Prefab homes: Are they set for a comeback?

Summary: Are prefabs getting a new lease of life?

By Sarah DickinsBBC Wales economics correspondent Thousands of factory-built temporary homes were erected after World War Two - and many lasted for years. But the concept of pre-made and flat-packed homes for the 21st Century is part of the Welsh Government's housing plans. It is allocating £45m to try to increase the number of affordable, sustainably-built houses. But rather than the "tin towns" of old, which would no longer be considered environmentally friendly, these would be made from Welsh wood. They would be cheap to run, reducing fuel poverty, with bills expected to be about £100 a year compared with the current average annual UK fuel bill of £1,350. It is also argued that this style of housing better for the environment. About 27% of carbon emissions in the UK come from housing. Materials like concrete, plastic window frames and some forms of insulation are all carbon intensive. Using locally-grown wood and insulation from natural materials are considered to be less damaging for the environment. Also, evidence suggests houses that are made in factories produce much less waste and have higher levels of safety. What were traditional prefabs about? Read more at The Prefab Museum The Welsh Government has an ambition to build 20,000 affordable homes by next year, but said it wants to "build more and to build better". Housing Minister Julie James said: "The significant investment we're making in the modular housing industry will enable us to do that." She said modern methods of construction mean the new-style prefabs are "high quality, desirable and energy efficient, affordable homes that tenants can be proud of". The aim is for far more council and social homes to be built at "scale and pace", overcoming the capacity constraints faced by traditional house builders. SO Modular in Neath makes panels and roof and floor timbers for 750 homes each year, in south Wales, London, Bristol and the north of England. The timber all comes from local sources, as far as possible. Charlotte Hale, operations director, said: "They're far more advanced than [traditional] prefab panels. We can operate up to three shifts and the weather doesn't affect us at all. This is definitely the way forward. "We're investing a lot in this factory and we'll have a training centre here to develop skills in the industry - in conjunction with Neath Port Talbot College and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Skills are fundamental to modular construction working." The Welsh Government wants homes built more sustainably and Welsh timber used, rather than imports from places like Scandinavia. Not only would that reduce emissions from transporting timber but it would create jobs in the forestry sector in Wales, helping the economy. Ministers would presumably like the private sector to follow suit. In the meantime, it is using its money to try to bring about a change in the way we build homes and to "kick-start" these methods into the construction mainstream.

क्या प्रीफैब्स को नया जीवन मिल रहा है?


Asbestos 'slows down' former St Nicholas House HQ demolition in Aberdeen

Summary: The demolition of Aberdeen City Council's former headquarters has been "slowed down" by the discovery of asbestos, the local authority has said.

Asbestos has been found in some of the divisions between units of windows at St Nicholas House. Work on the tower has slowed, but is continuing elsewhere on the site. More than 1,000 council staff vacated the 14-storey building, erected in 1968, for the newly-refurbished Marischal College building in 2011. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the discovery. A council spokesperson said: "This discovery was entirely unexpected and could not have been reasonably foreseen. "There is no risk to public health."

स्थानीय प्राधिकरण ने कहा है कि एबरडीन सिटी काउंसिल के पूर्व मुख्यालय के विध्वंस को एस्बेस्टस की खोज से "धीमा" कर दिया गया है।


The Reverend Philip North appointed Bishop of Whitby

Summary: The Reverend Philip North has been appointed as the new Anglican Bishop of Whitby.

He will succeed the Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner, who was appointed Bishop of Chichester in May. Father North, 45, studied at the University of York and was ordained into the ministry in 1992. He is currently team rector of the parish of Old St Pancras, London, and was previously the vicar of Holy Trinity in Hartlepool.

रेवरेंड फिलिप नॉर्थ को व्हिटबी के नए एंग्लिकन बिशप के रूप में नियुक्त किया गया है।


Why Saudi rulers feel under siege

Summary: The Arab Spring has seen seemingly indomitable leaderships toppled and a mass call, particularly among young people, for reform. Its fallout has left the leaders of Saudi Arabia feeling under siege, as Middle East analyst Roger Hardy explains.

Consider how the world looks to Saudi Arabia's frail and aging ruler, King Abdullah. Enemies lurk everywhere. The Arab Spring has unleashed forces which no-one can control, and from which no Arab state is immune. Iran is deemed to be stirring every pot, from Lebanon to Bahrain. Neighbouring Yemen is increasingly unstable - and plays host to a branch of al-Qaeda which threatens Saudi security. Barack Obama's America is seen as betraying the Saudi kingdom in its hour of need. Saudi Arabia, in short, is under siege - and King Abdullah's instinct is to batten down the hatches. Echoes from the past In some ways, Saudi rulers have been here before. In the 1950s and 1960s, a wave of Arab nationalism emanating from Egypt swept over the Middle East - threatening the pro-Western monarchies such as the House of Saud with destruction. Then, too, the kingdom felt encircled by hostile forces. Then, too, petro-dollars and Western support were weak tools for fending off trouble. Not that oil wealth does not sometimes come in handy. One of King Abdullah's responses to the Arab Spring has been massive hand-outs to keep his people sweet. Moreover, the kingdom has more reason than ever to use cheque-book diplomacy in a bid to win friends and influence people throughout the region. But such measures may not be enough. If money could buy the kingdom's way out of trouble, its position might be less precarious. But, with the exception of tiny Bahrain, its influence is limited. By intervening in Bahrain, with money and troops to crush a Shia insurrection, the king sought to protect one of his flanks - and shore up his defences against what he sees as undue Iranian influence. But in the longer run, Saudi intervention may make things worse - adding to the sense of grievance among the Bahraini opposition and needlessly escalating tension with Tehran. An uncertain legacy The king seems conscious of his own mortality. He wants to leave Saudi Arabia in better shape than when he found it - which explains his promise to Saudi women that they will eventually get the vote. He may be an unlikely reformer but he is, in Saudi terms, a reformer nevertheless. He has never shared the severely puritanical view of Islam of his country's Wahhabi religious establishment. But his legacy is uncertain. The two senior princes next in line to the throne - his half-brothers Sultan, the defence minister, and Nayef, the interior minister - are distinctly less reform-minded. They might be willing to sacrifice women's rights for the sake of appeasing religious conservatives. That would be dangerous. Young Saudis, like young Arabs everywhere, want change. Like their counterparts in Tunis and Cairo, they want jobs and dignity and greater freedom of expression. Sealing off Arabia - returning it to the isolation of the past - is not an option. Roger Hardy is a visiting fellow at LSE's Centre for International Studies.

अरब स्प्रिंग ने देखा है कि अदम्य नेतृत्व को गिरा दिया गया है और सुधार के लिए, विशेष रूप से युवाओं के बीच, एक बड़े पैमाने पर आह्वान किया गया है। इसके पतन ने सऊदी अरब के नेताओं को घेराबंदी के तहत महसूस किया है, जैसा कि मध्य पूर्व के विश्लेषक रोजर हार्डी बताते हैं।


Brexit: Who or what could be ‘chucked’?

Summary: Brexiteers have had great success in commanding headlines with their "Chuck Chequers" campaign. Consign your Brexit blueprint to the dustbin, embrace a more traditional free trade deal and you will unite Conservatives, goes the argument to Theresa May.

Nicholas WattNewsnight political editor@nicholaswatton Twitter In Brussels there is talk of how the prime minister may have to do a bit of chucking of a rather different variety. One veteran wonders whether her route to a Brexit deal may ultimately come down to a choice between chucking one of two options: the Democratic Unionist Party or her international trade secretary Liam Fox. The thinking is that, in the end, there will be no choice between those two options. The prime minister would stand by the DUP and be prepared to wave goodbye to Dr Fox. Thoughts around a new chucking have arisen because officials in Brussels can see - amid the haze of the fiendishly complex Brexit negotiations - the outlines of a deal. But it will involve compromises on both sides. And that is where the chucking comes in, with a bit of that by the EU side too. Who to chuck? If the prime minister were to endorse the EU's plan to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland - the so called "backstop" - she would have to chuck the DUP. The current EU plan is to keep Northern Ireland in the EU customs union and parts of the single market to guarantee no checks on the Northern Irish border. That would involve additional checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Democratic Unionist Party - the clue is in the middle part of the name - is adamant that it will never agree to checks that would place additional barriers within the United Kingdom. It is dawning on the EU that most GB politicians agree with Theresa May that no UK prime minister could sign up to this. So chucking the DUP is not an option. If the EU's version of the backstop falls then the UK's backstop comes into play. And that's where Liam Fox enters the picture. The UK is asking for the whole of the UK to enter into a customs arrangement with the EU which would would be half in and half out of the customs union. The UK would observe the common external tariff but would be out of the common commercial policy. This is designed to allow Dr Fox to sign trade deals around the world after Brexit. The EU is adamant that it will not agree to a half-in-half-out version of the customs union arrangement. One EU source tells me: "You can't accept EU tariffs on goods and then run around the world trying to cut your own trade deals." So the UK would have to abide by the common commercial policy, severely limiting Dr Fox's ability to sign trade deals. That might mean chucking Dr Fox unless he is happy to limit his jobs to signing deals on services for as long as this version of the backstop lasts. The chucking doesn't end there. The EU would have to chuck its current stance that a UK-wide customs arrangement could not be included in the withdrawal agreement that is under negotiation. The EU is insisting that only its version of the backstop can be included in that agreement and the UK's idea would have to wait for the future trade deal that is due to be finalised after Brexit. That is unacceptable to the UK because the withdrawal agreement would lead to an international treaty. So anything outside that treaty may not have legal force. I understand that EU officials are open to showing some flexibility in this area. If progress is made, if the UK compromises, then the EU could look seriously at including a modified version of a UK-wide customs arrangement in the withdrawal treaty. That could be a hugely significant step. Nothing is ever straightforward with Brexit so the chucking options may never materialise. The UK insists, for example, that the UK-wide customs arrangement should be time limited with a clear mechanism for it to end once a UK-EU trade deal is agreed. The EU insists that the Northern Ireland backstop should be "all weather" - a guarantee that it will apply indefinitely if a future trade deal fails to guarantee no hard border in Northern Ireland. The Brexit talks will pick up, but there are ever present pitfalls as Theresa May found out overnight when she responded favourably to an EU suggestion to extend the transition period. The prime minister did that to give more time to discuss the future trade deal during the transition. Success there would mean the backstop would never be needed, in No 10's eyes. The furore back in the UK however, shows that making moves in Brussels can have major consequences on home soil. You can watch Newsnight on BBC 2 weekdays 22:30 or on Iplayer. Subscribe to the programme on YouTube or follow them on Twitter.

ब्रेक्साइटरों को अपने "चक चेकर्स" अभियान के साथ सुर्खियों में आने में बड़ी सफलता मिली है। अपने ब्रेक्सिट ब्लूप्रिंट को कूड़ेदान में डालें, एक अधिक पारंपरिक मुक्त व्यापार सौदे को अपनाएं और आप कंजर्वेटिवों को एकजुट करेंगे, थेरेसा मे को तर्क देते हैं।


Wood Group secures Saudi Aramco contract extension

Summary: Wood Group has secured a five-year deal to continue providing engineering and project management services to Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil firm Saudi Aramco.

The Aberdeen-based oil services company said the multi-million dollar framework agreement involved onshore capital programmes. The contract also includes three one-year extension options. The services will be supported by Wood Group's office in Al Khobar. Wood Group first won a contract to provide general engineering services for Saudi Aramco in 2010. Dave Stewart, from Wood Group, said: "This contract renewal demonstrates Wood Group's proven technical and engineering capabilities in working with Saudi Aramco to deliver projects and modifications, automation and control, pipeline and industrial engineering over the last five years." In 2015, Wood Group was awarded an offshore contract with Saudi Aramco for greenfield and brownfield engineering services, procurement and construction management support for new facilities in the Arabian Gulf.

वुड ग्रुप ने सऊदी अरब की सरकारी तेल कंपनी सऊदी अरामको को इंजीनियरिंग और परियोजना प्रबंधन सेवाएं प्रदान करना जारी रखने के लिए पांच साल का सौदा हासिल किया है।


Tube strike: 14 ways to overcome it

Summary: A Tube workers' strike - in protest at ticket office closures and the lost of 960 jobs - is set to severely disrupt the lives of Londoners and visitors to the capital for 48 hours from 21:00 BST. But the city can still be navigated - here are 14 ways to get around London without using the Tube.

By Ed DaveyBBC News, London 1. Get the low down You can get regular travel updates from the BBC London 94.9 travel team. You can also follow any disruption on the award-winning BBC London travel Twitter feed or on the BBC London Travel Page. And, of course, BBC London's Local Live service will be pulling much of this information together. 2. Catch the bus Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life, said somebody, although exactly who remains a matter of dispute. However, we can all agree the maxim does not apply on Tube strike day. Some 100 extra bus services will be provided on key routes. And make sure your pay-as-you-go Oyster card is topped up as a number of routes do not take cash. 3. Ride a bike Contrary to what some believe, the chances of anything awful happening to you on two wheels are relatively small, even in London. Transport for London is urging people to ride a bike. But be warned, during past Tube strikes, the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme has proved very popular. 4. Don't go to the office You could "work" from home (pot of tea, long bath, annoying the cat with your unexpected presence). Perhaps tell your boss that you are actually "more productive" at home and cite the London School of Economics to back up what some might consider a rather iffy assertion. 5. Catch the Tube Transport for London says it hopes to run some services. In the past, parts of some lines have stayed open, due to staff not being members of unions. Whether or not this transpires remains to be seen, but look for updates on the day. 6. Fly - sort of The Emirates Air Line - a cable car which connects the Greenwich Peninsular and the Royal Docks - will be open as usual and London Underground tickets will be accepted on its services. So, if you have a travelcard (they are not normally accepted on the cable car) and you just fancy checking out the view, it's a good day to go. 7. Grab a taxi A marshalled taxi service will operate at eight rail stations: Euston, Waterloo, Liverpool St, London Bridge, King's Cross, Victoria, Charing Cross, and Marylebone. The marshals will manage taxi and passenger queues and provide advice and assistance to taxi passengers. All black cabs have to be tall enough to accommodate a passenger wearing a bowler hat. 8. Stay with a friend If you work in central London and happen to be friendly with any oligarchs, why not stay with them the night before to avoid the journey completely? 9. London Overground Transport for London says Overground services will continue as normal. However, stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected. The Overground travels through 21 of London's 33 boroughs, and 30% of all Londoners are within a 15-minute walk of a station. 10. Take to the water Slow let us trace the matchless vale of Thames, Fair winding up to where the Muses haunt, wrote 18th century poet James Thompson. London is home to one of the world's most famous rivers, so why not use it? Enhanced river services will be in place for the duration of the strike. 11. Use a map Transport for London says walking "may be an option" for shorter journeys. You might not be aware how close your destination actually is having never gone there except by Tube - apparently 30% of Londoners take longer routes than they need to because distances are misrepresented on the Tube map. 12. Docklands Light Railway A normal service will operate but, as with the Overground, stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected by the strike. More than half a billion journeys have been made on the the DLR since it opened in 1987. Curiously, one of the stations is called Mudchute. 13. Take a good book, make sure your tablets, phones and e-readers are charged Let's face it, the chances are you will face some delays. So it could be the perfect opportunity for you to finish that book, get your best ever Candy Crush score or do some online shopping. 14. Move out of London For all of its charms, and although it somehow muddles along, the capital city is in many ways a very testing place to live. The 48-hour strike is due to begin at 21:00 GMT on 28 April. The second 72-hour strike is planned to start at 21:00 GMT on 5 May.

एक ट्यूब श्रमिकों की हड़ताल-टिकट कार्यालय बंद होने और 960 नौकरियों के खोने के विरोध में-लंदनवासियों और बीएसटी से 48 घंटों के लिए राजधानी आने वाले आगंतुकों के जीवन को गंभीर रूप से बाधित करने के लिए तैयार है। लेकिन शहर को अभी भी नेविगेट किया जा सकता है-यहाँ ट्यूब का उपयोग किए बिना लंदन के चारों ओर जाने के 14 तरीके हैं।


What is 2018's word of the year?

Summary: What do you think of when you hear the word " single-use "? Plastic bottles, bags? The environment?

Collins Dictionary lexicographers named it word of the year, after a four-fold rise in its use over five years. They say news stories and the BBC's Blue Planet II have raised awareness of the issue of one-time use plastic. "Gaslight" (to manipulate others) and "Gammon" (an insult to describe white middle-aged, pro-Brexit supporters) were among the words shortlisted. You may also like:

जब आप "एकल-उपयोग" शब्द सुनते हैं तो आप क्या सोचते हैं? प्लास्टिक की बोतलें, थैले? पर्यावरण?


Celibacy debate rages, but change unlikely

Summary: Bishop Edward Daly has now added his voice to a growing chorus of Catholic leaders and commentators across the world calling for an end to the church's requirement that priests should remain unmarried and celibate.

By William CrawleyBBC NI religious affairs presenter Why he waited to the age of 77 to share this conviction with us is anybody's guess. The Catholic Church in Ireland was quick to point out that the retired bishop of Derry is "speaking in a personal capacity". Indeed he is, but he's not alone. I presented Tuesday's edition of the Nolan Show and asked the public, particularly the Catholics in our radio audience, to tell us what they thought of Bishop's Daly's comments. The response was almost unanimously in support of his call for reform. In the past few years, I've lost count of the number of priests who have privately expressed the same conviction. Some have gone public, but most say they feel unable to speak out on the subject. Perhaps the most highly-placed Catholic leader to call for a re-examination of the traditional ban on married priests is the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, whose former theology professor is now pope. When, last year, he published an article which appeared to challenge the current rule of compulsory celibacy, Cardinal Schönborn was forced to issue a clarification: He was simply calling for a healthy debate. Some close to him later claimed he'd been nobbled by the Vatican. Speaking out But Edward Daly, as a retired bishop, has more freedom to share his current views with us than a serving Cardinal-Archbishop. The argument he offers for changing the church's practice is an old one - it was considered and rejected by Pope Paul VI in his 1967 encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus ("On the celibacy of the priest"). Bishop Daly said he is worried about the decreasing number of priests and the requirement of compulsory celibacy is part of the reason why so many otherwise well-qualified candidates for the priesthood are walking away from the church. In short, the priesthood forces men to choose between God and family. It is undoubtedly true that some young men currently struggling with what they believe is a vocation to the priesthood will, after painful reflection, decide that that requirement of celibacy is a rule - a personal sacrifice - too far. A church divided The controversy about married priests is one of the longest-running debates in the history of the Catholic Church. Gregory VII, the great reforming pope of the 11th Century, is often described as the architect of clerical celibacy, but it is clear that the case for an unmarried priesthood was being made within the Catholic Church for centuries before Pope Gregory's reforms. Supporters of the new rule found evidence for the policy in the celibacy modelled by Christ himself and in the guidance of the early apostles, including St Paul, who once wrote: "An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs - how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can please his wife - and his interests are divided." (I Corinthians 7: 32) Since the 11th century, the Roman Catholic Church has required priests to remain celibate, while other churches, including the Eastern Orthodox churches, have permitted clerical marriage (though, in the case of the Orthodox Communion, bishops are required to remain unmarried). The Catholic Church's rule is just that - a rule, a discipline, not a doctrine or a dogma, which means that the church is free to change that practice if or when it believes change is necessary. Old subject, new debate If this is an old debate, it is equally true that it is still a very current one. That's because the celibacy issue has been set in stark relief by its relation to other contemporary controversies. First, there's the clerical abuse crisis, and the widespread sense that compulsory celibacy is at least part of the problem. This has been roundly challenged by the Vatican and by some recent academic studies. In a major new report published earlier this year, researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York concluded that compulsory celibacy itself was not the cause of the abuse crisis, but found that many seminaries had failed to prepare priests for a celibate life. Others disagree. The theologian Fr Hans Küng, who was stripped of his licence to teach Catholic theology in 1979 after he rejected the doctrine of papal infallibility, argues that celibacy is not the only cause of clerical abuse, but described it as "the most important and structurally the most decisive expression of the church's repressive attitude to sex". Second, there is the fact that some Catholic priests are married. Former Anglican priests who left the Anglican Communion after it changed its laws to permit women to serve as priests and bishops have been received into the Catholic Church by a special papal dispensation and ordained as Roman Catholic priests even though some of them are married with children. I recently interviewed one such priest, ministering in England, who has nine children. Galling He's been told by the Catholic Church that he should live with his wife and family as a husband and father, without any requirement of celibacy. Can you imagine how galling it must be for some Catholic priests to look on as their church permits some of their priestly brothers to enjoy a married life, while they are required to remain single, celibate and, in some cases, lonely and isolated? Third, there is a vocation crisis. Not in every part of the Catholic world, for sure, but in many parts of the west, including Ireland, the church is struggling to persuade young Catholic men to join the priesthood. Where celibacy once looked heroic and sacrificial, it can now appear weird and unnatural. Those may look like good reasons to change the church's practice to permit married priests, but I wouldn't expect change any day soon. Clerical opponents will consider any reform an insult to those priests who have faithfully lived celibate lives (and there are many). And it is a truism of Vatican politics that the Catholic hierarchy thinks in centuries, not decades.

बिशप एडवर्ड डेली ने अब दुनिया भर में कैथोलिक नेताओं और टिप्पणीकारों के बढ़ते कोरस में अपनी आवाज़ जोड़ी है जो चर्च की आवश्यकता को समाप्त करने का आह्वान कर रहे हैं कि पुजारियों को अविवाहित और ब्रह्मचारी रहना चाहिए।


Russian backlash over Putin booing denial

Summary: Sometimes key moments in politics happen in the strangest of places and at unexpected times. Some Russia analysts are now asking whether a martial arts fight in Moscow's Olimpisky Arena last Sunday night was one of those moments.

By Daniel SandfordBBC News, Moscow The event was a mixed martial arts fight between Russia's Fedor Emelianenko and America's Jeff "The Snowman" Monson. It turned out the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in the crowd. He is almost certain to return to the presidency in the elections in March, after his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, agreed not to stand in order to give him a free run. Emelianenko won the fight and Vladimir Putin climbed into the ring to congratulate him, and that was when the unthinkable happened. The crowd booed the previously untouchable prime minister as he started to speak, and continued to boo him except when he was praising Emilianenko. The whole thing was broadcast live on the state-owned television channel Rossiya 2. In all subsequent replays of the fight, and edited news broadcasts, the booing was cut out but the genie was out of the bottle. A clip from Rossiya 2's live broadcast appeared on YouTube and has been viewed 2.5m times. A similar clip filmed by someone in the crowd, in which the booing is even more prominent, is also very popular. There were attempts to restrict the damage. It was suggested that the martial arts supporters had, in fact, been booing the American loser Monson, and this explanation was repeated in many Russian newspapers. Outraged fans And that is where the story gets really interesting because some Russians, outraged at what they saw as a suggestion that they had shown disrespect to an honourable loser, have bombarded Monson's Facebook Wall with supportive messages, many of them in English, and many of them attacking Vladimir Putin. Denis Kir from Mezhdurechensk wrote: "You are great! Putin is just stupid and we booed Putin." Tanya Kuu from Kolomna added: "People in Russia don't respect Putin's mode now." Artem Dzyuba from Moscow said: "It's clearly heard the crowd was outraged by the prime minister. "His corrupted government, muppet courts, punishers in police clothes, pocket electoral commissions and people of his clan at all the most important and profitable chairs - it all drives us crazy!" Paul Protsenko, a student in Yaroslavl, declared that the 21st of November had been the "greatest date for our country because Putin the first time was whistled and shamed!", adding "Russia must be free". Valentin Dombrovsky mentioned Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov: "Come and tell Mr Peskov that he is wrong, Jeff. And you may punch him once or twice for his mean lies." One user posted that it was a "Facebook flashmob". Something stirring? Opposition demonstrations in Russia can usually muster only a few hundred diehard supporters. Much of the anti-government political debate takes place online, on Livejournal, Facebook and the Russian equivalent, Vkontakte. But the attempt to suggest that the crowd had booed a respected sporting opponent rather than the prime minister clearly touched a chord with thousands of ordinary people. The messages left by Russians on Monson's Facebook Wall now number in the thousands. They do not all criticise Vladimir Putin, but none of them praise him. Something could be stirring in Russian politics, but probably too late to change the outcome of next year's presidential election.

कभी-कभी राजनीति में महत्वपूर्ण क्षण सबसे अजीब स्थानों पर और अप्रत्याशित समय पर होते हैं। रूस के कुछ विश्लेषक अब पूछ रहे हैं कि क्या पिछले रविवार की रात मास्को के ओलंपिक अखाड़े में मार्शल आर्ट की लड़ाई उन क्षणों में से एक थी।


When did the length of time prisoners serve in jail change?

Summary: The debate around how long an offender should spend in jail and out on licence has been going for centuries. But when - and why - did the length of time prisoners serve in jail actually change?

By Emma HallettBBC News It is South Carolina in the 1990s. A parole applicant appears before the board. He shuffles into the room in leg irons with red and green lights ahead of him. Before he can open his mouth the board members hit switches igniting the red lights. For the time being, he is to remain behind bars. In the United States there are thousands of people serving life-without-parole sentences. Yet early release on parole has been a feature of the English penal system for many years. In 1948 it was decided prisoners should be released once they had served two thirds of their sentence. At this time there was no parole and they were released without being on licence. Then in 1967 the Criminal Justice Act introduced the Parole Board and prisoners had the possibility of parole between a third and two-thirds into their sentence. The board was the creation of two pressures coming together - a wish to find ways of reducing prison populations and a genuine belief in rehabilitation. "Those things in the 1960s were really important and in tune with the thinking of the time - that you could change the behaviour of an offender if you adopted the right approach," Stephen Shute, professor of criminal law and criminal justice at the University of Sussex, said. In 1984, then 20-year-old David Shaw - now David Honeywell - was getting his first taste of the parole system. He had served 10 months of a 30 month prison sentence for attempted robbery. "There were a lot of people not being given parole at this time," he said. "I was a first time offender, so that was in my favour, but a lot of guys who I was with weren't and a lot didn't get parole." But within six months he was recalled after making a threatening comment to his probation officer and served the rest of his sentence back in prison. While there was a general view that supervision after leaving prison was a good idea, it seemed there were a number of problems with the system. This led to the Carlisle Committee being set up, which would go on to underpin the 1991 Criminal Justice Act. There was a recognition that not many people were actually getting out at the one third point, and they were tending to be realised half way through their sentence, or afterwards. "It was thought, wouldn't it be better to have a system which recognises the reality of the situation and doesn't raise the hopes of prisoners and their families unnecessarily," Prof Shute said. "The solution seemed to be to remove all the short term cases from the parole system and focus attention on the cases that matter, where there is likely to be a higher risk to the public." The 1991 Criminal Justice Act provided that any person serving a sentence of four years or more, would serve half of their period in custody - where previously it had been a third - and would then become eligible to apply for early release. By 1998, Mr Honeywell was back inside, sentenced to five years after committing wounding with intent. This time he served half of his sentence in jail before being released on parole. He was subject to stricter provisions on his parole licence and told he must address his "offending behaviour". But he struggled with life outside and committed several offences - including assault. He said he had become "reacquainted with the Newcastle underworld", but this time he was not recalled. "They [probation] were more optimistic and felt like they could work with me and it paid off," he said. "I was in for longer that time and I got an education." Mr Honeywell now guest lectures about his experiences and teaches at the University of York, but thinks his rehabilitation could have been speeded up had he been kept in jail for longer in the 1980s. "I was doing education then, but that got interrupted by the parole and as soon as I came out I was getting drunk, I wasn't going anywhere, so I would have been better off being kept in," he said. "I wouldn't say that would suit everybody, but for me, I needed to be kept in longer." Throughout the 1990s the debate about not keeping prisoners in jail unnecessarily versus a threat to the public continued. Another strand of thinking was that parole undermined 'honesty in sentencing', where a custodial term was announced in court that did not reflect the period of time the offender would actually serve in jail. But it was argued that if you took that idea to its extreme - that there should be no parole - then you are left with the problem of people whose risk is unpredictable, and when it is safe to release them. And so in 2005 the provisions of the 2003 Criminal Justice Act were introduced. It said that any prisoners serving a determinate sentence would serve half of their sentence in custody, be released at the halfway point and remain on licence for the other half of the sentence. For those serving an indeterminate prison sentence, the court would set a minimum term of imprisonment before the offender can become eligible to be considered for parole. The Ministry of Justice said changes made to the system have seen sentences get longer and Nicola Padfield, reader in Criminal and Penal Justice at Cambridge University, argues half a sentence on parole is "not a soft touch". "It's not just come out and it is all over, some prisoners think it is tougher to serve their sentence in the community, on license, than it is in prison," she said. "Prisoners may be recalled either because of allegations of further offending, which may later be withdrawn, or for breaching conditions of their licence. "It is definitely not easy to lead a law-abiding life on release, particularly with little money and little support." Last year, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced proposals to end automatic release at the halfway point for those serving prison sentences for certain offences including the most serious child sex offences and terrorism-related offences. And so the debate around parole goes on. "These arguments come around and around and around...arguments made years ago are just given new clothes and it will ever be thus," Prof Shute concluded.

यह बहस सदियों से चल रही है कि एक अपराधी को कब तक जेल में रहना चाहिए और लाइसेंस पर बाहर रहना चाहिए। लेकिन जेल में कैदियों की सेवा की अवधि वास्तव में कब और क्यों बदली?


Aberdeen CCTV images released as police hunt woman's attacker

Summary: Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in connection with an assault on a woman in Aberdeen.

The 26-year-old was attacked near Union Square shopping centre in the early hours of Saturday 3 October last year. The man police would like to trace is described as white, about 6ft tall, and of a broad build. He spoke with an eastern European accent. Police Scotland is appealing for information. Related Internet Links Police Scotland Non Emergencies - Phone 101 - Police Scotland

पुलिस ने एबरडीन में एक महिला पर हमले के संबंध में एक व्यक्ति की सीसीटीवी छवियां जारी की हैं जिससे वे बात करना चाहते हैं।


The app changing the dating scene for India's disabled people

Summary: In India, people with disabilities are often invisible in day-to-day life, despite numbering tens of millions. Here, the BBC's Ayeshea Perera meets the makers of Inclov, an app that is seeking to give people with disabilities more opportunities to socialise.

"How many of you need alcohol to tell the truth?" The assembled crowd at Kitty Su, an upmarket nightclub in the capital Delhi, giggles nervously. But apprehensions soon vanish, and a spirited game of Truth or Dare begins, where nothing seems off the table - from confessions about browser histories to speaking in "animal sounds". Not too long after, the DJ wheels himself to his console and a mix of Bollywood and English pop music begins pumping out. Wheelchairs and crutches notwithstanding, people begin making their way to the dance floor. This is the latest instalment of "social spaces", an initiative by Inclov - standing for inclusive love - a matchmaking app created for people with disabilities, although it also has a number of people without any disabilities on its platform. For many of those assembled at Kitty Su this is their first visit to a nightclub. "Once I was trying to go out with my friends to a pub in Kolkata to celebrate friendship day, but they didn't let me in saying that my wheelchair would make the other guests feel uncomfortable," says Manish Raj, 34, who is by his own estimation at his "seventh or eighth" social spaces event, which he says is a much more comfortable setting. "Many Indians with disabilities have restricted social lives from the time they are kids. It's not that they don't want to go out and do things, it's just that even something as simple as getting a cup of coffee is hard for them," says Shankar Srinivasan, who co-founded Inclov with his college friend Kalyani Khona. India is notoriously disability-unfriendly, in terms of infrastructure, attitudes and policy. Many families who have children with disabilities rarely take them out in public, as it is seen as a source of stigma and shame. This "invisibility" means that they are not automatically considered a part of public life, and people often to struggle to interact with or accommodate them, meaning that many times they end up being shunned instead. The idea for Inclov was born after Shankar and Kalyani decided they wanted to "do something in the matchmaking space" and realised very quickly that no-one was thinking about people with disabilities. They began with an "offline" agency called Wanted Umbrella which evolved into a static site and then a mobile app. "With almost 80 million people with disabilities just in India, we knew the only way to upscale was through tech," Mr Srinivasan says. But with no technical expertise or money, the two of them raised money through a crowdfunding campaign where they were able to raise 615,000 rupees (£6,976; $8,998) to hire an app developer. They then conducted extensive interviews with a number of people with disabilities, trying to understand exactly what it was that they wanted from an app like this. When it launched in January 2016, it began with some 100 verified profiles of people and the community began growing. But soon Mr Srinivasan said they noticed something strange. While people were connecting with each other online and conducting conversations on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, nothing was translating into face-to-face meetings. "We realised too many external factors were at play. Safety is obviously an issue. And there are other considerations like infrastructure, interpreters, stigma and so on." That was when Inclov also decided to create spaces where the people registered on its app could actually interact with each other. They had their first meet-up at a cafe in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, with about five people. Since then they have carried out about 50 other events in cities across India, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur. The last event at Kitty Su had almost 50 people in attendance. "We try to create experiences for people, and also through these events, give them some level of access. So the next time they want to go out, they know that these places are available. They won't always need an Inclov," Mr Srinivasan says. The events all differ. They have taken place in varied venues, including hotels, cafes, beaches and even comedy clubs and karaoke bars. This has, according to the team, also helped convince establishments about the need to think about people with disabilities. The owners of the Kitty Su nightclub - at the Lalit hotel - for instance, have made sure that all their properties across India are wheelchair accessible and have provided their staff with sensitisation training. For the most part, the members of the community say Inclov has made a difference to their lives. Kritika Bali, 27, says that although she has always been a "daredevil", she has made a lot of close friends through the app and looks forwards to the social spaces meetings. But others feel that it could do more. Shrey Marwah, 26, says he feels that while the socialising is "fine", the community could be mobilised into doing more about addressing issues faced by disabled people. He also said he felt that the app did not accommodate disabled people from lower income communities. "Inclov in its current form is quite limited. It should also do more to connect disabled people like us with normal people. When I walk for instance, people look at me like I'm something alien. We need to use this platform to do more for acceptance. Also we should use our collective contacts to do more at a policy level to improve things for disabled people." But Mr Srinivasan says he is quite clear that he does not want Inclov to be a space for activism. "We are more about being problem solvers rather than going against the government. It is finally the mindset of people that matters, and through our events and so on, we open up perspectives and help change mindsets," he says. Disability rights activist Nipun Malhotra says he agrees with this perspective. "This is what is disappointing about India. Why does every disabled person in this country have to be an activist? The problem with any minority in this country is that you end up being an activist because no-one else does it for you. That is what needs to change. And sometimes all we want is just to be able to meet someone for a cup of coffee."

भारत में, लाखों की संख्या के बावजूद, विकलांग लोग अक्सर दिन-प्रतिदिन के जीवन में अदृश्य रहते हैं। यहाँ, बीबीसी की आयेशिया परेरा इंक्लोव के निर्माताओं से मिलती है, एक ऐप जो विकलांग लोगों को सामाजिक रूप से जुड़ने के अधिक अवसर देने की कोशिश कर रहा है।


The country where the British are blamed for everything

Summary: Conspiracy theories flourish all over the world but in some countries they appear to be more popular than in others. And in Afghanistan, says the BBC's Auliya Atrafi, they often feature sinister foreign powers - first and foremost, the British...

I grew up with conspiracy theories. Some of them very bizarre. Bruce Lee was poisoned by his wife, I was told, and when he sensed what she'd done, he tore her apart with his bare hands. I was also told that he could fly. And that Hitler was still alive - having escaped the Allies in a Jeep that transformed into a plane then a boat then a submarine, from which he was still sending the occasional message, declaring: "I will be back!" One theory, however, was particularly persistent - that the hand of the British was behind every evil in Afghanistan. As a child I wondered why this was, but after I moved to the UK in my 20s, I learned there were some good reasons for the suspicion. For centuries Afghanistan had been a buffer zone between the Russian and British empires. The two superpowers played out their Great Game of espionage and intrigue in this no man's land. When the map of modern Afghanistan was drawn, it is said, the Afghan King's opinion was hardly a consideration. Three Anglo-Afghan wars were fought before Afghanistan announced its independence in 1919 and the British left for good. Or did they? In the Afghan psyche, the British were still lurking in the shadows, spying on them, plotting, and still managing to manipulate their affairs for the worse. There were tales of secret agents disguised as imams misleading the pious, others posing as fortune tellers, of treasures hidden in shrines and guarded by men pretending to be beggars. This national obsession with conspiracy theories is not unique. A Kurdish friend told me that his mother would blame the British if a wall collapsed in their neighbourhood after a rainy night. Iranians had a character in a long-running soap opera, always paranoid that the British were plotting something. If you act too shrewdly in Bangladesh, my friends told me, people will call you English. In Kabul, we have a word for that too: Chucha E englis - malign English blood. However, since the beginning of the Afghan civil war in the 1980s our list of conspirators has expanded, and now includes Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, and of course the Americans. Repeated foreign interventions only made us more inventive. Find out more An Afghan taxi driver in London once complained that foreigners wanted to steal our oil and smuggle it out on passenger planes. For others it's uranium the foreigners are after. A judge in Afghanistan told me that Bin Laden was an American spy and was eventually killed because he knew too much. Others believe he is still alive on an idyllic island somewhere in America. Afghan generals talk of Nato supporting the Taliban with cash and guns - even claiming that translators who dare to talk of this are thrown from helicopters. There are tales of Nato forces buying drugs from Afghan smugglers and transporting them to the West in the bellies of dead soldiers - apparently a lucrative business for whole range of Western profiteers, including the British royal family. Last year I went to see a friend. His father is an old khan, a tribal chief from the east. After we drank green tea and exchanged pleasantries, I made the mistake of asking him about the presence of the so-called Islamic State group in their area. The khan recited a long speech, which I'd heard a million times before: "It's all a game between the ISI, the Americans and the British. And Afghans are paying the price," he asserted confidently. Rather puzzled, I asked: "But what will they gain from it all?" "They plan 50 years ahead, and we are not meant to understand," he insisted. "If it was that simple, then they would be stupid. We see signs of it, nonetheless, you know - the new blocs forming between Russia, Pakistan and China. "Think about it. In one week, the Americans were able to destroy the Taliban government - how is it that they can't get rid of the few insurgents hiding in the mountains?" Obviously thinking the argument was won, he looked away towards Mecca and started praying. There's always some outsider to blame. Recently, I was finishing my Friday prayers in Kabul with some other reporters when we got a message that a suicide bomber had targeted a Shia mosque. "Is it the work of IS?" I asked. "Or perhaps the work of Jews and Christians," another journalist suggested. I knew it was futile, but I asked anyway: "What good would that bring them?" "Two things," he said, this time sounding more assured. "Such acts would distance the believers from the places of worship… And also divide the Muslims." As we walked the badly paved roads inside the green zone, with our trousers rolled up after prayers and our prayer mats tucked under our arms, I was hit by a thought. That for a country so divided by languages, ethnicities and ideologies, there is still one thing that unites all Afghans - distrust of foreigners. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

षड्यंत्र के सिद्धांत दुनिया भर में पनपते हैं लेकिन कुछ देशों में वे दूसरों की तुलना में अधिक लोकप्रिय प्रतीत होते हैं। और अफगानिस्तान में, बीबीसी की औलिया अत्रफी कहती हैं, वे अक्सर भयावह विदेशी शक्तियों को प्रदर्शित करते हैं-सबसे पहले और सबसे महत्वपूर्ण, ब्रिटिश...


Scooter firms get a lesson in manners

Summary: The scooters first descended on San Francisco like bees on a hot dog stand roof: they caused annoyance, inconvenience and fascination - before ultimately having to be cleaned up by city officials.

Dave LeeNorth America technology reporter On Thursday those San Francisco officials made a big call: punishing the big players in scooters who chose not to seek permission to operate, while rewarding those which did. It was in March when Bird, Lime and Spin, backed by millions of dollars, placed hundreds of scooters all over the city - assuming that seeking forgiveness would be the best approach. It wasn’t. Their hopes of an Uber-esque explosion - whereby the new tech became so popular no-one would dare ban it for fear of a revolt - were dashed when San Francisco said “Enough!” and ordered the scooters off the streets. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) said it wasn’t opposed to scooters. It was just that the companies had to play within the city’s rules and desires over safety, reliability and accessibility. Firms that wanted to get a piece of this new opportunity were invited to submit their proposals. The best would be picked for a trial. Twelve applied. The SFMTA has now announced the winners. Lime and Bird, considered the leading names in on-demand scooters, were told they weren’t good enough. On several key criteria, they apparently came up short. Neither firm demonstrated a satisfactory plan for helping low-income residents use the service. Nor did the companies have a good strategy, the SFMTA felt, for promoting the use of helmets. There was also not enough being done to stop riders misbehaving - or for banning those who did. Spin fared slightly better, but it too was deemed unsatisfactory. Instead, the two firms awarded a one-year permit were Scoot and Skip. Scoot is already well-known to the people of the city having operated a moped rental service. Skip less so - it’s a scooter company that launched first in Washington DC before moving on to Portland, Oregon. It’s also testing in San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley. That’s far fewer cities than the dozens offered by Lime and Bird. Indeed, Lime accused the SFMTA of choosing "inexperienced scooter operators that plan to learn on the job, at the expense of the public good”. "I don’t think that’s true,” said Tom Maguire, director of SFMTA’s sustainable streets division. "These are operators with a proven track record.” ‘Being patient' When I reached Skip’s chief executive by phone on Thursday, he said his company’s slow roll-out wasn’t just intentional - it was polite. "You know, starting your process off by working with cities often means waiting and being patient before putting scooters on the ground,” Sanjay Dastoor told me. “We're based in San Francisco, but we actually first launched our scooters in Washington DC - and that's because we were able to work with DC to create a permit pilot programme for electric scooter sharing. "It's always been our intention from the beginning to work with cities collaboratively as the first step.” In San Francisco, where the general populace hates tech more than you might think, the scooters became a symbol of immense arrogance. While Uber was hugely disruptive, they were just cars. The scooters were a new sight, stored in places designed for pedestrians, and in your way whether you used them or not. In just over one month, residents logged 1,900 complaints with the city. "Complaints ranged from scooters blocking sidewalk access to unsafe riding in the public right-of-way,” the SFMTA said. "San Francisco Public Works had to impound more than 500 scooters that were blocking sidewalks or otherwise improperly parked.” Mr Maguire told the tech firms they must innovate to solve some of the problems scooters had created. In awarding the trials, the SFMTA said it was impressed by Scoot’s plan to "use swappable batteries instead of manually taking the scooters off the street for regular recharging”, which it said would reduce congestion. The scooters are charged by a network of people who drive around and pick them up, sometimes to be charged in front rooms, as I experienced myself recently. Skip proposed a plan to give a “50% discount for low-income users” and training in maintenance and management. Other ideas from Skip include incentives, like ride credits, to park the scooters in more favourable locations. Different picture in Santa Monica San Francisco wasn’t the only city making scooter decisions on Thursday. Santa Monica, the beautiful beach city near Los Angeles, said it would allow four companies to take part in a 16-month trial. The Shared Mobility Device Selection Committee chose Bird, Lime, Lyft and Jump (which is owned by Uber). In great contrast to San Francisco, Skip and Scoot performed poorly against Santa Monica’s criteria, which considered “experience” and “ability to launch” as key factors. And so it’s clear each city might make a different call on this one - as well they should. Every city is different. Creating policies that suit best its residents, rather than letting technology companies call the shots, is what people should demand - without fear of being branded “anti-innovation” or luddite. What scooters could represent, you might hope, is a shift from technology companies wearing rapid disruption as badge of honour, and instead displaying a modicum of respect for the institutions set up to protect and serve society. The streets are paid for by us, not them. And if tech companies don’t see it that way, city officials are at least showing signs of adapting to the challenges, having been caught on the back foot by the ride-sharing boom. "I think the change of attitude has been that we will continue to support and welcome innovation,” Mr Maguire says. “But we’ve been much more proactive in defining what the public interest is." _____ Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC Do you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370

स्कूटर पहले सैन फ्रांसिस्को में एक हॉट डॉग स्टैंड की छत पर मधुमक्खियों की तरह उतरेः वे झुंझलाहट, असुविधा और आकर्षण का कारण बने-अंततः शहर के अधिकारियों द्वारा साफ किए जाने से पहले।


Ipswich flat fire: Woman charged with attempted murder

Summary: A woman has been charged with attempted murder after a flat fire which left another woman with serious burns.

Emergency services were called to Fitzgerald Court, Ipswich, just before 03:45 BST on Monday. The injured woman, aged in her 30s, has been transferred from Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital to the Chelsea and Westminster burns unit. Fiona Foster, 33, of Old Foundry Road in Ipswich, has been remanded by the town's magistrates. She is also been charged with arson with intent/reckless as to whether life was endangered. She is due to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday. No pleas have been entered yet.

एक महिला पर एक फ्लैट में आग लगने के बाद हत्या के प्रयास का आरोप लगाया गया है, जिसमें एक अन्य महिला गंभीर रूप से जल गई थी।


£46m for projects supporting economy in Wales

Summary: Cardiff Airport is to get a £3m loan to develop flight routes as part of £46m Welsh government spending on projects to support the economy.

The money, from its £74m capital reserves, is the latest part of a £13m loan package to attract new airlines. Airbus will get £2.7m for training facilities at Swansea University and Coleg Cambria in Deeside, Flintshire. While transport projects in north Wales, including Llangefni link road on Anglesey, will also get £2.7m. The Welsh government will also set up loan funds for small businesses. Finance Minister Jane Hutt said the money would boost infrastructure priorities and deliver "real and long-term benefits for people".

कार्डिफ हवाई अड्डे को अर्थव्यवस्था का समर्थन करने के लिए परियोजनाओं पर £46m वेल्श सरकार के खर्च के हिस्से के रूप में उड़ान मार्गों को विकसित करने के लिए £3m ऋण प्राप्त करना है।


Alex Jones, Infowars, and the new public sphere

Summary: Alex Jones is not a journalist. Free speech has limits and is rooted in reality, not theory. Technology companies have changed their tune. Laws - and perhaps regulators - will have to catch up. In the new public sphere, it is a few companies, not governments, who act as censors.

Amol RajanMedia editor@amolrajanBBCon Twitter Through these fluid and arguable propositions the censoring of Infowars - an anti-establishment website founded and fronted by former radio personality Alex Jones - can begin to be understood. Let's take them in turn. Journalism encompasses many styles and moralities, but few of them have ever been so elastic as to embrace the practices of Jones and Infowars. Of course, reporters and hacks from time immemorial have lied, got things wrong, and spread hatred. But the specific method and motivation of Jones, which is to offer a counter-blast to majority opinion and build a community online, does not in my view count as journalism. Not even "commentary". Alex Jones is a conspiracy theorist. His relationship with the truth has long been that of a lawnmower with grass. He has caused terrible suffering. It is hard to imagine the pain endured by Veronique De La Rosa and Leonard Pozner, whose 6 year-old son Noah was killed at Sandy Hook. But to think that they have been targeted by online bullies, and suffered death threats, after Alex Jones put about the idea that they had killed their boy is just unconscionable. (They are now undertaking defamation proceedings; Jones is counter-suing for $100,000 in costs). The edges of freedom That, however, is a moral position. Ethics is morality in practice. How does the cruelty of Alex Jones affect journalistic ethics? It depends on your view of free speech. Free speech, being a branch of liberty, is a function of experience and experiment. Some people believe there should be no limits to it at all. Naturally, I don't take a position here on where the limits of free speech should be; but I will point out that democracies have tended to enact laws to curb its occasionally harmful consequences. Twitter won't ban InfoWars' Alex Jones YouTube, Facebook and iTunes drop InfoWars These laws have adapted, and been adopted by various people at various time according to circumstance. The edges of these laws are spaces and places contested by brave campaigners, muck-rakers, and idiots alike. And the reality of free speech is that it is rooted in specific habits, situations, and times, and people who hold a particular view at a particular time are liable to change that view, if the facts change. Technology companies used to talk in utopian terms about their capacity to spread freedom, connect the world and so on. Some still do. Most of those based in Silicon Valley emerged from a libertarian worldview. But as experience of their impact in the real world has accumulated, so the idealism has diminished (if not evaporated), and so, now, the approach to freedom - and specifically that of Alex Jones - has been updated. Step by step Those who have censored Alex Jones have changed their view - and done so at the end of a long process. Two years ago the likes of Facebook and Twitter were adamant that they were not media companies; that is, they did not strain into the domain of editorial judgements, sorry, journalism. That claim was always naïve and cowardly. Now it's exposed as false, too. Over the past few years, social media companies have employed thousands of people, called moderators, to enforce editorial standards of behaviour. Twitter's founder, Jack Dorsey, tweeted that he did not want his service - which has not banned Jones - to become "a service that's constructed by our personal views that can swing in any direction". Make no mistake. That is exactly what those who have banned Jones have become. Their personal views, even if discussed in a Boardroom, have created a policy through subjective assessments, which has then been enforced through the subjective application of agreed criteria. When Mark Zuckerberg was consulted about the decision on Jones, as he presumably was, he wouldn't have said "Do please check what the algorithm makes of it all". He would have thought, perhaps as a father, that someone who has caused bereaved parents to go into hiding was not someone his platform should help. Twitter describes its rules as "A Living Document". Key word, that: "living". Those who have censored Alex Jones this week have done so because the so-called policies they have arrived at, over a long period of time and through sometimes arbitrary choices, are a reflection of the lived experience of those who built them. And the lives of Silicon Valley types suggest that Alex Jones is a nasty piece of work. New rules, eventually Now that they are clearly making editorial judgements - while, remarkably, pretending not to - it is abundantly clear that regulators and lawmakers will jump on this as yet more reason to act. Note that Sharon White, the Chief Executive of Ofcom, wrote in The Times on 13 July that social media companies will have to be regulated. Expect to hear more on this from her in the coming months, because it was a significant intervention for her to make. Ofcom doesn't have the power to regulate this terrain as yet, and isn't seeking it. Granting such powers would require primary legislation in any case. And it is also a practical nightmare. One consequence of this week is that it radically strengthens the case for new laws, even if to encourage new regulation. Alex Jones has many fans. He is a divisive character, repulsive to some, and prophetic to others. The controversy around his being denied a platform by huge technology companies is significant not because of what it says about them, but because of what it says about us. Of course, he still has a voice. He can still use his own website and other channels to disseminate the Infowars worldview. And private companies will always make careful decisions about how best to protect their reputations and integrity. It's just that right now, a few such companies have extraordinary and unprecedented power and influence. In just a few years, less than a blip in human history, the public sphere has been completely re-invented. It is now not powerful states, but big private companies who, despite their promise to make the world more open, are associated with censorship. To navigate the coming era, the question we must ask is not "Is Alex Jones bad?" or even "Who should speak?", but "Who controls our freedom to speak?". If you're interested in issues such as these, please follow me on Twitter or Facebook; and also please subscribe to The Media Show podcast from Radio 4. I'm grateful for all constructive feedback. Thanks.

एलेक्स जोन्स पत्रकार नहीं हैं। अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता की सीमाएं हैं और यह वास्तविकता में निहित है, सिद्धांत में नहीं। प्रौद्योगिकी कंपनियों ने अपना रुख बदल लिया है। कानूनों और शायद नियामकों को पकड़ बनानी होगी। नए सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र में, यह कुछ कंपनियां हैं, सरकारें नहीं, जो सेंसर के रूप में काम करती हैं।


Stabbed Worksop man Lee Moody was 'much loved son'

Summary: The family of a 44-year-old man found fatally stabbed at his home has paid tribute to a "much loved son, brother and uncle".

Lee Moody, of Gladstone Street, Worksop, was discovered injured at the house on Monday night. Nottinghamshire Police said he was treated at the scene but died from his injuries. Richard Prendergast, 38, of Raymoth Lane, Worksop, appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court charged with murder. He was remanded in to custody and is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

एक 44 वर्षीय व्यक्ति के परिवार ने उसके घर पर चाकू मारकर हत्या करने वाले एक "बहुत प्यारे बेटे, भाई और चाचा" को श्रद्धांजलि दी है।


How WhatsApp has helped heroin become Mozambique’s second biggest export

Summary: As many as 40 tonnes of heroin could be passing through Mozambique every year, making it the country's second biggest export, in a trade that is boosted by the use of mobile phone apps, writes Mozambique analyst Joseph Hanlon.

Mozambique is now an important stop for heroin traders who are using circuitous routes for their product to reach Europe from Afghanistan, as tighter enforcement has closed off the more direct paths. The heroin goes from Afghanistan to Pakistan's south-west coast, and from there it is taken by motorized 20m wooden dhows to close to northern Mozambique's coast. The dhows anchor offshore and smaller boats take the heroin from the dhow to the beach, where it is collected and moved to warehouses. It is then packed onto small trucks and is driven 3,000 km (1,850 miles) by road to Johannesburg, and from there others ship it to Europe. Each dhow carries a tonne of heroin, and one arrives every week except during in the monsoon season, which makes about 40 arrivals a year. Heroin also comes in by container into the country's Nacala and Beira ports where it is hidden among other goods, such as washing machines. Overall, this means that at least 40 tonnes of heroin pass through through the country each year, according to experts. I estimate that the drug is worth $20m (£15m) per tonne at this point in the trade, making it the country's second most valuable export, after coal. Mozambique's biggest exports: Source: Mozambique government; Joseph Hanlon Out of the export's total value, about $100m is estimated to stay in Mozambique as profits, bribes, and payments to members of the governing Frelimo party. Since 2000 the heroin trade has been carried out by established import businesses, which hide the drugs in legitimate consignments and use their own warehouses, staff and vehicles to facilitate their movement. At ports, workers are told not to scan containers of certain trading companies so the drugs are not discovered. Political involvement Senior Frelimo figures have an overview of the business, meaning that there has been no conflict between trading families and little heroin remains in Mozambique. Police spokesman Inacio Dina said the authorities were investigating these findings. He said the police were doing their best to stop the drugs trade but admitted it was a huge challenge. "We must understand that the country's geographical location, with a lengthy coastline, and long land borders, opens various scenarios." On its part, the international community has largely chosen to ignore the heroin transit trade, because it wanted concessions and reforms in others areas, such as an ever larger role for the private sector. But a second, less structured, arm of the drugs trade has also emerged, borrowing ideas from the "gig" economy, where freelance workers are contacted through mobile phone apps to see if they are available. This has been facilitated by the improved mobile phone coverage in northern Mozambique, the growth of WhatsApp and its encrypted message system, and increasing corruption in Mozambique. In the case of Mozambique's heroin trade, a driver or boat owner will receive a WhatsApp message telling them where to pick up and deliver a package of heroin, and how to be paid. Secret network No-one knows the identity of the person who sent the message or their location. For those people coordinating the trade, ordering the movement of 20kg (44lb) of heroin is as easy as ordering an Uber taxi, and totally secret. Two decades ago, corrupt police officers would have accompanied drivers with shipments of heroin on the north-to-south-Mozambique leg of the journey, to ensure they were not stopped at the numerous police checkpoints. You may also like: Then as mobile telephone coverage improved, drivers were given a number to call if they were stopped. But the extent of the corruption has changed that and drivers are now given a pile of money to pay bribes at checkpoints. Whatever is left of this money when they arrive in Johannesburg is their pay for the trip. No heroin is seized in Mozambique, but there are confiscations near the border in South Africa, because authorities there are worried about rising use of heroin in Cape Town and other big cities. Those seizures show that heroin is often branded and sealed in 1kg packages in Afghanistan, apparently to prevent it from being adulterated along the long travel route. Among the brand names that have come to light are 555, Tokapi and Africa Demand. In this new world of encrypted messaging apps, a buyer in Europe can place an order for 100kg of 555 with a distributor who may be anywhere. The distributor puts together enough orders to make up one tonne on a dhow, and arranges collection in Mozambique and delivery to a warehouse, contacting local coordinators using WhatsApp or a similar app. In the warehouse, the tonne is broken up again into the different orders which are sent to Johannesburg. Indeed, Mozambique's heroin trade looks like the trade in any other commodity - just another product moving through Mozambique and coordinated by multinational organisations. Joseph Hanlon is a visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics and editor of Mozambique Political Process Bulletin. This is a shorter version of his full report which can be read here.

मोजाम्बिक के विश्लेषक जोसेफ हैनलोन लिखते हैं कि हर साल 40 टन हेरोइन मोजाम्बिक से होकर गुजर सकती है, जिससे यह देश का दूसरा सबसे बड़ा निर्यात बन जाता है, एक ऐसे व्यापार में जिसे मोबाइल फोन ऐप के उपयोग से बढ़ावा मिलता है।


Family's shock after do not resuscitate form found in pensioner's bag

Summary: Sitting at the top of Catriona Black's 88-year-old mother's bag after her return from a 12-night stay in hospital was an NHS document - it was headed "Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation."

By David Wallace LockhartBBC Scotland political reporter The form, known as a DNR, means health professionals will not use CPR to try to restart the heart and breathing of a patient. The pensioner's family say she was "disorientated" and "confused", and question if she understood what the form meant. NHS Tayside has apologised for how the document was found, and is reviewing the circumstances around the DNR. BBC Scotland understands it has since been revoked. Ms Black's mother went to Dundee's Ninewells Hospital on 7 May after she began to suffer hallucinations after a fall. The family were not permitted to visit due to coronavirus, but two daughters spoke to their mum on the phone during her stay. They said staff told them their mother was "confused". Ms Black said she found the DNR "stuffed in a bag" when her mum was discharged. She said: "I just got such a shock. It was just overwhelming to discover there was something as major as that and no-one had heard." Her mother's discharge notes said she was suffering from "ongoing delirium". Ms Black said: "I just don't think that was the time or the place (for a DNR) because I don't think she was fully lucid at any point. "You don't ask somebody a question like that at a moment of weakness and say: 'Tick the box. That's her. She's a DNR'. "And then never discuss that again with them." She says the DNR form has been "preying" on her mother's mind, and that she has been "very distressed about it". What is a DNR form? A "Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation" (DNR) form is kept with a patient's health records. It is used when doctors decide that CPR will not work. CPR can involve pushing down on someone's chest, using a mask or tube to help them breathe, or using electric shocks to restart the heart. NHS Scotland guidance says there are scenarios where trying to restart your heart and breathing may do more harm than good, by not allowing you to die naturally. Doctors make the final decision, but they should listen to a patient's opinion. NHS guidance states: "You may wish to talk to your family, close friends or carers. "They may be able to help you make a decision you are happy with." If you cannot understand information given about a DNR, a "legal proxy" can represent your wishes. Ms Black's sister has power of attorney for her mother, meaning she has the authority to deal with aspects of her welfare if she is incapacitated. She was never informed of the DNR. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told BBC Scotland that "difficult conversations" around DNRs "should always be handled with the utmost compassion, care and tact". 'Immediate review' NHS Tayside said it would carry out "an immediate review" into the circumstances of the Do Not Resuscitate order. A spokesperson for the health board said: "We have spoken with the family and apologised for any distress caused to them from finding the 'Do Not Resuscitate' form amongst her belongings. "We are very sorry for the upset this has caused and we have offered to meet with the family so that they have the opportunity to discuss their concerns and ask any questions."

अस्पताल में 12 रात रहने के बाद लौटने के बाद कैट्रियोना ब्लैक की 88 वर्षीय मां के थैले के ऊपर बैठना एक एन. एच. एस. दस्तावेज़ था-जिसका शीर्षक था "कार्डियोपल्मोनरी रिससिटेशन का प्रयास न करें"।


West Bay landslip closes part of Jurassic Coast

Summary: A section of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset has been closed because of a large landslip, police have said.

Officers were called to the rock fall at East Beach, West Bay, at about 09:20 GMT. The beach and coast path have been closed between West Bay and Freshwater Holiday Park, near Burton Bradstock. No-one is believed to have been hurt by the falling rocks. Dorset Police advised people to avoid the area.

पुलिस ने कहा है कि एक बड़े भूस्खलन के कारण डोरसेट में जुरासिक तट के एक हिस्से को बंद कर दिया गया है।


Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel's dilemma over PM's future

Summary: During his first tenure as Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was dubbed "the magician" by the local media because of his uncanny ability to extricate himself from the most difficult of situations - starting with his unexpected victory over Shimon Peres in the 1996 election.

By Colin ShindlerEmeritus professor, SOAS, University of London Mr Netanyahu's luck - or expertise - may have run its course. It appears that police investigations into rumours and innuendo about corruption which have been swirling around the Netanyahu family for years are now turning into more solid cases. There are now four police investigations - two against Mr Netanyahu and his family, two against his inner circle. Case 1000 accuses Mr Netanyahu and his family of accepting gifts from an array of figures such as the Hollywood entrepreneur, Arnon Milchan, and the Australian businessman, James Packer, which were not "of small value and reasonable in context", according to Israeli law. Mr Netanyahu's wife, Sara, is suspected of accepting 400,000 shekels (£81,000; $113,100) and of instituting cordon bleu meals on a regular basis for the family at the PM's residence - a privilege usually reserved for state visitors. The Israeli press lays most of the blame for this state of affairs at the door of Sara, who - it appears - has been instrumental in pushing for this lifestyle and possesses a reputation for treating employees badly. Case 2000 involves an alleged deal with the daily Yediot Aharanot to secure better coverage for Mr Netanyahu's policies in exchange for weakening its rival, the hitherto loyal, freebie, Israel Hayom, owned by US businessman Sheldon Adelson. A taped telephone conversation with Arnon Mozes, Yediot's publisher, and the testimony of Mr Netanyahu's former chief of staff Ari Harow - now a state witness - appear to have turned the tide. Case 3000 involves Mr Netanyahu's lawyer and cousin, David Shimron, who is being investigated in a case regarding the acquisition of submarines from the German shipbuilder, Thyssen Krupp. Several suspects have been detained including the former commander of the Israeli Navy. Allegations that unofficial lobbying, indirect bribes and senior officials turned state witness are all features of this case. Case 4000 involves Shlomo Filber, a former head of the Central Committee of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party, who was appointed director-general of the ministry of communications shortly after the 2015 election. Mr Netanyahu swiftly dismissed the former holder of the post when he proposed a broadband reform. Mr Filber is suspected of supplying insider information to Bezeq, the major telecom company in Israel. He denies this. Contradicting Zionist values All this has left a pungent odour rising from the depths - such behaviour is regarded as far removed from the ethos of Israel's founding generation, whether left or right. Israel's socialist founding father David Ben-Gurion lived in a simple apartment in Kibbutz Sde Boqer in the Negev desert - he paid more attention to his library than to his living conditions. Another revered Likud prime minister, Menachem Begin, and his wife lived in basic housing near Tel Aviv's seafront. Significantly, there have also been public demonstrations against corruption by members of Mr Netanyahu's party. The protesters have invoked the name of Vladimir Jabotinsky, the ideological founder of the Israeli Right - again a figure who famously never looked for riches and condemned corruption. The changeover from a stagnant command economy, run by socialists, to a globalised, deregulated one in the 1980s produced a plethora of self-made millionaires in Israel. It also created an incentive for politicians to make their own fortune and to mix with well-heeled businessmen who could help them in their political endeavours. Mr Netanyahu's predecessors, Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon, were the subjects of investigation, while Ehud Olmert was convicted and sent to prison. In one sense, such an atmosphere contradicted the very values of Zionism - not only to create a new state, but to forge a new society unlike the corrupt ones they had left behind. PM in defiant mood Mr Netanyahu has ridiculed the accusations levelled at him and hit back Trump-like against the head of the police anti-corruption unit and other officials. The journalistic investigations in these cases are deemed to be the work of "a leftist media". During a 10-minute live TV response to the police indictment on Tuesday evening, Mr Netanyahu protested his innocence and reminded his audience of his devotion to the state of Israel. Describing the charges as a culmination of a campaign of slander against him personally and a vilification of his family, Mr Netanyahu pledged that he would remain at his post and that his coalition of the centre-right and the far-right would continue to govern. Opposition figures immediately called for his resignation. Mr Netanyahu's far-right allies in the government do not wish to see him in the courtroom since it would almost certainly mean a breakup of the coalition that has governed Israel for most of the last decade. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a political rival of Mr Netanyahu, questioned whether a prime minister should be "overthrown for the sake of a few cigars", while Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked pointed out that Mr Netanyahu did not have to resign if he was indicted. There is also a dilemma for the public. Despite the deep suspicion that Mr Netanyahu does not possess a moral compass, he is seen as the guarantor of security in a time of trauma in the Arab world. He is the national goalkeeper who keeps the nation safe. If Israel's arch-enemy Iran presses on with its build-up of hostile forces in Syria and continues to supply arms to its allies in Lebanon, the public may close its eyes to Mr Netanyahu's flaws and demand that security concerns take precedence.

इज़राइल के प्रधान मंत्री के रूप में अपने पहले कार्यकाल के दौरान, बेंजामिन नेतन्याहू को स्थानीय मीडिया द्वारा "जादूगर" करार दिया गया था क्योंकि 1996 के चुनाव में शिमोन पेरेस पर उनकी अप्रत्याशित जीत के साथ शुरू होने वाली सबसे कठिन परिस्थितियों से खुद को बाहर निकालने की उनकी अलौकिक क्षमता थी।


What to look out for with the GCSE results in Wales

Summary: The GCSE results in Wales might look like "same again" but there is a lot going on beneath the surface.

By Bethan Lewis and Steve DuffyBBC Wales News Performance for the grades A* to C has now been the same for the last three years with 66.6% of exam entries falling into this top band. But the exam system is getting more complicated, reforms are on the way - and it will not be as straightforward from next year when making comparisons, especially with other UK nations. How are Wales pupils performing compared to elsewhere? In 2008, England overtook Wales in terms of GCSE results at A* to C grades. For the last three years, two thirds of pupils in Wales got A* to C grades - and results in England have now dropped to the level here. The north east of England was doing slightly better than Wales last year but now for A* to C grades, all of the northern and midland English regions are not performing as well as Wales. Northern Ireland's consistently higher performance - it has improved again - has been put down to its system of selective schools, where pupils are tested at the age of 11 and the brighter ones get places at grammar schools. "Inevitably comparisons will be made with the results in other parts of the UK, notably with England," said Rebecca Williams, policy officer at teaching union Ucac. "But the most important comparison, in terms of learners' performance, is the comparison with previous years here in Wales." Education expert Prof David Reynolds, of Swansea University, said results had plateaued over the past three or four years. "There have been similar results and you could say the system is maxed out if you like," he said. "But it's not true, if you look at the range of variations in schools. There are huge differences still between the top and bottom performing schools." "And if you look within schools, there are big 20-30% variations in the percentage of A* to C within the same school in core subjects" "If they did as well as the best they could still improve". He said those in education in Wales had not done enough to "shift around the good practice". Girls still out-performing boys The performance gap between girls and boys is not a new phenomenon - it goes back more than two decades - and the pattern between how much better girls are doing than their male counterparts has followed a strikingly similar pattern in Wales to England in recent years. At the highest grades A* and A, the gap increased to 7.4% in 2016 in Wales, slightly higher than in England (7.2%). When the new top grade came in, it was 5.8%. So 15.6% of entries from boys were A* and A - compared to 23% of girls. The gap in England was 16.6% for boys and 23.8% for girls. Looking at the grades A* to C, the gap is now 9.2% in Wales - the highest for several years. For these grades, 61.8% of entries from boys got A* to C grades compared 71% of girls. Rob Williams, policy director of the head teachers' union NAHT Cymru said despite boys improving, the gender gap was still a "stubborn feature". "Teachers know that this is not just a feature of the qualification results as for a significant proportion of boys pre-reading skills, concentration and their readiness to learn on school entry is already under-developed," he said. "They may already be playing catch-up at the age of four." Mr Williams added: "For the minority of boys with underdeveloped literacy skills and a less resilient self-confidence, accessing a wider curriculum that relies so heavily on effective reading and writing can be daunting and, particularly as they get older, result in detachment and disengagement." He said there was a fear that accountability measures at the end of the Foundation Phase - which aimed for a less formal learning approach - were inhibiting the ability of schools "to be true to its principles, narrowing the focus too much, too soon". He said schools which were innovative used teachers to target resources and engage pupils. "For example, concentrating on developing their literacy skills, confidence and resilience, teachers have proven to improve boys' ability to access, enjoy and achieve in the wider curriculum," said Mr Williams. "The best approaches also engage fully with parents, families and the wider community to create greater aspirations for our children and young people. "If the positive messages about educational achievement and wider benefits are aligned between home and in primary school and beyond, the opportunities for boys to experience continued future success can be maximised." It may not all be rosy for girls however, with Cardiff University research out this week suggesting they are more likely to feel anxious and that they don't "belong" in school than boys. Fewer pupils are taking French There has been another fall in the numbers of pupils taking GCSE French - a drop of 11%. A study last year found the studying of modern languages had declined rapidly in Wales since 2002, with the then education minister saying he wanted to see children starting to learn at primary school. There has been a rise in entries for German this year after a drop in 2015, although Spanish entries have gone down. Rebecca Williams of Ucac said there had been a "steady and dramatic pattern of decline" in recent years. "There's a combination of reasons for this, including 'crowding out' of the curriculum, that is, having as few as three options, from a range of around 25; the perception that English is the only important international language and that everyone else can speak English," she said. She added that other factors included "brutal cuts" to support services for the teaching of modern foreign languages such as Cilt Cymru "and the fact that we start teaching languages too late - the older we get, the harder it is, and age 11 is already a late start in terms of language learning." How are we doing in core subjects? There is another indicator for how well pupils are doing in core subjects at GCSE but we won't know this for the 2016 exams until later in the year. Last year, 57.9% of pupils in Wales got five or more GCSEs at A* to C grades, including English or Welsh and maths. It is no longer possible to compare meaningfully with England because of changes in maths introduced there in 2014. One complication this year though is that the results from independent schools will not be included in the overall Wales performance measures, so we will need to take this into account. What about schools which are underperforming? Schools Challenge Cymru is a £20m Welsh Government project geared at improving 40 underperforming schools. Since Summer 2014 they get access to more money, advice and support in order to boost GCSE performance. The first set of results under the scheme were published last year and showed that while around two thirds of the schools saw an improvement in their GCSE results, 13 of the 40 schools got worse results. Opposition parties in the Assembly have questioned the value of the project. Earlier this year before becoming Education Secretary, Kirtsy Williams questioned First Minister Carwyn Jones about the scheme saying it "only assists a limited number of schools". This year's results will not be officially available until October but they will be a further test of whether the project has driven up standards. It is getting (even) harder to compare GCSE results Major changes in the exam systems and more students taking subjects like maths and English early mean it is becoming increasingly difficult to interpret GCSE statistics. This year's results will also be the last based on the full set of "old" GCSEs. In Wales, those taking GCSE maths is 25% down on last summer - but that is because a new GCSE maths syllabus started last September and pupils will be opting to take the first exams in this in November. And from next year, comparisons year by year and by nation will be even harder. Other new GCSEs already being taught in Wales include numeracy, English and Welsh language and literature. Further new GCSE courses are being rolled out in Wales in science, drama, French and from next year for business, history and religious studies. There is also a big overhaul of qualifications happening in England. Next year, GCSEs in England will not be graded alphabetically but with numbers - 9 to 1, with 9 the highest grade. The current grade C pass in England will not have a direct equivalent - it is expected to cover the bottom of grade 5 and top of grade 4. In Northern Ireland, there will be a mixture of numerical and letter grades, with one exam board bringing in an additional C* grade. So with the A* to G grading remaining in Wales, comparisons will be a complicated business! Prof David Reynolds said simple comparisons were obviously going to be out. "The danger is that all we're left with is Pisa which isn't great in comparing countries," he said. That would increase the pressure on Wales and we will be "left with a testing where we've already done poorly and getting worse and that's worrying." Pisa - published by the OECD - compares the performances of 15-year-old pupils in reading, maths and science over 58 nations. The next set of test results are expected in December after results for Wales in 2013 were described as "stark". Rebecca Williams of Ucac said comparisons were becoming futile as the reforms take place over the next three years. "Once we've got a few years of the new system under our belts, we'll be able to make meaningful year-on-year comparisons within Wales," she said. Should pupils be allowed to sit exams early? While in England there has been a move back to 16-year-olds sitting their exams in the summer at the end of their GCSE course, in Wales it is more common for pupils to sit their exams early. In maths in particular there has been a growing number of so called "early entries" with pupils sitting exams either at the end of Year 10, a year into the course, or in the following November. Reforms introduced in England in 2013 were meant to stop schools "gaming the system" and encouraging pupils to take GCSEs early to "bank" good grades. If they failed they would simply retake. But former English Education Secretary Michael Gove changed the system so that only the first attempt would count towards a school's performance data. It led to a 40% drop in the number of 14 or 15 year olds entered for exams in summer 2014. In Wales, there have been similar concerns. But when the reforms were introduced in England, the then Welsh Education Minister Huw Lewis chose not to introduce the same changes in Wales. Although he warned that he would intervene in future if schools didn't stop voluntarily and appealed to head teachers to "do the right thing". For: Against: The exams watchdog Qualifications Wales says it intends conducting research looking at the benefits and disadvantages of early entry. Entry patterns this year may also be different because of GCSE reforms and new courses starting. So, for example, there has been a big jump in pupils taking English literature and Welsh as a second language a year early.

वेल्स में जी. सी. एस. ई. के परिणाम "फिर से वही" लग सकते हैं लेकिन सतह के नीचे बहुत कुछ चल रहा है।


Wales' unemployment rate remains unchanged

Summary: The unemployment rate in Wales remains unchanged compared to the previous quarter, according to new figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday the number of people out of work between January and March 2015 was 99,000. Across the UK, unemployment fell by 35,000 to 1.83 million in the three months to March. A Welsh government spokesman said: "We are working... to help create and safeguard jobs right across Wales."

नए आंकड़ों के अनुसार, वेल्स में बेरोजगारी दर पिछली तिमाही की तुलना में अपरिवर्तित बनी हुई है।


Cliven Bundy expresses racist views

Summary: Adam Nagourney's in-depth profile of Cliven Bundy in the New York Times has liberals crowing and many conservatives scrambling to distance themselves from the Nevada rancher who recently led an armed standoff against government agents.

By Anthony ZurcherEditor, Echo Chambers The article begins with a recap of Mr Bundy's confrontation with federal officials who tried to round up and auction his cattle to pay for more than $1m (£600,000) in fees and fines for unauthorised grazing on federal land. Now that the government has backed down, media interest in Mr Bundy has dwindled a bit, as only a handful of press are still showing up at his rallies and press conferences. On Saturday, it seems, Nagourney and a photographer were the only journalists present as Mr Bundy decided to venture into social commentary. Here's how the Times reporter recounts what happened next: "I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro," he said. Mr. Bundy recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, "and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids - and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch - they didn't have nothing to do. They didn't have nothing for their kids to do. They didn't have nothing for their young girls to do. "And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?" he asked. "They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I've often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn't get no more freedom. They got less freedom." Cue record screech sound, followed by footsteps of reporters rushing to their phones to call Republican politicians who had backed Mr Bundy's cause. Nevada Senator Dean Heller, who called Mr Bundy's group of supporters "patriots", "completely disagrees with Mr Bundy's appalling and racist statements, and condemns them in the most strenuous way," according to his spokesman. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who also expressed support for Mr Bundy, gave a statement to Business Insider: "His remarks on race are offensive, and I wholeheartedly disagree with him." Commentators on the left have been quick to point out that conservatives can't so easily back away from a man they had previously embraced as a folk hero. Amanda Marcotte, writing for the Raw Story, said Mr Bundy's remarks were "boilerplate blame-the-victim nonsense from Republicans who are trying to blame black people themselves for racial disparities instead of systemic racism". "But he failed to employ their standard code words and euphemisms, so he's an embarrassment now," she says. Mr Bundy's statements shouldn't be surprising, writes the Atlantic's Ta-Nehisi Coates. "White supremacy is one of the most dominant forces in the history of American politics," he says. "In a democracy, it would be silly to expect it to go unexpressed." "Prick a movement built on white supremacy and it bleeds ... white supremacy," he adds. Not all conservatives were backing away from Mr Bundy, however. TruthRevolt's Ben Shapiro compared Mr Bundy's situation to that of Edward Snowden, who leaked information about US government surveillance programmes. "Snowden being a traitor did not change importance of his revelations," he tweeted. "Bundy being a racist does not change importance of his situation." Conservative radio host Dana Loesch tried to put Mr Bundy's statements in a more sympathetic light: I hope no one is surprised that an old man rancher isn't media trained to express himself perfectly. He seems to be decrying what big government has done to the black family - which big government has negatively affected not just the black family, but all families regardless of ethnicity - so perhaps he included that in his remarks against big government? I'm just trying to figure out how he even got to the point of discussing it and, yes, it's justified to have a healthy suspicion of the New York Times. One of the primary concerns that critics of Mr Bundy's actions have expressed since the standoff began more than a week ago is that federal enforcement will back down in the face of armed resistance. Already, a new land controversy was brewing in northern Texas, where ranchers we objecting to a move by the federal government to claim jurisdiction over some land near the Red River. Some were pointing to it as the next Bundy-style faceoff. With Mr Bundy's recent statements, however, the Nevada rancher's appeal as a conservative hero may be diminished. Whether the movement that he represents will be tarnished along with him remains to be seen. UPDATE: A video of Mr Bundy's controversial comments is now available on YouTube. UPDATE #2: On Thursday Mr Bundy appeared to stick by his comments about blacks during an interview on the Peter Schiff Show, although he emphasised that this is all just speculation on his part: I said I'm wondering if they're better off under government subsidy and their young women are having the abortions, and their young men are in jail, and their older women and their children are sitting out on their cement porch without nothing to do. And I'm wondering: are they happier now under this government subsidy system then they were when they were slaves when they was able to have their family structure together and chickens and a garden and the people had something to do? And so in my mind I'm wondering: are they better off being slaves in that sense or better off being slaves to the United States government in the sense of a subsidy? The statement was right. I am wondering.

न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स में एडम नागोर्नी की क्लाइवन बुंडी की गहन प्रोफ़ाइल में उदारवादी हैं और कई रूढ़िवादी नेवादा रेंचर से खुद को दूर करने के लिए हाथापाई कर रहे हैं, जिन्होंने हाल ही में सरकारी एजेंटों के खिलाफ सशस्त्र गतिरोध का नेतृत्व किया था।