Murder arrest over James Taylor dance class shooting

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a father who was shot dead as he waited to pick up his daughter from a dance class.

James Taylor, 34, was found in Holy Cross Close in Liverpool after witnesses described hearing a number of gunshots on Thursday Police believe he was killed in a "targeted attack". They arrested the 35-year-old man on Saturday. He has since been released pending further investigations. On Friday, police raided four properties across Liverpool as part of their investigation. The city's lord mayor Christine Banks, who lives near the scene of the attack, said the shooting had made her "feel sick". "That somebody could actually wait... and watch, knowing children were coming out of that dance school and then do that - what kind of person does that?" Related Internet Links Merseyside Police

एक व्यक्ति को एक पिता की हत्या के संदेह में गिरफ्तार किया गया है, जिसकी गोली मारकर हत्या कर दी गई थी, क्योंकि वह एक नृत्य कक्षा से अपनी बेटी को लेने के लिए इंतजार कर रहा था।


Would-be thieves burrow hole through Nottingham jewellery shop

Summary: Thieves burrowed a hole through two brick walls in a bid to burgle a city jewellers.

The attempted burglary took place at Trinity Goldsmiths, in Forman Street, Nottingham, between Wednesday evening and the early hours of Thursday. The suspects broke into the property and then removed brickwork, creating a hole to crawl through, detectives said. They fled empty handed after a "smoke cloak device" was activated inside. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

चोरों ने शहर के आभूषण विक्रेताओं को लूटने के लिए ईंटों की दो दीवारों में छेद कर दिया।


Girl in the Spider's Web author says criticism was 'tough'

Summary: After months of secrecy, the sequel to the late Stieg Larsson's best-selling Millennium series has been published. The Girl in the Spider's Web, by David Lagercrantz, continues the story of punk super-hacker Lisbeth Salander which began in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But, as Lagercrantz explains, writing the new instalment brought with it the pressure of staying true to Larsson's characters and criticism from Larsson's long-term partner.

By Tim MastersArts and entertainment correspondent "There's been so much secrecy about this book, so I'm longing to see what people think," says Swedish writer David Lagercrantz, talking to the BBC just a few days before The Girl in the Spider's Web hit bookshelves around the world. With more than 80 million copies of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy already sold, Lagercrantz can be forgiven a few pre-publication jitters. "I've felt pressure from the start," he admits. "I'm absolutely terrified. But I think the pressure actually made me a better writer. It would be a disgrace if I didn't live up to [Stieg Larsson's] books or at least try my best." Larsson, who died of a heart attack aged 50 in 2004, did not live to see his novels - The Girl With Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - become a publishing sensation. The books were all adapted for the screen - three Swedish films and an American remake of Dragon Tattoo starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. Despite being with him for 32 years, Larsson's partner Eva Gabrielsson was not entitled to anything from his estate under Swedish law, as they were not married and there was no valid will. She has been locked in a legal battle for a number of years with his father and brother, who inherited Larsson's estate. 'Idiotic choice' In December 2013, the estate and Swedish publisher Norstedts commissioned Lagercrantz to take on the characters of hacker and social misfit Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. In the run-up to publication, Gabrielsson has described Lagercrantz as a "totally idiotic choice" and told The Sunday Times that the sequel was a "money-making stunt" that would have appalled Larsson. How has he dealt with the criticism? "It was tough," he responds without hesitation. "All I wanted to do was to follow my passion and tell a good story. This has been the thrill of my life. The only thing that troubles me and makes me sad is that Eva Gabrielsson and the family haven't reached a settlement about the book. "She could call me anything, I just have the deepest sympathy for her. "I know this is good for Stieg's authorship. We are reading him again, he is getting even more iconic. He saw what was coming - back in Stieg Larsson's day the extreme right and the racists were a small group of lunatics. Now they are everywhere." Has there been any contact with Eva? "No. She's very angry and I accept that. I'm daydreaming that we will one day have a good conversation about it. She called me an idiotic choice - well, the readers have to decide. "She said I'm not like Stieg Larsson, and I accept that. But if you want a copycat the circle would be so narrow." 'Absolutely obsessed' Born in 1962, Lagercrantz - the son of Swedish author and literary critic Olof Lagercrantz - was a journalist for the national newspaper Expressen before making his debut as an author in 1997 with Ultimate High, the story of Swedish adventurer Goran Kropp, who climbed Mount Everest without oxygen tanks or sherpas. His other books include Fall of Man in Wilmslow, a novel about British codebreaker Alan Turing, and I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the autobiography of the Swedish football star on which he was ghost-writer. Lagercrantz points out that he has always been interested in characters with a streak of genius who refuse to follow convention. That's what drew him to Lisbeth Salander, to the extent that she began to inhabit his dreams while he was writing the new book. "I was absolutely obsessed. I was quite terrible to live with. My wife and kids were very kind. I was scared I would do her an injustice. In the beginning I thought it would be easy to write her. She is such an extreme character. Many people are scared of Lisbeth Salander and so was I. I asked myself all the time: am I worthy?" Such was the secrecy surrounding the project, Lagercrantz wrote on a computer without an internet connection. Nothing was sent digitally. Even the final proofs were hand-delivered to foreign publishers with individual couriers. "We used code-words and we didn't email anything," he recalls. "We met in the cellars and things like that. "The plot was influenced by the National Security Agency and the [Edward] Snowden affair. I was living in the same reality I was writing about. We were quite paranoid all the time. "I'm a talkative guy so it was hard, but I kept the secrets. There were no leaks, it was extraordinary." In Sweden the title of the book is Det som inte dodar oss ("What Doesn't Kill Us"). Does he plan to write another Millennium novel? "That we will see. The only thing I know is that I found myself as a writer." He says offers have been coming in from all over the world which he is discussing with his agent. "One thing is for certain - I won't be Stieg Larsson for the whole of my life. I want to write new books. It's good to be insecure." The Girl in the Spider's Web (published in the UK by Quercus) is out now.

महीनों की गोपनीयता के बाद, दिवंगत स्टीग लार्सन की सबसे अधिक बिकने वाली मिलेनियम श्रृंखला की अगली कड़ी प्रकाशित हो गई है। डेविड लैगरक्रैंट्ज़ की द गर्ल इन द स्पाइडर वेब, पंक सुपर-हैकर लिस्बेथ सैलैंडर की कहानी को जारी रखती है जो द गर्ल विद द ड्रैगन टैटू में शुरू हुई थी। लेकिन, जैसा कि लैगरक्रैंट्ज़ बताते हैं, नई किस्त लिखने से लार्सन के पात्रों के प्रति सच्चे रहने और लार्सन के लंबे समय तक साथी की आलोचना का दबाव आया।


Irish general election: 'Change' is key word in Irish election campaign

Summary: One word keeps coming up in Ireland's general election campaign.

By Chris PageBBC News Ireland Correspondent "Change". Of course, opposition parties say it's time for a switch in government. But current Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar has also acknowledged there's a mood for change, and argues his party, Fine Gael, is bringing it about in a positive sense. Ireland has been particularly exposed to a huge change not of its own making. The impact of Brexit is probably felt more here than in any other EU state, not least because Ireland is the only country to have a land border with the UK. Galway is a city on the edge of Europe, but this year it's taking centre stage. It will be hosting one of the biggest cultural programmes in the world as European Capital of Culture for 2020. Coincidentally, the opening ceremony will be held on Saturday 8 February, which is also the day of the election. Galway 2020 creative director Helen Marriage points to the fact that 24% of the city's population were born outside Ireland, an example of how the country's economic growth and international outlook has attracted new residents. She is from the UK, and speaks of "that moment when Britain ripped itself out of Europe". "Ireland is a proud European nation, and I think the values that go with that, of welcome, and a progressive approach, are very interesting," she says. 'Fastest growing economy' "I'm trying to reflect them in the programme." A decade after a financial crash, Ireland's economy has recovered strongly and is now the fastest-growing in the EU. Galway seems to be benefiting from that. It's been expanding and there are plans to develop it further in the coming 20 years in order to "rebalance" the country's economic activity, which has been largely dominated by Dublin. But Galway has also felt the impact of one of the most difficult issues in the state. Last year, it saw the highest increase in rent in Ireland. According to the property website daft.ie, the average rent in the city was €1,309 - a 5.6% rise. In Dublin, the average rent was €2,052. Across the country, rents have increased by about 90% since the post-crash low point in 2011. Average wages have not remotely matched that, rising by about 13%. Postgraduate student Niamh Byrne has just found a place to live in Galway, but it took some searching. 'Defining political issue' "I don't know when I'll be able to start saving up to buy my own home, because it's so hard to find a room to rent," she says. She believes it's the defining political issue for people of her generation. "When people are passionate about something they will go out and vote on the topic and I think the housing crisis is so big." Niamh says people are "only two pay cheques away from being homeless". "There's a lot of homelessness. You can't think people are without a place to live because it's their fault. It's not." The housing topic formed a major part of the TV debate hosted by Irish national broadcaster RTÉ between the leaders of the three biggest parties. Leo Varadkar said Fine Gael had invested in social housing, that house prices were levelling off and that rents had begun to decrease. Micheál Martin, leader of main opposition party Fianna Fáil, said more affordable homes and council houses had to be built on state land. Mary Lou McDonald of Sinn Féin said the hike in rents demanded intervention and "that we not only freeze rents, but we also have to cut them". She was a late addition to the debate, originally envisaged as a head-to-head between Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin. Sinn Féin's poll ratings have surged during the campaign, with one poll suggesting it is in front. The party is to the left of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, which throughout their histories, have been broadly in the political centre. Throughout the campaign, Fianna Fáil has been ahead of Fine Gael in the polls. Fine Gael has sought to emphasise the economic recovery over its nine years in power, during which unemployment has dropped from a high of about 16% to under 5%. Mr Varadkar has pointed out that Mr Martin was a member of the Fianna Fáil government, which was in power when the economic crash happened, and for years beforehand. But Fianna Fáil, and other opposition parties, have claimed the benefits of the recovery are not being felt widely enough, putting the focus on issues such as hospital overcrowding and the cost of living, as well as housing. In spite of the fact that all parties agree Brexit is a critical issue for Ireland, it has not been a huge issue in the campaign. One main reason is that there's been a consensus among Ireland's politicians on how the EU should approach negotiations with the UK. Dr Theresa Reidy, a political scientist from University College Cork, says there's a "strong degree of unanimity" and the main differences between Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar are about "style rather than substance". Mrs McDonald has stressed that for the last four years, Fianna Fáil has abstained in key votes in the Irish parliament to allow the minority government, led by Fine Gael, to operate, under the terms of a "confidence-and-supply" agreement. Once again, no party is expected to win an overall majority of seats in the general election. Something Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have in common is their commitments not to go into a coalition with Sinn Féin. They cite the party's links to paramilitary violence during the conflict in Northern Ireland, and also major policy differences. Sinn Féin emphasises its role in the peace process. In the TV debate, Mary Lou McDonald said it would be "undemocratic" to "set aside" her party's supporters. It goes into the election as the third biggest party and is also the second largest in Northern Ireland, where it shares power with unionists in the devolved government. Sinn Féin wants a referendum on Irish unity to be held within a few years. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are in favour of a united Ireland in the long-term, but argue conditions are not right for a referendum at the moment. The policy agenda of the next Irish government will be very much determined by the complex coalition negotiations, with whatever party emerges with the most seats having the edge. After the 2016 election it took more than two months to form a government. Parties, and observers, expect the process may once again be far from straightforward.

आयरलैंड के आम चुनाव अभियान में एक शब्द सामने आता रहता है।


Swindon stabbing: Four arrested over attack on man, 34

Summary: Four people have been arrested after a man suffered "life-threatening injuries" in Swindon on Boxing Day.

The 34-year-old man was stabbed in his back and wrist and has been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Officers closed Faringdon Road after being called to the scene at about 06:00 GMT but it has since reopened. A 17-year-old boy and men aged 22, 24 and 30, all from Swindon, have been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. They remain in custody. Related Internet Links Wiltshire Police - Wiltshire Police

बॉक्सिंग डे पर स्विंडन में एक व्यक्ति को "जानलेवा चोटें" लगने के बाद चार लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Carry On films set for big screen return

Summary: The Carry On films are making a big screen comeback.

By Tim MastersEntertainment correspondent The long-running comedy series, which began with Carry On Sergeant in 1958, will return with two new films after a 24-year absence. The first film to go into production will be Carry On Doctors, followed by Carry On Campus. The original franchise made stars of Sid James, Kenneth Williams, and Dame Barbara Windsor. Producer Jonathan Sothcott, CEO of Hereford Films which is behind the project, said the new entries in the franchise wouldn't be "a remake or an attempt to reinvent the wheel". He added: "We won't be trying to find new Sids or Kenneths - we're looking to create a whole new ensemble of brilliant British comedic actors. No stunt casting. No big American stars. "This will be British film at its best, as the truly remarkable heritage deserves." He later tweeted that he'd been "totally overwhelmed" by all the messages about the new films. Carry On Doctors will be written by Susan Nickson and Tim Dawson - the duo behind BBC sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. Nickson said: "I'm thrilled to be involved in perhaps the biggest comedy franchise in Britain. I grew up watching these films and to be working on this project feels like coming home. They're peculiarly British but the appeal of the humour and the ever present message that good people always win is absolutely global." Co-writer Dawson paid respect to previous writers of the Carry On series. "These films are a part of British culture and to be carrying on the legacy of Norman Hudis and Talbot Rothwell is a thrill and a responsibility. We intend to be sympathetic to the heritage whilst being unafraid to modernise the franchise for a whole new audience. This is, literally, my dream job." Carry On historian Robert Ross, who is attached to the project as an adviser, said: "The saucy world of bedpans and thermometers has been an integral part of the Carry Ons for well over 50 years. "Now, as the series carries on into the 21st Century, Carry On Doctors returns to hospital with a cast crammed full of beloved comedy actors and a hilarious script that will have you in stitches! With a kiss to the past and a firm finger on the pulse, it's time to Carry On. Again." The last Carry On project was 1992's Carry On Columbus. Cast and filming dates for the new films are to be announced.

कैरी ऑन फिल्में बड़े पर्दे पर वापसी कर रही हैं।


Wood Group looks to shed 300 UK onshore jobs

Summary: Oil services company Wood Group is looking to cut about 300 jobs.

The company is starting a consultation process with 1,000 of its onshore employees around the UK. Wood Group said it was in response to "continuing cost and efficiency challenges affecting the oil and gas sector". David Kemp, Wood Group's chief financial officer, said: "We are streamlining our structure and our processes to reduce costs." Bad news He added: "As ever, our commitment is to act compassionately and sensitively, supporting our people through this consultation process and we will make every effort to minimise the impact on them." Jake Molloy, of the RMT union, said it was more bad news for the industry, and that 300 posts was significantly higher than the union had estimated. Wood Group employs about 6,200 people onshore in the UK. The company announced last week it had won a new $500m (£342.5m) contract to provide services for BP-operated offshore projects in Azerbaijan.

तेल सेवा कंपनी वुड ग्रुप लगभग 300 नौकरियों में कटौती करना चाहती है।


In pictures: Career of Dame Barbara Windsor

Summary: Actress Barbara Windsor has been made a dame in the Queen's New Year Honours list for her services to entertainment and charity.

The 78-year-old actress is famed for being part of the classic Carry On... line up but also became a household name to a new generation of TV viewers through her role as landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders. Here, in pictures, is a look back at her career, which spans seven decades.

अभिनेत्री बारबरा विंडसर को मनोरंजन और दान के लिए उनकी सेवाओं के लिए क्वीन के नए साल के सम्मान की सूची में एक महिला बनाया गया है।


Body discovered on beach at Orford Ness

Summary: A body has been found on a beach in Suffolk.

Officers were called to Orford Ness just before 11:00 BST by the National Trust, which reported the discovery at its nature reserve. A police cordon is in place on the beach and an investigation is under way. The death is currently being treated as unexplained and the body has not yet been identified.

सफ़ोक के समुद्र तट पर एक शव मिला है।


Iceland's 'Pompeii' emerging from the ash

Summary: A lava eruption near Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano has raised the spectre of flights being grounded by a plume of ash. But 41 years ago, an Icelandic eruption did much more than that, burying hundreds of houses. Today, the "Pompeii of the North" has become a tourist attraction.

By Joanne WhalleyBBC, Iceland "Wake up, something terrible has happened on the island! There is an eruption!" Helga Jonsdottir's mother shouted as she shook her awake at 02:00 on 23 January 1973. She was 17, and lived on the Icelandic island of Heimaey. In the early hours of that morning a volcanic system that hadn't erupted for 5,000 years burst open without warning, ripping a 2km (1.2 mile) tear through the earth. Now Helga runs a memorial cafe on the island, commemorating that night. Each table top is covered with the photos and stories of the families whose homes went under the lava. She sits over a steaming coffee and tells me her story. "I ran to the window in front of my bedroom and could see a column of fire reaching from the earth to the sky. I was terrified," she says. Helga's family fled the house and headed to the harbour to escape by boat. As they left the port they saw to their horror that a tongue of glowing lava was snaking along the ocean floor heading in their direction. "At that moment we thought, this was maybe it - these were our last moments," Helga tells me. Incredibly, almost all the island's 5,000 inhabitants managed to escape. There was only one death, caused by a gas explosion. But the eruption lasted for five months, smothering 400 of Heimaey's houses. Those who evacuated had to set up life on the mainland as refugees. Many of those I speak to tell me it was a very painful time. Helga moved house a dozen times in one year. She, like many others, was determined to return. Now it's hoped the events of that night can be used to bring tourists to the island. Archaeologists have been uncovering what's left of the buildings, giving the island the nickname, "Pompeii of the North". An entire museum has been built around the remains of one of the homes. Gerdur Siguroardottir lived there with her three small children. The youngest was still a newborn baby. She guides me through the heaps of black ash that still cover much of the house and shows me the remains of her living room. I can make out the shape of the sofa, but like much of the house it disintegrated and melted in the intense heat. Some rooms have been partially preserved by the 15m (49ft) of ash and solidified lava that covered the house. Gerdur has pulled out some of the belongings that remain intact. She reaches down and shakes charred dust from a piece of material, and tells me "from my newborn" - she had been knitting this tiny jumper in the hours before the eruption - and was forced to leave it behind. Others on the island weren't as happy to uncover the remnants of a traumatic past. In the digging process, part of the neighbouring house was also unearthed. Its roof and top windows poke out from beneath the mountain of ash that sits behind the museum. A lady who is visiting with her young son comes over and tells me that her parents used to live there. For them it's too painful to see the buckled shell of their house after 40 years. She gestures to the sunken home and tells me, "It was a chapter they have already closed." But Gerdur has come to terms with seeing her belongings again, decades after she left them. She stands proudly in front of her house as tourists take pictures, delighted that people can learn about the island's history by looking through the remains of her home. She points to the roof of the building, which withstood the impact of the eruption and says, "My husband said 'I'm only going to build a house once in my life, and I'm going to use the best quality materials." He was building a strong house to be here forever. And in a way he was right." Watch Joanne Whalley's video report from Heimaey on the Travel Show website How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30 Listen online or download the podcast. BBC World Service: Short editions Monday-Friday - see World Service programme schedule. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

आइसलैंड के बरदारबुंगा ज्वालामुखी के पास एक लावा विस्फोट ने राख के ढेर से उड़ानों के उतरने का डर बढ़ा दिया है। लेकिन 41 साल पहले, आइसलैंड के एक विस्फोट ने इससे कहीं अधिक किया, सैकड़ों घरों को दफन कर दिया। आज, "उत्तर का पोम्पेई" एक पर्यटक आकर्षण बन गया है।


Murder suspect released over Wellesbourne caravan fire

Summary: A murder suspect arrested in connection with a woman's death following a caravan fire has been released under investigation, police say.

The 48-year-old woman was declared dead at the scene of the blaze at Newlands Caravan Park in Loxley Lane, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire. It happened at about 22:15 GMT on Thursday. Police announced the following day a 65-year-old man from Wellesbourne had been arrested on suspicion of murder. The cause of the fire is yet to be established, the Warwickshire force says, adding it is treating the incident as an unexplained death. Related Internet Links Warwickshire Police

पुलिस का कहना है कि कारवां में आग लगने के बाद एक महिला की मौत के मामले में गिरफ्तार एक हत्या के संदिग्ध को जांच के तहत रिहा कर दिया गया है।


Covid-19: India in a 'delicate phase' of its coronavirus battle as cases surge

Summary: After reporting a significant drop in the number of Covid-19 cases for months, some Indian states have seen a sharp uptick in infections in February. The BBC's Vikas Pandey and Soutik Biswas report.

In early February, physicians in Amravati district, some 700km (435 miles) from India's commercial capital, Mumbai, noticed a sudden surge in the number of people suffering from Covid-19. Life in this cotton-growing district in the western state of Maharashtra had almost returned to normal after the first wave of infections last summer. The ICUs of the 1,600-bed state-run hospital and half-a-dozen private hospitals were nearly empty. "But everything changed in February," says Anil Jadhav, a local journalist. "And now there's panic in the district." Since the beginning of February, Amravati has recorded more than 10,000 cases and over 66 deaths from Covid. More than 1,000 were receiving treatment for the disease this week. The positivity rate is in frightful double digits. Amravati and a few other districts in Maharashtra have been again locked down. The hotspots in a district of 2.5 million people are mainly congested urban areas, say locals. "We really don't know what the cause of the surge is. What is worrying is that entire families are getting infected. This is a completely new trend," Dr Shyamsunder Nikam, civil surgeon of the district, says. A number of neighbouring districts have also seen a sharp uptick in cases and Maharashtra recorded nearly 9,000 cases on Thursday, the largest single-day spike in four months. It reported 80 deaths on the same day. "People here have been not wearing masks. They have been attending unregulated mass gatherings such as marriages and campaigns for local elections. There is free intermingling of people, carriers are not getting isolated, and testing and tracking is low. This has led to this situation," Dr Sanjay Oak, a member of the state's Covid task force, told the BBC. It's not just Maharashtra where cases have grown recently. Some areas in Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Punjab states have also reported surges. This comes at a time when much of India is reporting a sharp fall in cases - with daily infections for the county falling to less than 20,000 from a peak of over 90,000 in September. And that has baffled scientists, disease modellers and epidemiologist. The most common reasons given for the spikes in some states are the same as in Maharashtra - big weddings, people not wearing masks, reopening of cinema halls, gyms and swimming pools, and large political rallies in states like West Bengal where elections are due soon. Is India staring at a new Covid wave? Epidemiologist Dr Lalit Kant says a "false sense" of normalcy has "swept the country". "We cannot afford to drop our guard and we have to be cautious about opening places of mass gatherings. Testing, tracing and isolation has to be again scaled up massively in all states - we cannot wait for things to get worse." Dr Kant adds that the rise in the number of cases in some states was expected because it followed the global pattern. "We have seen spikes in several countries after a lull of two to three months." Disease modelling expert Gautam Menon agrees that the spike was expected. "Modelling work and sero survey results would suggest that much of India should be still susceptible to the disease, so a resurgence of the sort we are seeing is not very surprising." But why is the resurgence happening only in a handful of states, particularly in Maharashtra? Mr Menon says the only reasonable conclusion is that surveillance in these states is stronger and that a similar rise in other states may simply have gone undetected so far. Another possible reason, experts say, could be mutation. Viruses often mutate to change their genetic code, which is like their instruction manual. Mutations allow viruses to spread faster and, in some cases, render antibodies less effective. This has been seen in the UK, South Africa and Brazil - new variants from these countries have spread much faster in large clusters. Cases linked to these strains have been detected in India, but there is no evidence yet that they have spread in the community. "This is at once good and bad news," says Mr Menon. "[The absence of foreign variants in the community] is good because they are known to spread faster and can potentially escape immunity generated from a prior infection . Bad news because we know little about whether the Indian variants may behave similarly." Several Indian states have started genome sequencing to identify new variants. Officials have said hundreds of new mutations have been identified. "But that is not enough to attribute the surge to mutations," says prominent virologist, Dr Shahid Jameel. He adds that isolated mutations happen with viruses, but we need more data and research to come to a definitive conclusion. "Unless there is enough data to link a new variant to large epidemiological clusters, we can't attribute any surge to mutations." So, Dr Jameel says, at present, mutations can't be blamed for the surge in Amravati and other places, though "it could all change in a matter of days". "We may see more localised surges in different part of the country in the coming weeks, and the only way to stay on top of the situation is to be vigilant. We need to be concerned but we are not at a stage where we need to panic," he adds. Experts say that India needs to scale up genome sequencing to quickly identify new variants that can potentially be more dangerous. Doctors also say that this is the only way to stop a new variant from wreaking havoc in India, like the Kent variant did to the UK. Dr A Fathahudeen, who is part of Kerala's Covid task force, says his state has been reporting a persistent rise in cases in the past few weeks, but it's largely because of improved testing. "The RT-PCR testing is considered to be the gold standard of testing and around 75% of testing is now being done through this method in the state." He advises other states to follow the same measures. "Not finding new cases doesn't mean Covid has gone away. It simply means that the virus is burning through the population until it finds weaker victims like the elderly and people with co-morbidities." Experts say a strategy involving faster vaccination, genome sequencing and an increase in testing are the only way to stay ahead of the virus. "Otherwise, surges in other states are inevitable," says Dr Fathahudeen. And that will be a "terrifying scenario" for healthcare workers who are tired and exhausted after battling the pandemic for a year now. "There's no doubt that hospitals are more prepared now, but we are at a delicate phase at the moment and missteps can again put pressure on healthcare workers, and the population too. "Let's hope we don't get to that point," he adds. Data analysis and charts by Shadab Nazmi

महीनों तक कोविड-19 मामलों की संख्या में उल्लेखनीय गिरावट दर्ज करने के बाद, कुछ भारतीय राज्यों में फरवरी में संक्रमण में तेज वृद्धि देखी गई है। बीबीसी के विकास पांडे और सौतिक बिस्वास की रिपोर्ट।


Boy knocked off bike dies in Hull crash

Summary: A 10-year-old boy has died and an 11-year-old boy is in a critical condition after they were knocked off a bike.

The pair were riding the same bike on a flyover on Anlaby Road in Hull when they were struck by a blue BMW just after 18:00 BST on Monday. They were both taken to hospital where one of them died. The other boy remains in a critical condition, police said. A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of driving offences in connection with the crash. Humberside Police has appealed for witnesses or anyone who has dashcam footage from driving in the area at the time to contact the force. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.

बाइक से गिरने से एक 10 वर्षीय लड़के की मौत हो गई है और एक 11 वर्षीय लड़के की हालत गंभीर है।


Maldives apologises to Swiss couple

Summary: President Mohamed Nasheed of The Maldives has made a personal apology to a Swiss couple who were severely mocked without their knowledge during what they believed was a ceremony renewing their marriage vows.

The fake ceremony happened at one of the archipelago’s luxury hotel resorts earlier this month. The Maldives government says the couple are distressed by what has happened and wish to remain anonymous. President Nasheed’s office said he telephoned the couple to say that the whole of the Maldives was deeply sorry for what happened in this fake ceremony, in which the unsuspecting couple were subjected to a torrent of strong verbal abuse in the local language which they did not understand. Tourism industry The statement said the President had invited the couple to return to the Maldives as his personal guests. It said that they desired anonymity and sought the president’s help in trying to contain the spread of video or photographs of the incident, as the publication of these had already caused them “considerable distress and embarrassment”. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the hotel employee who led the ceremony, Hussein Didi, is now under arrest with one of his colleagues. A local website, Haveeru Online, said they were facing charges including insulting Islam and “disesteeming” a tourist couple. Maldives Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed told BBC Sandeshaya that action of few people could halt the whole tourism industry. "You know we receive about 800,000 tourists each year; majority of them are actually repeat visitors because they have had a good time in the Maldives," he said. The fake ceremony mainly consisted of insults although Mr Didi also appeared to mock the level of hotel workers’ salaries. The minister added that everybody in the Maldives are "disgusted" by the behaviour of the hotel employees. Luxury tourism is a mainstay of the Maldivian economy and the anxious government says it is preparing strict new guidelines for these expensive ceremonies for tourists.

मालदीव के राष्ट्रपति मोहम्मद नशीद ने एक स्विस जोड़े से व्यक्तिगत रूप से माफी मांगी है, जिनका उनकी जानकारी के बिना गंभीर रूप से मजाक उड़ाया गया था, जिसके बारे में उनका मानना था कि यह उनकी शादी की प्रतिज्ञाओं को नवीनीकृत करने का एक समारोह था।


Man charged as police seize gun and ammunition from car in Glasgow

Summary: A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged after a gun and ammunition were found in a car stopped by police in Glasgow.

Officers pulled over a black Mazda 6 on Sauchiehall Street at about 18:30 on Friday. The search was said to be part of "an ongoing, intelligence-led operation" in the city. A Police Scotland spokesman said the arrested man is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday.

ग्लासगो में पुलिस द्वारा रोकी गई कार में बंदूक और गोला-बारूद मिलने के बाद एक 55 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है और उस पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Is Southampton in China's hands?

Summary: Trade with China is of increasing importance in the UK, no more so than in Southampton where the city's port is investing £150m to improve its infrastructure. But is the port in danger of putting too much faith in China?

A plastic remote-controlled motorcycle in a box on a toy shop shelf may not appear a symbol of commercial might. But when you see thousands of them stacked in a Southampton cargo warehouse you realise you are looking at a billion pound industry. It is mostly down to this booming business from China that the city's port is willing to invest £150m. "China is enormously important here at the port," said deputy manager Clive Thomas. "China represents about 60% of what we do through the container terminal. Minis getting big "Without the surge of demand from the Chinese economy we wouldn't be progressing with the level of investment we have at present here." He says the port is a "good barometer" of the impact of Britain's business with China. This has grown to such an extent in Southampton that the port is having to cater for larger vessels bringing the cargos in. Some ships are now capable of transporting up to 18,000 containers which are 40ft (12m) long and nine ft (2.8m) high. In an effort to compete with rivals, Associated British Ports, the port harbour authority, has started constructing a new 500m berth in Southampton capable of handling the world's largest container ships. The project also includes four new ship-to-shore gantry cranes worth £26m and a substantial dredging effort to allow larger vessels to come through. John Eynon, the managing director at Import Services, which processes three million boxes each year at its warehouses, said "around 95% of products" it handles comes from China. He added: "It just seems as though the Chinese have taken over entirely the manufacturing of products. This time of year it is every hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week that these cartons are coming down here." On the flip side, the port is also changing to accommodate a growing export market from Britain back to China. It is opening its fifth multi-storey car park this month to house orders of Minis and Land Rovers. Plans are already afoot for a sixth multi-storey. Dr Hui-Chi Yeh, lecturer in China and Global Politics at Southampton University, said: "Southampton now handles 40% to 45% of the UK's deep sea trade from major economies in the Far East and China, and continues to attract trade delegations, notably from major Chinese ports, such as Qingdao. "These meetings have contributed to trade in excess of £2.5bn in business deals alone this year. Provisional funding from the Regional Growth Fund for the City of Southampton's infrastructure projects has been made available to help develop these links further." About 12,000 jobs are directly and indirectly dependent on the port's import and export industry, from dockworkers at the port to the hauliers delivering the goods to the shops. But does this mean Southampton is entirely dependent on its business with China to survive? Clive Thomas does not think so. "South America and the Indian sub-continent are two places beginning to grow in popularity and importance to the manufacturers as well," he said. "The capacity improvements we're making here at the port will ensure we're well prepared for the future."

चीन के साथ व्यापार का महत्व ब्रिटेन में बढ़ रहा है, साउथेम्प्टन की तुलना में अधिक नहीं जहां शहर का बंदरगाह अपने बुनियादी ढांचे को बेहतर बनाने के लिए 150 मिलियन पाउंड का निवेश कर रहा है। लेकिन क्या बंदरगाह पर चीन में बहुत अधिक विश्वास करने का खतरा है?


Murder arrest after woman found stabbed in Stoke-on-Trent

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was stabbed in Stoke-on-Trent.

Detectives were called to Cherry Hill Avenue on Friday evening, Staffordshire Police said. A 46-year-old man from the Stoke area was arrested in connection with the death and remains in custody. Formal identification of the victim is yet to take place, but officers are supporting her family, the force added. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

स्टोक-ऑन-ट्रेंट में एक महिला पर चाकू से हमला करने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Rutland: England's only county without a McDonald's

Summary: The picturesque county of Rutland boasts a Michelin-star restaurant, dozens of gourmet eateries and regular farmers' markets - but what it doesn't have is anywhere to pick up a Big Mac. This may all be about to change.

By David PittamBBC News These days, it seems impossible to drive anywhere without the golden arches of a certain fast-food chain looming into view. But there is a whole county in England that remains a Happy Meal-free zone. Rutland has seemingly escaped the US burger giant's attention until now, but McDonald's has set its sights on the market town of Oakham and submitted a planning application for a drive-through restaurant on its outskirts. Resistance to the scheme is strong among the nearly 40,000 people in this traditional, conservative county. More than 50 people made official representations to the council's consultation, with comments like: "I'm proud that Rutland is the only county not to have a McDonald's." Many fear the arrival of a big-name, fast-food restaurant will forever change the character of the nation's smallest county - famous for its hunting scene, tourist-attraction reservoir, and independent schools. "It's disgusting - Oakham is not the place for it," says Sandra Wells, 57, who has lived in Rutland all her life. "I don't like fast food and there are too many McDonald's [elsewhere]." Gym owner Jade Smith, 35, moved to the county more than five years ago because she and her partner liked its absence of big chains. She said officials should be encouraging local businesses instead. "People say it's something for the kids but is that what we're aspiring to? Our beautiful town doesn't need a McDonald's. It will open up the doors [for other chains] and kill it off." Indeed, business owners are anxious about big-chain competition in such a small area. "It's such a small town to have a McDonald's," said Gaz Ali, who has managed Indian takeaway Eastern Delights for more than 20 years. "And at the end of the day it's going to bring riff-raff." McDonald's has about 1,300 restaurants across the UK, but has not always successfully won over residents. When a McDonald's arrived in Tavistock in Devon in 1997, people boycotted and nine years later, the firm announced it was leaving. Its failed encounter has seen other fast-food chains back away from the town, according to Steven Eperon, manager of The Cornish Arms pub. "It's put a stop to anyone else like KFC or Burger King coming here," he said. "We are surrounded by great produce, we do street food festivals and farmers' markets and people come here for the quality of the food. Perhaps the only thing we'd take is a Subway. Some of the kids round here drive half an hour into Plymouth for that." Mr Eperon believes McDonald's suffered partly because of its location, having chosen an "awkward site outside the town centre". In Oakham, the burger chain hopes to build off Lands End Way, close to the bypass built 10 years ago. It is surrounded by a large housing estate developed in recent years while the site itself is already home to a large out-of-town Aldi and a BP garage with an M&S Simply Food store. "A town with a ring road built around it is often a very attractive proposition for a brand like McDonald's - particularly if there is infill development," said Trevor Watson, executive director of restaurant property agents, Davis Coffer Lyons. "They will take into account the demographics and the age profile of the surrounding residents but also the kind of people driving past. And if there is no competition in the area, it's going to be attractive." This is exactly what concerns resident Alan Eager, 51 - he fears the "type of people" it will bring to Oakham and is worried families with young children are "a prime target" for McDonald's. But those in the town who do enjoy a Big Mac are happy at the prospect of not having to travel to a different county every time they want a fix. Currently, the closest branches are nine miles away (14km) in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, 12 miles (19km) in Stamford, Lincolnshire or 14 miles (22km) in Corby, Northamptonshire. Stephanie Simmons, a 41-year-old mother-of-two, visits the latter with her family as often as twice a month. "[It's] a bit of a treat," she said. "It would be great to have [a McDonald's] on the doorstep." Lifelong resident Caroline Aston believes the golden arches would eventually be welcomed by reluctant residents. "Rutland has changed immensely - when I was a girl, I could have had a picnic sitting in the middle of the high street. But it's the march of time. It remains a lovely place to live and I think the people will take to Big Macs," she said. You might also be interested in: Oakham's mayor David Romney supports McDonald's plans - it is suggested the restaurant could create 65 jobs - and believes it will lift the town out of the "Dark Ages". "Do you want to end up with a very sleepy town with shops closed?" he asked. He said younger people were having to leave town for work once they finish school. Indeed, they are notably absent from Rutland's ageing community - figures show 28% of the county's population is aged over 60 and there are far fewer 20 to 24-year-olds than 15 to 19-year-olds. Abi Pepperdine, a 19-year-old waitress, says many of her friends are struggling to find work locally. "People go away for university but when they come back, there's nothing here," she said. "The jobs McDonald's would bring would be helpful. "Some look down on McDonald's, especially older people, but it would not be that bad - if you don't want to go, don't go." England's smallest historic county Despite fears for Oakham's independent scene, the arrival of a McDonald's in the town would not be a "death knell" for retailers, argues Nelson Blackley from the National Retail Research Knowledge Exchange Centre. "McDonald's is not planning to plonk their site next to the castle in the centre of Oakham," he said. "It's not in the heritage part of the town. It's a site on a bypass outside the town with an existing petrol station and convenience store. "The fact their application includes a drive-through suggests they are looking not just to target the people of Rutland but also tourists to Rutland Water. "From an economic point of view, I would suggest that can only be a good thing." McDonald's said its restaurant would be "beneficial" to Oakham. "We fully understand the historic nature of the town centre which has no suitable sites for our proposal," a spokesman said. "We believe locating the restaurant on the outskirts of town, near the A606, is the most beneficial and appropriate location." Rutland County Council has recommended plans for the restaurant be approved, but attached 27 conditions. These include roadworks to improve access and a "litter management plan". The application will be discussed by councillors on Tuesday. Outside one recent consultation event, a passing builder wound down his window and asked why people were gathered. When told it was about the prospective McDonald's, he laughed and shouted: "No-one says no to a Big Mac." It remains to be seen whether Rutland will be able to do so. This article was first published on 16 September 2019 and has since been updated. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

रटलैंड के सुरम्य काउंटी में एक मिशेलिन-स्टार रेस्तरां, दर्जनों स्वादिष्ट भोजनालय और नियमित किसानों के बाजार हैं-लेकिन इसमें बिग मैक लेने के लिए कहीं भी नहीं है। यह सब बदलने वाला हो सकता है।


Man dies when tractor overturns in lane

Summary: A man died when the tractor he was driving overturned on a lane in a Dorset village.

The small International Harvester tipper tractor crashed on Chedington Lane in Mosterton, near Beaminster, shortly before 18:30 BST on Tuesday. The driver - a 20-year-old man from the village - died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed, Dorset Police said. Witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage is urged to contact the force. Related Internet Links Dorset Police

डोरसेट गाँव में एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई जब वह जिस ट्रैक्टर को चला रहा था वह एक गली में पलट गया।


Is opposition to genetically modified food irrational?

Summary: On Saturday 23 May 2015, thousands of activists gathered across the world to demonstrate against genetically-modified (GM) seeds and foods. There were protests in cities including Los Angeles, Paris, Santiago and Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Yet the majority of scientists argue that GM food is safe. A recent poll from the Pew Foundation found that almost 90% of scientists from America's largest science body think GM food is generally safe, while only 37% of the public agree. Should we embrace technology that could help feed the world, or are concerns about the impact of global agribusiness and industrial food production justified? Four experts spoke to the BBC World Service Inquiry programme. Pamela Ronald: Humans have modified crops for thousands of years Pamela Ronald runs the Lab for Crop Genetics Innovation at the University of California, Davis. Her team won an award for its decade-long work to isolate the gene that makes rice tolerant to floods. "Everything we eat has been genetically improved or modified in some manner: 8,000 to 10,000 years ago our ancestors took corn mutants and crossed these to develop different types of corn varieties so they could harvest them better." The ancient Greeks wrote about grafting - attaching the stem of one plant to the roots of another. The specific skills of modern genetic engineering were developed in California 40 years ago. "That allows genes from any species to be moved into other types of organisms. For example, insulin was the first genetically-engineered medicine, and it's been very useful because insulin used to have to be harvested from animals, but now human insulin can be produced in microbes and used by diabetics. "Eggplant is a very important crop in Bangladesh, and there is an insect that can devastate the crop. Farmers spray insecticides two to three times a week, sometimes twice a day, [often] using insecticides that are banned in the United States." This is where BT comes in - a gene from a soil bacterium which produces a protein that is deadly to pests: "Scientists cut the gene for BT out of the bacteria and inserted it directly into the eggplant genome. It's been very successful. "Last season, eggplant farmers reported they were able to reduce their chemical sprays by a huge amount, often down to zero." "After 40 years of commercial use in medicine, cheeses, wine and plants - and after over 20 years of careful study and rigorous peer review by thousands of independent scientists not funded by major corporations - every major scientific organisation in the world has concluded that the genetically-engineered crops currently on the market are safe to eat. "Discussion about plant genetics is a complete distraction from the goals of sustainable agriculture. We need to stay focused on how farmers and rural communities can thrive, we must be sure everyone can afford the food, and we must minimise environmental degradation. "I wouldn't use the word 'irrational' [to describe opposition to GM], I would say it's 'non-science based'." David Ropeik: We are not rational about risk Risk perception consultant David Ropeik has worked with governments and GM producers. "I would disabuse people of proposing that we be rational about this. We think we're rational, objective, post-enlightenment 'we can figure everything out with science' thinkers. "What cognitive science has taught us over the last 50 years is no, we're mostly instinctive animals whose job is to survive. Our brain is hard-wired to feel first and think second." He argues most of us look at GM through the prism of our deeply-held beliefs: "There are people who really are upset with what humans have done to nature, the mess we've made of it. And we see new technologies that can interact with nature in a negative way. "The psychology of risk perception has found we're more afraid of risks that are human-made than risks that are natural. We can blame people for doing the wrong thing, but you can't blame nature or God. Therefore we're more upset by what is done to us by people who ought not to. "Lots of governments around the world are precautionary about lots of things. The extreme version of the precautionary principle says if there's any evidence at all, or any harm, stop. But we have to weigh the pros and cons and what's in the greatest common good. "'What's going to happen in 50 years' time?' is an argument that could be used against anything. It's a generic argument, to make something sound scary. But there's a whole lot of modern life that we'd have to scrub out, because we haven't had cell phones for 50 years either." Haidee Swanby: GM technology is dangerous for small farmers Haidee Swanby works for the African Centre for Biodiversity based in South Africa, which opposes GM crops. South Africa introduced its first GM crop, maize, in the late 1990s. "From the beginning, we were very concerned about how much control the biotech industry had in developing our legal frameworks, and how close they were to our government. "We would like to see genetically modified organisms (GMOs) banned. Our maize seed sector is owned by just two companies: small players are being cut out and it's producing large volumes of very low quality food for South Africa. "For small-scale farmers who have very little margin for risk, it's a very dangerous technology. It's extremely expensive, and it must be bought annually and farmers need to make sure they get good prices on the markets to service their debts and small-scale farmers don't have bargaining power. "[The GM industrial model] has shown itself to be very dangerous, and if people have to buy their food every year and they don't have money, they starve. "It's like trying to boil a pot of water on a nuclear reactor instead of building a fire; high-tech for its own sake. "There's a bullying force emotionally blackmailing the world into believing that we need to adopt this technology if we're going to feed the world, but actually what it's creating is an ever bigger divide between the haves and have-nots. "Perhaps if [GM technology] was within public institutions where there was more control and transparency, it could be useful. Unfortunately we see our governments just focusing on this technological solution when we need a much more nuanced discussion about the kind of food systems we want. "There's plenty of research around what the problems are with GMOs in terms of democracy, safety issues, environmental impacts, socioeconomic issues, and that discussion has been going on for 30 or 40 years. It's a very sophisticated body of knowledge and work, so I think calling it 'irrational' is just a PR gimmick." Calestous Juma: GM is an important tool Calestous Juma directs the Harvard-based Agricultural Innovation in Africa project, which is funded by the Gates Foundation and supports the use of GM crops. "In 30 years we'll have a population of nine billion people to feed and that will increase demand for the quantity and diversity of the food that we need - that's why we have to consider GM as one of the tools - but not the only tool - that would help humanity to address those challenges. "[Opposition to GM is] not irrational. Farmers who are opposed to GM crops because they might have negative impacts on their income - you can say they are not being irrational. And then people who think that we are changing the environment in ways that are not predictable, they have reasons for doing that. "[But] I think it's unhelpful because it's driven by present day observations, but does not take into account long-term considerations. I strongly believe that, as problems expand, you also expand your toolbox. "I don't think that genetic engineering in itself embodies a particular farming system. Yes, it is true that the way the technology is developed initially could exclude some sections of the population, but the response is not to suppress the technology, it's to make other farmers have access to it. "By defining this as a product of large corporations, you end up undermining local enterprises who have no connection whatsoever with large corporations. In fact the bulk of the biotech research that's carried out in African countries is funded by local governments and conducted by local researchers." For example, one bacterial disease wipes out much of the Ugandan banana crop every year. The Gates Foundation funds local scientists' attempts to develop a new resistant variety: "This is work done by Ugandan scientists themselves on a crop that has no connection with large corporations. "They did not invent genetic modification but they have taken the techniques and applied them to solve a local problem - and yet there are organisations that are fighting it because it's genetically modified." The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 12:05 GMT/1305 BST. Listen online or download the podcast.

शनिवार 23 मई 2015 को, आनुवंशिक रूप से संशोधित (जी. एम.) बीजों और खाद्य पदार्थों के खिलाफ प्रदर्शन करने के लिए दुनिया भर में हजारों कार्यकर्ता एकत्र हुए। लॉस एंजिल्स, पेरिस, सैंटियागो और बुर्किना फासो की राजधानी औगाडौगौ सहित शहरों में विरोध प्रदर्शन हुए।


'How the north Wales sea helped my migraines'

Summary: After being diagnosed with chronic migraines which left her in terrible pain and mostly bed-bound, Beth Francis decided to try a holistic approach to tackle her pain. The 26-year old from Beaumaris on Anglesey embarked on a challenge to swim off the cold north Wales coast for 100 days over winter. Here, she tells if it helped.

By Gwyneth ReesBBC Wales News Imagine taking a dip in the north Wales sea during the icy months of winter. It's what I do, even in the hammering rain or recent days of snow. So long as the waves and currents aren't too dangerous, and I'm not putting my own or anyone else's life at risk being pulled offshore, then I'm in, headfirst into the waves. Most of the time I swim off Anglesey - perhaps off Newborough Beach, a three-mile stretch of sand backed by tall pines, or maybe Lligwy, a beach of rolling dunes. Usually I go in at high tide as it saves a walk down a long beach in just a swimming costume and flimsy towel. There's hardly ever anyone about, just the occasional hardy surfer or dog walker, wrapped up in coats and wondering what I'm doing. At the moment, the sea temperature is between 6 and 7C, depending where on the island I choose; the east is warmer. As I dip under the waves, I take a deep breath - preparing for the cold and knowing that within a few minutes, my whole body will be tingling, numb and red. More than this, though, I am bursting with adrenalin. Swimming like this makes me feel alive, and it's the best feeling on earth. Some might think this is a form of persecution I've inflicted on myself. Others ask if I'm doing it because I've lost a bet. In fact, I am doing this for health and healing. Because although I might seem and look like a fit and healthy 26-year-old, last August I was diagnosed with a condition that began taking over my life; chronic migraines. I'd suffered from migraines sporadically since the age of nine, but these were something new. In the May of 2017, I began having two or three a week, lasting upwards of six hours at a time. I was in my first year of a PhD in marine biology at Bangor University. But I began losing days of work. My migraines escalated throughout the summer, swelling to 28 attacks per month and I became so unwell that even taking a few months off work didn't help. These weren't just headaches. They would cause tremendous pain and sensitivity to light and sounds. I would have tinnitus, blind spots, nausea, stomach aches and sometimes become completely numb on one side. Chronic migraine is classified by the World Health Organisation as one of the most disabling illnesses, comparable to dementia and active psychosis. And for the majority of sufferers, normal function, including even basic tasks, is impossible during an attack. My GP and neurologist prescribed differing drugs, but there is no cure for this, and the treatments were only so effective. I'd always been active and loved the outdoors yet here I was, a young woman virtually bed-bound, despondent, hopeless and becoming less and less myself. I was losing my life. Eventually, I began looking to the sea - something that wasn't hard to find in north Wales. It has always played a big part in my life. As a child, my parents would take me out in their power boat off Pwllheli, and I was building a career out of my love of the ocean. I knew that I always felt better when I was in, or by, the ocean. I had also read that physical activity in nature was known to aid people with a variety of health conditions. In 2009, Prof Michael Depledge and Dr William Bird, from the European Centre for Environment and Health, based out of the University of Exeter Medical School, proposed a notion called the "Blue Gym" - the idea being that the sea can be used as motivation to exercise outdoors to influence health and wellbeing. They found that regular contact with natural environments provided three major health benefits: reduced stress, increased physical activity and created stronger communities. They also found that people who lived 1km from the coast had much better self-reported health than those who lived inland. I wanted to try something like that - to see if I could regain some health by connecting more with nature. Perhaps I'd even be able to shock my body into feeling better and use the cold water as an analgesic? Knowing how hard it would be, I set myself a challenge, along with my wonderful partner Andrew Clark, 28, to swim 100 days in the sea throughout winter. We committed to going in whatever the weather, so long as it wasn't dangerous or dark, and would record our adventure. It wouldn't matter how long we stayed in, we decided, but we must get fully submerged. Our first swim was on 9 October 2017 - off our local Llanddona beach - long and sandy, and forming the eastern end of Red Wharf Bay. As we waded in, it felt so cold at 12 degrees, but we knew how much colder it would get over the next 100 days. We stayed in the water for over an hour, swimming and playing in the waves. And as we walked back up the sand afterwards, wind whipping at our bare legs and skin stinging from the salty water, I couldn't stop grinning. Now, five months on and with a considerable drop in sea temperature, we stay in for shorter times, but we don't wear wetsuits. It means we have the short sharp shock of immersion, but that we can warm up and get dressed much quicker afterwards. Some of our brave friends have joined us for swims along the way, but mostly it is just us - two heads bobbing in a wild wintry sea, absolutely buzzing on adrenalin. Despite the cold, it has become the absolute highlight of our day. People might think it an odd way to combat migraines, but the change in me has been amazing. Sometimes, I have dragged myself out of bed, eyes half closed, already suffering from a migraine, in order to complete my daily task. But whenever this has happened, I have found the pain of migraine has dramatically reduced in severity afterwards. My overall health has improved, and I now have about 16 migraines a month, nearly half the amount compared to when they were at their peak, and the effects aren't as debilitating. They might last for four or five hours, as opposed to wiping out a whole day. Obviously, I can't attribute this improvement to the medicine or the "vitamin sea" as I like to call it, in isolation. To me, both things are acting together and holistically. I don't think I would have seen this improvement without taking on this challenge. Fundamentally, this has given me a goal to get up and out of bed, and a long way back to my old self. I am doing something positive for my wellbeing, and feel so much more in control of my life and my illness. No longer do I have to accept my life is confined to lying in my bed in pain. Andy and I are now two thirds of the way through the project, with fewer than 40 swim days still to go. But we have no plans on stopping. We have both fallen in love with our daily dip in the ocean, and could not imagine a life without it. An expert's view - Simon Evans, chief executive of Migraine Action Migraine is the fifth most disabling lifetime condition in the UK. Chronic migraine is defined as a minimum of 15 headache days a month of which at least eight are migraine. It can come with visual disturbances, nausea, light and sound sensitivity and in some cases stroke-like symptoms. While there is no direct evidence that swimming in cold water can help relieve a migraine attack, the reported use of ice mixtures in pain relief in migraine goes back to Victorian times. Various methods of cold and ice application have been reported on in the medical literature in recent decades with a number of theories as to why they may work. An article in The Journal of Headache and Pain in 2015 reported good results using an intra-nasal cooling device to reduce pain. Many of the preventative treatments for migraine were designed for other diseases and are often not well tolerated, so we are delighted that Beth has found relief for her migraine, but we suspect it won't be for everyone. Cold water swimming - dangers and guidance (NHS Choices): For more information, visit the RNLI's Respect The Water page.

पुरानी माइग्रेन का पता चलने के बाद, जिसने उसे भयानक दर्द और ज्यादातर बिस्तर पर छोड़ दिया, बेथ फ्रांसिस ने अपने दर्द से निपटने के लिए एक समग्र दृष्टिकोण अपनाने का फैसला किया। एंग्लेसी पर ब्यूमेरिस की 26 वर्षीय लड़की ने सर्दियों में 100 दिनों के लिए उत्तरी वेल्स के ठंडे तट पर तैरने की चुनौती शुरू की। यहाँ, वह बताती है कि क्या इससे मदद मिली।


First Derivatives reaches £1bn market value

Summary: First Derivatives, the Newry-based IT firm, has reached a stock market valuation of more than £1bn.

The valuation represents the number of company shares multiplied by the current price of those shares. First Derivatives share price has risen sharply in recent months from under £30 at the start of October to more than £40. The company specialises in financial analysis software and now employs more than 2,000 people. Last year, it increased its profits by 20% to £12.5m on a turnover of £152m. The firm was founded by Brian Conlon in 1996 and floated on the stock market in 2002. Mr Conlon is still the single largest shareholder.

फर्स्ट डेरिवेटिव्स, न्यूरी स्थित आईटी फर्म, 1 बिलियन पाउंड से अधिक के शेयर बाजार मूल्यांकन तक पहुंच गई है।


Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman: The couple taken by the Taliban

Summary: Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman were rescued this month after being held captive for five years by a Taliban-linked insurgent group. But what were two W estern backpackers doing in Afghanistan in the first place?

By Jessica MurphyBBC News, Toronto "Looking back, I think it was two years before we saw any proof they were alive," recalls Joshua Boyle's friend Alex Edwards. "I had assumed that they were probably dead, and tried to make peace with that." Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 after venturing into one of the most hostile regions of the war-torn country. The last email from Boyle, sent to Coleman's parents on 8 October of that year, said they were in a part of Afghanistan he described as "unsafe". The two were held in captivity for five years, suffering violence and abuse. Boyle says one of the children they conceived during the ordeal was killed by their captors. Edwards says when he first heard his friend had travelled to Afghanistan with Coleman - who was seven months pregnant at the time - he couldn't understand how they had "done something so appallingly dangerous". Family and friends have described Boyle and Coleman as naive idealists - a couple with strong convictions and humanitarian inclinations. In interviews following their release, Boyle said he and Coleman travelled to Afghanistan to help people. He called himself a "pilgrim" on a mission. He told reporters he went to help "the most neglected minority group in the world. Those ordinary villagers who live deep inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where no NGO, no aid worker and no government has ever successfully been able to bring the necessary help". What exactly the couple intended to do to help is a question that hasn't been answered. Coleman, 31, grew up in Stewartstown, a small Pennsylvania town about 100 miles west of Philadelphia. Boyle, 34, was raised in Smith Falls, near Canada's capital city Ottawa. The two met online, reportedly bonding over a shared love of Star Wars. They married in 2011. Friends interviewed in 2016 by Philadelphia magazine describe Coleman as a devout Christian who loved travel and had a gentle sense of humour - "big-hearted, relentlessly optimistic, adventurous, funny and flawed". Boyle - a self-described "pacifist Mennonite hippie child" according to Edwards - has a more contentious past. He was briefly married to Zaynab Khadr, the sister of former Guantanamo bay inmate Omar Khadr. The union pulled him publicly into the orbit of one of Canada's most notorious families. The Khadr family patriarch, who was killed in Pakistan in 2003, was an alleged close associate of Osama Bin Laden. Zaynab herself is well known for her outspoken views, refusing to condemn terror attacks like the London bombings of 2005 or downplaying 9/11. Omar Khadr, who was caught in Afghanistan at 15 by American forces, was held in Guantanamo for 10 years and charged with the murder of a US soldier. Critics accuse him of being a radicalised fighter at the time of his capture. But Omar's supporters considered him a child soldier and Boyle - a human rights advocate - took a deep interest in his case. His marriage to Zaynab Khadr ended in 2010. The Associated Press has reported that US officials don't believe Boyle's former ties to the Khadr family had anything to do with the kidnapping of him and his wife. Before leaving on their Central Asian adventure, Coleman had told friends they would only travel to the "safe '-stans" during their six-month trip. But at some point, that changed. In 2012, a UK man met Joshua Boyle and Coleman in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Richard Cronin describes how Boyle - after a long night spent discussing historic explorers - convinced him to travel to Afghanistan. Boyle and Coleman had been backpacking in Russia and the former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Afghanistan was next on the list. "I asked Josh where he wanted to go in Afghanistan and he replied 'all over'. "He had also said it was safe provided you didn't go to a region where there were foreign troops and the Taliban, namely the south," Cronin wrote in a blog about the encounter. While in Afghanistan, Cronin learned that Boyle and Coleman had gone missing in the country. Cronin later told a Toronto Star reporter who covered the couple's lengthy captivity: "I hope Josh and his family get out safely. I have some questions I'd really like to ask them. I'm sure you do too". In 2013, after months of anguished mystery, the Boyle and Coleman families learned what had happened to the vanished couple. They had been taken hostage by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while travelling in the Wardak Province, a mountainous region outside Kabul. A man believed to have ties to the Taliban emailed the Coleman family two videos of Boyle and their daughter, asking for the US and Canada to do more to free them from their captors. In the video - the first of four released to the families - they appear tired, dispirited, and dazed. Coleman had given birth to her first son in captivity. Boyle and Coleman's families made those first two videos public in 2014 after the release of US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who had also been held as a Taliban captive, hoping the publicity would help their appeal for the couple's safe return. The last video released of the two came out just 10 months ago, shortly before Christmas. It showed Boyle and Coleman with two of their children. In that video, Coleman described their situation as a "Kafkaesque nightmare". The family was subject to mistreatment and violence during their captivity. In interviews, Boyle says the family was frequently shuffled between locations, often held in rooms not much bigger than a toilet stall. There were times Boyle and Coleman were separated and beaten. But Boyle has also said one of their biggest challenges was the daily tedium, the long hours with little to fill them. In a short email exchange with the BBC, Boyle described passing the time educating their two sons. "We had always intended to home school our own offspring - we just hadn't foreseen it would be without books, paper or pen... but we made do with what we had, tore up old garbage to make solar systems, splinters of wood to learn multiplying, bottle caps became compasses, etc," he wrote. He told the Associated Press that they decided to have children in captivity because "we're sitting as hostages with a lot of time on our hands. We always wanted as many as possible, and we didn't want to waste time. Cait's in her 30s, the clock is ticking." In the intervening years, Boyle and Coleman's family and friends expressed frustration at the apparent lack of interest from the US and Canadian officials, and the media and public's indifference to their plight. "It doesn't get the attention it deserves, and I have no idea why," a friend told Philadelphia magazine in a 2016 feature about Coleman. "It's just messed up. She's a person. She has a family. She's not just this 'kidnapped American woman.'" Edwards says he received mostly disinterest when he tried to get the Star Wars and Firefly fan communities - Boyle was an aficionado of both - to help raise awareness of their case. In retrospect, he feels it's clear why he couldn't rally people to their cause. "People don't want to help with something unless they know it's the right thing to do, and there were just too many complicating factors in Josh and Caitlan's situation," he says. "What were they doing in Afghanistan? What's the deal with the Khadr connection? I tried to answer those questions as best I could, but the fact that they even came up is a huge strike against people caring." But Edwards says: "The fact that no one seemed particularly concerned about two Canadian children being held captive by the Taliban is a shocking indictment of our society." In 2015, a retired Special Forces officer testified before a US Senate committee about a plan to rescue to Boyle, Coleman and their children from captivity as part of a larger prisoner swap. The Green Beret's team had been tasked with trying to help bring soldier Bowe Bergdahl home. "We also realised that there were civilian hostages in Pakistan that nobody was trying to free so they were added to our mission," Jason Amerine said, mentioning Boyle and Coleman by name in his testimony. The rescue plan collapsed, though Bergdahl was eventually released in 2014 in a controversial Taliban prisoner exchange. It seemed that Boyle and Coleman were slowly being forgotten. So their release after five years of captivity came as a surprise. On 12 October, Pakistani and US officials confirmed Pakistani troops rescued the family in a successful but risky mission - shooting out the tyres of the car where they were stuffed in the boot. Boyle, Coleman and their three children were safe and heading home. Aisha Ahmad, a University of Toronto political scientist who studies jihadist groups, suggests it was no coincidence the timing of the rescue came during a tense period between US and Pakistan. "The reason the Pakistanis were so willing to pull the trigger is because they desperately needed to mend relations with the new Trump administration," she says. The family's release netted rare praise for Pakistan from Mr Trump who called it "a sign that it [Pakistan] is honouring America's wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region". "The Pakistani army and the intelligence community are very realistic in their calculations - they are strategists," says Ahmad. "They care about geopolitics, they play the long game." On Thursday, CIA director Mike Pompeo told a Washington-based think tank Boyle and Coleman were held in Pakistan during their long captivity, contradicting earlier claims made by Pakistani officials. After landing in Canada, Joshua Boyle struck out at his former captors. He says the "criminal miscreants" raped Coleman and killed a fourth child - a daughter - in a forced abortion. The Taliban have denied Coleman was assaulted and claim the child died due to a miscarriage. Boyle told the BBC about the one captor he got to know, a man from the West with whom he could "ask esoteric questions on little-known points of Islamic law and history". After the learning of the rape by some of the guards, the man defected to the so-called Islamic State "try to find a truer jihad" and promised "to try and tell ISIS of the cruelties, acts of disbelief and hypocrisy of the Haqqani Network". "I offered him my fullest forgiveness, and Caitlan said she would forgive him all his minor sins against her, but she couldn't forgive what he'd done to the children in his blind exuberance for the group at the start," Boyle wrote. For now, Boyle, Coleman and their three children are adjusting to their newfound freedom in the suburban sanctuary of Boyle's parents' Ontario home. The children have the resilience of youth and attentive grandparents, and Boyle has said they're slowly adapting to their new circumstances, though the family continues to sleep together in one small room. "It's not welcome to the western world, it's not welcome to Canada, it's welcome to life," he told NBC's Today programme. Coleman has not spoken publicly since her release and was admitted to hospital earlier this week with an undisclosed ailment. Boyle told journalists the couple are focusing on building a safe home for their children and that he remains committed "to do the right thing no matter the cost". "In the final analysis, it is the intentions of our actions, not their consequences, on which we all shall eventually be judged." .

कनाडाई जोशुआ बॉयल और अमेरिकी कैटलन कोलमैन को तालिबान से जुड़े विद्रोही समूह द्वारा पांच साल तक बंदी बनाए रखने के बाद इस महीने बचाया गया था। लेकिन दो डब्ल्यू एस्टर्न बैकपैकर्स अफगानिस्तान में क्या कर रहे थे?


Who, what, why: How unhealthy is two years indoors?

Summary: Julian Assange says he will leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London "soon". There's been speculation he is suffering from illness, so what is the potential health impact of two years indoors, asks Tom de Castella.

Who, What, WhyThe Magazine answers the questions behind the news The Wikileaks founder took refuge in the embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over alleged sex assaults. He faces arrest if he leaves the building. Assange told a press conference that he had no access to outside areas. Even healthy people would have difficulty living inside for so long, he said. Claiming he would be out "soon", he was vague on when or why. Media reports have suggested he needs treatment for a range of health problems - arrhythmia, high blood pressure and a chronic cough. The biggest implication for physical health of being inside for so long is vitamin D deficiency, says Sarah Jarvis, doctor for the BBC's One Show. About 85-90% of people's vitamin D comes from sunshine. Dozens of conditions have been associated with low vitamin D levels, from depression and aches and pains to osteoporosis and heart disease. Vitamin D tablets don't seem to have much effect, says Simon Griffin, professor of general practice at Cambridge University. A sunbed or UV lamp would work but over two years this would be inadvisable - they are linked with melanoma, a form of skin cancer. And Assange has already spoken of a "boiled lobster" moment from a sunlamp. It's unlikely two years inside would damage the body greatly if someone took action to make sure they were getting some daylight, exercise and eating a healthy diet, says Griffin. Air conditioning is unlikely to harm Assange. The most likely harm would be a flattening of mood, Griffin says. Sunlight makes people feel happier. There is a balcony at the embassy - Assange has occasionally addressed supporters from it. Even just exposing face and forearms to the sun regularly would help avoid feeling down, Griffin says. One thing that's impossible to gauge is Assange's mental state. Maintaining it is all about how you perceive your situation, says clinical psychologist Linda Blair. When he first arrived Assange had evaded capture. He might have felt euphoric. But two years on, he is still there. "It's about an attitude really. It makes us very aggressive when we are denied our freedom." Some prisoners of war have managed to play games and celebrate the fact they are still alive in terrible conditions, Blair says. "You don't have to feel trapped. Feeling you have control is critical." Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

जूलियन असांजे का कहना है कि वह लंदन में इक्वाडोर के दूतावास को "जल्द ही" छोड़ देंगे। ऐसी अटकलें लगाई जा रही हैं कि वह बीमारी से पीड़ित हैं, तो टॉम डी कैस्टेला पूछते हैं कि घर के अंदर दो साल का संभावित स्वास्थ्य प्रभाव क्या है।


Isle of Wight demolition site worker death probe

Summary: Police are investigating the death of a man who was seriously injured at a construction site on the Isle of Wight.

David Shayler was working at a demolition site in Atkinson Drive, Newport, on 13 October, when he sustained serious injuries. The 53-year-old was taken to hospital but died on Wednesday. The exact circumstances surrounding how he was injured are being investigated by officers and work at the site has been suspended. "Detectives are working closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as part of this investigation", Hampshire Constabulary added.

पुलिस आइल ऑफ वाइट पर एक निर्माण स्थल पर गंभीर रूप से घायल एक व्यक्ति की मौत की जांच कर रही है।


Cuba's Catholic church still cautious as Pope arrives

Summary: Cuba is a communist state with a vast statue of Christ towering over it. The monument, above the bay in Havana, was completed just before the revolution and never removed. It has recently been restored by the state, the scaffolding dismantled just before the arrival of Pope Benedict.

By Sarah RainsfordBBC News, Havana But there have been difficult decades in Cuba for Catholics. The Church was never banned, but the island was officially atheist until 1992. Practising Catholics could not join the Communist Party. "You had to be atheist to advance. If not, you were [thought] backwards, superstitious," remembers Gustavo Andujar, a devout Catholic. "There was a time in the early 1960s when churches were harassed. Children would throw stones to harass people during mass. We Catholics suffered in those times but fortunately, they've long gone." Cuba today is secular, the faithful are free to worship and the Catholic Church is busy reasserting itself. 'Here to help' Charity work is a key part of that. Every weekday in a poor, tumbledown neighbourhood of Old Havana, volunteers hand out big cups of milk and bread rolls to more than 40 school children. The breakfast club is one of dozens of aid projects run by the Church, in a country where so much else is tightly controlled by the state. "We're not trying to compete with the government," says Oscar Rodriguez, the volunteer in charge. "We're just here to help." That stance has allowed the Church to reinsert itself, quietly, into society. It is now running MBA courses inside the old Catholic seminary. Many of the students strolling the cloisters are state-employees, looking for skills to take up work in the growing private sector. And, on the edge of the city, is the modern peach-pink seminary that replaced it. Inaugurated in 2010, it is the first new church building permitted since the revolution when religious schools were taken over and many priests fled. Fifty-two young men are now studying there for the priesthood, trying to cut their country's historic dependence on clergy from abroad. "This is a country with 11 million people, and only about 350 priests," says seminary rector, Jose Miguel Martin - himself a Spaniard. "We need more." When the seminary was inaugurated in 2010, President Raul Castro was at the ceremony. His presence was a powerful symbol of the improved relations between Catholic Church and Communist state. But some argue the Church is not using its unique position and growing influence as it should. While Cubans are now free to worship, they are still tightly controlled in other areas, such as the right to free assembly. Dissidents demand more support Before the Pope arrived, Amnesty International reported a sharp rise in the short-term detention of dissidents by police. Cuba claims they are paid by the US to undermine the revolution. The Amnesty report followed the round-up of dozens of activists from the Ladies in White, a group that marches in silence for human rights every Sunday in Havana. "The Church has a social doctrine, which protects the marginalised and the suffering. But the cardinal stays silent against these abuses," complains Berta Soler, one of the group. But Berta Soler's husband was one of 75 political prisoners released in 2010 after Cuba's Cardinal intervened with the authorities. Church leaders point to that as an example of what can best be achieved through quiet diplomacy. After so long operating on the margins, they are wary of any direct challenge to the regime. "We're not a political party," said Havana's Auxiliary Bishop, Alfredo Petit. "The Church will not be a flag of justice. We are not here to defend human rights in the first place. Our role is to preach the gospel, that's clear." The last time a Pope visited this island 14 years ago, many of its vast churches were almost empty. That has been changing slowly ever since. The Church that Pope Benedict is visiting in Cuba is much stronger. But it is cautious, not entirely secure.

क्यूबा एक साम्यवादी राज्य है जिसके ऊपर ईसा मसीह की एक विशाल मूर्ति है। हवाना में खाड़ी के ऊपर स्मारक, क्रांति से ठीक पहले पूरा किया गया था और कभी नहीं हटाया गया था। इसे हाल ही में राज्य द्वारा पुनर्स्थापित किया गया है, पोप बेनेडिक्ट के आगमन से ठीक पहले मचान को ध्वस्त कर दिया गया है।


Eden Project reveals debts of £5m

Summary: Cornwall's Eden Project has announced debts of £5m.

The attraction near St Austell said up to 35 jobs were also at risk because of the economic downturn. Last year it recorded losses of £1.78m, partly blaming the floods of November 2010 which forced it to shut for a week and its ice rink to close for a month. A redundancy consultation is under way at the site which employs between 490 and 700 people depending on the season. Gaynor Coley, Eden's managing director, said: "We are overall in debt about £5m - but a £5m debt on a £140m asset with a £20m turnover is a very reasonable level of debt, particularly in this climate." She added that visitor numbers over the year had been healthy but the project needed to make sure it was fit for the future and offering excellent value. She also said that the consultation review would look at all levels of staff. According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, visitor numbers at Eden in 2009 and 2010 fell year on year and the project received just over one million visitors in 2011 - down 3% on the previous year. Malcolm Bell, of Visit Cornwall, said: "We will be looking to see how we can help. I am sure Eden's team will be working hard and creatively. "It took innovation to create Eden and I am sure that pool of talent will be there to see it through these troubles."

कॉर्नवॉल की ईडन परियोजना ने 5 मिलियन पाउंड के ऋण की घोषणा की है।


Dementia device 'kind of brought my mum back'

Summary: "It's kind of brought her back again."

By Colette HumeBBC News Alison Webb had watched her mother Margaret, 73, "slipping further and further away" because of dementia. Margaret has been using a device called a HUG, aimed at improving the mental well-being of people with advanced dementia - who often experience anxiety and depression. After it helped her and others, the design team at Cardiff Metropolitan University now want to produce it commercially. "Every time I came to visit I seemed to be losing a little bit more of her. "The smiles were less frequent, the recognition of me was slipping away." Margaret worked her whole life in a bank, brought up Alison alone and enjoyed travelling and spending time with her three grandchildren. But the smiling, happy, hard-working, loving mother she knew started disappearing before her eyes after being diagnosed with dementia 10 years ago. In the spring the Sunrise Senior Living home in Cardiff, where Margaret lives, took delivery of 20 HUGs as part of a trial, and she was one of the first people to be given one. While it looks like a soft toy on the outside, it has a beating heart and speaker that can play chosen music and sounds. Alison said: "I walked in and Mum was holding the HUG in the dining room and her face was just happy... almost serene and it was lovely. "The icing on the cake was the music. All my mum's favourite songs are there - musicals, Elvis, Tom Jones, Abba." Danny Langhorn from Sunrise said: "The HUG is not intrusive to them, it's not a person... they're not feeling threatened. "They're just able to sit there, listen and in their own time start feeling comfortable." It was designed by a team led by Cathy Treadaway at the university's Centre for Applied Research in Inclusive Arts and Design, or Cariad. The idea came about after a visit to a care home in Port Talbot, during a project to design objects for people with dementia. "Thelma's carers asked us to make something for her, and when we asked them what kind of thing they wanted us to make, they told us the only thing they could think that Thelma needed was a hug, so we went away and came up with HUG," said Prof Treadaway. Thelma showed improvement within a week: opening her eyes, engaging with other residents of the home, and her falls - which had been frequent - stopped completely. The team then applied for more funding from the Welsh Government to see if Thelma's response could be replicated. Dementia is the umbrella term to describe around 100 conditions including Alzheimer's and is the leading cause of death in Wales and England. About 40,000 people in Wales are living with dementia and there is currently no cure. Last week the US drug company Biogen announced it was ready to bring a drug to the market which it said could slow Alzheimer's. But approval could take a year or two and if successful the company aims to initially offer the drug to patients previously enrolled on clinical studies of the drug. It could be some time before the drug reaches the UK. But Alison says she's grateful to see her mum Margaret happy again. "The recognition and the smiles and the happiness seem to have come back which is brilliant, brilliant."

"यह उसे फिर से वापस ले आया है।"


What future for US-backed Plan Colombia?

Summary: As Colombia prepares for the second round of its presidential election on 20 June, the BBC's Will Grant examines the impact the US-backed Plan Colombia has had on the country's battle against drug cartels and how much of a role it will have after the election.

The voices on the crackly phone line are talking in code. "The tourist is on the bus," says the caller to the man at the other end. "Bacano" he replies, Colombian slang for "cool". The "tourist" in question was a consignment of several kilogrammes of heroin; the "bus" a flight to Europe. What the drug contact on the phone didn't realise was that he wasn't talking to a "mule", but an undercover anti-narcotics officer. He was arrested within hours. Another small victory perhaps, for the outgoing government of President Alvaro Uribe in its seemingly endless battle against the cartels and the left-wing rebel group the Farc - whose main income is from the drugs trade. It is a battle the government says it has been winning in recent years - and one which has been heavily funded by the United States through its controversial military aid programme, Plan Colombia. "Colombia has shown the greatest reduction in coca cultivations in a decade," said the director of the national police, Gen Oscar Naranjo. "According to the UN's preliminary report, there are 68,000 hectares [9680sq km] under coca cultivation in Colombia this year. "Thanks to Plan Colombia and our national security police [forces], that's a little less than a third of what it was in 1999, 1998 and 1997." But critics disagree and have said that any reduction in the production of cocaine has been temporary at best, and that Plan Colombia has only served to push the problem beyond Colombia's borders. Dr Arlene Tickner of the University of the Andes in Bogota is one such critic. She said: "As a drug policy, I think Plan Colombia has been a relative failure. "If we look at the Andean region as a whole what we see is not only that coca crops are basically the same size as the year 2000 but also that the potential cocaine production from those crops is the same as well. "There does now seem to be a slow recognition in Washington that it's time to change tack." "Plan Colombia was never engraved in stone," responded the US Ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield, when asked whether Plan Colombia would remain a central part of US anti-drug policy in Latin America. Having seen around $7bn of taxpayers' money invested in military hardware and anti-drug operations in Colombia since 1999, the Democratic majority in the US Congress and the Obama administration are said to want to reduce the military aid, and shift the emphasis to socio-economic assistance. Mr Brownfield said: "In 1998, we had expected to start with a lot of money and see it gradually reduce over time; and that has happened. "We had hoped to see a country that first dealt with its security and drug problems, and would then tackle its social development problems. And that has also happened. "We may have got here pretty erratically and with some bumps in the road, I won't deny that. But the truth is I think we're pretty much where we wanted to be when we set out on the path to Plan Colombia a decade ago." But human rights NGOs in Colombia say some of those "bumps in the road" the ambassador has referred to have involved serious war crimes by the Colombian military. Most notable has been the so-called "false positives" scandal in which members of the Colombian military seemingly murdered innocent victims from poor neighbourhoods in Bogota and dressed their bodies up as left-wing guerrillas to claim greater victories in the war on drugs. 'Drastic action' The leading candidate in the race for the presidency is the country's former defence minister, Juan Manuel Santos. When asked, he brushed off uncomfortable questions about the "false positives" scandal saying his reaction to the issue was a further reason for the Colombian people to back his bid for president. "We didn't invent the false positives problems, I eliminated them. "We took very dramatic action, with total determination and transparency. And with total efficiency because - since November 2008 since I acted against those involved - the reports of 'false positives' has diminished dramatically." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Colombia this week, where she held talks with President Alvaro Uribe and Mr Santos, who many believe is the Pentagon's favoured candidate because of his promise to continue the current national security policies. But Mrs Clinton also met the Green Party's candidate, Antanas Mockus, who is hoping to cause an upset in the second round. "Plan Colombia has had some changes," Mr Mockus said recently. "The change in President Obama's policy goes in the same direction [as mine]...It's more about prosecuting big players in the drugs trade, and from my side, working more closely with small coca producers." Whoever wins, Mrs Clinton assured Colombians that the security relationship with Washington would remain untouched. "Obama has a lesser interest in Colombia than his predecessor, but the bilateral relationship has now become so institutionalised that even a new president in the United States would have a very hard time undoing it," said Dr Tickner.

जैसा कि कोलंबिया 20 जून को अपने राष्ट्रपति चुनाव के दूसरे दौर की तैयारी कर रहा है, बीबीसी का विल ग्रांट इस बात की जांच करता है कि अमेरिका समर्थित प्लान कोलंबिया का ड्रग कार्टेल के खिलाफ देश की लड़ाई पर क्या प्रभाव पड़ा है और चुनाव के बाद इसकी कितनी भूमिका होगी।


Welsh election results 2021: How it happened

Summary: After two days of counting in the 2021 Welsh Parliament election, Welsh Labour has kept control in the Senedd.

Mark Drakeford, who is set to stay as first minister, has kept his Cardiff West seat with an increased majority. Labour has been in power since the birth of devolution in 1999, but has never secured a majority. It was just one seat short of creating history in Wales as the last result came in - but Mr Drakeford was happy winning half of the Senedd's 60 seats.

2021 के वेल्श संसद चुनाव में दो दिनों की गिनती के बाद, वेल्श लेबर ने सेनेड में नियंत्रण बनाए रखा है।


Yorkshire 'bike libraries' funding offered

Summary: Groups are being encouraged to set up "bike libraries" allowing people to borrow bikes for free across Yorkshire.

Community groups, charities and not-for-profit businesses can apply for £500 - £10,000 to set up a scheme. Successful groups would manage a fleet of bikes that could be borrowed for between a day and several months. The fund is a three-year project with Yorkshire Bank and Cycle Yorkshire to offer financial and marketing assistance to the community projects. The first round of funding for bike libraries is available until 27 February. Old or unwanted bikes can already be donated at 10 Yorkshire locations. Related Internet Links Welcome to Yorkshire Cycle Yorkshire

समूहों को "बाइक पुस्तकालय" स्थापित करने के लिए प्रोत्साहित किया जा रहा है जिससे लोग पूरे यॉर्कशायर में मुफ्त में बाइक उधार ले सकें।


How does Fukushima differ from Chernobyl?

Summary: Japanese authorities have raised the severity rating of the nuclear crisis at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant to the highest level, seven.

The decision reflects the ongoing release of radiation, rather than a sudden deterioration. Level seven previously only applied to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, where 10 times as much radiation was emitted. But most experts agree the two nuclear incidents are very different. Explore the table below to find out how they compare.

जापानी अधिकारियों ने क्षतिग्रस्त फुकुशिमा दाइची बिजली संयंत्र में परमाणु संकट की गंभीरता की रेटिंग को उच्चतम स्तर, सात तक बढ़ा दिया है।