Review: The statue of the suffragist Dame Millicent Fawcett by Gillian Wearing ★★★★★

Summary: I think it's fair to say that on the whole we have the same relationship with all those public statues of long dead grandees dotted around our towns and cities as we do with the terms & conditions box we are asked to click on for a software update.

Will GompertzArts editor@WillGompertzBBCon Twitter That is to say, by and large, we ignore them. A bit like the stars in the sky during the day - we just don't see them. They have become invisible, a part of an urban fabric that forms the backdrop to our busy lives. There are exceptions, of course even beyond divisive figures such as Cecil Rhodes, who has gained renewed visibility in our post-colonial age. In London's Parliament Square, for instance, the pugnacious representation of Sir Winston Churchill stands out from the mainly 'invisible' statues of other political figures. As does a slightly comical depiction of David Lloyd George next to him, in which the last Liberal Prime Minister is made to look curiously like the Fat Controller out of Thomas the Tank Engine. But until Tuesday it was an entirely male line-up in the Square. Thankfully, that has now changed with the welcome arrival of Dame Millicent Fawcett (1847- 1929) to the ranks. Credit for this goes to the writer and activist Caroline Criado Perez, who made the initial suggestion of having a statue to commemorate the suffragist who fought for decades for women to have the vote. That the statue is of a woman makes it exceptional. But it is also exceptional in terms of its execution by the Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing. I'm not only talking about the technical side of things and the quality of the work by the foundry, which is first class (they've made bronze look and feel like tweed). But also the conceptual element of its creation, which is the bit Wearing really excels at. As an artist, Gillian Wearing has spent most of her life exploring the extraordinary inner lives of outwardly ordinary people. She is a chronicler of the everyday, a champion of the disregarded. And that is why it makes perfect sense for her to be given the job of making this new public statue. She knows how to make us see the overlooked. And so the first thing you notice about the statue is not Millicent Fawcett. It is the banner she holds across her body reading 'Courage Calls To Courage Everywhere', that catches the eye. The text is taken from a reflective piece Fawcett wrote about the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison who died after running onto the Epsom racecourse during the Derby in 1913. It is a compelling statement. It is also a call-back to the artworks that made Wearing's name. In the early 1990s she produced a series of photographs with the collective title, 'Signs That Say What You Want Them To Say And Not Signs That Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say (1992-93). To make the work she had to overcome her natural shyness to approach people randomly on high streets or in parks to ask them to write down an inner thought on a large piece of white card. Those who agreed were then asked by Wearing to hold up their personal statement while she took their photograph (think Bob Dylan and his one-word lyrics on placards in Subterranean Homesick Blues film). The point of the exercise was a revelation, to make their private public. 'I'm desperate', wrote a young man with a side parting and a smart suit and a tie. A less well-dressed, slightly older man held up his card, which read, 'I've Thought About Being A Gigolo But I'm Worried About The Health Risks!' You can view these images as stand-alone artworks, or as a unified entity, or as documentation of a performance piece by the individuals who participated. Or, when you look at them now in the context of the bronze Millicent Fawcett, as living statues. All of which is to say, there is more to the slogan that the suffragist holds than the words we read. It is, for Wearing, an expression of Fawcett's inner feelings: her truth. It is as much a statue of the subject as it is of the lifelike figure behind. The Fawcett we meet is middle-aged, dignified and resolute. Wearing doesn't do hyperbole or grandstanding; she is more interested in finding the dazzling in normality. Hence, she gives us Millicent Fawcett unmasked, a private woman on a public stage. A woman who went through her life without compromise, and now stands facing Parliament in a no-nonsense 'walking suit', challenging those inside to do the right thing. Which brings us to the most potent part of this statue, and that is the weighty impact it makes as a piece of contemporary sculpture. I'm not talking about its scale, or about its form, or the materials from which it has been made. Neither am I talking about all those neat smaller details, like the belt of photographs of Fawcett's fellow campaigners that goes around the top of the stone plinth on which she stands. In fact, I am not talking the physical object at all. I am talking about the effect it has on its surroundings. That is sculpture's secret weapon. It doesn't just occupy a space; it alters how we read the environment around it. The Fawcett statue makes most of the others look ridiculous, or pompous or both (not Gandhi who stands to her right side). It also creates a palpable tension that stretches between the Houses of Parliament and the implacable Fawcett. Which in turn gives this small island of lawn a focal point that it has lacked since the late Brian Haw occupied its southern edge with his tented peace protest (maybe he'll get a statute on this plot of land one day?). This statue of Millicent Fawcett has been too long coming, but at least Gillian Wearing has made it worth the wait.

मुझे लगता है कि यह कहना उचित है कि कुल मिलाकर हमारे कस्बों और शहरों के आसपास बिखरे हुए लंबे समय से मृत भव्य लोगों की उन सभी सार्वजनिक मूर्तियों के साथ हमारा वही संबंध है जैसा कि हम नियम और शर्तों के बॉक्स के साथ करते हैं जिस पर हमें सॉफ्टवेयर अपडेट के लिए क्लिक करने के लिए कहा जाता है।


Alternative facts and qualified truths

Summary: It is intriguing to note how phrases enter the lexicon. Take "alternative fact" for example. It was initially used by a member of Team Trump to counter claims regarding the inaugural crowd which greeted the new president.

Brian TaylorPolitical editor, Scotland The suggestion was that the grouping of enthusiasts gathered to hail the new chief was differently numbered from those who mustered to welcome President Obama (at his first outing.) A rival depiction. A distinct vision. Ok, smaller. No, no, said Kellyanne Conway: President Trump's analysts were simply offering "alternative facts" when they said that the numerical zeal greeting the new guy had been the biggest and happiest crowd on the planet since Dundee United paraded the Scottish Cup in the City Square. (C'mon, I need some football cheer - and, currently, it's mostly historical.) But "alternative fact" has now become code for "lie". At Westminster, it has long been the case that you cannot say that an Honourable Member has departed from the strict truth. Winston Churchill deftly got round this by suggesting that a fellow MP had pursued "a terminological inexactitude". By the time the House worked out what he had said, the wily Winston was in the tea room. Today Labour's Kezia Dugdale pursued a comparable path. Being a thoroughly modern woman, Ms Dugdale drew upon current usage. She suggested that the first minister was reliant upon "alternative facts" in defending her budget. Now another intriguing element arises here. (That's two, a columnar record.) With the presidential crowd, it would presumably have been possible, albeit with a little effort, to count the competing crowds. "One, two, three…..oh, for any sake, stand still while I conduct a popularity census!!" In short, these are potentially absolute, external, discreet facts. With the issue raised by Ms Dugdale, things are rather different. One enters the world of relative, qualified truth. Labour's point is that £327m has been cut from the budget for local authorities. The Scottish government's retort is that £200m has been added to local services. That includes, for example, money despatched directly to schools. Both sides can cite documentary evidence for their claims. Both sides assert their points with rising vigour although, to date, Labour's argument has been followed with perhaps a little more vigour. That is because Scottish Ministers are fighting on a range of fronts - while Labour has been singing one song, the Anthem of the Missing Millions. (I know, I know, sounds a bit Brechtian but there you are.) Ms Dugdale and chums say what they are going to say, say it, then sum up what they have just said. Repetitive but potent. For the Tories, Ruth Davidson also voiced discontent with the ministerial record, notably on health. She raised the case of an individual patient - then disarmingly declared that she did not expect the FM to comment on individual cases. Ms Sturgeon took her at her word and turned the attack around, arguing that the NHS and other budgets would suffer should the Scottish government follow the Tory idea of a substantial effective tax cut for higher earners. Is there a deal pending on the budget? I still think there will be - but it is not there yet. The Greens want concessions on spending but also on tax; in essence a higher imposition upon upper earners. Ministers are presently - repeat, presently - keen to stick to what they regard as a balanced package. Bargaining seriously The Liberal Democrats want concessions on spending: an extra £400m on mental health, police, education and Northern Isles transport. The talk is that ministers are presently offering around £50m to £70m. A sizeable sum - but well short of the demands. One SNP source said the Lib Dem demands were "not at the margins, rather they would change the budget substantially." Hence Willie Rennie's comment that it was not "looking good" for a deal next week when the budget faces its first key vote in parliament. Ms Sturgeon stressed that her ministers were still bargaining seriously with the Lib Dem leader - while reminding him rather bluntly that her party received much more popular support than his. Tension too at Holyrood today over Brexit. The Scottish Secretary David Mundell met Scottish Ministers. After the talks, said Scottish Ministers described them as a waste of time in that Mr Mundell had not arrived with details regarding the post-Brexit allocation of powers, as they claim they had been led to expect. Mr Mundell seemed benignly content at the disquiet he had caused. He told his interlocutors that there was no question of Holyrood being given a vote on the Article 50 trigger bill which was published at Westminster today. But there would be a vote through a Legislative Consent Motion for the eventual Great Repeal Bill which will, in effect, unpick EU law and repatriate it to these islands. And were the Scottish Ministers humbly content with this? Yes, thought you might say that. Mike Russell voiced suspicion over the repatriation of powers. Would the UK seek to grab control of, say, fishing and farming when the European element of these devolved powers is returned? He suspects they might. With a degree of justification. I think UK Ministers may want, for example, to consider a Common Agricultural Policy - for the UK, albeit with a distinctive Scottish element. But Mr Mundell is adamant that Holyrood will gain new powers. Alternative facts, anyone?

यह ध्यान रखना दिलचस्प है कि वाक्यांश शब्दकोश में कैसे प्रवेश करते हैं। उदाहरण के लिए "वैकल्पिक तथ्य" लें। इसका उपयोग शुरू में टीम ट्रम्प के एक सदस्य द्वारा उद्घाटन भीड़ के बारे में दावों का जवाब देने के लिए किया गया था जिसने नए राष्ट्रपति को बधाई दी थी।


Cricket-loving Asian migrants take game to Germany

Summary: The fast bowler waits, perfectly still, an intent silhouette against the late afternoon sunshine. Then, a sudden sprint, a flash of the wrist and the ball is flung fast and hard, a dark red blur across the green.

By Jenny HillBBC News, Bautzen, Eastern Germany It is a scene you might expect on a fragrant summer's evening on a Yorkshire village green. Or in the humid heat of a floodlit ground in Kolkata. But this is Germany, football-mad Germany. Where many people have never heard of cricket, and those who have consider it rather an exotic pastime. There is a national team but it is not exactly known for its resounding success. 'It's going crazy' And yet, on dusty scraps of wasteland, on abandoned playgrounds and borrowed football fields, the sound of leather on willow echoes. Because, in the last year, tens of thousands of young men who have come from Pakistan and Afghanistan to seek asylum in Germany have brought their sport - and their enthusiasm - with them. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the refugee crisis would change this country but she probably did not have this in mind. In 2012 there were 1,500 players and 70 teams registered with the German Cricket Federation. Today, there are 5,000 cricketers playing in 220 teams. "It's going crazy!" says the federation's manager Brian Mantle. Every day he receives enquiries from refugees and social workers keen to set up new teams. Germany, he says, has been overwhelmed by the migrant crisis. "They can't offer refugees things like German lessons, they can't offer them schooling. So they're sitting in their homes doing nothing." More on Germany's influx of migrants and refugees One of the newest clubs is in the eastern town of Bautzen. "They said this is Germany: no-one plays cricket here," says its coach and founder Ahmad Irshad. "It was really strange and a really new thing for them. I tried my best, I tried to convince them and tried again and then I was able to make them understand." For now, Bautzen's football club has lent them their pitch for practice. Sitting near the goal posts, a group of bemused German students watches as a young Pakistani man tries to explain the rules. One girl laughs and shakes her head when I ask if she understands them. "It's something we didn't have here in Germany. But we can learn something about the game and about other cultures. We can integrate them into our culture and everybody learns from everyone." It is significant that this club is thriving in Bautzen. The town became, briefly, notorious after a refugee home here was targeted by arsonists earlier this year. Some locals watched it burn down, cheering and clapping. Today, about 2,000 asylum seekers live here. Many of the cricket team are housed in an old hotel on the outskirts of the town. When I visit the cricketers, they are in celebratory mood. They have crowded into a sparsely furnished bedroom where a golden trophy is in pride of place on a table. Next to it the local newspaper lies open; there is a report about the team and their recent victory in a local league. One of the players, Sunny, tells me: "If I can do something for Germany then I will play cricket and I will show them the game that is in our veins. Germany has become the best in football and it will become the best in cricket also." Sunny works as a handyman in the refugee home and hopes to be granted asylum here. Cricket in Germany Source: Deutscher Cricket Bund (German Cricket Federation) "Sport is the best way to make unity," says Sunny. "We have Muslim guys, Christian guys and I belong to a Sikh family. When we play together, we forget everything." At the start of every training session, Sunny and his team-mates nail down green matting to stop the bowlers from slipping. They manage with donated kit and makeshift equipment. Many new teams have received donations from the UK cricketing charity, the Lord's Taverners, but there is simply not enough to fulfil current demand. The match begins. The batsman steps up and the ball flies out of sight. Coach Ahmad sighs. "We need nets," he says, looking in the direction in which the ball disappeared. "We keep having to replace the balls. We don't have enough equipment but the boys have talent, and they want to play." Their bats may be broken and the wickets less than perfect. But Ahmad smiles. At least they are playing cricket.

तेज गेंदबाज पूरी तरह से स्थिर, दोपहर की धूप के खिलाफ एक इरादे का सिल्हूट प्रतीक्षा करता है। फिर, अचानक एक दौड़, कलाई की एक चमक और गेंद को तेजी से और सख्त फेंका जाता है, हरे रंग के पार एक गहरा लाल धुंधलापन।


Tunbridge Wells depot death leads to murder arrest

Summary: A man has died after being found with fatal injuries at a waste recycling depot in Kent.

Kent Police were called to the depot in North Farm Lane, Tunbridge Wells, just after 06:00 GMT. Details of the the man's injuries have not been released. A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said due to an incident at its depot, there would be no recycling or rubbish collections on Monday. A white Ford Fiesta was later taken from the scene for forensic examination.

केंट में एक अपशिष्ट पुनर्चक्रण डिपो में घातक चोटों के साथ पाए जाने के बाद एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


The decline of the 'disgusting' burbot

Summary: When it comes to animals threatened with extinction, the cute and cuddly ones tend to get the most attention. But what about the ugly ones that go unnoticed when their numbers start to dwindle? Mary Colwell speaks up for the burbot.

"When you are furry, when you're lovable, you often fare better in people's interests than if you're bald and rather ugly," says Richard Sabin, curator of mammals at the Natural History Museum in London, referring to the popular appeal of animals such as pandas. It was never going to bode well for the burbot then. The fish is "fat looking and a little bit flabby and soft" - a description offered by the museum's fish curator, James Maclaine. He isn't the only one who doesn't swoon at its looks. "People have mixed feelings about the burbot," he says. "There's a 19th Century account by a man called Pennant who calls it 'a very delicate fish for the table, though of disgusting appearance when alive'." It is true that burbot are… characterful. They are long and sinuous, commonly growing to more than a metre in length, but can get much larger. They look very much like eels - they are often called eelpout - and when caught, will wrap themselves around the angler's arms and legs. With large squashed heads, small eyes, downturned mouths full of razor sharp teeth and tubes protruding from their nostrils, they are not exactly pretty. They are also exceedingly slimy and under the chin is a single long, fleshy feeler called a barbel, giving the impression of a goatee beard. These characteristics are important. They are all adaptations to the cold, dark world at the bottom of northern lakes and rivers. These were ice-age fish that once swam unhindered in a glacial world, until the ice retreated 10,000 years ago leaving some remnant populations throughout the northern hemisphere, including eastern England. Find out more The burbot is the only member of the cod family that lives in fresh water. For several months a year burbot can be trapped under ice - they need cold temperatures to spawn but all that slime and flabbiness provide excellent protection. Their teeth are essential for catching a huge variety of food. "They're a very voracious predator," says Steve Simpson, marine biologist and lover of burbot at Exeter University. "There are reports of them eating birds, eating snakes, eating frogs - they really will eat anything they encounter." Because their world is dark, they don't need big eyes. They use their barbels to detect vibrations and catch their prey. They may not be beautiful but they are perfectly adapted to their gloomy, chilly world. Although still present throughout the rest of Europe and North America, the only burbot in England today can be found in the vaults of the Natural History Museum in London, preserved in pickling jars. Once a proud member of Britain's piscatorial family, the fish disappeared from British waters in the 1960s - the Angling Times offered a reward of £100 to anyone who found one in the UK, but that money lies unclaimed. They were common enough until the 20th Century but slowly faded away - probably a combination of the draining of wetlands, river engineering and warmer winters saw them off. It is a pity. Burbot make good eating. Many medieval recipes use them in pies and soups and their livers, which are the richest in vitamins of any fish, were once highly prized by French chefs and the tsars of Russia. They were so admired as a table fish that Anton Chekhov wrote a story called The Burbot about a group of men trying to catch one (it got away) and burbot soup was a dish for royalty in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The burbot in Russian literature The fish makes a sudden, unexpected upward movement with its tail and the fishermen hear a loud splash . . . they all put out their hands, but it is too late; they have seen the last of the burbot. The Burbot, Anton Chekhov "There's no room with us. Go to that table, and make haste and take a seat," said the Prince, and turning away he carefully took a plate of burbot soup. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy Middle-aged smokers and tea drinkers in the UK may remember pictures of burbot on the collectors' cards that used to come in packets of Brooke Bond Tea and some cigarettes. We used to love the burbot - but no longer. It is all but forgotten. Well, not by everyone. There are some burbot lovers who yearn to see the Lawyer Fish (another of its names due to the beard) return to the UK's waterways. As the desire to "re-wild" Britain grows, we hear increasingly loud demands for the charismatic wolf and lynx to be brought back. A trial reintroducing beavers to Scotland has already taken place. But there are a few burbot champions. Environmentalist and writer George Monbiot is one of them, however. "It's this dark, mysterious, weird creature which lives down deep in the bottom of deep lakes and buries itself in the mud and then moves through marshes and water courses, and you're quite unlikely to see it and for me that's part of its appeal," he says. Monbiot feels we have lost a part of our natural history. If the burbot is reintroduced we can once again experience the primeval pleasure of chancing upon a secretive, slimy, ugly fish, as ice-age hunters would surely have done. "Somewhere in those marshes the burbot lurks and for me that sums up the serendipity and wonder of these chance encounters with wildlife. Just knowing it's there, that's something you can't put a price on," he says. Not everyone agrees, though. Others think that the warming world will make life too uncomfortable for the burbot and its chances of survival in UK waters are slim. They believe it is best to leave it as a memory of colder days. But whatever we do, let's not forget the burbot. It may well have been prized more for its taste than its looks, but that doesn't mean we should erase it from our memory. Last year WWF produced a report showing that since the 60s the total number of animals living on the planet has halved. The burbot is just one part of that sad statistic. To reverse the trend we must remember, not forget, those creatures that once lived alongside us so abundantly. If we only remember and revive the cute and cuddly, Earth will be less rich and vibrant. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

जब विलुप्त होने की आशंका वाले जानवरों की बात आती है, तो प्यारे और प्यारे जानवरों पर सबसे अधिक ध्यान दिया जाता है। लेकिन उन बदसूरत जानवरों के बारे में क्या जो उनकी संख्या कम होने पर किसी का ध्यान नहीं जाते हैं? मैरी कोलवेल बरबोट के लिए बोलती हैं।


RAF Lossiemouth personnel back home in Moray

Summary: More than 150 RAF Lossiemouth personnel returned to their Moray home base overnight to be met by relatives after a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The troops - specialists in guarding airfields - were involved in a major firefight with Taliban insurgents who attacked Camp Bastion in September. It left two US marines and 14 of the attackers dead. Several members of the contingent were wounded during the tour of duty. A homecoming parade is planned for Elgin next week.

150 से अधिक आरएएफ लॉसीमाउथ कर्मी अफगानिस्तान में छह महीने की ड्यूटी के दौरे के बाद रिश्तेदारों से मिलने के लिए रात भर अपने मोरे होम बेस लौट आए।


East Midlands Airport reports busy Easter period

Summary: Bosses at East Midlands Airport have reported an increase in passenger numbers over the Easter period.

About 70,000 passengers used the Castle Donington-based airport, an increase of 1.1% from Easter 2010. An airport spokeswoman said top destinations for travellers were Palma, Alicante, Malaga, Faro and Tenerife. The airport said about 151,000 people were expected to travel in and out of the airport over Easter, Royal Wedding and May Day bank holidays. That compares to 124,903 passengers for the same period last year, an increase of 20.89%. Related Internet Links East Midlands Airport

ईस्ट मिडलैंड्स हवाई अड्डे के मालिकों ने ईस्टर की अवधि में यात्रियों की संख्या में वृद्धि की सूचना दी है।


Film accused of child abuse

Summary: Child protection authorities in Sri Lanka have begun an investigation on whether child abuse has been occurred while making a Sinhala film.

Colombo magistrate Sarojini Kusala Wijewardhana ordered Sri Lanka Film Corporation to provide copies of “Samanala Thatu” (Butterfly Wings) to Children’s and Women’s affairs department. The courts issued the order after considering a complaint made by child protection authorities that the film includes nude scenes of a 12-year old child. The plaintiff has sought copies of the film to rule whether a child abuse has occurred in creating the film. “Samanala Thatu” was directed by Somaratne Dissanayake. The magistrate ordered the child protection authorities to provide a report on 05 June on the progress on the investigations.

श्रीलंका में बाल संरक्षण अधिकारियों ने इस बात की जांच शुरू कर दी है कि क्या सिंहली फिल्म बनाते समय बाल शोषण हुआ है।


The Kashmiris waiting for their loved ones to come home

Summary: India's federal government detained thousands of people ahead of a controversial move to strip the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status on 5 August 2019. One year later, many of them have been charged with serious offences and are still languishing in jails across India. BBC Hindi's Majid Jahangir reports.

Tasleema Wani and her family were fast asleep on the night of 6 August when there was a loud banging on the door. It was the day after the Indian government in Delhi stunned the country by revoking a constitutional provision that gave Jammu and Kashmir special powers. The decision split the part of the disputed region that India administers into two federal territories, and saw an unprecedented curfew and communications lockdown imposed. "It was a team of joint security forces from the army and police and they were screaming for us to open the door. It was terrifying," Ms Wani said. "They sent me inside, and took both my sons outside to the lawn and questioned them for about 15 minutes. Then they left." But they later came back and asked her elder son, 19-year-old Nadeem, to show them the way to a neighbour's house. That was the last time Ms Wani saw him. He was taken to a police station, detained and eventually transferred to a jail in Uttar Pradesh state, more than 1,000km (620 miles) away. In an official dossier, which the BBC has seen, police have accused Nadeem Wani of being an "Over Ground Worker". Such "OGWs" are defined by security forces as non-combatant members of armed rebel groups, usually tasked with logistics. He has also been charged with other offences, including putting up posters asking people not to participate in the 2014 elections - he was 15 at the time. "I know my son. He is not a militant and never took part in any unlawful activity. I appeal to the government to please release him," Ms Wani pleaded. Her husband, Mohammad Ashraf Wani, has only seen Nadeem once in the entire year that he has been in jail. Nadeem is among thousands of Kashmiris who were detained in a massive security operation that began in the region just before 5 August and continued for weeks after. Politicians, businesspeople, lawyers, activists and others with alleged links to protests or militant groups were detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest. Three former chief ministers were among those who were detained - one of them is still under house arrest. Despite strident criticism in India and abroad, the government insisted that the arrests were necessary to maintain law and order in the region, which has seen increased militancy in recent years. Many, including Nadeem, have been detained under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), which among other things, allows detention without formal charge for up to two years. It's unclear exactly how many Kashmiris have been detained or jailed as part of this crackdown. On 20 November 2019, the government told parliament that they had made 5,161 preventive arrests since 4 August that year. But it's unclear how many of them have been charged under the PSA and how many are still in jail. Court records obtained by a civil organisation made up of parents of "disappeared" Kashmiris show that as many as 662 petitions challenging detentions under the PSA were registered in 2019. The majority of those, 412, were filed after 5 August. The BBC asked Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar for information on the arrests but he said he could not share "such sensitive data". Rights activists have alleged that these arrests and detentions are aimed at creating fear. "The arrests were to silence the people. Many were booked under PSA. Some were released. And fear was created. The government wanted to ensure that no-one would come out of their homes and protest against the new law," said Srinagar-based rights activist Parvaiz Imroz. Srinagar-based journalist and political commentator Haroon Reshi agrees. "August 5th was a big event and the state knew it could trigger public resentment. The state didn't want to hear reactionary voices," he said. Meanwhile, those who have been released have spoken of the ordeal of detention. Qamar Zaman Qazi, editor of regional online news portal The Kashmiryat, was detained days after being summoned to "explain" some tweets. In the days before 5 August, the region had seen a massive military build-up. Until then the government had given no indication of what was to come, and the entire operation had been kept a closely-guarded secret. Mr Qazi's tweets on 26 July - talking about additional troop movements - were noticed by local police who summoned him to the station the next day and detained him. On 8 August, he was transferred to the central jail in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. "We were stripped naked there. Initially, we tried to resist but we couldn't," he said. There, Mr Qazi added, he was told he was being charged under the PSA He was transferred to Bareilly central jail in Uttar Pradesh state. "As they put us in the military aircraft, we started singing Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's anthem of resistance, Hum Dekhenge (We shall bear witness)." With no information about where he was being held, Mr Qazi's family visited four prisons in the state looking for him. It took them 52 days to find him - and when they did, he was still wearing the shirt he had been wearing when he went to the police station. At his home, after he was released following the revocation of his detention order by a district magistrate, he showed me the T-shirt, ragged and torn, with 119 holes in it. "The worst thing was that I wasn't given a paper and pen inside my cell despite several requests. I wanted to record the agonies and pain I went through for nine months," he said. Earlier this week, Mr Qazi was detained again because of a story he wrote - authorities have told his family to apply for bail after 6 August, when the curfew imposed on Monday will be lifted. Across the state thousands of worried families are still fretting about the safety of their loved ones, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Among them is the mother of Waseem Ahmad Sheikh, who has been in jail since he presented himself at a police station on 8 August 2019 - one day after security forces came looking for him in the middle of the night. He is accused of helping militants and throwing stones at security forces. Waseem was also flown to a jail in faraway Uttar Pradesh, and his family has not been able to seen him since then. His mother, Sara Begum, said she was terrified that Covid-19 would either kill him or her before they are reunited. "We want to die together. I haven't seen my beloved son for the last 11 months," she said, sobbing. "I appeal to the government to at least shift him to a jail in Kashmir even if they don't want to release him." Read more on Kashmir:

भारत की संघीय सरकार ने 5 अगस्त 2019 को जम्मू और कश्मीर राज्य से उसकी अर्ध-स्वायत्त स्थिति को छीनने के विवादास्पद कदम से पहले हजारों लोगों को हिरासत में लिया। एक साल बाद, उनमें से कई पर गंभीर अपराधों का आरोप लगाया गया है और वे अभी भी पूरे भारत की जेलों में बंद हैं। बीबीसी हिंदी के माजिद जहांगीर की रिपोर्ट।


Twitter: It's worth how much?!

Summary: Twitter's much-anticipated launch on to the markets is fizzing with fanfare and debate over how - given that it has never made money - the microblogging site, priced at $26 per share , is officially worth more than $18bn (£11bn).

By Sarah TreanorBusiness reporter, BBC News The facts seem to contradict themselves. Twitter's growth is slow, and it shows no sign of making a profit - its losses for the third quarter of 2013 increased to $64.6m, from $21.6m a year earlier. And more than half of its total registered users don't even use it. But some analysts predict that in the months post-share sale, the seven-year-old company's worth will increase to $20bn and beyond. That would give Twitter a valuation of more than double the likes of global carmaker Fiat, with its very modest-sounding market capitalisation of 6.9bn euros ($9.3bn). But Twitter is not alone in its sector when it comes to big price tags, if not profits. Online "scrapbooking" website Pinterest was valued at $3.8bn in October after its latest round of investment, giving it the same value, in terms of market capitalisation, as the UK's second largest house-builder Barratt Homes. Yet while Barratt has reported a full-year pre-tax profit of £192m for 2012-13, Pinterest has never made any money. Its digital "pinboards" may be attracting users, there may be talk of advertisers paying for posts, but it has no revenue yet. So why do these social media companies have this value attached to them? Value v price Aswath Damodaran, a finance professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, told the BBC it was a bit like buying a house. "You look at what other people are paying for something a little bit like what you are buying," he said. "[But] you have to think about whether you are going to price [the company] or value it." Twitter, Mr Damodaran believes, is being priced by bankers and brokers - not valued - and that pricing is coming from comparing it to its peers. By this he means that value is something more complex and emotional, but that pricing is based on at-the-time comparisons. Most notably, with Facebook. "The big difference between Facebook and Twitter is that Facebook was making money [when it launched its IPO in 2012] and Twitter is losing money," said Mr Damodaran. Facebook had a billion active users when it launched its shares. While Twitter is growing its user base rapidly - up 39% over the past year to 500 million - only 232 million of these are active each month. According to a recent report by analysts Pew Internet, 72% of internet users in the US use social networking sites, but just 18% use Twitter. Plus, while users are invited to tweet their thoughts in 140 characters, many do not engage on the platform at all, leaving their registered accounts dormant. Others prefer to simply follow news feeds and favourite celebrities instead. This can cut the amount of time people spend on the site, and in turn the opportunities for advertisers to catch their attention. A 'moon shot'? Facebook's IPO famously ran far from smoothly, and its shares quickly halved in price, before recovering slowly over the next two years. "Twitter is also entering a more crowded market than Facebook," said Mr Damodaran, "and there are many more queuing up to join." Therefore, he added, Twitter should be valued at about $10-15bn. He wrote recently that "at $20 billion, it is a moon shot". Chris Orndorff, who manages billions of dollars for clients at Los Angeles-based Western Asset Management, believes value is a lot to do with cash flow. "One of the best ways to value a company is to figure out the present value of the cash flows," he said. "For a more mature company, this is easier to do because they have a history of earnings, and generally reliable predictions about future earnings and cash flows. "Relatively new companies do not have the history." Therefore, he added, the stock was more likely to be volatile. "The susceptibility of social media companies to changes in consumer tastes also makes valuing those companies much more challenging," he said. 'Scrabble for revenue' Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of the travel website Lastminute.com, told the BBC she was confident Twitter could make money and hold its value. "Yes it is a scrabble for revenue," she said, but the company "has an astonishing amount of money in the bank". Advertising income from mobiles, rather than desktop computers, now accounts for over 70% of advertising revenue, and here, believes Ms Lane Fox and others, Twitter may be able to flourish. She also predicted "a huge number of interesting deals and partnerships" that could boost it further. Predicting the future? A lot of the "value" or pricing of these companies depends on a future demand for services, as well as possible advertising streams. But, as past deals demonstrate - that future isn't always predictable. Famously, ITV bought the website Friends Reunited for £175m in 2005, but in 2009 Brightsolid paid ITV just £25m for the site. It had been superseded. Its "value" had been eroded. Its customers, the key to any company, had, in large numbers, moved on. Similar problems were encountered at one of the early social media pioneers, MySpace. In 2005 News Corp purchased MySpace for $580m. When it was sold in 2011, its price tag had fallen to a reported $35m. It too had been overtaken, and users abandoned its offering. But, for San Francisco-based CBS technology analyst Larry Magid, these cautionary tales make the newer clutch of technology companies stronger. "MySpace is a constant reminder that a high and mighty service can lose its lustre. However, the lessons of MySpace were not lost on Facebook, Twitter and services that followed," he said. "I think the difference [now] is the execution and the demographics. To succeed, Twitter needs a diversified audience that transcends a particular demographic. MySpace was focused on youth - a particularly fickle audience." Mr Damodaran said: "A lot of very valuable companies today - including Google - were once small, money-losing companies." And Mr Orndorff agreed: "The valuation is reasonable if the company can continue to grow its user base, generate cash flow from advertising, and successfully fend off the competition. If not, then it will be remembered - or forgotten - like many of the 1998-99 tech bubble companies, and generate plenty of tax losses for investors."

बाजारों में ट्विटर का बहुप्रतीक्षित लॉन्च धूमधाम और बहस के साथ चल रहा है कि कैसे-यह देखते हुए कि इसने कभी पैसा नहीं कमाया है-माइक्रोब्लॉगिंग साइट, जिसकी कीमत $26 प्रति शेयर है, आधिकारिक तौर पर $18bn (£11bn) से अधिक है।


Is academy status the answer for 'coasting' schools?

Summary: It is a familiar formula in many ways.

Branwen JeffreysEducation Editor The school down the road from you that's had a bad name among parents and falling pupil numbers is taken over and turned into an academy school. The head teacher and the name will change, and there is a fair bet the discipline regime and uniform will too. Making schools independent from their local council and giving head teachers much greater leeway in whom to hire, and what to teach, isn't new. But until now, it has been applied to failing schools. The new Education Bill will extend that to "coasting schools". The government clearly intends to draw that category quite widely, which could mean many more schools than expected facing pressure to improve. The more obvious case for intervention is in local authority areas with large numbers of schools Ofsted says are less than good. In Lowestoft, Suffolk, there are four secondary schools. Only one is rated as being good, two others have just come out of special measures, and one requires improvement. Of the 20 primary schools, only eight are currently deemed to be good or outstanding. New start Tucked away behind streets of neat houses is Meadow Primary School. The building is a little down-at-heel, but it is surrounded by beautiful playing fields and green spaces. The school has chosen to begin a journey that hundreds more schools in England may be forced to follow in the coming years. Meadow, rated as requiring improvement, is joining the primary-only academy chain REAch2. Into this school has stepped a new head teacher, Nadia Paczuska, who was recruited through a scheme called Future Leaders. She says: "It's very isolated geographically, there is high unemployment among the parents and the area surrounding the school, it's very difficult to recruit to this area and there's a sense of low expectation of the children." In order to have enough teachers for the coming year she has recruited from Canada and Romania, and taken to social media to persuade teachers to relocate from around the UK. The local neighbourhood is mainly white, typical of Lowestoft's long-established communities. The school's standing had slipped, and there were some tense moments between parents and her predecessor, but Nadia says there is a will to change. "Most of the parents I speak to are very conscious it's not good enough, and although it had perhaps become normalised it's certainly not something the community are happy about." An appeal to the community to roll up its sleeves has led to volunteers offering to set up and run a library, and join a summer work party re-painting parts of the school. Over the holidays, the school will also be running catch-up classes for pupils. Which raises the question of whether it's Nadia's determination to lead a team improving the school that will make as much difference as becoming an academy. It is easy to make a case for intervening in schools that are underperforming. No guarantee But Lowestoft also shows that simply becoming an academy, free from the management of the local council, is not a guarantee of success. Many of the pupils from Meadow Primary will head towards what is now called East Point Academy. It became an academy in 2011, but by 2013 under the management of the troubled AET Academies chain it was in special measures. There were concerns about poor teaching, truancy and bullying. In 2014, just 32% of pupils got at least five GCSEs grade A to C, compared with the national average of 53%. Now run by the Inspiration Trust, standards are rising and it was taken out of special measures in March this year. Kevin Blakey, the principal, recognises he is up against a degree of scepticism from parents, staff and pupils because of the school's recent history. He says: "It went into special measures as an academy and during that time in special measures it had four principals, and obviously with that comes some instability." That is probably an understatement. So what exactly does he get out of being part of an academy trust? As a new head, Kevin has been given a more experienced mentor, whom he meets each week to review progress and talk through problems. And he tells me that because the academy chain is concentrated in nearby Norfolk, he is also calling on staff from its other schools, for example to check coursework marking. The older Ofsted reports for the school, which used to be called Kirkley Community High School, are a depressing read. They describe persistently low expectations of the largely white, working class kids attending the school. Why intervene? Which brings us back to the case for intervention. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan told MPs the power to force underperforming schools to become an academy is about creating opportunities. "We believe in a school-led system where experts have greater freedom but within a strong framework of accountability," she said. "That is why we want more schools to benefit from the freedom that academy status brings." But just last week, Ofsted warned another academy chain, which has expanded very rapidly, that many of its schools weren't improving quickly enough. In particular, it said, that in schools run by Oasis Community Learning Trust: "Disadvantaged pupils, particularly boys, make significantly less progress than their peers nationally." There are eight Regional Schools Commissioners who are meant to monitor the performance of academies and free schools. They have very few staff and a job that is getting bigger. It will also fall to them to implement the new powers to intervene in schools identified as coasting. None was available to speak to the BBC before the draft regulations setting out the detail of the bill about how this will work. The risk, says Tristram Hunt, shadow education secretary, is that "underperforming schools will simply pass from one poor provider to another, without the measures required to turn around sub-standard school leadership and classroom teaching." The government says the difference is it can intervene more rapidly in a failing academy trust. Impact on pupils The question is whether that is rapid enough to make a difference for individual pupils. People like 18-year-old David Stephenson, whom I met hanging out on the seafront at Lowestoft with friends. Academy schools: Academies are independent, state-funded schools, which receive their funding directly from central government, rather than through a local authority. Although the day-to-day running of the school remains with the head teacher or principal, they are overseen by individual charitable bodies called academy trusts and may be part of an academy chain. These trusts provide advice, support and expertise. They have more freedom than other state schools over their finances and curriculum, and do not need to follow national pay and conditions for teachers. As of June 2015, there are 4,676 academies open in England. There are hundreds more in the pipeline. The number has grown dramatically under the coalition government, from 203 in May 2010. Now over half of all secondary schools in England are academies. David wants to be a welder and is now trying to gain skills at college. But his school years were at Kirkley Community High in its troubled years, where he got into trouble and ended up in a student support unit. "Basically I wasn't taught for a year and a half until I left that school. I got chucked into GCSEs without knowing anything. I was lucky to scrape out Ds." David is clear what he thinks about how growing up in Lowestoft: "Pretty let down, because it's not the fact of where you should be that determines how good a school should be." This in essence is the argument for intervening in areas like Lowestoft. Taking a similar approach in areas where schools have broadly been told they are good will be more controversial. Not least because the evidence around the academy model is mixed. As Lowestoft has learnt, it is not a one-way ticket to success.

यह कई मायनों में एक परिचित सूत्र है।


Man dies in crash between car and van near Salisbury

Summary: A man in his 70s has died in a crash between a van and a car.

The crash happened at Pepperbox Hill on the A36 shortly after 12:00 GMT on Saturday, Wiltshire Police said. The car driver, from Somerset, died at the scene. The van driver suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and was taken to Salisbury District Hospital. The A36 road was closed for six hours in the afternoon while an investigation was carried out.

एक वैन और कार के बीच दुर्घटना में 70 के दशक के एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


Can Glasgow ban all marches over sectarian fears?

Summary: Four Loyalist marches and one Irish Republican parade planned for this weekend have been been banned by Glasgow City Council over the threat to public safety and the likelihood of widespread disorder. Can Glasgow now ban all marches over sectarian fears?

If the people of Glasgow were given a vote on the future of Loyalist and Irish Republican marches in the city, the majority would ban them, according to SNP MSP John Mason. His assertion has not been tested in any reliable poll but it is clear many people have had enough of the sectarian disorder that too often comes with the marches. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said it was depressing to be asked to legislate for disorder committed by grown men "fighting battles of centuries gone by". After a full-scale riot in Govan at the end of August, when a march by a Republican Flute Band was met by hundreds of disruptive Loyalist counter demonstrators, Glasgow City Council said it planned to stop "morons intent on bringing mayhem to the streets of our city". However, it is not that easy. After the initial tough talk, Glasgow Council chief executive Annemarie O'Donnell admitted options were "limited by law". And the justice secretary told the Scottish Parliament that the right to parade peacefully was an important part of a democracy that values free speech. He pointed to Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of "peaceful assembly". It says no restrictions should be placed on these rights except for public safety, preventing disorder or crime and for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. For this reason, total prohibition of marches or processions is very rare but, on Wednesday, Glasgow City Council's public processions committee made that decision. It said it would prohibit all of this weekend's marches because of the disruption, disorder and heightened tensions that had proceeded them. The police told the council there had been calls on social media from Republicans to target Loyalist events and demands from Loyalists to protest against Republican parades. Despite delivering its blanket ban, the council said it was clear that the law expected it to facilitate public processions - including those that some people oppose or find offensive. However, it said the right to march had to be balanced against the rights of people and communities across Glasgow. Data from Glasgow City Council shows that the number of marches linked to Loyalist and Republican organisations has been falling in recent years. It shows that three Loyalist organisations - the Orange Order, Apprentice Boys of Derry and the Royal Black - accounted for more than 60% of all marches in the city over the past five years. Who is marching in Glasgow? Over the past five years, the majority of the processions were by Loyalist organisations such as the Orange Order (142 this year), the Apprentice Boys of Derry (20 this year), and the Royal Black institutions (20). There have been 16 marches this year classed as Republican. The pattern has remained similar over the period, with the Orange Order accounting for, by far, the most processions as well as the biggest fall in the number of marches. Glasgow City Council's annual report on public processions says "the vast majority of processions pass without difficulty". Where there is a significant concern for public safety, public order, damage to property or disruption to the life of the community, and no agreement can be reached with organisers, a meeting of the council's public processions committee is convened. This only happened five times last year. Three resulted in conditions being imposed amending the route and two led to an amended route being agreed at committee with the procession organiser. After the trouble in Govan two weeks ago, the council had considered calling a processions committee before the two Republican marches and Loyalist counter protest last weekend. In the end it met procession organisers along with police officers and decided they could go ahead, with a massive police presence. Police used a tactic known as "kettling" to ensure there were no clashes between marchers and their opponents. It requires a huge number of officers, brought in from all over Scotland. BBC Scotland revealed that it cost £300,000 to provide about 500 specialist public order officers to the two demonstrations. The Scottish Police Federation said that did not include other resources such as the force helicopter, mounted officers and conventional police. Could there be court challenge? Earlier this year, Loyalist groups called off four parades after they were ordered re-route them. The marches were due to pass a church where a Catholic priest had been verbally abused and spat on during an Orange parade last year. The decision was challenged in court but was upheld by a sheriff. The lawyer for the four Loyalist groups told the court that all his clients were "seeking to do is exercise their rights to walk where they have walked for the last 15 to 20 years with largely no incidents". The sheriff said it was a "difficult and anxious point" but he was satisfied that the council had the statutory power to re-route public processions. He said the right to freedom of expression was "not an unrestricted right". Glasgow City Council has called for a moratorium on marches which will give a "breathing space" for tensions to die down. It says it can't ban all parades as that would infringe human rights. It wants the Scottish government to legislate. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was open-minded about that. "It is part of our democracy to have the right to assemble and to march and to protest peacefully, she said. "What is not part of our democracy is sectarian violence in any form. We continue to work closely with Glasgow City Council to make sure they get the support they need to apply the law as it is but also to be open-minded about any changes we need to see in the future."

इस सप्ताहांत के लिए नियोजित चार वफादार मार्च और एक आयरिश रिपब्लिकन परेड को ग्लासगो सिटी काउंसिल द्वारा सार्वजनिक सुरक्षा के लिए खतरे और व्यापक अव्यवस्था की संभावना को लेकर प्रतिबंधित कर दिया गया है। क्या ग्लासगो अब सांप्रदायिक आशंकाओं पर सभी मार्चों पर प्रतिबंध लगा सकता है?


Watlington Hill murder probe: Carole Wright named as victim

Summary: A woman whose death prompted a murder investigation after her body was found at a National Trust beauty spot has been formally identified.

The remains of Carole Wright, 62, from London, were found by police in woodland on the Watlington Hill estate in Oxfordshire last Friday. Tests have so far failed to establish the cause of her death. A 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. Thames Valley Police said searches were continuing in the area where Ms Wright was found and further tests would be carried out on her body. Det Insp Mike Roddy said: "Our condolences, thoughts and support are with the family of Carole Wright at this unimaginably traumatic time."

एक महिला जिसकी मौत ने राष्ट्रीय न्यास सौंदर्य स्थल पर उसका शव मिलने के बाद हत्या की जांच को प्रेरित किया, उसकी औपचारिक रूप से पहचान कर ली गई है।


Lack of women on enterprise zone boards not acceptable, says watchdog

Summary: The lack of women on the boards of almost half of Wales' enterprise zones is "not acceptable", the equalities watchdog has told BBC Wales.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said the boards for Ebbw Vale, Central Cardiff and St Athan have no female members. The 65 board members across all seven boards include only 11 women. Ministers said they had made "significant" progress "increasing diversity on public sector boards". Kate Bennett, the commission's national director for Wales, said the number of women on Welsh enterprise zone boards was "not acceptable" and "very unusual". In an assembly debate on Wednesday, a call by three AMs for the Welsh government not to give contracts or grants to companies without female directors on their boards was described as illegal by ministers.

समानता निगरानी संस्था ने बीबीसी वेल्स को बताया है कि वेल्स के लगभग आधे उद्यम क्षेत्रों के बोर्डों में महिलाओं की कमी "स्वीकार्य नहीं" है।


Bus firm's concerns over The Kingsway, Swansea, before death

Summary: A bus company was worried about the safety of pedestrians on a Swansea road more than two years before a man died after being hit by a bus.

A second pre-inquest hearing into the death of Daniel Foss heard First Cymru wrote a letter to Swansea council in April 2011 expressing concern about people crossing the bus lanes. Mr Foss, 37, from Reynoldston, Gower, was struck by a National Express bus on The Kingsway in September 2013. An inquest will be held in September. Colin Phillips, acting senior coroner for Swansea, told Thursday's hearing he will be calling an independent road safety expert to give evidence at that inquest. He also asked to see all council road safety reports about The Kingsway that were written between 2008 and 2014.

एक बस कंपनी स्वानसी रोड पर पैदल चलने वालों की सुरक्षा के बारे में दो साल से अधिक समय से चिंतित थी, जब एक बस की चपेट में आने से एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई थी।


What is wrong with India's economy?

Summary: On Tuesday, India further eased rules on foreign direct investment in a range of industries in an attempt to boost the economy which grew at its slowest pace in a decade during the 2012-13 financial year. Economic analyst Paranjoy Guha Thakurta explains what ails Asia's third-largest economy.

For Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the irony could not have been more cruel. The man who is credited with lifting the country's economy from the brink of disaster in 1991 as finance minister in PV Narasimha Rao's government, is today facing a situation which is not very much better. In fact, in at least two respects - economic inequality and the international exchange rate of the rupee - India's economy appears to be worse off than where it was two decades earlier. India is not in danger of defaulting on external financial obligations as it was in June 1991. Nor has Mr Singh's government mortgaged the country's gold to the Bank of England as it did then. Disconcerting news But India's current account deficit - the difference between the inflow and outflow of foreign currency - touched $33bn (£22bn) in the quarter ending December 2012, reaching a historical record level of 6.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Though the deficit has narrowed since, the situation is far from comfortable. The deficit is also the principal reason why the Indian rupee has dipped to an all-time low (12%) against the US dollar over the last month. For the financial year that ended on 31 March, India's GDP grew by 5% - the slowest in a decade. This is particularly disconcerting for a government that has been emphasising growth over everything else in its economic policy. Growth, Mr Singh's government has always believed, would spur investments and savings, create more jobs, mitigate the adverse impact of inflation and propel India's "emerging economy" to the high-table of fast-growing nations. Unfortunately, none of this has happened. Savings and investments are down. Investments by Indian businessmen abroad have overtaken foreign direct investment for the first time, even as the government desperately woos foreign investors and is nervous that international credit rating agencies will soon downgrade India. If that indeed happens, it would exacerbate an already-bad balance of payments problem. The government has lifted caps on foreign investment limits in various sectors, especially telecommunications. Finance Minister P Chidambaram insists that the India "growth story" will return soon and that what the country is currently facing is a temporary aberration. But markets remain bearish and there are few signs of a revival in investments, both domestic and foreign. More unequal For instance, in December, the government opened up the retail market to global supermarket chains in the teeth of opposition from not only its political opponents but some of its coalition partners who subsequently parted ways with the ruling Congress party. But the likes of Wal-Mart and Tesco are yet to announce plans to invest in India. Employment opportunities have not expanded fast in the recent past, even when the economy was growing rapidly at around 9% for four years in succession between 2004 and 2008. The creation of new jobs has slowed down further now that the economy is growing by only 5%. Many believe that the single biggest failure of the government's economic policies in recent years has been the inability to control inflation in general and food prices in particular. Many reasons - such as changing dietary patterns on account of rising incomes and higher fuel prices - have been forwarded to explain why food inflation has been in double-digits or close to that level for the better part of the last five years. What cannot be denied is that high food prices have hurt the poor much more than the rich or even the middle classes, simply because food constitutes a larger proportion of total household incomes the lower one moves down the economic ladder. Many argue that what food inflation has done in effect is to widen the gap between the rich and the poor, deepening inequality. The government says the worst is over and that the economy will revive in the near future. The problem is that their optimism is shared by few. Mr Singh has often argued that there is no difference between good politics and good economics. But what the government has ended up doing may hurt it both economically and politically. Sharp rises in fuel prices, for example, will hardly help it gain popularity with voters. The Congress-led ruling coalition was dependent on its Communist allies for a majority in parliament between 2004 and 2008 and had to tone down some of its market-friendly policies. However, since 2009, the Congress has been in-charge of the ruling coalition and it cannot blame the Communists for stalling reforms. Yet, India's economic situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse in recent years. And that's bad news for the government in the run-up to next year's crucial general elections. The author is an independent journalist and economic analyst.

मंगलवार को, भारत ने अर्थव्यवस्था को बढ़ावा देने के प्रयास में कई उद्योगों में प्रत्यक्ष विदेशी निवेश पर नियमों में और ढील दी, जो 2012-13 वित्तीय वर्ष के दौरान एक दशक में अपनी सबसे धीमी गति से बढ़ी। आर्थिक विश्लेषक परंजॉय गुहा ठाकुरता बताते हैं कि एशिया की तीसरी सबसे बड़ी अर्थव्यवस्था क्या है।


Upping the ante

Summary: A few days ago it was just "Brussels gossip".

Laura KuenssbergPolitical editor@bbclaurakon Twitter Yesterday she swore to be a "bloody difficult woman" - stern words. But this morning, the chancellor and the Brexit secretary said the noises off out of Brussels and suggestions of an exit bill of 100bn euros were only "manoeuvring" and that the UK would not be pulled into "megaphone diplomacy". By 15:30, the prime minister was standing at a lectern in Downing Street accusing some in Brussels of trying deliberately to interfere in the election, to make trouble for her politically at home, and of wanting the Brexit talks to fail. She just used one of the most powerful microphones in the country for blunt diplomacy indeed. It's worth pointing out she made careful aim at the EU institutions, rather than the individual leaders, with whom she'll have to deal one on one. But forget that nuance for a moment - this was quite some statement, quite an accusation to make. It seems the prime minister is intent on playing the Brexit card for all it's worth in the next election. It's no coincidence that the Tories want every UKIP voter to turn to them, no coincidence that many Labour seats were Out areas in the referendum, no small matter that in 71 Labour constituencies, the UKIP vote was bigger than the size of the eventual majority. British prime ministers taking public aim at "Brussels bureaucrats" is hardly an original tactic from the playbook. And do not, for one second, be surprised if come 9 June, IF Theresa May is back in power, her language starts to sound rather more conciliatory. But words like this cannot be unsaid. What is perhaps more surprising is that Theresa May has gone full throttle at such an early stage in this election, and in a situation where the polls put her as the clear frontrunner.

कुछ दिन पहले यह सिर्फ "ब्रसेल्स गपशप" थी।


Spat between Aberdeen City Council and Alex Salmond 'will not affect investment'

Summary: The recent spat between Aberdeen City Council and First Minister Alex Salmond will not affect future investment in the city, politicians on both sides of the row have promised.

Council leader Barney Crockett met deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon in the city to discuss the issues. Ms Sturgeon said their working relationship could survive political differences. Mr Crockett said it was now time to move on from the row. The issues have included Mr Salmond's unannounced visit to a closure-threatened school in Aberdeen during the recent Donside by-election. The visit to Bramble Brae was two days before the by-election, which was won by the SNP. In a recent letter to council chief executive Valerie Watts, Mr Salmond claimed the majority Labour group on the council was in danger of bringing the authority into disrepute. Mr Crockett responded by saying he would not be "bullied" by the first minister.

एबरडीन सिटी काउंसिल और प्रथम मंत्री एलेक्स सैल्मंड के बीच हालिया विवाद शहर में भविष्य के निवेश को प्रभावित नहीं करेगा, विवाद के दोनों पक्षों के राजनेताओं ने वादा किया है।


What's wrong with buying fake luxury goods?

Summary: Every time a new haul of fake designer goods is seized we're told that the people who buy them are ruining the reputation of brands, stealing revenue from companies, contributing to an unethical labour market and subsidising organised crime. But is this really the case?

By Bethan BellBBC News A BBC investigation has found over the past two years, thousands of fake goods were seized from black markets across England. But is there any harm in nabbing a pair of "Louboutins" from a market, or a "Chanel" handbag from a chap selling them on a foreign beach? To the average punter it might sound a bit far-fetched that their cash goes straight to a drugs cartel or gun-runners. We're not talking about alcohol, tobacco or medications - buying such items clearly poses a health risk. The same can be said for toys which aren't up to safety standards, and sunglasses which don't have the recommended UV protection. Nor are we talking about people who genuinely believe the goods they buy are the real thing. We're talking about those who are happy to get knock-off designer items for knock-down prices. The people who are well aware there may be issues about quality and copyright - but don't actually mind. After all, are the people who buy fakes for a tenner really depriving the companies that sell goods for hundreds or even thousands of pounds? A woman who makes an impulse buy in a market almost certainly wouldn't otherwise invest in the real deal, while the wealthy buyers of the genuine brand pride themselves on knowing the difference and having the official article. Where are England's black market hotspots? As Steven Brown, from Batley, told the BBC in response to its revelations about the extent of the black market in England: "I've bought fake handbags for my wife. We both knew that a Gucci bag for £20 would be fake and not last as long as a real one. "Is it really stealing revenue from a company if I would never buy a genuine Gucci bag?" The fake market exists alongside the genuine one. It can be argued it actually helps the brands, by quickening the fashion cycle and raising brand awareness. That's what David Wall, professor of criminology at Leeds University, believes. He says the issue of counterfeited goods "provokes a lot of outrage, but what about?" He argues there is little evidence provided that profits fund organised criminal gangs - although admits there is a problem with sellers of fake goods not paying taxes. However, should that be an issue for the consumer? Do we have a moral responsibility to ensure the people we buy things from pay their taxes? Is that any of our business? Arguably, the same goes for goods that violate the intellectual property rights of the designer. Most punters wouldn't see it as their moral obligation to look after the brands of the big fashion houses. "I'm not condoning counterfeiting," Prof Wall insists. "It's just that it shouldn't be a police issue. It's a civil issue. "And the same goes for people stealing a design, or a logo. Fashion is a complex market, and counterfeit fashion just as complex. "After all, we buy fake items for different reasons. Many of us indulge in ironic consumption - such as a Breitling watch for a dollar. It's clear it's not real, it's just quite amusing. "The real issue is when people think they're getting the real thing and they're not. Those people need to be protected. But the vast majority of consumers know exactly what they're getting". What about the argument that counterfeiting leads to the exploitation of workers in so-called sweat shops? There's no reason to think it's more of a problem than with many "fast fashion" brands, such as Primark. How sure are we that anything we buy is ethically sourced? Fake luxury goods still need to be made to a certain standard, or they wouldn't sell. There's still skill in the manufacture of making something that can be confused with the original, skilled workers are still needed. Official position The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau advises consumers to avoid buying fake goods because "you're helping the trader to break the law". The bureau, which is affiliated to the City of London Police, also claims: The organisation urges people to report any instances of fraud. Research suggests about three million consumers every year buy counterfeit goods carrying one of the top designer labels, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry or Gucci. Nearly a third of the sales are over the internet. Louis Vuitton is one of the luxury brands with a specific team dedicated to the management and protection of the company's intellectual property rights. A spokesperson said: "Louis Vuitton believes that it is essential to preserve the house's ancestral know-how and the work of its craftsmen by fighting the illegal networks that infringe on human rights, the environment and global economy. "In 2010, Louis Vuitton initiated 10,673 raids and 30,171 anti-counterfeiting procedures worldwide, resulting in the seizure of thousands of counterfeit products and the breaking up of criminal networks." But despite the action taken by the fashion house, it's still pretty easy to get your hands on a replica. One online shop is perfectly open about the fact it's selling a fake, cheerfully boasting that "the materials used are identical to the real ones. Trademark marks are indistinguishable to the originals". What is distinguishable is the price. A genuine Monogram Zippy Wallet retails for £455, a fake one for about £40. So who buys fake luxury goods, and - other than the "ironic consumers" - why? According to Dr Haider Ali from the Open University, it's "people who have relatively little regard for the law" and "people who have negative attitudes towards big business". "This may be because they feel that genuine brands charge unfair prices. Those people who see themselves as being shrewd shoppers willing and able to beat the system may also be more likely to buy counterfeits. "Counterfeits may also appeal to those people who want to demonstrate their status, but don't have the funds to do so with genuine products". Dawn Lawson from Herefordshire bought a fake Prada backpack for a fraction of the cost of a real one. She has no qualms about it, she says. "I have little pity for the multinational companies that lose a minimal amount of profit. You're surely not expecting me to believe Prada or Louis Vuitton are going to go out of business because of replicas? "Of course they're not. Besides, I love my bag - fake or not." According to Prof Wall, who's advised the Home Office about organised crime, there's no need to have a moral argument about it. "Policing counterfeit luxury goods is not in the public interest. People bow to the norms set by the fashion industry. High demand is an indication of successful brand. That's the way it is. It's up to the brand to invest in security for intellectual property. "So long as people know what they're getting, there's really no need to get worked up about it."

हर बार जब नकली डिज़ाइनर सामानों की एक नई खेप जब्त की जाती है तो हमें बताया जाता है कि जो लोग उन्हें खरीदते हैं वे ब्रांडों की प्रतिष्ठा को बर्बाद कर रहे हैं, कंपनियों से राजस्व चुरा रहे हैं, अनैतिक श्रम बाजार में योगदान दे रहे हैं और संगठित अपराध को सब्सिडी दे रहे हैं। लेकिन क्या वास्तव में ऐसा है?


Ruth Davidson's happy news

Summary: Ruth Davidson is renowned for many things. One of those is a notably wide smile. It was, I can attest, even broader than usual when she told me this afternoon that she is three months pregnant.

Brian TaylorPolitical editor, Scotland@tannadiceladon Twitter I asked her whether she hoped to be a role model for working mums. With a grin, she said she would rather wait to see whether she was any good at it first. I then asked her whether she would be a role model for same-sex parents. After all, at all points in her political career, Ms Davidson has been a quiet but determined advocate of such matters. And, certainly, when we spoke this afternoon, she voiced the hope that she and her partner Jen might help dispel any lingering "taboo or mystery" associated with the subject. But, mostly, she preferred to focus upon the challenges and impending joys of motherhood - rather than making any form of political or social statement. She plans to be a mum, not a symbol. Maternity leave Her pregnancy follows successful IVF treatment. The couple have been contemplating parenthood since last summer. Both intend to continue working. They intend to marry after the baby is born: earlier plans were shelved after their wedding fund was spent on vet's fees for their dog. More generally, Ms Davidson stressed there should be no limitation on choices for women as a consequence of maternity although she was realistic enough to recognise that there would be considerable pressures upon time. Ruth Davidson will step aside for maternity leave in the autumn, leaving her deputy Jackson Carlaw in charge. She told me it has been a struggle to keep the secret. In the early weeks of her pregnancy, she felt fatigued and endured occasional nausea. On one occasion, she says, she had to exit the Holyrood chamber rather hurriedly. But she is feeling better now - and fully intends to stay in political action until her autumn leave. Beyond that, she intends to be back in spring of next year and to lead the party into the next Holyrood elections. My congratulations.

रूथ डेविडसन कई चीजों के लिए प्रसिद्ध हैं। उनमें से एक विशेष रूप से चौड़ी मुस्कान है। जब उन्होंने आज दोपहर मुझे बताया कि वह तीन महीने की गर्भवती हैं तो यह सामान्य से भी अधिक व्यापक थी।


Journey to the West: The endlessly remade Chinese folk tale

Summary: As one of the greatest Chinese fables is set to be retold yet again, in the form of a Netflix series, the BBC's Heather Chen looks at the enduring appeal of a wandering monk and his loyal friends.

Almost everyone with a Chinese background has grown up learning the folktale Journey to the West, the story of an epic pilgrimage of a Buddhist monk and his three disciples, the legendary monkey god Sun Wukong, the greedy and mischievous Zhu Bajie and man-eating demon Sha Wujing. Together with a dragon prince -transformed into a white horse - the party travels on a mission to bring ancient Buddhist scriptures from India back to China. Along the way, they encounter monsters and other obstacles, triumphing through their wit and teamwork. "It is the greatest story in classical Chinese literature," says Qu Jingyi, a professor specialising in Chinese literature and history at the Nanyang Technological University. Fantasy and 'whitewashing' Western audiences might best know the legend through the kitschy 1970s series Monkey, which put Sun Wukong front and centre. The Japanese show, which most people called Monkey Magic after its theme song, was a mainstay of kids TV in the 1980s, and won a cult following for its mismatched dubbing, rudimentary special effects and funk soundtrack. Streaming site Netflix, perhaps capitalising on current nostalgia for the era, has now teamed up with broadcast companies in Australia and New Zealand to bring back Monkey. The Legend of the Monkey will revamp the classic as a "big budget fantasy drama", with a whiff of Game of Thrones about it. The decision proved to be a controversial one, however. There's a noticeable change in location, this time being filmed on set in New Zealand, and early promotional photos released last week show no Chinese actors have been cast. The lead actor is Thai, while others have Maori or Pacific Island backgrounds, but it caused a now familiar outcry. "My childhood favourite just got a whitewashing reboot," said Khoo Fooi-Ling on Twitter. "Is this Journey to the West or Lord of the Rings," wrote a user from Beijing on China's popular micro-blogging Sina Weibo site. "Everything looks wrong, they've butchered and insulted our history. Expect an unwelcome from viewers in China and zero ratings." The journey story has been retold in China for centuries. It can be seen in artworks, cultural festivals and even as local movie and small screen adaptations. You might also be interested in: While it's commonplace to see Chinese operas telling the story, in 2007 it found a fan in British musician Damon Albarn of Blur fame, who brought the story to life in Europe. Monkey: Journey to the West featured music by Albarn with designs by Jamie Hewlett, the artist who brought Albarn's animated band Gorillaz to life. It was performed in Mandarin and featured acrobats, martial artists and a team of contortionists. The legend has even made its way into video games. Blizzard title Overwatch unveiled a festive update in time for the Lunar New Year, which featured special holiday items, maps and cosmetic "skins" modelled after the four main characters from Journey to the West. Multiplayer online battle game Defense of the Ancients (DotA) has also incorporated Journey to the West-themed characters in past gaming updates. 'Dynamic Chinese storytelling' All of this would likely be surprising to Xuanzang, the Chinese monk who travelled to India in the 7th Century to bring back sacred Buddhist scrolls. Still highly revered, he was first immortalised in the 16th Century novel Journey to the West, which added fantasy elements to his travels. So what is the enduring appeal of his tale? Chinese studies scholar Jason Zhuang says it lies in the powerful narrative of the original 16th Century author. "The pure storytelling dynamics of Wu Cheng'en will never be replicated elsewhere. "It's a great novel that tells of important Chinese qualities. Each character also represents different values." Prof Qu says the novel is "very suited to be adapted because of its appeal with young people". It shows "the imagination and sense of humour among Chinese people". While there are other great Chinese novels, Journey to the West offers strong dramatic and comic content, he says, along with elements like fairy immortals, demons and ghosts. "Readers and viewers love the Monkey King's fighting spirit and optimistic attitude towards life," said Prof Qu. "His playful nature is also still beneficial to our modern society, under heavy stress."

जैसा कि सबसे बड़ी चीनी दंतकथाओं में से एक को फिर से नेटफ्लिक्स श्रृंखला के रूप में बताया जा रहा है, बीबीसी की हीथर चेन एक भटकते हुए भिक्षु और उसके वफादार दोस्तों की स्थायी अपील को देखती है।


Notice issued over North Sea platform gas leak

Summary: Oil giant Shell has been issued with an improvement notice by health and safety inspectors over a gas leak on a North Sea platform last year.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that the company failed to prevent the uncontrolled release of flammable or explosive substances on the Brent Bravo installation in November. It is claimed valves were not kept in efficient working order. Shell said work had been completed to comply with the notice. The company said it was a "small hydrocarbon release". Brent Bravo is 115 miles (185km) north east of Lerwick in Shetland.

तेल की दिग्गज कंपनी शेल को पिछले साल उत्तरी सागर के प्लेटफॉर्म पर गैस रिसाव पर स्वास्थ्य और सुरक्षा निरीक्षकों द्वारा सुधार नोटिस जारी किया गया है।


Investigation launched into Dunkeld train derailment

Summary: An investigation has been launched after a train derailed on the Inverness to Perth Highland line, causing "significant damage" to the track.

The incident happened at about 22:15 on 29 October, south of Dunkeld and Birnam station. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said the railhead treatment train re-railed itself and no one was injured. It said it had begun a preliminary investigation into the cause of the incident and will publish a report. Railhead treatment trains use high-powered water jets to clear leaves from the line.

इनवर्नेस से पर्थ हाईलैंड लाइन पर एक ट्रेन के पटरी से उतरने के बाद एक जांच शुरू की गई है, जिससे पटरी को "महत्वपूर्ण नुकसान" हुआ है।


The National Trust homes where colonial links are 'umbilical'

Summary: A stroll around a country house is, for many, the ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon. But the National Trust is calling on visitors to view its properties with fresh eyes, as the beneficiaries of a British Empire that reflects a murky past.

By Jennifer HarbyBBC News Prof Corinne Fowler "didn't anticipate the catalyst of Black Lives Matter" when she first pitched an idea to the National Trust, back in 2017, to organise a children-led project about its properties' colonial connections. In Britain, the protests fuelled calls for statues honouring those with links to slavery and racism to be taken down, and one "degrading" statue of a black man outside the trust's Dunham Massey property in Greater Manchester was removed. The trust recently found that up to a third of its 300 UK houses have links to colonialism. "I expected [the links] to be extensive but I didn't expect there to be that many: the connection was umbilical," said Prof Fowler. Charlecote Park, Warwickshire On display in Charlecote, a 16th Century house near Stratford-upon-Avon, is a painting from 1680 by Godfrey Kneller that shows Thomas Lucy - then Charlecote's owner - with a black servant. "We believe it was his black page," said Prof Fowler, who teaches colonial studies at the University of Leicester. "The boy is shown wearing a metal slave collar. We don't know if this collar was real or symbolic." Prof Fowler said the painting was interesting because it opened up the history of a black presence in country houses in the 17th Century. "It's probably earlier than a lot of people realised," she said. "We think the boy might be called Will Archus. "We know there was a boy of that name there at that time, because we have researched the parish records, and a visitor to the house comments on how there was a boy serving hot chocolate at around that time. "We don't know how long he lived for, or much else about his life, but he was baptised as an adult. He is right on the edge of the painting, in the shadows, and the painting is hung at Charlecote above a doorway in such a way that you can accidentally not see it." Kedleston Hall, Derby Set in grounds encompassing serpentine lakes, Kedleston's Robert Adam-designed stately home is one of the trust's many impressive Derbyshire properties. Its collection includes artefacts from around the world, largely thanks to former owner Lord Curzon, who served as Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905. "The house includes many artefacts from India and the Middle East from his travels," said Prof Fowler. "There's an ivory elephant, a tiger rug and some miniatures from Lucknow, a site of violence during colonial times." She said there was nothing on the National Trust's labels - which were inherited from the V&A - to suggest Lucknow was a site of trauma during colonial times. The V&A said the basis for the labels in Kedleston's Eastern Museum appeared to have been a 1907 catalogue of the collection from when it went on display while on loan in London. "The labels say things like, 'Native personage on elephant'," she said. "There are no references to the darker side of colonial history. Part of the legacy of colonialism that we have inherited is the interpretations of previous curators who have been immersed in that colonial mindset. "We are now repositioning the country house as a global phenomenon that has relevance to the rest of the world and reflects connections with the rest of the world. "It's a really important shift in our minds, because country houses are seen as epitomising Britishness." Speke Hall, Liverpool At first glance, Speke is merely a spectacular Tudor manor house in Liverpool. But, said Prof Fowler, it is also "a great example of a really major slavery story which is not clear unless you know the background of the house". Speke was owned by two families. One of them was the Norris family whose ranks included slave trader Richard Norris, who was central to improvement schemes at Liverpool's docks that ensured access for ever-larger ships. "According to the historian Laurence Westgaph, ultimately Norris's actions were an important contribution to Liverpool's dominance of the slave trade by the 1740s," said Prof Fowler. "The other owners were the Watt family. Richard Watt (1751-1803) started out as a hackney carriage driver who owned a slave ship, sold slaves to plantation owners and had a rum and sugar shipping company himself. "The money his nephews inherited allowed for the restoration of the family hall, which is what we see today." Calke Abbey, Derbyshire Calke is one of the trust's most intriguing properties. With its peeling paintwork and overgrown courtyards, it has been deliberately maintained as a country house in decline, to tell the story of the waning of a style of living that once dominated the English countryside. "Calke is the perfect example of a house which has direct connections to empire and shows how the country house was steeped in empire," said Prof Fowler. "There are a lot of items from formerly colonised countries which are displayed in a typically colonial fashion. "There's a case of a Tibetan skull cup, which was a sacred object, nuzzling up against a mosque tile. They are put there by earlier generations completely out of context. "What we have is a decorative custom of display, with no information about where these objects come from or how they were used." The objects are likely to have come to Calke thanks to a mania at the time for collecting items from afar. The Harpur family, which owned the property from 1622, had connections through marriage with Barbados plantation owners and an East India Company merchant, as well as an Egyptologist, according to Prof Fowler. "One of the interesting objects at Calke is a globe, dating from 1870, which has red lines showing the farthest reaches of the British Empire at that time - but of course those red lines would creep even further around the globe as the century wore on." Other properties included in the project include: Prof Fowler's advice for anyone visiting these houses and seeking to find the colonial connections is: Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

कई लोगों के लिए एक ग्रामीण घर में टहलना रविवार की दोपहर बिताने का आदर्श तरीका है। लेकिन नेशनल ट्रस्ट आगंतुकों से आह्वान कर रहा है कि वे इसकी संपत्तियों को नई आंखों से देखें, एक ब्रिटिश साम्राज्य के लाभार्थियों के रूप में जो एक अस्पष्ट अतीत को दर्शाता है।


Shell: 'No plans' to sell North Sea assets

Summary: Oil giant Shell will not sell off any more North Sea assets.

By Kevin KeaneBBC Scotland's environment correspondent A senior figure at the company has told BBC Scotland he has no plans to sell resources despite the chancellor announcing measures to make the process easier. Shell has just completed the sale of a package of assets to the company Chrysaor for $3.8bn. It included stakes in the Buzzard, Beryl, Elgin-Franklin and Schiehallion fields. Director of Shell's Upstream Commercial business, Steve Phimister, said he would now invest in what remains. Strong core business He said: "We have, in the last year, conducted quite a significant divestment of a package of assets. It's been done very intentionally and very clearly with an intention to focus on our core business. "So, we today have a good strong core piece of business. It's about 150,000 barrels a day so still a very significant producer in the basin. "And that is the portfolio we will take forward and intend to invest in in the coming years." Following a campaign from the industry, Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced changes in decommissioning relief to make it easier for smaller operators to invest in older assets. Although it will take a year to implement, the hope is that it will stimulate investment and prolong the expected life of the North Sea. Mr Phimister said: "I think it's going to help the basin immensely. "I think there are still assets that may not attract investment from certain companies who may not want to hold them for the long term and want to move them on. "I now have the portfolio today in the UK that we set out to achieve at the beginning of the year and that's the one I intend to invest in." Abandoned platforms Shell's most iconic field, Brent, is currently going through the process of decommissioning. It lent its name to the benchmark of North Sea oil, Brent Crude. Some environmental groups have objected to their plans to leave some of the legs from abandoned platforms in the sea to collapse. The company said it is has listened to the concerns raised and that "it is possible to have derogations" from the original plan. Shell's 1,500 strong workforce will be pleased to hear reassurances about its future in the North Sea after the recent downturn. Since the oil price crashed about 700 jobs have been lost in Aberdeen and the North Sea.

तेल की दिग्गज कंपनी शेल उत्तरी सागर की किसी भी संपत्ति को नहीं बेचेगी।


Coronavirus: Stratford-upon-Avon's tourism trade hit hard by lockdown

Summary: Stratford-upon-Avon, which attracts up to six million visitors annually as the birthplace of William Shakespeare, could lose almost half its income this year because of coronavirus and the lockdown, experts have calculated.

The lack of tourists is already being felt in the town but businesses said they were also concerned about the future impact of any protracted shutdown and social distancing measures. The town's reliance on tourism meant it was going to be "badly hit by a perfect storm", said councillor Daren Pemberton, deputy leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council. But he said the authorities had been working on measures to protect the historic town. Almost overnight in March, the majority of Stratford's business suddenly stopped. When Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on 16 March people "should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues", the Royal Shakespeare Company closed the Swan Theatre, with many of its other attractions and venues forced to follow suit. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust cares for William Shakespeare's family homes, which it expected to bring in £10m this year. It said its income was now predicted to fall by between £7m and £8m. "The impact of Covid-19 on Stratford-upon-Avon has been immediate and plain to see," said its CEO, Tim Cooke. "It is home to the world's richest Shakespearian heritage, which the trust cares for, a jewel in the crown of 'Brand Britain' and the economy of the West Midlands, attracting six million visitors a year. Now it lies empty. "As an independent charity, we rely on those visitors for the vast majority of our income, like many businesses and organisations in the town." The closures and cancellations have hit other attractions in the town too - and some of them had already begun to feel the impact before the lockdown measures were introduced. John Ford, who has run Tudor World since 2007, said for him the first sign of the problems to be caused by the pandemic came when French and Italian school parties started cancelling their visits. Mr Ford has since closed the museum and furloughed four members of staff. "I think it is not knowing when we were going to open, we can't plan," he said. "I could probably cope until the end of June, I would have to subsidise it from my personal finances... because our fixed costs are still there." Also affected by cancelled continental school parties was Stratford Butterfly Farm. Despite being closed to the public, marketing manager Jane Kendrick said the farm still had weekly outgoings of £4,000, as some members of staff have remained on site daily to care for its animal attractions. "Coming out of the February half term into March is when visitor numbers usually start to pick up," she said. "To put it into context, this time last year we were making £10,000 per week." As well as the visitor attraction, the farm also has a business importing pupae from the tropics and distributing them to attractions in Europe. It was able to get a delivery for the first time in two weeks last weekend. "We thought our biggest battle this year would be Brexit," Ms Kendrick said. "This has completely floored us." Some business owners fear the end of lockdown will not be the end of their financial worries. Nigel Lambert, who runs restaurants Vintner, Lambs and The Opposition, with partner Marcos Torres, said he had concerns about how they would operate if distancing measures continued once the doors were open. "I don't think restaurants and bars will be able to operate until there is a vaccine," he said. "If we reopen with social distancing, we still have to pay rent, lighting, power, wages and yet we will probably be doing 20% of the turnover we would normally do. It is not viable, it wouldn't work." Mr Pemberton, the deputy council leader, said it was always likely the town would suffer. "This stands to reason because many of our key businesses are in the tourism and hospitality sectors, which will be the last out of lockdown," he said. "And the automotive and manufacturing sectors will be deeply affected by the inevitable worldwide slowdown. "We've already started doing the critical thinking, our future decisions will be crucial to supporting and enabling recovery and we are already shaping our economic plans by engaging with businesses, local authority partners and other key stakeholders. "At the same time we are already lobbying our local MPs and central government about the issues that we will face in the future." A West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute report has estimated Stratford-upon-Avon would see a 46% reduction in its Gross Value Added - the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area - in the second quarter of the year. Rebecca Riley, who co-authored the report, said recovery would depend on how lockdown progressed. "A lot of forecasters and commentators believe the last thing to come out will be tourism," she said. "With Stratford somewhere that relies on international visitors, there may be some rules and regulations on travel, and until they are lifted, Stratford will continue to suffer." She said many organisations would already be looking at how to "bounce back" after lockdown was lifted, with Stratford no exception. "Stratford should look at less international, more local," she said. "How do they rebalance their tourism strategy or procurement strategy to make their offer more attractive to local tourists? "I can't imagine the environment for people going abroad for holidays will change, so they will need to make more of the staycation." Denise and Andrew Perkin have run White Sails bed and breakfast in Stratford-upon-Avon since 2013 and took the decision to close their business on 20 March. Although they admitted money had been a "big worry", they were optimistic about a future after lockdown. The couple have looked at measures they could introduce should they be able to open under social distancing, such as offering fewer rooms and separating tables. Although there have been cancellations, Mrs Perkin said she was hopeful customers would return once the restrictions had been lifted. "Most people we have had a phone call from are booking for later in the year or next year," she said. "They want to come back, they just can't at the moment," she said. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

स्ट्रेटफोर्ड-अपोन-एवन, जो विलियम शेक्सपियर के जन्मस्थान के रूप में सालाना 60 लाख आगंतुकों को आकर्षित करता है, इस साल कोरोनावायरस और लॉकडाउन के कारण अपनी लगभग आधी आय खो सकता है, विशेषज्ञों ने गणना की है।


Isle of Man donates after Bangladesh flooding

Summary: The Isle of Man Overseas Aid committee has donated £50,000 to help charities deal with the effects of flash flooding and landslides in Bangladesh.

The move comes after the south-east region of the country was badly hit by heavy monsoon rain at the end of June. More than 100 people are reported to have died in the disaster, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The Isle of Man donation has been given to two charities working in the area - Christian Aid and Plan UK. Committee chairman Phil Gawne said the donation would help deal with both the immediate and long-term fall out. He added: "The funding will go towards provision of emergency food supplies, emergency water purification and sanitation supplies, cash transfers for essential items and health care, and maintenance of schooling for children."

आइल ऑफ मैन विदेशी सहायता समिति ने बांग्लादेश में अचानक आई बाढ़ और भूस्खलन के प्रभावों से निपटने में दानदाताओं की मदद के लिए 50,000 पाउंड का दान दिया है।