Kids Company warned its closure could cause 'rioting'

Summary: As central government, local authorities and charities pick up the pieces of Kids Company, the charity which collapsed insolvent in early August, new details are emerging of the discussions that preceded the Cabinet Office paying a controversial £3m grant to the charity in late July - just days before it closed its doors.

Chris CookPolicy editor, Newsnight BBC Newsnight and BuzzFeed News have learned of a document, emailed to civil servants in the name of Alan Yentob, chair of the charity's trustees, on 2 June. It warned that a sudden closure of the charity would mean a "high risk of arson attacks on government buildings". The document also warned of a high risk of "looting" and "rioting", and cautioned that the "communities" served by Kids Company could "descend into savagery". The document was written in language that civil servants across government described as "absurd", "hysterical" and "extraordinary". The document was the first part of the case made by Kids Company, which sought to help young people up to the age of 24, for the £3m grant. It was part of a proposal that the financially troubled charity should be restructured into a much smaller "child wellbeing hub", which could survive on a smaller income. The Cabinet Office has acknowledged receiving a copy of the document, which was also sent to at least two London local authorities. The central government department has, however, declined to comment beyond noting that this document was not the basis upon which the charity was given the £3m grant. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mr Yentob, also the BBC's creative director, said: "The document... was an appendix written by the Safeguarding Team, who set out all the potential risks to be taken into account in the event of closure." 'High risks' attached to closure The document sent to the Cabinet Office said: "We have created a structure which acts as a substitute parent and extended family. The endings of these relationships will be therefore potentially equivalent to death of the primary care giver i.e. a mother, a father and/or the whole extended family within a biological familial structure. "The impact of such termination will be devastating for each child in their own way. In our scenario, these children will have no emergency aid agency or rescue team set up for them to acknowledge the turmoil closure will bring for them." After explaining the potential trauma for clients, the document then went on to list "risks posed to the public", saying there was a "high risk" of looting, rioting and arson attacks on government buildings. The same section also listed "increases" in knife and gun crime, neglect, starvation and modern-day slavery as possible dangers. The document also says: "We are... concerned that these children and families will be left without services in situations of sexual, psychological or emotional abuse, neglect and malnutrition and facing homelessness and further destitution." It continued: "Our cause for concern is not hypothetical, but based on a deep understanding of the socio-psychological background that these children operate within. We know that the referrals will not get picked up and be dealt with. We know that there are not enough voluntary agencies equipped or staffed to deal with the challenging behaviour that our client group possesses. "Without a functioning space for hope, positivity and genuine care, these communities will descend into savagery due to sheer desperation for basic needs to be met." Local authority officials and councillors have expressed anger and bemusement at this claim, in particular. The £3m question MPs expect a formal investigation into the £3m disbursal to the charity. The money was received by the charity less than a week before its sudden closure on 5 August. This grant was paid against the advice of the department's lead civil servant. Richard Heaton, the Cabinet Office permanent secretary, sought a "ministerial direction" - a means of registering his dissent - at the payment over concerns about the charity's management. He wrote a letter setting out his concerns, based in part on Kids Company's failure to meet conditions attached to a grant of £4.3m paid in April. Oliver Letwin and Matthew Hancock, ministers at the Cabinet Office, decided to give the money to the charity despite Mr Heaton's misgivings. But as BBC Newsnight and BuzzFeed News revealed in July, they demanded that Camila Batmanghelidjh, the charity's chief executive, step down from her role as a condition of the payment. Officials now expect to recover only £1.8m - a loss of £1.2m which, according to internal emails from the charity, prolonged the life of the charity by just five working days. Bigger questions to answer Officials in central and local government have also told BBC Newsnight and BuzzFeed News that they have been taken aback by the difficulty in establishing how much work the charity actually did. The organisation had claimed to "intensively" help 18,000 young people and to "reach" 36,000. The charity also said that its records showed that it supported 15,933 young people. Speaking to Radio 4's The Report on August 5, Ms Batmanghelidjh had said that the figure of 15,933 represented "the most high-risk group of kids, that's what's sucking up all our money". All of these clients, she said, had "keyworkers" allocated to them. However, the charity has handed over records to local government relating to just 1,692 clients in London, of which the charity had designated 331 as "high-risk". Officials in Bristol have been given details of a further 175 clients. Ms Batmanghelidjh has told The Sunday Times that she has kept back some records of clients who are at risk of deportation. Mr Yentob, in his statement, added: "Despite the support of local authorities, many of those who received support and refuge from Kids Company remain at risk. The welfare and safety of both the young people and the communities in which they live continues to be of great concern." Investigations by MPs and the National Audit Office are now expected into the Cabinet Office's decisions. Meanwhile, the Charity Commission is looking into Kids Company's management and governance, while the Metropolitan Police is also conducting an investigation involving the charity. Their inquiry is being led by the complex case team of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

जैसे ही केंद्र सरकार, स्थानीय अधिकारी और धर्मार्थ संगठन किड्स कंपनी के टुकड़ों को उठाते हैं, चैरिटी जो अगस्त की शुरुआत में दिवालिया हो गई थी, कैबिनेट कार्यालय द्वारा जुलाई के अंत में चैरिटी को एक विवादास्पद £3 मिलियन अनुदान का भुगतान करने से पहले की चर्चाओं के बारे में नए विवरण सामने आ रहे हैं।


Kent prisoner missing from HMP Standford Hill is found

Summary: A man who absconded from a prison and was the third to go missing in a week has been found and taken into custody, Kent Police have said.

Paul Stone, 36, who comes from the Medway area, failed to return to HMP Standford Hill, in Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, on Monday. He was being sought by police after absconding from the prison between 08:00 and 12:15 GMT, officers said. The force said on Wednesday he had been found and taken into custody. Two other male prisoners who escaped from the jail last Wednesday are still at large, police said.

केंट पुलिस ने कहा है कि एक व्यक्ति जो जेल से फरार हो गया था और एक सप्ताह में लापता होने वाला तीसरा व्यक्ति था, उसे पाया गया है और हिरासत में ले लिया गया है।


Apple agrees to settle e-book price-fixing dispute

Summary: Apple has agreed an out-of-court settlement in a case in which it was being sued by consumers who overpaid for e-books due to price-fixing between the tech giant and publishers.

A court document filed in New York says a "binding agreement" has been reached. The amount of compensation offered by Apple is not revealed, but the litigants were thought to have been seeking up to $840m (£495m). Apple has consistently denied any wrongdoing over e-book pricing. The impending trial, in which 33 US states and territories were seeking reparations from Apple on behalf of their citizens, was linked to a separate ruling last year, where a judge said Apple had violated anti-trust laws by striking deals to enable them to charge a higher price for some e-books in its online store. As well as the authorities taking action, several individuals from across the US were also seeking compensation for overpaying in their e-book purchases. The allegation was that Apple, a distributor of e-books, had illegally conspired with five of the biggest publishers to stop Amazon - a dominant force in the market - selling titles at a loss. Previously, publishers had sold e-books to distributors at a wholesale price, with retailers such as Amazon and Apple able to set their own sale prices. But the court case heard that the publishers (Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Group (USA) Inc, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster Inc) had agreed with Apple to move to an "agency model," in which the publishers agree a minimum retail price with distributors, thus preventing them from offering titles at a loss. However Apple denied that it was involved in price-fixing, accusing plaintiffs of "false accusations", and is in the process of challenging last July's ruling. The publishers agreed to pay more than $166m to settle charges brought against them. The out-of-court settlement marks an about-turn from Apple, whose chief executive, Tim Cook, had previously dismissed the idea of reaching an agreement. The firm declined to comment on the decision. Any deal is subject to the outcome of Apple's appeal of last year's case.

ऐप्पल ने एक मामले में अदालत के बाहर समझौता करने पर सहमति व्यक्त की है जिसमें उन उपभोक्ताओं द्वारा मुकदमा चलाया जा रहा था जिन्होंने तकनीकी दिग्गज और प्रकाशकों के बीच मूल्य निर्धारण के कारण ई-पुस्तकों के लिए अधिक भुगतान किया था।


Where new dads are encouraged to take months off work

Summary: In some countries the idea of paternity leave - when a father takes time off work to stay at home with a new child - has yet to take hold. In Sweden, which has been encouraging fathers to take paternity leave since 1974, there is now a new incentive for them to spend a full three months at home.

By Andrea RangecroftStockholm "It took 20 minutes to get the kids into their winter clothes this morning," says Fredrik Casservik (above), putting his son, Elton, into a high chair. Next to him, another dad, Rikard Barthon, agrees. "It's the worst time of year," he says, as he carefully helps his 16-month-old daughter, Juni, out of her padded onesie. The two dads are in a suburban cafe in southern Stockholm drinking coffee and sharing cinnamon buns with their children. They discuss how to spend the afternoon while their toddlers wave enthusiastically at two more small children at the next table. Groups of fathers lunching together surrounded by toddlers or pushing prams through parks are not an uncommon sight in Sweden. In 1974, the country was the first in the world to replace maternity leave with parental leave, giving both partners the chance of time at home with their children. "It's a very strong tradition here," says Roger Klinth, a researcher and senior lecturer in gender studies at Linkoping University. "That all political parties voted for it in 1974, was a clear signal from the state that men and women should have the same status as parents and that one gender shouldn't take main responsibility." The idea was that couples got six months' leave per child with each parent entitled to half the days each. However, men had the option of signing their days over to the women - and most of them did. As a result, two decades later, 90% of the leave days were still being used by women. A "daddy quota" was introduced in 1995 to resolve this. It allocated 30 days' leave solely to the father on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. If the father didn't take a month off work, then the couple as a whole would lose a month's paid leave. In 2002, this was extended to 60 days. Both reforms had a direct impact on the proportion of leave taken by the father so that by 2014 men were taking 25% of all the days available to the couple. As of 1 January this year, the quota has risen to 90 days. Today, Swedish couples get around 16 months (480 days) paid parental leave when their child is born. For the first 390 days, the parent who is off work gets paid 80% of their salary by the state up to around US$ 111 (or £76) a day. Many employers will then top up the shortfall, often to 90% of the original salary. After that, parents can take up to 90 days more leave and be paid a lower rate. As a result of the latest changes the maximum amount of leave a mother can take has gone down from 420 days to 390 - or from roughly 14 months to 13. Rikard is 41 and works at TV network TV4 and Fredrik, 40, is an advertising agency graphic designer. Both are taking at least four months' leave. There are Facebook groups that help dads on paternity leave meet up with other fathers. While the children play, the dads have coffee or lunch together and exchange stories and childcare tips just as their own mothers once did. Fredrik's wife Susanne has noticed that Elton has become more attached to his dad since she went back to her job at a recruitment company. "I'm a bit sad sometimes when I can see that Elton wants to be with Fredrik, but I know it's because they're home together more," she says. "But then it can be a bit hard for Fredrik when the children want to be with him all the time as well!" Things were very different for Fredrik's father, Jan Casservik, in 1975. He only took a few days' leave from being a head teacher when Fredrik was born, although by law he could have taken more. "It wasn't that common back then. If someone did take leave, it was almost a bit suspect. It just wasn't what you did as a man," he says. "Being at the birth was OK, but you wouldn't be home forever. If I had small kids today like Fredrik, then I'd definitely like to be home and take paternity leave." His wife, Margareta, agrees. She took all of the parental leave when they had their three children and thinks it's brilliant to now see Fredrik spending time with his two children. "The experience that he's getting when the children come to him is something I felt many times and it's such a lovely feeling. I think everyone should experience it." Swedish Dads Swedish photographer Johan Bavman made a photo book called Swedish Dads when he was home with his own son, Viggo. The 45 portraits show men who have chosen to stay home for more than six months to look after their children. Johan says he didn't want to portray the fathers as "super dads", but to show the hard work that goes into becoming a good parent. "This is something that women have never been recognised for before, and something we men have always taken for granted. It's hard to change history and it takes time to change the mindset of both parents." Listen to Johan Bavman who spoke to World Update on the BBC World Service. The dads in the cafe say they have never had any adverse comments from people in the street seeing them pushing prams, though on one occasion a friend of Rikard's overheard a tourist in a cafe asking who all the "gay nannies" were. Sweden is rated as having one of the world's narrowest gender gaps according to the World Economic Forum. Niklas Lofgren from The Swedish Social Insurance Agency says equal parenting in the early days has long-term benefits. "I think it's a natural step that if you've shared the responsibilities more equally when the child is small, there's a bigger chance that you'll take more responsibility later on if the parents separate. We can't show that there's a direct link but it's certainly more common now in Sweden that parents have shared custody and the children live alternate weeks with each parent after a separation," he says. "From an international, or non-Swedish perspective, it probably seems a bit strange that men go around changing nappies and doing the washing up," says Fredrik. His brother lives in the US with his wife, who stays at home with their two children. Fredrik thinks that his brother, and other fathers in a similar situation, might have a different relationship with their children as they spend less time at home. Much as they love looking after their children, both men are looking forward to going back to work. "I like working. I see this as a chance that won't come again so it's nothing to do with me not wanting to work," says Rikard. Most employers are behind them. "Companies need reliable access to competent people to be strongly competitive," says Catharina Back, a social security expert at employers' organisation Swedish Enterprise. "Therefore it's important that companies are attractive to men and women so that both have possibilities to develop their careers while they have small children." In 2015 parental leave cost the Swedish state $3.2bn (£2.2bn), largely funded by the relatively high payroll taxes levied on Swedish companies. In terms of the logistical impact on individual businesses, Back says long periods of leave aren't necessarily a problem. "Of course it's challenging to bring in extra cover when employees are away on parental leave, but so as long as parents forewarn their employers, then companies can plan ahead and then they're happy. It's more when it is shorter periods that it's harder to plan." According to Niklas Lofgren, when the woman has a higher level of education than the man, the parental leave days tend to be shared more equally. It has taken 40 years and many political reforms to get halfway to complete equality in parental leave in Sweden. Women are still more likely to work part-time or take longer periods of unpaid leave. However, if the trend continues as it has in the last few years, the paid leave should be divided 50-50 between the two parents by 2035. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

कुछ देशों में पितृत्व अवकाश का विचार-जब एक पिता एक नए बच्चे के साथ घर पर रहने के लिए काम से समय निकालता है-अभी तक पकड़ में नहीं आया है। स्वीडन में, जो 1974 से पिताओं को पितृत्व अवकाश लेने के लिए प्रोत्साहित कर रहा है, अब उनके लिए घर पर पूरे तीन महीने बिताने के लिए एक नया प्रोत्साहन है।


Caged Congolese teen: Why a zoo took 114 years to apologise

Summary: Ota Benga was kidnapped from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1904 and taken to the US to be exhibited. Journalist Pamela Newkirk, who has written extensively about the subject, looks at the attempts over the decades to cover up what happened to him.

More than a century after it drew international headlines for exhibiting a young African man in the monkey house, the Bronx Zoo in New York has finally expressed regret. The Wildlife Conservation Society's apology for its 1906 exhibition of Ota Benga, a native of Congo, comes in the wake of global protests prompted by the videotaped police killing of George Floyd that again shone a bright light on racism in the United States. During a national moment of reckoning, Cristian Samper, the Wildlife Conservation Society's president and CEO, said it was important "to reflect on WCS's own history, and the persistence of racism in our institution". He vowed that the society, which runs the Bronx Zoo, would commit itself to full transparency about the episode which inspired breathless headlines across Europe and the United States from 9 September 1906 - a day after Ota Benga was first exhibited - until he was released from the zoo on 28 September 1906. But the belated apology follows years of stonewalling. 'He was a zoo employee' Instead of capitalising on the episode as a teachable moment, the Wildlife Conservation Society engaged in a century-long cover-up during which it actively perpetuated or failed to correct misleading stories about what had actually occurred. As early as 1906 a letter in the zoo archives reveals that officials, in the wake of growing criticism, discussed concocting a story that Ota Benga had actually been a zoo employee. Remarkably, for decades, the ruse worked. Who was Ota Benga? Source: Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga In 1916, following Ota Benga's death, a New York Times article dismissed as urban legend tales of his exhibition. "It was this employment that gave rise to the unfounded report that he was being held in the park as one of the exhibits in the monkey cage," the article said. The account, of course, contradicted the numerous articles that a decade earlier had appeared in newspapers across the country and in Europe. The New York Times alone had published a dozen articles on the affair, the first under the 9 September 1906 headline: "Bushman Shares A Cage With Bronx Park Apes". Then, in 1974, William Bridges, the zoo's curator emeritus claimed that what actually occurred could not be known. In his book The Gathering of Animals, he rhetorically asked: "Was Ota Benga 'exhibited' - like some strange, rare animal?" a question that he, as the man who presided over the zoo archives, would know best how to answer. "That he was locked behind bars in a bare cage to be stared at during certain hours seems unlikely," he continued, patently ignoring mountains of evidence in the zoological society archives that reveal just that. An article about the exhibition, written by the zoo director, had in fact appeared in the zoological society's own publication. Nonetheless, Bridges wrote: "At this distance in time that is about all that can be said for sure, except that it was all done with the best of intentions, for Ota Benga was interesting to the New York public." 'Friendship between captor and captive' Compounding these deceptive narratives was a book published in 1992 and co-authored by the grandson of Samuel Verner, the man who went to Congo heavily armed to capture Ota Benga and others to exhibit at the 1904 St Louis World's Fair. The book was absurdly characterised as the story of friendship between Verner and Ota Benga. You may also be interested in: In at least one newspaper account since the book's publication, the younger Verner also claimed that Ota Benga - who had vigorously resisted his captivity - had enjoyed performing for New Yorkers. So for more than a century, the very institution and men who had so ruthlessly exploited Ota Benga, and their descendants, contaminated the historical record with untrue narratives that circulated around the world. Even now, Mr Samper has apologised for exhibiting Ota Benga for "several days", and not for the three weeks he was held captive in the monkey house. The zoo has now posted online digitised documents it holds of the episode, among them letters that detail the daily activities of Ota Benga and the men who caged him. Many of those letters are already cited in my book, Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga, published in 2015. In the five years since its publication, zoo officials had inexplicably refused to express regret or even respond to media inquiries. And while I had the opportunity to visit the primate house where Ota Benga was exhibited and housed, the building has since been shuttered to the public. 'Best room in the monkey house' Now, Mr Samper says: "We deeply regret that many people and generations have been hurt by these actions or by our failure previously to publicly condemn and denounce them." He also denounced founding members Madison Grant and Henry Fairfield Osborn, both ardent eugenicists who played a direct role in Ota Benga's exhibition. Grant went on to write The Passing of The Great Race, a book steeped in racist pseudo-science that was praised by Osborn and hailed by Adolf Hitler. Osborn went on to lead for 25 years the American Museum of Natural History where in 1921 he hosted the second International Eugenics Congress. Curiously, Mr Samper did not mention William Hornaday, the zoo's founding director who was also the nation's foremost zoologist and founding director of the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Hornaday had littered the cage housing Ota Benga with bones to suggest cannibalism and had brazenly boasted that Ota Benga had "the best room in the monkey house". Some feel the conservation society now needs to follow its incomplete apology with rigorous truth-telling befitting a leading educational institution. The episode offers the zoological society the opportunity to educate the public about the history of the conservation movement and its ties to eugenics. The Bronx Zoo's founding principals were among the most influential disseminators of specious racial inferiority theories that resonate still. One suggestion has been that the society might also consider naming its education centre for Ota Benga, whose tragic life and legacy is inextricably bound to the Bronx Zoo's.

ओटा बेंगा को 1904 में कांगो लोकतांत्रिक गणराज्य से अपहरण कर लिया गया था और उसे प्रदर्शित करने के लिए अमेरिका ले जाया गया था। पत्रकार पामेला न्यूकिर्क, जिन्होंने इस विषय के बारे में व्यापक रूप से लिखा है, उनके साथ जो हुआ उसे छिपाने के दशकों के प्रयासों पर नज़र डालती हैं।


Shropshire Council announces plan to close nine schools

Summary: Shropshire Council has announced plans to close nine schools.

The plans include closing one secondary school and six primary schools and two amalgamations which would result in the closure of two more primary schools. Under the plans, 20 primary schools will also be federated, which would mean they would share governors and resources with neighbouring schools. The plans will be discussed when the papers go to a meeting of Shropshire Council's cabinet on 15 February. As well as the closures, Buntingsdale Infant School, in Tern Hill, would be expanded into a primary school. The amalgamations would see Ifton Heath School closed and Rhyn Park turned into a school for three to 16-year-olds. Shawbury School would also close but St Mary's School, also in the village, would be relocated onto the site. Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, said: "I want to stress that at this stage no decisions have been made about the future of education in the county. "This has been a cross-party project, with all political parties working together to look at education in Shropshire. "We all recognise the need for change and for long-term solutions that will provide Shropshire children with excellent education for years to come." She said that if the cabinet agreed to proceed, consultation on proposals for any changes will start on 28 February 2011 and will last for six term-time weeks. Sue Cooke, head teacher of Stiperstones Primary School, said staff were "anxious" about the proposals. She said: "We've developed a lot of community cohesion which we feel is all being undermined by the many cuts that we have to face. "We understand that the council has to save money but we feel disappointed that we've been chosen as one of the school's for closure. "The staff are all very upset and feel anxious about their futures."

श्रॉपशायर काउंसिल ने नौ स्कूलों को बंद करने की योजना की घोषणा की है।


Black money: Making a mountain out of a molehill?

Summary: "Black money is so much a part of our white economy, a tumour in the centre of the brain - try to remove it and you kill the patient," wrote Indian-born writer Rohinton Mistry in his novel Family Matters.

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent To put it simply, black money is cash that has not been declared or taxed. It also fuels India's bustling underground economy. Politicians are believed to use it to finance expensive election campaigns. Buyers and sellers vastly prefer it in transactions involving land and property . It is near-impossible, for example, to buy both in the capital, Delhi, without paying a substantial amount of the price in funny money. Since the majority of India's jobs are in the informal sector, undeclared cash transactions are common. Essentially, black money rewards the dishonest and punishes the honest. There are varying estimates about the amount of this illicit money stashed abroad - from $500bn (£297bn) to $2 trillion. Dev Kar, chief economist at Global Financial Integrity, estimates India lost $213bn (£132bn) in illicit financial flows - or illegal capital flight - between 1948 and 2008 alone. He says this illegal capital was the result of graft, bribery and kickbacks, criminal activities, and tax evasion and accounted for 16% of the India's GDP. Arun Kumar, author of The Black Economy in India and economics professor, estimates the figure is much higher at $2 trillion. If the authorities are able to recover a fraction of this amount, it could fetch the government billions of dollars in revenue in taxes and penalties. After coming to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to crack down on people who had not reported money parked in offshore tax havens. So when the new government disclosed the names of seven people and a company on Monday for allegedly stashing away black money in foreign banks, many wondered whether it was making a mountain out of the molehill. Among those named are a bullion trader, an industrialist and a mining baron. None of them are "big" names. Many believe that the government should "stop playing black money politics and end the ongoing charade of disclosing names" as none of the lists appear to implicate any politician or a leading businessman. Now, an exasperated Supreme Court has ordered the government to disclose all the names. Also, should the war against black money not begin at home? Many believe that a lot of illegal money abroad may have returned to India through gold imports and investments in the domestic stock market. India possibly needs to clean up its opaque political funding and the shadowy and corruption-ridden real estate market more urgently than going after illicit money abroad.

भारतीय मूल के लेखक रोहिंटन मिस्त्री ने अपने उपन्यास 'फैमिली मैटर्स' में लिखा है, "काला धन हमारी श्वेत अर्थव्यवस्था का एक हिस्सा है, मस्तिष्क के केंद्र में एक ट्यूमर है-इसे हटाने की कोशिश करें और आप रोगी को मार दें।


Mesh networks chat apps to the rescue

Summary: As popular as chat apps have become, they all suffer from the same flaw - if you board an underground train, head into the wild or find yourself in a situation where the authorities block the mobile networks, you're likely to end up cut off.

By Richard TaylorNorth America Technology Correspondent Now a new technology is promising to keep such "off-the-grid" smartphone owners chatting. It has been hailed as having the potential to trigger nothing less than a second mobile revolution. Mesh networking is the kind of techie term that, quite understandably, would elicit blank stares were one to mention it en passant. But in the past few months, unprecedented anxiety over state surveillance of internet traffic allied with the incorporation of the technology into Apple's latest mobile software, iOS 7, has meant the novel communications protocol has itself been creating a lot of chatter. So what's all the fuss about? In short, the technology potentially allows communication "off the grid" from the mainstream internet. Its potential is huge - ranging from communication during disaster relief efforts through to the promotion of democracy. At risk of simplification, it is helpful to think of a traditional network as a bicycle wheel - where every spoke connects at some point to a central hub, be it a mobile phone network, internet service provider or computer server. By contrast, a mesh network has no central connection point to speak of. Instead, each point on the network acts as a "node" in a kind of webbed mesh, able to efficiently route traffic on to any other node within range. That means messages can pass from one point to another, without the need for the regular internet - incredibly useful in times of disaster, where traditional communications are often limited or severed entirely. Should even a single node be internet-connected, traffic can be shared with all other nodes to give internet access to all on the mesh. Secret messages But a mesh network can also be an incredibly useful tool for those worried about others monitoring their online activity. Since there is no central authority, it is inherently more difficult to shut down than a traditional network and impossible to monitor unless one is directly connected to the network itself. Mesh networking is a very well-established idea. Originally established for the military, today it is being used in projects around the globe - in villages, towns and cities, largely to help spread connectivity where only limited internet access exists. But a little-advertised feature in iOS 7 called "multi-peer connectivity" now means that app developers can easily put mesh technology in the hands of us all, turning our once-humble handsets into makeshift routers - no setup expertise or additional hardware required. Staying alive One app, Firechat, is already creating a buzz. Firechat was only launched in March but already boasts millions of downloads around the world. In essence it lets users exchange messages, photos and videos among each other, as long as there are intermediary devices nearby to relay the signal along the chain. The app has just been released on Android too - though here it faces some competition from a well-established though less user-friendly app called the Serval Mesh, which draw attentions to its potential in relief efforts and providing connectivity to underserved rural areas. Firechat's founder Micha Benoliel says his app is primarily aimed at entertainment, though he concedes it does have other uses. Some are already being played out - when faced with the threat of internet restrictions and limited cell coverage, protesting students in Taiwan intent on occupying the parliament recently turned to Firechat to keep their lines of communications alive. If that kind of use-case prevails, there's little doubt apps such as Firechat will attract the attention of governments and law enforcement agencies keen to neuter or at least monitor traffic going to this kind of off-grid network. But right now its main challenge is to grow its user base to a stage where contemplating that kind of problem even becomes a possibility. After all, Firechat's technology is essentially "all or nothing". Without a critical mass of users, Firechat's promise to keep users connected wherever they may be will remain unfulfilled. And all the talk of "a second mobile revolution" may ultimately prove to be hot air.

चैट ऐप जितने लोकप्रिय हो गए हैं, वे सभी एक ही दोष से पीड़ित हैं-यदि आप एक भूमिगत ट्रेन में चढ़ते हैं, जंगल में जाते हैं या खुद को ऐसी स्थिति में पाते हैं जहां अधिकारी मोबाइल नेटवर्क को अवरुद्ध कर देते हैं, तो आपके कट जाने की संभावना है।


Variant 31: 'Pushing the boundaries' of immersive theatre

Summary: It's being promoted as the biggest live immersive game yet. Variant 31 is theatre - there are 150 real-life performers involved. But its creator is hoping it will bring in video gamers - and people who like jumping out of aircraft.

By Vincent DowdArts reporter, BBC News If you heard reports of reanimated cadavers roaming at will beneath New Oxford Street you might suppose London had been having a particularly bad day for public transport. But producer Dalton M Dale is proud to stand in a slightly musty former shop basement and talk of the malevolent band of marauding zombies he's adding to the growing world of immersive theatre. He's from North Carolina but in 2017 he came to London after a few years working on immersive shows in New York. "London is the place to push the envelope of what immersive storytelling can do: the point about Variant 31 is that as you move through our really large site you get actively involved in the story. That's instead of standing at a slight distance and observing and admiring, which has often been the case with even the best immersive experiences." Dale expresses admiration for the work of the Punchdrunk company, especially the immersive show Sleep No More seen in London in 2003. It's been a hit in New York for eight years and opened in 2016 in Shanghai. Sleep No More is Macbeth reinvented as intense film noir which you walk through. It was the show which proved immersive theatre could make very large amounts of money. "Punchdrunk really changed the industry and the big thing was they made non-theatre goers excited about shows. That was a real achievement. But there's something I knew needed changing. "In Sleep No More audience members wear a mask - essentially they're observers. But to me immersive has to mean you see it, hear it, smell it, feel it. If you have all four of those and you also have a great narrative, that's the real and immediate experience which Variant 31 wants to give." Dale's company Big Dreamer Productions has acquired seven interlocking buildings on New Oxford Street - the kind of undistinguished buildings no one looks at twice. When you enter there's a small box-office (though most places are booked online) and an assembly point for the 90-minute adventure. Groups enter every half hour. "You start at Patient Intake at Toxico Technologies," Dale explains. "Toxico 25 years ago has manufactured strange and nefarious materials for chemical warfare. You are given a piece of wrist technology which at key points across 35 floors will allow you to do various things: you can alter the lighting and open hidden passages and even change the weather. "Creatures emerge as you move through. From the moment you step into this world the hunt is on and someone wants to catch you. Oh, and always bear in mind: the only way to kill a zombie is to aim for the head. Players score points by killing the creatures and at the end of the experience there will be just one winner from your group. "We claim this is the first truly immersive experience: it's not spoon-fed like some other shows. Your presence matters and genuinely changes what goes on." Dale says the show is the biggest employer of performers in the West End. More than 3000 people applied for 150 roles. How many creatures and other mysterious figures punters encounter depends on the route taken through the adventure - there are potentially 1000 ways through. Some of the corners and angles you have to navigate are pretty tight - not to mention the crematorium feature which threatens to burn you alive. But Dale says safety is built in at every point. "We have hundreds of cameras and we have security officers and stewards everywhere as well as paramedic staff. We push the boundaries but in a way that's always health and safety conscious. "We have three types of actors. There are the heroes and the face characters who lead you through and narrate the story. Then there are the creatures, who are the ones who'll rip your throat out." None of this will feel very familiar to most habitues of the Old Vic or the Donmar. So is Variant 31 theatre? Or is it for gamers who want to take a screen-break and enter a 3D world? "It's a kind of theatre of course and the performers are important. But we exist for people who play video games and who love going to theme parks or jumping out of aircraft. "But I think theatre fans will get it too. In traditional theatre, and in fact in many immersive experiences, you're really a ghost. You watch the story unwinding in front of you but you have no way to shape it other than to applaud or maybe to laugh. But people who've grown up as gamers expect to be able to direct or at least influence the experience.' Dale has huge confidence in the Variant 31 model. "Video games are huge more or less everywhere. No one's brought them together with live horror like this." After London the experience will open in a planned 17 cities around the world over the next five years. Dale has just licensed it for locations in China. "The undead seem to have limitless international appeal. You'll have to decide for yourself what that says about the human psyche." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

इसे अब तक के सबसे बड़े लाइव इमर्सिव गेम के रूप में प्रचारित किया जा रहा है। वैरिएंट 31 थिएटर है-इसमें 150 वास्तविक जीवन के कलाकार शामिल हैं। लेकिन इसके निर्माता को उम्मीद है कि यह वीडियो गेमर्स-और उन लोगों को लाएगा जो विमान से कूदना पसंद करते हैं।


Blood shed cries for peace - Bishop

Summary: Bishop of Mannar Fr.Rayappu Joseph once again has pleaded with warring parties to bring an end to the endless war in the country.

Bishop Rayappu Joseph made this plea at the funeral ceremony of Fr.Nichalospillai Pakkyiaranjith held on Saturday in Mannar. Fr.Nichalospillai Pakkyiaranjith was killed in a claymore mine in the LTTE controlled area last Wednesday. Bishop Rayappu Joseph called upon all peace loving people in the country to condemn this and said that the blood that had been shed cries for peace and not vengence. He also called uopn the international community to condemn this act in no uncertain terms. The Bishop appealed to warring parties to open the path of political negotiations and seek civilized methods of ushering in much awaited peace in the country.

मन्नार के बिशप जोसेफ ने एक बार फिर युद्धरत पक्षों से देश में अंतहीन युद्ध को समाप्त करने का अनुरोध किया है।


Teenager 'critical' after being pulled from Cardiff Bay

Summary: A teenager is in a critical condition after being recovered from the water in Cardiff Bay, South Wales Police have said.

Emergency services went to Mermaid Quay on Friday after reports of an incident at 13:45 BST. The teenager was taken to the city's University Hospital of Wales by ambulance in a serious condition. Insp Tony Williams, of South Wales Police, issued a warning against swimming in the area's waters. Cardiff council posted a tweet to re-iterate "swimming is not permitted in Cardiff Bay" because of "high-speed boats and hidden dangers under the water".

साउथ वेल्स पुलिस ने कहा है कि कार्डिफ खाड़ी में पानी से बरामद होने के बाद एक किशोर की हालत गंभीर है।


New Basford house murder woman named

Summary: A 21-year-old woman believed to have been murdered at a house in Nottingham has been identified by police.

Casey Brittle died in hospital a short time after being found injured at a property in Springfield Street, in the New Basford area, on Sunday. On Tuesday police were granted an extra 24 hours to question a 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder. Results of a post-mortem examination have not yet been released by Nottinghamshire Police. Forensic investigators are continuing to examine the house.

नॉटिंघम में एक घर में हत्या की गई एक 21 वर्षीय महिला की पुलिस ने पहचान की है।


Planned Kirkcudbright art gallery costs soar to £3m

Summary: The cost of transforming Kirkcudbright Town Hall into a "gallery of national significance" is expected to cost £3.17m, according to a new report.

The plan is part of the Kirkcudbright Charter, which aims to make the best use of the town's public buildings. Council papers have revealed that the design team behind the project will ask Dumfries and Galloway Council for funding of £1.68m. It exceeds the authority's budget for the entire charter by £195,000. The team will also apply for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which has previously committed almost £1m to the project on a provisional basis. According to a report to the council's Stewartry area committee, the new plans for the gallery were "very positively received" by HLF. The authority will also be asked to support an increased funding application to the heritage fund.

एक नई रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, किर्ककुडब्राइट टाउन हॉल को "राष्ट्रीय महत्व की गैलरी" में बदलने की लागत £ 3.17m होने की उम्मीद है।


Publisher secures exclusive Agatha Christie rights

Summary: The global rights to Agatha Christie's works have been secured by publishing giant HarperCollins in a deal believed to be worth seven figures.

HarperCollins, Christie's UK publisher since 1926, now becomes the legendary crime novelist's exclusive English language publisher worldwide. CEO Brian Murray said the deal would "enable us to take the brand to even greater heights in the decades ahead". Christie's grandson, Matthew Prichard, said the family was "delighted". "My grandmother herself valued her relationship with Collins enormously," he continued. "It is a tribute to both the lasting popularity of Agatha Christie and the professionalism of HarperCollins that such a long and important publishing partnership will be renewed and expanded." Christie's novels and short stories have never been out of print since her death in 1976. The popularity of her work in India has made her one of the country's top 10 English language authors.

अगाथा क्रिस्टी के कार्यों के वैश्विक अधिकार विशाल हार्परकॉलिन्स को प्रकाशित करके सात अंकों के सौदे में सुरक्षित किए गए हैं।


Cumbria flood appeal raises £500,000

Summary: An online appeal set up to help those affected by flooding in Cumbria has raised £500,000.

The Cumbria 2015 Flood Appeal, which was launched on 5 December, has now doubled its target to £2m. The fund is being run by the Cumbria Community Foundation which has pledged £50,000. The foundation said grants would help flood victims with cleaning, emergency repairs, clothing, food and basic furniture.

कुम्ब्रिया में बाढ़ से प्रभावित लोगों की मदद के लिए स्थापित एक ऑनलाइन अपील ने 500,000 पाउंड जुटाए हैं।


Profile: Opec, club of oil producing states

Summary: Opec, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was set up in 1960 as an attempt by oil-producing states to assert themselves in a market dominated by the major multinational oil companies. It has expanded from its five founding countries to a membership of 12.

Opec member states currently produce about 40 per cent of the world's crude oil and 18 per cent of its natural gas. By its own reckoning, at the end of 2013, Opec states had proven oil reserves representing almost 81% of the world total, with the bulk of the reserves (66%) in the Middle East. Opec has often faced difficulties in reconciling demands among its members to stabilise world prices on the one hand or use oil as a political lever on the other. Its influence has waned to an extent since the early 1980s, as importers have diversified their sources of petroleum. Opec was founded at a meeting in Baghdad in September 1960, attended by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They were later joined Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962-2009), Libya (1962), the United Arab Emirates (1967), Algeria (1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973), Angola (2007) and Gabon (1975-1994). Opec has been headquartered in Vienna since 1965. Its stated aims are to coordinate members' policies in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers while ensuring a reliable supply to importers and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry. Price crises The organisation rose to international prominence in the 1970s, as member-states increasingly took control of their domestic petroleum industries from foreign interests and acquired a major say in the pricing of crude oil on world markets. Opec states were at the heart of two oil-price crises in the decade - the Arab oil embargo of countries that had supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and the fallout from the Iranian Revolution of 1979. In this period Opec sought to trade an increase in prices for its product in return for a guarantee of supplies. Nonetheless, market imbalance characterised the relationship with consumers. After an oil-price peak and subsequent steep decline in the early to mid-1980s, Opec and oil-importers began to cooperate on achieving market stability coupled with reasonable prices. This strategy proved successful in countering a number of potential crises. By the end of the decade prices had recovered, and Opec members increased output following the US-led war with Iraq over Kuwait in 1991, in order to avert another dramatic increase in prices. Prices remained relatively stable until 1998, when they fell sharply following the economic crisis in East Asia. Again, cooperation between Opec and some non-Opec producers eased recovery. Founded: 1960 Resources: Member states produce about 45 per cent of the world's crude oil and 18 per cent of its natural gas. Opec's oil exports represent about 55 per cent of the crude oil traded internationally. At the end of 2010, Opec states had proven oil reserves representing 81.33% of the world total. (Opec website) Structures: The Opec Conference formulates policy and is made up of delegations headed by the oil ministers of member states. It meets twice a year, in March and September, as well as in extraordinary sessions. Headquarters: Opec Secretariat, Vienna, Austria Secretary-General: Abdalla Salem El-Badri The Secretary General is Opec's authorized representative and Chief Executive of its Secretariat. As chief administrator of Opec he is answerable to the Board of Governors. The Opec Board appoints the Secretary General for a three-year term, renewable once. The incumbent, Abdalla Salem El-Badri, is the representative of Libya, and took office on January 1 2007. Challenges Opec faces many challenges in the 21st century. Mergers between major multinational companies have strengthened their hand in relation to producer states, and government efforts to cut carbon emissions point to a reduction in oil demand over the long term. In recent years, strong demand from developing economies such as China and India has kept production levels buoyant. However, in 2008 the world oil market faced considerable volatility, as prices hit record highs before slumping under the weight of the global financial crisis. The price slump came despite Opec's attempts to keep prices up by cutting production. Within Opec itself there have been tensions between members. Countries with relatively small reserves and large populations, like Nigeria and Indonesia, have in the past lobbied for a rise in production in order to increase their earnings. Countries with relatively small populations and large reserves, like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, have opposed this. Indonesia announced in May 2008 that it would allow its membership to expire at the end of the year, on the grounds that it has become a net importer of oil, but industry analysts think tensions over production levels also played a part in the decision. International political problems have not loomed as large as they did during the 1973 oil embargo on Israel's allies, but there were concerns that the European Union decision to halt importing oil from Opec-member Iran over its nuclear programme in 2012 could complicate life for the organisation.

ओपेक, पेट्रोलियम निर्यातक देशों के संगठन की स्थापना 1960 में तेल उत्पादक राज्यों द्वारा प्रमुख बहुराष्ट्रीय तेल कंपनियों के प्रभुत्व वाले बाजार में खुद को स्थापित करने के प्रयास के रूप में की गई थी। यह अपने पांच संस्थापक देशों से 12 की सदस्यता तक फैल गया है।


Ranjit Grewal death: Man charged over Newcastle fatal crash

Summary: A man has been charged over the death of a woman who was killed after a three-car crash in Newcastle.

Ranjit Kaur Grewal, 49, was one of three pedestrians taken to hospital following the crash on Hunters Road on 16 April. She died shortly afterwards. Northumbria Police said Ionut Mihai, 21, had been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and a number of other motoring offences. He is due to appear before North Tyneside magistrates on 12 March. The two other pedestrians suffered non life-threatening injuries. All three drivers were unhurt. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

न्यूकैसल में तीन कारों की दुर्घटना में एक महिला की मौत के लिए एक व्यक्ति पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


The perils and pratfalls of the business lunch

Summary: Camilita Nuttall says it was the business lunch from hell.

By Dave GordonBusiness reporter It was the first time that she and a new contact had met in person. Ms Nuttall, a UK motivational speaker, says the man gave no explanation for turning up half an hour late at a London restaurant, and then proceeded to talk purely about himself. To add insult to injury, she says he then told her that she wasn't qualified to run her own business. And all this while he ordered the most expensive main course, and told Ms Nuttall that she'd have to foot the entire bill. "It was the worst," says Ms Nuttall, 42. Perilous menu First things first, a business lunch isn't going out for a bite to eat with your mates from the office - that's socialising with colleagues. It is instead a business meeting, usually in a restaurant, and typically with someone from another organisation, or at least someone who doesn't work in your team. And the conversation will include business matters - be it talk about a sale, agreement or understanding that benefits both parties. You might think that going for a business lunch is a simple thing, but it is in fact beset with a whole menu of potential perils and pratfalls. From the choice of venue, to what food you pick, whether you order alcohol, and how you share the bill, any number of things can go wrong. Talking politics and religion is almost always a complete no-no, but what if an innocent chat about current affairs quickly turns to President Trump, Brexit or Scottish independence? We asked some etiquette experts and business coaches to guide us through the minefield. 'Avoid messy food' The first issue for someone organising a business lunch is the choice of restaurant. "You need to find somewhere with a careful balance of ambience," says Jenny Flintoft, a leadership consultant based in the north of England. "I tend to favour a restaurant that is buzzy enough that conversations can be had without being overheard in a deathly quiet restaurant, but not one that has lots of background music, as the voice raising makes having a meaningful conversation very difficult." Ms Flintoft also notes the importance of choosing the right dishes. "I personally steer clear of corn on the cob, as it can easily get stuck in teeth," she says. "[I would also avoid] spaghetti or foods with sloppy sauces, or anything that requires a lot of effort to eat, such as shellfish. "During a business luncheon I want to concentrate on my fellow diner, not battling with the meal." To drink or not? You also need to bear in mind the ethical or religious food rules that the other person may follow. For example, ordering the foie gras followed by the veal might not be a great idea, and booking a restaurant that specialises in suckling pig could cause offence. When you have reserved a table in a hopefully appropriate restaurant, one of the biggest questions that lunchtime is - to drink, or not to drink? British etiquette expert Jo Bryant says that alcohol is best avoided because the social atmosphere of a restaurant "can easily let us forget that the lunch is for business purposes". She continues: "Add in a glass or two and you might be at risk of relaxing too much, and saying or agreeing to do something you might regret. "It is important to stay sharp and maintain your professional gloss." However, London-based business coach Phil Jones suggests a middle ground when it comes to the wine list. "Allow the other person to take the lead," he says. "Sometimes it is a loosening of the collar. "It's a chance to get some deeper issues, to speak a bit freer." 'No sex or politics' Even without alcohol, conversations over a business lunch can all too easily go awry. Ms Flintoft says: "Some people launch very quickly into diatribes about a particular hot [political] potato, and there's a lot of those around at the moment, which makes me question their judgement. "But there needs to be a good mix of genuine conversation versus pitching." Ms Nuttall says there should be a number of "no-fly" discussions. "There should be absolutely no talking about sex, politics, religion, bad talking other people or companies, or negatives about your own company or theirs." Mr Jones says people should also guard against venting any personal problems they might be struggling with. "One man's wife was having an affair, and I was the first person he'd confided in," he says. "I was given the role of therapist by someone who was a complete stranger to me." Who pays? Wherever the lunch, and whatever the topic, William Hanson, a UK etiquette coach advises being mindful of the other person's time. "The worst ones are where they drag on and your host thinks you don't have anywhere else to be," he says. When it comes to picking up the tab at the end of the meal Mr Hanson has a simple rule. "Whoever extended the invitation, and has made the reservation, pays," he says. To avoid any awkwardness or uncertainty when the bill arrives, Mr Hanson suggests that the inviter goes one stage further, and gives his or her credit card details to the restaurant ahead of the meal. "It takes away the nasty money dilemma at the end," he says. Mr Hanson takes a more relaxed approach though if a lunch with a particular client or associate becomes a regular event. Under such circumstances he says that a "turn-taking arrangement can often be struck". Ms Nuttall adds that she often thinks that if one of the parties has travelled a long distance, they should be treated to lunch. But normally she suggests that the bill should generally be split equally. Follow Business Brain series editor Will Smale on Twitter @WillSmale1

कैमिलिता नट्टल का कहना है कि यह नरक से व्यापारिक दोपहर का भोजन था।


Bradgate Park deer 'strangled by carrier bag'

Summary: A young fallow buck has died after it became entangled in a discarded carrier bag at a park.

Rangers at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire said the deer was severely injured after it jumped a wall in "blind panic" with the bag "covering its face and strangling it". The park has urged visitors to take away their rubbish. In 2016, a deer's stomach was found to be full of plastic poo bags left at the same park. Bradgate Park Trust added on its Facebook page that as a wild animal, rangers could not approach it to remove the bag. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

एक पार्क में फेंके गए वाहक थैले में उलझने के बाद एक युवा परती हिरन की मौत हो गई है।


Newcastle male rape teenager case dropped

Summary: The case against a teenager accused of the rape of a man on Tyneside has been dropped.

In June, a 24-year-old man reported that he had been attacked near Skinnerburn Road in Newcastle, directly under the Redheugh Bridge. Police said the man had suffered a "horrific ordeal" and later charged a 16-year-old boy with rape and robbery. The crown offered no evidence at Newcastle Crown Court and he was found not guilty on both counts.

टाइनसाइड पर एक व्यक्ति के बलात्कार के आरोपी किशोर के खिलाफ मामला हटा दिया गया है।


Shetland by-election: Voters to elect new MSP

Summary: Voters in Shetland are going to the polls in a by-election to elect a new MSP for the islands.

The by-election was sparked when Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott stood down to take a job with Scottish Rugby. Mr Scott had held the seat since the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Ten candidates are standing to replace him, with polling stations open between 07:00 and 22:00. The result is due in the early hours of Friday morning. Who is standing? The full list of candidates, as they will appear on the ballot paper, is:

शेटलैंड में मतदाता द्वीपों के लिए एक नए एम. एस. पी. का चुनाव करने के लिए उपचुनाव में मतदान करने जा रहे हैं।


Libby Squire disappearance: Man charged with further unrelated offences

Summary: A man who was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Hull student Libby Squire has been charged with seven further unrelated offences.

Pawel Relowicz, of Raglan Street, Hull, appeared in court last month accused of voyeurism, outraging public decency and burglary. He was remanded in custody. The latest charges involve similar crimes alleged to have been committed between 2017 and 2019, police said. Mr Relowicz, 24, is due before Hull magistrates on Thursday. The seven new charges comprise of two counts of burglary, two of voyeurism, two of outraging public decency and one count of receiving stolen goods.

हल छात्र लिब्बी स्क्वायर के लापता होने के संबंध में गिरफ्तार किए गए एक व्यक्ति पर सात और असंबंधित अपराधों का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Evacuation after 'grenade' found in Aberdeen

Summary: A number of houses in Aberdeen were evacuated following the discovery of an explosive device.

The device - which BBC Scotland understands to be a grenade - was found in a garage in the Craigiebuckler Terrace area on Tuesday. An army explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to investigate the find. There were no further details about the incident available.

एक विस्फोटक उपकरण की खोज के बाद एबरडीन में कई घरों को खाली करा लिया गया।


Gossip added to Wireless Festival line up

Summary: US punk rockers Gossip have been added to this year's Wireless Festival line up.

The American band will join Friday headliner Pink and The Ting Tings in London's Hyde Park on 2 July. Organisers say more acts will be added to the three-day bill soon with individual day tickets costing £47.50. Last year's acts included Kanye West, Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris. Gossip released their fourth studio album last year, called Music For Men.

अमेरिकी पंक रॉकर्स गॉसिप को इस साल के वायरलेस फेस्टिवल लाइन अप में जोड़ा गया है।


Manchester Victoria Metrolink station closes for upgrade

Summary: Work is starting on a new tram stop at Manchester's Victoria Station, putting the Metrolink stop out of use for the next nine months.

Metrolink passengers will have to use the stop at Shudehill as the platform and tracks at Victoria are redesigned for the second city tram crossing. Trams will pass through Victoria in both directions on a single track but cannot stop for safety reasons. The work is part of a wider £44m refurbishment of the station.

मैनचेस्टर के विक्टोरिया स्टेशन पर एक नए ट्राम स्टॉप पर काम शुरू हो रहा है, जिससे अगले नौ महीनों के लिए मेट्रोलिंक का उपयोग बंद हो जाएगा।


Worthing sewage alert water declared safe

Summary: An eight-mile stretch of the English Channel off West Sussex has been declared safe for swimmers after raw sewage had to be pumped out to sea.

Samples taken between Ferring and Shoreham by the Environment Agency passed water quality tests. Southern Water said filtered sewage was first discharged through the storm overflow just over half a mile (1km) out to sea late last Saturday. It followed a blockage in pumps at its East Worthing works. There were no further discharges of untreated sewage after Monday. "We are grateful to the public for their cooperation during this operation and we wish everyone a great weekend in the sunshine," said Paul Yallop, leader of Worthing Borough Council.

कच्चे सीवेज को समुद्र में पंप करने के बाद वेस्ट ससेक्स से दूर इंग्लिश चैनल के आठ मील के हिस्से को तैराकों के लिए सुरक्षित घोषित कर दिया गया है।


States debate £600,000 Alderney harbour office plan

Summary: A new harbour office could be constructed in Alderney, if States members give the go-ahead.

The States General Services Committee is asking members to approve spending more than £600,000 on the demolition of the current office and the construction of a new one. It said vermin and leaks in the old building had led to damage to electrical and navigational equipment. The States is due to discuss the issue at its next meeting on 19 December. The committee said a company had already been chosen to carry out the work, following a tendering process.

यदि राज्यों के सदस्य अनुमति देते हैं तो एल्डर्नी में एक नए बंदरगाह कार्यालय का निर्माण किया जा सकता है।


Philip Jones Griffiths' daughter on the Vietnam War photographer

Summary: The work of freelance photographer Philip Jones Griffiths was seen as instrumental in turning the tide of American public opinion against the Vietnam War. Ten years on from his death, one of his daughters has told of what motivated him to capture such trauma. Warning: Contains images some people may find upsetting

By Caleb SpencerBBC Wales News "These images burn themselves into your brain," says Katherine Holden. "There is something profoundly haunting about the images - they stay with you long after you have stopped looking at them." Her father Philip Jones Griffiths was considered one of the great photojournalists of his era, capturing the true horror of conflict while covering the Vietnam War following the US military intervention between 1966 and 1971. His photographs and observations - published in his seminal 1971 book Vietnam Inc - gave a haunting and disturbing insight: mothers and children held at gunpoint, babies covered in blood, faces filled with terror and soldiers struggling to survive in often hostile territory. As the American author and political commentator Noam Chomsky said: "If anybody in Washington had read that book, we wouldn't have had these wars in Iraq or Afghanistan." Growing up, Griffiths' two daughters were not shielded from the reality of their father's job. "When me and my sister were growing up, he absolutely made pains to make sure we knew about the work he was doing," said Katherine. "He never tried to shelter us from it. I mean, maybe in the finer details of the grisly truth of war, but in terms of what was happening, I think he felt a responsibility to let his daughters know what was happening." Born in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, and a first-language Welsh speaker, Griffiths started his career as a freelance photographer for the Rhyl Leader in the 1950s. He was a proud Welshman and drew parallels between the Welsh people and the Vietnamese - who he continued to visit every year following the conflict until he died in 2008, aged 72, "He had an affinity with the people of Vietnam and I think he saw a lot of similarities between the Welsh and Vietnamese kind of being these smaller, more village-based communities, having a kind of imperial yoke put upon them," Katherine explained. Philip Jones Griffiths' journey to Vietnam She said despite his work taking him around the world, Griffiths never lost touch with his roots. "Although I grew up in London, he made sure me and my sister went to Wales every summer and hang out with our Welsh cousins," she said. "He always joked that he was a unique Welshman because he didn't drink beer, he didn't play rugby and he didn't sing." And he felt it was important that his work should stay in Wales, with his archive now in permanent residence in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. William Troughton, who curated the exhibition at the National Library, said: "Philip Jones Griffiths didn't consider himself a traditional war photographer. "He was interested in showing the effects and injustices of war on ordinary people - his book 'Vietnam Inc.' had a major impact and is considered a classic." And Randy Kennedy, in his New York Times obituary, said Griffiths's "harrowing" pictures "helped turn public opinion against the war". Griffiths set up the Philip Jones Griffiths Foundation, to support young photojournalists, of which Katherine and her sister Fanny Ferrato, are trustees. "He talked of the miracle of being able travel the world and say what you wanted to say through the power of this little magical box that sits around your neck," added Katherine. "And so for us at the charity that he started, it is our aim to promote that and inspire the young people, particularly the young people of Wales, that you can actually go out and you can help stop a war. "I think that is incredibly powerful, and that is probably his enduring message in all this."

स्वतंत्र फोटोग्राफर फिलिप जोन्स ग्रिफिथ्स के काम को वियतनाम युद्ध के खिलाफ अमेरिकी जनमत के ज्वार को बदलने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका के रूप में देखा गया था। उनकी मृत्यु के दस साल बाद, उनकी एक बेटी ने बताया कि किस बात ने उन्हें इस तरह के आघात को पकड़ने के लिए प्रेरित किया। चेतावनीः इसमें ऐसी छवियां हैं जो कुछ लोगों को परेशान कर सकती हैं।


What Olympics and Paralympics have done for Rio

Summary: It's been a long, emotional summer in Rio.

Wyre DaviesRio de Janeiro correspondent The confident, booming country that was awarded the right to host the Games back in 2009 is very different to the troubled, economically challenged Brazil that we see today. For weeks Brazil and the host city of Rio de Janeiro have been engaged in an epic struggle to convince the world that it was the right choice to hold a first ever Games in South America in a country that, arguably, had more important priorities. At times the so-called "marvellous city" has absolutely felt up to the challenge. New sporting venues have, by and large, staged great events and many of the things we thought might be problematic issues before the first opening ceremony on 5 August - like the Zika virus and security for visitors - the organisers took in their stride. At other times, Rio has fallen short. Behind the scenes, Olympic officials talk about too much having been made ready at the last minute, a feeling of "crisis management" and of broken promises. If the constant stench of untreated sewage in the lagoon that surrounds the Olympic Park wasn't enough to embarrass city and state officials over their hollow environmental pledges, then perhaps nothing can. Rio de Janeiro's controversial and sometimes outspoken mayor is Eduardo Paes. In many ways he is the political "face" of Rio 2016 and he certainly feels vindicated when challenged about the rights and wrongs of putting on these mega-events in what is a still developing, socially unequal country. "It's arrogant to say these events don't belong in the developing world," Mr Paes said when we met this week at a new transport interchange in Rio - one of the many Olympic legacies the mayor insists would not have happened, had it not been for the impetus of holding the Games. "We showed in Brazil that these Games have been for everyone with lots of legacies for the city," he said. "We still have a lot of problems here but people's lives are much better because of the Games so let's not be prejudiced about where we hold these events in future." Aspiring Paralympian The Paralympic Games, which finished this weekend, certainly felt more inclusive than their Olympic counterpart. The prospect of swathes of empty venues forced organisers to slash Paralympic ticket prices, allowing thousands of Brazilians who'd been priced out of the Olympics to witness and be inspired by some top quality international sport. If the Olympic and Paralympic Games are all about inspiration and encouragement, then in Davi Texeira they could have a future champion. The 11 year old, from Rio, is sports mad. He is already an accomplished surfer. We met him at a city centre skate park, where he's working on his dream to become a future Paralympian. "Sport is my life because without sport I'm not Davi. I wouldn't be who I am today," he said, brimming with confidence. Davi was born without fully developed limbs but he's not been discouraged, despite the haphazard nature of facilities for children like him in Brazil. "Davi doesn't see any barriers - he does what he wants and has overcome a lot in his life already," said his mother Denise. "He loves the Olympics and knows it's a unique moment in his life." But, she added, "as a mother it's a constant struggle to get improvements. Transport facilities here are pretty bad and getting around isn't easy, but things have improved in the run up to the Games". Davi lives in a country where 40% of disabled children don't go to school, where there's a huge gap in equality of opportunity depending on race or social background. That has to change, say campaigners, if Brazil is to build on Rio 2016. The cost of staging the Games has left the city and state of Rio virtually broke. Providing 80,000 extra security personnel, for example, doesn't come cheap. And while the tourists may leave happy, what happens in the rest of this notoriously violent city when budgets for policing programmes in Rio's favelas are cut? In the past few weeks, Brazilians have found new Olympic and Paralympic heroes - Rafaela Silva, Daniel Diaz and Thiago Braz. But, facing a difficult economic climate, there are tough funding decisions to come which could make or break the sporting ambitions of youngsters, like Davi Texeira, who've been inspired by what they've been part of this summer in their own city.

रियो में यह एक लंबी, भावनात्मक गर्मी रही है।


Pope Francis marks first year in office

Summary: Pope Francis is celebrating his first year in office.

The Argentinean-born pontiff is currently on a week-long spiritual retreat with cardinals and bishops in the Alban Hills near Rome. Italian opinion polls give Pope Francis the highest popularity rating of any recent pontiff. However, the BBC's David Willey in Rome says that Francis's papacy so far has shown a change of style rather than of substance. Pope Francis is the first Latin American - and the first Jesuit - to lead the Roman Catholic Church. Since taking office, pilgrims have been arriving in Rome in unprecedented numbers. He is also riding high on social media, with 11 million following him in nine languages on Twitter. Our correspondent says Francis's approval rating has remained high despite a recent UN report accusing the Catholic Church of systematically covering up for tens of thousands of child-abusing priests reported to the Vatican. The Pope himself has denounced any cult of personality. He recently told Corriere della Sera: "Portraying the pope as a kind of superman, a type of star, it seems offensive." Francis, 77, has appointed new advisers to help him run the Church and is planning major reforms of Vatican finances and of the scandal-hit Vatican bank. But our correspondent adds that for the moment there is no sign of a change in official Catholic teaching on artificial contraception or on the celibacy rule for priests. However the Pope's compassionate attitude - especially his outreach to believers who have abandoned going to Mass and to divorced Catholics banned from receiving communion - is not universally admired by traditionalist cardinals. Likewise his attitude towards gay people - he says that he is not going to judge them - contrasts strongly with that of his predecessor Pope Benedict, who called homosexuality "intrinsically evil". Thursday's anniversary is not being marked in any official way, a move that Vatican-watchers say is in keeping with the Pope's tendency to eschew pomp and ceremony. The decision to celebrate the anniversary quietly is a sound alternative to what almost certainly would have been a media frenzy if Pope Francis had decided to mark the anniversary in public, correspondents say.

पोप फ्रांसिस अपने कार्यकाल का पहला वर्ष मना रहे हैं।


Millions of Britons financially 'illiterate'

Summary: Among the findings of a major survey of UK personal finances was the statistic that about 16% of UK adults cannot identify the balance on their bank statement, a figure that rises to more than 25% for those aged 55 and over.

"Shocking" but unsurprising, is the verdict of Michelle Highman, chief executive of national money education charity Credit Action. "People just don't understand their balances," she says. "Something like a bank account is quite a technical document and the report does say there has been an increase in full disclosure but sometimes that can be too much information. "Different bank statements look different, different credit card statements look different. Sometimes they are shown in brackets, sometimes in red. "If you are not used to dealing with numbers it can be confusing to people." The financial illiteracy of millions of Britons was highlighted by other findings of the Financial Capability of the UK report, by the Money Advice Service (MAS). It raised other issues including a lack of understanding of inflation, a misunderstanding that paying into your pension later in life is preferable to starting one early, and trouble with interest rates. The report said that 12% of adults, rising to 17% of under-35s, believed the current Bank of England base rate stood at more than 10%. The base rate currently stands at 0.5%. 'Significant difference' Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of Personal Finance Education Group, hopes that plans to teach finances to schoolchildren could begin the work of improving public understanding. "We're delighted that after years of campaigning, financial education looks set to be taught in secondary schools through the national curriculum from September 2014," she said. "This is a big part of the long-term solution to this problem and will make a significant difference. "However, these new figures underscore the scale of the challenge. "For financial education to be most effective, we need to teach it from a young age - which means including it in all primary schools as well as at secondary level." Miss Highman stressed the importance of those doing the teaching actually understanding finances. But she added that teaching children as young as seven about day-to-day finances would have little impact on adults' difficulties. "Engagement is the biggest problem," she said. "We don't want to talk about money in this country anyway and we certainly don't want to talk about our lack of confidence and understanding about it as we can feel stupid. "People think this education is 'useful for others, not for me'. 'Worried' The MAS report, which was based on a survey of more than 5,000 people and followed 72 families closely over the course of a year, is described by its publishers as the "most in-depth piece of research into financial capability in the UK since the Financial Services Authority's similar study in 2006". It identified what it believed to be a wide range of skills deficiencies required for financial management, including mathematics planning, self-control, decision-making and problem-solving. It said shortcomings in engaging with financial management ranged from the emotional to the behavioural. People saving for a rainy day: 75% 2006 62% 2013 16% unable to identify balance on bank statement 35% don't understand impact of inflation 12% believe Bank of England base rate is more than 10% 25% prefer living for today, not planning for tomorrow The impact of inflation was not understood by a large proportion of the population, with many unable to determine whether 5% inflation eroded the purchasing power of money in an account paying 3% interest: 35% got this wrong, rising to 43% of those aged under 35. The report concluded: "Skills, knowledge and our attitudes are all core elements of good money management. "We should be worried that 16% of the population can't read a bank statement and three in 10 can't pick the best out of three individual savings accounts. "We should be concerned that over a third, 35% of us, don't understand the impact of inflation, which for many erodes the true value of our savings and our income. "And we should seek to help the near one in five who continue to spend even when they know they can't afford it, both for them as individuals and for those, including family, industry, and the government who often pick up the bill." A spokesman for the Department for Education said the new national curriculum would make financial literacy compulsory for the first time, as part of citizenship for 11- to 16-year-olds. He added: "Pupils will be taught the importance of budgeting, of sound management of money, credit and debt, as well as understanding of different financial services and products. The new mathematics curriculum will also ensure that all young people leave school with an understanding of the maths needed for personal finance."

ब्रिटेन के व्यक्तिगत वित्त के एक प्रमुख सर्वेक्षण के निष्कर्षों में यह आँकड़ा था कि ब्रिटेन के लगभग 16 प्रतिशत वयस्क अपने बैंक विवरण पर शेष राशि की पहचान नहीं कर सकते हैं, एक ऐसा आंकड़ा जो 55 वर्ष और उससे अधिक आयु के लोगों के लिए 25 प्रतिशत से अधिक है।


Jersey and Guernsey flights delayed by fog

Summary: Fog and low visibility is likely to continue to delay flights to and from Jersey and Guernsey airports for the next couple of days.

Jersey flights to Southampton and to and from Gatwick were cancelled on Monday due to heavy fog. Most flights in Guernsey were cancelled with more expected on Tuesday. Jersey's Meteorological Department said a hill fog was expected over both islands but would not be as bad as Monday.

अगले कुछ दिनों तक कोहरे और कम दृश्यता के कारण जर्सी और ग्वेर्नसे हवाई अड्डों से आने-जाने वाली उड़ानों में देरी होने की संभावना है।


Sabarimala: India activist held for 'explicit' thigh photo

Summary: An Indian woman who made an unsuccessful attempt last month to enter one of Hinduism's holiest temples has been arrested and charges against her include "exposing her thigh" in a photograph she posted on Facebook while dressed as a pilgrim.

By Geeta PandeyBBC News, Delhi Rehana Fathima, 32-year-old telecom technician, activist and model, was stopped by protesters from entering the Sabarimala shrine which has historically been closed to all women of "menstruating age". Hinduism regards menstruating women as unclean and bars them from participating in religious rituals. The shrine management says the ban on women is also because the temple deity Lord Ayyappa was a bachelor. In September, India's Supreme Court overturned the ban, allowing women of all ages to visit the temple. In October, Ms Fathima and a female journalist, protected by more than 100 policemen, had trekked to the hilltop shrine and managed to reach the main temple premises. But they had to return after a stand-off with devotees metres from the temple sanctum. And two months after the court order, a woman has yet to enter the shrine. Ms Fathima was arrested at her office in the city of Cochin on Tuesday, her friend and feminist activist Arathy SA told the BBC. A magistrate sent her to prison for 14 days to allow police to investigate the charges against her, she added. Ms Fathima is also accused of hurting religious sentiments. Her employer, the government-run telecom company BSNL, has suspended her until investigations are complete. In October, Ms Fathima posted a selfie on Facebook which showed her dressed in black (the colour most Lord Ayyappa devotees wear), her forehead smeared with sandalwood paste in the Hindu tradition, and her knees pulled up in front to mimic the classic Ayyappa pose. Police registered a case against her after complaints that her photograph was "sexually explicit" and "wounded the religious feelings of Lord Ayyappa's devotees". Earlier this month, she filed a petition in the lower court, requesting the magistrate to stop the police from arresting her. But the court rejected her plea, paving the way for her arrest. On Thursday, Ms Fathima's family said they had applied for bail and that her plea would be taken up on Friday. Her friend Arathy told the BBC that Ms Fathima did not intend to hurt anyone's religious sentiments or do anything that was sexual or offensive. "What about the men who go to Sabarimala bare-chested or expose their thighs? How come that's not outrageous?" she asked. Ms Fathima has also angered conservative Hindu groups because she's a Muslim, even though she says she is a devotee of Lord Ayyappa. Arathy says when Ms Fathima put up the photograph on Facebook, she received many abusive comments and even rape threats. "It's those people who are creating religious disharmony. Sabarimala allows all men, whatever their faith. It's only women who are not allowed into the shrine," she says. The opening of the temple to women has divided opinion in Kerala as well as the rest of India. Feminist activists say barring women from the shrine is patriarchal, while those in favour of keeping women out say they are protecting their deity in accordance with the traditional belief that women of a menstruating age are a threat to his celibacy. Ever since the ban was repealed, tens of thousands of protesters, including many women, have blocked roads, attacked female devotees and vandalised property to prevent women from entering the shrine. Thousands of people have been arrested for protesting and although most of them have been since freed, some do remain in jail.

एक भारतीय महिला जिसने पिछले महीने हिंदू धर्म के सबसे पवित्र मंदिरों में से एक में प्रवेश करने का असफल प्रयास किया था, उसे गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है और उसके खिलाफ आरोपों में तीर्थयात्री के रूप में कपड़े पहने फेसबुक पर पोस्ट की गई एक तस्वीर में "उसकी जांघ को उजागर करना" शामिल है।


Blue plaque for Birmingham 'painting attack' suffragette

Summary: A blue plaque is being unveiled to mark the moment a suffragette slashed a painting with a meat cleaver. But who was Bertha Ryland, the woman who carried out what could be seen today as a "domestic act of terrorism" and left a note behind to make sure her voice was heard?

A wealthy and intelligent young woman and a member of the respectable "Edgbaston elite" in Birmingham, Ms Ryland did not arouse suspicion when she entered the gallery with her "chopper" concealed under her coat in the middle of the afternoon of 9 June, 1914. It was exactly a year and a day since Emily Wilding Davison died as a result of the injuries she sustained at the Epsom Derby. Slashing the canvas three times, Ms Ryland caused £50 worth of damage to the painting known as Master Thornhill, by 18th Century artist George Romney. It led to Birmingham Art Gallery being closed for six weeks, according to University of Birmingham research fellow Dr Nicola Gauld. In a note left at the scene, Ms Ryland said her actions were a deliberate protest "against the government's criminal injustice in denying women the vote" and "against the government's brutal injustice in imprisoning, forcibly feeding and drugging suffragist militants". It was not the first time the suffragette had made her views known. She served six months in Holloway prison in 1912 for her involvement in a London window-smashing campaign where she was force-fed after refusing to eat. When she appeared before magistrates following her arrest at the Birmingham gallery, she refused to go along with proceedings and was taken to Winson Green Prison ahead of her trial. She, like many other suffragettes, went on hunger strike and was force-fed again. Hilda Burkitt, the first suffragette to undergo the "inhumane" practice spoke out against force-feeding while Ms Ryland later described it as a "unutterably hideous experience". Writing in The Suffragette Newspaper in July 1914, Ms Ryland said she underwent the "torture" nine times in 1912 despite having a diseased kidney which had been displaced for years. Force-feeding exacerbated her condition. "This mauling of the unprotected kidney, together with the retching and choking, strained and twisted the kidney and caused chronic inflammation", she wrote. She said she had been "strip searched" and force-fed a further five times. Eventually, her deteriorating health led to her trial being postponed and the charges against her were dropped in September 1914. Ms Ryland was born in 1882 and lived in Hermitage Road in Edgbaston. The youngest of five children, she was an active member of the The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) between 1907 and 1914. She never married nor had children and she died in the 1970s. The painting she attacked is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Dr Gauld said. "There is no label on the artwork or anything that hints to its radical past, though the damage is still visible if you look at the painting closely", she added. Lynsey Rutter, of the gallery, said it is not encouraging people to follow in Bertha's footsteps, but does want people to understand her intentions. "What could be seen as an act of domestic terrorism was bringing to the public's attention the lack of equality women were experiencing," she said. "We have so many platforms now in which we can make a stand. But for Bertha and women like her, those platforms were just not available. So she made sure her voice was heard in whatever way she could." *The plaque acknowledging Ms Ryland's actions is unveiled on Friday in the art gallery's Round Room as part of the its Women Power Protest project.

एक नीली पट्टिका का अनावरण किया जा रहा है उस क्षण को चिह्नित करने के लिए जब एक मताधिकार प्राप्त व्यक्ति ने मीट क्लीवर से एक पेंटिंग को काट दिया था। लेकिन वह महिला बर्था राइलैंड कौन थी, जिसने आज "आतंकवाद के घरेलू कृत्य" के रूप में देखा जा सकता है और यह सुनिश्चित करने के लिए कि उसकी आवाज़ सुनी जाए, एक नोट पीछे छोड़ दिया था?


Coca-Cola to cut bottle size but increase price in face of sugar tax

Summary: Coca-Cola has announced it will cut the size of a 1.75l bottle to 1.5l and put up the price by 20p in March, because of the introduction of a sugar tax on soft drinks from April this year.

However, the company said it has no plans to change its classic recipe. "People love the taste... and have told us not to change," a spokesman said. Coca-Cola Classic contains 10.6g of sugar per 100ml. Under the terms of the government's new tax, it will be subject to a tax of 24p per litre. "We have no plans to change the recipe of Coca-Cola Classic so it will be impacted by the government's soft drinks tax," said a spokesman for Coca-Cola European Partners. "Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Diet Coke, our no-sugar colas, are not impacted." Sugar tax The sugar tax was announced in March 2016, by the then Chancellor George Osborne, in an attempt to tackle rising obesity among children in the UK. From April, soft drinks manufacturers will be taxed at 18p per litre on drinks containing 5g of sugar or more per 100ml, or 24p per litre if the drink has more than 8g of sugar per 100ml. It is estimated, the tax will raise £520m a year - to be spent on funding sport in primary schools. The tax will apply to one in five soft drinks sold in the UK. Manufacturers and supermarkets have responded by tweaking recipes - typically upping the volume of artificial sweeteners - to avoid the levy. The amount of sugar used in Sprite, Fanta, and Dr Pepper - all owned by Coca-Cola - has been reduced - with the new version of Fanta, introduced last year, containing 33% less sugar. Similarly AG Barr, the makers of Irn Bru, took the decision to dramatically alter the recipe of the famous Scottish drink as a result of the sugar tax. But the new low sugar version, which sees much of the sugar content replaced by artificial sweeteners, has divided opinion among fans of the drink and even seen a petition launched to save the traditional recipe. However, the makers of Coca-Cola remain adamant they will stick with the original recipe - perhaps fearing the public backlash they faced in 1985 when they were forced to abandon the 'new Coke' recipe after 79 days and return to the original version. Coca-Cola said it was in discussion with retailers ahead of the sugar tax: "These discussions include reviewing the pack sizes offered to consumers and our approach to price-marked packs," a spokesman said. The nature of the tax suggests a 330ml can of Classic Coke may now be more expensive than a can of Diet Coke - which is not subject to the tax. Speaking to BBC Newsnight, a Cola-Cola spokesman conceded the increase in price for cans may be passed on to wholesalers - though it is not clear what will happen on shop shelves. "As is always the case, our customers will have to decide the retail prices in their outlets." Tim Rycroft, of the Food and Drink Federation, told Newsnight that he thought the sugar tax was not "the right mechanism". "If you put a tax on something, you will reduce consumption in terms of purchase. The question is, will you reduce consumption in terms of calories? Will those people who might choose not to buy a drink that goes up in price forego those calories, or will they find them somewhere else? "Trying to tackle obesity through these very narrow interventions seems to me to be not the right way to do it." Watch Newsnight's investigation into advertising and sugary products on Monday 15 January at 22:30 GMT or on iPlayer afterwards.

कोका-कोला ने घोषणा की है कि वह इस साल अप्रैल से शीतल पेय पर चीनी कर की शुरुआत के कारण एक 1.75l बोतल के आकार को घटाकर डेढ़ लीटर कर देगा और मार्च में कीमत को 20 पैसे तक बढ़ा देगा।


US President Barack Obama to visit Ireland in May

Summary: US President Barack Obama intends to visit Ireland in May.

He met Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at the White House in Washington on Thursday, St Patrick's Day. Speaking at the end of their meeting, the President said: "I wanted to say today that I intend to come to Ireland in May, but the date of the visit has yet to be finalised." He said he intended to visit Moneygall, the home of his great, great, great, great, great, grandfather. Records have revealed that Mr Obama's ancestor was a shoemaker in the village of Moneygall in County Offaly. His son Fulmuth Kearney left for America in 1850. Researchers at Trinity College, Dublin, delved further into Mr Obama's past during the presidential campaign to find an ancestral grand uncle was a prominent Dublin businessman in the 1700s. Wig-maker Michael Kearney brushed shoulders with Ireland's aristocracy on a daily basis and bought and sold property throughout the country. Mr Obama's political dynasty can also be traced to Kearney, who was heavily involved in the trade politics of Dublin. There is no official date for the visit yet but Mr Obama is due to travel to the UK in late May ahead of a G8 summit of world leaders in France. Mr Kenny called the President's visit a "vote of confidence" in the Irish people at a time of difficulty. He said he could assure the president of a rapturous welcome and said if he wanted to play golf he would be happy to join him. Earlier, the two leaders talked about how Ireland would bounce back from economic turmoil. Mr Kenny had breakfast with vice president Joe Biden at about 1230 GMT and met the US President at the Oval Office two hours later. At an American Ireland Fund dinner on Wednesday night, Mr Kenny said Ireland was "far from finished". He said the recent election was "a new dawn" for the country. The American Ireland Fund is aiming to raise $100m for Irish charities by the end of 2013. Mr Kenny also met US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday. The two men discussed the global economic situation.

अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति बराक ओबामा मई में आयरलैंड की यात्रा करने का इरादा रखते हैं।