Challenger: The shuttle disaster that shook the world

Summary: Twenty five years ago the Challenger space shuttle broke apart over a minute after its launch, killing all seven on board. It was both a tragedy and profoundly shocking event, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

By Rajini VaidyanathanBBC News, Washington Seventy three seconds was all it took. Millions of people around the world watched as coverage of Nasa's space shuttle launch on 28 January 1986 was played out. But as the commentary fell silent, and the exhaust trail snaked across the sky, it became clear that something had gone horribly wrong with Challenger's mission. The shuttle rapidly disintegrated, with the loss of all seven crew. The flight had been delayed for several days due to freezing weather. An investigation concluded that the seal on the rocket booster had failed because of faulty design unable to cope with the cold weather and other factors. It was the first time the US had lost astronauts in flight, and it was a profound loss for the country. National grief The US had prided itself on being able to send manned shuttles into orbit, and from 1981 until 1986 had successfully launched Space Transportation Systems (STS) more than 20 times from its centre at Cape Canaveral. It was from there that the fateful Challenger journey began. Around the world, people watched the shocking events unfold. Brian Ballard, 16 at the time, witnessed events first-hand from the viewing deck. "At first I thought that it detached at the normal time, but then I heard echoes of a large explosion," he recalls. "Everyone was confused about what had happened. I was in a daze. I was still an optimist and I thought maybe there's some sort of a back-up plan." "It took me a little while to realise that they weren't going to be coming back," he says. Ballard had been in Florida covering the shuttle launch for his school newspaper, The Crimson. He was sent there because one of the teachers at his school, Christa McAuliffe, was on board Challenger, hoping to become the first teacher to go into space. Mrs McAullife, who taught at Concord High School, New Hampshire, had been selected as the winner of Nasa's Teacher-in-Space programme. The aim of the scheme, which had been announced by President Reagan in 1986, was to encourage an interest in space and science education and to conduct some lessons from the shuttle. "We were excited at the prospect of engaging our students in space activities and getting lessons from space, and truly thought that once one teacher had gone - who knows who will be the next," says Dan Barstow who taught at a school in Hertford, Connecticut in 1986. Space education It was for this reason so many schools took an interest in following Challenger. Footage of its launch was beamed into hundreds of classrooms so children could see it. "The whole school was watching events in the auditorium," remembers Barstow, "we all stopped and paid attention to it." For Barstow, plans to celebrate space travel quickly turned very sombre, many of his students left in stunned silence after what they had seen. The shuttle launches were a beacon to many worldwide for optimism in science, so Challenger's loss was both national disaster and a blow to the space programme. This wasn't America's first space tragedy - all three crew members on board Apollo 1 died when the command module caught fire in 1967. But what made the Challenger accident so different was that it was played out on television for all to see. Landmark moment "People felt like they had actually witnessed it in person," says Valerie Neal, a curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Americans in particular had become so accustomed to success in space, with the landing on the moon and the return of Apollo 13 - we had never had a visible failure in our space programme." That sense of failure was compounded by the fact that an "ordinary" American who had been selected to teach from space was never able to realise her dream. The grief felt for the seven astronauts was combined with a sense of sadness about the blow to space education, says Dan Barstow. To ensure this legacy was not completely lost, the families of those who lost their lives created the Challenger Centre for Space Science Education - which Mr Barstow heads up - and which continues to encourage and promote an interest in space travel. For many children who witnessed events, the Challenger disaster was a landmark moment. Marc Adelman was seven years old at the time. "I remember going into the classroom and everybody was yelling - 'the space shuttle has exploded, the space shuttle has exploded'." There was added resonance at his school because one of the teachers had applied to the Teacher In Space project. "For a lot of kids this was the first time something relatable to them had an impact on their lives. It struck me how it could've been our teacher from our school," he recalls. Mr Adelman looks back on it as a moment where Americans "pulled together", likening it to other big tragedies such as 9/11 in its unifying effect. That sense of national mourning was summed up by President Reagan, who cancelled his planned State of the Union message that evening to address the nation, and even made a special mention to the many children who were affected. "We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This truly is a national loss," he said staring straight into the camera. "It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave." Too complacent? The president touched upon previous explorers such as Francis Drake, who he said had also paid the ultimate price for their bravery. It was a message many commentators said summed up the national sense of disbelief that space travel could be fallible. "As a country I think we'd become a bit blase about space travel and a little too complacent. The accident shocked us into the recognition that there are still risks and dangers," says Neal. One of the biggest outcomes from the tragedy was the recommendation that NASA needed a stronger safety organisation, she says. In September 1988, NASA resumed shuttle missions with the launch of Discovery. But in 2003 tragedy struck once again when the Columbia shuttle disintegrated over Texas, leaving all seven crew members dead. Two years later President Bush announced that he would be cancelling the space shuttle progamme. The fleet is expected to retire this year. "Our role in space is very much part of the American identity, and that we have been pioneers in space affirms that," believes Neal. The Challenger disaster will be remembered as a moment where that element of the national identity suffered a setback.

पँचिश साल पहले चैलेंजर स्पेस शटल अपने प्रक्षेपण के एक मिनट बाद टूट गया था, जिसमें सवार सभी सातों लोगों की मौत हो गई थी। यह एक त्रासदी और गहरी चौंकाने वाली घटना थी, जिसके परिणाम आज भी महसूस किए जा रहे हैं।


Why border stand-offs between India and China are increasing

Summary: After a two-week standoff, India and China have agreed to pull back troops from their disputed border, but such incidents have been increasing and are unlikely to go away, says analyst Harsh V Pant.

Minor incursion by troops are common on the ill-defined 4,057km (2,520 miles) border between China and India. There are differing perceptions on where the border lies and overlapping claims about the lines up to which both sides patrol. As a result, both Indian and Chinese troops routinely transgress into areas claimed by the other side. According to the Indian Home Ministry, there have been 334 "transgressions" by Chinese troops over the Indian border in the first 216 days of this year. Departing from their past practice, however, Indian security forces are now more aggressive with daily patrolling along certain areas on the border and ready to forbid Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border. This is partly responsible for the increase in stand-offs between the two sides in recent years, but there is a bigger story too. Serious dimension Border incursions have been repeatedly used by China to keep India on the defensive. Before every major bilateral visit, such incursions tend to take a serious dimension. In May 2013, Indian officials accused Chinese troops of straying into Indian territory and putting up tents in the Depsang valley in Ladakh, just before Prime Minister Li Keqiang's visit to India. The matter was resolved days before the visit started. But the latest stand-off coincided with a visit to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping, resulting in embarrassing media headlines. It is possible that after feting Mr Modi's landslide election victory, Beijing was annoyed by his government's foreign policy moves, in particular with Mr Modi condemning "18th century expansionist mindset: encroaching on other countries, intruding in other's waters, invading other countries and capturing territory" during his recent trip to Japan and India, giving a boost to its ties with Japan and Vietnam days before Mr Xi's visit. The Chinese forces might also be probing Indian defences along the disputed border and testing India's willpower to stay the course. The Chinese have invested in border infrastructure much more efficiently than India, where border management continues to suffer from serious deficiencies. With its repeated transgressions, Beijing has underscored Indian vulnerabilities and the potential costs of challenging China. And with every intrusion, China changes the ground realities at the border, gaining ever more territory in the process and redrawing the map in its favour. However, it is not readily evident if such an approach would benefit China strategically. Damp squib Many believe China has failed to use the opportunity that Mr Modi coming to power gave to Beijing to re-examine the assumptions of its bilateral ties with India. Mr Xi's visit was widely viewed in India as a damp squib. Even on the economic front, the visit was a disappointment. There were media reports in India of China pledging $100bn (£61bn) of investment in India. However, only $20bn-worth of deals could be finalised over the next five years. Officially, Beijing has maintained that Mr Xi's visit to India helped in removing "some suspicions" between the two nations, pushed the ties to a "new age", and that an "important consensus" was reached on politically resolving the border issue through friendly consultation. But on the eve of his visit to the US, Mr Modi is challenging Beijing by asserting that India cannot close its eyes to problems underscoring that "we are not living in the 18th Century". Given the turmoil it faces on its eastern flank, it is in China's interest to ensure that India does not join the US-led balancing coalition in Asia. But with its hard line on the border issue, Beijing might just push New Delhi into a tighter embrace of Japan and the US. Harsh V Pant is Professor of International Relations at King's College, London.

विश्लेषक हर्ष वी पंत का कहना है कि दो सप्ताह के गतिरोध के बाद, भारत और चीन अपनी विवादित सीमा से सैनिकों को वापस बुलाने पर सहमत हुए हैं, लेकिन ऐसी घटनाएं बढ़ रही हैं और इनके दूर होने की संभावना नहीं है।


Treating children with electroconvulsive therapy

Summary: Electroconvulsive therapy - in which a small electric current is passed through the brain causing a seizure - is now used much less often than it was in the middle of the last century. But controversially it is now being used in the US and some other countries as a treatment for children who exhibit severe, self-injuring behaviour.

By Chris Rogers and Marshall CorwinBBC News, New York Seventeen-year-old Jonah Lutz is severely autistic. He's also prone to outbursts of violent behaviour, in which he sometimes hits himself repeatedly. His mother, Amy, is convinced that if it wasn't for electroconvulsive therapy - ECT - he would now have to be permanently institutionalised for his own safety, and the safety of those around him. The use of ECT featured famously in the 1975 Hollywood movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, starring Jack Nicholson. Set in a mental institution, the Oscar-winning film cemented most people's view of ECT as barbaric. But Amy describes the modern version of the therapy as little short of miraculous. "ECT has been transformative for Jonah's life and for our life," she says. "We went for a period of time - for years and years - where Jonah was raging, often multiple times a day, ferociously. The only reason he's able to be at home with us, is because of ECT." It's estimated that one in 10 severely autistic children like Jonah violently attack themselves, often causing serious injuries ranging from broken noses to detached retinas. No-one really knows why. Some theories link self-injuring behaviour to anxiety caused by an overload of sensory signals, others to frustration as the autistic child struggles to communicate. Amy and husband Andy tried countless traditional treatments using medication or behavioural therapy before finally turning to ECT - a treatment that first began to be used on children like Jonah a decade ago, in parts of the US. Each session alleviates his symptoms for up to 10 days at a time - but it's not a cure. Jonah's doctor, Charles Kellner, ECT director at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, is so convinced it's effective and safe that he allows Amy to witness the procedure and the BBC to film it. Prof Kellner says the best way to overcome the negative image of ECT portrayed in popular culture is "to show people what modern ECT is really like, and show them the results with patients like Jonah". Jonah is one of a few hundred children in the US to receive the controversial treatment. He has had about 260 ECT sessions since the age of 11. "There's a lot of interesting new neural imaging research showing that ECT actually reverses some of the brain problems in the major psychiatric illnesses," Kellner explains, as he makes final checks on the wiring around Jonah's temples. "We don't know exactly why it works in people with autism and superimposed mood disorders, but we think it probably reregulates the circuits in the brain that are deregulated because of autism." The modern treatment is carried out under general anaesthetic, with muscle relaxants to prevent violent convulsions. At the flick of a switch, Kellner administers just under an amp of electric current in a series of very short pulses. Jonah's body begins to shake as the current induces a seizure - ECT specialists think this may "reset" the malfunctioning brain. The convulsions last for about 30 seconds. Amy is unperturbed by what she sees. "If a doctor says they need to cut open your child's chest to conduct life-saving surgery, you would allow it. That is more barbaric yet we accept it," she says. Within an hour Jonah is fully alert. He and his mother head out of the hospital and on to the New York street to find an ice cream parlour. Find out more Because the long-term effects of ECT on children exhibiting self-injuring behaviour are unknown, in some countries - and in a handful of US states - the treatment is not allowed. The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence doesn't recommend ECT for use on under 18s. But ECT is a well-established treatment in adults for severe, often life-threatening depression. Its use is controversial, though, with memory loss the main acknowledged side-effect. What's disputed is the scale of the memory loss. Studies carried out by ECT doctors suggest lapses are mostly short-term and that memory function soon returns to normal. But opponents of ECT cite surveys claiming to show that more than half of patients suffer serious long-term memory loss. "It's a traumatic brain injury," says Dr Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist who has long fought the psychiatric establishment, and campaigns for a total ban on ECT. "The electricity not only travels through the frontal lobes - that's the seat of intelligence, and thoughtfulness and creativity and judgment - it also goes through the temporal lobes - the seat of memory. You are damaging the very expression of the personality, the character, the individuality, and even, if you believe in it, the expression of the soul." For former US Army intelligence officer Chad Calvaresi and his wife Kaci, the potential benefits of ECT far outweigh the risks for their 11-year-old, violently autistic daughter, Sofija. "When she was aggressing towards me, my instinct as a mom was to grab her and hold her and hug her and wait," Kaci explains. "But she got so big and strong that I couldn't do that." Sofija spent much of her early life suffering neglect and abuse in a Serbian orphanage, before Chad and Kaci adopted her in 2009. They were determined to give her a better life in America, but in 2016 they suffered the heartbreak of institutionalising her again - this time for her own safety. "She beat herself so bad her nose was busted and bleeding, her lips were busted open and bleeding," Chad explains. "She gave herself a black eye. I was scared of my own daughter." For six months Sofija received medication and therapy as an in-patient at the renowned Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, but there was little improvement. During her frequent violent episodes it often took three highly trained care staff - all wearing protective clothing and shielding Sofija with padded mats - to prevent her injuring herself or others. After exhausting all other options, Sofija's doctors finally agreed to Chad and Kaci's request to give her ECT. Just a month later her behaviour had improved enough for her to return home. We caught up with the family after six months and more than 30 treatments, and the transformation was remarkable. Sofija was swimming in the family pool and playing with her siblings, and while her violent episodes hadn't disappeared completely, her parents felt they were less intense and more manageable. Sofija was also receiving home schooling in maths and English. "She's sharp as a tack," says Kaci. "The only memory loss that Sofija has had from ECT is she forgets the procedure has actually happened." ECT for severely self-injuring autistic children like Sofija is still in very limited use, and without a long-term scientific study it remains highly controversial. But even though Sofija is likely to need ECT every week for the foreseeable future, her parents have no regrets - they have their daughter back home. "It's overwhelming if I think about it," says Kaci, "but what future did she have without it? My hope is she doesn't need it for the rest of her life but at this point I see it like a diabetic needing insulin. It keeps her alive. Literally it keeps her alive and it makes it possible for us to be able to have her in our home living life with our family and enjoying Sofija." For and against ECT The Royal College of Psychiatrists says ECT is a "safe and effective treatment for severe depression" in adults but acknowledges on its website that some dispute this: For Many doctors and nurses will say that they have seen ECT relieve very severe depressive illnesses when other treatments have failed. Bearing in mind that 15% of people with severe depression will kill themselves, they feel that ECT has saved patients' lives, and therefore the overall benefits are greater than the risks. Some people who have had ECT will agree, and may even ask for it if they find themselves becoming depressed again. Against Some see ECT as a treatment that belongs to the past. They say that the side-effects are severe and that psychiatrists have, either accidentally or deliberately, ignored how severe they can be. They say that ECT permanently damages both the brain and the mind, and if it does work at all, does so in a way that is ultimately harmful for the patient. Some would want to see it banned. You can watch the Our World documentary "My Child, ECT and Me" at 21:30 on Sunday on the BBC News Channel, on BBC World at these times and on the BBC iPlayer. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

इलेक्ट्रोकन्वल्सिव थेरेपी-जिसमें एक छोटा विद्युत प्रवाह मस्तिष्क के माध्यम से गुजरता है जिससे दौरा पड़ता है-अब पिछली शताब्दी के मध्य की तुलना में बहुत कम बार उपयोग किया जाता है। लेकिन विवादास्पद रूप से इसका उपयोग अब अमेरिका और कुछ अन्य देशों में उन बच्चों के इलाज के रूप में किया जा रहा है जो गंभीर, आत्म-चोट वाले व्यवहार का प्रदर्शन करते हैं।


Covid-19 in South Africa: Scientists seek to understand new variant

Summary: Scientists in South Africa say there is a "reasonable concern" that the new variant of Covid-19 sweeping across the country might prove to be more resistant to current vaccines being rolled out in the UK and elsewhere, and warn that it makes the need for a global roll-out of vaccines "even more critical".

By Andrew HardingAfrica correspondent, BBC News "It's a theoretical concern. A reasonable concern… that the South African variant might be more resistant," Prof Shabir Madhi, who has led trials for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in South Africa, told the BBC. Prof Madhi was responding to comments by the UK government and scientists. He said a definitive answer would probably come in a matter of weeks, with extensive testing already under way in South Africa. The concern arises from the fact that the virus here has mutated far more than the variant in the UK, and one of those mutations might mean it can evade attack by antibodies that would normally fight coronavirus. Vaccines teach the body to mount an immune response - which includes creating antibodies - to fight the coronavirus, should it ever encounter it. Antibodies are small proteins made by the immune system that stick to the surface of viruses, effectively disabling them. If that ability to connect is weakened, then the antibodies created following the introduction of a vaccine might not be as effective. Prof Madhi said it was "unlikely" that the mutation in South Africa would make the current vaccines useless, but might "weaken the impact". A vaccine expert at Wits University, Prof Helen Rees, said: "Fortunately, should further modifications of the vaccine be required to address the new variants, some of the vaccine technologies under development could allow this to be done relatively rapidly." South Africa recently pushed back against suggestions from the British government that its variant was more transmissible than the one in the UK. Scientists insist there is no evidence of that, nor that the mutations here have made the virus deadlier. Prof Rees said concern about the mutations in South Africa should add to global pressure for a swift roll-out of vaccines across the world, and not just to wealthier nations. "As the new variants are already spreading to other countries, the importance of ensuring that vaccines remain effective against new variants is a global imperative," said Prof Rees. Prof Barry Schoub, who chairs the government's advisory committee on vaccines, said the "preliminary evidence" from tests did not suggest that mutations would allow the virus to "escape" the impact of the current vaccines. "The vaccines seem to be very effective," he said, citing laboratory tests that appeared to show the current vaccines still "neutralise this new variant". Prof Madhi said the crucial laboratory experiments were yet to start and the efficacy of the vaccines would only be known "over the next few weeks". You might also be interested in:

दक्षिण अफ्रीका के वैज्ञानिकों का कहना है कि एक "उचित चिंता" है कि देश भर में फैल रहा कोविड-19 का नया संस्करण यूके और अन्य जगहों पर जारी किए जा रहे वर्तमान टीकों के लिए अधिक प्रतिरोधी साबित हो सकता है, और चेतावनी देते हैं कि यह टीकों के वैश्विक रोल-आउट की आवश्यकता को "और भी अधिक महत्वपूर्ण" बनाता है।


In pictures: People enjoy bank holiday sunshine across the West Midlands

Summary: The bank holiday weekend has seen some sunny weather after a cool few weeks across the West Midlands.

It is the first public holiday since Covid rules on indoor hospitality and tourist sites were lifted. Many in the region took the opportunity to make the most of the blue skies heading outdoors. Blue skies are forecast into Monday with temperatures set to rise to 23°C (73°F) in some areas. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk All photos subject to copyright.

वेस्ट मिडलैंड्स में कुछ हफ्तों की ठंडक के बाद बैंक अवकाश सप्ताहांत में कुछ धूप देखी गई है।


Arrest over £40k Altrincham Flannels luxury goods theft

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary following the theft of £40,000 worth of designer handbags and coats.

A car was reversed into the Flannels store in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, after midnight on 2 February. Offenders also ran into the George Street premises from two other vehicles, which were used in their escape, police said. A 38-year-old suspect has been arrested and remains in custody for questioning.

40, 000 पाउंड मूल्य के डिजाइनर हैंडबैग और कोट की चोरी के बाद चोरी के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


What's life like on the border with North Korea?

Summary: It's one in the morning and, under the neon lights of Seoul's shining skyscrapers, people are laughing and chatting, heading to eat barbecue or drink tiny glasses of soju, the country's national alcoholic drink.

By Anna FosterRadio 5 live Being just 35 miles from one of the world's most dangerous borders isn't playing on the mind of anyone here tonight. For me, that's one of the most striking things about the mood in South Korea right now. The swirling fear that's enveloping other parts of the globe isn't in evidence here. People know this threat, they recognise it, but they've lived with it for a long time already. The conflict between North and South Korea is nothing new. Technically the two countries are still at war, and simply living in a state of armistice. So why has world attention - and fear - grown so fast in the past few months? In Seoul, people's response to the North Korean threat tends to fall along generational lines. For those who are too young to remember the Korean War, it feels like more of an abstract threat. While they can't see it, and it has no effect on their daily lives, they spend little time worrying about it. The Korean peninsula is a place of contrast. In just a few decades, the South has clawed its way back from almost complete destruction to become the fourth-largest economy in Asia. I wandered through the Gangnam district packed with colourful statues celebrating the booming K-pop music scene. Even after midnight half the floors in Samsung's towering glass headquarters had lights on and people at their desks. This prosperity is born of hard graft. There's no outward show of wealth in the North. Driving along the border, hearing the heavy thumps of South Korean army target practice and the return of clattering gunfire from the North, two worlds are colliding. A quick check of my smartphone map app shows a featureless expanse. No roads, no towns. What goes on here is shadowy and secretive. I travelled to the closest village to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), just three miles from the barbed wire. Its men have special permission to farm inside the DMZ, and one of them, sprightly 77-year-old Mr Ong, showed me where he'd lost every toe on his right foot standing on a landmine. He described the day he heard a bang and looked down to see his leg mangled and twisted. Even then he felt lucky, nine men in his village had stood on mines and he was the only one of them to survive. Unlike in Seoul, where underground stations and housing block basements double-up as emergency shelters, this place has a clean, new, purpose-built bunker sunk two storeys below ground behind an 8in (20cm) thick door. In one corner, stands a row of shelves, neatly stacked with clear plastic boxes. Inside, lie pristine escape hoods, hammers, first aid supplies, a torch, a whistle - all lined up and ready to be used in case of an emergency. They're so untouched that I ask if they've ever even been practised with. "We haven't had a real emergency yet," says Mr Lee, the village elder in charge of the shelter. "If we need them, there are directions on the wall." Does this lack of urgency suggest the threat of imminent war has been overblown? "I am worried," he replies, "just last week someone from the city came to check on us." Many analysts, though, believe Pyongyang has its eye on prizes far bigger and further away than its southern border. The Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, used the BBC's Andrew Marr programme to highlight the fact that London was closer to Pyongyang than to Los Angeles. "This involves us," he said, which is true - but perhaps more in a diplomatic sense than as a target. When I put his comments to South Korean journalist Jungeun Kim, she was taken aback. "Does he understand what he's talking about? I can't remember a time when Kim Jong-un has threatened the UK. His argument is with America." Of that, there is no doubt. In Itaewon, I asked a uniformed US solder, one of more than 20,000 stationed on the Korean peninsula, what he thought of the current threat. Did he feel safe? "Yes I do, I've even brought my family here." When I pushed him on US President Donald Trump's response to the crisis, his answer was brief, but damning. "He's dealt with it like a chump." It's not hard to find others who agree. But any disdain felt towards the president is of course as nothing compared with the reputation of his North Korean counterpart. And most here believe it will be the actions of the latter that will determine how this unedifying stand-off ultimately plays out.

यह सुबह का एक बज रहा है और सियोल की चमकती गगनचुंबी इमारतों की नियॉन रोशनी के नीचे, लोग हंस रहे हैं और बात कर रहे हैं, बारबेक्यू खाने या देश के राष्ट्रीय मादक पेय सोज़ू के छोटे गिलास पीने के लिए जा रहे हैं।


Should JP Morgan have listened to Winters?

Summary: Only one of the Bank of England's three reviews into how it has conducted itself since the crisis of 2008 is being carried out by a commercial banker. In this case it is Bill Winters, rather than a former central banker (by the way, I should warn you that this is a blog BOGOF: reflections on JP Morgan and on the Bank of England's self-examination).

Robert PestonEconomics editor Whether that will make his probe more or less impartial, you can decide. But Mr Winters has a reputation - acquired when he was co-head of JP Morgan Investment Bank - for being his own person. Mr Winters' independence of mind is of considerable topical interest right now - because Mr Winters is feted in some quarters for having made known to his colleagues at JP Morgan his unhappiness that the risks being taken by JP Morgan's Chief Investment Office were not transparent enough. In view of the notorious loss recently announced by the CIO - estimated by Morgan at $2bn but widely expected to rise to $5bn - some would argue that Morgan's chairman and chief executive, Jamie Dimon, should perhaps have listened to Winters. In the event, Winters' vocal unhappiness at the governance of the CIO, that it was a discreet trading operation answerable only to Dimon, and whose deployment of the bank's precious capital could not be scrutinised by other senior executives, was one of the reasons he was pushed out of the bank in the summer of 2009. All of which is to suggest that neither the Bank of England or its clients in the City, the big banks, are likely to get from Winters the answer they most want about whether the Bank of England lends to banks at the right price, with appropriate security and with the necessary strings. To be clear, the Bank of England's role in lending to banks, and indeed that of the central banks of all the developed economies, is massively more important than it was before the 2007 credit crunch. Before then, in the boom years, central banks operated with much smaller balance sheets, supplying a modest amount of marginal lending to smooth out the bumps in markets. But in the summer of 2007, the spigot delivering funds to banks from other banks and financial institutions became blocked and dysfunctional - and it has never started gushing in the way that it did. All of which is to say that central banks have to a large extent displaced the market, providing record volumes of loans to banks, and in return for assets or collateral of increasing diversity and - arguably - diminishing quality. Even if the Bank of England has run down its Special Liquidity Scheme, that provided £185bn of exceptional and emergency funds to British banks, our banks remain more dependent on their access to central-bank funding than at any time in their history. So here is an interesting question: if our banks are less able to stand on their own two feet, without the crutch of support or liquidity from taxpayer-owned central banks, should they be more mindful of their putative social responsibilities; and (oh yes) should bank executives be rewarded as lavishly as those in businesses (toothpaste makers, book vendors, Cornish-pasty bakers) which never receive state finance? Answers below please. There is a second fascinating question too: how and when does it become clear that markets are stressed not for mad irrational reasons but because banks are in fact insolvent or bust? That moment of blinding revelation, that banks need to raise capital to protect themselves against losses, is the point at which the Bank of England and other similar central banks can no longer provide the kind of loans I have described. Instead, the Bank of England can only provide what is known as Emergency Liquidity Assistance, or rescue funding explicitly underwritten by the Treasury, which tides the banks over until they raise the necessary capital. By definition, individual banks have "failed" when they receive Emergency Liquidity Assistance, or ELA. Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS both failed in the autumn of 2008, when RBS received £36.6bn of ELA and HBOS borrowed £25.4bn. As it happens, Ian Plenderleith - who was the Bank of England's markets man for donkeys years - is assessing how this lifeline was provided to RBS and HBOS. For a bank's reputation, the verdict on whether it has failed or not is everything. Here is what gives nightmares to bank chief executives: there is not a clean distinction between a bank finding it difficult to borrow because of market "stress" and because it is bust. The current health of eurozone banks is a very important case in point. A significant number of them have too little capital. Most of them are hugely dependent on borrowing from the European Central Bank and are profoundly grateful for the trillion euros of three-year rescue loans they have taken from the ECB in its LTRO. The LTRO can be seen, and is seen by bankers, as a hidden injection of capital into the banks by eurozone taxpayers - because the banks borrow the three-year money at 1% and can re-lend it for considerably more. The LTRO is a backdoor recapitalisation of the banks, without the explicit approval of eurozone taxpayers (a big hello to the people of Germany). Or to put it another way, if the ECB were playing by the Bank of England's Wisden rules, it would not have been able to provide the LTRO (it is not cricket for a central bank to inject capital into banks.) In view of the perilous conditions in the eurozone, perhaps we should be grateful that the ECB has not put a bunch of huge eurozone banks on notice that they are bust. But do you think that any bank that has taken LTRO cash should be paying dividends to shareholders or bonuses to executives?

2008 के संकट के बाद से बैंक ऑफ इंग्लैंड की तीन समीक्षाओं में से केवल एक समीक्षा एक वाणिज्यिक बैंकर द्वारा की जा रही है। इस मामले में यह बिल विंटर्स है, न कि एक पूर्व केंद्रीय बैंकर (वैसे, मुझे आपको चेतावनी देनी चाहिए कि यह एक ब्लॉग BOGOF हैः जेपी मॉर्गन और बैंक ऑफ इंग्लैंड की आत्म-जांच पर प्रतिबिंब) है।


Jaden Moodie: Teenager denies Leyton murder of 14-year-old

Summary: A teenager has pleaded not guilty to the murder of a 14-year-old boy who was knocked off a moped and stabbed to death in east London.

Ayoub Majdouline, 18, from north-west London, also denies one charge of possessing a knife, in connection with the death of Jaden Moodie. Jaden was found with seven stab wounds in Bickley Road, Leyton, at about 18:30 BST on 8 January. He was treated by paramedics but died soon afterwards, the Old Bailey heard. Mr Majdouline is due to face trial at the same court on 18 November. A case against Yousuf Dubbad, 21, from Leyton, who was also charged with Jaden's murder, has been discontinued, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC told the court.

एक किशोर ने पूर्वी लंदन में एक 14 वर्षीय लड़के की हत्या के लिए दोषी नहीं होने का अनुरोध किया है, जिसकी मोपेड से टक्कर मारकर चाकू मारकर हत्या कर दी गई थी।


India Love Project: The Instagram account telling tales of 'forbidden' love

Summary: In India, where love and marriage outside of caste and religion have long attracted censure, a new project on Instagram celebrates unions that break "the shackles of faith, caste, ethnicity and gender". The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi reports.

Interfaith and inter-caste marriages have long been frowned upon in conservative Indian families, but in recent years, the conversation around such unions has become even more fractious. And most scorn is reserved for alliances involving Hindu women and Muslim men. Just how deep the chasm is was brought into sharp focus last month when popular jewellery brand Tanishq withdrew an advertisement featuring an interfaith couple after a right-wing backlash on social media. The ad showed a baby shower organised for a Hindu mum-to-be by her Muslim in-laws. Tanishq, owned by the Tatas, one of India's biggest companies, called its new range Ekatvam - which translates from Hindi as "unity". It was meant to celebrate the concept of "unity in diversity", but it ended up doing the exact opposite - it laid bare the fissures that exist in Indian society. Radical Hindu groups said the advert promoted "love jihad" - an Islamophobic term that implies Muslim men prey on Hindu women to seduce them and marry them with the sole purpose of converting them to Islam. Social media trolls led calls to boycott the brand, taking it to the top of Twitter trends. The company said in a statement that it withdrew the ad keeping in mind the safety of its employees. Two weeks after the row over the ad, journalist couple Samar Halarnkar and Priya Ramani and their journalist-writer friend Niloufer Venkatraman launched the India Love Project on Instagram, describing it as "a celebration of interfaith/inter-caste love and togetherness in these divisive, hate-filled times". Mr Halarnkar told the BBC they had been "thinking about the project for a year, even more" and that the controversy over the Tanishq ad lent it an immediacy, turning it into an idea whose time has come. "We've felt very strongly about - and been disturbed by - the fake narrative around love and interfaith marriage," he told me. "There is a narrative that there are other, more insidious, motives for marriage, that love is being weaponised. But we didn't know anyone who was thinking like that, who had any other motive than love for getting married." Through India Love Project, he says, "we are just providing a platform where people can share their stories". Since 28 October - when the project kicked off with the first story by Ms Venkatraman about her Parsi mother Bakhtawar Master and Hindu father S Venkatraman - a new story has been published every day. The response, Mr Halarnkar says, has been overwhelming. "We are struggling to cope. Every day we hear from people who say 'I want to tell my story, or my parents' story or my grandparents' story. It also shows that interfaith and inter-community marriages are not new, they were happening all along." But, he adds, "it's important to talk about them now more than ever". "At a time when hate is being manufactured, it's important to tell these stories of love and how widespread it is and that it's not just a flash in the pan." In India, more than 90% of all marriages are arranged - and families rarely look beyond religion and caste while fixing alliances. According to the India Human Development Survey, only about 5% of marriages are inter-caste. Interfaith unions are even rarer - one study put them at just over 2.2%. And those choosing to marry outside of these boundaries often face violence - and can even be killed. In recent years, with a Hindu nationalist government in power, conservatism has gained support in India and religious polarisation has grown. And interfaith marriages - especially those involving Hindu women and Muslim men - are being ascribed a much more sinister motive. "In February," Mr Halarnkar says, "the government told the parliament that 'love jihad' was not defined by law and that no such cases were reported by any government agencies, but the idea persists. In recent days, at least four BJP-ruled states have announced plans to introduce legislation to curb this 'social evil'." It is this "narrative of hate" that India Love Project seeks to challenge through its bank of personal stories, often described as "warm and fuzzy" by readers. The short 150-word stories are written with affection and humour; and tell tales of couples who believe that love does not recognise man-made boundaries. Rupa, a Hindu Brahmin, writes about her mother's first reaction when she told her that she was planning to marry Razi Abdi, a Muslim. "He'll say 'talaq, talaq, talaq' three times and kick you out," her mother said, worried about the practice of instant divorce in Islam, now outlawed in India. "However, once my parents met Razi and realised what a wonderful human being he was, their misgivings faded," she writes, describing them as "relatively open-minded". It's been 30 years since Rupa and Razi got married. They have two adult sons and celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid and the Hindu festival of Diwali in their home. Writing about his marriage with Salma, journalist TM Veeraraghav says in their home religion isn't "as important as curd rice versus mutton biryani!" "I remain vegetarian, she enjoys her mutton and the product of our love [their child Ainesh] gets the best of both worlds. Ainesh is a Hindu or Muslim, depending on what's cooking." In a recent post, Tanvir Aeijaz, a Muslim married to Vineeta Sharma, a Hindu, writes about the story of naming their daughter, Kuhu. The couple were asked whether it was a Hindu name or a Muslim name? And what religion would their daughter follow when she grows up? "That our Hindu-Muslim marriage can be a role model of secularism seems to belie people's expectations," he writes. "They're dumbfounded, almost disappointed that our love would have to be called love, and not love jihad." The Instagram account also features stories of other interfaith and inter-caste marriages. Maria Manjil, a non-vegetarian Catholic from a liberal family in Kerala, who married Sadeep Jain, a north Indian vegetarian Jain from a conservative family, writes about the "many challenges" they've faced in their 22 years of marriage but is convinced that she did the right thing by marrying him. "How can you turn away from love?" she writes. "I saw his kind heart, gentle demeanour, intellectual compatibility, and deep affection for me. I couldn't let him go just because he prayed to a different god and spoke a different language." Mr Halarnkar says it's stories like these that make you feel better about the world and about India. "These are all beautiful stories of myriad realities of India. People follow so many different paths to love. They are a reminder that that's what India is about."

भारत में, जहां जाति और धर्म के बाहर प्रेम और विवाह ने लंबे समय से निंदा को आकर्षित किया है, इंस्टाग्राम पर एक नई परियोजना उन संघों का जश्न मनाती है जो "आस्था, जाति, जातीयता और लिंग की बेड़ियों" को तोड़ते हैं। दिल्ली में बीबीसी की गीता पांडे की रिपोर्ट।


Heywood and Middleton by-election candidates

Summary: A by-election will be held in the constituency of Heywood and Middleton in Greater Manchester on 9 October.

The poll was triggered by the death of Labour MP Jim Dobbin earlier this month. The deadline for candidates to register for the by-election was 1600 BST on 16 September. The full list of candidates announced so far, in alphabetical order by surname, is:

ग्रेटर मैनचेस्टर के हेवुड और मिडलटन निर्वाचन क्षेत्र में 9 अक्टूबर को उपचुनाव होगा।


Speed awareness: Are courses out to make money?

Summary: It is 12 years since the speed awareness course was launched in England and new figures reveal road deaths have more than halved in that time. But many drivers nabbed at a few miles per hour over the limit feel they are driving safely and the victims of a "money-making" racket. I was one of them.

By Julie CushBBC News When I was caught doing 35mph in a 30 zone and had to pay £88 to go on the course, I was fuming. But after three hours in the classroom my attitude had changed. I was staggered at the number of road markings and signs I did not know. We were shown clips of a car going at 30mph and had to spot 20 potential hazards during a journey lasting a few minutes - I got 13. Not everyone is as easily won over though. Speed awareness course instructor John Hamilton suffered broken ribs in the classroom a few years ago when he was attacked by a disgruntled motorist. He says he can deal with aggro, but finds it more frustrating when drivers are resolute they will not get anything out of the course. "Recently I had a man in his 70s stand up and say he'd never worn a seatbelt," he says. "About 5% of those who attend won't engage or think the course is a money-making racket. "I've even had a few fall asleep. But most of the time you get brilliant feedback and drivers say the course has made them think." Mr Hamilton, who does courses throughout the north-east England and Yorkshire, does not hesitate when I ask him my burning question: "Have you ever been done for speeding?" "Yes," the 51-year-old replies: "I was caught twice about six weeks apart, 20 years ago." He says he did not really care at the time. But since he became an advanced driver and more aware of the road death statistics he has been passionate about spreading the safe-driving message. As well as cameras, Mr Hamilton believes there should be more visible deterrents such as police patrols. He also believes that learning to drive at 17 years of age should not be a life-long qualification, but a skill to be updated and retested. The statistic that many drivers remember after the course is that a pedestrian hit by a car travelling between 30mph and 40mph is five times more likely to die than someone hit by a car travelling at below 30mph. Not everyone is eligible for a course, though. There is a certain amount of leeway. Doing 42mph in a 30mph zone would be the maximum. Go faster and points on the licence are imposed. Mr Hamilton said few people were stubborn enough to take points rather than do the course, although one of the few he knows was his own mother. She was in her 70s and caught speeding while taking a friend to hospital. "She said she was too old to sit in a classroom for four hours - I had some sympathy." Road deaths halved in 12 years Source: Latest figures of road casualties in Great Britain produced by the Department of Transport: The first speed awareness course was launched in Lancashire in 2003, followed by Thames Valley the following year. Most police forces offer it - 39 out of 42 in the UK - but there are exceptions including Wiltshire and Sussex, while Cleveland Police only began offering it in 2008. The courses are not offered to drivers in Scotland. Many authorities use private companies, such as AA DriveTech or TTC2000, to provide courses. The Association of Chief Police Officers said safer cars, as well as the speed course, had helped reduce deaths. There are 45 speed cameras in Northumberland, but only 12 - a quarter - are switched on, the BBC has learned. So claims it is a money-making racket are denied by course providers - if this was the case, they argue, they would all be switched on to catch as many people as possible. However, there are many drivers who are opposed to the cameras. Claire Armstrong, co-founder of Safe Speed, a campaign against speed cameras, believes the way in which a car is being driven, rather than how fast it is going, should be the focus of road safety. Drivers over the limit can be perfectly safe because of their skill and awareness of the road conditions, she says. She also believes it is a dangerous distraction for drivers to focus on the camera and their speed dial when they should be looking at the road. "The survival instinct is self-preservation - if a driver sees a hazard they will start to slow down, so the speed they are going is not usually the impact speed," she says. She believes distraction and inattention are the two main causes of accidents, not speed. "The message that speeding kills is too simplistic."

इंग्लैंड में गति जागरूकता पाठ्यक्रम शुरू हुए 12 साल हो चुके हैं और नए आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि उस समय में सड़क दुर्घटनाओं में होने वाली मौतों में आधे से अधिक की कमी आई है। लेकिन कुछ मील प्रति घंटे की रफ्तार से पकड़े जाने वाले कई चालकों को लगता है कि वे सुरक्षित रूप से गाड़ी चला रहे हैं और वे "पैसा कमाने वाले" रैकेट के शिकार हैं। मैं उनमें से एक था।


Bosnia's DNA quest to identify war dead

Summary: A mid-afternoon congregation of mourners waits outside the mortuary in Visoko, about half an hour's drive from Bosnia's capital, Sarajevo. A funeral parade is due to begin, and finally some families will be able to pay their last respects.

By Guy DelauneyBBC News, Bosnia Inside the building, work continues on the remains of unidentified victims from Bosnia's conflict of the 1990s. Eight thousand people reported missing have yet to be found - while the remains of 3,000 people exhumed from mass graves still have not been identified. Somewhere between the two figures is the potential to bring solace to thousands of families. Both the tiles and the workers' scrubs cast a green tint in the room, where a small group of specialists methodically set about their task. They sit at tables, sifting through evidence that could help identify the missing. Bones are set out in neat rows, alongside personal items - tattered Yugoslav-era identity documents, wallets and coins. Some workers squat on the floor, cleaning dirt from fragments of clothing. "We do a full anthropological re-examination of the case," says Dijana Sarzinski, who is managing the "No Name" project for the International Commission on Missing Persons. As its title suggests, this is an effort to identify remains that have been kept, unclaimed, in mortuaries across Bosnia. "We reassess previously taken DNA samples, determine whether new DNA samples need to be taken and review all the accompanying documentation. We're trying to find out any bit of information that could lead us to identity." With the project more than two-thirds complete, the ICMP has so far identified 80 missing people. "I'm really proud. The ratio may seem small, but those are 80 people that we helped bring home," says Ms Sarzinski. Mother's search for her son Smilja Mitrovic hopes the efforts will help her to identify and bury her son, Dragan. He was a 19-year-old conscript in the Bosnian Serb army who was two days away from completing his military service when he disappeared in September 1995. On a visit to the ICMP's Sarajevo headquarters, she explains that hers is more than simply a personal quest. "The missing persons issue is an open and painful issue that Bosnia is struggling with," she says. The next step will need to be approached with some considerable delicacy. It involves collecting blood samples from relatives of people who were identified visually, before the ICMP developed its world-leading DNA-testing technology. If there is a positive match with the unidentified remains, it may mean the wrong body was buried all those years ago. But this would offer an opportunity to set matters right. Families would be able to lay the correct remains to rest - and Bosnia might move a little closer towards reconciliation.

बोस्निया की राजधानी साराजेवो से लगभग आधे घंटे की दूरी पर विसोको में मुर्दाघर के बाहर शोक मनाने वालों की एक दोपहर की मण्डली प्रतीक्षा कर रही है। एक अंतिम संस्कार परेड शुरू होने वाली है, और अंत में कुछ परिवार अपना अंतिम सम्मान दे सकेंगे।


South Africa elections: Charting divides 25 years after apartheid

Summary: The quality of life may have improved for many South Africans since the landmark 1994 elections that ended white-minority rule but huge inequalities remain. As South Africans prepare to go to the polls on 8 May, we take a look at how much has changed.

By Pumza Fihlani and Dominic BaileyBBC News South Africa is Africa's most-industrialised economy, with industries ranging from agriculture, financial services, trade, tourism and a robust informal sector, worth millions of dollars. It enjoys a seat in the Brics block of economies - with Brazil, Russia, India and China - and is a member of the G20 forum of international governments. Despite its economic standing, the country is also home to gross inequality, which is largely a legacy of its history of racial segregation. The gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" is vast - in its main cities, skyscrapers stretch into the heavens, high-walled mansions stand as a reminder of the wealth enjoyed by some, while on the fringes of middle-class and wealthy South Africa, thousands of shacks jostle for space, often just a stone's throw away. Poverty and unemployment remain one of the country's main challenges. A higher proportion of black South Africans have historically lived in poverty compared with Asian and white South Africans. And between 2011 and 2015, the proportion of black and Coloured (mixed-race) people in poverty increased, according to government data. Social policies such as free primary health care and free basic services, such as water, electricity and sanitation for poorer households have improved the lives of many - especially in the years after the Africa National Congress (ANC) came to power. But despite South Africa being the second-largest economy on the continent after Nigeria, growth has been slow compared to other emerging markets. This has in part been attributed to political uncertainty and a decline in mining production - one of the country's main exports. As a result, South Africans have, on average, become poorer. Income per head - the total output of the economy divided by the population - has fallen fairly steadily since 2010. There are still millions living townships and squatter camps, and richer households are almost 10 times wealthier than poor households. Black South Africans are still under-represented in the skilled jobs market. Even though little more than 10% of the working population comes from the white community, they are more likely to be more skilled, wealthier, and reach higher levels of education, which means black South Africans are still most affected by high unemployment. The labour market is also more favourable to men, regardless of race. Men are more likely to be in paid employment than women and in positions that come with greater influence. Only 32% of managers in South Africa were women - that is up 10% on 1995. There were more male domestic workers in 1995 than there are now, when most of the million or so domestic workers are women. In 2017, there were 35.8 murders per 100,000 people, among the highest rate in the world. In the last five years there has been an increase after more than a decade of decline. However, the murder rate was twice as high in 1993, the year before apartheid ended. Perception of crime is another measure of how safe people feel. The official statistics bureau, Stats SA, reported that 46% of people thought violent crime had increased during the past three years, an increase of 4,5% over the previous year. Around 79% of South Africans still felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods during the day, but this is down 6.7% on the previous year. While at night, about 32% of South Africans felt safe walking alone in - up 8% on the previous year. There are also concerns among human rights groups about an increase in attacks on foreign nationals. There are about 3.6 million migrants in the country, mainly from neighbouring Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho, out of an overall population of more than 50 million. The African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) has monitored attacks against migrants across South Africa since 1994 and says violence peaked in 2008 and again 2015. The violence is often triggered by local disputes, with migrants being accused of taking jobs away from South Africans. South Africa is a rainbow nation of language as well as colour. With 11 languages officially recognised in the country and used across its length and breadth, officials hope this helps to foster a sense of pride in indigenous languages and cultural diversity. Most South Africans can speak more than three languages, especially within the black population. According to a 2011 census, Zulu is the first language of 22.7% of the population, followed by Xhosa at 16%, Afrikaans at 13.5%. English ranks only fourth as a first language but is widely used as the language of business and is widely spoken as a second language. Many black students prefer to be taught in English, rather than Afrikaans. Correction 03 May: The chart on unemployment has been amended to only show rates according to the official definition

1994 के ऐतिहासिक चुनावों के बाद से कई दक्षिण अफ्रीकियों के जीवन की गुणवत्ता में सुधार हुआ होगा, जिसने श्वेत-अल्पसंख्यक शासन को समाप्त कर दिया था, लेकिन भारी असमानताएं बनी हुई हैं। जैसे-जैसे दक्षिण अफ्रीकी 8 मई को चुनाव में जाने की तैयारी कर रहे हैं, हम देखते हैं कि कितना बदलाव आया है।


South Sudan conflict: Inside ghost town of Bor

Summary: Turn out of the air strip, along the dusty road to Bor and you start to see it: mile upon mile of empty, burnt houses, every shack looted, the charred remains of vehicles and no sign of life.

By Mark LowenBBC News, Bor This once-thriving place of 25,000 people has been reduced to a blackened shell, a ghost town. Bor was the first major area to fall to rebel control when South Sudan's conflict erupted on 15 December. It's been fiercely fought over ever since, changing hands a number of times. But last Saturday, troops loyal to the government entered the strategically-important town and recaptured it. It's been too perilous to visit until now. But the BBC was among the first journalists allowed in, flown up on a government plane from the capital Juba, to see the aftermath of war - and the nightmares that remain. Lt Gen Malual Ayom Dor, the commander in the town, sits under some trees, taking shelter from the midday sun. "It was a fierce battle here," he says, "but an important victory. Now, though, I want the people to return and resume their normal lives." Can Bor recover? I ask. "Yes but it will take time for those traumatised to come back," he replies. "Some of them, including my mother, are in the bush. I have not had any contact with her. I don't know if she's alive." Stench of death It is over a month since fighting began here. The cause was a political row within the governing party - a power tussle between the President, Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, relieved of his duties last year. But it's taken on ethnic overtones: The Dinka people of the president pitted against the Nuers of his rival. Reprisal killings have reduced towns like Bor to rubble. Both sides accuse each other of mass atrocities and the UN is now investigating possible war crimes. The dead are many here - and not yet cleared. At the hospital, the scenes are truly horrific. Rebel soldiers ransacked it twice, killing people in their beds. Outside, the remains of two patients lie rotting in the afternoon sun. One has an amputated leg, the other lies next to his crutches. The ward has been looted: a few mattresses remain, but little else. On one bed, under a pile of sheets, lies the body of a woman murdered as she was attempting to recover in hospital. The floor beneath is stained by a pool of blood. The stench of death and rotting material is overwhelming. Cowering in the corner are three women who survived. One, deeply malnourished, lies in her bedclothes, unable to talk. But Meria Jerchaoul does talk: Her vacant eyes and rasping voice tell of her suffering. She doesn't know her age - but says she's very old, perhaps over 50. "The rebels came in to ask for money and a phone," she says. "I told them I had neither. They took my bags and there was some money that fell out. So they shot me through my shoulder." She shows where the bullet went in. "Then they tried to rape me. But I said to them I'm too old to sleep with a man so if you want to kill me, kill me. I could never see the Nuer people again. If I were to hear them come back here, I would die." In a makeshift mortuary, five more corpses lie rotting. It is just so raw here. 'My heart bleeds' Down the road lies the once-bustling market. It is now utterly destroyed, a heap of mangled corrugated iron and shattered glass. Walking through the remains is the mayor, Nhial Majak Nhial. "This was actually South Sudan's dream town," he says. "It was the cleanest, safest place in the country. Now it's brought down to ashes. The question is how can we rebuild people's confidence and how long it will take to come back to life." I ask the mayor how he feels when he looks at what his town has become. "My heart bleeds," he says, kicking away some of the rubble. "It is just terrible." Bor has a dark history, now repeating itself. In 1991, 2,000 Dinkas were massacred by Nuers, led by Riek Machar. Many more died of starvation. It was a wound that was beginning to heal. But now a fresh conflict has torn apart this newly-formed country. As we boarded the government plane out of Bor, we left behind the horrific scenes. But the mental images will be hard to erase. The government is now edging towards victory here, recapturing all the major towns - though it's not inconceivable that the rebels will regroup. But even if a ceasefire comes, reconciliation may not. And it's hard to see how these two communities, ripped apart by fighting and mistrust, can truly live together again in peace.

बोर के लिए धूल भरी सड़क के साथ हवाई पट्टी से बाहर निकलें और आप इसे देखना शुरू कर देंगेः खाली, जले हुए घरों, लूट की गई हर झोंपड़ी, वाहनों के जले हुए अवशेष और जीवन का कोई संकेत नहीं।


Worcestershire fish rescue after floods recede

Summary: Hundreds of fish, some up to 30 years old, have been trapped on a flood plain in Worcestershire the Environment Agency has said.

The fish, including bream and carp, are in floodwater on the Ham Meadows near Upton upon Severn. The agency's Dave Throup said: "The water level has dropped very quickly and it's left them stranded against either fences or barbed wire." A tanker will be used to take the fish back to the River Severn. The agency said the rescue may take "some time" as it still has 10 acres (4 hectares) of floodwater to search. Mr Throup said: "Some of the bream are up to 30 years old and they are important to the eco-system of the river."

पर्यावरण एजेंसी ने कहा है कि वॉर्सेस्टरशायर में बाढ़ के मैदान में सैकड़ों मछलियां, जिनमें से कुछ 30 साल पुरानी हैं, फंस गई हैं।


Abuse accuser Carl Beech told police 'MI5 boss stole my dog'

Summary: A man accused of making false claims of child abuse against public figures told police his dog was abducted "as a warning" from a paedophile gang which included the former head of MI5.

In a video interview shown in court Carl Beech claimed ex-spy chief Michael Hanley told him it was "punishment" for missing a meeting with his abusers. His claims led to the £2m Operation Midland, which resulted in no arrests. Mr Beech denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud. In the video interview with police, recorded in October 2014, he also accused former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor of being part of the gang. Mr Proctor will give evidence during the trial, the jury at Newcastle Crown Court was told. In the interviews, Mr Beech - who was previously known by the pseudonym "Nick" - told police that his dog was taken while she was being walked by his aunt because he "forgot" to meet his abusers. "The punishment was they took my dog," the 51-year-old former nurse from Gloucester said. He described how Mr Hanley, who died in 2001, visited him outside his school in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, after his dog had gone missing. "He didn't have her in the car, but they had taken Heron, my dog, and they had taken her as a warning. They kept her for five days and then they let her go." He said he collected his dog from Surbiton police station and she was unharmed. In the tapes, Mr Beech - who jurors have been told has himself since been convicted of paedophile offences - also alleged he was made to perform a sex act on Mr Proctor while former Tory Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath was present. Mr Beech added that Sir Edward, who he said reminded him of his grandfather, stepped in to prevent him from being beaten by the former MP. "The next thing, he just started laying into me and hitting," he said. "Edward stopped him and he didn't like it. He didn't like it though he didn't question it." 'Threatened with a penknife' Mr Beech claimed that Mr Proctor had wanted to cut him with a penknife but was stopped by another member of the alleged group of abusers. He told police that Mr Proctor had issued the warning "next time...", and put the penknife in the then schoolboy's trousers. The police tapes showed Mr Beech produce a penknife, which he claimed was the one given to him by Mr Proctor. He also described having to attend annual "Remembrance Day" sexual abuse parties where, he claimed, generals and spies stuck poppies into his skin. "I had poppies pinned to my chest whilst they did whatever they wanted to do," he said. "As a mark of respect." He claimed that attendees had included Sir Michael, ex-military chief Lord Bramall, now 95, and former head of the Army Field Marshall Sir Roland Gibbs, who died in 2004. Mr Beech said the alleged abusers would "just get a bit of skin and put a pin through it". "I don't like this time of year, with all the poppies around", he said during the interview. Previously, the court had heard that Mr Beech had convictions for voyeurism and making and possessing indecent images of children. He has been described in court by the prosecution as a "committed and manipulative paedophile". Yesterday, the court heard that Mr Beech told the detective that he was part of a "little group" with Labour MP Tom Watson, a Exaro News journalist called Mark Conrad, and a retired social worker, who were trying to "put my information out there to encourage other people to come forward". Mr Beech said he met Mr Watson in his office, where they spoke "at some length". The trial continues.

सार्वजनिक हस्तियों के खिलाफ बाल शोषण के झूठे दावे करने के आरोपी एक व्यक्ति ने पुलिस को बताया कि उसके कुत्ते का अपहरण एक पीडोफाइल गिरोह से "एक चेतावनी के रूप में" किया गया था जिसमें एमआई5 का पूर्व प्रमुख भी शामिल था।


Covid-19: How did a volunteer panel react when we showed them an anti-vax video?

Summary: Activists have been targeting people with fears about vaccines in a social media blitz. In an experiment, BBC Panorama showed a panel one video filled with falsehoods to see how it affected their willingness to get a jab.

By Marianna SpringSpecialist disinformation reporter, BBC News In a sleepy suburb of Norwich, 83-year-old Rosemary opens a WhatsApp message from a relative. It contains a video called Ask the Experts. The clip features people with impressive medical and scientific titles based in the UK, US, Spain and Sweden. Some allege, contrary to the evidence, that Covid-19 vaccines are unsafe, that they can alter a person's DNA - and even that the pandemic is somehow not real. Rosemary is frightened - and suddenly unsure about whether she'll get vaccinated. "It sounded so real and the people were so plausible and they were named as clinicians and doctors," she says. With the majority of the elderly and at-risk groups having had their jabs, the next big challenge for the government is to vaccinate everyone else in the UK. Most people say they want a jab, but the latest anti-vaccine tactics deployed by a committed minority seek to exploit people's nervousness. Deliberate tactics Rosemary is just one of millions exposed to tactics used by anti-vaccine activists - a loose collection of people who make a variety of claims about vaccines, including suggesting they are dangerous and a form of state control. Over the course of 27 minutes, the Ask the Experts video relentlessly introduces 33 people, many brandishing their credentials, often sitting in what look like medical consultation rooms. They confidently and calmly repeat similar messages - although many of the claims are misleading or just plain untrue. Rosemary was left shocked as these people - who looked similar to the doctors she would usually turn to for sound advice - said that Covid-19 was "not a real medical pandemic", that vaccines alter your DNA, that they cause infertility and that they're part of a deliberate global plan to hurt people. She's not alone in being scared by the video. One London council has issued a warning after the Ask The Experts video started circulating in Asian and black communities. These groups have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus - and there are indications that some ethnic minority groups have a higher level of reluctance when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines. "The fact that they are targeting it at those communities will mean that there will be people who die as a result of not having the vaccine," says Westminster council leader Rachael Robathan. Despite being removed from YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, it's been claimed that Ask the Experts has been seen more than 250,000 times. It's gone viral on WhatsApp and its producers have been asking for donations via PayPal. Social media boom The video is just one part of an online anti-vaccine blitz. Exclusive research by BBC Monitoring has found a huge increase in followers of social media accounts promoting anti-vaccine material during the pandemic. These aren't accounts asking legitimate medical questions - but people and organisations who've already made up their minds against vaccinations, and are manufacturing evidence or twisting facts to support their conclusions. On Instagram, the number of followers of major anti-vaccination accounts increased nearly five-fold in 2020, to more than four million. On Facebook, the top anti-vaccination pages grew by 19% in the last year and followers of Twitter accounts sharing anti-vaccine claims almost trebled. The increases came alongside a huge overall surge in people seeking out health information online due to the pandemic. But the raw numbers still mean false anti-vaccine claims are reaching millions more than ever before. Testing the impact How do the misinformation and conspiracy theories pushed by the video affect the views of people who have legitimate questions about vaccines? I ran a test for BBC Panorama. Our team assembled a panel of eight people from across the country who were unsure about having a Covid-19 vaccine. Logging on to a Zoom call on a January evening, they view the Ask the Experts video as we observe their reactions. Our experiment happens under the watchful eye of Dr Liam Smeeth, a professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who's also a GP. Rob - a 27-year-old volunteer radio DJ in Norfolk who's spending the latest lockdown trying to raise people's spirits with music - questions the speed of vaccine trials. It's a concern shared by 20-year-old law student Phoebe, who has other worries. "Every time I search about the Covid vaccine and fertility, it literally changes, so often it's quite overwhelming," she says. Experts say that the coronavirus vaccines have gone through the same rigorous process as other vaccines - and there's no biological mechanism by which it could affect fertility. After expressing their concerns, the panel begins watching Ask the Experts. I didn't tell them what the video was about - and reactions vary. Eddie, a 76-year-old from Northumberland, furrows his brow in front of a backdrop of watercolours he's painted during lockdown. "I thought at first 'Are these actors? Is this just a sham?'" he says. "And as I went on, I realised that they were real." Another person in the video appears wearing a white lab coat, pictured in what looks like a hospital. Matt - a 31-year-old who works in IT - nods along, listening attentively. "I feel I could trust some of them," he says, eyes glued to the screen. But the footage turns off others. As one of the people in the video argues, with an air of authority, that this is "not a real medical pandemic", Russell from Norwich puts his head in his hands. He was ill with coronavirus last year. "Blimey! It's like being hit over the head a number of times. For half-an-hour," he says. "I feel like I'm being brainwashed." Phoebe, the law student, also senses she's being fed misinformation. She crumples her face in disgust. "If these people are saying the virus isn't real, I'm less inclined to believe what they say about the vaccine being dangerous," she says. However, after watching the video half of the group says they are more worried about having a Covid-19 vaccine than before. "It's being rushed, and there hasn't been too much information," says decorator Steven from Inverness, who has had cancer. "I do agree with all that part of it." Shaun, who's a chef, was also swayed. "The video says what I've had in the back of my mind," he says, running his hand through his hair as he tries to make sense of what he has just watched. Dr Smeeth's main fear, that the video would amplify people's pre-existing fears, has materialised. He wants any doctor or professional promoting false claims to face disciplinary action. "I would certainly be very pro them being investigated and any evidence of harm being looked at," he says, "and them being stopped from using their title." What happened next? We have one more question - in the face of bad health information, can accurate advice from a respected expert increase trust in science? One by one, Dr Smeeth tackles the concerns raised by the panel. The vaccine doesn't change your DNA, he explains. It has been through animal trials, and there's no biological mechanism by which it would affect your fertility, he adds. After the discussion, all our volunteers say they're leaning towards having the vaccine. And some are even enthusiastic. "I will definitely have it now," says Eddie, the painter from Northumberland, chuckling as he logs off. Changing minds Back in Norwich, once Rosemary also realised that many of the claims made in the video were false, she made her decision. "I'm so relieved to be getting the vaccine," she told me as her husband Donald prepared to visit their local GP. Panorama contacted all 33 people in the video. Eleven responded - four defended the video's contents, five said if we referred to them as anti-vaccine they'd take legal action, and one made no comment. Another acknowledged the virus is real and causes diseases and deaths, but said the measures to manage the pandemic are disproportionate. Panorama invited Oracle Films, which produced the video, to comment. The filmmakers chose not to. After Panorama contacted PayPal about the request for donations, its account was taken down. Facebook - which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram - removed a number of the pages and posts flagged by Panorama. The company says it continues to step up its enforcement policies about harmful misinformation and actively points people towards credible information. Twitter gave us a similar statement and said it's prioritising the removal of Covid-19 content that could potentially cause harm. But the Ask the Experts video is still in circulation on WhatsApp - one of thousands of videos and posts by anti-vaccine activists, who are still fighting to scare people away with false claims. Watch Panorama, Vaccines: The Disinformation War in the UK only, on BBC One, Monday 15 February at 19:30 GMT or later after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

कार्यकर्ता सोशल मीडिया ब्लिट्ज में टीकों के बारे में डर वाले लोगों को निशाना बना रहे हैं। एक प्रयोग में, बीबीसी पैनोरमा ने एक पैनल को झूठ से भरा एक वीडियो दिखाया कि यह कैसे एक जैब प्राप्त करने की उनकी इच्छा को प्रभावित करता है।


Tube strike: Bakerloo Line trains to be hit on Saturday

Summary: London Underground (LU) has warned it will run services on only part of the Bakerloo Line on Saturday, owing to a 24-hour strike by crews at two depots.

Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members walked out at 2100 GMT on Friday over disciplinary action for one colleague and the dismissal of another. LU said it planned no trains north of Queen's Park but would add more stations if staff became available. A Northern Line depot is also affected but a normal timetable is scheduled. LU said the industrial action was "pointless" and the RMT was "showing utter contempt for Londoners". It also said the member of staff who was dismissed had been responsible for "a serious breach of safety rules". But last week RMT general secretary Bob Crow said it was a case of "victimisation on the grounds of trade union activity".

लंदन अंडरग्राउंड (एल. यू.) ने चेतावनी दी है कि वह दो डिपो पर चालक दल द्वारा 24 घंटे की हड़ताल के कारण शनिवार को बेकरलू लाइन के केवल एक हिस्से पर सेवाएं चलाएगा।


Date set for Dounreay particles recovery

Summary: A date has been set for the recovery of radioactive particles from the seabed near the Dounreay nuclear power plant in Caithness.

A remotely-operated vehicle, the size of a transit van, is expected to begin the operation on 7 July. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited, which is leading the clean-up of the plant and surrounding area, said up to 700 fragments could be retrieved. The machine to be used should be built and tested by the end of this month.

कैथनेस में डौनरे परमाणु ऊर्जा संयंत्र के पास समुद्र तल से रेडियोधर्मी कणों की वसूली के लिए एक तारीख निर्धारित की गई है।


House prices rise 5% in three months

Summary: Average house prices in Jersey rose 5% over the past three months, according to latest quarterly figures from the States.

The average price for a home in Jersey is now £425,000, making island homes the third most expensive in the British Isles after Guernsey and London. All categories of housing became more expensive, while 298 homes changed hands during the three-month period. The Jersey House Price Index is still 3% below its 2010 peak.

राज्यों के नवीनतम तिमाही आंकड़ों के अनुसार, जर्सी में पिछले तीन महीनों में घरों की औसत कीमतों में 5 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि हुई है।


Isle of Man: Ferry crossings hit by Storm Gareth

Summary: Severe gales brought by Storm Gareth have caused further disruption to ferry crossings to and from the Isle of Man.

All Tuesday's sailings have been cancelled between Douglas and Heysham, Lancashire, along with the 02:15 crossing on Wednesday. A "yellow" weather warning has been issued, with gusts of up to 70mph (115kph) forecast to hit the island. The gales are expected to last until Wednesday afternoon. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has warned passengers that Wednesday's 08:45 GMT sailing to Heysham, and its 14:15 return, could also be in doubt due to the ongoing blustery conditions. A decision will be made at 07:00 on Wednesday. The last ferry to leave Douglas for Heysham was Monday morning.

गैरेथ तूफान द्वारा लाई गई तेज हवाओं ने आइल ऑफ मैन से आने-जाने वाली नौकाओं की क्रॉसिंग में और व्यवधान पैदा कर दिया है।


Next talks 19th April in Geneva

Summary: Norwegian International affairs minister Erik Solheim announced the parties had agreed to hold next round of talks in April. The talks about the ceasefire will be from 19th to 21st of April.

In the meantime, both parties have agreed to ensure that there would not be intimidation, abductions or killings. The government had agreed to stop armed paramailitary groups from operating. The government agreed that no one but security forces would be allowed to carry arms in government-controlled areas Erik Solheim thanked both parties for their commitment for the talks. He said the talks happened with good humour and friendly atmosphere. "The talks were hard, tough, realistic but were above his expectatons" said Erik Solheim. the parties had agreed to safeguard the welfare of the children, including prevention of abduction and recruitment of children as soldiers. Erik Solheim also thanked the parties for making the events a success. The journalists waiting in the Chateau de Bosse castle for the final statement from the delegates were still gazing at the empty podium two hours after the scheduled time as the announcements got delayed.

नॉर्वे के अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मामलों के मंत्री एरिक सोलहेम ने घोषणा की कि दोनों पक्ष अप्रैल में अगले दौर की वार्ता करने पर सहमत हुए हैं। युद्धविराम के बारे में बातचीत 19 से 21 अप्रैल तक होगी।


Sheffield Ski village arson teens sentenced

Summary: Two teenagers have been given community orders for setting a fire at an outdoor ski village in Sheffield.

The fire at Sheffield Ski Village on 24 April caused significant damage and the boys, who can not be named, had admitted arson earlier. The city's youth court imposed an 18-month youth rehabilitation order with intensive supervision and a curfew on one boy. The other was given a 12-month referral order also with intensive supervision The fire, which damaged the old cafe at the site, came a year after the main building at the Vale Road site was destroyed by an accidental fire.

शेफ़ील्ड के एक बाहरी स्की गाँव में आग लगाने के लिए दो किशोरों को सामुदायिक आदेश दिए गए हैं।


Plant pests: The biggest threats to food security?

Summary: The threat posed to crop production by plant pests and diseases is one the key factors that could lead to "a perfect storm" that threatens to destabilise global food security. Already, the biological threat accounts for about a 40% loss in global production and the problem is forecast to get worse, scientists warn. BBC News has asked Dr Matthew Cock, chief scientist for Cabi, a UK-based agri-environment research organisation, to compile a list of the worst plant pests threatening crops around the world.

Scientists can be difficult; we have so many ways in which things can be measured, analysed or compared that sometimes it seems as if we never agree on anything. So when I was asked "which are the world's worst agricultural pests?' my answer was simply that the question cannot be answered. How do we define a pest? What measure would you use? How would you value that measure? Not only do perceptions of the worst problems vary according to geography, they also vary from year to year. It is an unfortunate fact too that despite a general consensus on the threats from pests and diseases to global production, actual monitoring and evaluation of damage caused globally is very poorly understood. The following list is by no means definitive therefore, nor a serious attempt to prioritise the threats posed by different agricultural pests. All we are trying to do is to raise awareness of the immense range of pests and diseases that threaten agricultural crops, the devastation they can cause, and the difficulties in controlling them. Scientists working in the field may disagree with our nominations; if they do, I welcome them to join the debate and share their own ideas, add a comment to this article or visit Cabi's Plantwise blog. Worst historical pest - the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria: a pest since biblical times, they fly in unexpectedly, strip a field bare in an hour and consume a very wide range of crops. Locust swarms may vanish for many years, only to break out of their endemic regions after periods of abnormally high rainfall. Another nomination is human beings, Homo sapiens. This species could appear in several categories, but we include it just once here, for its sometimes accidental, sometimes purposeful habit of introducing pests to new habitats where they flourish through lack of natural controls. A recent example of the latter was the deliberate introduction of witches' broom disease of cocoa, Crinipellis perniciosa, in Brazil. The motive was a social one - to weaken the political power of the powerful cocoa landowners, and it achieved its desired effect: production across the region fell 75%. Brazil went from being the world's third-leading cocoa producer to 13th place. The rubber tree is a native of South America but very little of the commodity is produced there. The principal reason is the fungus Microcyclus ulei has resisted all attempts to control it over more than 100 years. In the 1920s, it notoriously defeated Henry Ford's attempts to grow rubber for car tyres in the eponymous Fordlandia, Brazil, losing him an investment (in today's terms) of $250m (£156m). Also worth considering in this category is coffee wilt disease, Fusarium xylarioides. The disease spreads insidiously through the soil and on machetes used to prune the trees. The only way to halt it is a scorched-earth policy of pulling up all trees in infected plots and then waiting a year before replanting - plus another four years until you get a full harvest again. In terms of the amount of pesticides once used to control Diabrotica virgifera virgifera and the expense of developing a resistant GM-strain, this beetle is a strong contender. Under control for many years now, maize has been one of the few crops to show steady yield increases and for this the resistant strain can take credit. Now, though, there are signs that resistance is breaking down. The Phytophthora infestans fungus caused the Irish potato famine (1845-1852), during which one million people died and a further million emigrated from Ireland, causing the population to decrease by about 24%. Another candidate is coffee leaf rust, Hemilaea vastatrix, a fungus that devastated coffee production in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the 19th Century and famously led to a switch to tea drinking in the UK. But tea picking requires more continuous labour than coffee, so the Tamil migrants from India that used to go home after the coffee harvest ended up settling in the country, which led to catastrophic sectarian strife over a century later. This insect, Trogoderma granarium, is difficult to control because it feeds on a variety of dried materials. It is resistant to insecticides and can go long periods without food. Infestations can result in up to 70% grain damage, making products inedible and unmarketable. The cumulative effect of the current outbreak of Dendroctonus ponderosae in British Columbia, Canada, has killed 13 million hectares of lodgepole pine forest and released an estimated 270 million tonnes of carbon, converting the forest from a carbon sink to a large net carbon source. Generally, climate change is likely to mean that many wood-boring pests of cold northern climes will become more destructive, since higher temperatures will increase winter survival and possibly enable an extra generation in the summer. Ironically then, northern forests, seen as a bastion against climate change, will become more threatened by it. The Puccinia graminis tritici strain of wheat rust was discovered in Uganda in 1998 and has subsequently spread across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In fact, seven races of the Ug99 lineage have now been identified. New resistant varieties that yield more than current popular varieties are being released and promoted, but a major effort is needed to displace current susceptible varieties with those that have durable resistance. Leptinotarsa decemlineata is a strong candidate for this award, having managed in the space of about 50 years to develop resistance to 52 different compounds belonging to all major insecticide classes (including cyanide). This beetle therefore has effectively beaten the chemists. Wherever possible, biocontrol (control by natural enemies) should be part of the strategy because the predator-parasite can more easily keep up in this arms race, one which humans have so palpably lost. The above is at best a very partial list of serious agricultural pests. At any one time, because of weather conditions, mutation to a virulent form, or emergence of resistance to chemical control, a pest will surge into prominence unexpectedly. What we need is better monitoring and recording of pests in order to alert authorities to take early action, something we at Cabi are very keen to promote through our Plantwise initiative. Coffee wilt disease, mentioned above, is a case in point - regular monitoring and rapid action could have halted this disease at a cost of a few million dollars at the most. Instead, we reckon it has now caused at least a billion dollars of lost earnings to African coffee farmers, and it is still spreading.

पौधों के कीटों और बीमारियों से फसल उत्पादन के लिए उत्पन्न खतरा एक प्रमुख कारक है जो "एक पूर्ण तूफान" का कारण बन सकता है जो वैश्विक खाद्य सुरक्षा को अस्थिर करने का खतरा पैदा कर सकता है। वैज्ञानिकों ने चेतावनी दी है कि पहले से ही, जैविक खतरा वैश्विक उत्पादन में लगभग 40 प्रतिशत नुकसान के लिए जिम्मेदार है और समस्या और भी खराब होने का अनुमान है। बीबीसी न्यूज़ ने ब्रिटेन स्थित कृषि-पर्यावरण अनुसंधान संगठन, कैबी के मुख्य वैज्ञानिक डॉ. मैथ्यू कॉक से दुनिया भर में फसलों के लिए सबसे खराब पौधों के कीटों की सूची संकलित करने के लिए कहा है।


Legal highs are being banned, here's what you've told us about them

Summary: All legal highs are going to be banned.

At the moment the government bans them on an individual basis, leaving it struggling to catch up each time new chemicals are introduced to the market. When a similar ban was introduced in Northern Ireland, there was a "massive reduction in the number of people taking these drugs," a spokesman for the Local Government Association said. There were also fewer injuries and deaths as a result, he said. Here's what young people have told Newsbeat about their experiences with legal highs: "I've done Salvia, Pandora's Box, Spicy and I can't remember the name of the last one, but it was a pill. Two of them tripped me out. All of them made me proper buzzy, like a pill. And the other one was just like taking cannabis," said one man in Brighton. "I feel really bad inside like I'm never going to be able to get off it, I'm never going to be able to get myself away from it because it's so addictive," said Sam, 23. "You can see people just staggering up and down the high street almost like zombies - absolutely off their face," said Jamie, 20. "A few people I did know have carried on doing it and I've watched them become homeless and they look nothing like they used to." "Everything's more intense really, you giggle more, you'd sit in your own box and just zone out. Before you knew it you were hooked on them," said James, 16. "You do feel better that you bought it from a shop, but it's probably just as dangerous as buying something from a dealer," said Jessica, 18. "You can't function right. You can't even get a cup of juice. You want to go to sleep, but you're so awake." "Ryan was completely gone. Red in the eyes. Sweating. Ridiculous. It looked far worse than being really drunk. It was physical sickness," said Luke, 19. All images drawn by Newsbeat's resident artist Ginevra Boni. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram, Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube and you can now follow BBC_Newsbeat on Snapchat

सभी कानूनी ऊंचाइयों को प्रतिबंधित किया जा रहा है।


Surrey RAF veterans remember Battle of Britain comrades

Summary: RAF veterans in Surrey have taken part in a ceremony to remember their comrades who fought and died in the Battle of Britain.

Officers gathered at the memorial in Runnymede at 1400 BST on Sunday for a service and a flypast by a Hawker Hurricane. The event was organised by the Royal Air Forces Association to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The Mayor of Runnymede Margaret Roberts also attend the service. The Battle of Britain began on 10 July 1940 when German Luftwaffe bombed London and the South East and lasted until October that same year. Churchill called the battle Britain's finest hour, and it helped change the course of World War II. Some 3,000 British and Allied airmen fought to stop a possible invasion, with more than 500 losing their lives.

सरे में आरएएफ के दिग्गजों ने ब्रिटेन की लड़ाई में लड़ने और मरने वाले अपने साथियों को याद करने के लिए एक समारोह में भाग लिया है।


Weston's sand sculptures damaged by high winds

Summary: Ten sand sculptures next to the beach in Weston-super-Mare have been damaged by high winds.

The artworks are designed to withstand rain but gusts of up to 60mph (95km/h) on Friday left some damaged. The head of one figure was lost along with the foot from another. Organisers have said repairs are due to start on Monday. The annual Weston Sand Sculpture Festival opened on 1 June and is due to run until 9 September. The festival, which is in its seventh year, attracts award-winning artists from all over the world. This year's theme is Fun and Games.

वेस्टन-सुपर-मेरे में समुद्र तट के बगल में दस रेत की मूर्तियां तेज हवाओं से क्षतिग्रस्त हो गई हैं।


Man charged over Sheffield police officer assault

Summary: A man has been charged after a police officer was assaulted with a hammer in Sheffield.

The officer was attacked while executing a warrant at a property in Longley Hall Road at about 11:10 GMT on Friday. He was treated in hospital for minor injuries and has been released. Ben Stanton, 34, of Longley Hall Road, has been charged with attempting to cause wounding with intent and will appear before magistrates later. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk

शेफ़ील्ड में एक पुलिस अधिकारी पर हथौड़े से हमला करने के बाद एक व्यक्ति पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Premier Foods sales boosted by 'power brands'

Summary: Sales at Premier Foods in the first three months of 2012 rose 1.3% year-on year to £427m, helped by an increase in sales of its "power brands".

Last year Premier said it was investing in eight brands it felt had the best growth prospects - Batchelor's, Bisto, Ambrosia, Hovis, Lloyd Grossman, Mr Kipling, Oxo and Sharwood's. Power brand sales rose 3.7%, while other sales were broadly flat. The firm also said its cost-cutting and restructuring programme was on track. Premier, whose debt ballooned after it bought RHM and Campbell Soups' UK and Irish business in 2006, has been selling assets and cutting costs and jobs. "Our focus for 2012 remains unchanged, to stabilise the business and invest in our recovery," said chief executive Michael Clarke.

2012 के पहले तीन महीनों में प्रीमियर फूड्स में बिक्री साल-दर-साल 1.3% बढ़कर 427 मिलियन पाउंड हो गई, जिससे इसके "पावर ब्रांड" की बिक्री में वृद्धि हुई।


Rohingya women in Bangladesh face 'forced prostitution'

Summary: The United Nations is warning that more than half a million Rohingya refugees who have fled Rakhine since August are at risk of exploitation in Bangladesh. One woman told Nomia Iqbal, from the BBC's Newsday programme, how she had been groomed and forced into prostitution after fleeing.

By Nomia IqbalBBC Newsday With her face covered in a pink scarf, 21-year-old Halima agreed to talk to me in a private place. "As we entered Bangladesh, we were taken to camp, where a local Bangladeshi man gave us some food," she said. "He told me he had lost his wife and he has two kids. He said he wanted to marry me." Halima said she had believed him and had accompanied him to his house in Cox's Bazar. "When I got to the house, I saw seven to eight young girls like me," she said. "I was scared. In this house he forced me to have sex with many men." Halima came to Bangladesh three months ago to escape the violence in Northern Rakhine. She does not know where her family are and arrived with her neighbours. More than half of the mainly Muslim Rohingya refugees are children - they have been escaping the violence carried out against them committed by the Myanmar army and some local Buddhist extremists. Hamima told me she had stayed two months in the house, which was run by a Bangladeshi woman. "I was dolled up and had this make-up on," she said. "Sometimes three to four men would come to the house in one night. It was so difficult and I would start bleeding for days." During that time, she was not given any money, but only three meals a day. One evening a man arrived at the house who would go on to help Halima. "This man was a police officer who came to have sex but after hearing my story he called me 'sister'. He stayed overnight but did nothing and instead gave me his mobile phone number." One day, Halima said, she suffered a vicious attack by the female owner of the house and was injured for 15 days. She decided to make a plan to escape and when another man arrived to sleep with her, she used his mobile phone and contacted the policeman. He arrived with six other officers at midnight. "He rescued me and six other girls," she said. "He said 'you're free now'." But Halima found herself staying in Cox's Bazar because she did not know anywhere else in Bangladesh. Now penniless, she says she has no choice but to be a prostitute. She stays in a place with another woman who does similar work and says food and help are provided every now and again. For young Halima, this is clearly not the life she expected after fleeing across the border for safety. "I want to go back to praying five times a day, having meals with my family," she said. "I want the life I had before with my family in Myanmar." The Bangladeshi government says aid agencies are doing all they can to protect vulnerable people. The UN has also said it is focusing on specific activities to tackle the problem, including funding an initiative which involves Rohingya refugees using microphones inside the camps, to announce the names of children when they go missing. "I am worried about two sets of risk," the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees, Fillipo Grandi, said. "One is exploitation, including sexual exploitation, when people come with nothing. They are extremely vulnerable to this. "The other feature of this particular crisis is trauma that people carry with them." The scale of the problem is staggering.

संयुक्त राष्ट्र चेतावनी दे रहा है कि अगस्त के बाद से राखीन से भागने वाले पांच लाख से अधिक रोहिंग्या शरणार्थियों को बांग्लादेश में शोषण का खतरा है। एक महिला ने बीबीसी के न्यूज़डे कार्यक्रम से नोमिया इकबाल को बताया कि कैसे उसे भागने के बाद वेश्यावृत्ति के लिए तैयार किया गया था और मजबूर किया गया था।