Spain 'wolf pack' case: Fury over verdict sparks #MeToo campaign

Summary: Outrage amongst women in Spain over a court's decision to clear five men of the crime of rape after they performed and filmed non-consensual sex with a teenager has led to an extraordinary outpouring of personal stories of male abuse on social media.

By James BadcockMadrid Using the hashtag #cuéntalo (tell it), tens of thousands of women have decided to show their solidarity with the victim in the "wolf pack" case, so called because of the name of the WhatsApp group her attackers used to comment on their sordid acts. WARNING: You may find some of the accounts in this story disturbing. Women have detailed instances in which they have suffered unwanted sexual attention or violent abuse from male family members, strangers or teachers and others in positions of authority. The stories have trickled in to form a flood of anger about what women have had to endure, mostly in silence - until now. "It was my father and it started before I can remember," wrote Elisa. "Two years old, three? Less? I have just turned 41 and a few months ago I went back into therapy because, even if I think I have, I haven't got over it. Chronic depression, anxiety attacks, nightmares… I never had a partner. Alone I feel safe." "When I was 12 a stranger masturbated on me on the city bus taking me home. I didn't move. I felt shame, guilt, disgust. I didn't tell anyone until years later. I lived as if it hadn't happened but I didn't wear a skirt again for years. It's the first one I remember." "I was 13 when my teacher started touching me without my consent and he did it for three months, I was living through a depression and tried suicide, I am telling this because I am not scared anymore." Famous voices When the five "wolf pack" men were handed nine-year jail sentences for sexual abuse but acquitted of full-blown rape last Thursday, hundreds of thousands of mainly women protesters thronged the streets of Spanish cities. Spanish journalist Cristina Fallarás took her cue from the #MeToo movement, posting her own multiple experiences of abuse on Twitter and encouraging other women to #cuéntalo. "I believe almost all of us have suffered some kind of sexual assault," she wrote. Some well-known female personalities in Spain have joined their voices to the movement, like Leticia Dolera, an actress and author, who tweeted her experience of being 15 in a quiet street. "15 years old. A quiet street. A young man throws himself at me from behind and gropes my bum. He whispers: you're lovely. I am speechless. He goes away. He comes back, doing the same but harder grabbing my hips and rubbing himself up against me. I scream. He goes away. Two people look at me. I feel shame." Victoria Rosell, a judge and former member of Congress for the anti-austerity Podemos party, tweeted fragments of the 12 times she said she had faced abusive situations. "Among the 12 occasions I remembered yesterday because of Cristina's #cuéntalo, I have an identical one to yours, at the age of 14. In the clubhouse toilet at a village party, opening the door to three men getting naked. 17. I am not telling about the times that I couldn't escape. It's painful to say: I am a judge and I never went to the police." Ms Rosell has also criticised her colleagues' verdict in the "wolf pack" case. Two of the three judges decided that actual intimidation had not taken place, even though they recognised that the 18-year-old victim had "frozen" once being surrounded inside a tiny alcove while her hair was pulled and body moved around by her attackers. "The proven facts of the case are those of a rape," she told Cadena Ser radio after the verdict had been published. Calls for reform The Spanish government has promised to revise the framing of the country's rape laws, with opposition parties also supporting the need for reform. Justice Minister Rafael Catalá took the unusual step of personally criticising the third judge in the case, who issued a minority verdict in favour of acquitting the five of any violent offence, claiming the sex had been consensual. Mr Catalá said Judge Ricardo González was suffering from a "personal problem" and said it was the responsibility of Spain's judicial watchdog to ensure judges were "in full possession of their faculties". Hours after the third straight night of protests against the verdict had taken place in Pamplona, a 34-year-old woman suffered a fatal beating in the city of Burgos, leading to the arrest of her 36-year-old former boyfriend. Some of the #cuéntalo messages focused on what feminist campaigners in Spain have described as a "femicide", after almost 1,000 women have been killed by partners or ex-partners since the government began keeping records of gender violence cases in 2003. Blogger Alejandra Tuk tweeted about the shocking story of a woman killed in Granada in 1997. Her name was Ana Orantes. "My husband abuses me. I ask for a divorce. The sentence obliges me to live on the second floor of my attacker's house. I tell my story on TV. He gets annoyed because I report it, he comes round, ties me to a chair and burns me alive. I am telling you because Ana Orantes cannot."

एक किशोरी के साथ गैर-सहमति से यौन संबंध बनाने और फिल्माने के बाद बलात्कार के अपराध से पांच पुरुषों को मुक्त करने के अदालत के फैसले पर स्पेन में महिलाओं के बीच आक्रोश के कारण सोशल मीडिया पर पुरुष दुर्व्यवहार की व्यक्तिगत कहानियों का असाधारण प्रसार हुआ है।


Pentland Hill Nursing Home: Police investigate four deaths

Summary: Police are investigating four deaths at an Edinburgh nursing home.

Police Scotland was first called to Pentland Hill following the death of a 67-year-old woman in July. The force said it was now investigating four deaths at the Bupa-run home, which has been ordered to carry out a series of improvements by the regulator. The Care Inspectorate is also dealing with four new complaints from families of residents, which are not related to the police inquiry. Pentland Hill was severely criticised by the inspectorate earlier this year. Inspectors found serious issues with the quality of care elderly residents were receiving, and with management. Alex Hunter, whose mother Beatrice is a resident at the home, said the treatment received by his 88-year-old mother was "shocking". Mr Hunter said: "To leave an old lady, who is frail in her bed, to allow her to be dehydrated to the extent she is now on a drip, is a scandal. "I wrote a letter of complaint when I found she had a grade four bed sore and they replied 'It is not acceptable for Mrs Hunter to have developed the pressure ulcer, as it is clear all preventative measures were not put in place'. "It is just shocking and I'm thinking of taking it up with my solicitor because I feel there's been total negligence here and I'm totally unhappy about this. "The hospital was appalled by the state of my mother as she also has a urine infection and they were saying 'why can someone get dehydrated to that level when they are in a nursing home, it's just appalling'." The home has been closed to new admissions until it carries out the improvements recommended by the watchdog, and a series of deadlines have been imposed. Some of these have already passed, including a requirement to improve the administration of medicines and the monitoring of nutritional and fluid intake of residents. 'Urgent changes' A Police Scotland spokesman said it and the Health and Safety Executive were carrying out "a joint initial investigation in relation to four deaths". He said: "In addition, the Care Inspectorate is also investigating four complaints that are not related to the Police Scotland/HSE enquiries." A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: "Every person is entitled to high-quality care which reflects their needs and promotes their rights. "We are continuing to support this care home to make the urgent changes we set out in our improvement notice. "We are now assessing the extent to which these requirements have been met. "At all times, the health, safety and well-being of the residents is our top priority, and we continue to work closely with other agencies." Diet and fluids Vivienne Birch, Bupa Care Services' director of partnerships, said: "We believe we are on track to deliver the improvements we agreed with the Care Inspectorate but we appreciate we are not yet at the level we want to reach. "We have invested significant resources in improving the home. For example, we have recruited extra staff to focus on assisting residents with diet and fluids and monitoring their intake. "We have also improved our medication management systems and brought in extra dementia care experts. "We always report any issues, however rare, to the police and relevant authorities and, as in these cases, we actively support their investigations. "On 3 September the home manager, social worker and Mr Hunter met to review Mrs Hunter's condition. "It was agreed that our care plan was working as her pressure sore had virtually healed and the GP had referred Mrs Hunter for further tests to explain her weight loss. "Until Sunday morning Mrs Hunter's condition was stable; her pressure sore was healing and carers had been closely monitoring her fluid intake. On Sunday morning she refused all food and drink and would not allow staff to assist her. "At the 13:00 check the nurse was concerned that Mrs Hunter's blood pressure had dropped, called 999 for an ambulance and alerted Mr Hunter." Reports The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has confirmed that it is studying reports relating to deaths at the home of three women and a 75-year-old man. A Crown Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that reports in relation to the deaths of three women and one man, aged 94, 67, 93 and 75 in Edinburgh on 4 and 15 July and 17 and 5 September 2013 respectively, have been submitted to COPFS. "A investigation by Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive into the circumstances of the deaths is ongoing under the direction of the Health and Safety Division of COPFS."

पुलिस एडिनबर्ग नर्सिंग होम में चार मौतों की जांच कर रही है।


Mothers band together to run mental health support group

Summary: "About 12 months ago, I tried to take my own life."

By Natalie GriceBBC News The blunt words from a young mother whose two small children play nearby are hard to reconcile with the smiling, friendly, welcoming woman saying them. She has joined a group of mothers who have banded together to help each other in an area of Wales criticised for poor mental health service provision. Bethany Casey did not leave her home for six months after her 16-month-old son was born, could not speak to people, felt utterly alone at her home in rural Powys, near the Wales-England border. Now the 24-year-old former nursery worker from Norton, near Knighton, feels her life has been turned around by a mental health programme which targets women just like her. Mums Matter, run by Mind Cymru, offers help to women who suffer mental health problems after becoming mothers. The six-week programme, running in Powys until March 2019, looks at preconceptions of motherhood versus the realities, self-confidence, nurturing oneself and taking control of one's own recovery, among other things. But the course was only the beginning. After the first one finished, two participants set up a Mums Matter peer support group to enable the first graduates to meet and continue the recovery the course had helped them begin. The most recent meeting at a community hall in the tiny village of Dolau, near Llandrindod Wells, marks Bethany's first attendance after finishing the Mind Cymru course. With her she has her three-year-old son, who has a number of health issues including partial sight, hearing loss and developmental delay, and her younger son. Bethany has suffered from "all sorts of mental health issues" in the past, including depression. Speaking about her suicide attempt, she said: "I just didn't feel like I had anybody. "The thing about having children is how isolating I find it. "This group [has] encouraged me, they have given me the confidence to stand up for myself, and I can talk, because for a long time I didn't want to talk. I barricaded myself in my own house for about six months after my second child was born. "If you are having a really rough day, and you don't feel like playing with your children, these mums will reassure you that it's ok to feel like that. "It's given me confidence to talk to new people and it's been really nice to find other people who don't look at you or your child like you're bonkers." Loneliness in motherhood is a repeated theme among the participants, exacerbated possibly by the rural area they live in. A report into maternity-related mental health in Wales noted that Powys was the only one of seven health boards across Wales which did not have a dedicated perinatal mental health service. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance published a map of services across Wales, marking Powys as red because of a lack of specialist maternal mental health services. Women at the support group must have completed the Mums Matter course and had a child, to do the course, as parts of it look at birth trauma and the organisers do not want to cause distress to first-time pregnant women. Organisations offering such things as financial advice or health services also come to speak to the women. The course is run by Mind Cymru's Tracy Lewis, who said: "We're only just starting to get better with the stigma. Mums are frightened to say anything sometimes because they think 'they're going to take my baby away'. "It's getting mums to understand how common it is to struggle. "People tell me they've lost themselves. It's reminding mums that they can take time for themselves." She provides assistance to the support group and attends some meetings but is clear that it functions because of the women themselves. Stacey Powell, 28, from Abbeycwmhir near Llandrindod Wells, coped well after her first child Nerys but things were very different following the birth of 18-month-old Ffion. "Ffion was five weeks old and the health visitor noticed I was struggling with my second," she said. "I had a history of depression and anxiety as a teenager. My health visitor referred me to Tracy and I had my first meeting with her that day." The group "made a huge difference" to her, helping her gain techniques to manage anxiety and "irrational fears about going out on my own". When the course finished, she and fellow graduate Nikki Jones, 31, from Builth Wells, felt they needed to continue the good work the course had begun. "Nikki said to me, why don't we create a peer support group, because the whole point of Mums Matter is we take the tools to recover, but we're not cured in six weeks," said Stacey. "It was just the six of us from the first group in the beginning, and it's grown as more groups [from subsequent courses] have come along. It's spread across the county." Although the group might look like a regular playgroup to a casual observer, the difference was striking. Members are able to talk honestly about the "taboo", as she puts it, of the negative side of becoming a parent. No-one bats an eyelid if a group member needs a cry during the meeting and there is none of the sense of presenting a particular face to the world that she feels can be the case in regular playgroups she has attended in the past. "We wanted to create a group where the outside didn't need to be said. We have already been through the course, where you tell the truth about motherhood. "We have all had that day where we're struggling. It's a safe space where we all come together. I'm definitely a lot stronger as a person." As a result of her experiences, Stacey recovered from her post-natal depression and become a volunteer with Mums Matter. A second peer support group "to combat loneliness" is now in the pipeline further north for Knighton and the area. Stacey said: "The first time I did a group I felt like a fraud, She [Tracy] said 'you had to remember you have been in that place'. I could see the pain in the other ladies and I came through, so I can say 'you will come through it'. "Coming here to this programme has enabled me to get from a place where I wasn't enjoying my children to 'I'm not perfect a lot of the time but I'm trying my best', and that's fine. "I'm a stay-at-home mum, so if I'm not enjoying them, it's a bit of a black hole to be in. I was barely surviving and now I'm thriving." Information and advice If you or someone you know is struggling with issues raised by this story, find support through BBC Action Line .

"लगभग 12 महीने पहले, मैंने अपनी जान लेने की कोशिश की थी।"


Xinjiang cotton: How do I know if it's in my jeans?

Summary: Xinjiang cotton is some of the best fabric in the world. It's also, human rights campaigners say, produced by forced labour. Some Western brands have removed it from their supply chains, leading to a backlash from Chinese celebrities and netizens. Welcome to the row over cotton from the Xinjiang region of China.

By Alix KroegerBBC News What are the concerns about Xinjiang cotton? Rights groups say Xinjiang's Uighur minority (also spelled as "Uyghur") are being persecuted and conscripted for forced labour. Evidence shown to the BBC suggests that upwards of half a million Uighur minority workers a year are being marshalled into seasonal cotton picking under conditions that appear to raise a high risk of coercion. "Right now, there is near certainty that any brand sourcing apparel, textiles, yarn or cotton from the Uyghur Region is profiting from human rights violations, including forced labour, both in the Uyghur Region and more broadly throughout China," says the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region, whose members include Anti-Slavery International and the World Uyghur Congress. Who uses it? It can be difficult to pin down, since much of it gets absorbed into global supply chains. But if you bear in mind that Xinjiang cotton accounts for 85% of Chinese production and 20% of world supply, the chances are high that you've got some in your wardrobe. There are two ways of looking at it: top down, and bottom up. Retailers typically only know the first tier in their supply chain. For example, a retailer commissions a shirt from a supplier, who buys the fabric from a mill, which buys the yarn from a spinning mill, which bought the cotton from a broker, who bought cotton from any number of farms. Tracing cotton back to a specific farm is almost impossible - there are just too many. Think of the supply chain like a sand-timer: there are hundreds of thousands of farms and almost as many garment factories. The spinning mills in the middle are the pinch point, where the cotton is blended and turned into yarn. Certification schemes for cotton mills, such as Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced (Yess), work to eliminate forced labour from the supply chain. But that's of limited help to you as a consumer if you're just ordering a pair of jeans off a retailer's website. "If you really want to be confident of the traceability of the cotton in your jeans, you have to look for Soil Association organic cotton or Fairtrade," advises Clare Lissaman from Common Objective (CO), a sustainable fashion sourcing platform. What does China say? China rejects the accusations of using forced labour and denies holding Uighurs in detention camps. It says the camps are "re-education" facilities being used to combat terrorism. Many Chinese have called for boycotts of Western brands including Nike and H&M after they expressed concern about the alleged use of Uighur forced labour. H&M has been erased from Chinese e-commerce sites including Pinduoduo, JD.com and Tmall. Burberry lost a brand ambassador, actress Zhou Dongyu - and it wasn't the only one. In 48 hours, 27 celebrities cut ties with companies including Adidas, Calvin Klein and Nike. Where is Xinjiang and who are the Uighurs? Read more: Who are the Uighurs? You may also be interested in...

शिनजियांग कपास दुनिया में सबसे अच्छे कपड़ों में से एक है। मानवाधिकार प्रचारकों का कहना है कि यह जबरन श्रम द्वारा उत्पादित भी है। कुछ पश्चिमी ब्रांडों ने इसे अपनी आपूर्ति श्रृंखलाओं से हटा दिया है, जिससे चीनी हस्तियों और नेटिज़न्स की प्रतिक्रिया हुई है। चीन के शिनजियांग क्षेत्र से कपास पर विवाद में आपका स्वागत है।


Gurinderjit Rai shotgun murder inquiry: Police make 13th arrest

Summary: A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after a father was found shot dead in a car.

Gurinderjit Rai's body was discovered in a car parked in a lay-by in Shepherds Farm Lane, Corhampton, Hampshire, on 13 July. Police believe the 41-year-old, from Eastleigh, was killed in a targeted attack. The suspect, from Winchester, is the 13th person to be arrested as part of the inquiry, police said. All of those arrested are still on police bail or under investigation, and none are in custody, detectives added.

एक कार में एक पिता की गोली मारकर हत्या करने के संदेह में 38 वर्षीय एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Aberdeen's Christmas lights switched on

Summary: Aberdeen's main Christmas lights display along the city's Union Street has been switched on.

Hundreds of people traditionally attend the annual event, which saw traffic restrictions in place. This year's pantomime-themed event got under way at about 1700 GMT with street entertainment. Lord Provost Peter Stephen said: "The parade is great fun for all. When the Christmas lights are switched on the city centre looks wonderfully festive." Related Internet Links Aberdeen City Council

शहर के यूनियन स्ट्रीट के साथ एबरडीन की क्रिसमस की मुख्य रोशनी का प्रदर्शन चालू कर दिया गया है।


On the trail of a ruthless slavery gang

Summary: Earlier this year, eight people were jailed for their part in the biggest slavery network ever discovered in Britain. BBC Panorama went behind the scenes as police and lawyers worked tirelessly with dozens of victims to expose the gang.

By Duncan StaffBBC Panorama "I understand you've been talking to one of my witnesses." The detective on the other end of the line, Michelle Ohren, does not sound happy. "I did not know he was one of your witnesses," I reply: "Anyway. Witness to what?" There is a sigh at the other end of the line. "Mariusz Rykaczewski is a witness in a modern slavery case we have been investigating for the past two years." Det Sgt Ohren's words seize my attention. With the help of the Salvation Army I have been interviewing former slaves for a possible Panorama on modern slavery. "Look, I'm happy to help," I say, probing, "can you tell me more?" The answer is a firm "no". But Det Sgt Ohren does agree to put me in touch with her boss, Det Ch Insp Nick Dale of West Midlands Police. The door to the UK's biggest ever modern-day slavery case has cracked open. I'd met Mariusz at a Salvation Army base in a northern city. He'd been hiding out in one of the charity's network of safe houses. He told me he'd been a solider in the French Foreign Legion. He looked the part with a battered face and a buzz cut. The story he came out with was at turns highly unlikely and grim. He was down on his luck in northern Poland when a couple of "Gypsies" made him an offer he couldn't refuse: free travel to the UK, free accommodation and a job. He knew there had to be a catch. "I think at first it's a joke but the day after they call me: 'When am I ready to go?'" Desperate, he decided to take a gamble. "I take one bag. I meet in this bus station and they give me ticket and I go." The life that awaited him in the UK was very different to the idyll he had been promised. 'They beat me' He was housed in a freezing terrace with 12 other men. They were all the same: older guys in their 40s and 50s, many of them alcoholic or homeless, all down on their luck. All were now slaves in a foreign country. Mariusz slept on the floor and the food he was given was stale. What's more, he was told he'd have to repay the cost of the bus ticket, the out-of-date food and the squalid accommodation. He tried to escape - and discovered the price of disobedience. "The criminals... they beat me in my ribs and I have black eyes. "Sometimes I sleep with big knife because I'm afraid they come back again." Isobel McFarlane of the Salvation Army, who introduced me to Mariusz, says his background in the French Foreign Legion may have made things worse for him. "What happened to Mariusz is extremely typical where one individual might be singled out and actually physically assaulted as an example to the other guys." Mariusz's captors took him along to a local bank to open an account. He was forced to give a fake address under the slavers' control. He never saw the card or withdrew any money from the account. Only after he'd escaped did he learn the account had been used to run up more than £6,000 in debt. The most he was ever paid for a 60-hour week picking leeks was £75. That's £1.25 an hour. Eventually, Mariusz found a number for the Salvation Army slavery helpline. A woman there told him where the nearest police station was and - crucially - that he'd be looked after when he got there. Within hours of escaping he was on his way to a Salvation Army safe house far from Birmingham and his captors. "They were very kind to me," said Mariusz. As we parted he told me proudly that he was now training to be a security guard. It seemed as though his life was getting back on track. Not long after this I find myself in Det Ch Insp Dale's sparse office at Bournville police station in Birmingham. The force currently has multiple unsolved murders. And yet sitting opposite me is an officer firmly fixed on modern-day slavery. "Mariusz is one of dozens of witnesses," says Det Ch Insp Dale. "I think, in total, there were 300 victims. There's never been a case like it." I ask the detective if our company, Longtail Films, can follow him and his officers for Panorama. I expect to have to persuade him, have my arguments ready. A life of police work does not make people trusting. His reply surprises me. "Yes. I believe in being open. The public need to understand the scale of the problem. We can't police it out of existence. I'll introduce you to the team." His team turns out to be a few officers. Just two of them, Det Con Mike Wright and Det Sgt Ohren, working on the operation from start to finish. "The case has taken over our lives," says Det Con Wright, a slim young detective with impeccably gelled hair. Det Sgt Ohren nods. 'A family business' They take me through the case. At first, it is almost impossible to grasp the size of it. There are hundreds of potential victims and so many defendants that the case has been split into two trials at Birmingham Crown Court. The barrister leading the case is Caroline Haughey QC. I meet her at King's Cross station to discuss taking part in the film. Like Det Ch Insp Dale, she sees it as an opportunity. She simplifies the case for me in the same way as she does for the jury. "This is a family business. Amongst the people involved are fathers, sons, cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers. They share a vision on how they can exploit this commodity. "The commodity happens to be human beings." There are five defendants in the first trial: the gang's matriarch, Justyna Parczewska, who met slaves when they first arrived, Marek Brzezinski, who organised housing for the captives, Marek Chowaniec, who got them into the country, his close friend Julianna Chodakiewicz, who arranged work for them, and Natalia Zmuda, who stole their wages. As I film them entering and leaving court they in turn hide their faces, abuse and threaten me. Ms Haughey shows them no sympathy. "This case is taking down a very large organised crime group and gouging out its heart." After the witnesses have given evidence I interview the few willing to waive their lifelong right to anonymity. It's a deeply moving experience. Each time I ask the men a simple list of questions about what happened. Each time a slavery victim breaks down on camera. And yet they are all determined to tell their story. I ask Piotr Pawski, who was threatened with death by his captors, if he'll ever be free of what happened to him. "I hope so," he replies. "I took part in this programme because I hope there won't be any more cases like mine… I would love to put an end to this and just end the human trafficking." The pressure on the prosecution team is grinding. They work long hours in a tiny, windowless meeting room. The temperature is stifling. The only change of scene they get is a trip to the courtroom itself. One after another, police and barristers fall ill. "It's just unrelenting," Ms Haughey tells me over yet another hastily grabbed sandwich. She is pale and has cold sores. "I'm doing 100 hour weeks and my kids hardly see me." The camera I have chosen for the job is deliberately small and unobtrusive - even so I am very grateful for the police and barristers' patience when I turn it on them during moments of maximum pressure. As Mariusz is about to give evidence a problem emerges: he is wanted by the Polish authorities on a European arrest warrant. It turns out he was on the run when he fell into the clutches of the slavers. "What would our position be… if I disclose this now?" asks junior barrister Emma Shafton. "I don't really see the problem," replies Ms Haughey. "Our position has always been - and one of the complainants even said - he was specifically targeting people who came out of prison, people who are homeless." I watch Mariusz on the stand. He is a star witness, winning over the jury with his honesty about his past, his humility and his frankness about the horror he lived through. Afterwards Ms Haughey goes down to thank him, as she does every witness in the case. "Well done in telling your story. Getting that part of your life back because now you own it. You really did well, so thank you." The jury foreman delivers the verdict like a bowler knocking over a row of skittles. The slavers are guilty on every single count. After passing sentences ranging from three to 11 years, Judge Mary Stacey gives Det Sgt Ohren and Det Con Wright an official crown court judge's commendation - some return on four years of their life. In a later trial three other slavers, including the gang's patriarch, Ignacy Brzezinkski, are sentenced to a total of 20 years. The convictions please all of the slaves I meet. This does not mean that they can put the experience behind them. "They got big sentences which is great," says Adam Scczepankiewicz. "But I know they [are] seeking revenge. And for the rest of my life I'll be looking back - and worried they will find me and they will kill me." Things do not end well for Mariusz. A few weeks after giving evidence his past catches up with him. He is arrested and flown back to Poland to serve a year for robbery. At least he has the comfort of knowing that his former captors will be inside for far longer. Panorama, The Hunt for Britain's Slave Gangs - Thursday 5 September at 21:00 on BBC One or catch up on the iPlayer.

इस साल की शुरुआत में, ब्रिटेन में अब तक खोजे गए सबसे बड़े गुलामी नेटवर्क में अपनी भूमिका के लिए आठ लोगों को जेल भेजा गया था। बीबीसी पैनोरमा पर्दे के पीछे चला गया क्योंकि पुलिस और वकीलों ने गिरोह को बेनकाब करने के लिए दर्जनों पीड़ितों के साथ अथक प्रयास किया।


Gwynedd council tax to rise by 4.5% as budget is approved

Summary: Council tax in Gwynedd will rise by 4.5% after the council approved its budget for 2015/16.

The council said the increase was needed to fill a £60m funding gap in the £228m it needs to deliver local services. It hopes to generate £58m from the tax increase, which equates to an extra 96p a week for an average band D household. A further £2m will come from council balances, while £168m will be funded through a government grant.

परिषद द्वारा 2015/16 के लिए अपने बजट को मंजूरी देने के बाद ग्वेनेड में परिषद कर में 4.5% की वृद्धि होगी।


Man crushed by log while cutting timber in Newton Reigny

Summary: A man has been crushed to death by a large log while cutting down timber in Cumbria.

Fire crews and the ambulance service were called to Newton Reigny, near Penrith on Saturday afternoon after he became trapped under the five-metre (16ft 4in) log. The man, who was in his 50s, was confirmed dead at the scene by a paramedic. Cumbria Police said the incident was not being treated as suspicious.

कुम्ब्रिया में लकड़ी काटने के दौरान एक व्यक्ति को एक बड़े लट्ठ ने कुचल दिया जिससे उसकी मौत हो गई।


Cyclists accuse Toronto mayor Ford of 'war on bikes'

Summary: Toronto's tough-talking mayor has never hidden his disdain for cyclists. Now they are accusing him of trumping up a war on two-wheeled commuters. Bike lanes have been removed but are the city's streets any more dangerous to ride?

By Jason MargolisPRI's The World Rob Ford cruised to victory as city mayor a year-and-a-half ago pledging to end what he dubbed "the war on the car". He argued that bike lanes were taking away space for cars. "And what I compare bike lanes to is swimming with the sharks. Sooner or later you're going to get bitten," said Ford speaking in 2010 as a Toronto city council-member. "And every year we have dozens of people that get hit by cars or trucks. Well, no wonder: roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks, not for people on bikes. "My heart bleeds for them when I hear someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day." Since Ford came into office, Toronto hasn't just stopped putting in bike lanes; it has started removing some of them. Last year, the Toronto city council voted to remove three bike lanes. The city council did, however, also agree to upgrade a couple of existing bike lanes to physically separated traffic lanes, which are safer for cyclists. A few more lanes could be added after a further study is conducted. Ford's office didn't respond to repeated interview requests. But cyclists on the streets of Toronto were happy to share their thoughts on the mayor. "To have the war against bikes, or in his case, what he believed is the war against cars, is insane and ludicrous as far as I'm concerned," said cyclist Sean Siford. Christine Montgomery added: "He's completely awful." John Barber is also no fan of the mayor and his car-friendly policies. He writes a column for the Globe and Mail newspaper about life in Toronto. He's also been cycling in the city for 50 years. "There's this weird culture war," said Barber. "You know in one of the newspapers, they're calling bicyclists 'helmet heads.' You're in part of some kind of tribe, and they impute all kinds of motives to you. "And it's this war between people who... somebody is trying to trump a war between bicyclists and cars. It never existed in the past." Fifteen years ago, Bicycling Magazine named Toronto North America's best city for cycling. Now, Toronto is the bike collision capital of Canada , with more accidents per capita than any other major Canadian city. Yet many Toronto motorists are up in arms when there's talk of narrowing roads to add bike lanes, said Barber. "Nobody says, 'Well, hey we're killing people at twice the rate of Vancouver. Shouldn't we try to think of making these streets a little bit safer?'" Many motorists feel that cyclists are the ones making the streets unsafe, and there's been plenty of online discussion on this topic. Some say reckless bikers pose a threat to pedestrians and other cyclists. Others complain about an "idiot on a bike" who veered in and out of traffic, ignoring the rules of the road. Barber would like to see police enforce those rules for cyclists. But he says in the end, bikes need their own space, and the city needs more bike lanes. He calls the mayor's stance "completely crazy." "People want bicycles lanes everywhere in North America," said Barber. "There's a demand among the constituents for bicycle infrastructure. And nothing could be cheaper; it's a matter of painting lines, right?" Painting some lines on the road may be cheap. But there's another cost. "If you put in a bike lane, you have to take something out: it's either a traffic lane, or parking," explained Nancy Smith Lea, director of the Toronto Center for Active Transportation. "And for the most part, when the parking is removed, that's the most contentious issue." One big problem bikers face, almost everywhere, is what cyclists in Toronto call "the door prize" - when somebody getting out of their car hits you with their door. Smith Lea advocates getting rid of some on-street parking to create a few bike corridors. She says many people don't react so well to this. "People go bananas. But I think it's what needs to happen." Here's the counter argument: adding bike lanes will help some cyclists, but will have a negative effect on many more drivers. Cycling safety became front page news in Toronto last fall when a young mother, who was also five months pregnant, was killed on her bike . She was crushed under the wheels of a truck. In a separate incident, an enraged driver chased a cyclist onto a sidewalk in his car. Add it all up, and it may sound like Toronto's streets have turned into some kind of a roller derby. Not so, says Ron Buliung, a professor of transportation geography at the University of Toronto and a bike commuter. He went back and looked at police reports over the past decade. "And we're not seeing dramatic increases in fatalities or injuries of any kind, or much change in the frequency of injury on our major arterials," said Buliung. He says what's happening is that other North American cities are becoming much safer for cyclists, much faster. Meanwhile, progress in Toronto has stalled. Toronto has been averaging more than 1,100 reported cycling collisions over the past five years. Add one more to this year's tally. "I've not had a collision with a motor vehicle, except for today actually, the day I'm coming to speak to you about cycling in Toronto," said Buliung. Builing was sideswiped by a car. He was not injured. Listen to Jason Margolis' full report atPRI's The World , a co-production of the BBC World Service, Public Radio International, and WGBH in Boston.

टोरंटो के सख्त बोलने वाले मेयर ने साइकिल चालकों के प्रति अपना तिरस्कार कभी नहीं छिपाया है। अब वे उन पर दो-पहिया यात्रियों के खिलाफ युद्ध छेड़ने का आरोप लगा रहे हैं। साइकिल की गलियों को हटा दिया गया है लेकिन क्या शहर की सड़कों पर सवारी करना अधिक खतरनाक है?


Man charged over street death in Lincoln

Summary: A man has been charged with killing a man found with head injuries in the street.

David Turner, 50, was attacked near the University Bridge on Brayford Way in Lincoln on the night of 16 May. He died in hospital three days later. Adnan Mehmed, 38, of Park Street in Lincoln, has been charged with manslaughter and is due to appear at Lincoln Magistrates' Court in October. He has been released on bail, Lincolnshire Police said.

एक व्यक्ति पर सड़क पर सिर पर चोट लगे एक व्यक्ति की हत्या करने का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Why are India's tigers killing humans?

Summary: There are about 1,700 tigers left in the wild in India. In the past five weeks, 17 people in four states have been killed by tigers. Jay Mazoomdaar investigates the reasons behind the current spate of killings.

In a country which is home to the world's largest population of tigers, few things swing public opinion more sharply than a "man-eater" does. With 17 people killed by tigers in the past five weeks in the four Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, angry residents of affected areas are threatening to take the law into their own hands. But then, to those who do not know it, nothing can describe the terror of living in the shadow of a "man-eating" tiger on the prowl. In Tamil Nadu's Nilgiri district, schools in the Dodabetta region have been shut for over a week now. The majority of the householders here are people on daily wages who have not gone to work. If the "tiger curfew" continues much longer, the poorer families may start to starve. Drawing a blank The tiger that killed three people since 4 January in Dodabetta has been confirmed as a "man-eater". But the jury is still out on whether a "man-eater" killed two people in Maharashtra's Tadoba region. In Uttar Pradesh, a wandering tigress from Jim Corbett National Park has killed seven people since Christmas. Another five people have been killed by a tiger in Karnataka. While two "man-eating" tigers - and one which killed livestock - have been captured in Karnataka since last month, forest authorities in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have so far drawn a blank. Trap cages and camera traps are in place. Trackers on foot and veterinarians with tranquiliser guns on elephants are scouring the forest patches. Even recorded mating calls are being blared to lure the "man-eater" out. But with little luck so far. It is never easy when a tiger loses its fear of people. In fact, most attacks on people are chance encounters gone wrong. Victims of such accidental attacks are rarely dragged away as prey or actually eaten. But a series of attacks on people in quick succession is a telltale sign of a man-eater at work. Fortunately, a tiger turning to human prey is rare. A tiger usually makes one large kill every week. For India's 1,700-odd tigers, that adds up to more than 85,000 kills in a year. If humans were part of a tiger's natural diet, and since there are people everywhere in India, a good number of these 85,000 kills would be humans. The truth is, less than 85 people are killed or injured - accidentally or otherwise - in a year by tigers here. Many times more die of snakebites or rabies. Yet, the tiger remains the most feared killing machine in public perception. People rarely discriminate between accidental and deliberate killings. And every time there is an attack, the media jump the gun. Under the law, the heads of the state wildlife departments can declare a tiger a man-eater and permit its killing. 'Risky delay' But a spate of shooting licences issued to private hunters prompted the union environment ministry to issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in January last year. According to the SOP, "under no circumstances, a tiger should be eliminated by invoking the Wildlife [Protection] Act, 1972, if it is not habituated for causing human death". But when a tiger stalks and kills people, the only option is to eliminate it. India's strong animal welfare lobby, however, insists on capturing "man-eaters" alive, rather than shooting them down. It takes a lot more effort and time to trap or tranquilise a "man-eater" than to gun it down. And every delay is fraught with the danger of more human casualties and the subsequent revenge killing of random tigers by hostile villagers. "Once confirmed, a 'man-eater' has to be dealt with promptly. Any delay is risky and this angers local people. This may undermine public support for conservation of tigers as a species," argues tiger biologist Dr Ullas Karanth. Conservationist Valmik Thapar insists that independent experts must be engaged to determine if a tiger is a "man-eater". "If it is established that a tiger is too dangerous to be rehabilitated in the wild, it should be put down rather than made to serve a life term in a zoo," he says. Not surprisingly, most "man-eaters" in recent times have been reported from areas with high tiger populations, such as the Bandipur-Nagarahole, Tadoba, Corbett-Rajaji, Ranthambhore and Kaziranga regions. Densely packed tiger forests - many call them the price of India's conservation success - often lead to young and old tigers wandering outside. Such wandering tigers are more likely to come into conflict with people. 'Too many tigers' "Tigers that come into conflict with people are more likely sub-adults [a tiger that has passed through the juvenile period but not yet attained typical adult characteristics] trying to find new territories, and among old, injured animals that are evicted from their home territories," Dr Karanth explains. The man-eater captured in Karnataka on 5 December was a 12-year-old male. It had nearly completed the full lifespan expected in the wild. The one trapped on 2 January was an eight-year-old male with injuries to its right paw and shoulder. Since such weak animals would not have lasted too long in the wild anyway, it makes no difference to conservation if they are killed or sent to zoos, say wildlife experts. But prompt action sends the right message to local communities. Experts believe that the public outcry over the present spate of human killings should neither provoke officials to hastily declare the tigers as "man-eaters" nor come in the way of promptly gunning down an identified "man-eater". "Any confirmed 'man-eater' should be eliminated, though not a tiger that accidentally kills someone in self-defence. Zoos already have far too many tigers," says Dr George Schaller, the world's foremost field biologist. Meanwhile, life is on hold in India's terrified villages reeling from tiger attacks. The search for the "man-eaters" continues. Jay Mazoomdaar is an independent journalist who writes for publications in India and abroad.

भारत में जंगल में लगभग 1,700 बाघ बचे हैं। पिछले पांच हफ्तों में, चार राज्यों में 17 लोग बाघों द्वारा मारे गए हैं। जय मजूमदार हत्याओं के वर्तमान क्रम के पीछे के कारणों की जांच करता है।


EuroMillions: Unclaimed £1m ticket bought in Ceredigion

Summary: A £1m lottery winner from Ceredigion has been urged to collect their prize following a recent draw.

The ticket was bought in the local authority area and the numbers came up in the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker draw on 7 February. If the prize is unclaimed on 5 August it will go towards projects across the UK, the National Lottery has said. The ticket code was VPDP 74836. Claims for a lost ticket can still be made in writing within 30 days of the draw.

सेरेडिगियन के एक मिलियन पाउंड के लॉटरी विजेता से हाल ही में ड्रॉ के बाद अपना पुरस्कार लेने का आग्रह किया गया है।


Size matters in business Brexit debate

Summary: Businesses can't vote. No matter how big or powerful, they are not allowed into the polling booth. They do, however, have a voice which, by and large, has been singing a tune called Remain.

Simon JackBusiness editor When it comes to the referendum it's clear that size does matter. There are some exceptions (JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford and Sir James Dyson) but the rule of thumb is this: the bigger the business, the more likely it is to be in favour of staying in the EU. Ford, BMW, JP Morgan, Easyjet, Microsoft, HP, Rolls-Royce, Virgin and many more have written to their staff over the last few weeks to lay out the risks of an exit. The polling bears out this difference between big and small. A poll among CBI members, who tend to be larger employers, showed 77% favouring Remain with just 6% favouring Leave. The last available poll from the Federation of Small Business showed a much more even split with 47% preferring to stay in and 41% wanting out. Single market The reason for this marked difference could be the relative importance big and small business place on membership of the single market. For companies like Ford, which exports bits of cars to Europe, gets them back again, adds a few more bits and then exports them again, friction-free trade with a bloc of 500 million customers is crucial. That kind of access, or something close, may be achievable post Brexit - but that's far from certain. I am loath to trot out the dreaded cliché that businesses don't like uncertainty - but if it fits, sometimes you have to wear it. For small businesses, the single market matters less, as very few of them export to Europe and they may be able to ditch some of the red tape that comes with being part of a 28-nation bureaucracy. Those that do export would have to follow EU rules anyway without any input into the rule making process. Skills Another priority for businesses is finding staff. According to government figures there are currently 2.1 million EU nationals working here in the UK and yet the unemployment rate is just 5% - very near what most economists would consider full employment. The Polish builder, for example, has become a fixture in the national psyche - could we do without him? According to the Construction Industry Training Board the UK has a severe skills shortage in the building trade. Some contractors say higher wages in the sector would tempt more UK nationals into the trade and that's how a labour market should work rather than relying on a limitless supply of cheap labour. Many have characterised this referendum as a tussle between the economy and immigration. You may damage the economy by leaving but it's the only surefire way of bringing immigration under control. This is not a dilemma that worries most big businesses as they benefit both ways from remain - more customers and more workers to choose from. The weight of business opinion is firmly with Remain but as I said, businesses can't vote. We'll find out on Friday morning whether workers share business owners' enthusiasm for the free movement of goods, services, capital and, most divisively, people.

व्यवसायी मतदान नहीं कर सकते। चाहे वे कितने भी बड़े या शक्तिशाली क्यों न हों, उन्हें मतदान केंद्र में प्रवेश करने की अनुमति नहीं है। हालाँकि, उनकी एक आवाज है जो मोटे तौर पर रिमेन नामक एक धुन गा रही है।


The violence behind closed doors

Summary: New figures published on Thursday offer a chilling insight into the violence and abuse that goes on behind closed doors. According to the data, two million people in England and Wales suffered sexual assault, violence, threats or abuse at the hands of a partner or family member last year.

Mark EastonHome editor@BBCMarkEastonon Twitter Despite a much greater focus on domestic crime by police, it is a number that has barely changed in four years. The data comes from the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) which regularly asks people about their personal experience of crime. Breaking the numbers down reveals that 1.2 million victims were women and 800,000 were men, a far higher proportion of male sufferers than people might have thought. Domestic abuse is not just a women's issue. The survey suggests, though, that it is an issue of the poor, the sick and the separated. The pain of relationship breakdown is vivid in these figures. Among couples who had separated, 21% of women and 11% of men were victims of domestic abuse. For those in a marriage, the figure is 3% for both sexes. Women who are unemployed are more than twice as likely to have experienced domestic violence or abuse in the last year than those with a job, 15% compared with 6%. For men it is 7% against 5%. There is a clear correlation between lower incomes and higher risks of being a victim of domestic abuse. For men and women with incomes of less than £10,000 a year, the proportion affected last year was 9% and 12% respectively. Among those earning £50,000 or more, the risk falls to 4%. Those with a long-standing illness or disability are also in greater danger - 13% of women in that category and 7% of men suffered domestic abuse last year compared with a general likelihood of 7% and 5% respectively. These are often repeat crimes. A fifth of victims say they were affected at least three times, almost a third said they had suffered domestic abuse at least twice. This data echoes the finding from a new Freedom of Information request that shows up to a third of domestic incidents recorded by the police are classified as repeat incidents. The FoI request was published on Thursday by the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who says the scale of domestic violence is "disturbingly high". "Some police forces and local councils do a great job working together and some are piloting early intervention schemes to identify and help those most at risk, but everyone could do more," Ms Cooper argues. "We need a new national board to set standards and drive change." The same FoI request also shows that one in 10 of all 999 calls to the police relate to incidents of domestic violence. In some force areas, it is as high as one in five. This might actually be a positive development. Victims are less reluctant to contact the police and more likely to trust them to deal with their cases sensitively and seriously. Evidence for that comes in the official figures on rape. While the crime survey suggests little significant change in the incidence of rape over the last few years, the number of rapes reported to the police has risen from about 6,600 in 1997 to 16,000 in 2011/12. Nevertheless, with the survey data suggesting violent crime has halved since 1995, the prevalence and intractability of domestic abuse is a cause for concern. The government says it regards the issue as a priority, and from next month the definition of domestic violence will be widened to include those aged 16-17 who are subject to psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse.

गुरुवार को प्रकाशित नए आंकड़े बंद दरवाजों के पीछे होने वाली हिंसा और दुर्व्यवहार के बारे में एक भयावह अंतर्दृष्टि प्रदान करते हैं। आंकड़ों के अनुसार, इंग्लैंड और वेल्स में 20 लाख लोगों को पिछले साल एक साथी या परिवार के सदस्य के हाथों यौन उत्पीड़न, हिंसा, धमकियों या दुर्व्यवहार का सामना करना पड़ा।


Tour de France Grand Depart diary

Summary: With the 101st Tour de France starting in Leeds on 5 July, BBC Yorkshire's Matt Slater rounds up the Grand Depart gossip, opinion and stories, as well as trying to shed some light on the race's mysterious ways. TOP STORIES

Fan's guide With thousands of cycling fans expected in the Holme Valley to see stage two of the Tour de France this summer, a local cycling fan has posted a guide to the customs and quirks of Yorkshire folk on YouTube. Alistaire Macgregor's video suggests visitors swap bike helmets for flat caps, and trainers for clogs, while warning that brightly coloured jerseys could scare the sheep. Full story: The Huddersfield Daily Examiner Band on the run "Stirring" North Yorkshire-based folk-rock band Area 40 has recorded a song to celebrate the Tour's visit to the region. A video to accompany the song "Road Trip" sees the "duelling electric guitar/violin band" take to their bikes to enjoy the Grand Depart route. Duelling? Let's hope there's no road rage. Full story: Harrogate Advertiser Landscape artists Worth Valley's young farmers have been busy, and not just with lambing. "Fields of Vision" is the name of a grand project to mark July's Grand Depart. Part of the 100-day cultural festival in the build-up to the Tour, some of the hillsides around Haworth, Oxenhope and Stanbury will be transformed into giant pieces of land art. Using string, pegs, ribbon and liquid fertiliser, the farmers have teamed up with local artists to create a series of stunning images in the grass. Full story: The Telegraph & Argus CYCLING ROUND-UP Whatever you do in Belfast this weekend, do not call its "Big Start" a dress rehearsal for Yorkshire's "Grand Depart". The Giro d'Italia, the first Grand Tour of the 2014 season, rolls off a ramp in Belfast's Titanic Quarter this evening for the first of three thrilling days in Northern Ireland and Ireland, before jetting to southern Italy and 18 more days of racing. The opening ceremony took place at City Hall on Thursday night and it would be fair to say the good folk of Northern Ireland have entered into the spirit of things by turning the place pink. Elsewhere, the Women's Tour of Britain heads into Essex for its third stage. Italy's Rossella Ratto won a wet second stage in Bedford on Thursday. And whilst most cycling aficionados will tell you the Giro is the only race that matters on the men's calendar this month, there is a growing body of opinion that the Tour of California is coming up hard on the rails. OK, it lacks the Giro's history and Grand Tour status, but it has a great field this year, including British stars Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish. Wiggo, in fact, has said California was "an obvious choice over the Giro, to be honest", a statement that will not win him any friends in Italy. TWEET OF THE DAY "If you can't beat them, join them." BBC Northern Ireland's Mark Simpson gets into the Giro d'Italia spirit by turning his Twitter profile picture pink. A TO Z OF LE TOUR D is for… Diable Rouge - Dieter "Didi" Senft is German cycling fan in his 60s who has become a fixture at Le Tour over the last 20 years thanks to his appearances at the roadside dressed in a skin-tight, red devil suit. He accessories this outfit with a large golden trident, and usually paints tridents on the road to warn the TV commentators of his imminent arrival. Domestique - Literally "servant", this term describes about two thirds of the field in a bike race. These are the guys on every team who shield their star rider from the wind, fetch food and clothing from the team cars, pace them back to the bunch if they crash or get a puncture, and even hand over their bikes to the leader if need be. The glory for a domestique comes when their rider wins, and all bonuses are shared. Dossard - This is the number the riders pin to their jerseys, but the word means something slightly grander in the Tour context. It is the rider's attachment to the race, a symbol of his continuing involvement in it. FACT OF THE DAY The Tour de France was launched in 1903 when the editor of an ailing newspaper, L'Auto, called a staff meeting to come up with ideas to boost the title's sales. The editor of the paper was Henri Desgrange, a former cyclist and velodrome owner, and the last to pipe up was a young reporter called Geo Lefevre. His idea was to take the popular format of a six-day bike race on the track to the highways and byways of France. Desgrange loved it and took it to his boss, who handed over the keys to the company safe, saying "take whatever you need": Le Tour was born, and L'Auto was saved.

5 जुलाई को लीड्स में शुरू होने वाले 101वें टूर डी फ्रांस के साथ, बीबीसी यॉर्कशायर के मैट स्लेटर ने ग्रैंड डिपार्ट गपशप, राय और कहानियों के साथ-साथ दौड़ के रहस्यमय तरीकों पर कुछ प्रकाश डालने की कोशिश की।


Isle of Man: Weapons amnesty launched by police for the next month

Summary: Members of the public have been asked to hand in illegal firearms and weapons as part of a month-long amnesty in the Isle of Man.

More than 150 items including swords, grenades, a pistol, ammunition and shotguns were surrendered during the last amnesty in 2005. A police spokesman said everything from "knuckle-dusters to knives can be surrendered". Secured weapons can be brought to one of four designated police stations. They are in Douglas, Ramsey, Castletown and Peel. The scheme has been authorised by the Attorney General and no-one handing in items will be prosecuted during the amnesty, which runs until 30 November. Police have advised anybody who is unsure about how to check any weapon's condition to contact them. Several rifles have already been handed in.

जनता के सदस्यों को आइल ऑफ मैन में एक महीने की माफी के हिस्से के रूप में अवैध आग्नेयास्त्र और हथियार सौंपने के लिए कहा गया है।


Can politicians save Britain's pubs?

Summary: Thousands of publicans are struggling to make a living, with the smoking ban, high beer tax and "unfair" prices charged by pub companies being blamed. The government has promised to act, but will it do enough?

By Justin ParkinsonPolitical reporter, BBC News For millions of people it is "the dream". Running a pub - what could be better? Chatting to customers, being a leading figure in the community, being bought the odd drink, having fun: it certainly beats the nine-to-five, and the money's not bad, either. That is the idealised vision of the licensed trade. For many thousands of publicans, the reality is very different. Pubs, some of them hundreds of years old, are closing at the rate of 18 a week across the UK, according to the Campaign for Real Ale. The smoking ban and rises in VAT and beer duty have hit profits, not to mention recent recessions and cut-price booze deals in supermarkets. Many of those running pubs are locked into exclusivity deals, under which they are known as "tied houses". This means they can only sell beer, wine and spirits supplied by the companies owning the premises. 'Getting worse' Often the wholesale prices are so high they squeeze any chance of making a decent living, it is argued. Alan Leach is one of the growing ranks of the disillusioned. He has run the London Unity, in the trendy Hanover district of Brighton, for two years. Given the hilly surroundings, its residents should be thirstier than most. But Mr Leach, who used to work as a manager for a medium-sized Brighton pub firm, has struggled since taking over his own premises. He has attempted to diversify to encourage more custom, serving curries and Sunday roasts, but has found it hard. His lease ends soon and he is not renewing it. The pub, which dates back to the mid-19th Century, has been put up for sale by Enterprise Inns, which owns the building's freehold. Mr Leach told the BBC News website: "It's becoming really difficult for publicans. The companies are charging too much for the beer, hitting our profit margins. "Also, the rise in VAT and the smoking ban are putting the squeeze on us. Things are only getting worse and something has to be done about it. "Otherwise, independent pubs like ours are going to keep closing, and communities will suffer." The London Unity is being advertised as premises which would "suit alternative uses subject to planning", one of which could be as flats. A Twitter campaign has been established to prevent this happening, led by Rhian Jones, a restaurateur who wants to take over the pub and keep it as a licensed premises. She said: "It's a nice-sized pub and it's in a nice area, with an established customer base. People agree with me that it would be a pity if the London Unity closed. "Every day I drive past signs saying pubs have closed down and there's permission to turn them into housing. It's so sad. I want to run the Unity as a good old-fashioned pub." But Enterprise Inns denies it is pushing for the London Unity to become housing in an effort to make a quick buck. 'Scam' A spokesman said: "As part of our ongoing business, we do from time to time identify a pub which is unable to deliver an appropriate level of sustainable income. "After careful consideration and a review of all options, the decision has been made to offer the freehold for sale on the open market with no restrictions on future use." Pubs have changed enormously over the past couple of decades. Most offer food. Some are far swisher. Opening hours are longer. But the biggest change came after the Conservative government of the late 1980s became concerned that large breweries owned too many pubs. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission found they were creating a "complex monopoly", damaging the interests of publicans and customers. The resulting "Beer Orders" stipulated that no brewery was allowed to have more than 2,000 tied houses by November 1992. So thousands of pubs were sold, many of them bought by companies which became known as "pubcos", which, as they did not manufacture drinks themselves, were exempt from the terms of the Beer Orders. They quickly proliferated and the largest today are Enterprise and Punch Taverns, owning more than 8,000 pubs and bars each. Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland, who chairs the All-Party Save the Pub Group, has accused pubcos of overcharging for beer and rent to help pay off their large debts. He said: "The anti-monopolies move went wrong. The pubcos are now as big as the breweries ever were. Politicians on all sides recognise that something needs to be done. A lot of what is going on is nothing more than a scam. "These firms are in debt and the quickest way to get rid of it is to sell off the premises. That means a load of pubs will end up as housing or supermarkets, ripping the heart out of many communities. "It's heartbreaking. People are just trying to make a decent living and do their bit to keep places alive." 'Irresponsibly low prices' Amid accusations that pubcos are exploiting tenants, the current government has promised to introduce a statutory code of practice to govern the relationship between them and landlords, overseen by an independent regulator. The details of this arrangement still have to be thrashed out. But Enterprise Inns said the tied house model was working for thousands of publicans, offering a "low cost of entry", as buying a lease was far cheaper than having to purchase the building outright. Chief executive Ted Tuppen argues that politicians are to blame for much of the malaise, particularly the beer duty escalator, which automatically rises at 2% above the rate of inflation. He said: "The past five years have clearly been difficult for publicans, with the smoking ban and irresponsibly low prices from supermarkets. "In addition, the impact of the duty escalator has greatly contributed to the demise of many smaller, wet-led [beer, rather than food-oriented] pubs. During the past three years, whilst our average profit per pub has declined 12% to £67,000 per annum, the Treasury has increased its tax take by 19% to £145,000 per pub." Action on tied houses is being promised, but it is too late for some. For others, a more fundamental rethink of taxation is just as important. Behind the bar at the London Unity, Alan Leach is preparing to pack it all in in a few weeks' time. "It's such a pity, but I've got to make a living," he said.

धूम्रपान पर प्रतिबंध, बीयर पर उच्च कर और पब कंपनियों द्वारा लगाए गए "अनुचित" मूल्यों को दोषी ठहराए जाने के साथ हजारों जमाकर्ता जीविकोपार्जन के लिए संघर्ष कर रहे हैं। सरकार ने कार्रवाई करने का वादा किया है, लेकिन क्या वह पर्याप्त करेगी?


Ceredigion council completes £550,000 building sale

Summary: Ceredigion council has sold its social services building in Aberaeron for £550,000 as the authority looks to make savings.

Minaeron has been bought by Hywel Dda University Health Board which will use it as a care centre for the town. The council opted to dispose of the building to help deal with budget cuts. The health board said the building would help with its plans to make "significant improvements" to local service provision.

सेरेडिगियन परिषद ने अबेरेरॉन में अपनी सामाजिक सेवा भवन को 550,000 पाउंड में बेच दिया है क्योंकि प्राधिकरण बचत करना चाहता है।


How Wales Works: Welsh or English? Lucy Owen's Big School Dilemma

Summary: It is a dilemma familiar to parents across Wales and it is dividing newsreader Lucy Owen and her Welsh-speaking husband Rhodri like never before. Should they send their son Gabriel to a Welsh or English-medium secondary school? As part of BBC Wales's How Wales Works season, Lucy explores the issues with families, teachers, experts and rugby international Jamie Roberts.

Lucy went to English language primary and secondary schools growing up and says: "Nobody I knew spoke Welsh, it just wasn't on the radar for me at all." Seven-year-old Gabriel is currently at a Welsh-medium primary school, but she is concerned if he goes on to Welsh secondary education she will not be able to give him as much support with homework and will feel isolated in her own family. For her husband Rhodri, the opposite is true: "I always went to Welsh school... He's my boy. He's Welsh, I'm Welsh, my grandparents are Welsh. We all speak Welsh and that's what we've done." Lucy starts her journey sitting in on a lesson at the Welsh secondary school Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun, near Hirwaun. At this school 97% of pupils have parents who do not speak Welsh, so they have developed an bilingual app so mothers and fathers can help with homework. She meets the mother of a pupil who tells her the school is "immersive with parents" so she does not feel like an outsider. But another mother she meets has switched her daughter from a Welsh primary to an English-language secondary school and says she feels better equipped to support her child. Another couple tell Lucy they do not want their daughter learning Welsh as they believe modern languages will be more useful. Andrew Williams, head teacher at English-medium Radyr Comprehensive, tells Lucy: "I think there's a fear among some parents that if they're in a Welsh medium school their English will suffer. "I see a lot more at A Level because sometimes, I think, there's a parental perception that going on to university it's all delivered through the medium of English, so they prepare them by doing their A Levels through the medium of English." It is a concern of Lucy's that going to a Welsh-medium secondary school will make university harder for Gabriel. She goes to Queens' College, Cambridge where Wales rugby international Jamie Roberts is studying medical science to ask if being schooled in Welsh has hindered him. He says: "Ultimately, in science, the concepts are the same regardless of the language... It was just a case of learning a whole host of words because there's quite a bit of carry over from A Level into your first couple of years in medicine. "My parents took the view... that life shouldn't be easy, why worry about making it difficult? We should be more excited about making it challenging and rewarding and picturing the end product. "I would definitely have my time again in Welsh secondary education and one day when I have children, touch wood, I would send them to Welsh schools." Lucy has struggled learning Welsh herself and asks Prof Guillaume Thierry, a cognitive neuroscientist at Bangor University, if it is possible to be equally strong in two languages or if Gabriel's English will suffer. He says: "There have been some studies looking at the level of achievement of bilinguals in two languages and it is true there is a tendency for the vocabulary, for the mastery of grammar, to suffer a small delay in development. "This being said, there's this myth... we keep thinking that we can only store so much information and once the bucket is full that's it. It's exactly the opposite. The human brain has almost limitless space." Prof Thierry adds that by translating his homework from Welsh into English for Lucy, Gabriel would become a "mini teacher as a child and that's the best way to learn". He said: "We are in a global world. Today, bilingualism is the norm. Tomorrow, multilingualism is the norm." Welsh or English? Lucy Owen's Big School Dilemma will be shown on BBC One Wales at 20:30 GMT on 25 January.

यह पूरे वेल्स में माता-पिता के लिए एक परिचित दुविधा है और यह समाचार पाठक लुसी ओवेन और उनके वेल्श भाषी पति रोडरी को विभाजित कर रहा है जो पहले कभी नहीं था। क्या उन्हें अपने बेटे गैब्रियल को वेल्श या अंग्रेजी माध्यम के माध्यमिक विद्यालय में भेजना चाहिए? बीबीसी वेल्स के हाउ वेल्स वर्क्स सीज़न के हिस्से के रूप में, लुसी परिवारों, शिक्षकों, विशेषज्ञों और रग्बी अंतरराष्ट्रीय जेमी रॉबर्ट्स के साथ मुद्दों की पड़ताल करती है।


Courtney Booth: Missing teenager found 'safe and well'

Summary: A teenage girl who has been missing for more than a week has been found "safe and well" in Scotland, police said.

Courtney Booth, 15, was reported missing at about 23:00 BST on 22 September after failing to return home to her family in Stainforth, Doncaster. She had been in the Harrogate area before boarding a train to Edinburgh at York train station. South Yorkshire Police said she was found in the Scottish capital. A force spokesperson thanked the public and Police Scotland for their support during the search.

पुलिस ने कहा कि एक सप्ताह से अधिक समय से लापता एक किशोर लड़की स्कॉटलैंड में "सुरक्षित और अच्छी तरह से" पाई गई है।


Ed Miliband: No more photo opportunities?

Summary: When this picture of Ed Miliband's battle with a bacon butty hit the news, the Labour team pulled a few faces of their own. So why is the party's leader talking about how he looks?

By Ross HawkinsPolitical correspondent, BBC News I am not from central casting Other people look less like the animated character Wallace, he said in a speech. The comparison has long kept cartoonists in business. Getting the joke But Mr Miliband does a good line in self-deprecation in private, and he has decided to share some of that in public. You can find people who are more square-jawed, he said. More chiselled. No one argued. So no more photo ops? It's hardly the end of Labour's once legendary image-management though. Mr Miliband admitted pictures still matter. After all, he was as keen as any other politician to get his photo taken with President Obama. Tough job And Labour's not pretending image doesn't matter. Mr Miliband has his own PR people. Earlier this year Labour advertised for another one - a Head of the Leader's Broadcasting according to the job ad. The vacancy's still not been filled. But he says there's a real problem at Westminster: what he calls "photo op politics", where politicians are more worried about their image than important issues. Substance not style? The message from Labour is that David Cameron is better at smiling for the camera; Mr Miliband is a man of substance. Nonsense says the prime minister - pointing out that this speech came on the day the economy recovered to the level it was at before the banking crash. It was extraordinary, he said, for Mr Miliband to talk about his image. Will it work? Labour's leader is not the first politician to look odd in a photo. Sometimes it's accidental. Sometimes they plan it that way. Take William Hague, then Conservative leader, on his water slide, in his branded baseball cap. The question for Labour: can Mr Miliband's speech about his appearance make voters pay more attention to his ideas? "If you want a politician who thinks that a good photo is the most important thing, then don't vote for me," he said. That's not a risk-free strategy. Any MP, photogenic or not, takes a gamble when he or she admits a weakness. Mr Miliband's conceded he's got a problem. His critics will remind him of it again and again between now and polling day. They'll certainly quote this speech back at him when he next poses for a photo.

जब एड मिलिबैंड की बेकन बट्टी के साथ लड़ाई की यह तस्वीर खबरों में आई, तो लेबर टीम ने अपने कुछ चेहरों को खींचा। तो फिर पार्टी के नेता इस बारे में क्यों बात कर रहे हैं कि वह कैसा दिखता है?


Burundi referendum: First a third term for Nkurunziza, now seven-year mandates

Summary: Burundi goes to the polls on 17 May to vote in a constitutional referendum, which could extend President Pierre Nkurunziza's rule to 2034. Here's why the vote has become a contentious issue:

Who is President Nkurunziza? He is a former rebel leader who came to power at the end of Burundi's ethnically-charged civil war in 2005. His run for a controversial third term in 2015 set off a wave of violence and an attempted coup, which was foiled by government forces. The political crisis led to hundreds of deaths, and more than 400,000 people fled the country, according to the United Nations (UN). Critics at the time called his move unconstitutional. But supporters of Mr Nkurunziza, a born-again Christian and father of five, who has his own football team, said he was justified in running for a third term. They argued that he had technically only done one term as he was first elected into power in 2005 by parliament - not voters. It is a view that was later upheld by Burundi's Constitutional Court, although there were reports that the judges had been intimidated. The president portrays himself as a man of the people, and this has brought him widespread support in the rural areas, says Robert Misigaro from the BBC Great Lakes service. This is a demographic that his opponents have failed to harness, our correspondent adds. Mr Nkurunziza was re-elected in July 2015 in a poll boycotted by the opposition. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating the abuses and violence, following a 2017 UN report detailing killings, torture and rape, allegedly committed largely by pro-government forces in that period. Read more about Pierre Nkurunziza What is the referendum about? Burundians will vote Yes or No on whether to extend presidential terms from five years to a seven-year mandate. There is currently a two-term limit in place for presidents. The changes could also allow Mr Nkurunziza to contest the 2020 elections, and potentially enjoy another two terms, as under a new constitution, he would start from scratch. Other changes include a new post for a prime minister, the scrapping of the second vice-president post, and a clause that could see ethnic quotas - of 60% for Hutus and 40% for Tutsis - in the Senate and National Assembly, evaluated and potentially ended in five-years' time. Ethnic quotas enabled the Tutsi minority, which used to dominate the country, to enjoy a veto since laws are adopted through a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Mr Nkurunziza used to head a Hutu rebel group which battled the Tutsi-dominated army. Why are tensions running high? The government has been accused by rights groups of launching a campaign of repression, violence and fear to ensure the vote goes in President Nkurunziza's favour ahead of the vote. Observers fear that it could kick off a political crisis similar to the one seen in 2015. The government strongly denies allegations of repression and says the claims are propaganda disseminated by exiles. In a rare punishment of a government supporter, a ruling party official who called for the drowning of opponents has been jailed. The ruling CNDD-FDD party said on Twitter in April that it rejected the "subversive message which may jeopardize unity and cohesion among the Burundian people". Still, more than 50 members of the opposition coalition Amizero y'Abarundi were arrested over a single week last month, according to SOS Medias Burundi, a network of independent journalists. Human rights activist Germain Rukuki was sentenced to 32 years in prison in April on charges that Amnesty International said had been "trumped up". "The abuse reflects the widespread impunity for local authorities, the police and members of the ruling party's youth league, the Imbonerakure," Human Rights Watch wrote in April of allegations that ruling party officials had killed, beaten and detained perceived opponents. The US has denounced the violence and called the government "to respect Burundi's international legal obligations regarding the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association", the US State Department said in a statement. "Such efforts by incumbents to enact constitutional changes to remain in power beyond term limits weaken democratic institutions," it said. Days before the vote, on 12 May, more than 25 people were killed after an armed attack on a village in north-west Burundi. BBC correspondents say the attack might have been an attempt to disrupt the referendum. On 4 May, Burundi's government said the BBC and VOA broadcasts would be suspended for six months, accusing the BBC of failing to challenge an exiled Burundian activist interviewed on its French service. The BBC has accepted that the programme did not meet its strict editorial guidelines and has asked the government to lift the suspension. Who are the referendum's supporters and detractors? The ruling CNDD-FDD party, which Mr Nkurunziza leads, and a coalition of supporting parties, are backing a Yes vote. Opposition leader Agaton Rwasa, who leads the coalition Amizero y'Abarundi, has been campaigning for a No vote. Anyone who calls for the vote to be boycotted risks up to three years in jail. The Catholic church has also come out against Mr Nkurunziza. In early May, 10 prominent Bishops signed a statement saying it was not the "appropriate time to make profound changes" to the constitution. Burundi's exiled opposition groups, have made an alliance called CNARED, and called for a boycott of the referendum, AFP reports. It calls the vote a "death knell" to the 2000 Arusha Peace accords, which helped end the country's civil war and stipulates that no leader can run the country for more than 10 years.

बुरुंडी 17 मई को एक संवैधानिक जनमत संग्रह में मतदान करने के लिए मतदान करने जाता है, जो राष्ट्रपति पियरे नकुरुंजिजा के शासन को 2034 तक बढ़ा सकता है। यहाँ बताया गया है कि वोट एक विवादास्पद मुद्दा क्यों बन गया हैः


EU referendum: What do the Channel Islands think?

Summary: The Channel Islands are not part of the EU and only a small percentage of residents are able to vote in the referendum on whether the UK should remain a member. But that doesn't necessarily mean the outcome of the vote will have no impact on the islands.

By Ryan Morrison & Elisabeth MahyBBC News "Nearer to France but closer to home" is how the Channel Islands once sold themselves to holidaymakers. The most southerly part of the British Isles, the islands are self-governing Crown Dependencies, not members of the EU and not part of the UK. Only island residents who have lived in the UK within the past 15 years are eligible to vote on 23 June. Officially the Jersey and Guernsey governments have remained neutral. But some have campaigned in the islands - and in the Isle of Man - for the Crown Dependencies to be given a vote in the EU referendum. A petition launched by a group of islanders to get the vote was dismissed by the Queen in May. Tony Webber, a former member of the States of Guernsey who was one of the petitioners, said: "We are being denied a chance to vote on our future. This is a great mistake by the UK government." Who can vote in the referendum in the Channel Islands? Nobody in the Channel Islands has a special right to vote in the EU referendum. The only islanders who can vote are those who have been on the electoral roll in the UK within the past 15 years. This is because any expats who have moved from the UK to any other part of the world in the past 15 years are allowed to vote - so Channel Islanders who fit into this category are no different to any other former residents of the UK. Anyone who moved from the mainland to the islands within the past 15 years but was too young to vote when they lived in the UK could register to vote if their parent or guardian was registered to vote in the UK. There are no polling stations in the Channel Islands for the EU referendum - votes can only be cast by post, by proxy, or by visiting the UK on the day of the referendum. David Walwyn, Jersey's Director of External Relations, hopes the outcome of the referendum will not have too much of an impact on trade between his island and the rest of Europe - whatever the result. According to Mr Walwyn, protocol three - the section of the UK Treaty of Accession relating to the islands - allows the islands to have free trade of goods with the EU without being a member of the union. He said: "We should continue to have free trade of goods and continue to be a third party regardless of the outcome of the referendum. "Our position is that we are not seeking any change in the relationship Jersey has with the UK or European Union." Fisherman in Jersey and Guernsey have their own separate arrangements with the UK and European Union. Guernsey fisherman, Dougal Lane said: "An awful lot of fishermen think it would be good to get control of British waters. The French have access to British waters but we don't have access to theirs. "But we might lose our markets… Would protocol three be suspended?" For Jersey's Don Thompson the issue is of more concern as, unlike Guernsey, Jersey has signed up to a fisheries management agreement with the UK, giving crews access to EU waters. He said: "That fisheries management agreement binds us to all EU regulation. "This is the unfairness for Jersey. We don't have access to EU funds but we have to accept all the regulation that comes from the EU." Meanwhile the body that represents Guernsey's finance industry abroad has said the island "offers stability for international business", particularly Asian markets, "during a period of uncertainty". Speaking in March, Guernsey Finance chief executive Dominic Wheatley said: "Guernsey's position with respect to the EU is very clear - we're a 'third country' now and we'd still be a 'third country' in the event of a 'Brexit'." Mr Walwyn disagrees, at least initially. He said the impact on finance would be negative on the island economy. He said: "If the UK decided it was going to exit the EU it would be negative initially for Jersey because Jersey is so influenced by the finance industry. "The exit for the UK would have a negative impact on the finance industry in London and that would be accelerated for Jersey as the island is more reliant on finance than the UK is."

चैनल द्वीप समूह यूरोपीय संघ का हिस्सा नहीं हैं और केवल कुछ प्रतिशत निवासी जनमत संग्रह में मतदान करने में सक्षम हैं कि क्या ब्रिटेन को सदस्य बने रहना चाहिए। लेकिन इसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि मतदान के परिणाम का द्वीपों पर कोई प्रभाव नहीं पड़ेगा।


Legal action to move travellers from Anglesey Show site

Summary: Legal action has been taken to evict a group of travellers who have moved on to one of the sites used by the Anglesey Show.

They arrived on the Mona Industrial Estate site on Thursday, hours before organisers of next week's show were due to prepare it for use as a park-and-ride area. Anglesey council said the possession order means the site must be vacated. The annual two-day show, which attracts 60,000 visitors, starts on Tuesday. A council spokesperson said: "At Caernarfon County Court this morning, we were successful in obtaining a possession order and a warrant to evict travellers occupying land at Mona Industrial Estate."

एंग्लेसी शो द्वारा उपयोग की जाने वाली साइटों में से एक पर चले गए यात्रियों के एक समूह को बेदखल करने के लिए कानूनी कार्रवाई की गई है।


Why is it so hard to swat a fly?

Summary: Try to swat a fly and it will soon become clear that they're faster than you. Much faster. But how on Earth do these tiny creatures - with their minuscule brains - outwit us so easily?

By Rory GallowayScience writer You've probably pondered it after chasing a fly around your house and flailing your shoe with repeated, unsuccessful swats. How does it move so fast? Can it read my mind? It was the question put to the BBC World Service CrowdScience team for our most recent episode addressing the apparent super powers of tiny animals. The answer is that, compared with you and me, flies essentially see the world in slow motion. To illustrate this, have a look at a clock with a ticking hand. As a human, you see the clock ticking at a particular speed. But for a turtle it would appear to be ticking at twice that speed. For most fly species, each tick would drag by about four times more slowly. In effect, the speed of time differs depending on your species. This happens because animals see the world around them like a continuous video. But in reality, they piece together images sent from the eyes to the brain in distinct flashes a set number of times per second. Humans average 60 flashes per second, turtles 15, and flies 250. It's all relative The speed at which those images are processed by the brain is called the "flicker fusion rate". In general, the smaller the species, the faster its critical flicker fusion rate - and flies, in particular, put us to shame. Professor Roger Hardie, from the University of Cambridge, investigates how flies' eyes work, and he has an experiment to determine their flicker fusion rate. "The flicker fusion rate is simply how fast a light has to be turning on and off before it's perceived or seen as just a continuous light" says Prof Hardie. Roger inserts tiny glass electrodes into the living light sensitive cells of their eyes - photoreceptors - before flashing LED lights at faster and faster speeds. Each flash of the LED produces a tiny electrical current in the photoreceptors that a computer can graph onto a screen. Tests reveal the fastest fly records distinct responses to flickering up to 400 times per second, more than six times faster than our own rate. The fastest vision of all is found in a species literally called a "killer fly". It's a tiny predatory species found in Europe that catches other flies out of the air with super-fast reactions. In her "fly lab" at Cambridge University, Dr Paloma Gonzales-Bellido demonstrates the killer flies' hunting behaviour by releasing fruit fly prey into a special filming box with a female killer fly. Paloma records the behaviour at 1,000 frames per second using slow motion video cameras with a recording buffer. The attached computer constantly saves the video, over-writing itself every twelve seconds. When the fly moves, Paloma clicks a button to permanently save the last 12 seconds. "Our reaction time is so slow that if we were to stop it when we think something is happening it would have happened already," says Dr Gonzales-Bellido. Essentially, we can't even click a button before the behaviour has happened, it's that fast. Fly vs fly With the killer flies and their prey in the filming box, initially the killer fly just sat around motionless, but as one of the fruit flies flew about 7cm above it, there was a flash of movement and suddenly the killer fly was at the bottom of the box chomping into the quivering fruit fly. Only looking at the slowed-down footage on the computer did it become clear what happened; the killer fly took off, circled the fruit fly three times as it tried to grab it repeatedly, before succeeding in capturing the elusive fruit fly with its front legs. The whole behaviour from take-off to landing took just one second. It appears as a flash to our eyes, so conversely, the swatting hand of a human must appear at a snail's pace. To enable this incredible speed of the killer fly, which is faster even than other fly species, the light-detecting cells in the killer fly eyes contain many more mitochondria (the "batteries" of biological cells) than are present in the same cells of other flies. These are the batteries of the cell, so the speedy vision must take more energy than slow vision, explaining why all eyes aren't just set to the highest flicker fusion rate. The carnivorous diet of the killer fly provides the large amounts of energy it needs to power these high-energy cells. But even if we had the same number of mitochondria in the cells or our own eyes, we wouldn't have the same vision speed because flies' light-sensitive cells have a totally different design to those of vertebrates. Behind the structural differences in the eyes of flies is their evolutionary origin. Arthropods and vertebrates, the groups holding flies and humans, evolved their eyes entirely separately around 700-750 million years ago. String theory Flies' eyes evolved to pick up light with a series of tiny string-like structures that lie horizontal to the path that light travels through the eye. These structures react to light mechanically whereas vertebrates have long tube-like cells facing the light, with chemicals that react to light at the base. This structure in the fly eye is something Roger studies in his lab. "It's more sensitive in terms of being able to give a large signal to the tiniest amount of light and it can also respond faster than the rods and cones in the vertebrate eye," he explains. There are a few reasons for this higher sensitivity, but what Prof Hardie discovered is that they respond mechanically to light, as opposed to chemically as in cones and rods. Mechanical responses enable faster neural signals. On top of that, there's a limit to the speed at which neural impulses can travel and the smaller nerve distances from fly eye to fly brain speeds up processing compared to larger vertebrates. Some vertebrates experience much faster vision than our own. Whether the species is able to fly seems to correlate with faster vision, as does being small. This may be because small flying animals have to react so quickly during flight to avoid approaching obstacles. 'Slow motion swats' The fastest vision of all is found in species that catch flies in the air. Back with vertebrates, when investigating the vision of the pied flycatcher, a small perching bird that catches flies in flight, scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden discovered that it was able to identify a light flashing on and off 146 times per second from a continuous light source. The birds were trained to associate a flashing light source with a tasty treat, and would accurately identify the flashing light up to this rate, placing their flicker fusion rate at 146. That's about twice the rate humans can see but still not as fast as the average fly. This means the birds, like flies, experience each tick of the clock more slowly than humans. There is an evolutionary pressure on the flycatchers to experience the ticking hand of the clock as slowly as possible in order to outwit their speedy prey. Over evolutionary time, birds that experienced 'slower ticking' could react faster to their prey, allowing them to eat more, raise more chicks and pass this speedy vision to future generations. The flies that have been chased by the fast-sighted birds will be evolving faster reactions to get away. Creating an evolutionary arms race that has gone on longer even than the existence of birds. Prey flies have been evolving faster vision and reactions to escape predatory flies like the killer fly since they evolved flight. Next time you try inanely to swat a fly, try not to be so disheartened. Your lumbering, slow motion swats are being thwarted by hundreds of millions of years of natural selection letting the flies watch your attempts in slow motion. Between you and the fly, time, it seems, is relative. Listen to 'CrowdScience' on the BBC World Service, the programme whose listeners inspired this article, and send your science questions to 'CrowdScience@bbc.co.uk' :

एक मक्खी को झपट्टा मारने की कोशिश करें और यह जल्द ही स्पष्ट हो जाएगा कि वे आपसे तेज हैं। बहुत तेज़। लेकिन पृथ्वी पर ये छोटे जीव-अपने छोटे दिमाग के साथ-हमें इतनी आसानी से कैसे पछाड़ देते हैं?


Pizza lorry driver denies 'smuggling drugs worth £6.5m'

Summary: A driver has denied smuggling cocaine and heroin worth more than £6.5 million in a lorry transporting pizzas from Italy.

Adam Grzelj, 50, from Ljubljana, Slovenia, pleaded not guilty to two counts of importing class A drugs. He appeared at Canterbury Crown Court via videolink. Border Force officers found drugs hidden between pizza cartons during a search at the Port of Dover on 26 April, the Home Office said. An estimated 82kg of cocaine and 3kg of heroin was discovered. Judge Simon James told Mr Grzelj that a trial date would be fixed at a later hearing in July.

एक चालक ने इटली से पिज्जा ले जाने वाले एक लॉरी में 65 लाख पाउंड से अधिक की कोकीन और हेरोइन की तस्करी से इनकार किया है।