Australian customers take on the banks

Summary: In 2013, Brett Fallon doused himself in petrol and stepped into an open fire. The former landowner had blamed one of Australia's biggest banks for destroying his business and grinding him into suicidal despair. He survived, but only just.

By Phil MercerBBC News, Sydney "I thought, 'Bugger it, I can't beat these bastards.' I decided to terminate matters by tipping 15 litres of petrol over my head and walking into an open fireplace. "I was in a coma for close to seven months, I received 40 or 50 skin grafts, I've had a multitude of operations and fingers amputated," he tells me. "When I came out of the hospital and tried to get some clarity into my matters of banking I found that wall of silence still existed." Mr Fallon has claimed his overdraft was cancelled by ANZ Bank and he was charged punitive rates of interest on other loans. The bank says it has tried to assist Mr Fallon. In a statement, an ANZ spokesman said: "Since 2007… ANZ sought to work with Mr Fallon, including by providing him with a significant period of time to sell properties to reduce his debt." But Mr Fallon is not alone. Reckless advice by rogue financial planners, overcharging and a lack of accountability have made highly profitable banks in Australia deeply unpopular. Avalanche of criticism The government wants to make it easier for disgruntled customers to seek redress through a new "low-cost, speedy tribunal", while the opposition believes that a powerful Royal Commission is the only way to forensically investigate the nation's biggest banks. The industry has responded to an avalanche of criticism, and has pledged to regain the community's trust. For Tanya Hargraves it is an empty promise. The 65-year-old graphic designer and publisher, who lives on the outskirts of Canberra, is the victim of alleged predatory lending. She told the BBC that she was convinced by her bank to take out a A$1.6m (US$1.9m; £935,000) property loan, but she soon realised her mistake as she began to fall behind with her repayments. She alleges Commonwealth Bank staff were unwilling to help as her life unravelled, and a property portfolio disappeared. "They have left me destitute. They have stolen A$535,000 of my money. It is straight out theft. It happens so much in this country, it is wrong," she says. "You can't fight [the banks] because you don't have the finances. Most of the lawyers… don't want to take on such a large organisation. "There is no mercy. They don't care," she adds. The Commonwealth Bank has denied any inappropriate behaviour and said the case had been subject to an independent review by the Financial Ombudsman Service, which found the bank had given "genuine consideration to the applicant's requests for assistance with her financial difficulty". 'Trust gap' In October, the bosses of Australia's big four banks were called to appear before the House of Representatives Economics Committee in Canberra. The tone was one of contrition. "In recent years it is clear a trust gap has opened up and we as an industry and as individual banks need to work harder to close that gap," Brian Hartzer, chief executive of Westpac Bank, told MPs. The Australian Bankers' Association (ABA) later insisted the sector would strive to become more accountable and transparent. "Consumers are demanding action now, and we are responding," said ABA chief executive Steven Munchenberg. "The industry is making major changes that address concerns about how bank staff are rewarded, the protection of whistleblowers, the handling of customer complaints and dealing with poor conduct. We are doing this with independent oversight." Bank bashing is an Australian pastime that has its roots in the nation's fierce anti-authoritarian streak and its mistrust of large organisations, and its politicians. Avenues of redress "In the last couple of decades banks, particularly the big banks, have been re-identified as somehow the source of capitalist problems in Australia," explains Chris Berg, a senior fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, a free market think-tank. "We have got many complex regulatory challenges, but the idea that the banks are acting against the interests of the Australian population is utterly false." Angry customers currently have various avenues of redress: the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal and the Credit and Investments Ombudsman Scheme. They handle thousands of complaints each year, but a panel of experts is looking at whether those three dispute resolution measures can be replaced by a single super-agency to make the process easier and quicker. 'Absolutely horrendous' In Charleville, 680km west of Brisbane, farmer Catherine Stuart is taking her grievances to Australia's Federal Court. She had problems with her lender, Rabobank, and her A$3m debt and has alleged a restriction of trade. Mrs Stuart says her family were forced to leave their property in 2014. "[The court case] is very, very complicated and many farmers are going through the same thing. We certainly need a banking inquiry or something to get to the bottom of this," she told the BBC. "It is horrendous, absolutely horrendous. The effects on the family are just indescribable. The unconscionable behaviour of these financiers has a lot to answer for." Rabobank Australia and New Zealand has denied any wrongdoing. "We worked patiently and supportively with them (Catherine Stuart and her family) for more than four years as they attempted to resolve their financial difficulties. It is only when all reasonable avenues… have been exhausted that the bank moves to recovery action." Australia's big four banks make billions of dollars in profits each year. But like them or loathe them, the majority of Australians have a financial stake in them with many superannuation - or pension funds - invested in the likes of Westpac and ANZ. Brett Fallon's contempt for the banks still rages but he is slowly recovering from his self-inflicted wounds, running a campsite for tourists near the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland. "I look after backpackers from all over the world. They have been a godsend to me these young people. I've created a wonderful new life for myself," he says.

2013 में, ब्रेट फॉलन ने खुद पर पेट्रोल छिड़क दिया और खुली गोलीबारी की। पूर्व जमींदार ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया के सबसे बड़े बैंकों में से एक को अपने व्यवसाय को नष्ट करने और खुदकुशी की हताशा में पीसने के लिए दोषी ठहराया था। वह बच गया, लेकिन केवल सही।


Why sharing data is for greater good

Summary: The recent announcement that data from individuals' GP records would be shared with researchers inside the NHS - and potentially outside - was controversial. In this week's Scrubbing Up, Prof Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, says while the decision is up to each of us, population data like this is crucial for making progress in tackling diseases.

By Prof Peter JohnsonCancer Research UK Patient information is a very controversial issue. We live in an age when all manner of information about us is collected and shared all the time and, understandably, everyone worries about who is looking at their data and what they're doing with it. But using our records for medical research is not about some sort of free-for-all with people's data. It is about doing the right thing and using the information that we collect in the NHS to benefit patients in the future. We need the proper safeguards, and I am as sceptical as anyone about the idea of selling the data outside the NHS, but that is not a reason to discard the whole idea. When we think about cancer research, we might picture scientists working in labs or patients on clinical trials, but this isn't the full story. There are researchers making vital discoveries and saving lives right now, who will never touch a test tube and may never meet a patient. These are the population researchers who work with vast databases of patient records, who have made some of the most important discoveries in medicine, and their type of research is as important as ever. Cancer research is a huge success story, we know so much more now than we did 50 years ago. But we don't know everything. Patient data can be used to answer some of the big questions about cancer: what causes it, how do we treat it and how do we cure it? For us, one of the most valuable parts of the NHS is the National Cancer Registration Service, which covers the whole of the UK and stretches back over 40 years. This system provided the data needed to show that mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure and gave us the evidence behind the new innovations in the bowel screening programme. It gives us some of the best information in the world about how well or badly we are doing, and is vital for making sure we keep improving cancer treatments all the time. Serious threat But without access to people's records to track how a type of treatment works this is a wasted opportunity. Cancer registries have already saved many lives and in the future they will save many more. However, they are under serious threat from legislation in the European Union. The registries collect data from cancer patients automatically, although patients can object to their details being shared. Under the new European Data Protection Regulation, this would become illegal and we are worried our national cancer registries could collapse completely. If cancer registration is allowed to fail in this way, a unique weapon in the fight against cancer will be lost. Our registries are a precious resource and we must protect them. It is absolutely critical that the UK government lobbies effectively in the EU to ensure that registries and other population research is protected from this regulation. The choice is yours. Population research involves huge numbers, but we always remember that behind every database containing a million pieces of information, there are a million individuals and their care. We work with information from millions of people, but every one of those has generously shared their information and is making an individual contribution to our research. We respect that and recognise what a valuable thing this trust is. Unlike many of the people involved in this debate, I'm not here to tell you what to do. It's your data, it's your decision. Everyone in England has a decision to make. NHS England is soon going to be uploading GP records into a central database, which will be used in planning healthcare and in research. This can be a huge force for good, if we get it right. We need to make sure that we have rules to protect us properly, but at the same time make sure we can carry on with essential research.

हाल ही में यह घोषणा कि व्यक्तियों के जी. पी. रिकॉर्ड से डेटा को एन. एच. एस. के अंदर और संभावित रूप से बाहर के शोधकर्ताओं के साथ साझा किया जाएगा, विवादास्पद था। इस सप्ताह के स्क्रबिंग अप में, कैंसर रिसर्च यू. के. के मुख्य चिकित्सक प्रो. पीटर जॉनसन का कहना है कि निर्णय हम में से प्रत्येक पर निर्भर है, लेकिन इस तरह के जनसंख्या डेटा रोगों से निपटने में प्रगति करने के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं।


Shoplifters and a law that doesn't deter them

Summary: Kelsey was just 14 years old when she was introduced to drugs and taught how to steal from shops by an older man in order to pay for them. She is now 22 and has served seven prison sentences for shoplifting.

By Chris Hemmings & Dan Clark-NealVictoria Derbyshire programme But she says people like her are getting away with shoplifting more than ever before - and shopkeepers report that it can cost them thousands of pounds in stock each month. Official figures show that while the number of offences has increased over the last five years across England, the number of people being arrested and charged with shoplifting has decreased. "Nine times out of 10 [you get away with it]. And you're not bothered about the consequences," Kelsey told the Victoria Derbyshire programme. "Once you do get caught, it's a four-month jail sentence and you're out in two months." Kelsey - whose surname and location we have chosen not to reveal - said she knew it was wrong and is now on treatment for heroin addiction and is no longer shoplifting. The 2014 Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act defined "low-value shoplifting" as a summary offence, which meant police forces decided they would no longer investigate thefts from shops of a value under £200. Anyone who is caught in the act of stealing goods of less than £200 can still be arrested and face prosecution but the act allows them to plead guilty by post. They only have to attend the magistrates' court if they choose to deny the offence. Home Office statistics show the number of offences of shoplifting in England rose by nearly 23% between 2013 and 2017. Figures from 27 of 38 police forces in England - obtained by the BBC - show that during the same period arrests of shoplifters dropped by 17% and charges fell by 25% in that time. 'Everyone's at it' Kelsey says that, before she gave up shoplifting for good, she had continued to offend because she knew she would only get a short sentence. The last time she was prosecuted, and despite her previous convictions, she was only given a suspended sentence. "People are just going in the morning to get their first [fix] of the day. They steal £40 worth of stuff and sell it for £20 to get three bags [of heroin]," she said. "If you go down to the town centre, everyone's at it." That is a view that is shared by many shopkeepers up and down the country. Paul Cheema, who owns two convenience stores in Coventry, says the losses he faces from shoplifting are now so high, he recently had to close a third store. "We've never known shop crime as bad as it's been for the last two or three years," he said. "Some weeks we were losing £1,000 worth of stock. Can I survive that? No." On top of those losses, Paul says he has had to increase investment in deterrents, including CCTV and tagging expensive items such as meat and alcohol. Chris Noice, from the Association of Convenience Stores, said his members had told him thefts were increasing - and he was concerned about the number of times shoplifting quickly escalated to violence when thieves were challenged. "Anecdotally, years ago if someone was challenged they just drop stuff and run off. Now they're leading to violence and it's because they think police won't respond to that," he said. The Freedom of Information request by the Victoria Derbyshire Programme asked every police force in England how many people had been arrested for shoplifting each year between 2013 to 2017 and, subsequently, how many charges were brought for shoplifting in each of those years. Surrey Police had a 69% drop in arrests during that period - the biggest drop of any force who responded to the FOI request. Surrey also saw a drop in charges of more than 46%. A statement from Surrey Police said: "Increased demand, combined with the increasingly complex nature of criminal investigations and financial challenges have led to forces making difficult decision as to how we use resources and prioritise our response to certain crime types or incidents." Police 'finding alternatives' The number of charges for shoplifting brought by the Metropolitan Police nearly halved in five years, dropping from 9,596 in 2013 to 5,252 in 2017. Sgt Rob Harris leads a policing team covering Britain's busiest shopping street - Oxford Street in London. He says that while arrests may be going down, his team now uses alternatives to arrests to deal with shoplifters, such as street cautions. "The vast majority of it we're dealing with out on the streets and never bringing them in to custody in the first place," he said. "We've got a limited number of officers so we can't deal with every single one... so shops will self-assess and decide whether it's worth calling us or not." Between 2010 and 2017 there has been a 20% drop in real terms in police funding in England and Wales, which has led to 20,000 fewer officers. Sgt Harris said that has made police forces look at different ways of dealing with crimes such as shoplifting. The Home Office said in a statement: "We are clear that all crimes reported to the police should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences." Watch the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 BST on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel in the UK and on iPlayer afterwards.

केल्सी केवल 14 साल की थी जब उसे ड्रग्स से परिचित कराया गया था और एक बड़े आदमी ने उसे दुकानों से चोरी करना सिखाया था ताकि वह उनका भुगतान कर सके। वह अब 22 साल की हो गई है और दुकान से चोरी करने के लिए सात जेल की सजा काट चुकी है।


Apple wins battle to block Samsung tablets in Australia

Summary: An Australian court has temporarily banned the sale of Samsung Electronics' tablet computer in Australia, a victory for Apple in its global patent dispute with the South Korean company.

Apple has accused Samsung of copying its touch-screen technology for its Galaxy Tab 10.1. The two companies are embroiled in legal battles in nine countries. Samsung is one of Apple's biggest challengers in the smartphone and tablet industry. The decision by the federal court threatens to hurt Samsung's position in the Australian market, as it could miss the lucrative Christmas season. The two companies have been locked in patent disputes since April, with each accusing the other of infringing patents. Apple has already won a victory in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, banning the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. An appeal hearing is expected in that case. Last week, Samsung said it would try to stop the sale of Apple's iPhone 4S in France and Italy, accusing the company of infringing 3G transmission patents.

ऑस्ट्रेलिया की एक अदालत ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया में सैमसंग इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स के टैबलेट कंप्यूटर की बिक्री पर अस्थायी रूप से प्रतिबंध लगा दिया है, जो दक्षिण कोरियाई कंपनी के साथ अपने वैश्विक पेटेंट विवाद में एप्पल के लिए एक जीत है।


Ambulance service has busiest night on 'mad Friday'

Summary: Almost 3,000 calls were made to West Midlands Ambulance Service on Friday, making it the busiest day of the year.

The ambulance service called it "mad Friday" and a spokesman said 20% more ambulances were on call at peak times. The high call-out rate is expected to continue over the weekend as "the partying continues". Assistant chief ambulance officer Craig Cooke said: "We know from previous experience that this weekend would be extremely busy for us."

शुक्रवार को वेस्ट मिडलैंड्स एम्बुलेंस सेवा को लगभग 3,000 कॉल किए गए, जिससे यह वर्ष का सबसे व्यस्त दिन बन गया।


Injured Newquay boat skipper airlifted to hospital

Summary: The skipper of a boat has been injured in an accident off the coast of Cornwall.

Falmouth Coastguard said man received serious hand injuries on a private angling vessel off Newquay. The 58-year-old was brought ashore by the crew of the RNLI Newquay lifeboat and transferred to the Cornwall Air Ambulance. He has been flown to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. His condition is not known. The RNLI said a member of Newquay's Deputy Launching Authority brought the fishing boat back to port.

कॉर्नवाल के तट पर एक दुर्घटना में एक नाव का कप्तान घायल हो गया है।


'Bomber County' past and present

Summary: The centenary of the Royal Air Force's oldest squadron of aeroplanes was marked this month in Lincolnshire - an area so associated with the RAF it became known as Bomber County. But what is the significance now?

The small Lincolnshire village of Scopwick has no more than a few hundred residents, but for many people around the world it is a site of pilgrimage. In the cemetery is the grave of John Gillespie Magee, who wrote the poem High Flight shortly before before being killed in a World War II flying accident. His poem lived on, becoming popular among aviators and being made the official poem of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in which Magee served. "People come to visit his grave on a fairly frequent basis," said Rev David Woods, vicar for Holy Cross Church, Scopwick. "Last year there was a contingent who came from Canada." "I think some of the Magee family have been to visit the grave," he said. "And people from Scopwick have close connections with them." The village is one of just many places in Lincolnshire with significance for aviators and military aviation enthusiasts. The RAF now has six operational stations in the county, but during World War II there are thought to have been more than 100 military airfields, including dummy airfields and emergency landing strips. Military historian Bruce Barrymore Halpenny said the exact number is not known because a lot of paperwork was destroyed after the war, but it is accepted that there were more than in any other county. "At the outset of World War II the bulk of all bombers took off from Lincolnshire hence it, and it alone, became known as Bomber County," he said. The county's proximity to Germany made it ideal for airfields, according to Harold Panton, who set up the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. The flatness of the county's farming land also made it well-suited, he said. Mr Panton and his brother Fred set up the centre as a tribute to their brother Christopher, who was shot down and killed on a bombing raid over Nuremberg in March 1944. It is based on the old wartime airfield of RAF East Kirkby, and is now a family-run museum with a collection of wartime vehicles including a Lancaster bomber. Mr Barrymore Halpenny's research has shown that after the war many airfields were returned to their owners. "There are still several abandoned buildings, especially the control towers that can be seen dotted around the county; haunting reminders to the past and the great sacrifice of so many brave men and women." Lincolnshire's aviation heritage is also remembered through a display team called the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a collection of aircraft which includes Spitfires and Hurricanes. Based at RAF Coningsby, the team performs across the UK, recently making an appearance at the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, who himself learnt to fly at another of the county's air bases - RAF Cranwell. But the most famous Lincolnshire display team is undoubtedly the Red Arrows, whose are based at RAF Scampton. The base was previously home to the 617 Squadron, famously known as the Dambusters for their raids on German dams. Lincolnshire is also the RAF's main home for the Typhoon jet, with four squadrons at Coningsby. These include the No 3 (Fighter) Squadron, described as "oldest fixed-wing squadron" in the RAF - created by its forerunner, the Royal Flying Corps. The "fixed wing" distinction means it was the first to exclusively operate aeroplanes, as the No 1 and No 2 squadrons used hot air balloons. "There's a big argument as to who is the oldest," said Wing Commander Dicky Patounas, the current officer commanding No 3 (Fighter) Squadron. "Three squadrons were formed on exactly the same day, 13 May 1912. "No 1 was equipped with balloons only. No 2 was equipped with a mixture of balloons and aeroplanes, but we have only ever operated with aeroplanes." In contrast, the RAF describes the Typhoon as its most modern and versatile multi-role aircraft, and it is these jets which will be used to provide security during the Olympics. A memorial to Bomber Command personnel killed during World War II is due to be dedicated and unveiled in London on 28 June. Bomber Command 'home' There are also plans for one to be built in Lincoln, although the city's cathedral already has two such memorials. One is a stained glass window in the Airmens' Chapel and the other is a memorial stone on the ground outside the Airmens' Chapel. There is also a book which records the 26,911 names of the personnel stationed in Lincolnshire who died. Duty chaplain Canon Michael Boughton said the cathedral is regularly visited by relatives of those who died. "The ones that have actually flown are getting fewer but families come," he said. "The thing I hear most as a duty chaplain is that the cathedral was a landmark for the people flying back to England, directing them they were very nearly home, and that's why they come back." BBC Radio Lincolnshire will be exploring the county's aviation heritage when it broadcasts live from RAF Coningsby on Sunday 20 May, as part of its One Week in Lincolnshire project.

रॉयल एयर फोर्स के सबसे पुराने विमानों के स्क्वाड्रन की शताब्दी इस महीने लिंकनशायर में चिह्नित की गई थी-एक ऐसा क्षेत्र जो आरएएफ से इतना जुड़ा हुआ था कि इसे बॉम्बर काउंटी के रूप में जाना जाने लगा। लेकिन अब इसका क्या महत्व है?


How an 11-year-old came to swim the Channel

Summary: At the age of 11, Tom Gregory became the youngest person ever to swim the English Channel, driven on by an extraordinary coach. It's a little-heralded feat of endurance that won't be bettered.

By Owen AmosBBC News It was 05:00 on 6 September 1988 and Tom Gregory stood on the tip of France. Behind him was his coach, John Bullet. In front of him was the vast, black, English Channel. Tom, in swimming trunks, faced the water. Out there, somewhere, was home. John went to his car. He took a block of grease from the footwell and, in the glow of the headlamps, rubbed it into Tom's skin. On the water, a light appeared in the dark. A small boat came to shore. Tom put on his cap and goggles, and walked into the Channel. He followed the boat, and, when it got too deep, he started to swim. He didn't stop for 12 hours. Tom was 11 years old. Tom Gregory moved to Eltham, in south-east London, when he was six. His cousins were in the local swimming club, so he and his older sister, Anna, joined as well. Most of the swimmers, says Tom, were from the council estates that surrounded the pool. "It was very earthy," he says. "Almost all the kids were older. I was terrified." The club was run by John Bullet, the manager of the local pool. He could be difficult - "old school, like Brian Clough", says Tom. But he changed people's lives. "He used to boast - and this was the 1980s, remember - that no-one who'd been through his club was unemployed," says Tom. "By any standard, he was a world-class coach, and he was operating out of a council pool in south-east London. He took kids from estates and helped them do amazing things." Eltham is less than 70 miles from Dover, and the club's forte was channel swimming. From 1972 to 1988, they completed 14 relays between England and France. In 1979, a 12-year-old from the club, Marcus Hooper, became the youngest person ever to swim the English Channel. John soon set his sights, well, lower. "In hindsight, I think John was looking for someone to break another world record," says Tom. "He saw this chubby, gregarious, slightly cheeky seven-year-old boy and thought - he looks like the sort of kid." Aged eight, Tom swam the one-mile width of Windermere in the Lake District, chosen because of its similarity to the Channel (deep, cold, and choppy). A year later, he did half a length (about 5.5 miles) and in the summer of 1987, he completed the full length, aged 10. By this time, says Tom, Eltham Training and Swimming Club was a "movement". "It was more than a club - it was everyone's lives. People say 'you must have had pushy parents' - but nothing could be further from the truth. They are lovely people. They just watched from the side with a mixture of fear and amazement." After swimming Windermere, Tom began preparing for the Channel. That meant months of sacrifice, both in and out of the pool. "People who die while swimming the Channel - and they do - tend to die of hypothermia," says Tom. "If you can handle the cold you're halfway there." Channel swimming achievements From Christmas 1987, Tom didn't touch hot water. All showers and baths were cold. From spring 1988, he slept under one sheet, with the window open. That summer, he swam a length and a half of Windermere. "After that, I knew it was on," says Tom. "John had got me to the point where I believed it was possible. It became a burning ambition to get across." On the evening of 5 September, he headed for Dover, fuelled by a "tray of mum's shepherd's pie". On the late-night ferry to France, he and John had a fry-up. "These were the days before sports nutrition," says Tom. They drove in the dark to Cap Gris Nez, the closest part of France to England. Tom entered the water and followed the small boat to a fishing trawler, which would guide him across the Channel. Although Cap Gris Nez is only 20 miles from Dover, Tom's route was 32 miles - Channel swimmers follow an "S" shape, because of the tides. "To begin, it's an unnerving feeling," he says. "It's dark, there's a swell. You have this real sense of '32 miles to go'. There's a real fear of failure." But he got off quickly. By the middle third, Tom says, he was "on it". "I knew I was swimming fast. We got well over halfway in under five hours, so we were on for a sub-10 hour swim. That year, I think that would have got me a Rolex for the fastest swim, never mind the youngest." Before long, Tom saw the White Cliffs of Dover. But they were almost a mirage. "I remember the narrow band of white on the horizon," he says. "And every time I looked up, it didn't get any closer. It's mental torture. I kept my head down, kept the gaps as long as possible, but they never got nearer. And that's when the pain kicks in." His shoulder blades, he says, felt like they were rubbing together across his back. His legs burnt. His body started shutting down. "You know that warm and cosy feeling before you fall asleep? It's like that. You start drifting off and then you're startled by something - a foghorn, or the thud of the engine, or the smell of diesel. At one point, I remember a hovercraft coming past, and it really made me jump. You lose all situational awareness." For most of the swim, Tom only saw John when he stopped for digestive biscuits and bottles of warm tomato soup. But in the final third, John made eye contact, and didn't let go. "He knew I was going through the pain barrier," says Tom. "He was encouraging me, but it was miserable. It feels like depression. At one point I was teary. But I was too scared to stop. Not scared of anybody - just scared of not completing it." Eventually, the White Cliffs became closer. As they approached the shore, the trawler stopped, and John jumped in the small boat to guide Tom home. "It's strange - I'd been so exhausted, but for the final five or 10 minutes, I powered to shore. It was like I was on autopilot. I remember John in the tender just shouting 'Go! Go! Go!'" Tom swam towards Shakespeare Cliff, a shingle beach to the west of Dover. About 20 people, including his parents, were watching. Eventually, Tom saw pebbles. For the first time since Cap Gris Nez, there was land beneath his feet. He put one foot down. Then another. He stopped swimming. He had made it from France to England in 11 hours and 54 minutes. He was 11 years and 336 days old. No one has done it younger, and no one ever will. In November 2000, the Channel Swimming Association banned under-16s from attempting the crossing. "When I reached the shore, I was a few notches off compos mentis," he says. "I was dazed, confused. I'd been in cold water for 12 hours, with a high rate of exertion. I'd been told you had to take three unaided steps after reaching land, otherwise you hadn't made it. But I couldn't stand up. I was on my knees. "Those steps became massively important. It was a Neil Armstrong moment. Eventually I did three steps, and I sat down. I remember being surrounded by people cuddling me." After warming up, Tom and John headed on the trawler to Folkestone harbour, where television crews were waiting (only the Evening Standard made it to Shakespeare Cliff). He appeared on ITN and Blue Peter, where he was given a gold badge ("awarded in exceptional circumstances for outstanding achievement"). He even made the New York Times. "But, once the fuss died down, I didn't really talk about it," says Tom. "John didn't want me to become a big head." Tom, now 39, went on to university and then Sandhurst, becoming an officer in the Royal Anglian Regiment. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now works for accountancy firm Deloitte, living in Surrey with his wife and daughter. After swimming the English Channel, John and Tom discussed swimming the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland, as well as the Thames, and a relay of the Lakes, travelling between them on helicopter. There was also talk of Olympic training. And then, five months after Tom broke the record, John died. He was 50. "He was at the baths, five o'clock in the morning as usual, and he had a massive stroke," says Tom. "He never recovered. He went to hospital and there was a constant procession of people by his bed. Kids who he helped over the years - families whose lives he'd changed. People who loved him. "For me, it was like losing a father. It ruined me. I used to spend so much time with him. I remember being in school, singing a hymn, and bursting into tears." According to an Eltham newsletter, more than 300 people attended John's funeral, "despite the fact he had no family at all". "If John Bullet was alive today, he'd be getting Unsung Hero Award at the Sports Personality of the Year," says Tom. "He did countless relays of the Channel, and broke two world records, all with kids from a two-mile radius of Eltham Baths. It was incredible. But when John died, the club sort of died. It lived on thanks to some very selfless people, but my connection went. "This isn't false modesty, but the Channel swim wasn't about me. It was about the club. I was part of a movement, and I represented all of us. It only happened because of the courage and vision of John. I guess I was the lucky one who got the challenge." The crack-of-dawn starts, the hours in the pool, the weeks in Windermere, the cold showers, the open windows, the burn, the pain, the tears. Could any child enjoy that? "Oh yeah," Tom says, surprised at the question. "I loved it. That club changed people's lives." More from the Magazine In 1987, Lynne Cox, an American long distance swimmer, braved the frigid waters of the Bering Strait to swim between the US and the Soviet Union in a bid to promote peace between the Cold War enemies. The icy swim that warmed Cold War relations (July 2015) Get Inspired Swimming page Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

11 साल की उम्र में, टॉम ग्रेगरी एक असाधारण कोच द्वारा संचालित इंग्लिश चैनल को तैरने वाले सबसे कम उम्र के व्यक्ति बन गए। यह धीरज की एक छोटी सी उपलब्धि है जिसे बेहतर नहीं किया जा सकता है।


Firefighters tackle large blaze in former Aberdeen school

Summary: Firefighters have tackled a large fire in Aberdeen.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to the blaze at the disused primary school in Bucksburn on Inverurie Road at about 21:30 on Wednesday. They said four fire engines attended the blaze, which engulfed the roof of the building. It is understood the school, which has not been in use since 2013, was due to be demolished.

अग्निशामकों ने एबरडीन में एक बड़ी आग पर काबू पा लिया है।


Beaten to death for being a dairy farmer

Summary: An Indian Muslim died of his injuries after a group of men transporting cattle were attacked by members of a suspected cow protection vigilante group. BBC Hindi's Nitin Srivastava travelled to the victim's village in the northern Indian state of Haryana.

Villagers jostle to get a glimpse of the injured young boy who has just returned from the hospital. Azmat, who only uses one name, is lying on a cot inside a small courtyard. He has a fractured rib, multiple clots in the left eye and several lacerations on his arms and stomach. But by all accounts, he is lucky to be alive. Azmat, along with four others, was attacked by suspected cow protection vigilantes as they were transporting cattle they had purchased from Jaipur in the northern state of Rajasthan back to their dairy farm in neighbouring Haryana. "Despite having legal documents we were pulled out on the streets, beaten by sticks and the crowd was shouting for us to be burned alive. If the police had not come and rescued us, all of us would have been dead," he told BBC Hindi. The cow is considered sacred by India's Hindu majority, and killing cows is illegal in many states. Last month, the state of Gujarat passed a law making the slaughter of cows punishable with life imprisonment. In 2015 a Muslim man was beaten to death in Uttar Pradesh after reports that he had beef in his fridge. Since then, there have been regular reports of cow protection vigilante groups attacking people transporting cattle across the country. In this case, the men say that the cows they had bought were not for slaughter, and were for dairy purposes instead. All five men were rushed to a nearby hospital, but one man, Pehlu Khan, did not survive. He succumbed to his injuries three days later in hospital. At his home, we met his family who had just returned from his funeral. "As buffalos on sale in Jaipur were beyond our budget my father advised us to buy five cows and four calves. Ramadan is near and he thought this would enhance milk production as it is our only source of income. Who knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life," a sobbing Irshad Khan, Pehlu Khan's 20-year old son, said. He was also helping transport the animals when the attack took place. "Who will return our father to us? I couldn't meet him after the attack and could only see his dead body. My mother and grandmother haven't eaten for the last four days. Who will compensate for their loss?" he asked angrily. Police have arrested three men on the basis of a mobile phone recording of the incident that has gone viral on Indian social media. "No one will be spared and we are in process of identifying the attackers," Ramesh Chand, a senior police official, told BBC Hindi. However, they have also registered a case against the survivors of the attack for "illegally transporting cows". "We had all the documents and there was nothing to hide. Police can verify the sale from the government facility," said Irshad Khan. Vigilante groups who portray themselves as protectors of cows have been active in several states. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year criticised the vigilantes, saying such people made him "angry". But this has not stopped attacks against cattle traders. Meanwhile almost 80 miles (128km) from the village, where the men were attacked, not many were willing to speak about what happened. Some said they were "unaware" of the incident, while others said they wanted "the police to investigate". But amid considerable tension in the area after the deadly attack, some fear more incidents cannot be ruled out.

एक संदिग्ध गोरक्षक समूह के सदस्यों द्वारा मवेशियों को ले जा रहे लोगों के एक समूह पर हमले के बाद एक भारतीय मुसलमान की चोटों से मौत हो गई। बीबीसी हिंदी के नितिन श्रीवास्तव ने उत्तरी भारतीय राज्य हरियाणा में पीड़ित के गांव की यात्रा की।


Africa's Fatou Bensouda is new ICC chief prosecutor

Summary: With the African Union (AU) having been a fierce critic of outgoing International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, it will be hoping for a better relationship with his successor, Fatou Bensouda - the first African to hold a top post at the ICC.

By Farouk ChothiaBBC Africa The AU lobbied intensely for the 50-year-old Gambian, endorsing her candidature in June after repeatedly accusing Mr Moreno-Ocampo - an Argentinian whose nine-year term expires next year - of selective justice by only investigating atrocities in Africa. "Frankly speaking, we are not against the ICC. What we are against is Ocampo's justice," AU commission chairman Jean Ping said earlier this year. "What have we done to justify being an example to the world? Are there no worst countries, like Myanmar [Burma]?" The appointment of Mrs Bensouda, who has been Mr Moreno-Ocampo's deputy throughout his tenure, was unanimously approved at a meeting of the legislative body of the ICC, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), in New York on Monday. Mrs Bensouda, a former senior legal adviser at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which is trying key figures responsible for the 1994 genocide in the Central African state, got the job ahead of three other short-listed candidates. They were Andrew Cayley, the British co-prosecutor at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia; Tanzania's chief justice Mohamed Chande Othman; and Canadian war crimes specialist Robert Petit. "The AU has been adamant that an African candidate would be selected, and they got their wish," writes UK-based law blogger Mark Kersten on the Justice in Conflict blog. He says the AU's hand was strengthened by the fact that African countries form the largest bloc in the ASP. Yet the ICC's various organs - including the presidency and registry - were headed by people from other continents. "Bensouda clearly satisfied all of the political and merit-based criteria to become the ICC's chief prosecutor," Mr Kersten says. 'Great intellect' Born into a polygamous family - her father had two wives - Mrs Bensouda is married to a Gambian-Moroccan businessman. They have three children - one of whom is adopted. "I come from a big family, let's say it that way," she said in an interview earlier this month with the AFP news agency. She told the BBC's Newshour programme that her African background would give her an additional insight into life on the continent, which would help her perform her new job. However, she said she had been "proud" to have worked with Mr Moreno-Ocampo and so may not bring a radically different approach. Mrs Bensouda was once a politician, with Gambian President Yahya Jammeh - who took power in a coup in 1994 and is accused of harassing the opposition and the press - appointing her as justice minister in 1998. But the two fell out and Mr Jammeh sacked her about two years later. "She was relieved of her duties while she was abroad," Gambian opposition leader Ousainou Darboe told the BBC. "She is a fantastic person, and showed genuine concern about human rights issues [in The Gambia]." Mrs Bensouda's appointment as chief prosecutor has been welcomed in the legal profession and among non-governmental organisations. "She always struck us a very thoughtful person of great intellect," says Human Rights Watch senior counsel Liz Evenson. A senior lecturer at the Melbourne Law School in Australia, Kevin Jon Heller, says Mr Cayley would have been an "excellent" chief prosecutor, but Mrs Bensouda was also "very qualified" for the job. "She offers the best of both worlds - an ICC insider who offers institutional continuity, which will be critical in the coming years, but has a strong, independent voice that has not been tainted by Moreno-Ocampo's incompetent tenure," he writes on the Opinio Juris blog. "Having spoken to numerous individuals involved in the ICC, from OTP [Office of The Prosecutor] staff to legal officers in chambers to defence attorneys, it is clear that Bensouda was the primary reason that the OTP didn't fall completely apart over the past eight years." "I have also had the good fortune to spend time with Bensouda over the past couple of years. She is, to put it mildly, an incredibly impressive woman: smart, articulate, thoughtful (a welcome change from Moreno-Ocampo) and compassionate." South Africa-based legal expert Shadrack Ghutto believes that Mrs Bensouda will keep a lower profile than Mr Moreno-Ocampo. "He had a media-attracting personality and a propensity to make pronouncements before going through judicial processes," Mr Ghutto told the BBC. "The chief prosecutor must not overshadow the court. I think it will now come to the fore." The ICC has so far investigated conflicts in seven countries - all in Africa: Sudan; Libya; Ivory Coast; Kenya; Uganda; the Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Central African Republic. Several of the cases are in court, with a verdict in the first trial - that of eastern DR Congo militia leader Thomas Lubanga - expected early next year. 'No shrinking violet' "For many observers, it [the case] has been going on for too long, but a lot of things needed to be worked out," says Ms Evenson of Human Rights Watch. "The two other trials [including that of former DR Congo vice-president and rebel leader Jean Pierre-Bemba] are going much more quickly." Despite AU accusations of "selective justice", Mrs Bensouda is unapologetic about the ICC's focus on African conflicts. "We say that the ICC is targeting Africans, but all of the victims in our cases in Africa are African victims," she said earlier this year. "They are not from another continent. And they're the ones who are suffering these crimes." Mr Heller says that while Mrs Bensouda will avoid "needlessly alienating" governments, he expects her to vigorously pursue justice. "From what I know about her, she'll do what she believes is right - no matter how many feathers get ruffled. So if states think they are getting a shrinking violet, they're bound for serious disappointment," he says. Mr Ghutto says for the sake of the ICC's credibility, Mrs Bensouda must address concerns that only Africans are being targeted by investigating conflicts in other parts of the world. "The court has to be seen to be international in the way it operates," he says. "Cases must be brought without fear, favour or prejudice." The ICC says it is conducting preliminary investigations into eight other countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia and Korea. Ms Evenson says part of the problem is that many powerful states, including the US and China, have refused to recognise the ICC, meaning that they cannot be investigated unless the UN Security Council - which is a "highly politicised" body - agrees. "There has to be pressure to get more countries to join the ICC," she says.

अफ्रीकी संघ (ए. यू.) के निवर्तमान अंतर्राष्ट्रीय आपराधिक न्यायालय के मुख्य अभियोजक लुइस मोरेनो-ओकाम्पो के कट्टर आलोचक होने के कारण, यह उनके उत्तराधिकारी, फातोउ बेंसौदा के साथ बेहतर संबंधों की उम्मीद करेगा-जो आई. सी. सी. में शीर्ष पद संभालने वाले पहले अफ्रीकी हैं।


Colombian anti-groping squad goes to work

Summary: It's early in the morning and with her juvenile looks and a rucksack with a flowery pattern dangling from one shoulder, 22-year-old Laura looks like just another student rushing to class on Bogota's mass transit system - the Transmilenio.

By Arturo WallaceBBC Mundo, Bogota But she is not. Laura is a Colombian policewoman and she is on a mission. She is part of a special squad of undercover agents trying to clamp down on sexual harassment on Bogota's public bus network. On patrol with her are seven other plainclothes police officers, most of them women. They are keeping an eye out for gropers, men who will take advantage of the packed busses to touch women or rub against them indecently. Elite squad It is no small task: on average the Transmilenio bus system transports about two million passengers a day. An in a survey conducted a couple of years ago, six out of every 10 women in Bogota said they had been sexually harassed at least once on the city's overcrowded buses. While few ever press charges, the number of formal complaints has been steadily rising: from 81 in 2013 to more than 150 in the first eight months of 2014. But Laura is confident the new initiative is working. "We haven't been receiving as many reports of groping and other abuses as when we first started," she explains, as the anti-groping squad stops for a quick breakfast at the end of the line before heading back in the opposite direction. The police officer in charge of the squad, Lt Lina Maria Rios, confirms there has been a slight decrease in the number of reported cases since the Transmileno Elite Group, as the squad is know, took up its work. "It's too early to tell, but it seems the tide is turning," she says. 'No entrapment' The squad has made 17 arrests, the majority in the first two weeks since it started its patrols. "It could be that potential offenders are thinking about it twice, because they don't want to risk groping a girl who might be an undercover cop, although I cannot guarantee it," says Lt Rios. The idea behind the squad is to act as a deterrent to potential gropers. The women on the squad stress they are not acting as bait for potential offenders, something the local media suggested after the female officers attended the media launch wearing tight jeans. "That would be entrapment, we'd be the ones committing a crime," explains Nestor, one of four men in the team. Seven out of the 11 squad members are female, but they were selected for their experience in undercover work, intelligence gathering and dealing with vulnerable groups. They say the reason for having a mainly female squad has to do more with the potential victims than the perpetrators. "Other women won't feel uneasy if we are the ones who keep looking in their direction during a potentially embarrassing situation", explains Yuri, a specialist in intelligence-gathering trained to identify suspicious patterns of behaviour. 'Not alone' "It's also about letting women know they're not alone, that the women in the police force have their backs," explains Lt Rios. Another squad member also called Lina says she already worked undercover patrolling Transmilenio's buses for pickpockets before joining the team. But she says working in the anti-groping squad is very different. She explains that the offenders are rarely violent when captured, and stresses that they come from all walks of life, "young and old, rich and poor, strange and normal looking". Lina says that because there is no clear profile for the offenders, they have been trained to look for suspicious behaviour rather than a certain look. They are on the look out for men who stare at women's breasts or behinds, who lean too heavily against women, or keep their hands down when it would make more sense to hold on to the handrails. They are ready to pounce when it is clear inappropriate contact has been made and it has not been accidental. Change of attitude But catching offenders red-handed is only part of the agents' job. They are also deployed as a quick-response team for all complaints of sexual abuse on the Transmilenio network The idea is that quick and decisive action will convince the victims that the authorities are taking the matter seriously and encourage them to press charges. "Many victims don't report the abuses because they believe it's a waste of time. We want to change that," explains squad member Leydi. Another agent recalls how she herself had her behind grabbed when she was getting out of a Transmilenio bus when she first came to Bogota. "I managed to punch the guy in the chest before the doors closed, but it's a horrible sensation, you feel impotent," she recalls. With surveys suggesting that a quarter of men in the city still believe that there is nothing wrong with grabbing, groping or fondling a fellow passenger, the squad has its work cut out. But even though the officers know that under the current legislation most offenders are unlikely to spend time in jail, they hope their job will at least raise awareness. "That's why we're doing this, to make sure these sort of things don't happen again," one of the female agents says.

यह सुबह का समय है और अपने किशोर रूप और एक कंधे से लटकते हुए फूलों के पैटर्न के साथ एक रकसैक के साथ, 22 वर्षीय लौरा बोगोटा की सामूहिक पारगमन प्रणाली-ट्रांसमिलेनियो पर कक्षा में भाग रही एक अन्य छात्रा की तरह दिखती है।


Nemtsov murder: Russian society polarised as theories abound

Summary: Russia woke up in shock on Saturday. The press, the social media, the politicians - all describe the killing of Boris Nemtsov, one of the leaders of the country's opposition, as something that was - until Friday night - completely unthinkable.

By Artyom LissBBC Russian He was gunned down a stone's throw away from the Kremlin, in an area which is always tightly policed, and where security cameras are everywhere you look. He was, it appears, tracked for hours as he travelled around central Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the killing a "provocation" and ordered Russian police chiefs to personally oversee the investigation. And they were quick to come up with suitable theories. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, said that he believes the murder could have been "a provocation aimed at destabilising the country". In a statement, he explained: "Mr Nemtsov may have been sacrificed by those who do not shun anything to reach their political gains." The investigative committee is also looking at a possible "Islamic extremism" connection, and at Mr Nemtsov's links in Ukraine. Less high-profile police officers have been at work all night. They checked a number of white Ford saloons - Mr Nemtsov's killers reportedly drove one of those ubiquitous cars. And they trawled through Mr Nemtsov's flat in central Moscow, seizing documents and computer drives. This work will probably take a very long time. From experience, few in Moscow believe that it will name those who ordered the killing. Russian police have a long history of catching people who pull triggers - but they are much less successful when it comes to identifying their masterminds. In 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent investigative journalist, was killed in central Moscow. Shooters have been found and jailed; but who ordered the assassination remains a mystery. So investigations of such high-profile cases have little credibility. Cynical and accustomed to the rule of corruption, many in Russia believe that police can be easily bought off by the rich and the powerful. People who do end up in the dock are often seen by the public as small fry, too poor to buy freedom from prosecution. Well-known Russian journalist Aider Muzhdabaev wrote on Facebook: "Footage from CCTV cameras which tracked Boris's killers could be put together into a feature-length film. But I'm certain that characters of this film will never be identified, found, or sentenced." Ukraine links The assassination of Mr Nemtsov is already polarising society. Opposition supporters blame the Kremlin. And pro-Kremlin experts and pro-government media are, mostly, in agreement with President Putin. Sergei Markov, a high-profile pro-government political expert, wrote on Facebook: "One needs to say, honestly, that Boris Nemtsov was killed by people who want to see 'a revolution' in Russia and who organised the Maydan 'protests' in Kiev". Critics of the Kremlin are expected to gather for a remembrance ceremony on Sunday. Very few of them blame the Kremlin directly. Their consensus seems to be that it's too early to draw conclusions. But many think that the killing was - indirectly - linked to events in eastern Ukraine. One theory is that Russian nationalists who fight there are becoming more and more powerful. As they return from Ukraine, battle-hardened and spurred on by propaganda in the state media, they seek to punish people whom they see as enemies of the new Russia. Mr Nemtsov's political stance - liberal and pro-Western - did not fit into their view of the world. It will be months before it becomes clear who was behind the murder. It may take years for their motives to emerge. But this killing is likely to become a turning point for Russia. Being a politician there is again mortally dangerous - like it was in the chaotic years which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Violent deaths of Putin opponents April 2003 - Liberal politician Sergey Yushenkov assassinated near his Moscow home July 2003 - Investigative journalist Yuri Shchekochikhin died after 16-day mysterious illness July 2004 - Forbes magazine Russian editor Paul Klebnikov shot from moving car on Moscow street, died later in hospital October 2006 - Investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya shot dead outside her Moscow apartment November 2006 - Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died nearly three weeks after drinking tea laced with polonium in London hotel March 2013 -Boris Berezovsky, former Kremlin power broker turned Putin critic, found dead in his UK home

रूस शनिवार को सदमे में जाग गया। प्रेस, सोशल मीडिया, राजनेता-सभी देश के विपक्ष के नेताओं में से एक बोरिस नेमत्सोव की हत्या को कुछ ऐसा बताते हैं जो शुक्रवार रात तक पूरी तरह से अकल्पनीय था।


Man charged with attempted murder at Ancaster paintball centre

Summary: A man has been charged with attempted murder following an alleged attack at a paintball centre in Lincolnshire.

A 30-year-old man sustained head injuries at Ancaster Karting and Paintball, near Sleaford, on Saturday. He remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. Nathan Joseph, 22, of no fixed address, has been charged with attempted murder and has been remanded to appear at Lincoln Crown Court on 7 March. More on this and other local stories at Lincolnshire Live Lincolnshire Police are appealing for anyone who visited the centre on Saturday 6 February to get in touch.

लिंकनशायर में एक पेंटबॉल केंद्र पर कथित हमले के बाद एक व्यक्ति पर हत्या के प्रयास का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Flooded Sonning Bridge Thames crossing to reopen

Summary: Sonning Bridge, which crosses the River Thames near Caversham, is to partially reopen after flooding forced its closure for nearly two weeks.

Oxfordshire County Council said the commuter route, linking Berkshire and Oxfordshire, will not open fully because the road has been damaged. The route is expected be open by Monday morning but traffic lights will be in place while the damage is repaired. More than 1,000 people have signed a petition for a third bridge in Reading. Support for the new crossing has been growing after the closure caused long delays at Henley and Reading. Oxfordshire's transport councillor David Nimmo-Smith said council officers would be setting up temporary traffic lights and assessing the damage on the northern end of the bridge over the weekend. The authority is also looking at ways to alleviate flooding in the area to prevent the bridge being closed again. The bridge closed on 6 January.

सोनिंग ब्रिज, जो कैवर्शम के पास थेम्स नदी को पार करता है, बाढ़ के कारण लगभग दो सप्ताह तक बंद रहने के बाद आंशिक रूप से फिर से खुल जाएगा।


World Cup 2018: Pick your all-time African XI

Summary: Five African nations are playing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Over the years, there have been some exceptional African players who have competed on football's greatest stage. Using our interactive tool, pick your all-time African World Cup dream team from our shortlist, put together by a panel of BBC Africa football experts. Share your team with friends and get stats about your players' World Cup history. Choose Defender Share Your Team Share Your Team Credits Methodology

रूस में 2018 विश्व कप में पाँच अफ्रीकी देश खेल रहे हैं।


Grief of Japan's tsunami survivors

Summary: A few hundred yards from the seashore, on top of a small mound of earth, Japanese flags flutter in the brisk, chill breeze. There is a giant fir tree that is twisted and mangled but still alive, an ancient standing stone and some wooden stakes inscribed with prayers.

Damian GrammaticasChina correspondent They are the ruins of a centuries-old temple that used to stand here, guarding the fishing port of Yuriage, in Natori on Japan's east coast. Yuriage was once home to 7,000 people. But all around it now there is emptiness. On the ground are lines, like scars, the grid pattern where Yuriage's streets and homes stood. Everything has gone. Yuriage was washed away by the tsunami. A year on, all the rubble has been cleared and little remains except tufts of grass sprouting everywhere. In the distance are the ruins of the few structures that withstood the waves. A couple of schools, an office block, a civic hall. One by one, the buildings are all being demolished. A constant flow of cars and buses pulls up by the ruined temple. People climb the mound to the shrine in quiet groups and say silent prayers for Yuriage's victims. Just below the temple is where Tatsuya Suzuki's home used to be. His two children, Hikari, seven, and her small brother Hibiki, three, sit on a rock, wrapped up against the cold. Tatsuya has brought them back to see where their house stood. "This was your room," he says, pointing to a bare patch of ground, "And this is where your grandmother had her cafe," pointing to another empty patch. "Even though one year has passed, nothing has really changed," Mr Suzuki explains. "Time has stopped for me. Time has passed for everyone and everything else, but not me. For others, the disaster may be becoming a thing of the past, but for us, it is still our reality today. I think we are all still grieving." 'Survivor's guilt' Most of all, he feels a deep and shameful sense of guilt. Mr Suzuki, a printer, had gone to work the day of the tsunami, leaving his wife Izumi and the children at home. When the tsunami alert sounded he tried to get back to Yuriage to fetch his family. But as the wave came in, Mr Suzuki was forced to turn back. Izumi, meanwhile, managed to get the children to safety. Seconds later, she was swept away by the waves. "That day was the day of my children's graduation. I didn't take a day off because I was busy and went to work instead," says Mr Suzuki. "It's something I regret every day. If had taken the day off and been here with them, my wife could have been saved." "Every time I think about it, I wish I could go back in time, go back to that day and save my wife," Mr Suzuki adds. "I wouldn't mind if everything else had been swept away, if only I could have saved my wife." Having lost his house, Tatsuya is now living in his parents home about 20 minutes away from Yuriage. His children have started at new schools, but there is little space at his parents' place for all the family, his printing business is struggling, and he says he has had little help from the government. "To be frank, the government has not done much for us. We got more from volunteer organisations like Red Cross than from the government," he says. "When help is given, it only goes to those living in the temporary shelters. People like us who are staying with families or in rented places do not get much. I do wonder why we are discriminated against when we are all victims. It can be irritating." A few hundred yards away from where his home stood, there is now an improvised cemetery, with lines of new tombstones in black and grey marble. We now know that 1,000 of Yuriage's people died. And along this coastline, where for hundreds of miles towns were devastated, the toll of dead is now well over 15,000, with another 3,200 still missing. So it is not only Mr Suzuki's life that has stood still, those who have not been able to find any trace of their relatives since the disaster are also caught in a terrible, paralysing limbo. Ongoing search A couple of hours up the coast from Yuriage, on a little inlet, stood the pretty village of Okawa. Now, there is just a muddy plain here, and another little shrine. It has been set up in front of the gutted remains of Okawa's school. The shrine has flowers, some toys, a baseball, candles and a bell that people come to ring. Of 100 children at the school, 70 were swept away to their deaths, four are still missing. Right next to the school, by the seashore, are teams of policemen in blue uniforms with mechanical diggers and hand shovels. One year on, they are still working through the piles of mud left by the tsunami, still searching for bodies. A woman is standing, watching patiently, eyes fixed on every shovel full of earth that is turned. Her daughter is one of the children still unaccounted for. Yasukichi Takeyama is watching too, a rake in hand. In his 50s, he is still searching for his mother, Towako, who was with the school children when the wave hit. Every time a digger scoops up some mud, he sifts through it. But all the teams turn up are a few old shoes, some blankets, and a child's toy car. "Nothing moves on," says Mr Takeyama. "I want to find my mother. But there has been no sign of her. I have been following police search teams like this all year. I wanted to find at least a piece of her bones before a year had passed, but I have no idea what happened and I cannot find any trace of her." Now he worries that the whole community of Okawa, deprived of its children, will die too. "No children mean no future generation," he says. "Unless they reconstruct this area quickly, no one will come back. They have to make it habitable again so that people will return. Otherwise, they will just go and move away." In Yuriage, they are planning to rebuild. They are talking of raising the level of the ground by three metres and reconstructing their town in the same place by the sea. Coming home Mr Suzuki gazes out at the empty space where his home was. "Even though there is nothing here, I feel at home, right here," he says. "We have lost everything in the tsunami, but this is where I was born and grew up. So one day, I would like to return." "But my children don't want to come back. So I don't think it will be possible until they are grown up, married maybe. Then, when I end up on my own, I could return and live here again." His children, Hikari and Hibiki, smile and laugh as they play. "They are laughing like this every day, but I think they have a sense of sadness, loneliness deep down," says Mr Suzuki. "They don't say 'Mama, mama' too much now, but sometimes they cry out suddenly in their sleep. On birthdays, anniversaries, the things we used to do as a family, that's when we all miss their mother. "From time to time, I see sadness in their faces. When I see that, I struggle to know what to say to them, my heart aches." "My wife was very good at bringing up the kids. I am no good at it. Both my kids were inseparable from their mother before the disaster. The kids have gotten used to me a bit, but there are a lot of things only a mother can do for her children."

समुद्र तट से कुछ सौ गज की दूरी पर, मिट्टी के एक छोटे से टीले के ऊपर, जापानी झंडे तेज, ठंडी हवा में लहराते हैं। वहाँ एक विशाल देवदार का पेड़ है जो मुड़ा हुआ है और क्षतिग्रस्त है लेकिन अभी भी जीवित है, एक प्राचीन खड़ा पत्थर और प्रार्थनाओं के साथ कुछ लकड़ी के दांव उत्कीर्ण हैं।


Underwater robot finds Dounreay radioactive hot spots

Summary: An underwater robot has recovered more than 250 radioactive particles from the seabed off Dounreay since it began operations two months ago.

The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was built at a cost of more than £800,000 to find and retrieve the hot spots. The tiny particles were flushed into the sea during reprocessing at the Caithness experimental nuclear power plant as long ago as the 1960s. Up to 700 fragments could be retrieved from the seabed.

एक पानी के नीचे के रोबोट ने दो महीने पहले संचालन शुरू करने के बाद से डौनरे के समुद्र तल से 250 से अधिक रेडियोधर्मी कण बरामद किए हैं।


Why USA fans are relentlessly upbeat

Summary: "I believe that we will win!" has become the anthem of the World Cup for USA fans, as their team survived the so-called Group of Death and marched into the last 16 against the odds. But is their relentless positivity antithetical to the culture of football fandom?

By Kate DaileyBBC News, Washington It was a sight familiar to any true football fan. As the minutes ticked by in the USA-Germany World Cup match, supporters in Washington DC who had come to watch the game in Dupont Circle became quiet. Then they groaned as Germany repeatedly gained possession. And they gasped with horror when they went one goal down. But asked how they felt about the team's chances and the answer stayed the same, no matter what was happening on the pitch - we will win. In contrast to the positivity of American fans, the English fans were this time commonly downbeat about their chances - expectations were moderate this time around. And, sure enough, the England team failed to exceed them, getting knocked out of the tournament in record time. But even in more successful times, few England fans would ever go into a match against Germany expecting, without any doubt, to win. Even the US cheer is, well, cheerful. The chant "I believe that we will win!" - started in 2003 by US Navy American football fans, according to the Washington Post - has become the overarching message of the World Cup in the US. It is heard in bars, used in commercials and hash-tagged on Twitter. It has an optimistic ring that's uncommon among football's true believers. "I like the older European teams, and they would never chant that," says Michael Agovino, author of The Soccer Diaries: An American's 30-Year Pursuit of the International Game. "'I hope that we will play to a draw' - that's what England or Italy might chant." But hoping for a tie just isn't in the American character. And the little bit of promise shown by the US team is enough to trigger a full-on US love-fest. "The fact that we went 40 years without qualifying for the World Cup has made us the underdog - despite the fact that this is our seventh consecutive World Cup," says Dan Courtemanche, executive vice president of communications for Major League Soccer. "That underdog mentality breeds optimism - it's part of the American ethos that we believe we can accomplish almost anything no matter what the odds are." And after all, how often does the US get to be the underdog on the world stage? It's a particularly American contradiction. They love their come-from-behind heroes - like Rocky or the Boston Red Sox, who went 86 years without winning the World Series. But when they do get the chance to compete on the world stage, like at the Olympics, they often dominate the competition, which is another reason to feel good about their chances. "For most of America, we're optimistic people and we're not comfortable watching sports believing we can't win," says Corey Bennet, a soccer writer for Fusion. "Until they are enlightened by experience, they are going to be optimistic." View of longtime USA fan - Jim Wright As a country, we might believe we can win because we don't know any better. Or we might believe we can win because we actually have a fantastic team and a remarkable coach. The thing is, ALL Americans identify with strong character and resolve and a bunch of guys that can overcome the odds. That kind of commitment resonates and moves people to look at a non-American sport in a more open minded way. They see this team personifying truly American characteristics - indomitable spirit, a unified front and a willingness to work harder than anyone else in the tournament has led to such amazing support. In other words - Americans are too ignorant to know any better. Most US fans don't quite understand the game, or the long history. That makes it easy to hope for the best even when the odds are stacked against you. "The more you know as a fan, and the more you've been let down, you expect the worst," says Agovino. "A lot of these fans that you're seeing in these public viewing spots, I love their enthusiasm but they haven't been through the hard times yet." There was one tough moment - when Portugal equalised deep into injury time to rob USA of one of the most famous wins in their history. But many fans may not have realised how close they were to the edge. Yet, despite Belgium being favourites in this week's game, Agovino believes (to borrow a phrase) that they will win. "I always thought Belgium was overrated, frankly, so now the US can prove me right," he says. "I'll say we pull it out somehow." Some sophisticated American fans have even found a way to feel good about the prospect of losing. Were the US team to lose to Argentina in the quarterfinals, says George Quraishi, founder and editor in chief of the soccer magazine Howler, "I would be pretty psyched." If the American attitude towards soccer can bewilder, if not outright offend, the English fans, maybe the problem isn't that Americans are being too American in their approach to football. Maybe the Brits are being too British. US enthusiasm v European realism - Franz Strasser, BBC News After living in California, Jurgen Klinsmann took over as coach for Germany in 2004. When journalists asked about his goal, he said that of course it was to win the World Cup in 2006. As a German, I recognised the US attitude in that statement. German coaches never say they are aiming for such a high goal. It's always about making the semi-finals and then "anything can happen". But now that Klinsmann is the US coach, he went all German. A few months ago, he declared that this US team can't win the World Cup. Realistic, yes, but un-American. His remarks show his split personality - and the different approaches to the game. "I'm not sure that brutality and disappointment is the default mode of being a soccer fan around the world," says Quraishi. "I think it makes a lot of people happy." He cites a trip to Greece. "Soccer was the one thing people were hanging on to, to forget that their country was in a giant toilet," he says, though perhaps the mood is more sombre in Athens today, as the Greek team head home. The question now is whether Americans will stay optimistic about soccer. "We are a country that likes progressive growth, achievement and progress we can feel. The real test for America is patience - we are not going to win the World Cup next week and we probably won't win it for a few more decades," says Bennett. That cold dose of reality, though, is unlikely to turn American fans into glass-half-empty English. Instead, they might just go back to ignoring the beautiful game - at least for another four years.

"मुझे विश्वास है कि हम जीतेंगे!" संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका के प्रशंसकों के लिए विश्व कप का गान बन गया है, क्योंकि उनकी टीम तथाकथित ग्रुप ऑफ डेथ से बच गई और बाधाओं के खिलाफ अंतिम 16 में पहुंच गई। लेकिन क्या उनकी अथक सकारात्मकता फुटबॉल फैंडम की संस्कृति के विरोधी है?


Why a rise in US interest rates is still risky

Summary: There was never going to be a risk-free, stress-free moment for the Fed, the US central bank, to increase the interest rate it controls, after almost seven years of the Fed Funds rate being at a historic low of more-or-less zero.

Robert PestonEconomics editor But just possibly the mooted date of September for the last showing of that US blockbuster, "Free Money to Ward off Depression", would be the least apposite timing possible - for the rest of the world (apart perhaps for Britain, as it happens), and for emerging markets in particular. And please don't yawn and say that emerging markets are of no interest or relevance to you: they represent half of the global economy; they have for years contributed four fifths of the world's growth, and been the motor of prosperity everywhere; our financial system is intimately connected to theirs. So why does the US official interest rate matter so much? Well, it is the world's most important interest rate, the global benchmark, which conditions just about all other interest rates - because the US remains the world's biggest economy, and the dollar remains the world's most important currency. To put it another way, when the US cuts interest rates, for the world as a whole money becomes cheaper. And when it raises them, well you know what happens. Connected economies Just one illustration of the emerging market thigh bone being connected to America's knee bone has been given by the Bank of England, which recently pointed out that businesses in developing countries have "issued a large volume of US dollar-denominated debt" - so expectations of US rate rises, which have contributed to a sharp strengthening in the dollar, may "pose a threat to the ability of these businesses to meet their obligations". Or to put it another way, a rise in US interest rates that reflects the robustness of US companies could sink a good few companies elsewhere in the world. But the Fed's primary responsibility is not what happens in emerging markets: it is to curb inflationary expectations and sustain growth in the US. And because the American economy is looking almost normal again - after that great financial crash of 2008 that is beginning, at last, to feel like history - the Fed wants to get on with raising rates. Household and corporate indebtedness has been cut. Growth has returned. Unemployment is more-or-less back to normal levels. To be clear, the Fed doesn't want to raise them by more than a fraction. It recognises that confidence remains fragile. But it feels it needs to get rates up sooner rather than later - not least because (and here's a not very funny joke) if it can't get them up, it won't have much in the way of balm or medicine to apply the next time there's a crash (if rates are zero, cutting them is - well - challenging). So it has been sending out signals that the momentous end of the era of nil rates could come next month - even though for most of the rest of the world this could be a highly inconvenient moment (to put it mildly). And the point is that even a fractional rise in US rates would be uncomfortable when the huge economies of China, Japan and the eurozone have been weakening. For example, the recovery in the eurozone has been desperately disappointing, in spite of all the free money being chucked at it by the European Central Bank via its belated conversion to quantitative easing. As we saw on Friday, in the second quarter of this year, growth there actually slowed from 0.4% to 0.3% compared with the previous three months - and the annual rate of expansion is an anaemic 1.2%. As a poignant measure of how bad it is, growth in Greece was actually faster than the eurozone average (though - of course - Greece is now thought to be contracting again, as a result of its banking crisis). In the eurozone's second biggest economy, France, there was no growth at all; Italy slowed down again; Germany quarterly growth was only 0.4%. So far so dismal (though strikingly the erstwhile basket cases of Ireland and Spain are going gangbusters). Asia's fragility As for Asia, conditions there feel just as fragile, perhaps more. Today we had confirmation that the economy of Japan - still the world's third largest (unless you count the lacklustre eurozone as a single homogeneous economy) - contracted in the three months to the end of June, and at an annualised rate of 1.6%. But as you know (you really do) more important is the slowdown of China and the weakening of its currency, the RMB. Many economists believe China's official 7% growth rate is a serious overstatement of the underlying reality. And they felt their gloom was corroborated by last week's shocking devaluation of the RMB - which was an attempt by the Chinese authorities to stimulate exports, but which has the unfortunate consequence of exporting deflation to the rest of the world. For the avoidance of doubt, what's happening in China is the big event. It is odd, in a way, that I need to make that explicit, given that no one surely disputes that the rise and rise of China since 1978 was the most important economic phenomenon of our age. One manifestation of the pronounced deceleration in Chinese growth has been the persistent falls in commodity and energy prices - since it was China's appetite for raw materials and power which for decades drove up these prices. So let's pull the threads together: the commodity and energy cycle has turned down; China is slowing; the dollar is rising on expectations of rising interest rates. For much of Asia, Africa and South America, this combination is little short of disastrous. And it is not surprising that emerging market currencies - from Malaysia to Turkey, via Thailand and the Philippines - are falling sharply. Cheap capital is fleeing these places for the higher yields (rates of return) anticipated in America. Demand for what they extract from the earth and beneath the sea is falling. The cost of servicing their dollar-denominated debts is rising. What can be done? Well the European Central Bank and the People's Bank of China will be contemplating measures to cheapen the cost of debt yet more in the eurozone and China respectively. There is a decent prospect of more monetary easing in both regions before the Federal Reserve makes its interest rate decision in the middle of September. But there would be a risk to such evasive action, which is that it would exacerbate so-called global imbalances - by pinning recovery on exports generated by a sliding currency - and inflate these imbalances perhaps back to the dangerous levels that took us to the 2008 debacle. The surpluses of producing economies, China and the eurozone/Germany would be magnified. The deficits of consuming economies, like ours and the US, would rise correspondingly. If big unsustainable debts remains the counter-weight to a sustainable improvement in prosperity in rich consuming economies like Britain, then it is no blinkin' use to us if China and the eurozone slash their prices to encourage us to buy more of their stuff and live even further beyond our means. So if the ECB and People's Bank slash the price of money, that would be yet another temporary solution - a drug that would generate a short-term high and (potentially) a painful hangover for all over us.

लगभग सात वर्षों के फेड फंड दर के कम या ज्यादा शून्य के ऐतिहासिक निचले स्तर पर रहने के बाद, अमेरिकी केंद्रीय बैंक, फेड के लिए अपने द्वारा नियंत्रित ब्याज दर को बढ़ाने के लिए कभी भी जोखिम-मुक्त, तनाव-मुक्त क्षण नहीं होने वाला था।


Baby photos: Should Bounty be allowed to snap newborns?

Summary: Mothers-to-be can be served up an overwhelming amount of information and advice prior to giving birth. What many are not told about, however, is they could get a visit from a professional photographer while on the maternity ward recovering from delivery.

By Gavin BevisBBC News The service is offered at more than 150 UK hospitals by pregnancy firm Bounty, which, as well as selling the photos, distributes free samples and vouchers to new parents in packs given out at maternity appointments, baby sale events and through its apps. The company, which was formed in 1959, said its research indicated the vast majority of new mothers expected and welcomed a hospital visit from its reps. But some claimed the presence of Bounty staff was intrusive and have questioned whether a postnatal ward was an appropriate place for a money-making service. 'We've never displayed our Bounty pics' Sarah Jackson White, 37, from Glossop in Derbyshire, was visited by a Bounty photographer at Tameside General Hospital in October. She said she felt the company should not be allowed to canvass for business from new mothers in maternity wards. "I felt pressurised into having a photoshoot, even though I said I already had one booked for the following week," she said. "Of course when the lady showed us the preview clip, we felt overwhelmed and bought the whole package. "Looking at the photos now, I wouldn't have bought them if I wasn't so emotional. I've never even displayed one." 'I was trying to breastfeed' Rebecca Corcoran, 32, from Burgess Hill in West Sussex, said she was approached twice by a Bounty representative after giving birth at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath in June 2018. "Bounty came to me on the second day I was there but I refused as my daughter was unwell," she said. "The lady came back on the fourth day. I had the curtains shut and was trying to breastfeed my daughter who was still unwell. "She opened the curtains and just said, 'I'm blah-blah from Bounty and we won't be here over the weekend so I have to take pictures now'. "With everything going on, I just agreed. I never bought the pictures - I had my own done when at home. "I felt uncomfortable and my privacy invaded and pretty stressed. "I am pregnant now and I do not want Bounty to visit me when I'm in hospital because I won't be so quiet this time." 'Bounty visit was lovely' But not all new mothers have found it a negative experience. Demi-Louise Pashley, 25, from Tibshelf in Derbyshire, gave birth at King's Mill Hospital in Mansfield in March 2016 and October last year and said she was happy to be photographed by Bounty on both occasions. "With my first child, although I was in need of a lot of care afterwards, it was lovely to have someone come and fuss over you and your baby," she said. "Although I felt awful, I wanted my baby's photos taken for that amazing keepsake and memories of those first few moments. "We bought a large pack but knew the expense would be worth it to have those pictures to treasure. "It's all down to personal choice. If people believe strongly it's something they are being pressured into, then possibly there should some sort of opt-out form when women are completing their birth plans." 'Pictures are important' Kelly Williams, 37, from Ripley in Derbyshire, was 16 when she and her first child were snapped by a Bounty photographer at the City Hospital in Derby, in March 1999. She said: "I was approached by a midwife first who asked me if the Bounty photographer could pop on to the bay I was sharing with four other women. "I was very tired so asked if she could pop back the following day, which she agreed. "The photographer was very kind and approachable. I was never pressured into anything. "She sat with me and to be honest it was nice to have someone to chat with, especially being a young mum. "I think pictures are important and I hope Bounty continues to take time to go on to wards, to capture these moments for women. "If you don't want them taken, just say no it's as simple as that." Why do hospitals allow Bounty in? NHS England said it had no national agreement "of any kind" with Bounty and any deal to allow the firm into postnatal wards would have been agreed with individual hospital trusts. One of these is the University of Leicester NHS Trust, which revealed at a recent health scrutiny meeting that it earned £5,647 in the first six months of 2019 from allowing Bounty into its two hospitals. Strategic director Mark Wightman said a fee was paid for every Bounty bag handed out and a percentage of the profits made from photography sales was also paid to the trust, with both contracts periodically reviewed. Elaine Broughton, the trust's head of midwifery and nursing, said money made was used to replace equipment on the wards. But Leicester city councillor and mother-of-two Melissa March said the trust's contract with Bounty made her feel "really uncomfortable". Speaking at the meeting, she said: "If it were any other kind of post-surgery or recovery ward and photographers were coming in and taking photos of you and your child and the hospital was receiving remuneration for that, it does feel deeply intrusive. "It's the most vulnerable you might ever feel, I couldn't get out of bed. "Also, sometimes you've been awake for five days straight, you don't know what on earth to do with this tiny human you've just had and then someone comes in to take photographs." In 2018, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust introduced an opt-out card to allow mothers to request they were not approached by anyone from Bounty while on a maternity ward. The trust said the scheme had proved to be "a great success" and was still in operation two years later. And questions had been asked about the arrangement before. In 2013 parenting forum Mumsnet called for Bounty's sales reps to be banned from NHS maternity wards, criticising the firm's "harassment tactics". What does Bounty say? Bounty's website pointed out the photo opportunity was the only "sales" part of its representatives' roles, and said about half the new mums they saw opted to have the portraits taken. The firm told the BBC great care was taken by its representatives when they were allowed on to postnatal wards. A spokesperson said: "Bounty fully supports and acknowledges the need to respect the privacy and dignity of families on the maternity ward. "We are committed to ensuring every mum we meet in hospital experiences an excellent bedside service from our staff. "Research shows that the vast majority of new mothers enjoy, expect and welcome our services. "Bounty has been meeting mums in hospitals for over 60 years, providing essential support and information to generations of new parents. "We work closely with the NHS to ensure our services are offered on the basis of choice and that they comply with the standards required by our hospital partners." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

होने वाली माताओं को जन्म देने से पहले भारी मात्रा में जानकारी और सलाह दी जा सकती है। हालाँकि, कई लोगों को इस बारे में नहीं बताया जाता है कि वे प्रसूति वार्ड में प्रसव से ठीक होने के दौरान एक पेशेवर फोटोग्राफर से मिल सकते हैं।


Fire at Port Clarence wood recycling plant

Summary: A large fire has broken out at a wood recycling plant on Teesside.

Cleveland Fire Service said thousands of tonnes of wood were on fire at the plant in Haverton Hill Road, Port Clarence, Stockton. A spokeswoman said there were no reports of injuries, but it would take "some time" to put out the blaze. Ten crews from Billingham and Middlesbrough were sent to tackle the fire which broke out at 11:20 GMT.

टीसाइड पर लकड़ी के पुनर्चक्रण संयंत्र में भीषण आग लग गई है।


Birmingham library's opening date announced

Summary: Birmingham's new £189m library will open on 3 September, 2013.

The new building, in Centenary Square, replaces the Birmingham Central Library in Chamberlain Square. The public is being asked to nominate the first book to be placed on the new Library of Birmingham's shelves, in a competition being run on Twitter. The present library was once described by Prince Charles as looking like "a place where books are incinerated, not kept". The REP theatre will also reopen to the public in Centenary Square in September 2013. 'Tremendous achievement' Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, said the opening of the new "landmark" library would be a "tremendous achievement" for the city. "We are enormously proud of everyone who is helping to deliver the project on time and under budget," he added. Mr Whitby said: "It will be a key hub for the region and, with its many partners, will place Birmingham firmly on the world stage as a major cultural destination." He said they were expecting three million people to visit the new library each year with millions more using online facilities to access the collections. Retired teacher, Gillian Griffiths from Birmingham, said she really liked the look of the new library. "I think probably to me it looks as if it's supposed to be piles of books and I think the metalwork on the side perhaps reflects the Jewellery Quarter," she said. 'Very original' Twenty-two-year-old Monica Leon, who is from Spain and studying in Birmingham, thought the building was "very original". Mark Walkem, 23, said he had seen the plans for the interior of the library and "with the atrium in the middle, that looks really nice". "To be investing in intellectual resources is a good thing, particularly as students I think we appreciate that," he added. The project has also included a refurbishment and extension to the REP theatre which will be linked to the library and will reopen in September 2013. The theatre's executive director Stuart Rogers said they were producing work at other venues in the city whilst the theatre was closed. He said: "That's all going fine and we like that but we're all hugely looking forward to getting back in the building, because there's nothing like having your own building and producing all the work in there."

बर्मिंघम का नया £189 मिलियन का पुस्तकालय 3 सितंबर, 2013 को खुलेगा।


Jersey crash cyclist dies in Southampton hospital

Summary: A Jersey cyclist who hit a stationary car last week has died.

Paul Channing, 45, was cycling down Beaumont Hill towards town when the accident happened. He was later flown to Southampton hospital brain injury unit for treatment but died on Sunday. States of Jersey police say there appear to have been no other vehicles involved in the collision. They added that their thoughts were with Mr Channing's family.

एक जर्सी साइकिल चालक जिसने पिछले सप्ताह एक खड़ी कार को टक्कर मार दी थी, उसकी मृत्यु हो गई है।


JCB used to steal cash in Northamptonshire

Summary: A cash machine has been stolen from a building society in Northamptonshire by thieves using an agricultural digger.

The JCB was driven into the wall of the Nationwide on the High Street in Wollaston in the early hours of Sunday. The thieves then removed the cash machine and put it in another vehicle before speeding off, police said. The digger was left at the scene. It is not yet known how much money was stolen or how much damage was done to the building.

नॉर्थम्पटनशायर में एक इमारत सोसाइटी से एक नकदी मशीन एक कृषि खुदाई करने वाले का उपयोग करके चोरों द्वारा चोरी कर ली गई है।


Strongest female challenge to Carve Carr-Bridge title

Summary: This year's Scottish Open Chainsaw Carving Championships - also known as Carve Carr-Bridge - has attracted a record number of female competitors.

Three women will challenge 21 men for the title. A woman last won the Claymore Trophy nine years ago. Alice Buttress, an artist from the event's home of Carrbridge, Nanci Hemming from Wales and American Griffon Ramsey have entered Saturday's event. Moffat-based Pete Bowsher will be defending the title. Last year he won the event for the second year in a row with his cowboy carving I Told You To Draw. Carve Carr-Bridge is now in its 13th year and draws a crowd of more than 3,000 people.

इस साल की स्कॉटिश ओपन चेनसॉ नक्काशी चैंपियनशिप-जिसे कार्वे कार-ब्रिज के नाम से भी जाना जाता है-ने रिकॉर्ड संख्या में महिला प्रतियोगियों को आकर्षित किया है।