variety of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes.

Jonathan MarcusDiplomatic correspondent@Diplo1on Twitter Mr Moon also warned of the danger of a North Korean electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack that could cripple a country's electrical grid and critical infrastructure. So while attention focuses on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme and the long-range missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, how much do we know about these other secretive WMD programmes? North Korea makes no secret of its nuclear weapons ambitions. In marked contrast, it does not admit to having chemical or biological weapons. It has signed up to a treaty banning biological weapons, but it has not acceded to the equivalent agreement banning chemical weapons. US and South Korean experts believe that, in fact, North Korea does have a significant chemical weapons programme, with stockpiles of munitions containing nerve, choking and blister agents; such substances as phosgene; hydrogen cyanide; mustard; and sarin. North Korea has a huge artillery and rocket force capable of delivering such munitions, though it remains unclear if it is able to produce chemical warheads that would survive the stresses of a flight on a ballistic missile. Much less is known about North Korea's activities in the biological weapons field. South Korean intelligence believes that the North is well-able to produce and weaponise pathogens like anthrax, botulism and typhus, but it is far from clear if these programmes have gone beyond the research stage. The EMP threat is something that is widely written about - it has especially been taken up in US conservative circles - and the debate has gained added currency in the wake of North Korean threats to mount such an attack. In essence, this would involve the detonation of a small nuclear device in the atmosphere - you would not even need a nuclear missile, a balloon could be released from a cargo ship - which results in a massive power-surge that damages and disables electrical circuitry over a huge area. Crippled infrastructure that might not be repairable for months could lead to death, chaos and lawlessness on a vast scale. In 2008, a US commission investigating the threat concluded that "the electromagnetic pulse generated by a high-altitude nuclear explosion is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences". Experts differ on the likelihood of such an attack emanating from North Korea, whatever the threats. Of course, in the Korean context there is already a nuclear threat and, to the extent that an EMP attack involves the detonation of a nuclear device, Pyongyang would be risking catastrophic reprisal and potentially the end of the regime. All these fears underscore the problem of dealing with Pyongyang. There is a tension between keeping the international community united behind UN sanctions resolutions and applying the scale of pressure that the Trump administration wants (and which it believes can only come from China). In the meantime, North Korea's programmes advance. A senior US general now warns that Pyongyang's recent test may well have been a hydrogen bomb, marking a significant advance in the North's capabilities. And all the while, the danger of a test going wrong - of debris landing on Japan or Guam - or of miscalculation grows, and with that the threat of crisis turning into conflict.

उत्तर कोरियाई रासायनिक और जैविक हथियारों से संभावित खतरे के बारे में दक्षिण कोरियाई राष्ट्रपति मून जे-इन की चेतावनी सामयिक है, जो इस बात को रेखांकित करती है कि प्योंगयांग ने विभिन्न प्रकार के सामूहिक विनाश के हथियारों (डब्ल्यूएमडी) कार्यक्रमों में भारी निवेश किया है।


Crash casts pall over Egypt tourism image

Summary: A hot air balloon crash which killed 19 people near Luxor has cast a further pall over Egypt's hard-hit tourism industry. In the aftermath of the apparent accident, fears are being raised about the impact on one of the most popular activities among visitors drawn to the country's ancient sites, as the BBC's Yolande Knell reports.

A dawn flight in a hot air balloon over the River Nile taking in the ancient temples, monuments and tombs is supposed to be the highlight of a tourist's trip to Luxor. But for a group of European and Asian holidaymakers the adventure with an operator called Sky Cruise ended in disaster. An investigation into how the balloon caught fire and exploded in mid-air is now under way by Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority and general prosecutor. It is thought that a gas cylinder may have blown up. The terrible accident looks set to deal another blow to the Egyptian tourism industry, which employs one in 10 workers and is one of the economy's main sources of foreign revenue. It has already seen two years of political turmoil since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. "The industry has been slowly starting to recover this year. In 2012 there were 10.6m tourists, up from 8.9m in 2011 but still significantly down on the 13.5m we saw in 2010," says economist Moustafa Bassiouny of Cairo-based think-tank Signet Institute. Media coverage showing continuing violence and unrest have put tourists off. "There has been a failure to market Egypt as multiple destinations. Most problems have been in Cairo and the Suez Canal cities. South Sinai is safe for tourists and up to now there have been no major incidents in the South," Mr Bassiouny says. Flights grounded But this explosion will increase fears about Egypt's public safety standards. Already there is widespread anger in the country over recent fatal transport and construction accidents. This is not the first time that a hot air balloon has crashed. There were a spate of crashes between 2006 and 2009 in which passengers were injured. In April 2009, 16 people were hurt when their balloon struck a mobile phone mast. After that accident, there was a temporary suspension of hot air balloon flights while safety measures were improved. Pilots were given extra training, limits were placed on the number of passengers a balloon could carry and a new hot air balloon airport was opened. The measures however did not prevent an even worse incident just three years later. "We have never seen anything quite like this in Luxor before. It is an awful thing," the Luxor governor, Ezzat Saad, told me after visiting two survivors of the latest crash at local hospitals and surveying the sugar cane fields where bodies were being recovered. "For the safety of the tourists and the Egyptians I have ordered all the companies dealing with balloons to stop flights until we know exactly what happened and the reasons for it," he said. Tourism slump Upper Egypt is one of the poorest regions of the country. Many locals are poorly educated and unskilled, working in agriculture. It has been badly affected by the recent downturn in tourism. Luxor's hotels are currently about 25% full at what is supposed to be the peak of the winter season. The main attractions in the city are the Karnak and Luxor temples as well as the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank of the Nile. Officials say they hope that the latest accident will not have a further adverse effect on locals' livelihoods. "We have been unlucky in Luxor and Aswan as the so-called cultural tourism has been down this year and last year also," Mr Saad says. "This is an isolated incident, it is not a terrorist act or something like that. I hope it will be looked at in that context. We don't need more problems to stop tourists coming to Luxor."

लक्सर के पास एक गर्म हवा के गुब्बारे की दुर्घटना, जिसमें 19 लोगों की मौत हो गई, ने मिस्र के पर्यटन उद्योग को और अधिक प्रभावित कर दिया है। प्रत्यक्ष दुर्घटना के बाद, देश के प्राचीन स्थलों की ओर आकर्षित आगंतुकों के बीच सबसे लोकप्रिय गतिविधियों में से एक पर प्रभाव के बारे में आशंका जताई जा रही है, जैसा कि बीबीसी के योलांडे नेल ने बताया है।


George Michael's art collection unveiled at auction

Summary: In the two years since he died, we've learnt more and more about the occasionally troubled private life of George Michael. Now an auction and accompanying exhibition in London give an insight into one of the musician's big enthusiasms - visual art.

By Vincent DowdArts reporter, BBC News The coincidence in timing was perfect. In the late 1980s, George Michael's lucrative solo career was taking off post-Wham! And at the same time the media and art-buying public were fascinated by a new phenomenon attracting levels of coverage normally associated with major rock-stars - the Young British Artists. The best-known YBAs included Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. Their names became familiar to the general public to a degree which hadn't been seen in British art for years. By his mid-20s, Michael was in a position to buy art extensively and at the highest levels. Cristian Albu of auctioneers Christie's says Michael became a truly serious collector from 2004 onwards. "And it stretched all the way to 2009 - that was the most intense period," he tells BBC News. "I think his finesse as an artist in music made it very easy for George Michael to make the journey into visual art. And it all started with Tracey Emin. "She was doing a commission for a particular collector and George happened to be staying with the collector. So George knocked at the door where he knew Tracey was working and asked to be allowed in. But Tracey said she was far too busy and George said, 'well fine but I'm George Michael' - and Tracey said 'I don't care who you are, just go away'. "So the relationship had a tricky start but eventually they were close and it was Tracey who introduced George to the work of the YBAs, who mainly had studied at Goldsmiths College in London under Michael Craig-Martin. So without an Emin influence probably there wouldn't have been this exhibition and this auction now." The 60 most important works from the singer's collection are to be auctioned at Christie's in London on Thursday (14 March). The piece with the biggest advance estimate (up to £1.5m) is by Damien Hirst. The Incomplete Truth features a white dove suspended in formaldehyde in a large glass case. It's the first thing you see as you enter the pre-sale exhibition. (The public can visit Christie's in St James's London to see the artwork for themselves until the day of the auction.) In addition, an online auction is already under way for the 100 or so other works described by Christie's as "more accessibly priced". A few of these carry advance estimates in the low thousands of pounds - although the George Michael association could boost the selling price hugely. But Albu insists that the estimated prices haven't been boosted because of the connection. He says the singer was an active and informed buyer. "I'm sure he had advisors but I think he pleased himself and made up his own mind what he liked. And you can see that he had a sense of humour. "We all remember that 20 years ago he was caught doing certain things in a public park in Los Angeles which then came to involve the police. Later he was dealing with Michael Craig-Martin and he bought three paintings called Urinal and Sex and Handcuffs. So he transformed his own experience into a triptych of humour." Craig-Martin was also commissioned by the singer in 2007 to create a computerised portrait of him which features in the sale. It's set up so that the colours on the screen change constantly Not all of the pieces for sale represent the YBA era; longer established artists crop up too. There's a 1997 image by Gilbert & George (honorary godfathers of the YBAs) called Shadow Blind. And there's one of Bridget Riley's attractive striped images which used to hang above Michael's fireplace in Texas - Cristian Albu speculates that maybe Michael was attracted by the title, Songbird. But not all of the images can have hung on the singer's walls at the same time. So do we know which other favourites were permanently on show? "You have to remember that George had homes in England and in the USA. There's also the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas, where some of the art had its home," Albu says. That foundation was set up by the singer and his boyfriend Kenny Goss. All the proceeds of the sale will go to charities. Other artists whose work is for sale include David Bailey, Mat Collishaw, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Sarah Lucas and Chris Ofili. Albu doesn't deny bidders will be attracted by the celebrity connection. But he says the fact his choice of art was so focused in its origins means it sums up perfectly a phase of British art which seems recent, yet is on the verge of becoming history. The George Michael Collection will be auctioned at Christie's in London on the evening of 14 March. The work is open for viewing daily until 15:00 GMT on Thursday.

उनकी मृत्यु के बाद के दो वर्षों में, हमने जॉर्ज माइकल के कभी-कभी परेशान निजी जीवन के बारे में अधिक से अधिक सीखा है। अब लंदन में एक नीलामी और साथ में प्रदर्शनी संगीतकार के बड़े उत्साह-दृश्य कला में से एक की अंतर्दृष्टि देती है।


Daniel Holtzclaw trial: Standing with 'imperfect' accusers

Summary: The trial of Daniel Holtzclaw, a police officer accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen poor, black women, has failed thus far to make a large impact on the national stage. Now one local group of activists is determined to fill the void.

By Jessica LussenhopBBC News Magazine A little over a year ago, after multiple felony sexual battery and rape charges were filed against former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw, the story made national headlines. The allegations were shocking - the uniformed officer allegedly sexually assaulted multiple women after stopping them in the course of his duties, targeting ones from a poorer, predominantly African-American part of the city. Over the course of the investigation, the number of accusers grew to 13. Holtzclaw currently faces 36 charges, including felony sexual battery, rape, forcible oral sodomy and stalking. He was fired from the force in January. The story was huge when it broke, so local FOX25 reporter Tom George was surprised when he walked into the courtroom for the first day of Holtzclaw's trial last week. "The first week, it was almost empty," says George. "I think there was an assumption that it would be packed." There has also been minimal national media attention for the trial, as pointed out many times on social media, sometimes with the hashtag #BlackWomenMatter. "13 women have accused former police officer #Daniel Holtzclaw of sexual misconduct/rape. Where's the outrage?" wrote one person on Twitter. "I'm disappointed that many women's orgs came out to support other victims of police brutality but have remained silent on this case," tweeted activist Feminista Jones. The alleged victims - who range in age from 17 to 57 - are all black. They have accused Holtzclaw of fondling their breasts, forcing oral sex, and in two cases, rape. Some told investigators that Holtzclaw implied that he would help them with their cases if they performed sexual acts. Holtzclaw has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. The first alleged victim to come forward was a 57-year-old grandmother who called the police after Holtzclaw allegedly pulled her over, searched her under her bra, then forced her to perform oral sex on him. Some of the other women have criminal records, worked as prostitutes or were using drugs. The prosecution has argued that none of them came forward because they were afraid no one would believe them - and that they were targeted for this very reason. That background may also explain why the courtroom looked so empty in those first days, says Pastor Jesse Jackson Jr of the East 6th Street Christian Church in Oklahoma City. "All these victims down there didn't have that kind of family - the courtroom was not packed," he says. "Some of these ladies - they aren't little old church ladies. But all of them are victims." Concern about the absence of supportive faces in the court was compounded by the fact that the jury in the case is all white and mostly male - eight men and four women. "These are the women that even among women, we say disparaging things. They're not as valued," says Grace Franklin, a co-founder of the group OKC Artists For Justice, which has been organising around the case since the beginning. "He knew people would have a hard time believing them." The founders of OKC Artists also say that since the news broke over a year ago, they've reached out to many, larger national groups (they declined to name any) about joining their protest movement around the case, but received little response. The lack of interest from media, from the general public, from local churches and from other activist movements has been baffling for Franklin, and is playing out once more in the mostly empty rows in the courtroom. "It kind of fuels the feeling of separation between black so-called feminists and white feminists," she says. "Why aren't there more women out here of all shades, of all backgrounds for these women? Why are we doing this alone?" Blogger and cultural critic Mikki Kendall has written about the lack of support for the alleged victims in this case in the past. "I think that a lot of people perceive this as risky to bet on because these women are not perfect victims," she says. "Particularly when you bring in factors of race, we've seen that white women are not necessarily going to dig in on behalf of black women." In an effort to push back, Jackson and OKC Artists For Justice held a meeting to make sure that the rows are filled with supporters for the rest of the trial, which could last as long as a month. They are scheduling volunteers in morning and afternoon shifts, in part using a Facebook event page and in part with a handwritten sign-up sheet. The group's presence is not meant to be an aggressive protest action. Participants are instructed to remain silent in the courtroom, turn off their mobile phones and wear teal, a symbolic colour in support of victims of sexual violence. Candace Liger, another co-founder of OKC Artists For Justice, says that they have a contact within the group of alleged victims who are aware and appreciative of their actions. But that is the extent of communication - their presence is meant to be one of silent support. "I think it absolutely helps, it just helps to sit there and say, 'I believe you,'" she says. Two victims have testified so far in the case, and in addition to describing their assaults in detail, they have faced vigorous cross-examination by Holtzclaw's defence lawyer. He questioned one about how much marijuana she had been smoking the day of the alleged assault. He asked the other about her PCP use and about the fake names she has given to police in the past. He reminded the jury she has three or four felony convictions on her record. But while the first alleged victim told her story to a mostly empty courtroom, the second saw a sea of sympathetic faces when the trial resumed on Tuesday, thanks in part to the efforts of Jackson and OKC Artists. "Big change from last week - almost every seat at #DanielHoltzclaw trial now full," tweeted George. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

एक दर्जन से अधिक गरीब, अश्वेत महिलाओं के यौन उत्पीड़न के आरोपी पुलिस अधिकारी डैनियल होल्ट्ज़क्लॉ का मुकदमा अब तक राष्ट्रीय मंच पर बड़ा प्रभाव डालने में विफल रहा है। अब कार्यकर्ताओं का एक स्थानीय समूह इस रिक्तता को भरने के लिए दृढ़ है।


Sheffield murder: Man charged with killing of Xiangyu Li

Summary: A 25-year-old has been charged with the murder of a man who died after being found unconscious in Sheffield city centre last month.

Xiangyu Li, 26, was found with head injuries on Union Street on 24 March. He died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics to save him. Yongqi Liang of Broomhall Street, Sheffield has been remanded into custody charged with murder. He will appear at Doncaster Magistrates Court on Friday. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

एक 25 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर एक व्यक्ति की हत्या का आरोप लगाया गया है, जिसकी पिछले महीने शेफ़ील्ड शहर के केंद्र में बेहोश पाए जाने के बाद मृत्यु हो गई थी।


The Grenfell survivor rebuilding his life, two weeks on

Summary: Two weeks ago, Olu was preparing to climb down from the 14th floor of Grenfell Tower on a makeshift rope of tied-together bed sheets, with his daughter on his back. Thankfully, he survived, after firefighters told him to run to safety - but what does his life hold now?

By Ashley John-Baptiste and Owen KeanBBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme "My life wasn't perfect, but I was happy with it," Oluwaseun Talabi tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme, reflecting on times before the fire. When Grenfell Tower set alight, in the early hours of Wednesday 14 June, Olu was in his flat, where he lived with his partner and four-year-old daughter. He was awoken by screams of "fire! fire!" from his neighbours. "We tried to run out of the house. But the first thing that hit us was this massive thick smoke, so we shut the door straight away," he says. Olu began creating another escape route - tying bed sheets together in the hope of climbing down the outside of the building. 'My daughter's choking' Desperate to save his four-year-old daughter, he then tied her - using cloths - to his back. His intentions were broken only by the entrance of firefighters. They had earlier moved five other residents into his room. Now, they told Olu to run to safety. "I grabbed my missus, and I just went for it," he says. "When I got in that smoke, I thought I was going to die. I thought I wouldn't make it down those stairs. "My daughter is choking, I'm choking, my partner is falling down the stairs - I'm trying to hold her hand," he says, recalling his frantic search for the exit. "I do not know how we made it down there." Olu now feels very fortunate that he - and his family - survived. He says he thinks of those that died every night. Scared of the dark, he sleeps with the television on to light up the room. He says it stops him from seeing those that died. Asked if he has been offered mental health support, he responds: "I think I need help." 'Everyone loved him' Several days after the fire, Olu - who is staying at a hotel with his family - is surprisingly keen to return to the west London tower block. "I just want to see what I've come out from," he says. As he walks through the streets in the surrounding area, he sees "missing" posters for his neighbours - many of whom he knew. "I know Steve, he lived on the 15th floor - a very nice guy. We were always chatting and bumping into one another," he says, looking at one of the images plastered on the brickwork of a pillar of a nearby bridge. "Everyone loved him, the whole community loved him," he says, speaking of another. But it is a third image that affects him the most, taking him aback. It is a photo of Zainab Deen - one of the residents firefighters placed in his flat - and her two-year-old son Jeremiah. Olu battles to find the words. "This little kid here," he says, pointing to Jeremiah - who has been missing since the fire - "now he's gone". Of the other three people placed in Olu's flat, Syrian refugee Mohammed Alhajali died after being separated from his brother Omar - who was also in the flat, and survived. Denis Murphy, 56, is still missing. His family say they last heard from him in the early hours of Wednesday sometime between 01:30 and 02:00. Soon after, Olu sees a poster of another resident, a woman named Debbie, who he did not know was missing. "Wow, I feel funny, man. Wow," he says, raw with emotion, as he visibly struggles to digest the news. Find out more Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel. After a few minutes, Olu says he is ready to continue the walk to Grenfell Tower. As he turns the corner, he sees what is left of his home for the first time. "I can smell it. It brings back the memories," he says. "It looks like something out of Syria. I guarantee there's dead bodies in there right now." For Olu, seeing the building is part of the healing process - to somehow make sense of what happened that night. "I think it would actually make me happy if I could go in there - but I know it's not possible." Olu is now keen to start rebuilding his life. He has been left with no possessions, and no home. He is clearly exhausted, on occasion struggling to walk, but is visiting local centres that provide money, clothes, food and drink to survivors - using donations from the public. Olu, however, is understandably keen to regain his independence - and provide for his family. "I don't want to have to keep coming back here for money," he says, outside one of the centres. "I'm happy that people are willing to help us, but I'm a hardworking guy. "We don't want to feel like a charity case." The most important thing for Olu now is to find a suitable new home. He recently turned down an offer to be re-housed, because it was too far from his daughter's school. He is trying to stay upbeat, however, and describes himself as a "naturally positive guy". He hopes to go back to university to finish a master's degree in construction management. But perhaps the more pressing concern is to find some time to escape recent events, to digest all that has happened. "I think I need to get away from all of this. Maybe just a little holiday or something," he says.

दो हफ्ते पहले, ओलू ग्रेनफेल टावर की 14वीं मंजिल से बंधी हुई चादरों की एक अस्थायी रस्सी पर नीचे उतरने की तैयारी कर रहा था, उसकी बेटी उसकी पीठ पर थी। शुक्र है कि वह बच गया, जब अग्निशामकों ने उसे सुरक्षित स्थान पर भागने के लिए कहा-लेकिन अब उसका जीवन क्या है?


Synod on family could help define Francis's Papacy

Summary: This Sunday will see the start of a Synod of Bishops in Rome that could become one of the defining moments for the Papacy of Pope Francis, just six days after he landed back in Italy from his nine-day trip to Cuba and the US.

Caroline WyattFormer religious affairs correspondent@CarolineWyatton Twitter The diplomatic complexities that he navigated on that journey may come to seem relatively simple compared with the journey that awaits for representatives of the world's 1.2bn Roman Catholics at the Synod on the Family. It starts on 4 October and ends on 25 October, following on from last year's Extraordinary Synod. It has been hailed as a key test of this Papacy, and of the Pontiff's own authority and direction for the Church. The meeting will involve 279 bishops from more than 120 nations, as well as 17 married couples and 17 auditors, as well as other non-voting representative. Intense lobbying Ahead of it, Roman Catholic traditionalists and reformers have been lobbying: releasing books, petitions, interviews and articles seeking to outline their positions. Gay Catholics, female theologians and churches in Africa opposed to homosexuality have all sought to communicate their differing hopes. An interim document during last year's Synod had led some to believe that the Vatican might ultimately agree a more liberal approach towards homosexuality and perhaps the taking of Holy Communion by remarried divorcees who had not first been granted an annulment. The hopes of gay Catholics and their families were also raised by Pope Francis's own words in 2013 in response to a question about a gay priest. "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?" he said, which some took as the prelude to a softening of the Church's attitude. However, Pope Francis has not sought to change Catholic doctrine on the issue, which still deems homosexuality "intrinsically disordered", even as many western countries - including America and the UK - have legalised same-sex marriage. Controversial working paper Nonetheless, the working paper ("Instrumentum Laboris") released ahead of the Synod has managed to arouse the ire of both traditionalists and reformers. For those who do not want to change the Church's ideals, such as the indissolubility of marriage and the ban on artificial contraception, the document already goes too far in opening up the possibility of change, not least in taking the family as it is today as its starting point. However, the document also suggests taking the Gospel's words on the family as a starting point. Some suggest these may be two mutually contradictory places to begin. Pope Francis in his own words On child abuse: "When a priest abuses it is very serious because the vocation of the priest is to make that boy, that girl, grow towards the love of God. Instead this is squashed and this is nearly a sacrilege... One must not cover these things up. Those who covered this up are guilty. Even some bishops covered this up, it is a terrible thing." On Africa and the migrant crisis: "They went to pick up the slaves there, then its great resources. It's the exploited continent. And, now the wars, tribal or not. But they have economic interests behind them. And I think that instead of exploiting a continent or a nation, make investments there instead so the people are able to work and this crisis would have been avoided." On rejecting migrants: "You know what happens to all walls. All walls fall. Today, tomorrow or in 100 years, they will fall. It's not a solution. In this moment, Europe is in difficulty, it's true. We must find solutions. We must encourage dialogue between nations, to find them. Walls are never solutions. But bridges are." On the notion of creating "Catholic divorce": "That doesn't exist. Either it wasn't a marriage, and this is nullity - it didn't exist. And if it did, it's indissoluble. This is clear." On women priests: "That cannot be done. Pope St John Paul II after long, long intense discussions, long reflection said so clearly. Not because women don't have the capacity... I must admit we are a bit late in an elaboration of the theology of women." Source: Vatican Radio Yet for those who want the Church to change its teaching or attitudes towards contemporary families, and take its lead from western liberal democratic societies that accept contraception, abortion, and same-sex unions, the working paper is not nearly open enough to radical change. The working paper stresses the importance of teaching Catholics to value the beauty of marriage as indissoluble, as well as re-iterating the Church's opposition to gay marriage and the adoption of children by gay couples, while the church teaches that: "although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." LGBT views Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics will gather in Rome on Saturday, among them activist Martin Pendergast from the UK. He says he hopes that the views of LGBT Catholics will be heard. "The high point of Synod last year was the interim document, which was very affirming, but got lost before the end. "We hope they'll get back to the kind of sentiments behind 'welcome, value and respect, and have concern for LGBT people' this year." And, he says it may be significant that the delegates include more bishops known to be supportive of gay Catholics. Many are already pointing to the make-up of the Synod - decided by the Pope - as key. A leading traditionalist, the US Cardinal Raymond Burke, seen as the champion of the traditionalist camp last year, will not be there, while German Cardinal Walter Kasper and others on the progressive side will be. However, African bishops may step into the role played by Cardinal Burke in asserting traditional teaching. Some African bishops plan to re-affirm their traditional views on the family, and warn against LGBT activism in many parts of the world. Pope Francis is not necessarily saying anything new in the run-up to this gathering, according to English Cardinal Vincent Nichols, one of the voting delegates, "but he is saying things in a way and with a passion that says he would like to see the Church starting from a different place in its proclamation of the Gospel, and in how it helps people on their journeys." He admits not every issue will see a meeting of minds. "Some people say that when people form a family, let's take it as it is, and let's see if we can't help that family, whatever its shape. "Other people look at it and see immediately what's wrong. So these tensions are there." Risk of irrelevance Others believe the most crucial issues facing families globally today are not sexuality or sexual mores, but the gap between rich and poor, the environment, as well as disability. The problem some see for the Catholic Church in much of the west is that its teachings banning artificial contraception and asserting the indissolubility of marriage are becoming increasingly irrelevant to many Catholics, and are often simply ignored. And few parents in liberal western societies with gay children view their family members as 'intrinsically disordered'. It may be impossible for Pope Francis to find a way ahead that satisfies all in this critical debate. However, a Synod is not a democracy. All it can do is discuss and put forward recommendations and a summary of its findings. After that, it will be up to Pope Francis to weigh up the opinions expressed, and to write an "Apostolic Exhortation" to the entire Roman Catholic Church. That may well not change doctrine, but some hope that in the 'Year of Mercy' starting this December, Pope Francis may wish to apply a more compassionate pastoral approach to those who do not live up to the Vatican's ideals on family life.

इस रविवार को रोम में बिशपों के एक धर्मसभा की शुरुआत होगी जो पोप फ्रांसिस के पोप बनने के लिए निर्णायक क्षणों में से एक बन सकता है, क्यूबा और अमेरिका की अपनी नौ दिवसीय यात्रा से इटली लौटने के ठीक छह दिन बाद।


Why social issues are a hot topic in Canada's autumn election

Summary: Social issues like gay marriage and abortion have taken centre stage in the lead up to Canada's autumn election, as the Liberal Party tries to convince voters that the Conservatives want to backtrack on LGBTQ and abortion rights.

Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party has fired an early salvo against Conservative party leader Andrew Scheer, and his past record on gay marriage and abortion. But whether it will wound his primary opponent remains to be seen. A Liberal minister released footage last week of Mr Scheer in 2005 opposing same-sex marriage during a debate in parliament. Although his remarks have been a matter of public record for some time, the footage renewed concerns that he would let his personal beliefs influence policy decisions. For days Mr Scheer avoided commenting on his past statements, but on Thursday he gave a press conference where he tried to assuage concerns. Just before, the Liberals launched another attack, this time with footage taken during the 2017 Conservative leadership contest. In it, an anti-abortion activist says Mr Scheer has promised him that Conservative MPs who oppose abortion would be allowed to vote with their conscience if the matter were to come up in parliament. During his press conference, Mr Scheer accused the Liberals of "dredging up divisive issues" in order to distract people from Liberal scandals and poor economic policy. He reiterated that his Conservative Party considered both same-sex marriage and abortion to be "settled law", meaning the party would not seek to make either illegal again. However, he was a bit hazy on how he would deal with members of his own party who wished to pass socially conservative legislation. What were Mr Scheer's views on same sex marriage? In 2005, about a year after Mr Scheer was elected to parliament, he voted against same-sex marriage. He was one of 133 members, from all parties, who voted against the law, which passed with 158 votes. "There is nothing more important to society than the raising of children, for its very survival requires it. Homosexual unions are by nature contradictory to this," Mr Scheer, who is Catholic, said during a debate on the proposed legislation. That clip was tweeted out by Liberal public safety minister Ralph Gooddale last week. Since 2005, the Conservative Party has largely given up on making same-sex marriage illegal. In 2016, Mr Scheer voted in favour of removing the heterosexual definition of marriage from the party's policy book. Also in 2016, he voted against a bill to protect gender identity and expression under the Human Rights Act. The bill passed with 248 in favour, including many Conservatives, and only 40 opposed. What were his views on abortion? Mr Scheer is personally opposed to abortion, but says he will keep the party's current policy on the issue, which is to not support legislation that would regulate abortion or reopen the debate. But on Thursday, another Liberal minister tweeted out a video from 2017 that seemed to contradict this promise. In the clip, a member of RightNow, an anti-abortion group, tells conservative television host Faytene Grasseschi that Mr Scheer - who was running for party leadership at the time - had promised that he would allow a "free vote" on abortion if it should come up in parliament. This would mean he would allow his party members to vote with their conscience. This policy stands in stark contrast to Mr Trudeau, who has said no Liberal Party member is allowed to vote against abortion rights, regardless of personal beliefs. "The Liberals showed how intolerant they are, and how they don't actually believe in people's rights to hold personal beliefs," Mr Scheer told the Globe and Mail in 2018. What does he say now? On Thursday, after mounting calls for him to clarify his previous statements, Mr Scheer gave a press conference where he accused the Liberal Party of using socially divisive issues to distract from their own scandals. "Trudeau can't run on his record. He can't possibly defend all his broken promises, massive deficits, tax increases and ethical and corruption scandals," he said. When asked about his personal views on gay marriage, Mr Scheer said he supported it, legally speaking. "My personal views are that LGBT Canadians have the same inherent self-worth and dignity as any other Canadian and I will always uphold the law and always ensure they have equal access to the institution of marriage," he said. He said that while he does not attend pride parades, he supports the community in other ways, such as his motion last year to condemn Russia for its treatment of LGBTQ people. On abortion, his stance was less clear. He reiterated that he would not reopen the abortion debate. "I will oppose measures or attempts to reopen this debate and Canadians can have confidence in that," he said. But he also reaffirmed that individual MPs would be allowed to "express themselves on matters of conscience", which seems to leave the door open for backbenchers to introduce private members bills on the issue. When asked how he personally would vote if such a bill were to be tabled, Mr Scheer declined to answer the "hypothetical" question. Why is this an issue now? There is nothing new about Liberals attacking Conservatives for allegedly being anti-gay or anti-choice. When a dozen Conservative MPs attended an anti-abortion rally in May, Liberals called on Mr Scheer to defend his position. Earlier in August, three federal party leaders - Mr Trudeau. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party leader Elizabeth May - marched in the pride parade. Mr Trudeau did not let Mr Scheer's absence go unnoticed. "It's just unfortunate that there are still some party leaders who want to be prime minister, who choose to stand with people who are intolerant instead of standing with the LGBT community," he said. Both abortion rights and same-sex marriage are popular in Canada. A 2017 IPSOS poll found 77% of Canadians supported legal abortion. Two-thirds of Canadians also support same-sex marriage, according to a recent Research Co. online survey of 1,000. Mr Trudeau has made progressive issues an integral part of his own brand, and his party's platform. The Liberals' slogan for the campaign, "Choose Forward", speaks to this perception, along with the unwritten implication that to choose Conservative would be a step backward.

समलैंगिक विवाह और गर्भपात जैसे सामाजिक मुद्दों ने कनाडा के शरद ऋतु के चुनाव की अगुवाई में केंद्र स्तर ले लिया है, क्योंकि लिबरल पार्टी मतदाताओं को यह समझाने की कोशिश करती है कि कंज़र्वेटिव एलजीबीटीक्यू और गर्भपात के अधिकारों से पीछे हटना चाहते हैं।


For Wales 'don't read Scotland', says Green leader

Summary: Devolution is not a gift. It is a responsibility

By Pippa BartolottiWales Green Party leader on why she backs a Scottish Yes vote, but believes Scottish independence would have little impact in Wales. Greens are not especially concerned by national boundaries, but we do believe that decisions should be taken closest to the people who will be most affected, and that sometimes, but not necessarily, means devolution. A strong Scottish government can have a big impact on sustainability and equality; a weak one wouldn't make a dent. A Yes vote for Scottish independence is a matter for the people of Scotland, yet people wonder how this might affect Wales. Right now, I don't believe there is an appetite for more powers in Wales, because since devolution the governments in place have shown neither leadership nor inspiration. Tragically Wales has badly managed the powers we do have - particularly on energy, health and education - and have not in any way roused the people of Wales into thinking there would be any benefit to greater devolution. If Wales wants to value greater equality, strong welfare provision and a dynamic economy which is based more and more on clean energy creation, then it must, like Scotland, show greater intellectual originality. Wales needs stronger assembly members and a more imaginative civil service in order to deliver economic viability. Energy security We need to invest in the potential of this resource-rich land and restore pride and spirit and joy in our future development. Top of the list has to be the specific issue of repatriating powers to the assembly for energy generation plants over 50 megawatts. In 16 sorry years of muddled devolution we have gone nowhere on this, and backwards on almost everything else. Community owned energy means profits stay in the locality, price stability and self-reliance. It also means exports. North Wales already exports energy to England. By contrast Scotland is well on the way to energy security. Currently more than 50% of its electricity comes from renewables and Scotland is well on target to reach 100% by 2020. In Wales we have access to more than twice the renewable energy we can use (Planning for Renewable Energy 2011). The implications for jobs, security and prosperity seem to be lost on Welsh AM's, but they are not lost on the Scots who are actively forging a sustainable future for themselves. An independent Scotland could do well. Successive Scottish governments have taken firm strategic steps to place Scotland on track to achieve the needs of its future, both in terms of political astuteness, and in terms of environmental, economic and social progress. In Wales we have yet to see vision and leadership. The inability of the Wales government to take us out of neo-colonial dependence on England, and create a coherent long-term energy policy to secure the future for every woman, man and child, for generations to come, is one of the main reasons a Yes vote in Scotland would have next to no impact in Wales. Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies makes his case for Scotland remaining in the UK here. In response to Pippa Bartolotti's criticism of the way devolved powers have been used in Wales, the Welsh government said in a statement: "We are committed to creating a low-carbon economy and unlocking Wales' energy potential. "The first minister leads on our Energy Wales: A Low Carbon Transition programme and we are working closely with the industry and communities to achieve its aims. "This includes regular meetings of the Energy Wales Strategy Delivery Group, chaired by the first minister and attended by representatives from across the sector, to look at ways to maximise Wales' energy potential. "The low carbon and renewable sectors employ over 30,000 people in Wales and support £5.5 billion in sales annually. "At the end of 2012, there were over 36,000 renewable developments in Wales producing 18% of electricity used in Wales. This number is growing substantially with many GigaWatts of capacity, being constructed, in planning or proposed. "We wholly agree that decisions should be taken closest to the people most affected, this is already the case for energy in Scotland, but not for Wales. While the UK government have agreed to giving us enhanced energy powers in response to Silk II, we believe there is a strong case for going further to achieve our energy ambitions."

हस्तांतरण कोई उपहार नहीं है। यह एक जिम्मेदारी है।


River Severn flood warnings in Worcestershire lifted

Summary: The last flood warnings along the River Severn in Worcestershire have been lifted, the Environment Agency says.

A total of 11 warnings were issued for the river in the county but the threat of flooding has now been downgraded. Canoeists were seen in the flood water at Worcester Racecourse on Saturday and the city's cricket ground was also flooded after the recent wet weather. More wet weather is expected in parts of southern England, Wales and Scotland on Monday, the Met Office said.

पर्यावरण एजेंसी का कहना है कि वॉरसेस्टरशायर में सेवर्न नदी के किनारे बाढ़ की पिछली चेतावनी को हटा दिया गया है।


Students' phones stolen playing Pokemon Go game in Hulme

Summary: Three students were robbed at knifepoint of their mobile phones while were playing Pokemon Go in Manchester, police have said.

Police said on Twitter the students were robbed playing the game in Hulme. The popular smartphone game, released in the UK on Thursday, involves catching digital characters at real-life locations using GPS. Police also warned parents the location tracking used in the app could be used by criminals to target children. Det Supt Joanne Rawlinson said: "There have already been incidents in America where young people are thought to have been targeted through the app. "I would urge parents to speak to their children about the app and the best ways to make sure they stay safe."

पुलिस ने कहा है कि मैनचेस्टर में पोकेमॉन गो खेलते समय तीन छात्रों के मोबाइल फोन चाकू की नोक पर लूट लिए गए।


Wiltshire's PCC Angus Macpherson in 'serious but stable condition'

Summary: Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson remains in a "serious but stable condition" after suffering a heart attack.

The 60-year-old was taken to hospital after being taken ill at an event in Trowbridge on Friday morning. He is being looked after in the intensive care unit at Bath's Royal United Hospital Mr Macpherson had previously served as a Swindon borough councillor and as a member of the police authority. He was elected to the office of commissioner in November 2012. Earlier on Monday Pat Geenty, Chief Constable of Wiltshire, tweeted the force's thoughts are with Mr Macpherson's family and friends.

विल्टशायर की पुलिस और अपराध आयुक्त एंगस मैकफर्सन दिल का दौरा पड़ने के बाद "गंभीर लेकिन स्थिर स्थिति" में हैं।


Third Don crossing to open in Aberdeen next week

Summary: The third Don crossing in Aberdeen is to open next week, following months of delays.

The £22m road bridge linking Danestone and Tillydrone is aimed at easing congestion in the north of the city. It was supposed to be completed late last year but issues with re-routing underground utilities have caused a series of delays. The new crossing, which is expected to the called 'the Diamond Bridge' - will be opened on Thursday 9 June.

महीनों की देरी के बाद एबरडीन में तीसरा डॉन क्रॉसिंग अगले सप्ताह खुलने वाला है।


Petition to save Whitaker Centre in Derby

Summary: A 650-name petition to save a local authority-run day centre for the elderly in Derby has been handed into the city council by protesters.

The Whitaker Centre is earmarked for closure with the users due to be sent to the Morleston Street centre. Derby City Council has said numbers attending had fallen and closing it would save up to £300,000. But local campaigners believe demand is likely to rise in the next few years due to an ageing population. A council consultation into the proposed closure finished on Monday and a decision is due to be made by the council's cabinet in November. The city council, which is run by a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, is implementing a £27m savings plan over two years. More than 620 posts have already been lost from a workforce of about 10,000.

डर्बी में बुजुर्गों के लिए एक स्थानीय प्राधिकरण द्वारा संचालित दिवस केंद्र को बचाने के लिए 650 नामों की याचिका को प्रदर्शनकारियों द्वारा नगर परिषद को सौंप दिया गया है।


Coronavirus: How has the pandemic changed politicians' holidays?

Summary: Usually around this time of year we start getting pictures of our politicians on their summer holidays - David Cameron admiring fish, Theresa May staying on brand with a low-key walking holiday or Gordon Brown really staying on brand by looking slightly uncomfortable by a lake.

By Kate WhannelBBC News But like so much about 2020, the situation has changed. This year, our leaders seem reluctant to show off their holiday snaps. With the country in recession, many facing uncertain job prospects and others having had to cancel their foreign holidays, it is not hard to see why politicians have opted to keep their holiday pics to themselves. The pandemic also seems to have changed where MPs are going on their holidays with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps serving as a cautionary tale to those seeking a bit of foreign sun. He flew out to Spain for a family holiday, but quickly headed back home when the 14-day quarantine rule was imposed on those returning from the country. "I think it's right to get back to work in the UK as soon as possible in order to help handle the situation," he said. "Best turn to gin," was the reaction of London Minister Paul Scully who was holidaying in Lanzarote when the quarantine rules for Spain were introduced - although he also added that he would "still be able to work" despite the requirement to self-isolate. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove chose instead to cancel his planned holiday to the Balearic Islands. And although his wife, the columnist Sarah Vine, headed off with their children to North Devon to fulfil "an absurd Famous Five fantasy" - it is not clear if she was accompanied by the secretary of state. 'Invisible man' So like many others, politicians have chosen to holiday in the UK. Labour leader Keir Starmer is taking a break in the New Forest, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opted for a camping holiday in Scotland with his partner Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred. But a prime minister is never able to switch off completely - and Mr Johnson has faced criticism for failing to publicly intervene in the recent A-levels crisis. Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeted "where is the PM? Not a good look hiding in the middle of a crisis" while the Daily Star mocked up a picture of Mr Johnson as "The Invisible Man" for its front page. Acting Lib Dem Leader Sir Ed Davey called on Mr Johnson to cut short his holiday, adding that the PM "cannot be bothered to get back to work during the biggest exams crisis in a generation". However, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood defended the prime minister arguing that despite being on holiday he would still be aware of "every aspect" of the situation and "probably will be intervening". "Boris Johnson has had his own personal tough year - suffering from Covid-19 as well - therefore he is allowed to recharge," he added. Some politicians have decided the safest route is to just forego a holiday all together. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon told a press conference: "I'm fully occupied with what we're doing at the moment." 'Covid-compliant' However, despite the risks of revealing too much about their holiday - or going on holiday at all - a few MPs have been happy to share some details. Conservative George Freeman let his followers know he was taking a "covid-compliant" honeymoon. And Labour's shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry posted pictures of her and her sister looking delighted to be on a pedalo in France.

आम तौर पर वर्ष के इस समय के आसपास हमें अपने राजनेताओं की गर्मी की छुट्टियों पर तस्वीरें मिलने लगती हैं-डेविड कैमरन मछली की प्रशंसा कर रहे हैं, थेरेसा मे कम महत्वपूर्ण छुट्टी के साथ ब्रांड पर रह रही हैं या गॉर्डन ब्राउन वास्तव में एक झील के किनारे थोड़ा असहज देखकर ब्रांड पर रह रहे हैं।


Germany AfD: How far right caused political earthquake

Summary: In February 1930, Adolf Hitler was in a jubilant mood. "Our biggest success we had in Thuringia," he wrote. "There we are the most significant party. The parties in Thuringia trying to create a government cannot secure a majority without our co-operation."

By Jenny HillBBC Berlin correspondent Germany may have pledged "never again". But 90 years on, the far right has once again played - albeit briefly - the role of kingmaker in the eastern German state. Thuringia's AfD - led by a man who can, a German court ruled last year, be reasonably described as a fascist - has caused a political earthquake which has brought thousands of Germans on to the streets in the protest. Until a few days ago, many of those protesters had never heard of Thomas Kemmerich. The regional politician was, for 24 hours or so, unexpectedly elevated to the role of state prime minister thanks to the support of regional AfD politicians who ignored their own candidate in order to oust existing prime minister Bodo Ramelow who, following inconclusive elections last year, had been widely expected to continue as leader over a newly negotiated left-wing coalition. After countrywide outrage, Mr Kemmerich stood down. But not before the Free Democrat came to symbolise the vulnerability of what the Germans call the Brandmauer - the firewall which, by decades-long political convention, is supposed to keep the far right from exerting real influence over German politics. For many it's a mark of national shame that the AfD has found such fertile electoral ground in the former east of the country. It's one of the reasons for the inconclusive election result in Thuringia. At national level, the party's presence in the Bundestag has coarsened parliamentary debates and, arguably, its campaigns centred around migration and national identity have broken old German taboos and shifted politics to the right, as the political centre struggled to deal with the electoral challenge. But what happened in Thuringia has sent a particular shudder down the country's spine. Mr Kemmerich, of the liberal and business-minded Free Democrat Party (FDP), may have voiced his opposition to the AfD. But he took the job anyway - on a majority secured with their support. Up the federal ladder, FDP chief Christian Lindner initially appeared to accept the result, despite the horrified response of senior members of his party. Accused of seeking power at any price, Mr Lindner was reminded of his own words when in 2017 he walked away from coalition negotiations with Angela Merkel at federal level saying: "It's better not to govern than to govern badly." And the affair has raised uncomfortable suspicions within Angela Merkel's CDU. The chancellor, who described what happened as "unforgivable", sharply rebuked regional politicians from her own party. They had also voted for Mr Kemmerich, eliciting accusations that - locally at least - the CDU was ready to break a pledge to never join forces with the far right. The head of Mrs Merkel's CDU, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, will discuss the matter with her coalition partners this weekend. Her ever reluctant Social Democrat partners will no doubt want assurances that the CDU has no intention of working with AfD at any level and that she - and her party - can control its regional politicians. She herself is under pressure. Having forbidden Thuringia's CDU leader from seeking a local alliance with Die Linke (the Left party), some are unsurprised that the party aligned itself, knowingly or otherwise, with the AfD. The German government is also painfully aware of the changing political landscape - and the part AfD plays within it. In Thuringia, fresh elections are now expected. Even so, for many, the case has raised painful parallels. Belgian ex-Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was among those who took to social media in protest, circulating a photograph of a newly elected Mr Kemmerich shaking hands with Thuringia's hard-right AfD leader Björn Höcke, and juxtaposing it with one of Hitler greeting the then German president Paul von Hindenburg. Barely a week ago, this country reflected on the atrocities of World War Two, during commemorations to mark the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. That the far right has been able to wield such influence, that a mainstream political party accepted its support and that, knowingly or otherwise, Angela Merkel's CDU appeared to align with them is, for many, the source of great shame.

फरवरी 1930 में, एडॉल्फ हिटलर खुशी के मूड में था। "थुरिंगिया में हमारी सबसे बड़ी सफलता", उन्होंने लिखा। "वहाँ हम सबसे महत्वपूर्ण पार्टी हैं। थुरिंगिया में सरकार बनाने की कोशिश कर रहे दल हमारे सहयोग के बिना बहुमत हासिल नहीं कर सकते।"


BHS owner tried to move cash out of firm

Summary: I've learned that as it became clear that BHS was going into administration, Dominic Chappell, the majority shareholder of BHS owner Retail Acquisitions, moved £1.5 million on Tuesday of last week to a company called BHS Sweden.

Simon JackBusiness editor BHS Sweden was owned by a friend and fellow board member of Mr Chappell at Retail Aquisitions. Despite its name it had no connection with BHS. On learning of this, BHS chief executive Darren Topp demanded its return on Wednesday and on Thursday. It was returned minus £50,000 - to reflect the foreign exchange costs. Dominic Chappell has also claimed in the press tonight that a £60m loan - a crucial part of the BHS refinancing - fell through because Philip Green refused to allow an IOU of £40m to be considered lower priority (be subordinated) to the new loan. This claim is refuted by BHS who maintain that the loan was unacceptable in the first place due to its high upfront arrangement costs. The decision never got to the point where the pecking order of loans was discussed. At the time of writing Dominic Chappell has not returned calls from the BBC. As far as the future of BHS is concerned, the administrators have received 50 expressions of interest in the company - some for all of it, most for parts of it. Rumours that a sale of 50 stores had been agreed with Sports Direct were denied tonight by the administrators. In better news, BHS reported its strongest day of trading since it was acquired by Retail Acquisitions with trading up 80% compared to the same day last year. BHS sources dismissed the theory this was a result of gift voucher holders rushing to redeem. BHS sources tell me they estimate there is enough cash to continue trading for up to a month and are encouraged by the show of loyalty from BHS customers.

मुझे पता चला है कि जैसे ही यह स्पष्ट हो गया कि बी. एच. एस. प्रशासन में जा रहा था, बी. एच. एस. के मालिक खुदरा अधिग्रहण के बहुसंख्यक शेयरधारक डोमिनिक चैपल ने पिछले सप्ताह मंगलवार को बी. एच. एस. स्वीडन नामक कंपनी में 15 लाख पाउंड स्थानांतरित कर दिए।


My Money: 'I wonder if my wallet or body will recover?'

Summary: My Money is a series looking at how people spend their money - and the sometimes tough decisions they have to make. Here Zak Hoblyn from London takes us through a week in his life as a first-time buyer during the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally from Wiltshire, Zak is 27 and lives in North London with his fiancée Leah who is a radio presenter. He works as a lift and crane engineering surveyor and loves his job. However, he says it is made hard by his height; reaching for door releases can be difficult at 5ft 6". The couple hope to get married in July 2021 in Glastonbury. He enjoys running so much he describes himself as "addicted" to it. He is running both the rescheduled Tokyo and London marathons (last year he completed the Paris marathon - his first ever.) Another hobby is finding bars and pubs in an attempt to soak up the London vibe. He is a Liverpool fan, so residing and working within Arsenal and Tottenham can be challenging. This week Zak and Leah bought and moved into their first home. Over to Zak... A 06:30 alarm rudely awakens a deep sleep, I check my emails and BBC Sport on my phone with the screen brightness on full to help wake myself up. Whilst checking my emails I have a confirmation email from the van hire company which Leah and I will be using tomorrow to move out of our apartment (£86) for 24-hour hire. I head to Kings Cross on the bus, my travel is all paid for by my company so no expenditure. Once at Kings Cross I have to walk past a Pret A Manger which was closed last week due to coronavirus but is open today! Without doubt due to the fact all the coffee at home is packed away somewhere, I go in and order my normal filter white coffee (99p) for the caffeine boost I am desperately needing. I finish my first two sites opposite Paddington station which were on the same road in quick time so I see a small independent café (on the hunt for more caffeine) but unfortunately the card minimum is £5. Not to worry, nothing a vegetable samosa can't sort out. I am in North London come 14:00 and I am left waiting for a client. Whilst doing so I order a circular saw online as I need to cut my 3m long oak table to be able to move it out of the apartment (£39.99). I buy a sparkling water (99p) from a petrol station and use the toilet, two birds, one stone! Public toilets are gold dust in London. Total spend: £132.97 I am up early again as I need to pick up the hire van from just outside Camden. I buy an avocado and some breakfast muffins from Lidl for a pre-move breakfast (£1.24). I pick up the hire van and pay (£2.50) for an hour's parking in Haringey, enjoy the avocado and muffins and start loading the van. One trip to the new place with the van full, unload with help from the seller which was greatly appreciated then we were back in the van going back to the old place for round two! Whilst lugging a washing machine and fridge into the van Leah hears the sweet, sweet sound of an ice cream van. I had the audacity to order a 99 with an ice lolly plopped right in the middle whilst I got a usual 99 with a flake for the other half [£4.20.] Once the new place was full at 19:00 we could not even fathom the thought of going to the shop to buy ingredients, so we get on Uber Eats and hunt down the closest highest reviewed fish and chip shop. Two cod and chips... [large of course] comes to £24.59. This included delivery. It did take us five minutes to remember to change the home address on our Uber Eats account. The day ends with me returning back to the old flat to cut my table with my new circular saw at 23:30... the now old neighbours will not be happy, a 15-hour day, I am still wondering if my wallet or body will ever recover? Total spend: £32.53 Five hours sleep and I am up, scrambling around boxes and bags trying to hunt for my toothbrush, I am out the house by 07:00 as I need to drop the van back before 08:00 to ensure I do not exceed the 24-hour hire. The traffic is very calm and I make good time. I stop at a petrol station to top the van up. Luckily, due to coronavirus and the issue Opec are having with balancing the price, £15 is more than enough. Once the van is done I get a bus to Kings Cross, I am working with a colleague today and he is a little late so I head to Pret and stock up on coffee and food because our fridge is still empty. I opt for an avocado and egg baguette, oat cookie and white filter (£4.93). We work hard and have a lot done by 12:00. Luckily the premises, usually extremely busy with human traffic using the lifts, is absolutely silent again due to coronavirus - this makes our job a lot easier. We stop for lunch, back to Pret (creature of habit, I know) for a duck wrap, sparkling water, another cookie and a white filter. I also buy my colleague a fizzy drink as he is doing the hard bits today as he can see how broken I am from the move yesterday (£8.83). I get home around 15:30 and remember that we have to use a portable BBQ on the balcony as we have no oven! I take a three-minute walk to Tesco to pick up halloumi, Heineken beer and some caramel ice creams. We have a freezer for the first time in two years so this is a novelty (£7.20). We enjoy the BBQ and catching up on the day, whilst blissfully ignoring the boxes on the floor, despite Leah's monstrous effort at getting through a lot of it. How do two people have so much stuff? Total spend: £35.96 My day starts a little later today. I head to Finchley Road. I of course stop at the Pret outside the station (99p). I get an email from my boss telling me to go home at lunch to crack on with the house - what a star! I get home for 12:30 and begin my DIY on the leaking sink and the flush that does not flush! Diagnostics done, jog to B&Q to pick up spares (£15.57), a new outlet valve for the toilet and a new basket strainer for the sink. Repairs worked a treat until I remember I need a new flush for the toilet. Another jog to B&Q and I spend £5.25. I also buy Rug Doctor formula for £11. When I go outside I get a call from Leah asking me to meet her at Asda Home. We buy a portable stove, super glue and a mop and bucket (£30.33) - they were all fairly essential items. The food consumed tonight was tortellini. Total spend: £63.14 My day starts at 06:30. I head to the North Circular to cover a colleague's patch and then come back into London to the Whittington Hospital. After this I stop at Lidl for two packs of sushi and a Diet Coke (£3.97). My day ends at 15:00. Once home we begin decorating, sanding down the bathroom and then we head to Tesco to pick up some Rug Doctor (£31.98). We are home in under an hour and begin the process of cleaning the stairs. After two hours we begin to tire so I jog to Lidl and pick up two bottles of beer (£3.95). Total spend: £39.90 My Money More blogs from the BBC's My Money Series: Working overtime today so I am back in Kings Cross for 08:00 and without hesitation head to Pret for the white filter (99p). Our work is done by 12:30 so I head home and begin painting the bathroom walls whilst my partner is just waking up from a nap after her morning shift. We continue decorating together until around 18:00 when we decide food supplies are needed. I swap my painting t-shirt for something a little more presentable and head to Lidl. I pick up some empanadas, arancini and four tins of lager (£6.97). We work late into the night fuelling off lager, red wine and prosecco which our lovely new neighbour brought round for us yesterday. With the bathroom half gold and half pink we gingerly head to bed and consider, have we been too garish? Bed by 01:00. Total spend: £7.96 Sunday started with a poor attempt at a lie-in. We got up just before 10:00 for a final coat of pink for the bathroom. Breakfast wrap on the move whilst we head out the door to drop off the Rug Doctor at Tesco. The queue was pretty small considering it is a Sunday and we only had to wait five minutes before making it into the store and dropping the Rug Doctor off. We purchase sweets and fizzy drinks (£3.50) as we require a little pick-me-up whilst heading down to Vauxhall for the Black Lives Matter protests. We get home for 15:15 and head straight to Asda from the station to pick up a smaller paint roller (£2). We then go next door to Lidl and purchase gnocchi for dinner and some tortilla wraps for the week, as well as some lagers as tonight is my partner's night off (£13.32). We continue with the bathroom whilst enjoying gnocchi and lagers late into the night. Nice way to end a busy, emotional week. Total spend: £18.82 Total spent this week: £331.28 How does Zak feel about his week? If it was not for the move I think it would have been a very cheap week. That being said there were no scary hidden costs that we did not expect. The fixes within the house were basic maintenance to some extent so that could have been a lot worse. I definitely spent more on coffee this week but I think that is due to Pret finally opening. The beer runs were cheaper as we live next to a Lidl now so no more paying corner shop prices. I think this saved me £10 over the week. Whilst life is cheap due to the virus it is also cheap on experiences and social interactions. I would prefer to spend more money on a nice cold draft with the people I love. We're looking for more people to share what they spend their money on. If you're interested, please email my.money@bbc.co.uk or get in touch via our My Money (World) Facebook group, or if you live in the UK, please join our My Money (UK) Facebook group and we'll aim to contact you.

माई मनी एक श्रृंखला है जिसमें देखा गया है कि लोग अपना पैसा कैसे खर्च करते हैं-और कभी-कभी उन्हें कठिन निर्णय लेने पड़ते हैं। यहाँ लंदन के जैक होब्लिन हमें कोरोनावायरस महामारी के दौरान पहली बार खरीदार के रूप में अपने जीवन में एक सप्ताह के माध्यम से ले जाते हैं।


Rise in Scottish regional airport passenger numbers

Summary: Passenger numbers across Scotland's 11 regional airports increased by more than 10% in November.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited said the rise to 101,701 passengers was largely the result of significant activity in the oil and gas industry. Sumburgh in Shetland had 50% more passengers last month than it did in November 2011. Hial also runs Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Tiree and Wick.

नवंबर में स्कॉटलैंड के 11 क्षेत्रीय हवाई अड्डों पर यात्रियों की संख्या में 10 प्रतिशत से अधिक की वृद्धि हुई।


Sony closes Driveclub's Evolution Studios

Summary: Sony has announced the closure of the UK's Evolution Studios.

By Leo KelionTechnology desk editor The Cheshire-based video games development house dates back to 1999, and had most recently worked on the troubled PlayStation title Driveclub. Sony has confirmed that there will be at least some compulsory redundancies as a consequence of its decision. The announcement closely follows Microsoft's announcement of plans to close another British developer, Lionhead Studios. Sony said that its decision had followed a review of its European operations. "We accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff, but by focusing on other studios that already have exciting new projects in development we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality for our consumers," it said in a statement. "Where possible we will try to reallocate people onto other projects. If appropriate opportunities are not possible within the company, we will assist staff in any way we can, including speaking with local employers and with other development companies." Racing games Evolution had specialised in racing games for Sony games consoles. Its first title was World Rally Championship, released in 2001, which was followed by several sequels. Then in 2006, it launched the off-road racer franchise Motor Storm. However, its last title - Driveclub - had a troubled birth. The game - which was designed to let six players form a club and race rival teams via the internet - was originally supposed to be a launch title for the PlayStation 4 in 2013, but was repeatedly delayed. When it did finally become available in October 2014, its computer servers struggled to meet demand and plans to offer a free cut-down version to PlayStation Plus subscribers had to be delayed further. Since then, however, it has been improved and the news site Eurogamer described it as "one of the best racing games available". Last July, Evolution announced the game had surpassed more than two million sales. Driveclub's community manager has issued a statement saying the title will "continue to thrive" under the guidance of Sony's other developers. Its director also issued a statement of his own via Twitter. "It truly has been an honour to work with such a talented, passionate and determined group of people," wrote Paul Rustchynsky. "I hope you will all join me today in celebrating Evolution by picking up a pad, throwing on your favourite Evo game, and giving us a victory lap." Sony's announcement came three weeks after Microsoft announced it was cancelling the release of Fable Legends, an action role-playing game, and was in discussions to close the Guilford-based studio behind it. "I think it's coincidental that there have been announcements about both Evolution and Lionhead so close together," commented Rob Crossley, UK news editor of Gamespot. "The games industry is in a growth period right now and there are lots of signs of positivity. "But these are two studios that aren't succeeding as much as they needed to. "You hear that some of the 'triple A' [big budget] games now sometimes have to sell above five million units to get into the black."

सोनी ने ब्रिटेन के इवोल्यूशन स्टूडियो को बंद करने की घोषणा की है।


Internet surveillance - how officials may boost their powers

Summary: We do not know much about GCHQ. A journalist once jokingly asked one of its staff if they could tell her the colour of the sky - they declined. But we do know that the officers spend a good deal of their time listening.

By Jane WakefieldTechnology reporter Now it seems that they want to listen to a little bit more as the issue of extending internet surveillance raises its head again. It is an issue that all governments grapple with at some point. The spooks would argue that they need greater powers in the ongoing fight against terrorism. The police would add that such powers could help their battle with organised crime. Details of what the government wants are vague at this stage but appear to be two-fold - to extend the current laws about internet service providers (ISPs) holding data to cover social networks such as Facebook, and to increase the ability for real-time snooping. "The chaps in Cheltenham think this is a good idea and every time there is a new minister they twist their arm into agreeing with them. If they can collect more data it will build bigger haystacks when they are looking for needles," said Richard Clayton, a security researcher at the University of Cambridge. He is clearly not a huge fan of such surveillance but, as someone who has sat on many parliamentary consultations about the issue, he is an expert. And there is plenty of technology available to help the government achieve its objective, he said. Website monitoring Deep Packet Inspection equipment is basically black boxes which sit on the network and watch the traffic go by. It is currently used by ISPs for traffic management - for example spotting file-sharing activity and slowing down a connection that is engaging in the activity. However, it could be adapted for more intrusive purposes. "It is possible with this sort of kit to see if someone is using Hotmail, to pull out a list of their emails, who it is from, the date and how big the email is," said Mr Clayton. He added that the government could also turn to NetFlow, an add-on to routers which collects data about which websites someone has visited. "It can see what IP address has visited which site, and can tell you how many bytes they have viewed," he said. In theory it would enable someone using it to see, for example, which stories a user had viewed on the BBC website by comparing the number of bytes used with the size of stories on the site. None of the technology is new but what might be different this time around is the way the government collects the data. When the previous Labour government mooted a similar idea the greater controversy hinged on the giant database it planned to create. "I suspect what they will propose this time is that Cheltenham has a log-in to one of the data centres that ISPs already use," said Mr Clayton. Encryption ISPs are already required to keep data logs for 12 months under a 2009 EU directive. Extending this responsibility to firms such as Facebook would not be a huge change or "particularly onerous because it keeps everything anyway," said Mr Clayton. Facebook has declined to comment on current government proposals, saying it would rather wait until there was more detail of exactly what it wants to do. But it has made no secret a security feature launched last year which allows all Facebook communications to be carried over a secure connection known as HTTPS, which could render government snooping plans useless. The tool basically encrypts data. Currently it is an option that people have to sign up to but the firm hopes eventually to make it default. Noa Bar Yosef is a senior strategist at security firm Imperva. She thinks the government needs to think harder about encryption. "How will monitoring be performed for encrypted communications?" she asked. "It is reasonable to assume that the information that the government is interested in - and for which this initiative has been put forward - will not appear as public communication, but rather encrypted. This quite defeats the purpose of monitoring the suspicious communications," she said. Mr Clayton agrees. "Encryption makes it very much harder," he said, "But the biggest stumbling block is likely to be the cost." When Labour considered greater surveillance powers the Home Office estimated it would cost around £2bn. Even without a huge data centre costs are likely to run into millions, and in such cash-strapped times it may mean the idea is put to bed for another few years. "When the cost is revealed the politicians tend to slink away. I don't think we can afford it," said Mr Clayton. Data requests rise Whatever the government ultimately proposes the measures are effectively an extension of what is already happening, rather than a break with the past. 2010's annual report from the UK's interception of communications commissioner, published last June, revealed that the UK's police, intelligence agencies and other public authorities submitted 552,550 requests for information about users' data over the year . Furthermore it noted that requests had risen by a rate of about 5% year-on-year since 2008. Two thirds of the queries related to information about subscribers, which could be used to identify who owned a particular mobile phone. But officials could also ask for a user's incoming and outgoing call data, web activity logs and the contents of emails, faxes and web pages visited if the information was deemed to be in the interests of national security. If ISPs do not already store the information, they can be forced to secretly fit surveillance equipment in specific cases. A new law could extend officials' reach further, but users should be under no illusion that much of their data use is already potentially available to prying eyes.

हम जीसीएचक्यू के बारे में ज्यादा नहीं जानते। एक बार एक पत्रकार ने मजाक में उसके एक कर्मचारी से पूछा कि क्या वे उसे आकाश का रंग बता सकते हैं-उन्होंने मना कर दिया। लेकिन हम जानते हैं कि अधिकारी अपना बहुत समय सुनने में बिताते हैं।