Trump Asia tour focuses on trade, not human rights

Summary: When a president who boasted he could shoot someone in central New York and still get elected meets another president who boasts he has actually killed people, and remains popular and in office, you know not to expect much on human rights.

By Jonathan HeadSouth East Asia correspondent, Manila And so it proved in the much-anticipated meeting of US President Donald Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Over the past year and a half, many thousands - the actual numbers are hard to calculate exactly - of people have been killed in President Duterte's war on drugs, some of them children, some with only scant evidence of any connection to the drug trade. They have been killed by police officers, supposedly shooting in self-defence, but the almost universal similarity of the police accounts of these killings suggests many are extra-judicial executions. They have been killed by masked gunmen, some of whom are linked to the police, or may be non-uniformed police officers. It is a human rights catastrophe, but one President Duterte has defended as necessary to rid the Philippines of its drug addiction problem. After making mild criticism of the killings last year, then-US President Barack Obama received a tongue-lashing from Mr Duterte, who memorably referred to him as a "son of a whore". The irascible Philippine president warned he would do the same if President Trump raised the issue. But he need not have worried. From the account of his spokesman, the topic of human rights was not raised at all by Mr Trump - and it was mentioned in their joint statement in such a vague way as to be meaningless. The same happened in China and Vietnam, two countries where dissidents are routinely harassed, arrested and given long prison sentences. One Vietnamese blogger, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a single mother better known as "Mother Mushroom", was given an award for courage by First Lady Melania Trump in March. Three months later, a Vietnamese court sentenced her to 10 years in prison for "conducting propaganda against the state". There is no evidence President Trump even mentioned her case to his Vietnamese hosts. While in Manila, Mr Trump allowed a photograph of himself, smiling with his thumb up, together with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is not only locking up politicians and dismantling the main opposition party, but has also expelled the US government-funded National Democratic Institute, and accused the US of backing a plot to overthrow him. The US ambassador to Cambodia has called the accusation "absurd" and "without a shred of serious or credible evidence". It is not clear whether Mr Trump knew this, or cared, when he had his picture taken with the Cambodian leader. All across South East Asia, from Thailand, which is living through a fourth year under military rule, and where critics of the monarchy are sentenced to decades in jail, to Malaysia, where those who speak out on the huge 1MDB corruption scandal can be prosecuted under a range of repressive laws, human rights and democracy are being pushed back in a way unseen since the 1970s. Yet Mr Trump's main preoccupation is trade, not values. In his remarks to journalists as he left the Philippine capital, Manila, the president talked of a $12bn (£9bn) purchase of Boeing aircraft by Vietnam, and of the success in fixing the relationship with the Philippines, which he described as "the most prime piece of real estate from a military standpoint". One US official, when questioned by a colleague over why President Trump did not speak out about human rights, asked why other countries in this region, like Japan, do not do it. But Japan has always avoided any appearance of an adversarial approach to its foreign policy, preferring bland language and the lubricating attributes of lavish international aid. It is the United States, since the end of the Cold War, which has carried the torch for democracy and human rights in the region, not just reminding governments of their obligations under the UN charter, but funding, training and encouraging non-government organisations and opposition politicians trying to hold those governments to account. "Protecting human rights in the South East Asia region has always been about defending against government leaders prepared to run roughshod over opposition politicians, NGOs and community activists who stand in the way of their leaders' accumulation of absolute power, and the corrupt riches that go with it," says Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, Asia. "President Trump's abdication of human rights was front and centre at this Asean summit, leaving a big hole in that defence." 'Protracted tragedy' In the absence of the US, it was left to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to raise the issue of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, and the mass expulsion of Rohingyas from Rakhine State in Myanmar. His comments were very restrained, yet he still provoked President Duterte's ire, who accused the Canadian premier of insulting the Philippines The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, also highlighted what he called the "protracted tragedy" of the displaced Rohingyas, and offered to help strengthen the little known Asean Inter-government Commission on Human Rights, AICHR. But neither of their voices speak as loudly as that of the US president. The AICHR was established in 2009, but is only a consultative body, and its members are government appointees. Then came the first Asean Human Rights Declaration, in 2012. But this supposedly historic step forward was dismissed by activists as toothless, weakened by the fact that it was non-binding on its signatories, unlike the European Convention on Human Rights, and that its list of individual rights had to be balanced by obligations to the community and society. It was drafted with no consultation at all with the 600 million people who live in the Asean countries. Worrying times Addressing human rights concerns is also hampered by the sacred Asean principle of non-interference in each others' internal affairs. President Duterte and his supporters have insisted the killings in his anti-drug campaign are solely a matter for Filipinos, and no-one else. The government in Myanmar has tried the same defence of the actions of its security forces in Rakhine State, although the arrival of 600,000 Rohingyas in Bangladesh does make them a transnational issue. UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said Asean's approach to the issue was "very, very disappointing". "You really have to ask the question: What's becoming of us? If we allow this to happen at zero cost, and this Asean summit seemingly is moving in that direction, how many other countries with minorities would be only too willing, if they want to remove a so-called "problem" from their society, to follow suit in similar ways?" For the hundreds of non-government organisations and civil society groups in South East Asia, which have become accustomed to US support, these are worrying times. Their own governments have been emboldened, perhaps by the statements by President Trump that he is only interested in what will benefit Americans, perhaps by the steady rise of China, which has no interest in promoting human rights, or perhaps by the collapse of faith in Western values in general, following the disastrous Iraq War, the 2008 financial crisis, and the eroding legitimacy of the Western model of democracy. The assumption that countries in this region must inevitably move towards democratic governance and a higher protection of civil rights no longer holds.

जब एक राष्ट्रपति जो घमंड करता था कि वह मध्य न्यूयॉर्क में किसी को गोली मार सकता है और फिर भी निर्वाचित हो जाता है, एक अन्य राष्ट्रपति से मिलता है जो दावा करता है कि उसने वास्तव में लोगों को मार डाला है, और लोकप्रिय और कार्यालय में रहता है, तो आप मानवाधिकारों पर बहुत अधिक उम्मीद नहीं करते हैं।


Dorset street lights to be switched off after midnight

Summary: Street lights will be switched off after midnight across parts of Dorset in a bid to save energy costs.

Dorset County Council said 20,000 lights would be switched off on residential streets in Corfe Mullen, West Moors, Ferndown and West Parley. They will be switched back on at 05.30 GMT if it is still dark. The scheme will begin in December. Lighting will be retained in high use and high crime areas, a council spokesman said.

ऊर्जा लागत बचाने के लिए डोरसेट के कुछ हिस्सों में आधी रात के बाद स्ट्रीट लाइट बंद कर दी जाएंगी।


Cambridge and Woking American cemeteries reopen as US agrees budget

Summary: American cemeteries in Cambridgeshire and Surrey which were forced to close because of the US government budget deadlock , have reopened to the public.

The cemeteries in Madingley and Woking are maintained by the US government-funded American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The ABMC said a lack of money forced it to close its only two UK cemeteries. It maintains 24 around the world, all of which have now reopened following the US government budget agreement. An ABMC spokesman said: "Both the Cambridge and Brookwood cemeteries were closed during the period of the government shutdown. "The overseas American military cemeteries administered by this commission, to include Cambridge and Brookwood, reopened today [Thursday]."

कैम्ब्रिजशायर और सरे में अमेरिकी कब्रिस्तान, जिन्हें अमेरिकी सरकार के बजट गतिरोध के कारण बंद करने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ा था, जनता के लिए फिर से खोल दिए गए हैं।


24 photographers document 24 hours

Summary: In 2004, 24 postgraduate students at Central St Martins, in London, set out to document every hour of New Year's Day, every year, for 24 years.

Each photographer progresses by one hour every year. The show was curated by photographer Mimi Mollica and the work will be auctioned on Wednesday, 11 March, at Blacks Club, in Soho, central London, for the brain injury charity Same You. All photographs are copyright of the individual photographers as marked

2004 में, लंदन में सेंट्रल सेंट मार्टिन्स में 24 स्नातकोत्तर छात्र 24 वर्षों के लिए हर साल नए साल के दिन के हर घंटे का दस्तावेजीकरण करने के लिए निकल पड़े।


Aberdeen Christmas village 'to be more local'

Summary: Aberdeen's Christmas Village will have more of a local flavour this year, organisers have said.

The event will be held in a larger area on Broad Street, Upperkirkgate and the quadrangle at Marischal College. It comes after the 2017 event was moved to Broad Street from Union Terrace, where it began in 2015. Adrian Watson, of Aberdeen Inspired which runs the event with the council, said local businesses, music acts and choirs would feature more. Visitor numbers to last year's village dropped from about half a million in 2016 to 400,000. Related Internet Links Aberdeen City Council

आयोजकों ने कहा है कि एबरडीन के क्रिसमस विलेज में इस साल स्थानीय स्वाद अधिक होगा।


Poole Parkstone Road flats evacuated after 'e-cigarette fire'

Summary: About 30 people were evacuated from flats in Poole due to a fire which is thought to have been caused by the charging of an electronic cigarette.

It took more than 40 firefighters to tackle the blaze which started at about 09:30 GMT on the ninth floor of the Parkstone Road flats. Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said no injuries had been reported. It has issued a warning to e-cigarette users which includes not leaving them unattended while they are charging.

इलेक्ट्रॉनिक सिगरेट के चार्ज होने के कारण लगी आग के कारण पूले में फ्लैटों से लगभग 30 लोगों को निकाला गया था।


Pedestrian killed in car crash

Summary: A pedestrian has died after being hit by a car in the early hours.

The crash happened at about 02:30 BST on the A382 between Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey in Devon. Devon and Cornwall Police said the victim, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services. The 47-year-old driver was uninjured and the road, which was closed for several hours for crash investigators, has since reopened.

शुरुआती घंटों में एक कार की चपेट में आने से एक पैदल यात्री की मौत हो गई है।


Julian Assange: Little room for compromise

Summary: When first Julian Assange sought sanctuary in Ecuador's embassy in London two months ago, he had jumped bail and was delaying the day when he might be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over serious sexual assault accusations.

By Bridget KendallDiplomatic correspondent, BBC News At the time the government in Quito was careful to suggest it did not want to spoil relations with Britain. The Foreign Office in London, too, insisted it was looking for a negotiated way out of the log-jam. But what has become clear this week is that there is not much room for compromise. Though the UK government says it wants to continue talks, it says flatly that it will not guarantee Mr Assange safe passage out of the country and will not compromise over its obligation to extradite him to Sweden. Britain "had not given one inch", according to the Ecuadorean Foreign Minister, Ricardo Patino, and what had been a "friendly dialogue" had turned into a "threat" and an "explicit type of blackmail". What incensed Ecuador particularly was Britain's suggestion it might try to use a little-known law from 1987 to revoke the diplomatic status of the Ecuador Embassy building in London, to let in British police to arrest Mr Assange. If it worked, this could be an easier way out, according to one British diplomat, than the "nuclear option" of breaking off diplomatic relations with Ecuador entirely. But even raising the possibility of sending police into the embassy has proved a controversial move by Britain. Leaving aside the legal debates about whether this 1987 British law could really trump the long-standing international protections enshrined in the Vienna Convention to safeguard the immunity of foreign diplomats and embassies worldwide, it could also set a worrying precedent: which other countries might then follow suit to use the pretext of catching criminals in order to storm into foreign embassies sheltering dissidents? 'Anti-imperialist' president Though the Foreign Office's counter-argument would be: how could it stand by and allow a foreign embassy in London to be used for non-diplomatic purposes to shelter a potential criminal who had jumped bail, without taking some action? More immediately, it is already clear that the rift between Britain and Ecuador has deepened. In Quito the foreign minister now argues that Mr Assange is a potential "victim of political persecution", because of his defence of freedom of speech and press through his Wikileaks publications, and it is Ecuador's duty to protect him and make sure his fears of being extradited to the United States, and possibly facing long incarceration (like Bradley Manning) - or even the death penalty - are not realised. Meanwhile, Britain has been accused of treating Ecuador like a colony. No doubt the Ecuadorean president sees the whole saga as an opportunity to burnish his "anti-imperialist" credentials among his colleagues. Ecuador has already called for a meeting of fellow Latin American countries to consider an appropriate response. Given that Britain had been trying to tread delicately in Latin America, to avoid its quarrel with Argentina over the Falklands Islands spreading across the continent, this is bad timing, to say the least. On the other side, Sweden has been swift to line up behind Britain and voice its displeasure with Ecuador, summoning the ambassador to Sweden to the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm to call it "unacceptable" for Ecuador to block the due process of a Swedish investigation. Meanwhile, the question remains: how long might Mr Assange stay holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy, granted asylum, but unable to leave without getting arrested? There seems little practical hope of smuggling him out. In theory he could be there for a long time. Chinese dissident Fang Lizhi, who sought refuge in the US Embassy in Beijing in 1989, was there a year. The Hungarian cardinal who found sanctuary in the US Embassy in Budapest after the anti-Communist uprising there in 1956 stayed 15 years, until 1971. And there are two surviving members of the Derg in Ethiopia still in the the Italian embassy in Addis Ababa, where they have been since 1991. It is perhaps with that in mind that one British diplomat noted in apparent frustration that it would be impossible and far too costly to mount a 24-hour police guard outside the Ecuadorean Embassy indefinitely, and some other solution to the impasse would need to be found. What began as a tricky negotiation has now become a full-blown row, involving not just Britain and Ecuador, but also Sweden and the United States. And the higher the political temperature is raised in this complex, twisting story of Julian Assange's status and fate, the harder it may be to find a diplomatic solution.

जब जूलियन असांजे ने दो महीने पहले लंदन में इक्वाडोर के दूतावास में शरण मांगी थी, तो वह जमानत पर छूट गए थे और उस दिन में देरी कर रहे थे जब उन्हें गंभीर यौन उत्पीड़न के आरोपों में पूछताछ का सामना करने के लिए स्वीडन प्रत्यर्पित किया जा सकता था।


Paraglider injured after incident on Whiterocks beach

Summary: A man in his early 30s has been injured in a paragliding incident at Whiterocks Beach in Portrush, County Antrim.

The Coastguard received a call from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service requesting assistance at about 14:30 BST on Sunday. Rescue teams from Coleraine and Ballycastle recovered the man from the sand dunes, where he landed. He was brought to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine for treatment. Later in the day, he was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

पोर्ट्रश, काउंटी एंट्रिम में व्हाइटरॉक्स बीच पर एक पैराग्लाइडिंग घटना में अपने 30 के दशक की शुरुआत में एक व्यक्ति घायल हो गया है।


Foals to close Ibiza Rocks music series in September

Summary: Foals are to headline the closing party for this summer's Ibiza Rocks series, in San Antonio, Ibiza.

The Oxford band will wrap up a summer of shows with a gig on Wednesday 18 September. Foals frontman Yannis Philappakis said: "We've always wanted to go to an Ibiza closing party and now we get to play one. Double bubble." Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks will kick off in May with shows from Nottingham singer Jake Bugg. Rapper Example has also been confirmed to appear. Foals release their third album Holy Fire on 11 February. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

सैन एंटोनियो, इबिज़ा में इस गर्मी की इबिज़ा रॉक्स श्रृंखला के लिए समापन पार्टी को फॉल्स शीर्षक देना है।


Lucy McHugh: How a Facebook password trapped a killer

Summary: A "violent sexual predator" who killed a 13-year-old girl in a bid to silence her is to be sentenced on Friday for her rape and murder. His arrest sparked one of the UK's biggest evidence searches and a trawl of thousands of hours of CCTV footage. But a Facebook password proved to be his ultimate undoing.

By Marcus WhiteBBC South Stephen Nicholson was a prime suspect early on in the investigation into Lucy McHugh's death. An occasional lodger at the teenager's home, he was held on suspicion of her murder a day after her body was found in woodland at Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre. His arrest gave police up to 96 hours to charge or release him, but it would be four weeks until a key piece of DNA evidence was recovered. The clock was ticking. In interview, Nicholson told detectives Lucy had sent him a Facebook message the night before she was murdered. She told him she was pregnant, he said. This gave officers a reason to look more closely at messages sent between the teenager and a man 11 years her senior. They soon realised Nicholson had changed his password prior to his arrest. He refused to hand it over, denying police access to whatever information may have been contained within his account. Nicholson, a cannabis dealer, said he withheld his password to avoid reprisals from his criminal contacts - an excuse later branded "wholly inadequate" by a judge. Locked out of his Facebook account and with no direct evidence linking him to Lucy's death, police needed more time. A request to the social media giant would involve a lengthy route through the US courts - well in excess of the 96 hours available to detectives. The answer was so-called "terrorism legislation", or section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). Normally used in cases involving national security, the surveillance law can cover all serious crimes. Nicholson was bailed in relation to Lucy's murder but charged under RIPA for failing to comply with an order to hand over his password. He later pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court and was jailed for 14 months. With Nicholson no longer at large, police had vital time for further investigations. Being kept in custody meant he was unable to tamper with the evidence which ultimately convinced jurors of his guilt, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). "If we'd used other legislation, he might not have been locked up," said senior district prosecutor John Montague. But even with Nicholson behind bars, the key piece of evidence had yet to be recovered. There was nothing to physically link the spot where Lucy's body was found to Nicholson - the murder weapon remained unaccounted for and no DNA was found at the scene. Once again, investigators focused on Nicholson's online accounts, this time enlisting the help of a cloud data analyst. Their job was to study pieces of information sent from Nicholson's phone to data servers owned by companies such as Google. While tracing the phone's route on the day of Lucy's murder, the analyst noticed a small "blip" at an area police had not yet searched. It suggested Nicholson had deviated from his most direct route home. The diversion took him to Tanner's Brook: a stream which cuts through Southampton, weaving its way through woodland in the western half of the city. "It was a slight deviation on his telephone. You could say it had jumped a mast," Det Supt Paul Barton said. "It was a great bit of work from the analyst who pointed it out." This subtle shift was enough for police to launch the constabulary's largest ever fingertip search, which involved 190 officers from 12 other forces. By now, it was four weeks after Lucy was found but on the first day of the search, police got the breakthrough they wanted. They found a bag containing a blue, bloodstained hoodie and other items - described in court as Nicholson's "murder kit". The garment contained Nicholson's DNA and Lucy's blood. He is thought to have dumped the clothing, some of which had been partially burnt, near the brook after getting changed on his return from the murder scene on 25 July. Prior to the discovery of the clothing, police had no other direct evidence of Nicholson's involvement in her killing. They tested fibres from her bloodstained jacket and Nicholson's clothes which suggested direct contact with the hoodie. Detectives established that hoodies of the same type were sold to two people in the Southampton area - one of them was given as a present to a man who knew Nicholson's friend. The DNA evidence "was the final nail in the coffin for Nicholson", said Det Supt Barton. While officers, who would eventually study 11,000 hours of CCTV, examine 2,300 exhibits and take more than 300 reports, had a "strong circumstantial case", genetic evidence "was the bit to sink him", Det Supt Barton said. Had Nicholson not been jailed over his password, the outcome could have been different. The 14-month jail sentence "bought us time - it stopped him getting to Tanner's Brook", Det Supt Barton said. Prosecutors were eventually granted access to Nicholson's Facebook log on the first day of his trial. All that remained was a record of communications between Nicholson and Lucy, but without any content - he had deleted the messages before his arrest. Prosecutor Mr Montague criticised the "protracted process". "For me, the personal side, the human side, is we have a 13-year-old child that has been murdered under ferocious, despicable circumstances and for me it's somewhat frustrating." Facebook said it had worked closely with Hampshire Constabulary, but "we agree that this legal process can be far too slow." "We have actively lobbied for reforms to EU, US and UK laws to allow us, and others, to directly and more quickly provide information to UK law enforcement authorities," a spokeswoman said. But despite this, Det Supt Barton said police had been able to build a case against "an extremely narcissistic, self-centred, violent sexual predator" "He has destroyed a family - a family who have looked after him, put a roof over his head," he said. "He has taken all of that, groomed Lucy and lost interest in her - that was his motive."

एक "हिंसक यौन शिकारी" जिसने एक 13 वर्षीय लड़की को चुप कराने के लिए उसकी हत्या कर दी थी, उसे शुक्रवार को उसके बलात्कार और हत्या के लिए सजा सुनाई जानी है। उसकी गिरफ्तारी ने ब्रिटेन की सबसे बड़ी सबूत खोजों में से एक और हजारों घंटों के सीसीटीवी फुटेज की खोज को जन्म दिया। लेकिन एक फेसबुक पासवर्ड उसकी अंतिम पूर्ववत साबित हुआ।


Murder arrest after death of man stabbed in Birmingham

Summary: Police have made a murder arrest after the death of a man who was driven to hospital with a fatal stab wound.

The 28-year-old was dropped off outside Heartlands Hospital, in Birmingham, on Tuesday night. Despite efforts to save him, he later died. West Midlands Police believe he was stabbed in Hadfield Way, in the Kingshurst area of the city. A 27-year-old man from Shard End was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

चाकू के घातक घाव के साथ अस्पताल ले जाए गए एक व्यक्ति की मौत के बाद पुलिस ने हत्या की गिरफ्तारी की है।


Thetford Forest wildlife 'performs' Living Symphonies' premier

Summary: Listening to an open-air concert from a live orchestra in one of England's beautiful forests will always connect you with Mother Nature - but thanks to musical science our forests are now set to become the actual performers, conducted by the flora and fauna in a series of "live" sound installations.

By Martin BarberBBC News Living Symphonies is the culmination of a two-year project by composers Daniel Jones and James Bulley that aims to reach "thousands of people who might never otherwise be involved in the arts" by turning four forests across England into natural orchestras. Working with ecologists from the Forestry Commission, the artists have made a detailed ecological survey to record the behaviours of plants and animals living within a 600 sq m and 25m high section of woodland. Each of the 80 or so species detailed in the survey have been given a unique set of "musical motifs" which portrays their characteristics and behaviours over a 24-hour period. The motifs, featuring more than 120 instruments, are then "plugged in" to the 3D survey of the forest and "played" by it responding in real-time to the time of day and the weather. Or to put it another way, Mother Nature has been given a baton and she is conducting musical interpretations of the forest's creatures and plant life as they interact with each other, resulting in a "live" and "ever-changing" performance in response to the atmosphere. "We're inspired by the natural processes in the world around us and to collaborate with nature," said Bulley. "Here the forest is both the performer and conductor and we can use this to create new forms of music while exploring the forest through sound." The £106,000 project, funded by Arts Council England, has been recognised by experts for its new approach to surveying habitats and music production. Unlike Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, which mimicked woodland animals, Living Symphonies aims to create an impressionist view of the species within the forest. "For the first time we're looking at the way the whole ecosystem works together, rather than surveying just a particular plant or species," said Bulley. "We have to have this detail to map the motifs of the symphony and create the interactions between them, this is really new ground for music. "It's a live, unfolding, composition and performance rather than a pre-recorded playback - a bit like having all the players in an orchestra having parts of a score, but they are improvising around it. "They all have their core melodies, but somebody - in this case the forest responding to the weather and changes in the environment - is telling them where and when to play [in the forest] and in which style." 'Rules of performance' It will take the composers three days to install the complicated 3D-sound design into Thetford Forest in Norfolk - the first location in England to host Living Symphonies. The performance will be heard through more than 20 speakers, hidden between ground level and 25m high in the forest canopy, linked by more than 2km of cables and powered by a silent bio-generator formerly used at the London Olympics. "We've been looking for really balanced eco-systems rather than commercial pine forests and we're mostly interested in patches of ancient woodland. "It's been an odd process of window shopping forests," said Bulley. "We never really know what the symphony will sound like as the performance will be ever changing, but as composers we've tied it together within the rules of a musical performance. "The work is genuinely living, the composition will never be the same and will sound different in each of the forest we take it to due the variety in their ecosystems. "It's complicated working in this environment, it's arduous when it rains and there's nowhere to sit a lot of the time - but it's brilliant." Living Symphonies opens at Thetford Forest, Norfolk on 24 May and visits Fineshade Woods, Northamptonshire, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire and Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest in Kent.

इंग्लैंड के सुंदर जंगलों में से एक में एक लाइव ऑर्केस्ट्रा से एक ओपन-एयर संगीत कार्यक्रम सुनना आपको हमेशा प्रकृति माँ से जोड़ेगा-लेकिन संगीत विज्ञान की बदौलत हमारे जंगल अब वास्तविक कलाकार बनने के लिए तैयार हैं, जो वनस्पतियों और जीवों द्वारा "लाइव" ध्वनि प्रतिष्ठानों की एक श्रृंखला में आयोजित किए जाते हैं।


Call for commitment from President

Summary: World’s largest organization for Children’s welfare, Save the Children, has asked the President Mahinda Rajapakse to make a commitment towards the protection and promotion of the rights of all Sri Lankan children.

The President expressed his dedication towards children’s welfare at the recent launch of the national Year of Children - 2006. In a statement issued on Wednesday, The organization say, “that all children irrespective of race, religion, creed, disability or any other difference has to enjoy rights for a happy, healthy and secure childhood. These rights are now enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Sri Lanka is a signatory to this Convention.” They further emphasize the commitment and responsibility of the government to ensure the rights of children to be protected and enhanced. In his speech the President acknowledged, “children not just as leaders of tomorrow but also as citizens of today with a right to participate in decisions that affect them.” Save the Children has been working with over 250 children’s clubs across Sri Lanka. In 2001, Save the Children convened Sri Lanka’s first ever Children’s Parliament with the participation of 150 children from all over Sri Lanka.

बाल कल्याण के लिए दुनिया के सबसे बड़े संगठन, सेव द चिल्ड्रन ने राष्ट्रपति महिंदा राजपक्षे से सभी श्रीलंकाई बच्चों के अधिकारों की सुरक्षा और संवर्धन के लिए प्रतिबद्धता जताने को कहा है।


Following football from afar: 'You have to get creative'

Summary: Fans of some of the nation's less glamorous football teams are gearing up for the drama of a trip to Wembley this weekend, as the Football League's play-offs are contested to determine the final promotion places.

By Sarah PortlockBBC News But not all supporters can be at Wembley, or even in the same time zone as the football match that will establish whether the season is a success or a failure. What are the challenges faced by fans trying to follow their teams from hundreds or thousands of miles away? 'No-one can say I'm a glory hunter' Motorsport journalist Scott Mitchell is thrilled his beloved Charlton Athletic are in the League One play-off final at Wembley. However, he will not be there. Instead, he will be covering the Monaco Grand Prix, which starts about an hour before his side take on Sunderland. He hopes to be able to stay across the start of the match but, once the Grand Prix begins, it will be goal alerts only. "Obviously, I have an amazing job - I am lucky," he says. "But for 90 minutes on Sunday I would rather be somewhere else." A Manchester United fan as a boy, Scott became enthralled by Charlton when he got free tickets to see them 12 years ago. It was his first live game, and they won 3-0. It's been somewhat downhill since. "I managed to see them in the Premier League - since then they got relegated twice," he says. "No-one can say I'm a glory hunter." Newly based in Stockholm, the 26-year-old says modern technology means that following Charlton from abroad has been relatively easy. But it has "felt different" - and he has had to be more organised than if he was back in the UK. "It feels like I'm following them more closely," he says. The first leg of Charlton's play-off semi-final took place during the Spanish Grand Prix and he managed to watch the first half hour on his laptop before work took over. He toyed with the idea of flying home for the second leg but, as he's setting up a new home, he found the £230 airfare prohibitive. That game, which went to extra time and penalties, was watched at home with some Swedish friends. "It was a crazy tie, I hated it," he says. "And I didn't know what my friends would make of watching League One football. "But by the end of the game, they were going through it with me. One afterwards said 'I think I have an English team to support now', which I think is brilliant." His new neighbours might feel differently though. As Sweden is an hour ahead of the UK, it was about 23:00 local time when the game finished - by which time Scott had loudly slammed his hand on the floor of his apartment, as the tension of the penalty shoot-out became unbearable. "I hurt my hand and then we were shrieking when [Charlton goalkeeper] Dillon Phillips saved a penalty, and then Doncaster missed." Scott will continue doing his best to create an atmosphere in his home when circumstances dictate - although he accepts it's not quite the same as being at the stadium. "It's a bit weird singing along [to the chants] in the living room." 'You have to get creative' Trekking from the Everest base camp in order to watch Yeovil Town might seem extreme. But Michael Bromfield does not let time differences, dodgy wi-fi or even negotiating with Maoists get in the way of supporting his team. In 1972, when travelling through Asia, he came across newspapers that had three-week-old football results in them, something he thought was "terrific". Thanks to technological advances, he says that these days he "can keep across six matches concurrently". Having sold his tour operator business, Michael is free to live where he chooses and spends a lot of time in Thailand. But despite the internet making the world a smaller place, there are still challenges to football fans who are based abroad. In Thailand, it's 22:00 when a 15:00 game kicks off in England. Evening matches can begin as late - or early - as 03:00. "In 2013, Yeovil were in the play-offs (against Sheffield United) to get into the Championship. I was on Ko Khang, an island in Thailand, and the play-offs were not being shown there," he says. "I had a good wi-fi signal and got my wife [who was at home near Sherborne, Dorset] to use her iPad, put it on a stool, and then a table, and turn her phone to the iPad screen and then I used FaceTime to watch the match. You have to get creative." He estimates he has spent up to £12,000 over the years to see his team play in various matches. In 2004 he embarked on a six-day mission that involved trekking from the Everest base camp and taking two flights to get home in time to see if Yeovil would make the League One play-offs. They didn't. It wasn't the first time Michael had to dig deep into his pockets to follow his beloved Yeovil. While trekking in Nepal a few years previously, Michael was asked to pay more money than he thought reasonable - during the civil war it had been agreed with Maoists that trekkers would make payments to use the trails. But one man was asking for significantly more money than usual and the negotiations took a long time. "Eventually, when it got to 16:30 UK time, I agreed to the payments," Michael says. "The reason being I wanted to use my satellite phone to get the football results and I thought if they saw the phone they might want it. "So I paid up, went behind a rock and phoned home." 'I got in so much trouble at work' Spending Saturday mornings drinking coffee at his kitchen table in Montreal while watching Walsall on the computer is now a familiar routine for marketing director Jason Broadhurst. He arrived in Canada in 2000, with Walsall winning promotion to Division One (now the Championship) via the play-offs the following year. But as he explains, Jason didn't have have internet access for the play-off final against Reading. "The only way to follow the game was to go into work and follow it through text updates," he says. A colleague who knew of his plan brought him some thoughtful gifts to get him through the game - a steak and kidney pie, a Pot Noodle and some Irn Bru. As the game went into extra time, the tension grew. "I gave a friend a call and asked what the game was like on the TV, and she held her phone up to the commentary. So I'm at work, making an international call and listening to the game for about 45 minutes. "I got in so much trouble at work." Life as a fan abroad can often be frustrating. "I missed out on some of the team's best players ever - Vinny Samways and Paul Merson - I didn't see much of them. Now [through the internet] you feel you can participate." He did fly back to the UK for Walsall's first appearance at Wembley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final in 2015, only to see his team lose 2-0 to Bristol City. "We were rubbish," Jason says. 'I can spot fans I know behind the goal' When journalist Chris Bishop was first living in Africa, he could only find Stourbridge FC's results and the lower league tables in a copy of the International Express, a newspaper for expats. Now, though, the internet enables him to listen in to the exploits of the Southern League outfit. "My first game was in 1970 when I was seven years old. I went with my father and grandfather to watch Stourbridge v Kidderminster Harriers," he says. "I had never seen anything like it. I grew up in a small village and to see all those people in one place, about 700 people - I fell in love with it." Since making the move to South Africa 25 years ago, he has continued to follow Stourbridge. "The only way of getting the scores then was by ringing my dad. I still ring him on Saturdays now, to talk about the latest goings on. "I eventually discovered the International Express, which had all the football results, which was a boon whilst working in Angola and Mozambique." But calamity struck in 2000 when Stourbridge dropped into the Midland Alliance, a league so lowly that the Express did not print the results. It was back to ringing Dad until the internet enabled Chris to follow games online. "So on a Saturday I would just sit there listening to games. I remember my nephew visiting and we sat listening to Stourbridge beat Northampton Town (in the FA Cup in 2016). "I just love the game. Some of my happiest moments were when I was on the terraces as a kid. "And the internet has changed everything: now you can watch the highlights on video, and I can spot fans I know sat behind the goal." Related Internet Links EFL

देश की कुछ कम ग्लैमरस फुटबॉल टीमों के प्रशंसक इस सप्ताह के अंत में वेम्बली की यात्रा के नाटक के लिए कमर कस रहे हैं, क्योंकि फुटबॉल लीग के प्ले-ऑफ अंतिम प्रचार स्थानों को निर्धारित करने के लिए लड़े जाते हैं।


'Assassins tried to kill my mother right in front of me, twice'

Summary: Shuhra Koofi was desperate. Her mother, a two-term member of the Afghan parliament, had been shot as they travelled back to Kabul together by car. Shuhra begged her mother, Fawzia Koofi, not to close her eyes. "What will I do without you?" she asked.

By Swaminathan NatarajanBBC World Service "I was horrified because I thought I had lost my mum," Shuhra told the BBC, of the assassination attempt last month. "But then I tried to control myself because she needed my help." Fawzia Koofi is an outspoken critic of Afghan fundamentalists and has challenged the Taliban across the negotiating table. She has paid a heavy price for her politics - two assassination attempts, both witnessed by her daughter. In 2010, her convoy was ambushed by the Taliban, and in August this year she was shot by unknown assailants on the road. Close encounter On 14 August, Shuhra and her mother were returning to Kabul after visiting Parwan province, north of the Afghan capital when they realised there were two cars following them. They felt a creeping realisation they were about to be ambushed. "Just before the attack, a black car overtook us and our driver beeped the horn," Shuhra said. "Then we heard the shots from behind - from my mum's side." There were two gunshots, Shuhra said. The first one missed their car. Shuhra was next to Fawzia on the back seat. She tried to cover her mum's head and told her to slip under the seat as the driver accelerated away. She never saw the attackers. "We had to get away or they would shoot again," she said. Back in 2010, Fawzia and Shuhra were travelling in a car through the rural Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Fawzia was already a member of parliament and close ally to then-Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. As the car wound through the province in a small convoy, it was ambushed. "I was only 10 at the time. I was sitting in the car between my mum and sister," Shuhra said. I just remember the noise of the shooting. It was non-stop." Fawzia survived unscathed and a police escort drove the convoy to a safe place where they were airlifted to Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the ambush. "It was easier to accept it because we knew who had done it," Shuhra said. "The second time, the attackers were unknown and no-one was taking responsibility, so it's been more difficult and scary for our family." Like Fawzia, her two daughters grew up seeing deadly violence around them. Sometimes a family member was among the casualties. Shuhra's maternal grandfather was also a member of parliament and he was killed by militants. Her father contracted tuberculosis after he was imprisoned by the Taliban and died when Shuhra was still a child. Fawzia raised both her daughters while she pursued her career in politics. "I always had a fear of losing someone in my family and I didn't experience a normal life," Shuhra said. Seconds after the shooting in August, her mother looked at her and said, "I think I am injured", Shuhra recalled. It was a moment she would "never forget". After that, Fawzia didn't say a word. A bullet had pierced the metal frame of the car from behind, torn through the seat cushion and hit Fawzia in her arm, below her right shoulder. "I thought I'd lost her. I kept saying, 'Please don't close your eyes, talk to me', and I tried to keep her awake," Shuhra said. "I lowered my head and my mum's head and I told her, 'Don't look up, they might shoot again'." Fawzia had just recovered from Covid-19 and suffers from iron deficiency. Shuhra took off her scarf to attempt to stem the bleeding. "It was dark and I couldn't see her wound. But as I was tying my scarf, my hands were covered in blood," Shuhra said. They reached the hospital after 40 long minutes. It took two CT scans for doctors to find the bullet and remove it from Fawzia's upper arm. She was discharged after a week and is still recovering. A critic of the Taliban Fawzia Koofi has often articulated the aspirations of Afghan women, whose voices are largely ignored. When she sat down with the Taliban last year, she urged them to bring female negotiators to the peace talks. The Taliban representatives laughed at the suggestion. She remains active in peace talks between the government and the Taliban, expected to resume this weekend. She suspects those who oppose peace are behind the recent attack against her. The Taliban have denied any involvement. Other armed groups are also active in the area where the ambush took place. Shuhra said she and her mother were traumatised by the assault - and disillusioned. "She is disappointed because she thinks she has helped her people and wonders why someone would want to kill her," Shuhra said. Afghanistan is often regarded as a hostile place to be a woman and female politicians still face many obstacles. Fawzia and her sister Mariam were among those banned from contesting the 2018 parliamentary elections for having "suspected links with an illegal militia" - charges the women say are trumped up. Shuhra knew the difficulties a woman would face, especially after seeing unflattering comments about her mum in the press and on social media, but she is studying political science at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. "I always wanted to be involved in politics. I am following my mum's path, she is my role model," she said. Shuhra and her sister had both encouraged their mother to continue in politics, despite the attacks. "We have chosen this way and we will continue," she said.

शुहरा कूफी हताश थी। उसकी माँ, अफगान संसद की दो बार की सदस्य, को गोली मार दी गई थी क्योंकि वे एक साथ कार से काबुल लौट रहे थे। शुहरा ने अपनी माँ, फौजिया कूफी से विनती की कि वह अपनी आँखें बंद न करे। "मैं तुम्हारे बिना क्या करूंगी?" उसने पूछा।


Business, bedfellows, Brexit and Boris

Summary: Markets have priced in uncertainty from Brexit and constitutional crisis, but the costs keep coming for business, and they're getting really fed up about it. There are upsides. Whisky exports boomed in the early part of this year. But it looks like much of that was stockpiling overseas, in case of inbound post-Brexit tariffs. Scottish engineering firms have seen exports fall, despite having currency fluctuations working for them. High employment has bucked the other economic trends and warnings. But there are growing signs the strong job figures are softening.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland Boris Johnson is reported (credibly, and with no denial) to have shared a short and pithy piece of advice to anyone in business who didn't share his approach to Brexit. It's not the conventional Conservative approach to the enterprising types who have long formed the backbone of the party, and provided much of its funding. But these are not conventional times. And if you thought he was going to build bridges, now that he has taken office, well... think again. The strategy seems to be a profoundly un-Conservative and Trumpian - creating divisions, and then doubling on them. So where does that leave relations with business? And how is business responding? Declining confidence We get some glimpses of the answer today, and may get more of them next week, when CBI Scotland gathers for dinner, during which we usually expect to hear from a senior figure in Whitehall. Businesses in Scotland are voicing growing impatience with the uncertainty hanging over the economy as a result of Brexit. Several sector organisations have voiced concern this week that their warnings are being ignored. Survey evidence from Scottish private sector firms, published today, shows declining confidence. The Bank of Scotland business barometer for August registered a nine-point drop in confidence levels about the economy. Business leaders were also seeing declining confidence in their own firms' prospects, which fell six points to zero. That is a measure of the number of firms surveyed who were positive about their prospects, set against those that were negative. There was a notable rise in the numbers expecting to cut staffing levels during next year. Whisky - exports up but so are costs Meanwhile, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) reported half-year exports rising sharply, much of that due to stocking up ahead of possible tariffs being imposed post-Brexit. Markets showing that kind of surge included South Korea and Morocco. HMRC figures showed exports up nearly 11% to £2.2bn in the first six months of 2019. Export volumes were up 7%. Single malts were up 19% to £652m, now representing 30% of the value of all Scotch shipped overseas. That represents a trend far removed from the politics of trade, with distillers successfully pushing to "premiumise". Karen Betts, the SWA chief executive, urged the UK and European Union to agree terms for Brexit. She said: "Prolonged uncertainty is costing the industry money in no-deal planning and in exporting, as companies have, where they can, brought exports forward, incurring additional capital on additional warehouses and associated costs." She added the industry's customary appeal to the chancellor: "The UK government must take these pressures into account when deciding on duty rates in the autumn budget". Ms Betts' predecessor at the Scotch Whisky Association, David Frost, was recently made the lead negotiator for Boris Johnson, in his government's discussions with European institutions and member states. At least he ought to understand the importance of geographical indicators in future trade talks. Engineering - output volume in the negative In further evidence of economic difficulties stemming from Brexit and political uncertainty, the Scottish Engineering trade body reported that most indicators were down in its quarterly survey, with output volume negative for the first time in three years. Export levels were negative, for the first time this year. There has only been one other negative quarter since the end of 2016. That is despite the weakened pound, which ought to make exporting easier. Engineering firms had more positive trends for recruitment, which rose slightly in the most recent quarter - possibly due to vacancies which were going unfilled. The sector was more positive about the coming months. While larger companies were downbeat about orders and employment, others were expecting to see a pick-up in UK orders, export orders and output volume. Paul Sheerin, chief executive of Scottish Engineering, noted that the new UK Cabinet had excluded anyone who was not a firm believer in the values and impact of Brexit. He commented: "Businesses of all sizes up and down the country recognise the danger in forming a management team that lacks diversity of thought or the conviction to challenge internally, and yet this is what have have leading UK plc at a time of unprecedented difficulty, representing an electorate that is deeply divided". The engineering boss said a no-deal Brexit would mean "added costs for zero value" and uncertainty about business sustainability. Among the organisation's members, three in 10 said they depended on non-UK nationals and six in 10 rejected the proposed salary threshold of £30,000 for migrant work permits. Mr Sheerin said: "We are deeply disappointed that the feedback given prior to the (immigration) white paper seems to have been ignored, and this is underlined in 70% of our respondents voicing the need for flexibility in immigration policy which addresses Scotland's unique needs". Deaf ears Earlier this week, responding to the controversy around the tactics being used by the UK government to ensure its Brexit policy is implemented at the end of October, a response came from Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce. She said: "Businesses in Scotland feel as if their pleas for a return to political sanity are falling on deaf ears as this dangerous game of Westminster brinkmanship escalates. "Continuing political turbulence is taking a measurable toll on contracts, on investment decisions and on business confidence. Dr Cameron added: "Government support is essential to creating the right environment for businesses to thrive and this effort is currently, at best, increasingly haphazard." Staunch friend And then there's Ruth Davidson. Business organisations reckoned they had a listening ear in her office. So from the Federation of Small Businesses, there's dismay at the Scottish Tory's leader's departure. Andrew McRae, the Federation's policy chair in Scotland, responded: "It is more than disheartening that Scottish frontline politics is losing a straightforward, pro-business voice like Ruth Davidson's, especially during this period of turmoil. "She has been a staunch friend of the FSB during, and before, her tenure as leader. We fully understand and respect her reasons for stepping back from the forefront of politics, but many will miss her contribution to Scottish public life." And that is a reminder of how things used to be between Tories and business. It's not clear how, how soon, or if, that oft-defining relationship in British politics and its economy will return to business as normal.

ब्रेक्सिट और संवैधानिक संकट के कारण बाजार में अनिश्चितता की स्थिति बनी हुई है, लेकिन व्यापार के लिए लागतें आती रहती हैं, और वे वास्तव में इससे तंग आ रहे हैं। इसमें उतार-चढ़ाव आ रहे हैं। इस साल की शुरुआत में व्हिस्की निर्यात में उछाल आया है। लेकिन ऐसा लगता है कि ब्रेक्सिट के बाद के शुल्कों के मामले में इसका अधिकांश हिस्सा विदेशों में जमा हो रहा था। स्कॉटिश इंजीनियरिंग फर्मों ने मुद्रा में उतार-चढ़ाव के बावजूद निर्यात में गिरावट देखी है। उच्च रोजगार ने अन्य आर्थिक रुझानों और चेतावनियों को पीछे छोड़ दिया है। लेकिन ऐसे संकेत बढ़ रहे हैं कि मजबूत नौकरी के आंकड़े नरम हो रहे हैं।


Not just snowmen: Wintry erections around England

Summary: Snow days, if not spent panic-buying milk, harnessing your neighbour's St Bernard to a sleigh or sliding down a hill on a bin bag, are probably best spent erecting figures - whether they be the traditional carrot-nosed snowman or a more ambitious attempt to sculpt the cast of Game of Thrones chilling out at the Taj Mahal.

Although for most of us, numb icy fingers and wet mittens tend to lead to the abandonment of such projects in favour of a hot drink and a nice sit-down, some determined and hardy souls persevere with their creations. And so we present some of the best snow sculptures from around England. The Tynemouth Lodge Hotel in North Shields has a new (cool) customer. Propped up outside the bar is a bobble-hatted man in white. Member of staff Vette Normanly says: "We made the most of our snow day yesterday, building a new visitor." Not content with just the one snowman, Chris Newson, a former rough-sleeper and now an artist and picture-framer, made four. The figures outside his shop in Leiston, Suffolk, are intended to highlight the plight of homeless people having to face the freezing weather. This splendidly-spined snowbeast - a dinosaur or maybe a dragon - was made by the Tink family in Norwich. Bailey, a pupil at The FitzWimarc School in Essex, made this brilliantly bloody Jaws. Mark Wright from Stockton-on-Tees chiselled the handsome chap above, saying "it's so cold even the polar bears are out", while Laura Hale, from Colchester, created the woodland creatures below. As these pictures demonstrate, snow is also excellent (in the right hands) for moulding buildings and structures. Emma Swarbrick channelled Isambard Kingdom Brunel and produced the Clifton suspension bridge, while a team - yes a team - of architects made a scale model of Norwich Castle. And while we're talking about buildings, here's an igloo that was made in West Mersea in Essex. It took six people, one dog, and multiple cans of beer five hours to make. You can see the whole process (sped up) here. Chandler from Norwich is the creator of this tribute to Denis the French bulldog. Both Denis and this Easter Island head in Shifnal, Shropshire, have a similar expression: Unimpressed. And we finish with a picture of this avant-garde sculpture shared by Sara Bourner who says she's "not sure if 'snowman' accurately describes what my children have created". We're sure she must be very proud.

बर्फ के दिन, अगर घबराहट में दूध खरीदने में नहीं बिताए जाते हैं, तो अपने पड़ोसी के सेंट बर्नार्ड को एक स्लीघ में ले जाना या एक बिन बैग पर एक पहाड़ी से नीचे फिसलना, शायद आकृतियों को खड़ा करने में सबसे अच्छा खर्च किया जाता है-चाहे वे पारंपरिक गाजर-नाक वाले हिममानव हों या ताजमहल में ठंडा होने वाले गेम ऑफ थ्रोन्स के कलाकारों को मूर्तिकला करने का अधिक महत्वाकांक्षी प्रयास।


How apps power Hong Kong's 'leaderless' protests

Summary: In a tiny room on the edge of a nondescript building complex sits an unlikely participant in Hong Kong's protest movement. Behind his laptop computer, Tony (not his real name) monitors scores of groups on private messaging app Telegram and online forums.

By Danny VincentBBC News, Hong Kong Organisers say volunteers like Tony are running hundreds of Telegram groups that are powering Hong Kong's protest turned civil disobedience campaign. They claim that more than two million people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to express opposition to a controversial extradition law. Hong Kong has experienced a series of mass rallies against the proposed law, which critics fear could spell an end to its judicial independence. Protestors expect a large turnout on 1 July, the anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. Real-time voting Many of the calls to protest are made anonymously, on message boards and in group chats on encrypted messaging apps. Some groups have up to 70,000 active subscribers, representing about 1% of Hong Kong's entire population. Many provide updates and first-hand reports relating to the protests, while others act as a crowdsourced lookout for police, warning protestors of nearby activity. There are also smaller groups made up of lawyers, first aiders and medics. They provide legal advice and get supplies to protesters on the front lines. Demonstrators say the online co-ordination of protests offers a convenient and instant way to disseminate information. The chat groups also let participants vote - in real time - to decide the next moves. "They tend to only work when the choices are few or obvious. They do work when the situation lends itself to a black and white vote," Tony explains. On the evening of 21 June, close to 4,000 protesters voted in a Telegram group to determine whether the crowd would return home in the evening or continue to protest outside Hong Kong's police headquarters. Only 39% voted to take the protests to the police headquarters - but there was still a six-hour siege of the building. Other apps and services have also helped the protesters organise their activity. In public areas, posters and banners advertising forthcoming events are spread over Airdrop, which lets people share files with nearby iPhones and iPads. This week, a group of anonymous activists raised more than half a million dollars on a crowdfunding website. They plan to place advertisements in international newspapers calling for Hong Kong's extradition bill to be discussed at the G20 summit. The demonstrators say technology has made this a leaderless protest movement. Hidden identity "The deeper cause is a result of the distrust towards the authorities," said Prof Edmund Cheng, from Hong Kong Baptist University. "Many protest leaders in the Umbrella Movement have been prosecuted and imprisoned," he said, referring to pro-democracy protests in 2014. In April this year, nine leaders of those protests were found guilty of inciting others to cause a public nuisance. "There are several potential charges you could be facing if you were to participate with an obvious organised movement or protest," says Tony. Many of Hong Kong's protesters go to great lengths to avoid leaving a digital footprint. "We are just using cash, we don't even use ATMs during the protest," says Johnny, a 25-year old who has been attending demonstrations with his partner. He uses an old mobile phone and fresh Sim card each time he attends a protest. Another group administrator - who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals - said some people use multiple accounts to hide their online footprint. "Some of us have three or four phones, an iPad, desktops and notebooks. One person can control five or six accounts. People won't know they are the same person and also multiple people use one account," they told the BBC. Protection Tony believes that decision-making via group votes could protect individuals from charges. He argues chat group administrators have no affiliation to political parties and have no control over what members post in their groups. "The government is not going to arrest every single participant in this movement. It is not feasible to do so," he says. But he recognises that law enforcement may pursue other avenues. "They will pick influential targets or opinion leaders and make an example of them so that they could warn off the other participants." On 12 June, one administrator of a Telegram group was arrested for allegedly conspiring with others to storm Hong Kong's law-making complex and barricade the surrounding roads. "They want to let others know that even if you hide on the internet they may still come to arrest you in your home," said Bond Ng, a Hong Kong lawyer who represents several arrested protesters.

एक गैर-वर्णित इमारत परिसर के किनारे पर एक छोटे से कमरे में हांगकांग के विरोध आंदोलन में एक अप्रत्याशित प्रतिभागी बैठता है। अपने लैपटॉप कंप्यूटर के पीछे, टोनी (उसका असली नाम नहीं) निजी मैसेजिंग ऐप टेलिग्राम और ऑनलाइन मंचों पर कई समूहों की निगरानी करता है।


Jersey and Guernsey flights delayed by fog

Summary: More than 40 flights were cancelled in Guernsey on Monday after heavy fog meant they could not take off or land.

The disruption continued on Tuesday but airport director, Colin Le Ray, said he was hopeful conditions would improve. The Jersey Met Office has said hill fog patches were likely on Tuesday and Wednesday across the Channel Islands but that they would clear. Mr Le Ray said they had got 26 flights out but only nine back in on Monday which he said was disappointing. Jersey flights to Southampton and to and from Gatwick were cancelled on Monday due to heavy fog.

सोमवार को ग्वेर्नसे में 40 से अधिक उड़ानें रद्द कर दी गईं क्योंकि भारी कोहरे का मतलब था कि वे उड़ान नहीं भर सकते थे या उतर नहीं सकते थे।


Turkey: IS suspects held after Istanbul suicide bombing

Summary: Dozens of people with suspected links to so-called Islamic State (IS) have been arrested across Turkey following Tuesday's suicide bomb attack in Istanbul that killed at least 11 people including the bomber, officials say.

The death toll among Germans on Wednesday rose from nine to 10 - with five others in intensive care. Three of those held are Russians thought to have contacted IS fighters. The Turkish government has been accused of being slow to act against IS. It is alleged by critics to have been preoccupied by fighting Kurdish rebels, allowing weapons and jihadists to cross the border into Syria. But the authorities insist that all militant groups will be fought with the same resolve. Police operations The bomber has meanwhile been named as 28-year-old Saudi Arabian national Nabil Fadli, who entered Turkey as a migrant. Turkey's government said he was an IS activist based in Syria and part of a wider network. The three Russian nationals arrested in the city of Antalya are reported to have been in contact with IS fighters. They were believed to have been seized along with documents and weapons. About 60 suspects were taken into custody as part of police operations carried out in the provinces of Ankara, Kilis, Sanliurfa, Mersin, and Adana, the Anatolia news agency reported. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that his country would implement tighter security measures in densely-populated areas as a result of the attack. The BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul says that IS has deeply implanted itself into Turkey - Tuesday's attack was the fourth bomb in less than a year blamed on the jihadists. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has meanwhile said there was no suggestion that Tuesday's suicide attack specifically targeted Germans. On Wednesday he visited the site of the blast. Mr de Maiziere's Turkish counterpart Efkan Ala said the suicide bomber was not on any wanted list but had registered with the immigration authorities. Mr Ala said the bomber had been identified by a sample of a finger taken from the blast site. He said nearly 36,000 people from 124 countries were now on Turkey's no-entry list. Hurriyet Daily News on Wednesday published what it said was a CCTV image of the bomber on Wednesday. It also reported that Germany has sent a team of specialist investigators to probe the attack. Meanwhile tour guide Sibel Satiroglu described the moment the bomber detonated himself after merging into a group of German tourists visiting the Obelisk of Theodosius, one of the Istanbul's most popular attractions. She described hearing the clicking sound of the bomb being prepared for detonation by a young bearded man who looked like a Turk. She said he had an innocent face and was wearing modern clothes. "I saw the young man pull the pin and I shouted 'Run!' in German, Then we started to run away, and the bomb instantly exploded." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that his country was now the "top target for all terrorist groups in the region". Germany currently provides the largest number of tourists visiting Turkey. Turkish media reaction to the bombing Hurriyet: "How many 'sleepers' have been dispersed to the cities of our country under cover of Syrian refugees? It is as if we are sitting on a bomb ready to explode and the main reason for that is nothing other than turning a blind eye to these jihadists." Yeni Safak: "Targeting Turkey's most important tourist centre is a new type of act... It is a strategic point [by the jihadists] to ensure their message is heard around the world." Sozcu: "We used to watch the terror attacks and explosions in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan in dismay; now we are stuck in the middle of dismay!... The government is no longer capable of providing security for life and property." Milliyet: "There is a message [in the bombings] to foreigners from the Jihadists that we will hit you not only in your own country but also in another country as well. The aim is to create an atmosphere saying do not come to Turkey - Turkey is dangerous." Sabah: "We have more experienced and better equipped security forces against those who are trying to make Turkey look like Iraq or Syria... Those who see terror, violence and bombs as legitimate tools of politics will remain marginal today as always." Turkey violence: How dangerous is instability? Turkey v Islamic State v the Kurds: What's going on?

अधिकारियों का कहना है कि इस्तांबुल में मंगलवार के आत्मघाती बम हमले के बाद तथाकथित इस्लामिक स्टेट (आईएस) से संदिग्ध संबंधों वाले दर्जनों लोगों को पूरे तुर्की में गिरफ्तार किया गया है, जिसमें हमलावर सहित कम से कम 11 लोग मारे गए थे।


Man charged with murder over Northampton pub attack death

Summary: A man has appeared in court charged with murder after another man died following an attack in a pub.

Glenn Davies, 25, from Northampton, died after being assaulted at The Old Bank pub in St Giles Square on Saturday night, police said. Michael Taiwo, 22, from The Mounts area of the town, appeared at Northampton Magistrate's Court charged with murder. He was remanded in custody and is due at Northampton Crown Court on 2 September.

एक पब में हमले के बाद एक अन्य व्यक्ति की मौत के बाद एक व्यक्ति हत्या के आरोप में अदालत में पेश हुआ है।


Motion tabled over Isle of Man breast cancer surgeon

Summary: An MHK has tabled a motion for debate in Tynwald in an attempt to stop a breast cancer surgeon being replaced by a general surgeon in the Isle of Man.

The proposal has proved controversial with some saying the specialist, a locum, should be retained. East Douglas MHK Brenda Cannell has written to Health Minister David Anderson, asking for plans to be put on hold pending the outcome of the debate. Mr Anderson faced criticism at a meeting to discuss the plans on Monday. He said the plans would still go ahead despite the opposition. He told the meeting the department's plans would mean breast care on the island would be enhanced. He said the department planned to introduce a "sentinel node biopsy service", which reduces the amount of tissue which has to be examined to see if a cancer has spread, and to introduce a planned breast reconstruction service. In a short letter, Ms Cannell urged him to "respect the position of Tynwald Court in this very important matter, before taking any further action in relation to the appointment of this person".

एक एम. एच. के. ने आइल ऑफ मैन में एक स्तन कैंसर सर्जन को एक सामान्य सर्जन द्वारा प्रतिस्थापित किए जाने को रोकने के प्रयास में टिनवाल्ड में बहस के लिए एक प्रस्ताव पेश किया है।


All systems go as Russia's Soyuz aims to erase space failures

Summary: Soyuz launch number 138 should be as routine as it gets for space flight. The next crew are due to lift off on Monday heading for the International Space Station (ISS) from the same launch pad Yury Gagarin used in 1961 on his historic first flight into orbit.

By Sarah RainsfordBBC News, Moscow But two months ago an accident on the last Soyuz launch sent the Russian and American astronauts hurtling back to Earth. Shortly before that, the crew on the ISS had discovered a mysterious hole - located after air pressure on the Station began to drop, and successfully plugged. Both incidents have raised questions about the state of Russia's space industry - once the great pride of a Superpower - and the future of cosmic co-operation with the US. Investigators have pinned the blame for the failed launch on a faulty sensor on the Soyuz. The head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, told the BBC it was damaged during assembly when "two cranes collided". "Our task is to take steps to ensure that doesn't happen again," said Dmitry Rogozin. He and his Nasa counterparts say they are confident in the coming mission. Who's on board Expedition 58? Some here warn that Russia's problems run deeper, though. Who is to blame for space failures? "[The failed launch] is a terrible blow to Russia's space industry and to the authorities," argues space expert Pavel Luzin. "Two emergencies in a short time means something is going wrong." Mr Luzin says Moscow ranks its space programme alongside its nuclear arsenal and seat on the UN Security Council as things that grant Vladimir Putin's Russia the "great power" status it craves. But the accident, and the unexplained hole on the ISS, sparked reports of low salaries and minimal motivation in the country's space sector, which remains entirely state-run and funded. "There's a major gap between the bosses' salaries and the general engineers, which doesn't help ensure conscientious work," Ivan Moiseyev, head of the Space Policy Institute in Moscow, points out. The Roscosmos boss even called it an "open question" whether the damage to the Soyuz during assembly was an act of sabotage. "It probably wasn't," Mr Rogozin said. "But we have to check." He raised similar questions about the two-millimetre-wide hole found on the ISS, which Russia concluded was drilled by a "shaking hand". In a sign of the tense political climate, the space chief argued that "deliberate interference in space" could not be ruled out. One newspaper reported that, behind closed doors, Roscosmos was actually blaming the American astronauts on the ISS for making the hole. Will US-Russia relations survive in space? In public both sides have been oozing positivity. "We have full trust in each other. That's the only way it can be when we're sending our guys and gals into orbit," the Roscomos chief told the BBC at an event to mark 20 years of the ISS. "Thank goodness the political winds don't touch us," Dmitry Rogozin added. "The outside environment I don't think can understand… that there is trust in this sea of other noise," Nasa's William Gerstenmaier echoed him. Scepticism is certainly strong here. With US-Russia relations sorely strained by allegations of election meddling and the crisis in Ukraine, industry observers say professions of friendship and trust are largely "polite diplomacy". The Space Station remains a powerful, and increasingly rare, symbol of collaboration. But it is set to end operations in 2024. "The politics won't affect work on the ISS, but future projects are very unlikely on the same scale," Ivan Moiseyev believes. A role for Russia on Nasa's Lunar Gateway is still under discussion: Moscow isn't happy at taking a bit-part in the American-led project to orbit the moon. "For the scientists, the best thing would be to keep the ISS going as long as possible. But it's the politicians who give the money and they're the ones with the problems," Mr Moiseyev reasons. Russia is still talking like a space superpower. Dmitry Rogozin insists its heavy rocket Angara will launch, although the date has now slipped to 2028; with it, Russia has grand plans to colonise the moon. It also has a long record of failing to follow through on pronouncements. One thing Moscow can boast of: the Soyuz spacecraft is currently the only way to launch crews into orbit, since the US ended its Shuttle programme in 2011. "We're confident in this vehicle; they figured out quickly what happened and why and how to prevent it again," Nasa's Anne McClain told a huddle of journalists. She then climbed into a Soyuz simulator for a final skills test ahead of her maiden flight. But like the ISS, that co-operation with Moscow is finite. Nasa expects crewed test flights of the two US commercial spacecraft under development next year. "Why would Americans and Europeans need to co-operate with Russia then?" Pavel Luzin asks. "They don't want to depend on Russia. That's the political challenge for us."

सोयुज प्रक्षेपण संख्या 138 उतनी ही नियमित होनी चाहिए जितनी इसे अंतरिक्ष उड़ान के लिए मिलती है। अगले चालक दल को सोमवार को उसी प्रक्षेपण पैड यूरी गगारिन से अंतर्राष्ट्रीय अंतरिक्ष स्टेशन (आई. एस. एस.) के लिए रवाना होना है जिसका उपयोग 1961 में कक्षा में अपनी ऐतिहासिक पहली उड़ान में किया गया था।


MP Jess Phillips' Birmingham office disturbance: Man charged

Summary: A 36-year-old man has been charged with a public order offence after a disturbance outside an MP's office.

Police were called to MP Jess Phillips' constituency office in Acocks Green, Birmingham, at about 14:30 BST on Thursday. Michael Roby, of Vimy Road, in Birmingham's Hall Green area - outside of Ms Phillips' Yardley constituency - has been released on conditional bail. He is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 10 October. Mr Roby was also arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis but West Midlands Police said there would be no further action on this. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.

एक सांसद के कार्यालय के बाहर अशांति के बाद एक 36 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर सार्वजनिक व्यवस्था के उल्लंघन का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Nicki Minaj Saudi gig prompts confusion online

Summary: Nicki Minaj has been announced as a headline act for a music festival in Saudi Arabia, prompting confusion on social media over how her typically revealing outfits and explicit lyrics would go over in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

The rapper will perform at the Jeddah World Fest on 18 July. The concert is the latest example of the kingdom loosening restrictions on entertainment and encouraging the growth of the arts sector. "Nicki Minaj" trended on Twitter on Wednesday as people reacted to the announcement. "Imagine waking up from a three year coma and the first thing you hear is Nicki Minaj [is] opening a musical festival in Saudi Arabia, I'd honestly think I woke up in some parallel universe," one person wrote. Another questioned if the event organisers had Googled the performer prior to booking her. "No one in Saudi Arabia googled Nicki Minaj did they?" tweeted Kabir Taneja. Not all the reaction was as light-hearted. One Twitter user wrote that Minaj's performance would be inappropriate, given its proximity to Mecca - Islam's holiest city. In a video posted on Twitter, a woman wearing a headscarf questioned why the authorities were welcoming the rapper, while requiring Saudi women wear the abaya - a long loose-fitting robe used to cover their bodies in public. "She's going to go and shake her ass and all her songs are indecent and about sex and shaking ass," she said. "And then you tell me to wear the abaya. What the hell?" Others suggested the singer's decision to perform in the country was hypocritical, contrasting her appearances at gay pride events with the Kingdom's stance on homosexuality. Homosexuality is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. Minaj is not the first performer to cause controversy by accepting an invitation to perform in Saudi Arabia. Mariah Carey defied calls from human rights activists to cancel her performance in the kingdom, while rapper Nelly came under fire for performing a "men only" concert. The recent loosening of restrictions on many forms of entertainment is part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious plan to diversify the country's economy. Turki Al al-Sheikh, the head of the General Entertainment Authority, set out his vision for the future of the Saudi entertainment industry in a tweet in January. "God willing, the focus in entertainment in the next phase would be on events, circus performances, mobile theme parks, plays and programmes to develop young men and women and to support national entertainment companies," he wrote.

निकी मिनाज को सऊदी अरब में एक संगीत समारोह के लिए एक हेडलाइन एक्ट के रूप में घोषित किया गया है, जिससे सोशल मीडिया पर इस बात पर भ्रम पैदा हो गया है कि उनके आम तौर पर खुलासा करने वाले परिधान और स्पष्ट गीत अति-रूढ़िवादी राज्य में कैसे चलते हैं।


Covid in Kenya: The woman who refuses to be defeated by the virus

Summary: At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Josephine Muchilwa was working as a cook, but like many others in Kenya and around the world, she lost her job. Over the past year, BBC World Service Business Daily presenter Ed Butler has been hearing how she has coped.

"I don't have any job, I don't have a life, I don't have any food for my kids." The stark reality contained in Josephine's description of the impact of coronavirus containment measures imposed a year ago struck home. Just days after the government had announced tough curfew measures to restrict the spread of Covid-19, this single mother, living in the overcrowded Nairobi neighbourhood of Kibera, set out the plight that so many were suddenly facing. Her low-paid job in the kitchen of a local school went when pupils were told to study at home. She was left wondering how she was going to feed her family of four children. "I'm just bargaining with God," the 31 year old told Business Daily. "I don't know what to do." But after hearing about her plight, a couple of generous listeners stepped in with a donation. It was not a huge amount - about $150 (£110) - but it was enough to allow Josephine to launch herself into a fruit and vegetable business. Travelling by bus to a big wholesale market in the centre of Kenya's capital, she bought 25kg sacks of onions, tomatoes and more, bringing them back to Kibera where she began renting a small, wooden kiosk. Josephine then started sending regular audio diaries from her one-room, mud-walled shack about her efforts to make the business work. This was happening just as Kibera, which is a giant informal settlement in the heart of Nairobi, was being plunged into crisis. Since most Kiberans work as housemaids, cleaners or drivers, they were disproportionately hit by the economic slowdown, as their wealthier employees asked them to stay away for fear they would bring infection. 'The children can eat' Nevertheless, at first, seemingly against the odds, Josephine appeared to be making it work. She would get eight, maybe 10 customers a day. "At least today I received a profit of 170 shillings ($1.50)," she told me in one conversation last May. "The children are fine, they're happy, at least they eat." But she was always battling the odds. Josephine had no experience as a businesswoman, the district was under curfew, there were regular and violent police raids on anyone caught out after the restrictions came in and travel outside the city limits was outlawed altogether. Plus she had her four children to mind and there was growing criminality and fear of sexual violence in the slum. "The rape cases are increasing," she said. "If I leave the children alone anyone can come in and do anything to them." And also, few people now had any income to pay for what she was selling. Her neighbours like her were out of work, living off what savings they had. Then disaster really struck. Josephine contracted malaria and she had to borrow money for the treatment from a local money lender. Rising private debt like this seems to be widespread in the informal settlements. One local pawnbroker, called Rodgers, told the BBC that he had run out of money to lend, such was the demand for his services. Many were unable to repay the loans, he said, so he was selling on the household goods that they provided as security. For her part, Josephine had nothing to trade. Kiosk crushed To this day she fears that her unpaid loans, amounting to some $30, could land her in serious trouble. The prospect of repaying her loans became ever more distant when in June last year, government bulldozers ploughed through the part of Kibera where her food kiosk had stood. They were making way for a new railway development, they said. The government claimed owners had been given plenty of warning. But as a tenant, Josephine said she had no idea. Adding to the tragedy was that she had just put in a large amount of stock, which was crushed along with the timber structure. Once again, she was broke and her dream of making it as a businesswoman was at an end. "That day I really cried - almost three days. I feel so painful. I was not able even to eat. And when I look at my life situation now, it became so hard." The pandemic itself has hit millions in Kenya and beyond in this way, it seems. Officially there have been about 2,100 Covid deaths in Kenya although some experts believe the real figure could be much higher than that. But for people in Kibera, there is a sense that their communities have been disproportionately hit by the government's anti-Covid restrictions, and that police action to enforce the rules has often been violent and high-handed. "These people who live [on] under $2 a day, they know if you get sick, you're gonna get dead," says Kennedy Odede, a Kibera-born activist, and founder of the local Shining Hope charity. "We want the government to make sure that the slums are their priority, to ensure we have roads, good health care, clean water." But the government is not about to lift restrictions. Last month, the nationwide night-time curfew was extended amidst alarming evidence of a third wave of Covid infections. A year after the first outbreak of the disease, Josephine continues to struggle. She still doesn't have a regular source of income, and her children are having to live off a single bowl of porridge a day. "One day I dream of being a doctor," her eldest daughter, 11-year-old Shamim told me. "Today I dream of food." Josephine has managed to get occasional jobs as a cleaner, but one woman, she told me, has not yet paid her for three days work. More on coronavirus in Kenya: But thanks to the Shining Hope charity, a new chapter in her life could start soon. She is retraining as a seamstress, in order to get piecework which experienced co-workers claim can earn them several dollars a day. Even though the lessons of the last 12 months have been extremely hard, Josephine remains stubbornly hopeful that she and the children will emerge stronger as a result of what they have suffered.

कोरोनावायरस महामारी की शुरुआत में, जोसेफिन मुचिल्वा एक रसोइये के रूप में काम कर रही थी, लेकिन केन्या और दुनिया भर में कई अन्य लोगों की तरह, उसने अपनी नौकरी खो दी। पिछले एक साल से, बीबीसी वर्ल्ड सर्विस बिजनेस डेली के प्रस्तुतकर्ता एड बटलर सुन रहे हैं कि उसने कैसे सामना किया है।


Anti-social commuters: Your tales of bad travel etiquette

Summary: Returning to work after a blissful Bank Holiday can be tiresome enough without being faced with your fellow commuters' annoying habits. Here are some of our readers' tales of irksome travel etiquette.

The nail clippers Simon Johns was once two seats away from a man who decided the London Underground was the perfect place to trim his toenails. "As we left Euston, the shoes came off, then the socks, then out came the clippers," said the 50-year-old from London. "Shards of toenail were sent pinging around the carriage - those in the vicinity were fairly appalled, but London being London no-one said a thing." Elizabeth Morfakis, 23, from Norfolk, was on a bus in London with a friend when "a clipping landed right near us". "We looked at each other in a confused and mildly disgusted way but didn't say anything," she said. "The passenger got off at the next stop seemingly without a care in the world, leaving a small gift of clippings scattered around the area they'd been sat in for other lucky passengers to enjoy." Andrew Randle, 45, from Berkshire was on a Waterloo to Reading train when he heard the "clicking and occasional pinging noises" of another travel trimmer. "Another passenger noticed him, she was equally perplexed - and the look between us before I left was one of joint incredulity and bemusement," he said. The talkers Jessica Cavanagh, 20, said she hated people who spoke loudly about personal matters on her rail commute between Leicester and Birmingham. "I don't need to know about what your dog's poo looked like this morning," she said. Steve White said he confronted a man who spent 45 minutes talking on two mobile phones while facing a quiet sign. "He was totally indignant and really quite abusive saying I had no right to ask him to shut up and he was not harming anyone," said the 52-year-old from Manchester. "He did eventually stop making calls but only after a further few minutes. I think he was trying to prove a point. He did. He proved an inability to read and to consider anyone except himself." The eaters David Thornton, 60, from west Somerset, said he was irritated by food aromas, even those from sushi. "Perhaps one of the most interesting meals was a girl in the seat opposite who, immediately after the train started to move out of the station, decided to open her pre-packed mixed sushi delight and for the next hour or so picked slowly at the decomposing raw fish," he said. Helen Williams, 26, from Manchester said: "A woman sat next to me, opened a family tray of supermarket cold water prawns and ate the whole packet with her fingers. No shame." Rob Boyd, 49, from London, said he could not deal with "the chap who eats his muesli out of a Tupperware tub, ritually between Clapham and Vauxhall each morning slurping it really loudly". "It's gross and he never seems to finish it all," he added. You may also like: The make-uppers People doing their make up on the train is a regular source of complaint. Michael Boyd, 61, said he had been dusted with face powder by nearby make-uppers. "I have also been sprayed in the face as a lady squirted perfume on to her neck," he said. "I coughed very loudly... and she scowled at me." One anonymous woman, who works for a train operator, said she had seen full makeovers on her journeys around the West Midlands. She watched a woman spend 30 minutes applying make-up. "[She] proceeded to do a full-on application of foundation, blending away merrily, followed by contouring, lip liner, lip colour, eye shadow, eye liner, eyelashes, then a final flourish of powder all over the face - to set it in place I assume. "Some of the other passengers were looking quite bemused, others just a glance - so clearly totally normal for their journey." The woman who works for a train operator said she had also seen "a middle aged lady get the nail polish out and proceed to not only give her fingernails a good top up but also add a layer to her toenails as well". "It has become the norm to bring bathroom habits to the train journey to presumably snatch a few extra minutes sleep in the morning," she said. The recliners "Feet on seats is never, ever acceptable," said Phil Dibbs, from North Yorkshire. "I always ask people to put their feet down." "Part of it is seat blocking and part of it is a lack of respect. It's a complete disregard of other people." Martin Officer said it was "totally selfish" and annoyed him "particularly as they would never do it at home". Other bug bears from readers included putting bags or dogs on seats, sitting in other people's reserved seats and people parking themselves next to the aisle when the window seat is vacant.

एक आनंदमय बैंक अवकाश के बाद काम पर लौटना आपके साथी यात्रियों की परेशान करने वाली आदतों का सामना किए बिना काफी थकाऊ हो सकता है। यहाँ हमारे पाठकों की कुछ परेशान करने वाली यात्रा शिष्टाचार की कहानियाँ हैं।


US election 2016: The 40-year hurt

Summary: The London-based American writer and broadcaster Michael Goldfarb is frequently asked on air why this year's US election has turned out to be so unusual, and whether insurgent Republican candidate Donald Trump can really win. He has to give a short answer. The long answer, he argues here, involves going back 40 years.

Bruce Springsteen is coming to London with the River tour. At £170 for the cheapest pair, I can't afford to see the Boss any more, even if my body could handle standing on Wembley Stadium's pitch for three-and-a-half-hours in an early June drizzle. It's interesting that Springsteen is re-exploring The River album again. Whenever the anger that simmers in America erupts and reminds the rest of the world that the country is troubled, he seems to be the cultural figure whose work offers an explanation. In late 1986, midway through Ronald Reagan's second term of office, with the twin scourges of Aids and crack racing through American cities and New Deal ideas of economic and social fairness consumed by the Bonfire of the Vanities taking place on Wall Street, Britain's Guardian newspaper ran an editorial that said, "for good or ill, [America] is becoming a much more foreign land". I had just celebrated my first anniversary as an expat in London and wrote an essay trying to explain what America was like away from the places Guardian readers knew. I described the massive population dislocations that followed the long recession that had begun in the mid-70s. I referenced Springsteen. The piece ran under the headline "Torn in the USA". Now America is going through even worse ructions. But there is nothing fundamentally new. What we are seeing is the continuation of a disintegration that began 40 years ago around the time Springsteen was writing the title song of the album. The River, which came out in 1980, was very much about guys trying to kick back at father time and stave off the inevitable arrival of life's responsibilities - wife, kids, job, mortgage - and the equally probable onset of life's disappointments in wife, kids, job, mortgage, and in oneself. The title track is a long, mournful story about that process and the narrator's desire to reconnect to the person he was when younger and full of hope. "I come from down in the valley / Where mister, when you're young / They bring you up to do/like your daddy done…" The key point is being brought up to be like your father. Work the same job, carry yourself in the same way, do the right thing. In the song, this tie that binds is seen as restricting the choices you can make in life. Your daddy worked in a steel mill, you will work in a steel mill, or on the line at River Rouge, or down a mine. Today, what wouldn't many of us give for the economic and social stability that gave resonance to Springsteen's lyrics? A union job, 30 years of work, a pension. Sounds sweet. The narrator of the song goes on to tell us, "I got a job working construction at the Johnstown company / but lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy." Springsteen based the song on the struggle of his brother-in-law to stay employed during the bleak days after the Oil Shock of 1973: a half-decade of inflation and economic stagnation. At the time this stagflation was seen as a cyclical event; the economy would rebound soon. It would be boom time for all. The economy did rebound, but then went into recession in 1982, and rebounded and went into recession at regular intervals, until the near-death experience of 2007/2008. But very few people understood that an epochal change had taken place in the American economy. GDP would grow. Income wouldn't. Median salaried workers' wages stagnated. Those working low-wage jobs saw their incomes decline. As for job security, a perfect storm of automation, declining union power, and free-trade agreements put an end to that. People who had been brought up to do as their parents had done wouldn't be able to do those things, they wouldn't even be able to live in the valley or towns surrounding the factories because there was very little work. A great migration south-east and south-west got underway, although "great diffusion" would be just as accurate a phrase. How much does it hurt to leave the certainty in which you were raised, the community of family and church and friends who have known you forever? You go 500 or 1,000 miles south and live in an exurb built at the junction of an interstate in the middle of nowhere and have to work very hard to create that same sense of community. You find a job, but unlike your daddy's job it isn't unionised, you work for less and you have very little security. When the economy slows, you know your job is at risk. America grows richer for some but not for you. That hurts. This is what I wrote about in 1986 for the Guardian. In the autumn of 1992, when I had lived in the UK for seven years, the BBC World Service sent me back to the US to do a little reporting on the country in advance of the election. In a cafe in rural Maine, completely by chance, I ran into people whose lives were still upended two decades after the oil shock. There were people in their forties who could not live as their parents had done be-cause the Great Inflation of the 1970s had permanently eroded the value of their salaries. There were people in their late sixties who found that their retirement savings had disappeared on day three of cancer treatment. They wanted someone to bear witness to their calamities. More from the Magazine Many people are not only angry, they are angrier than they were a year ago - particularly Republicans (61%) and white people (54%) but also 42% of Democrats, 43% of Latinos and 33% of African Americans. Candidates have sensed the mood and are adopting the rhetoric. Donald Trump, who has arguably tapped into voters' frustration better than any other candidate, says he is "very, very angry" and will "gladly accept the mantle of anger" while rival Republican Ben Carson says he has encountered "many Americans who are discouraged and angry as they watch the American dream slipping away". Why are Americans so angry? The following year, in 1993, I drove around the Midwest for the BBC to see if the election of Bill Clinton had changed things. It hadn't. The hurt was more on the surface if anything. In Cape Girardeau, Missouri, I met a high school principal, who was conservative and evangelical and hurting because a ballot initiative that would have raised property taxes a fraction of a cent to raise money to rebuild his dilapidated school and buy new text books had been voted down. He thought he was part of a community and had been shocked by the selfishness that vote demonstrated. He had recently retired. There had been epic floods that year along the Mississippi. We walked down by the river and he pointed across to the Illinois shore where the flood waters had yet to recede. The principal told me, "Sometimes, I can't see where the river is going." That was almost a quarter of a century ago. A lot of people still can't see which way the river is flowing: they want someone to do, whatever it takes to make the hurt go away. In the last decade more people have joined the hurt club, and now, increasingly, it's the professional classes. We know the pain of looking at our children and saying, what I had when I was your age I can't give you. When I am asked to explain the Trump phenomenon on BBC radio and television, I know I don't have to teach this history. I have to stay focused on the day's events and explain a bit about the vagaries of the primary process. I have to bullet-point data: the polls, the employment figures, the wage stagnation. I have to throw the story forward because incredulous presenters end each interview by asking, "But can Trump win?" And I think to myself there is no way to explain in a brief interview the power of the 40-year hurt in shaping American society. There is no number or data set that can measure its pain. At the end of the River, Bruce writes, "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true/or is it something worse?" Forty years of hurt have driven some people to answer Springsteen's question, that the American dream is something worse than a lie, and from that bleak answer they are looking for a political leader who echoes their anger. So my answer to presenters' questions whether Trump can win, is now and was before the primaries started: "Yes." Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

लंदन स्थित अमेरिकी लेखक और प्रसारक माइकल गोल्डफार्ब से अक्सर ऑन एयर पूछा जाता है कि इस साल का अमेरिकी चुनाव इतना असामान्य क्यों निकला है, और क्या विद्रोही रिपब्लिकन उम्मीदवार डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प वास्तव में जीत सकते हैं। उन्हें एक छोटा सा जवाब देना होगा। उनका तर्क है कि लंबे जवाब में, 40 साल पीछे जाना शामिल है।


Kent boat migrants: Man charged after 27 migrants cross channel

Summary: A 31-year-old man has been charged with an immigration offence over the arrival of 27 migrants who crossed the Channel in two dinghies.

Sarbast Mohammad Hama, of no fixed abode, is charged with conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. The allegations relate to two boats, one on Christmas Day 2018 and another on 27 March, which were intercepted by Border Force off the Kent coast. He has been remanded in custody to appear at Lewes Crown Court on 15 May. On Christmas Day, 13 people were picked up off the coast of Deal, while 14 people, including two children, were stopped in a boat near Folkestone on 27 March. At least 457 people, including 35 children, have crossed the Channel in small boats since 3 November 2018.

दो डिंगियों में चैनल पार करने वाले 27 प्रवासियों के आगमन पर एक 31 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर आप्रवासन अपराध का आरोप लगाया गया है।