Salisbury attack: Russian TV's claims about poisoning

Summary: What has Russian TV been saying about the nerve agent attack and how much of it is true?

By Olga KuzmenkovaBBC Russian On 4 March, Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found collapsed on a bench in Salisbury and it was later confirmed by British authorities that the pair had been poisoned by Novichok, a type of nerve agent. Mr Skripal is a retired Russian military intelligence colonel who came to the UK after being convicted and gaoled in Russia for spying for the UK. The findings about his poisoning by Novichok have been verified by an independent investigation carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Britain, and many other foreign governments, have blamed the Russian state for the attack. However the events in Salisbury have been labelled a hoax by some presenters and journalists on Russian TV, and several other rumours about how the incident unfolded have been discussed since it took place. Despite the fact that British authorities have given updates about the investigation, Russian talk shows complain about an information vacuum. The Russian government has denied any involvement in the attack. BBC Russian spent a few days watching episodes from the two talk shows, Let Them Talk on Russia's First Channel and 60 Minutes on Russia 1, and decided to answer some of their guests' frequently asked questions. Claim: The nerve agent attack was a hoax. Verdict: The nerve agent in Salisbury has been verified by the OPCW. TV presenters, including Russia Today journalist Alexander Gurnov, claimed that the entire incident in Salisbury was a hoax. Mr Gurnov asked: "[Was] there really an assassination attempt? Are they really in a London hospital? Are they really close to death?" The BBC has reported on eyewitnesses who saw the Skripals and paramedics who were called to the scene. There were also statements released by the New Scotland Yard police headquarters, and the hospital that treated the pair, that described what happened to them. The OPCW has said it confirmed "the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in Salisbury and severely injured three people". It was noted on Russian TV that there are no photos of the victims in hospital. And this is despite the fact that back in 2006 Alexander Litvinenko, who was also poisoned, was photographed ill in bed after being poisoned. NHS England issued a statement that said Yulia Skripal has asked for privacy from the media. Mr Litvinenko, a former officer in the Russian FSB (the main Russian security service) was poisoned in London with radioactive polonium in 2006 and photographed in hospital. The circumstances surrounding the publication of the photograph are well known, and were written about in the results of the public enquiry into the Litvinenko affair. The photograph was taken at University Hospital in London, and two days before his death. He had, by that point, already lost his hair and it was clear that he would not survive; on the same day he dictated a statement to be published after his death. The idea of taking this photograph came from a friend of Mr Litvinenko's, Alexander Goldfarb. Mr Litvinenko supported the idea, wanting to tell journalists about his poisoning. His wife and lawyer were also aware that the press was to receive the photograph from his hospital bed. Claim: It is absurd that the police were standing a few yards from the bench without any kind of protective clothing. Verdict: Only specialist investigators were required to wear protective clothing. Anton Tsvetkov said on Let Them Talk that it was "clearly just absurd" that police were standing a few yards away from the scene without protective clothing. It is true that the police stood by the cordon around the bench, pub, and restaurant were not wearing hazmat suits, or gas masks. However in the images shown while Mr Tsvetkov was speaking they were standing at a relatively long distance away from the potentially harmful areas. Nerve agents can poison though inhalation, ingestion or skin contact which is why investigators in Salisbury are wearing full protective clothing and gas masks, wrote Alistair Hay, professor emeritus of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds. (Health officials have said that Salisbury residents are safe despite traces of the poison that could still be present in the city.) The BBC asked Vil Mirzayanov, the man who revealed the existence of Novichok, if the policemen waiting behind the cordon would be in any danger. Mr Mirzayanov, on 18 April, said: "If A234 agent was used [against the Skripals], the policemen are not in danger. If it was applied to a door handle, nothing bad could happen to those who are standing behind the cordon. [If it is] 5 metres or 10 metres, nothing could happen. "They [the British and OPCW] said it was A234. A234 agent comes in a form of a pasty liquid; the concentration of its vapour is too low to affect anyone. "But it is another matter if it gets inside through skin or though digestion," he added. Mr Tsvetkov also said there was a feeling "that the police only cordon off the street for the cameras". We know from eyewitness testimony, including from BBC journalists at the scene and government statements, that there were a number of areas cordoned off by the police. Nine sites have been identified by Department for Environment, Food, and Rural affairs (Defra) as needing specialist cleaning. Claim: Yulia Skripal has refused to talk to Russian journalists and the BBC reported that she was planning to give a press conference. She will blame Russia for the poisoning. Verdict: We do not know who she intends to "blame". The BBC has not reported that she was going to give a press conference. Olga Skabeeva on the TV show 60 Minutes said the BBC had reported on 10 April that Yulia Skripal was planning to give a press conference. Ms Skabeeva said she (Yulia) is "unlikely to blame London for anything". The same journalist also noted that: "Doctors have announced that Yulia Skripal doesn't want to meet with Russian journalists, nor Russian representatives. "We really hope that she is being pressured, tortured and harassed [into giving these statements] but the press conference is about to start and as soon as it starts everything will fall into place," Ms Skabeeva added. The claim about the upcoming press conference was repeated by journalist Evgenii Popov on the show 60 Minutes on 11 April. However the BBC had not reported that Ms Skripal was ever planning to give a press conference. According to a statement released by the Metropolitan Police on 11 April, Ms Skripal declined to speak with all journalists - Russian and Western. Ms Skripal said: "For the moment I do not wish to speak to the press or the media". In the statement she also noted the fact that the Russian Embassy had been in touch, saying: "I have been made aware of my specific contacts at the Russian Embassy who have kindly offered me their assistance in any way they can. "At the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services, but, if I change my mind I know how to contact them," she added. Claim: The Skripals' pets were destroyed in an attempt to conceal evidence. Verdict: According to a Defra statement the two guinea pigs died of dehydration and the cat, which was found in a distressed state, was put down "in the best interests of the animal" by the vet. Nikolai Dolgopolov, the deputy editor in chief of Russian Gazette, on Let Them Talk said the disappearance of "innocent rabbits, guinea pigs, and kittens" was part of a concerted effort to destroy evidence. Viktoria Skripal, Yulia's cousin, mentioned it was only after her intervention that British authorities explained the fate of the cat. It is true that the British authorities announced the fate of the cat and the guinea pigs only after the Russian embassy contacted the Foreign Office. Defra announced that when a veterinarian came to Mr Skripal's home, the guinea pigs had already died of dehydration, and the cat was in a poor condition. A statement read: "A decision was taken by a veterinary surgeon to euthanise the animal to alleviate its suffering". Claim: The British will demolish the pub, restaurant, and Mr Skripal's house. It is obvious this is an effort to destroy the evidence. Verdict: There is no official commitment to destroying any of these buildings. Defra has recently announced that it will take months for the sites to reopen. TV host Evgenii Popov said Russia will be labelled as guilty and it would not be possible to prove otherwise because Mr Skripal's house won't exist anymore. Others on Russian TV have referred to a Daily Mail article that said the house and other buildings in Salisbury will be destroyed. The article claimed that sources suggested Mr Skripal's £400,000 house in Salisbury "may be demolished to completely expunge traces of the Russian-made Novichok nerve agent". However official sources have not publicly announced anything specific about the fate of the buildings. BBC Russian was unable to confirm these reports with the police or Defra. These official organisations clarified that currently Mr Skripal's house and other premises are still scenes of investigation; afterwards, when the police finish their investigation, specialists will begin the work of making the buildings safe. A recent Defra statement did not mention whether the house would be destroyed. Rather, it said that as part of the investigation "meticulous work is required and we expect it will be a number of months before all sites are fully reopened." Russian talk shows frequently discuss claims that the British authorities intend to destroy evidence. However in reality British official sources frequently state that police are actively collecting and preserving all traces of evidence. For example, it has been reported that the investigation has collected over 1350 pieces of evidence, recorded over 5000 hours of camera footage, identified 500 witnesses and already questioned a few hundred people. The police have also reported that the bench on which the Skripals were found has been removed from the park specifically to preserve it as a possible source of evidence for the investigation. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter

रूसी टीवी तंत्रिका एजेंट के हमले के बारे में क्या कह रहा है और यह कितना सच है?


Are US hunters becoming an endangered species?

Summary: Fewer and fewer Americans are taking up hunting every year, prompting some advocates to express concern for the future of the pastime, as well as the wildlife and nature conservation that hunters' fees support, writes Jonathan Berr.

Hunting has become a curiosity rather than a necessity for many people, says Mike Busch. When he tells people that for more than a decade he's only eaten meat from animals he's hunted, the New Jersey resident is peppered with questions from people who think that his chosen diet is "cool" and from those who wonder what he has against supermarkets. "It was a whole different world when I grew up hunting," Busch tells the BBC. The 52-year-old activist has hunted for more than four decades. "There was a whole lot of camaraderie among hunters. A lot more people ate what they killed." There is a demographic time bomb facing the US hunting industry as older hunters quit the sport at a faster rate than younger ones can replace them. It's a problem that is decades in the making and presents challenges for US wildlife conservation, which is funded by licence sales and taxes on hunting gear. According to a recent analysis of US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) data by OutdoorLife, a magazine geared toward hunters, participation in the sport peaked in 1982 at 17 million. There are roughly 15 million American hunters this year, according to the USFWS. Michigan Technical University Professor Richelle L Winkler says that men born between 1955 and 1964 participate in hunting at higher rates compared with succeeding generations. Neither younger men - nor the growing numbers of women taking up hunting - are doing so at a fast enough pace to offset the declines in the older demographic. "I don't see this as something that can be reversed," Winkler says. Growing urbanisation is also an issue. According to the Pew Research Center, urban areas where hunting tends to be less popular have grown at a rate of 13% since 2000, while half of US rural counties, where the sport is favoured, have fewer residents than they did in 2000. As a result, fewer people are growing up as hunters and aren't passing down the tradition to their children. To be sure, hunting continues to be big business in the US. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation estimates that Americans spend more than $23.7bn (£18bn) annually on hunting-related purchases, including firearms. Dick's Sporting Goods, one of the largest US sporting goods retailers, is distancing itself from hunting after pulling some firearms off its shelves in the aftermath of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Earlier this year, the chain unloaded eight of its Field & Stream hunting specialty stores to rival Sportsman's Warehouse. Dick's also quit selling hunting gear in 150 of its 858 stores and likely will leave the business entirely, according to CFRA Analyst Camilla Yanushevsky. A spokesperson for Dick's did not respond to a request for comment. Hunting also has an image problem and is often misunderstood by people who didn't grow up with it, according to enthusiasts. When Kristen Black took up hunting at the age of 20, her family was "unhappy about it", she says. "But once I challenged them about eating grocery store meat, they settled into the idea of ethically hunting for meat." Black, a spokeswoman for the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, tells the BBC that she was personally opposed to hunting until she learned of the benefits that came with controlling animal populations. One problem hunting mitigates, she says, is how often deer cause deadly automobile crashes. According to Busch, the veteran New Jersey hunter, trophy hunters eager for big game kills give subsistence hunters like himself a bad name. "I have never been a trophy hunter and never will be," he says. In an effort to maintain interest in hunting, states are ramping up marketing to attract more hunters even as they cut back spending in other areas as government funding dries up. According to OutdoorLife, many of these marketing efforts by hunters are ineffective. Other programmes have had some success in attracting new hunters, such as "foodies" - amateur food connoisseurs - eager to find a source of sustainably grown meant. "We have been able to slow it a little bit, but the truth of the matter is that we are going to have a decline," said Keith Warnke of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "It's a demographic impossibility that we won't." You may also be interested in: Kelly Hepler, Secretary of South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, estimates the numbers of waterfowl hunters have fallen by more than half over the past six years to 12,000 from 25,000. As a result, the department's budget has been slashed by 12% in recent years. Like most states, South Dakota doesn't fund conservation directly from taxpayers, a system that dates back to the late 19th Century, but instead relies on taxes extracted from hunters. "I didn't foresee 10 years ago that we'd be losing hunters at the rate that we are losing them now," says Hepler, who also is president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. As a result of the fiscal restraints, fish and wildlife agencies have to make tough choices such as deferring maintenance on facilities in public areas or entering into fewer partnerships with private landowners to preserve environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands, according to Hepler. "It decreases our ability to provide what I call good conservation," he said. Animal rights groups such as Peta support finding alternative ways to fund conservation that are unrelated to hunting, which it vehemently opposes. "It's a problem that we are using a system that is from the 19th Century, and is completely outdated and out-of-step with modern values," said Ashley Byrne, a Peta campaigner. "Instead of responding to that by rethinking how we are funding these areas, wildlife management agencies are just trying to prop up this old broken system by encouraging younger generations and women to hunt." Still, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation survey released earlier this year, 80% of Americans approve of legal hunting. But there's a catch - their support varies widely depending on the reason. Approval is high when animals are being killed for utilitarian reasons such as to protect humans or property, while less than a third support trophy hunting. But even so, most Americans increasingly prefer to leave the actual hunting to others, a trend that appears to be here to stay. "I am not sure that I would call it a crisis," says Hepler. "But it's tremendously troubling".

जोनाथन बेर लिखते हैं कि हर साल कम से कम अमेरिकी शिकार कर रहे हैं, जिससे कुछ अधिवक्ताओं को मनोरंजन के भविष्य के साथ-साथ वन्यजीव और प्रकृति संरक्षण के लिए चिंता व्यक्त करने के लिए प्रेरित किया जाता है, जो शिकारियों के शुल्क का समर्थन करते हैं।


The Victorian Society: Colliery and crane on at risk list

Summary: A colliery, a crane and a building where the world's first £1m cheque was signed have been listed in a top 10 of the UK's most endangered buildings.

The Victorian Society's annual list of buildings at risk in England and Wales comes from public nominations. The list pinpoints the 10 in most need of urgent help. "Victorian and Edwardian architecture makes a huge contribution to the character of places people live in and love," said Chris Costelloe, director. On the 2014 endangered list

एक कोयला खान, एक क्रेन और एक इमारत जहां दुनिया के पहले £1 मिलियन के चेक पर हस्ताक्षर किए गए थे, को ब्रिटेन की सबसे लुप्तप्राय इमारतों में से शीर्ष 10 में सूचीबद्ध किया गया है।


Why are India's Dalit students taking their lives?

Summary: "My birth is my fatal accident... I always was rushing. Desperate to start a life... I am not sad. I am just empty. Unconcerned about myself. That's pathetic. And that's why I am doing this."

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent These are excerpts from the last letter - "this kind of letter for the first time" - that Rohith Vemula, a PhD student at Hyderabad Central University wrote before he killed himself on Sunday. It is, at once, an eloquent and chilling suicide note: a young man who loved "science, stars, nature and people", and aspired to become a science writer like Carl Sagan, ended up defeated and crushed by discrimination and apathy. 'Steadily isolated' Mr Vemula, 26, was one of five Dalit - formerly known as untouchable - students who were protesting against their expulsion from the university's housing facility. India's 180 million Dalits are among its most wretched citizens, because of an unforgiving and cruel caste hierarchy that condemns them to the bottom of the heap. Mr Vemula and the four other students faced allegations last August that they attacked a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) - the student wing of the governing Hindu nationalist BJP - on the campus. Some reports say an investigation had found no "conclusive evidence" of the assault. Last year the students had also protested against the execution of Yakub Memon, the man convicted of financing the deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings and the right-wing ABVP's stalling of a documentary film on the Muzaffarnagar riots in Delhi University. One newspaper said the sequence of events leading to Mr Vemula's death shows how he was "steadily isolated by campus authorities and his appeals went largely unheard". The university stopped paying his monthly stipend of 25,000 rupees ($369; £258) allegedly because he raised issues under the campus's Dalit-led students union. It also began an investigation into his - and his friends - conduct. In August federal minister Bandaru Dattatreya, a BJP junior minister, wrote a letter to the federal education ministry complaining that the university had become a "den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics". In September, Mr Vemula and four other students were suspended - although the minister denies this was linked to his missive, which he says was not about the Dalit students, but a general comment on the restive campus. Mr Vemula's death has sparked off a firestorm of protest across India. Poet and writer Meena Kandasamy says the student's suicide was "not just an individual exit strategy, it is a shaming of society that has failed him or her". She wrote "education has now become a disciplining enterprise working against Dalit students: they are constantly under threat of rustication, expulsion, defamation, discontinuation". Mr Vemula's is not an exceptional story of caste discrimination on India's campuses. One report said eight Dalit students had taken their lives "unable to cope" with caste politics at Hyderabad University in the past decade. Between 2007 and 2011 alone, 18 Dalit students ended their lives in some of India's premier educational institutes, according to another estimate. Shocking abuse Some eight years ago, Apoorvanand, who teaches at Delhi University, had gone to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India's leading medical school, to investigate a case of discrimination against a Dalit student. He says he found vile abuses written on the doors and walls of hostel rooms where Dalit students lived. (There was no name calling, because direct abuse would lead to prosecution under tough anti-discrimination laws.) When he went to the director of the institute to lodge a complaint, the latter flatly denied that there was caste discrimination on the campus. This is a school which produces India's best doctors. This is also the school where a federal investigation into complaints of caste-based harassment and discrimination against Dalit and tribal students uncovered a shocking picture of abuse. The probe found most of the Dalit and tribal students complaining that they "did not receive the kind of support other students received from their teachers". Examiners asked about their caste backgrounds. The students said teachers did not give them the marks they deserved in exams, and their papers were not evaluated properly. More than 90% of the students said they were routinely humiliated by examiners in practical and oral examinations. "There is systemic persecution of Dalit students in Indian universities. They are often failed by their teachers deliberately," Apoorvanand told me. Many Dalit students who get into colleges and universities through affirmative action quotas - restorative justice for centuries of historical wrongs against the community - come to campuses with deficiencies in education, including a feeble command over the English language. Most of them are first generation graduates, come from poor families - like Mr Vemula, born of a father who works as a security guard and a mother who's a tailor - and often struggle to fit in. Fierce competition India's colleges and universities are theatres of fierce competition and confrontation: only a privileged few manage to get a limited number of seats through fiercely contested exams. Upper caste students, say many, have a "natural hatred and antagonism" for the Dalits and tribespeople who take up seats reserved for their communities. "There is a lot of anger against affirmative action and their beneficiaries, but then there is little the upper castes can do about it because the quotas are constitutionally mandated," says Apoorvanand. So the students are shamed and mocked at as "quota students", and their abilities mocked. In absence of effective student support groups or university structures, warning meltdown signals among suffering students are ignored. Fed up with the way things were going, Mr Vemula wrote to the university authorities in December to allow him to die and even spoke about how they could help him and his Dalit friends end his life. The authorities apparently did nothing. Politicians are accused of not confronting this appalling discrimination with the zeal it deserves. Instead, Dalit and tribals have also become pawns in India's hideous vote bank politics. In modern-day India, the segregation of Dalits begins early: they are separated by markers and coloured wrist bands in classrooms; and forced to clean school toilets. Upper caste school children routinely boycott school lunches cooked by Dalit cooks. Mr Vemula is just the latest victim of India's scourge of untouchability.

"मेरा जन्म मेरी घातक दुर्घटना है... मैं हमेशा जल्दबाजी कर रहा था... मैं जीवन शुरू करने के लिए बेताब हूं... मैं दुखी नहीं हूं. मैं खाली हूं. अपने बारे में चिंतित नहीं हूं। यह दयनीय है। और इसलिए मैं ऐसा कर रहा हूं।"


No place like gnome: Police seek missing Christmas figure's owner

Summary: Police are searching for the owner of a Christmas gnome they believe was "abducted" from a home in Blackpool, according to a fun post on Facebook.

Officers said the constable at the centre of the case had been nicknamed "Sherlock Gnomes" at his station in the Lancashire seaside town. Facebook user Simon Scarr joked the successful police work could "improve the Gnome Office crime figures". Lancashire Police have urged the figure's owner to contact the force.

फेसबुक पर एक मजेदार पोस्ट के अनुसार, पुलिस एक क्रिसमस जीनोम के मालिक की तलाश कर रही है, जिसके बारे में उनका मानना है कि ब्लैकपूल के एक घर से उसका अपहरण कर लिया गया था।


How should schools support transgender pupils?

Summary: Modern schools are expected to be open and inclusive environments.

By Jamie McIvorBBC Scotland education correspondent Many actively seek to celebrate diversity. Homophobic bullying is openly discussed in many schools in a way which would have been unimaginable a generation ago. It is not unusual now to see rainbow flags or stickers in schools promoting LGBT rights and equality. Many gay men or lesbians in their 30s or 40s who either experienced homophobic bullying or hid their sexual orientation at school may almost pinch themselves when they see the efforts some schools now go to. But the T in LGBT may sometimes be a more tricky issue to explore. There are no official figures on the number of schoolchildren who identify as transgender. 'Increasing visibility and inclusion' However the number is believed to be rising as transgender youngsters are becoming more confident about their identity. Detailed guidance on how to support transgender pupils was drawn up last year by the charity LGBT Youth Scotland - the Scottish government is supportive. The document is almost 60 pages long and covers a wide range of issues. The guidance is not statutory but would be seen by supporters as an example of best practice. It is up to individual councils to decide how they should be put to use or incorporated into their policies. It is reasonable to suppose that the many schools and teachers will have little experience of supporting a transgender student or may have never knowingly had a transgender child. In the introduction to the guidance, James Morton of the Scottish Trans Alliance wrote: "Over the last few years, increasing visibility and inclusion of trans people means that more people are feeling confident to come out as trans at younger ages instead of keeping their gender identities hidden for decades in fear. "Whilst it is great that young trans people are increasingly being accepted and supported by their friends and families, we know that some schools have struggled to keep up with the fast-paced changes in this area." The guidance deals with a huge range of issues including how to help children who want to come out, beating bullying and the use of gender neutral language. It also touches on issues such as social dancing, school uniform and PE. The points made in the guidance include: Critics have expressed concern about how putting the guidance into practice could affect other pupils - for instance the effect on girls if someone born with a male body starts to use their changing rooms. A number of councils which are supportive of the guidance say they have not carried out an assessment of its possible impact on other pupils. The Christian Institute is preparing to launch a legal challenge amid concern about the practical impact of measures to support transgender pupils on others. A feminist campaigner, Jess Stewart, is quoted in a newspaper as saying councils were "obviously wanting to do the right thing (to support transgender pupils) which is great. But they've done it without considering girls". A spokesman for LGBT Youth Scotland said the guidance was developed in collaboration with a wide range of organisations and there was consultation with parents, teachers and young people. He added: "The guidance represents what we believe to be best practice in supporting transgender young people and is not statutory." Research by LGBT Scotland suggests that between 2012 and 2017, the proportion of young LGBT people who described school as a bad experience fell significantly from 64% to 46%. Purely amongst transgender youngsters, the trend was similar but a noticeably higher proportion - 53% - still said school was a bad experience. Some had experienced transphobic attitudes amongst staff. One young person told the charity: "Teachers in my school were actively transphobic towards an FTM boy. He overheard two teachers talking about how 'freaks' like him shouldn't be 'allowed to mix with normal children'." A Scottish government spokesman said: "The guidance is not a Scottish government publication, however we are supportive of this work, developed by LGBT Scotland, which we believe will reduce transgender discrimination. "It is up to individual schools and local authorities to deliver relevant and engaging learning that best suits the needs of pupils." Supporters of the guidance argue some critics may be distorting it or are simply prejudiced against transgender people. However, others believe that while the guidance is well-intended, the possible effect of practical measures on other pupils needs to be considered properly.

आधुनिक विद्यालयों के खुले और समावेशी वातावरण होने की उम्मीद है।


Rap duo 4 Wheel City and the Krip-Hop career they never expected

Summary: Black New Yorkers Ricardo Velasquez and Namel Norris were shot and paralysed when they were teenagers. As rap duo 4 Wheel City they have received global acclaim and raised the prominence of Krip-Hop - a sub-genre of Hip-Hop which puts disabled matters front and centre and lets them express the "double drama" of being in two minority groups

By Beth RoseBBC Ouch Rick headed home from high school. It was the summer of 1996. The holidays were approaching and his sweetheart was pregnant. But in a single moment everything changed. A gun was fired nearby and he was hit by a stray bullet. "I don't know who shot me, but I ended up in a wheelchair," he says. In the same Bronx neighbourhood was 17-year-old Namel. He was at home with his cousin. "We grew up in the street so we were involved with guns and one day he was playing around with one," Namel says. "It went off and the bullet struck me in my neck." Both teenagers, wounded at different times, were paralysed and became wheelchair-users. They now had to come to terms with being part of TWO minority groups - black and disabled. "It's like you're doing a double life sentence," Namel says. "Imagine that, being black and disabled," Rick echoes. "That's a double drama. It's like your voice is not heard in a double way. You've got all these barriers." In 2020s language, having two 'protected characteristics' like this is referred to as intersectionality and could lead to double celebration - or double the discrimination. It was Namel's mum who first met Rick. He gave her his number and said Namel could call him. But after Namel was discharged he simply wanted to get back to what he'd always done. He met up with his old friends, but it wasn't the same and all the dynamics had changed now he couldn't walk. "One of my friends I used to rap with, wasn't hanging out with me as much," he says. Namel contacted Rick who said he had experienced the same kind of thing with friends and family who no longer knew how to talk to him because he was in a wheelchair. He began to hang out at Rick's recording studio because it was a place he felt he would "be understood, be heard". The pair wrote Hip Hop tracks together as Rickfire and Tapwaterz but the rap market was so saturated that it was difficult to stand out. At the same time, Namel was getting fed-up with the constant questions people kept asking him about his injury - "questions like, 'Are you going to walk again?' and, 'Does this work?'. I was tired of people asking." He took his frustrations out on the page and wrote In My Shoes - a track which dealt with those personal questions. "It felt good to be able to express myself like that," he says. Getting more political, the duo penned another song - The Movement - about the inaccessibility of shops in New York. Listen to Namel and Rick rap and chat on the BBC Ouch podcast... It made an impact. When they returned to the street where they had filmed their music video, the stores had ramps. "That's the song that really put us on the map," Namel says. "Music has always been a form of protest." Their music falls within the little-known sub-genre Krip-Hop - a movement which gives disabled hip-hop artists a platform to educate and deal with ableism alongside racism and sexism. Krip-Hop was founded by Leroy F. Moore Jr. an African American writer and activist with cerebral palsy who wanted to use rap culture as a way to reclaim negative language associated with disability. The latest album from 4 Wheel City, Quarantine Music Volume 1 - released during lockdown - dives into the double minority identity of being both black and disabled The track Crazy World and its accompanying video reflects upon the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests which followed. Namel says: "The song is about how crazy the world is right now and being able to deal with it as a person with a disability." The video flits between Namel in an ambulance wearing a facemask on his way to hospital, George Floyd's death and the protests. The pair say the death of Mr Floyd and the subsequent BLM protests has helped them explain to others how they felt when their lives altered through disability. "When your life gets changed or flipped upside down it makes you think differently," Namel says. "I think that's why a lot of people out there are protesting right now because I feel like they had a wake-up call." Namel and Rick channelled their wake-up calls through lyrics which often have a political edge as they put into words what being black, disabled and American means to them. 4 Wheel City say there is a lot to be done to reach equality and while they want change on a global scale they also want to affect change in their local community. Mount Sinai Hospital commissioned them to rap about pressure sores - a serious problem for people with spinal cord injuries who may sit in their wheelchair for long periods of time - and a local organisation, Being First, recruited them to talk about the perils of gun violence to school students. But there are obstacles within that. "I don't want to be racist," Rick says, but the fact is "white people run most of the organisations" and yet, "if you come to the black community most of us are in wheelchairs due to injuries like gunshots". Namel adds: "Our talent could be used to make a difference". 4 Wheel City have previously rapped at the UN and want this month's 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability, to be marked with meaningful movement forward. Namel says: "I know it can be discouraging and it's easy to say, 'well I'm black and they don't want to listen', but what Rick and I did, we tried to remove that barrier [through music]." Rick adds: "Don't be afraid to be different and go out there and put your voice out there and embrace the struggle." The rap duo last performed in the UK in 2012 at the London Paralympics, a unifying and positive event for disabled people around the world. But they say the summer of 2020 with Covid-19 and BLM protests has, in some ways, made them feel the same. "It was being black and American and disabled," Namel says. "I felt that sense of pride. Just knowing that our music matters on the world stage." For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast on BBC Sounds.

ब्लैक न्यूयार्क के रिकार्डो वेलास्केज़ और नामेल नॉरिस को किशोरावस्था में गोली मार दी गई थी और वे लकवाग्रस्त हो गए थे। रैप जोड़ी 4 व्हील सिटी के रूप में उन्होंने वैश्विक प्रशंसा प्राप्त की है और हिप-हॉप की एक उप-शैली-क्रिप-हॉप की प्रमुखता को बढ़ाया है जो विकलांग मामलों को सामने और केंद्र में रखता है और उन्हें दो अल्पसंख्यक समूहों में होने के "दोहरे नाटक" को व्यक्त करने देता है।


Google Maps uses Ground Truth project to battle Apple

Summary: A new front opens up in the smartphone battle between Google and Apple this week when the search giant's mapping technology is dropped from iPhones and iPads' Maps app when they are upgraded to the latest version of the iOS operating system.

By Leo KelionTechnology reporter The move is a blow to Google: it is likely to impact advertising sales because it will not be able to show "sponsored links" on iOS's default maps, and it will stop receiving data about how people use the software. Until now Google has dominated mobile maps. Android and iOS jointly account for about 85% of global smartphone shipments and an even higher percentage of tablets according to research firm IDC. It was against this backdrop that the man in charge of Google Maps, Brian McClendon, offered a rare one-on-one interview to the BBC. He promised to lift the lid on how Google Maps worked and, as it emerged, explain why his firm's ownership of its location data could give it the upper hand. "I would say that any company that is based on licensed data would face the same challenges we did in 2008," Mr McClendon says, referring to the fact that Apple's product will rely on material from Dutch company TomTom. "The amount of investment we are doing in creating map data as opposed to licensing it is significant, and the difference is measurable in basically every single country in the world." Ground Truth Google launched its mapping technology in the UK and US in 2005. Initially it relied on location data from others. Within three years it used this to extend the service to 22 countries, but the engineers running the project had become frustrated with its scope. "What we wanted was a deeper and more comprehensive base map," Mr McClendon says. "We decided to start a project called Ground Truth, and this was really to build our own maps from scratch. We would start with licensed data and we would find whatever we could where we could get full rights to the data and improve it from there." This involved mashing together existing third-party mapping data with Google's own analysis of satellite images and information taken from its new Street View service. Street View is perhaps best known to the public as a way to take a virtual tour of an area. The firm sent cars fitted with special nine-lens cameras along roads recording panoramic photos as they went. These are posted online allowing users to spin around a 360 degree view of the area, zoom in and out, and click on the pictures to travel from one spot to another. But Google's computers also analyse the images to identify street signs, speed limits, addresses, business names, rights of way at road junctions and other information. Human operators then check over each area to correct mistakes before the data is incorporated into the maps. "The benefits of having Street View can't be undercounted," Mr McClendon says. "We have over 20 petabytes [21.5 billion megabytes] of imagery and have driven and published over five million miles of Street View roads." Error correction Google also takes account of issues flagged by users who click on its "report a problem" link. Human operators cross-check suggested corrections with Street View images to ensure they are not outlandish before making the amendments. Finally, the firm analyses data sent back by drivers using its product, for example noting if a road is one-way and making sure this corresponds with its map labels. "One of the challenges to licensed data is that when the data is being managed by a third-party company it can take months or even a year or more to update the data you get even when you know something is wrong," Mr McClendon adds. "Reducing the time frame to minutes has been very very useful to us because typically when users see that their input was heard they give more input." Second phase So far the Ground Truth project covers 31 nations - places where there was already decent data Google could license to use as the foundations for its process. Now it is about to embark on what it calls Ground Truth 2.0, extending the system to "more difficult" regions. Top of its list is the country with the world's fastest growing population. "There hasn't been a good map that has named all the villages in India to date," says Mr McClendon. Google is not starting entirely from scratch in India. Some locals have already used Map Maker - a Google service which allows users to add roads, rivers, local businesses and other information to the data it licenses. But Mr McClendon acknowledges that his team have a lot more work to do before its maps of the country match those of the UK or US. "It's a huge challenge - there's many more people, many more villages and the documentation and information is much less," he adds. Public versus private Beyond Ground Truth, Google also aims to improve its service by mapping the interiors of more buildings - the current emphasis is on transport hubs, shopping centres, museums and business that pay for an approved photographer to visit them. However, Mr McClendon draws the line at the idea of adding people's homes. "I think private is something Google wants to stay out of," he says. Looking further ahead he adds that his ambition is to go beyond offering a pixel-perfect 3D version of public places. "It's not just being able to draw it in the virtual reality sense of saying 'here we've reproduced the current world', but to understand the data, to know this is the doorway to a business, this is the path to the stairs... this is a public building, these are private areas," he says. "The more information we can provide the users about where they are and where they should go, I think that will give everybody the confidence in their ability to travel and their ability to interact as they won't worry am I allowed to do this, or should I go there." Not everyone will be comfortable with Google extending its reach this way, particularly in light of the fact its Street View cars collected users' emails, passwords and other personal data for more than two years before the practice was put to a stop. Google later said the action had been "inadvertent", but it was not helped by the fact that it subsequently failed to delete the data gathered as promised. Exactly why the firm let the material be gathered in the first place is still unclear. "I can't comment on that based on the ongoing discussions," was all Mr McClendon would say on the matter. Some will also be unhappy by the prospect of more ads. Mr McClendon himself acknowledges "local advertising is going to be a critical part of any mapping or local search experience". But for many, such issues pale against the idea of a world without "free" mobile maps, and Apple's entry into the sector is seen as a driving force for further innovation. The move does not mean Google will abandon iOS users. Mr McClendon stresses they will still be able to access Google Maps via their devices' web browsers, although he would not be drawn about the idea of offering a rival Maps app. "We want to have a presence on every device," he said. "Whether it's a web based map or anything else we will have, the users will be able to decide."

इस सप्ताह गूगल और एप्पल के बीच स्मार्टफोन की लड़ाई में एक नया मोर्चा खुलता है जब खोज दिग्गज की मानचित्रण तकनीक को आईफ़ोन और आईपैड के मैप्स ऐप से हटा दिया जाता है जब उन्हें आई. ओ. एस. ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टम के नवीनतम संस्करण में अपग्रेड किया जाता है।


Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe: Retiring Met chief reflects on job

Summary: The UK's top police officer is retiring after five-and-a-half years in charge of the Metropolitan Police. BBC London's Home Affairs correspondent Nick Beake joined him as he policed his last football match on horseback to discuss his highs and lows.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe is taking me to meet his favourite police horse, Oliver. "He's a star. A lovely character. Brave," he says. "Hello mate, you're looking well," he tells him as he strokes his dark brown mane. "He seems to be loyal, takes everything in his stride and is not too demanding." How does he compare with politicians? "I've never ridden a politician, so I wouldn't know," chuckles the outgoing police chief. Sir Bernard is in his element. After five-and-a-half years of gruelling 14-hour days, he will soon trot off into the grazing pastures of retirement. More time for holidays with his wife Marion, walking, Game of Thrones and House of Cards, he later enthuses. It's early Saturday morning in west London and the commissioner's day off. But he can't keep away. He's passionate about horse riding and is volunteering to police the Chelsea-Arsenal match as one of the mounted branch. He may normally be in charge of 32,000 officers, but here he's one of the troops on the front line. Following this stint at Stamford Bridge, he has patrolled every football stadium in London. Sir Bernard arguably rode to the rescue of the Met in autumn 2011. Scotland Yard had lost two commissioners in the space of three years - Sir Ian Blair had been ousted by Mayor Boris Johnson while Sir Paul Stephenson resigned amid the phone hacking scandal. London had been burning - with riots igniting and spreading across 26 of the capital's 32 boroughs. "A terrifying" time, Sir Bernard admits. To try to build trust between the police and London's communities he ordered a reduction in the controversial police tactic of stop and search. He also had to build a management team, after his predecessors found meetings and disagreements had been leaked. He chose "good people who were honourable" who were interested in "team, not ego". He championed an approach called Total Policing which aimed to be "as nimble, thorough and ruthless" as the criminals, getting justice for victims. The highs Falling crime The Olympics passing off peacefully No mass terrorist attack, unlike some European neighbours The lows A bungled inquiry into allegations of a VIP Westminster sex ring in the 1970s and 80s Plebgate Budget cuts totalling £600m Crime fell by a fifth during Sir Bernard's time in charge, although he admits he is worried by a recent rise, particularly in knife crime. He puts this down to some of the 1,500 gang members arrested and jailed around the time he started the job now being released and back on the streets. The day we meet, the commissioner is on the generally less-than-mean streets of Fulham, leading a dozen police horses through the high street, as fans stream to the stadium. But it was the policing of a much bigger sporting event - the Olympics in 2012 - that was a high point for him. As the eyes of the world fixed on London, the spectacle passed without trouble. During Sir Bernard's tenure, the menace from so-called Islamic State emerged, but there has been no mass terrorist attack - unlike in other major European cities such as Paris, Nice, Brussels and Berlin. However, Sir Bernard has faced sustained and vociferous criticism in the press, particularly over the Met's handling of the bungled inquiry into allegations of a VIP sex ring at Westminster in the 1970s and 80s. The commissioner had to visit the former head of the Army, Lord Bramall and former Home Secretary Lord Brittan's widow to apologise "for the intrusion into their homes and the impact... on their lives" after both men were accused but subsequently cleared. Although the commissioner acknowledges the Met failed, he thinks the treatment he got from the press was a consequence of journalists being arrested for phone hacking and inappropriate payments to police and public officials. He admits some criticism hurts, but how about when he reads in the paper that he's "the man who shames British policing"? "You know it's untrue and they've got an agenda. They've had a go at a lot of people, but they've not always had a good look at themselves," he says. "And I think if they looked themselves in the mirror sometimes, they'd know that we've been on the side of right and they haven't." It's a bold claim, as on his watch in 2014 a public inquiry into undercover policing was launched. Last week, the police watchdog said it was investigating why documents were shredded weeks after the inquiry was announced and despite Sir Bernard ordering no evidence be destroyed. If his message was ignored it would be an uncomfortable moment for the Yorkshireman who prides himself on a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Something he inherited from his mum Celia, who raised him as a single parent. "She was my inspiration really. She was the one who got me through everything. She had to fight on my behalf." He regrets she did not live to see him knighted or become head of the Met. "Sadly she died in 2002. But I know she'd be looking down and she'd still be looking after me - she'd never let anyone pick on me." So how about the politicians who have picked a fight with him? He was once asked by a group of schoolchildren what the worst thing was about his job. He replied: "Have you ever seen anything called the Home Affairs Select Committee? I can get quite angry sometimes because some of the questions seem pretty silly." If some Westminster MPs have left him exasperated, he's got no criticism for the two London politicians he's worked with most closely, mayors Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan. "Boris has been a joy, loyal and very intelligent. Every meeting I've left him and I've felt better. When we've had some difficulties he's always been loyal." And Mr Khan, the new mayor who only extended Sir Bernard's contract for a year? "Different type of person. Also a bright guy, a human rights lawyer who took on the police. Affable. Driven by some great passion - social justice. I think it's a great mark that this city has a Muslim mayor. " How would Sir Bernard describe himself in three words? "Policeman, challenging, caring." As he guides Oliver his horse back towards Stamford Bridge, a little girl in a tutu runs up to say hello. It turns out she's off to the cinema with her mum. I ask the commissioner what his favourite film is and he replies: "The Magnificent Seven… the good guys win." And with that, the man who's tried to protect this largest of British cities from the modern-day bandits of cyber and terror rides off into the west London sunset.

ब्रिटेन के शीर्ष पुलिस अधिकारी मेट्रोपॉलिटन पुलिस के साढ़े पांच साल के प्रभारी के बाद सेवानिवृत्त हो रहे हैं। बीबीसी लंदन के गृह मामलों के संवाददाता निक बीक उनके साथ शामिल हुए क्योंकि उन्होंने अपने उतार-चढ़ाव पर चर्चा करने के लिए घोड़े पर सवार होकर अपने अंतिम फुटबॉल मैच की निगरानी की।


Alderney ambulance 'needs volunteers', says chairwoman

Summary: Alderney's emergency ambulance services could be under threat unless more volunteer workers are found, said the chairwoman of the St John Ambulance.

Ros Michel said the recent recession had made it harder to recruit and retain volunteer ambulance crews. She said the St John service in Alderney had no paid staff members. Ms Michel said staff shortages had left the organisation having to call in support from Guernsey, putting pressure on its limited budget. She said some local volunteers were reluctant to ask for time off from their jobs, while employers were becoming more reluctant to grant it. She added that this was largely as a result of the economic downturn, and had left the service operating with two-thirds of the necessary workforce.

सेंट जॉन एम्बुलेंस की अध्यक्ष ने कहा कि एल्डर्नी की आपातकालीन एम्बुलेंस सेवाएं खतरे में पड़ सकती हैं जब तक कि अधिक स्वयंसेवक कार्यकर्ता नहीं पाए जाते।


Aurora lights up the sky above Black Isle

Summary: A display of the Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky above the Black Isle in the Highlands was captured in an image by a Highlands-based photographer.

Martin Macbeath photographed the Northern Lights earlier this week. The aurora is caused by the interaction of solar wind - a stream of charged particles escaping the Sun - and Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. When weather conditions are favourable, Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland offer some of the best places to observe the aurora, or Northern Lights as the phenomenon is often known. This week's display came during a geomagnetic storm which BBC Weather Watchers dubbed the start of the new "aurora season".

हाइलैंड्स में ब्लैक आइल के ऊपर रात के आसमान को रोशन करने वाले ऑरोरा बोरेलिस का एक प्रदर्शन हाइलैंड्स के एक फोटोग्राफर द्वारा एक छवि में कैद किया गया था।


Should voting (or actively abstaining) be compulsory?

Summary: In less than four months' time, Britain will go to the polls in what promises to be a tense and highly unpredictable general election. Politicians and campaigners are gearing up and there is already much excitement - in the Westminster village, at least.

By Leala Padmanabhan BBC News But as with previous UK elections, millions of voters are expected not to turn out and many more will not be registered to vote in the first place. In 2010, a close election, the turnout was 65%; nearly 16 million registered electors did not vote. And recent estimates suggest 7.5 million eligible voters are not able to vote because they are either missing from the electoral register or not correctly entered on it. The right to vote is the most fundamental tenet of democracy and yet millions do not exercise it. So should that right be made into a duty? The senior Labour backbencher, David Winnick, MP for Walsall, is one of a number of politicians supporting more radical moves to get people voting. He has introduced a Commons ten minute rule bill - an opportunity to highlight an issue of concern - suggesting that voting should become a "civic duty". Mr Winnick pointed out that, at the last general election, "those who did not vote were larger in number than those who voted for any one of the political parties contesting the election". "If you add that figure to those not correctly registered that adds up to more than the votes for the two main parties in the election," he told MPs. "I would have thought that should be a matter of much and serious concern to this House whether or not what I am proposing is accepted. "If we want our democracy to flourish, commonsense dictates we should do what we can to get far more people to participate in elections than do at the moment." Mr Winnick wants the UK to consider a system similar to that in Australia, where people who do not vote, or at least express their intention to abstain, are fined. He insists his proposals do not constitute compulsory voting as such. Those who have religious or other objections would be able abstain but they would be required to register their abstention by contacting their electoral office in advance or doing so in person at the polling station. However, Mr Winnick's vision does represent a radical move from the voluntary principle on which the British system has been based since universal suffrage was introduced nearly a century ago. Australia's voting system Registering to vote and going to the polls have been legal duties in Australia for citizens aged 18 and over since 1924. Failing to vote can result in a fine of 20 Australian dollars - around £11 - and court action if fines are not paid. Supporters say Australia boasts one of the highest levels of civic participation in the world. Critics say a high turnout based on a mandatory system does not translate into a politically engaged electorate. There have been several failed attempts to abolish the system. Australia is one of only 11 countries which enforce participation in elections. Around a dozen more have adopted some kind of mandatory voting legislation but do not enforce it. But the idea of enforcing civic duty such as jury or military service is established in democracies around the world. The US, for example, has written certain civic obligations into the constitution - though it does not have mandatory voting. Supporters of greater enforcement of voting such as David Winnick ask why participation in elections should not be seen as a similar obligation of the citizen towards the state. "Don't we all have obligations?," asked Mr Winnick. "We all have to pay local and national taxes and if we drive we pay road tax...we can't opt out and we don't want anyone to opt out. Is that an infringement of civil liberties?" "I don't see why it should be argued that if there is a civic obligation to vote and being able to abstain there should be attack on the grounds that our civil liberties are being undermined." But critics say such an idea is alien to British democracy with its unwritten constitution and its more ad-hoc approach towards the concept of citizenship. In a report on voter engagement in November, MPs on the cross-party Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee considered both sides of the argument. The committee cited evidence that a mandatory system "would be politically very difficult to introduce in a country where it has no precedent" but also heard arguments in favour, including claims that inequality would be reduced through re-engaging disenfranchised communities. The MPs were split but agreed to recommend a government assessment of how compulsory voting could work in the UK - a move hailed by the Labour MP chairing the committee, Graham Allen, a supporter, as a major step forward. "Our democracy is facing a crisis if we do not take urgent action to make elections more accessible to the public and convince them that it is worth voting," he said. Mr Allen and fellow campaigners are particularly concerned about young people's disengagement with politics and democracy. Only 44% of 18-24 year olds voted in the 2010 general election and research suggests the gap between younger and older age groups in relation to participation in voting is widening. The Institute for Public Policy Research, a centre-left think tank, highlighting a "dramatic social class divide in electoral participation", has advocated compelling first-time voters to turn out to try to "kick-start voting as a habit of a life-time", with the proviso that the option of "none of the above" should be available on the ballot paper. Mathew Lawrence, research fellow at the IPPR ,said: "The state already requires people to do much more onerous things than to turn up at a polling station. "At the moment, politicians can get away with not addressing issues affecting young people because they know that young people are less likely to vote. Why not reverse that and open up a whole section of the electorate? It would force politicians to have a conversation about the interests of young people." But Mr Lawrence acknowledges British political culture is resistant to such ideas. "We need to find a way of changing the language and the way we present these thoughts; any suggestion of compulsion is very unpopular in Britain. One way round this would be to wrap up a law about voting and participation into a whole constitutional re-think about what it means to be a citizen of the UK in this globalised world." Others considering the disengagement problem are highly sceptical of any moves to increase the role of the state. Daniel Bentley, communications director at the Civitas think tank, says: "The problem with compulsory voting is that it does not promote real democratic engagement but just turns voting into one more thing that the state requires us to do, like filling in a tax form or taking the car for its MOT. "We need people not simply to tick a box on polling day but to be as engaged as possible with decision-making, because that is the only way of ensuring our representatives work for the common good." The government remains wary of any form of compulsory voting and none of the main political parties at Westminster has adopted it as a policy. Registering to vote is slightly different - under a new system introduced by the coalition government, voters are now required to register individually rather than via the head of a household. A "small civil penalty" of £80 may be imposed on those who "refuse repeated invitations to register". Meanwhile, campaigners for the option of "none of the above" to be included on ballot papers are continuing to make their case that conscious abstention is better than no participation at all in the democratic process. Historically Britain has a tradition of resistance to radical reforms to the constitution. But campaigners say dramatic solutions may be required to tackle what is often described as a democratic crisis. Critics question whether changes to mechanics of the voting system will address this crisis. Some go as far as to reject the whole system of representative democracy, such as the comedian, campaigner and self-styled revolutionary Russell Brand, who says he's never voted and doesn't see any point in doing so in the future. "It is not that I am not voting out of apathy," he famously said in a Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman. "I am not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies, treachery and deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations." Daniel Bentley, of Civitas, says society has to find ways to show how voting makes a difference to people's lives. "The main obstacle to higher turnout is the feeling that there is very little choice on offer - the main parties are fighting over such a narrow strip of territory, and are focusing their efforts on such a small number of swing voters - that voting won't change anything. The rise of parties like UKIP and the Greens, filling some of the space vacated by the three main parties, is a symptom of that. "The same is true at a local level, where council turnouts are pitiful, but there it is because town halls are not felt to have any real influence over people's day-to-day lives because they don't have enough clout." Mr Bentley suggests radical devolution to local communities, including of taxation, could be one way of encouraging active citizenship. There will be a strong interest from all parties in turnout at this year's general election. Another figure seen as worrying low would give fuel to those who say our democracy is broken and to those who recommend radical solutions to fix it.

चार महीने से भी कम समय में, ब्रिटेन चुनाव में जाएगा जो एक तनावपूर्ण और अत्यधिक अप्रत्याशित आम चुनाव होने का वादा करता है। राजनेता और प्रचारक तैयारी कर रहे हैं और कम से कम वेस्टमिंस्टर गांव में पहले से ही बहुत उत्साह है।


Wales snow warning lifted, but rain expected

Summary: A warning for snow on Easter Monday has been lifted, but heavy rain is expected to fall over most of Wales.

The Met Office had said several centimetres of snow was possible in parts of mid and north Wales, and the south Wales valleys. That warning has been lifted, but a yellow "be aware" alert remains in place from 17:00 BST on Sunday to 16:00 on Monday. The rain could cause flooding and affect travel and businesses.

ईस्टर सोमवार को बर्फबारी की चेतावनी हटा ली गई है, लेकिन वेल्स के अधिकांश हिस्सों में भारी बारिश होने की उम्मीद है।


Man arrested over Westfield Shopping Centre 'fall'

Summary: A 24-year-old has been arrested after two people were hurt when a man "fell from a height" on to a woman at a shopping centre in east London.

Emergency services were called to reports a man had fallen on to a woman at Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford at about 16:00 BST on Wednesday. She suffered life-changing injuries. His condition was not life-threatening. The man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and reckless endangerment of life. Inquiries into the circumstances remain ongoing.

पूर्वी लंदन के एक शॉपिंग सेंटर में एक आदमी के ऊंचाई से एक महिला पर गिरने से दो लोगों के घायल होने के बाद एक 24 वर्षीय युवक को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Sorry seems to be the shortest word

Summary: Culture Secretary Maria Miller's brief apology to MPs last week has led to Labour calls for her to return to the Commons for another go. We got our stop watches out to see how it measured up in this Parliament's contrition stakes.

By Pippa Simm & Esther WebberBBC News 1. Nadine Dorries: 22 seconds Zipping into pole position at 22 seconds, the MP for Mid-Bedfordshire told us her failure to properly register income made from her appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2012 had been "inadvertent" but she still owed MPs a "full and unreserved apology". 2. Maria Miller: 32 seconds Losing out on first place, Mrs Miller comes in a close second. The Conservative cabinet member took a total of 32 seconds to apologise "unreservedly" for her attitude to a parliamentary inquiry into her mortgage expenses. 3. Jack Dromey: 56 seconds The first male on the scoreboard clocks in at just short of a minute. Labour's Jack Dromey was up before the House for breaking parliamentary rules about financial interests. 4. Eric Joyce: One minute 30 seconds A late-night brawl in a Commons bar prompted this member's wide-ranging apology, directed largely at several MPs and councillors who were hit by Mr Joyce. The Falkirk MP told the House he had tendered his resignation from the Labour Party, after his conduct fell "egregiously below" proper standards. 5. Simon Hughes: One minute 44 seconds Time for a Liberal Democrat apology now, courtesy of the party's deputy leader, Simon Hughes. It followed an investigation into his conduct in 2013, which found the MP had failed to properly declare donations in the register of members' interests. 6. David Laws: One minute 52 seconds David Laws was to have been one of the stars among the fresh-faced Lib Dem ministers thrust into the spotlight in 2010 - until reports he had claimed about £40,000 to pay rent to his partner prompted his resignation from the front bench. He told the House in 2011 he agreed with the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner's finding there had been "a conflict between my personal interest in privacy and the public interest in openness", and summed up the experience as a "difficult year". He has since returned to the frontline. 7. Liam Fox: Four minutes 47 seconds If Liam Fox's standards are anything to go by, apologies should be almost hitting the five-minute mark. After his resignation as defence secretary, the Conservative MP took four minutes and 47 seconds to say he was "very sorry" for breaking ministerial rules over his links with close friend and self-styled adviser, Adam Werritty - firmly consigning him to last place on the podium.

संस्कृति सचिव मारिया मिलर द्वारा पिछले सप्ताह सांसदों से संक्षिप्त माफी मांगने के कारण लेबर ने उनसे एक और बार के लिए कॉमन्स में लौटने का आह्वान किया है। हमने यह देखने के लिए अपना पड़ाव देखा कि यह संसद के पश्चाताप के दांव में कैसे मापा गया।


'Highly drunk' man found in wrong house in Northamptonshire

Summary: A "highly drunk" intruder was found asleep in an armchair after entering the wrong house, police said.

The man was discovered early on Sunday morning by homeowners, who then called for help from officers. PC Lizzie Hampson, from Northamptonshire Police, said the drunk man had picked up the home occupants' wallet and put it in his pocket. "Occupants found him in the morning and he was still sleeping when police arrived," PC Hampson tweeted. The BBC has approached Northamptonshire Police for further information on the incident.

पुलिस ने कहा कि एक "अत्यधिक नशे में धुत" घुसपैठिया गलत घर में प्रवेश करने के बाद कुर्सी पर सोता हुआ पाया गया।


The 'monster' iceberg: What happened next?

Summary: It was a wow! moment. The world's biggest berg, a block of ice a quarter the size of Wales, fell off the Antarctic exactly a year ago . But what then? We've gone back to find out.

Jonathan AmosScience correspondent@BBCAmoson Twitter Weighing a trillion tonnes and covering an area of nearly 6,000 sq km, the colossus dubbed A-68 has kind of spent the past 12 months shuffling on the spot - rather like a driver trying to get themselves out of a tight parking spot at the supermarket. Occasionally, the berg head-butted the floating shelf of ice from which it calved, but made only limited progress in moving north - its expected path out of the Antarctic's Weddell Sea towards the Atlantic Ocean. "An iceberg as massive as A-68 is sluggish, and thus needs time to accelerate," explains Thomas Rackow from Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute. "Compared to much smaller icebergs, A-68 is also less sensitive to offshore winds that could potentially drive the iceberg away from the continent. In fact, since the calving event in early July last year, we could see the iceberg going back and forth due to the prevailing winds." Dr Rackow says the frozen ocean surface probably also played some role in constraining the berg's movement, and wonders if the underside of the berg was catching on the seafloor. It's a thought shared by Suzanne Bevan at Swansea University, UK. "We know so little about the bathymetry (depth) in that area of the Weddell Sea," she told BBC News. Given time, though, A-68 should pick up the pace as the currents grab hold of it. And A-68 hasn't melted? Nope. It's extremely cold in that part of the world. The berg has knocked off some of its sharp edges, but it remains much as it was - 150km long and 55km wide. Two largish chunks have detached, one of them sufficiently big to get its own designation (A-68b) in the list of giant bergs kept by the US National Ice Center. The American agency has officially now put A-68 at number six in its all-time ranking. See more stories and videos like this If you were wondering - a berg called B15 is the historic champ. It was roughly 11,000 sq km in area when it broke away from Antarctica back in 2000. And it's still going, albeit in pieces. Astronauts on the space station recently photographed the largest remaining fragment of B15 passing the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia on its way to the equator. A-68 will very probably travel this same "iceberg alley". What's A-68 like if you go there? Ella Gilbert from the British Antarctic Survey was the first to make a movie of the berg from close quarters. The scientist was in a small plane gathering atmospheric data when she made a low pass along its edge. "It took us an hour and a half to go from one side to the other," she says. "It's scale is mind-boggling, fascinating - it's like another world. It was possibly the most exciting thing I've ever done." Ella is often asked why the berg broke away. "It's complicated," she explains. "The region is clearly undergoing a lot of change but you can't just say 'it was the climate'. Iceberg calving is a natural process anyway. If you put more snow in at one end, it has to come out the other end as icebergs." So, why should we be interested? A-68 broke away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf - the floating extension of glaciers running off the Antarctic Peninsula. The shelf is the subject of intense scrutiny because similar structures to the north have disintegrated. Climate warming very probably was implicated in some of these losses, and so it is inevitable that people will ask what the future holds for Larsen C. It is one of the biggest ice shelves in all of Antarctica and its collapse would allow its feeding glaciers to dump more of their ice into the ocean, raising sea-levels. How likely is that to happen? The answer to this question will only come with ongoing monitoring. The first thing scientists want to understand is how the shelf will react to calving such a big berg. The stresses acting on the shelf will almost certainly have changed. "The models tell us we should expect the centre of the Larsen C Ice Shelf to speed up a bit, and the edges, where the berg was attached, to slow down," says Swansea's Adrian Luckman, whose Midas research group was most closely involved in monitoring A-68's break-away. But this behaviour is very difficult to demonstrate because tidal movements push on the shelf and complicate the satellite measurements. Tell me about a surprising discovery Scientists have established that the surface of the Larsen C Ice Shelf can melt even during the deep freeze of permanent night in the Antarctic winter. Weather station and satellite observations have established that a particular type of warm westerly wind, or Foehn, will flow down off the peninsula mountains to produce ponds on the surface of the shelf. "You see this in May, which in the Antarctic is equivalent to late November. Forty percent of the melt in 2016 occurred in this winter period - all because of the Foehn effect," says Adrian Luckman. This is a process scientists will need to watch closely. Some of those northern shelves that collapsed were destabilised by the presence of large numbers of meltwater lakes on their surface. Larsen C is far from replicating such conditions but that may change in the coming decades if global warming progresses as expected and its effects impinge deeper into the Antarctic.

यह एक वाह! क्षण था। दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा बर्गे, वेल्स के आकार का एक चौथाई बर्फ का एक खंड, ठीक एक साल पहले अंटार्कटिक से गिर गया। लेकिन फिर क्या? हम यह पता लगाने के लिए वापस गए हैं।


Taking back control - a 'people's vote' and indyref2

Summary: Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Mitigating Brexit, has an elegant turn of phrase. For example, instead of simply referring to the Commons and its circumlocutions on Brexit, he summoned up an image of the "crumbling palace" by the Thames.

Brian TaylorPolitical editor, Scotland@tannadiceladon Twitter But, in these troubled times, one must occasionally revert to the demotic. And thus it was that he characterised the current stance of the prime minister as "self-deluding mince". He deployed that particular phrase with regard to the prospect that the EU might now crumble and transform the deal it had negotiated with the UK. It was, he said, "arrogance born of ignorance". Mr Russell was delivering a statement to Holyrood re the aftermath of the PM's Westminster defeat. He began with a little history lesson, reflecting that five years ago the UK Government had published a study paper arguing that Scotland's place in the EU was secured - and could only be secured - through remaining in the UK. How, he noted, things have changed. Scotland, he said, was now "imminently threatened" with being taken out of the EU against the declared will of her people. And so, of course, he went on to announce plans for an immediate referendum on Scottish independence, didn't he? What's that? But if it wasn't in the statement - and it wasn't - perhaps he might seize the opportunity presented by Patrick Harvie of the Greens, a fellow supporter of independence. Mr Harvie said that one could "hardly wish for a better advertisement" for independence than the "shambolic" events at Westminster of the last few days, weeks and months. As you might expect, Mr Russell agreed. But still no timetable for indyref2. No declaration, even, of an intent to broach the topic with the prime minister. There is, of course, a very good reason for this. The SNP's offer of independence is predicated upon confidence, not fear or flight. It is founded upon the prospectus that the ancient nation of Scotland could, to borrow a phrase, "take back control" of politics as a whole, having demonstrated sufficient governmental capacity during the two decades of devolution. It is suggested that independence is a natural process, an evolution, in which Scotland would embark upon the glad confident morning of full self-government, while maintaining relations with other European nations, including England. For modern Nationalists, like Mike Russell and Nicola Sturgeon, it is not about escaping tyranny or despotism. It is not about escape at all. It is about giving the people of Scotland the assurance that they can govern themselves - and, crucially, do so in cohort with their allies and neighbours. The Brexit process is not at an end. Not by any means. But it is certainly the case that the current unravelling of that process has created despondency and disquiet among the populace, perhaps regardless of their principled stance on the question. Folk are upset. Folk are fretful. They are concerned, anxious. That is why Nicola Sturgeon continues to say that her further thoughts on an independence referendum will only emerge when there is a degree of clarity about Brexit. Plus there is the small matter of Westminster consent. The PM has repeatedly said that "now is not the time" for an independence ballot. I doubt she has changed her mind on that in the light of recent events. Now you will hear Conservatives say that the SNP glories in the chaos of the Brexit process, that its leaders perceive an opportunity. Scots Tory MPs were making that case rather forcefully on the wireless this morning. It is, if you like, the Harvie diagnosis. There is a degree of truth in it. It is arguable that Tory disarray equals an SNP chance. But I do not believe it is anything like the full story. If that were the case, then Ms Sturgeon would have demanded a referendum already. She would have revived her earlier call for the power to hold indyref2 - a call she shelved after the SNP palpably lost ground in the last UK general election. She holds off because she suspects that the people of Scotland are already distressed enough over constitutional manoeuvring and might not immediately welcome a further, Scottish-born bout, however much that might be depicted as a solution to the pre-existing problem. So where are we on Brexit more generally? The scale of the defeat, self-evidently, points to significant opposition to the PM's deal. To put it mildly. The options now are limited. One is leaving with no agreed deal. Mr Russell excoriated that and suggested it should be excluded from discourse by UK government diktat. In response, Adam Tomkins said that those who were facilitating no deal were those who voted against the PM. Cue a vigorous bout of Tory finger-jabbing. Mr Russell reminded him that three times as many Tories as SNP MPs voted against the PM. Still, No Deal may arrive upon us. As things stand, if there is not a settlement, the UK departs the EU on 29 March. Like Yeats' rough beast, some see us slouching towards that eventuality. To be clear, some say it should be seized eagerly as an opportunity. Or there may be a revised settlement - either under Theresa May or her successor. The EU will be very hard to shift but they are pragmatists. The scope of the Commons defeat will have appalled EU leaders, but it may cajole them too. Although, as I noted on the wireless this morning, the UK's leverage is limited because we are leaving the club, surrendering any counter-balancing threats which we might have otherwise issued. There may be a general election, depending on the outcome of tonight's vote. But, to be clear, that would not, in itself, provide a solution to the Brexit dilemma. The new government, of whatever colour, would require to find that separately. Or there may be a further EU referendum. Alex Neil of the SNP put his finger on a quandary with that. Mr Neil is pro-Brexit and worries about the precedent for independence of a further EU plebiscite - but he is also an exceptionally astute reader of politics. What, he said, would the question be in such a plebiscite? He has a point. Would it be Remain v Leave? Arguably, that would take us no further forward, especially if the outcome were Leave. Again. Leave on which terms? How about Remain v No Deal departure? Snag is that very few in the Commons actually support No Deal, as opposed to warning / anticipating that it might happen. Should it then be Remain v the PM's deal? Perhaps. Arguably, if the Commons ordered such a vote, then MPs would be mandated to accept the outcome, including the PM's terms which they have just condemned by a large majority. The ceremony of innocence is drowned.

ब्रेक्सिट को कम करने के लिए कैबिनेट सचिव माइक रसेल के पास वाक्यांश का एक सुरुचिपूर्ण मोड़ है। उदाहरण के लिए, केवल कॉमन्स और ब्रेक्सिट पर इसकी परिधि का उल्लेख करने के बजाय, उन्होंने थेम्स के "ढहते महल" की एक छवि को बुलाया।


New term needed for zero inflation and positive growth

Summary: The latest inflation figure for the UK revealed record low Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation of 0%, while the US figure expected later on Tuesday is expected to show a negligible increase in prices from a year ago.

Linda YuehChief business correspondent However, both economies are recovering, and well enough that there's an expectation of interest rate rises on the horizon. The normal pattern is for prices to rise alongside economic output. So when the economy is growing, so is demand for goods and services and thus their prices. It's not just GDP, but employment is also expanding. The UK has a record high number of people in work, while US unemployment is falling and expected to recover to the pre-recession rate of 5%, according to the Federal Reserve. There was one other period that required a new term to describe an unusual time. In the 1970s, stagflation referred to high inflation while output was falling - precisely the opposite of what is happening today, but similarly goes against normal economic relationships. The reason then, as now, is oil price shocks. In the 1970s, two wars in the Middle East caused oil prices to shoot up and raise prices, which remained elevated despite slowing economic activity. Since the shocks were external, and there was little capacity for economies like the US to respond domestically, the result was the unusual combination of sustained high inflation during a recession. In the past few years, the UK also saw high inflation despite the worst recession in decades. You may recall that the Bank of England routinely described it as imported price pressure. The governor said that high energy and commodity prices were raising costs and there was zero domestically-generated inflation. Breathing space Now we have the opposite - there are price movements, but these stem from cheaper imported energy. Oil prices have plummeted since last summer. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says the UK's record low 0% CPI has been driven by energy prices (motor fuels) falling 16.6% in the past year to February. It's also down to food prices, another sizeable imported commodity, which fell by 3.4%. This means, though, that when volatile elements like energy and food are stripped out of CPI, core inflation is still positive at 1.2%. So, prices are rising and the economy isn't truly deflationary. Still, factory gate prices, or the prices of goods sold by UK manufacturers, are seeing deflation, falling by 1.8% from a year earlier. That eventually feeds through to what we pay in stores. But, so many goods are imported, the more important price indicators are most likely to come from abroad. For instance, China is experiencing low price pressures that will be exported. A little breathing space in terms of the costs of energy, food, and consumer goods is welcome after years of high inflation and below-trend growth. The big question is how worried we should be about deflation. The Bank of England says that any deflation will be temporary. In other words, it's unlikely to be 15 years of falling prices as in Japan. In any case, for now, falling prices while the economy is growing well may warrant a new term. Suggestions are welcome!

ब्रिटेन के लिए नवीनतम मुद्रास्फीति के आंकड़े ने 0 प्रतिशत की रिकॉर्ड कम उपभोक्ता मूल्य सूचकांक (सीपीआई) मुद्रास्फीति का खुलासा किया, जबकि मंगलवार को बाद में अपेक्षित अमेरिकी आंकड़े में एक साल पहले की तुलना में कीमतों में नगण्य वृद्धि दिखाई देने की उम्मीद है।


John McKay confirmed as body recovered from quarry

Summary: A body recovered by divers from a disused quarry in Fife has been confirmed as that of a teenager from Kirkcaldy.

The emergency services were called to Prestonhill Quarry in Inverkeithing at about 21:20 on Thursday following reports of a teenager in the water. The body of 18-year-old John McKay was recovered the following day. Police inquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances of his death. In August 2014, Cameron Lancaster, from Burntisland, Fife, died at the quarry.

फाइफ में एक अप्रयुक्त खदान से गोताखोरों द्वारा बरामद एक शव की पुष्टि किर्ककाल्डी के एक किशोर के रूप में हुई है।


Cyrenians Cymru: Work continues despite fraud probe

Summary: A charity at the centre of a £800,000 fraud probe has said there is no immediate threat to its programmes.

Cyrenians Cymru, in Swansea, which helps the homeless and vulnerable, has received more than £1.1m from the Big Lottery Fund over the last decade. The charity said it was speaking to all the organisations it works with to devise a plan to keep the projects going. As part of the investigation, two people have been released on bail. On Wednesday, trustees of the charity said they had declared it insolvent. Related Internet Links Cyrenians Cymru

800, 000 पाउंड की धोखाधड़ी की जांच के केंद्र में एक चैरिटी ने कहा है कि इसके कार्यक्रमों को तत्काल कोई खतरा नहीं है।


Summary: Can you really click away a political movement?

BBC Trending What's popular and why Protests against an anti-immigration movement are spilling from Germany's streets to social media with bloggers calling for people to unfriend Facebook contacts if they "like" the Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida) movement. Blogger Marc Ehrich has promoted a tool that allows you to check whether someone has liked a Facebook page. "In April I saw some guys sharing these individual links on their timeline so I thought I would write about it," he said. "I wanted to provoke a little and start some interesting discussions. At first it was just a list with some music bands that I thought would be funny or amusing for people to find out about, and then I added the anti-euro party AfD and the neo-Nazi NPD party. "Of course I wouldn't say to someone, 'hey unfriend this guy because he likes [the singer] Helene Fischer.' But when it comes to AfD and NPD I wanted people to really think about the likes of their friends." In December he tweaked the tool to include a Pegida checker because he was annoyed with their supporters. The blog post immediately went viral. Despite the prominent "unfriend me" title at the top of the page, he says the tool wasn't only meant to be used to drop contacts. But he's unremorseful if that's what people choose to do. "I heard arguments like, 'Hey, I am following Pegida because I want to be informed.' My answer to that is Facebook 'likes' are a kind of currency. The more likes a site has, the more attention it gets, but you can follow without liking." The discreet nature of unfriending means it's hard to measure how widespread this trend actually is, but the idea does seem to be taking off. "The unfriending campaign is pretty big here, I think everybody's aware of it," said Berlin-based social media writer Torsten Muller. "I'm not sure it will achieve very much beyond stopping people with different views from talking, but maybe it has raised awareness that there are many people who feel strongly against Pegida." Munster-based politics teacher Marina Weisband saw the unfriending blog appear several times in her newsfeed and clicked the link. It turned out she only had one Pegida-liking friend. "He was an old school mate, who joined the police force straight from school I think," she said. "I didn't try to engage him in conversation because he's not a close friend. If he was I might have tried to talk to him, but he wasn't so ..." Would you unfriend someone for their politics? She's fully aware of the downsides of unfriending people with alternative viewpoints, namely narrowing the conversation and removing the chance for them to be influenced by more moderate views. But for her, the personal connection wasn't there to justify angsting over. "Pegida is a sensitive topic, but I do think it's important for people to see they don't come from the centre and their views aren't widely accepted. They probably think, 'hey, we're just normal people with family and friends' but that's not actually the case, and maybe they will see that if they start to lose connections." Marina wasn't the only one to respond to the unfriending call. "I have [deleted friends] in self defence, because I caught myself in very unpleasant discussions with him or his 'friends'," one of her friends Ralph Pache said in response to her unfriending thread. Not everyone is convinced by the strategy though. Christoph Schott is Germany's head of e-campaigns at Avaaz, a global civic organisation that promotes activism. He says the divisive nature of the unfriending campaign worries him. "I feel like it's not the right way to go about things. Pegida is making a big split in Germany and at hard times like this, with what is happening with Charlie Hebdo in France, we don't want to be divided here, we need to face these threats together. "We exist both online and offline, so we can protest on the street and on social media. Unfriending is just one social media campaign but there have been online petitions too. "At Avaaz we've just started Mit Dir to show how united and colourful we are." The idea is for Germans to upload pictures and memes and also post photos of themselves in Germany with someone from another country, race or religion. "Amid this political storm, we're trying to create a love storm," Schott says. "The question of how you resolve this split appearing in our society is a big issue for us but we can only solve it together," he adds. Blog by Sitala Peek You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending All our stories are at bbc.com/trending

क्या आप वास्तव में एक राजनीतिक आंदोलन को रोक सकते हैं?


The end of EMI is nigh?

Summary: BBC business editor Robert Peston on a payment arms race

Sooner or later - and it may be sooner - we are likely to see the end of a once great British corporate name, and a still resonant name in the music business, EMI. Because those close to EMI tell me they expect Citigroup, the giant US bank, to seize control of the business and then quickly sell it off in pieces. For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, there is a belief at EMI's current owner, Terra Firma, that Citi may attempt to take control of EMI fairly imminently - although I am not sure how that can happen earlier than March. The expectation is Citi would then sell EMI's music publishing arm to the private-equity house KKR for about £1.2bn. And EMI's recorded music business would be expected go for just £400m, probably to Warner Music - though such a takeover would face tough scrutiny by the European competition authority. In theory, Citi won't have the formal right to take ownership of EMI until at least March, because that's when Terra Firma expects to be in formal breach of the terms of its borrowing agreement with Citi (Terra Firm will probably pass this month's covenant test). Citi is owed £3bn in respect of Terra Firma's takeover of EMI, which is considerably more than EMI is worth today. So it looks as though Citi will ultimately lose about half its money. As for Terra Firma, the equity it put into the deal of £1.7bn is currently worthless. If EMI is worth around £1.6bn today, which - I am told - is what Terra Firma's founder Guy Hands believes, then Terra Firma will end up losing the lot.  You can keep up with the latest from business editor Robert Peston by visiting his blog on the BBC News website.

भुगतान हथियारों की दौड़ में बीबीसी के व्यापार संपादक रॉबर्ट पेस्टन


Wayland prisoner 'grabbed keys from officer'

Summary: An inmate at a prison grabbed keys from an officer and, while he was being restrained, a second prisoner tried to take another set of keys.

An internal prison report seen by the BBC says the the inmate ran down a landing with the keys at HMP Wayland. "As he was being restrained another prisoner attempted to grab another officer's keys," the report adds. A Prison Service spokesman said both men had been transferred to a higher security jail. They also face additional time added to their sentences. Both men were "quickly apprehended" during the incident on A wing at about 09:00 BST on 27 May, the report states. Wayland, near Watton in Norfok, is a Category C men's prison with just over 1,000 inmates.

एक जेल में एक कैदी ने एक अधिकारी से चाबियाँ छीन लीं और जब उसे रोका जा रहा था, तो एक दूसरे कैदी ने चाबियों का एक और सेट लेने की कोशिश की।


A890 Lochcarron to Kyle road closed by further rockfall

Summary: A road in the Highlands which was shut by a landslide will now remain closed indefinitely after a further rockfall.

More than 100 tonnes of rock came down on a section of the A890 Lochcarron to Kyle road on Thursday 22 December. The road was due to reopen this weekend however there was a further rockfall at the same location on Friday night. Information on the condition of roads throughout Scotland can be obtained from Traffic Scotland.

हाइलैंड्स में एक सड़क जो भूस्खलन से बंद हो गई थी, अब एक और चट्टान गिरने के बाद अनिश्चित काल के लिए बंद रहेगी।