Crypto for care homes - really?

Summary: Thought the crypto-currency and blockchain craze had faded away?

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter Think again. In recent weeks, messages about all sorts of schemes involving creating new coins and exploiting the wondrous blockchain technology have popped into my inbox. The most bizarre of all was from a company planning to get residents of upmarket care homes to pay for their rooms using a new crypto-currency. Carlauren Group, which describes itself as the "UK's leading innovator" of care services, was creating what it called the C-Coin. In the email's next paragraph the excitement mounted: "This breakthrough blockchain technology will provide all residents at Carlauren's Lifestyle Resorts and Care Homes with a safe and secure currency, whilst also removing the worry that's associated with carrying cash". 'Special risks' The scheme involves residents buying C-Coins for £70 each, the price of one night in a Carlauren care home or resort, separate from the costs of care. The company says the unusual thing about the coins is that it will always guarantee to buy them back at £63, so the risk of investing in any crypto-currency is largely avoided. This is painted as an innovative way of allowing well-off elderly people and their children to invest in their room for the long term - a kind of timeshare scheme which would then be tradable because the coins could be sold on an exchange. "I wanted to crystallize the payment of the room for the foreseeable future," Carlauren's chief executive Sean Murray explained to me. He outlined a membership scheme whereby residents who were currently paying between £1,250 and £1,500 a week would buy their room with the tokens, and it would be an asset for their children after they died. "We see an opportunity with family members that are obviously wisely aware of what's happening in the crypto-market - that has an intrinsic value." But for that intrinsic value to exist, the C-Coin has to be open to external investors through an Initial Coin Offering or ICO. Carlauren is issuing 500,000 coins raising £35m, although Mr Murray insists that his firm has no need to raise funds. There is a Carlauren Coins Exchange and a White Paper you can download full of purple prose about the wonders of blockchain technology - "arguably the largest technological revolution since the internet" - though with little detail about what role it plays here. We also learn that Carlauren was only founded in 2015 but is "now one of the UK's leading innovators of long-term residential later life and care services". This business does not, however, appear particularly lucrative. The very limited and unaudited accounts filed for Carlauren Group at Companies House show that it had net liabilities in 2017 of £610,475, up from £141,898 the previous year. The firm's chief financial officer, David Bruce, told me: "Carlauren Group has substantial assets under its control and it has an ambitious development programme aimed at delivering a high-end leisure and care service package to its residents. We are confident that this can be achieved with the resources at our disposal." The ICO White Paper does contain this warning: "The purchase of Carlauren coins may involve special risks that could lead to a loss of all or a substantial portion of the purchase amount. The purchase of Carlauren Coins is considered speculative in nature and it involves a high degree of risk." So that guarantee that coins will be bought back at £63 is not set in stone - if Carlauren goes bust, your coins will be worthless. Cautionary advice When I headed to the Carlauren Coin Exchange I found that anyone can sign up to buy coins, with no apparent checks, so I decided to try it out. The exchange showed there had been just a handful of transactions so far and nearly all of the 500,000 coins were still available to buy at £70. Curiously, the exchange also listed a market price for the coin of £189. So with a couple of clicks I bought one coin for £70 and immediately sold it - or so I thought - for £189. The next day I found that while £70 had been debited from my bank account, the £189 had not arrived. When I looked at my account on the exchange my sale was listed as "pending" - presumably nobody is going to buy my coin off me at £189 when there are still 499,953 available at £70. Minutes after my purchase, an email was sent to me - and I presume all of those who had signed up to the exchange - notifying us that someone had bought a coin. It read as follows: "We want to let you know that someone has just bought 1 C-Coins at £70/1 C-Coin. "The current market price of one C-Coin is £189.0017/1 C-Coin. "There are still available a total of 499,955 C-Coins on market at price of £70/1 C-Coin. "Is time to buy or to sell?" Now this struck me as misleading, an invitation to buy C-Coins on the understanding that you might be able to sell at an instant profit. When I contacted Sean Murray he explained that this £189.0017 market price would only be available once all 500,000 coins had been sold. That price had been calculated using a formula I confess I did not fully understand, but he agreed that the wording on the exchange website needed to be clearer. I am well aware of how risky crypto-currency investment is, but are the elderly residents of care homes really ready to enter this world? I approached a number of regulators, from the Care Quality Commission to the Financial Conduct Authority for comment but they explained that as crypto-currencies are not regulated in the UK there was not much they could say. They did point me towards the Competition and Markets Authority which said it could not comment on any particular case but had this cautionary advice: "Requiring care home residents to pay for goods or services in crypto-currency may raise potential consumer protection concerns." I went back to Sean Murray with a simple question - how would he defend the marketing of the Carlauren Coin to his residents? "I believe that the future of how transactions are made for goods is changing towards crypto-type transactions," he told me. "No-one likes change but we have to move with the times , our younger generation will become older and it takes visionaries such as myself to make these changes." Throughout our conversation, Sean Murray repeatedly referred to himself as a visionary, insisting I had underestimated just how innovative Carlauren's plans were. He says 1,500 people a week are getting in touch to inquire about membership so we will find out soon how many buy into his vision.

क्या आपको लगता है कि क्रिप्टोकरेंसी और ब्लॉक चेन का क्रेज दूर हो गया है?


Coronavirus: 'We have next to no income. There is no help for us'

Summary: Chancellor Rishi Sunak admitted last week that his latest coronavirus economic support package won't save all jobs . But as employers and employees digest the latest plans it's clear many of them feel viable firms are being hung out to dry just as the economy faces the impact of further lockdown measures.

By Russell HottenBusiness reporter, BBC News The support plan, involving ending the furlough scheme and shifting more of the financial burden from the taxpayer and onto employers, has broad support from the CBI and TUC. But many firms say the government has simply withdrawn a lifeline. The BBC spoke to four people who feel things just got worse. 'Companies like ours are hanging on by their fingertips' "We have struggled all the way through - and now this," says an exasperated Sonia Hawkins. "We have done everything right and followed the rules. But there is no help for us." In 2019, her family-run music and lighting equipment hire firm had its best year since it was set up as a mobile disco business in 1978. "Now we've had the rug pulled from under us," she says. After the furlough scheme ends, the Treasury will instead subsidise people who worked at least a third of their usual hours. "We have next to no income. We've got people on furlough. We would have to bring them back and pay them just to get a subsidy. It's nuts." The company, Disco Equipment Hire, serves many areas that went into deep freeze during lockdown: big parties, weddings, conferences. Sonia said that after the firm's "phenomenal" 2019, they invested heavily in expanding - new equipment and transport. "Luckily, we had enough money to survive during the lockdown," she said. "In June, we invoiced for just £50." A few weeks ago Sonia was hopeful that business was starting to pick up. Now she fears that two more staff will have to go, in addition to the five already made redundant - leaving just the four family members plus an additional employee. "We were praying that the chancellor was going to come out with something for us - grants, more furlough assistance. "Our bills don't stop," she said. "Companies like ours are hanging on by their fingernails." 'There's no work around. I'm not even getting responses' Maria - she did not want her surname disclosed - had already survived one round of redundancies at the large hotel where she works. But Maria's employer has just warned her job is at risk in a new round of cuts. "I'm fearing the worse," says the sales manager. "My job was certainly viable. I brought in the most revenues for the business." Maria works in a city-centre hotel - part of a big chain. "The hotel manager has been trying to keep things afloat," she said. "But as everyone knows, people aren't going into the cities any more." "We've gone from about 110 staff to 20. The people there are doing a bit of everything now - trying to keep things going with as few staff as possible." Maria said everyone was banking on an extension to the furlough scheme: "I think we all felt that it would be enough for help us through the next few months." She's still hoping for the best. Maria has been at the hotel for four years, and with the group for 12 years. "They know my capabilities, that I'm good at my job." She's hoping to hear about her future within the next week. Even so, Maria has been firing off her CV in the search for other jobs in sales and business management. It's been dispiriting: "There's no work around. I'm not even getting responses." 'A lot of our competitors have already gone into liquidation' After six months of zero income, events company KDM spotted signs of life in the sector in early September. Business activity started to pick up, says manager Nicky Whyman. Bookings in the first week of September were only 10% of monthly activity pre-lockdown, but it was a sign for optimism. That has since evaporated after fresh lockdown measures. She says: "As the economy started to open up, we were gearing up for small events - socially distanced, indoors and outdoors. But companies now say they cannot commit to any in-person events until mid-2021 at the earliest." That would mean 12-15 months of being unable to operate due to government restrictions. The firm, which cut eight jobs earlier during lockdown, brought back the remaining 18 staff to work part-time this month. "But then the government announced it was scrapping the pilots of larger business events and would no longer look at reopening of conference centres and exhibitions. "When the furlough ends next month we are in the same situation as we were in April, except that there will no longer be government support for us or the wider events industry at all. "The way the government has structured the new support package means we are being asked to bring people back from furlough just so we can claim the [pay] subsidy - great in theory for employees, but illogical and expensive for employers. "We are being asked to pay staff the necessary 55% of their salaries for 33% of working hours. The numbers just don't add up." Founded in 1990, KDM's operations stretch from organising conferences to team-bonding experiences, working exclusively for the corporate market. Its events can involve 2,000-plus people. The firm is confident it can weather the storm, but things are tough. "We are using cash reserves to keep paying staff and not have to make staff redundant. But we can't continually drain the coffers." She says the chancellor should have extended the furlough scheme for specific industries that are currently barred from operating. "It is difficult to see many viable companies surviving without targeted support." Nicky says the events industry, worth £70bn to the economy, has proposed ways to operate safely, but is being ignored. "If the government would only work with us we could start to get business moving in a safe and secure manner. A lot of companies within our sector have already gone into liquidation." 'There are no jobs. It's terrifying' Lisa, on furlough since March, had been cautiously optimistic about returning to work over the next few weeks. With Christmas coming, the events sales manager was expecting seasonal parties to bring in some business. "Now all the rules have been tightened I'm not expecting to go back to work any time soon," she says. Indeed, she's now not at all hopeful of ever returning to her job. "Work has all but vanished for my work since Covid." Lisa does not want to disclose her surname nor employer for fear of saying anything to jeopardise future work. "We have gone through a consultation period for redundancies. I've just no idea what is going to happen. "The latest jobs support scheme does nothing to help those of us on furlough. I have been brought back one day a week, but what is happening now gives my employer no incentive to give me more days," Lisa adds. She hopes her employer might allow her to take unpaid leave until March, but there has been no decision. With her partner only working part-time after being furloughed, she worries about paying the bills and providing for her children. "It's terrifying." Domestic costs have been cut to a minimum. When in jobs, they needed two cars for their work. Now one sits on the driveway, uninsured because they can't afford the premium. Aged 40, Lisa has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 16. She says: "I have a lot of experience and have been applying for other jobs. I have searched and searched for different jobs since March. But there's nothing." She's not bitter, just scared about the future. "I can understand what Mr Sunak is trying to do [to help the economy]. But it is so difficult for us. He doesn't seem to have done anything [last week] that will help people like me. "The government has said the new [social distancing] rules may be in place for six months. In that case, they should have extended the furlough scheme for six months."

चांसलर ऋषि सुनक ने पिछले सप्ताह स्वीकार किया कि उनके नवीनतम कोरोनावायरस आर्थिक सहायता पैकेज से सभी नौकरियां नहीं बचेंगी। लेकिन जैसे-जैसे नियोक्ता और कर्मचारी नवीनतम योजनाओं को पचा रहे हैं, यह स्पष्ट है कि उनमें से कई को लगता है कि व्यवहार्य फर्मों को सूखने के लिए लटका दिया जा रहा है, जैसे-जैसे अर्थव्यवस्था आगे के लॉकडाउन उपायों के प्रभाव का सामना कर रही है।


Great Yarmouth: How offshore wind is re-energising seaside town

Summary: In the past decade the UK has emerged as a world leader in offshore wind energy. And some of the biggest winners from the multi-billion pound investment look set to be coastal towns searching for their industries of the future.

By Mark ShieldsBBC News On a clear day, the tourists walking Great Yarmouth's beachfront Golden Mile can see the turbines of the Scroby Sands wind farm spinning in the distance. Onshore are the attractions and arcades that have sustained this Norfolk seaside resort for the past half-century; far offshore stand the huge structures on which rest its hopes for the next. Twice the height of Big Ben and with blades longer than a jumbo jet wingspan, the new turbines being built many miles into the North Sea will dwarf the 15-year-old wind farm visible from the beach. At full capacity, the planned projects could power the equivalent of 4.5 million homes, but the multi-billion pound investments are already having an energising effect on the local economy. Having seen the decline of its fishing industry and ridden the ups and downs of the oil and gas industry, Great Yarmouth and its neighbouring port Lowestoft find themselves at the centre of the UK's renewables boom. The UK already has offshore wind turbine infrastructure that could provide a capacity of 7.5GW - more than any other country in the world - and more than half of it is off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk. A combination of shallow waters, consistent wind and good access to the energy-hungry south-east England has already attracted projects costing £11bn, with projects worth £22bn - and more than 6,000 jobs - planned by developers into the next decade. In March, the government laid out in an industry sector deal its ambition for 30% of electricity to come from offshore wind by 2030, and the falling cost of renewables has fuelled ambitions of the UK being carbon zero by 2050. It all adds up to an unmissable opportunity, says Simon Gray of industry body the East of England Energy Group. Coastal Britain These stories are part of special coverage across BBC News looking at the challenges and opportunities in Britain's coastal towns. "The great thing about this is that the wind farms are set to last 20, 30, 40 years. It means two generations of a workforce that will be operating and maintaining these turbines," he said. "We are developing these skills and will be exporting them around the world," he says. While much of the manufacturing is done further up the east coast or abroad - which has drawn criticism - construction and maintenance is creating work for local companies. Great Yarmouth's port is being used as the construction base for ScottishPower Renewables' £2.5bn East Anglia One wind farm, due for completion next year. But an even bigger prize is the operations and maintenance deal it has secured for Swedish energy firm Vattenfall's two wind farms, which will be the biggest in the world. They will bring up to 150 jobs for 25 years, and create hundreds more in the supply chain. Yarmouth firm Subsea Protection Systems makes protection for undersea cables, and says it could double its 50-strong workforce if it wins a contract on the projects. And Peel Ports has invested £12m in Great Yarmouth port to attract bases for future wind farms. It has been working with local councils and the region's local enterprise partnership. "This is our opportunity," says port director Richard Goffin. "We've been saying this for two years but the government have now put their flag in the ground and said they want us to do it." 'Manna from heaven' Former fabrication engineer Gwyn Evans has retrained as an offshore wind technician thanks to a course run by a local engineering firm. Accustomed to the peaks and troughs of seasonal work, he had been out of work for six months and saw the writing on the wall. The opportunity to train for free with Great Yarmouth-based 3Sun was "manna from heaven", he says. The company offers the training as a way to recruit new talent into its growing offshore wind work. "Things are standing a lot better in my favour than they were," says Mr Evans, 38. "Now I have the [qualification] tickets the world is my oyster. I can earn a decent wage and improve my lifestyle. "Everybody wants a job that's going to last. If you are lucky enough to be in an industry that you are passionate about and love, that's even better." The opening of a new £557m government subsidy round is likely to attract more private-sector investment. But infrastructure projects on such a scale inevitably attract opposition. The huge cables needed to transfer the power from the wind farm to the grid require vast swathes of the countryside to be dug up. For example, Vattenfall's proposed wind farms require 37 miles (60km) of cabling to be laid underground to a substation at Necton in Norfolk, which residents say will blot the landscape and cause huge disruption. The company insists it is working with residents to find the best solution and the project will bring significant environmental and economic benefits. Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman has raised the wider issue in Parliament, warning that community voices are not being heard in a planning "free-for-all". Critics also ask why infrastructure cannot be better planned and shared - a concern the government has pledged to investigate in its sector deal. That launch has focused attention on the future. At 5,000-student East Coast College, where a new £11m energy training centre is being built, they can feel the change in the air. The sector deal "felt like firing a starting gun" says chief executive Stuart Rimmer. He believes the prospect of well-paid, long-term jobs on their doorstep is creating real excitement among students. "Aspiration follows opportunity," he says. "We have to explain they are not just getting a qualification, they are getting a future."

पिछले दशक में यूके अपतटीय पवन ऊर्जा में एक विश्व नेता के रूप में उभरा है। और बहु-अरब पाउंड के निवेश से कुछ सबसे बड़े विजेता भविष्य के अपने उद्योगों की तलाश में तटीय शहर होने के लिए तैयार हैं।


Doddie Weir: 'I don't blame rugby for my MND'

Summary: Two months ago former Scotland rugby international Doddie Weir announced he has motor neurone disease. After careers as a sportsman, farmer and after-dinner speaker, he spoke to BBC Scotland's John Beattie about his greatest challenge yet.

Sitting in the stands at Melrose Rugby Club, Doddie Weir, is in positive mood. It is more than 18 months since the 47-year-old first noticed the symptoms of his motor neurone disease (MND). They began when he trapped his hand in a door. "Being an old rugby boy come farmer I thought 'ah, that was a bit tender' - and I lost a bit of power in my hand," he recalls. "I thought maybe I'd broken a little bone but it would be OK. It would soon mend and fix but during the winter months it got progressively worse and I lost a lot of power in my left hand. "Not long after that the twitching started in my left hand and that was the giveaway. There's something wrong here." When he finally went to his doctor, he was referred to a specialist and was soon given the most devastating of diagnoses. Motor neurone disease involves progressive damage to the nerves, leading to muscle wastage. There is currently no cure and while there are exceptions - including the physicist Stephen Hawking - about half of sufferers die within three years of developing symptoms. At the moment it mainly affects Doddie's hands, making everyday tasks like fastening a button difficult. "If you were to put a sponge cake in front of me I would find it very difficult to squash it," he explains. Doddie Weir is not the first rugby international to face MND. In 2011, South Africa's Joost van der Westhuizen revealed he had been diagnosed with the condition. Some researchers have suggested that repeated head injuries can increase the chances of developing the disease. Could Doddie Weir's rugby career be to blame for his current condition? He has asked himself and his doctors that question but he remains sceptical. "We have maybe 450 to 500 sufferers of MND in Scotland - and quite a large majority probably wouldn't have played rugby. "I don't think there's any connection to it at the moment but the reason behind that is that there's maybe not a lot of studies put together, not a lot of work or focus put on MND at the moment in the world, so hopefully we can try and change that and try to find the solution." Joost van der Westhuizen died earlier this year - but his final years while living with MND were an inspiration to Doddie. During that time he set up the J9 Foundation which seeks to raise awareness as well as improve the emotional and physical care of MND sufferers. The most important tip, Doddie says, was the benefit of "positive thinking". "He probably brought me on to understand what it was all about. I met him at Murrayfield a number of years ago. A very inspirational character. "So with his J9 Foundation it was really the first port of call that I was going to do, to see what he's done before - because there's a frustrating part with MND and that's the solution. That's not been found yet. It's a terminal illness and that's quite hard to take." The anguish Doddie feels is less for himself but more for his family. The normally cheerful exterior cracks for a few seconds as he speaks of his teenage sons. "Any parent is worried about the future with their kids. I've got three young boys of 16, 15 and 13 - and you always want to grow up with them if you can - and that is the worry." Since announcing his illness over the summer he has spent time with his family in New Zealand, building memories that will endure. "Before that we went to Twickenham as well - which wasn't such a memory because Scotland got beat by 60 points," he jokes. Doddie, who won 61 Scottish caps, has now set up the Doddie'5 Discretionary Trust - which makes use of his rugby shirt number - to provide practical and financial help to his family as his condition develops. A foundation, My Name'5 Doddie, is also to be set up in the next few months to raise funds for research into a cure for MND and to provide grants to people living with the condition. "Ultimately it's down to funding - it's all down to a bit of money. I think that's what lapsed before because there's not that many people with the condition and the drug companies think, don't want to be bothered with it." He is under no illusions. He knows there will be dark times ahead - but he has a "driving focus" that will keep him going. "You have to have a positive outlook - that's what the J9 boys were saying. Somebody has put this card into my hands and with that, I have got to try to make a difference - and hopefully we do." John Beattie's full interview with Doddie Weir will be broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland at about 12:40 on Tuesday 29 August.

दो महीने पहले स्कॉटलैंड के पूर्व रग्बी अंतरराष्ट्रीय डोडी वेयर ने घोषणा की कि उन्हें मोटर न्यूरॉन रोग है। एक खिलाड़ी, किसान और रात्रिभोज के बाद वक्ता के रूप में करियर के बाद, उन्होंने बीबीसी स्कॉटलैंड के जॉन बीट्टी से अपनी अब तक की सबसे बड़ी चुनौती के बारे में बात की।


National Trust completes Wicken Fen 'bridge for nature' for ponies and cattle

Summary: Ponies and cattle will soon be able to roam freely between grazing pastures at a Cambridgeshire nature reserve after a special bridge was completed.

The "bridge for nature" links two areas at Wicken Fen, previously separated by a bridle path and vehicle track. The £200,000 bridge was paid for by supporters of the National Trust and a waste management company grant. The area is currently being planted and the reserve's wildlife will be able to use their new bridge in the autumn. The bridge connects 740 acres (300 hectares) of land to an ancient part of the National Trust's wetland reserve in the fens. Currently, the two areas are separated by a road that the grazing animals cannot cross. The muddy banks surrounding the bridge have been seeded but when the animals are allowed access it is hoped they will help to improve the area further.

एक विशेष पुल के पूरा होने के बाद घोड़े और मवेशी जल्द ही कैम्ब्रिजशायर प्रकृति अभयारण्य में चराई चरागाहों के बीच स्वतंत्र रूप से घूम सकेंगे।


Barry McElduff: Barrage of criticism never abated

Summary: Barry McElduff has consistently protested that he never intended to cause offence with his Kingsmill loaf video, and that its publication on the 42nd anniversary of the Kingsmills atrocity was just a terrible coincidence.

By Mark DevenportBBC News NI Political Editor With that in mind, his family and friends rallied to his defence and he must have initially hoped that his three-month suspension would buy enough time for emotions to cool. However, the criticism never abated, with Sinn Féin's opponents accusing the party of not matching their initial tough words with appropriate action. The adverse publicity triggered by the video peaked as the sole survivor of the massacre, Alan Black, described what had happened in chilling detail during an interview with the Republic of Ireland's state broadcaster, RTÉ, over the weekend. Now Mr McElduff has resigned, citing the damage the fall out from his video has done to the reconciliation process. Unionists describe the resignation as "long overdue". Sinn Féin will hope that by the time a Westminster by-election is held, the Kingsmills controversy will have been put into a different perspective. Sinn Féin took nearly 51% of the vote in the 2017 election, increasing their vote by more than 7%. Since Mr McElduff's resignation, the Ulster Unionists have suggested that what they call a "non-partisan candidate" should be found who would take their seat in the House of Commons and provide "a voice for victims". This approach - if adopted - would mirror the Mid Ulster by-election of 2013 when a joint unionist candidate, Nigel Lutton, shaved 10,000 off Sinn Fein's majority. However, as in Mid Ulster, Sinn Féin enjoy a commanding lead in West Tyrone. Even if there is a response to the adverse publicity of the last few days, it is hard to imagine any other candidate posing a realistic challenge.

बैरी मैकएल्डफ ने लगातार विरोध किया है कि उनका कभी भी अपने किंग्समिल रोटी वीडियो के साथ अपराध करने का इरादा नहीं था, और किंग्समिल्स अत्याचार की 42 वीं वर्षगांठ पर इसका प्रकाशन सिर्फ एक भयानक संयोग था।


I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! line-up revealed

Summary: This year's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! line-up includes former British athlete Linford Christie, Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder and X Factor contestant Stacey Solomon.

Among the other 10 stars taking part are former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik, Playboy model Kayla Collins and Paul Gascoigne's ex-wife Sheryl. The series, fronted by presenters Ant & Dec, is now in its 10th series. The show starts on ITV1 and ITV2 on Sunday 14 November. The other contestants taking part in the show are rapper Aggro Santos, former Bond girl Britt Ekland, You Are What You Eat presenter Gillian McKeith and actor Nigel Havers. 'Endurance test' Stacey Solomon finished in third place on the X Factor last year. The 21-year-old says she's scared about being picked for every trial: "I am the type of person to squeal and I do think I will be voted for every trial. I can see that happening. "But I want to see if I can do it and I am definitely going to give it a good go. "It is an endurance test and I am sure I will make a fool of myself. But nobody is perfect." Former Happy Mondays and Blake Grape frontman Shaun Ryder is taking part in his first reality TV series. He says he's missed going on tour with Gorillaz to take part: "I am really dreading being on television 24/7, watched by millions of people. "I decided to stay away from telly for a good few years. "But I am not bothered about the crocodiles or bugs. The trials don't bother me, and I am actually looking forward to them, rather than dreading them. "The thing I am most looking forward to though is having a laugh in the jungle." Former winners of the show include Matt Willis, Kerry Katona and ex-England cricketer Phil Tufnell. Last year I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! was won by Gino D'Acampo.

इस साल आई एम ए सेलिब्रिटी... गेट मी आउट ऑफ हियर! लाइन-अप में पूर्व ब्रिटिश एथलीट लिनफोर्ड क्रिस्टी, हैप्पी मंडेज़ गायक शॉन राइडर और एक्स फैक्टर प्रतियोगी स्टेसी सोलोमन शामिल हैं।


Forgotten Patagonian version of Welsh anthem is found

Summary: A forgotten version of the Welsh national anthem, rewritten for expats starting a new life in Patagonia 140 years ago, has been rediscovered.

It was found in files about the Welsh colony in South America at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. Jason Evans, who found it, said historians told him they were not aware of it but more checks were being made. He said rousing lines describing things like "great" white mountains in the "new nation" were meant to inspire. Mr Evans found it in a book, dated 1875, about the settlement which was founded 150 years ago while he was preparing for an exhibition to mark the anniversary. "This is something that has not been sung for 100 years," he said.

वेल्श राष्ट्रगान का एक भुला दिया गया संस्करण, जिसे 140 साल पहले पेटागोनिया में एक नया जीवन शुरू करने वाले प्रवासियों के लिए फिर से लिखा गया था, की फिर से खोज की गई है।


In pictures: UK's hottest July day on record

Summary: Wednesday saw the highest temperature for a July day recorded in the UK, with the thermometer hitting 36.7C (98F) at Heathrow airport.

Delays have been experienced on the railways with speed restrictions in place amid fears tracks could buckle in the heat. But there have been plenty of ways for people to enjoy the sunshine in safety. Temperatures are expected to drop to 25C (77F) on Thursday, with the possibility of thunderstorms.

बुधवार को ब्रिटेन में जुलाई के दिन सबसे अधिक तापमान दर्ज किया गया, जिसमें हीथ्रो हवाई अड्डे पर थर्मामीटर 36.7C (98F) से टकराया।


Iran's opposition struggles without detained leaders

Summary: It has been a year since the leaders of Iran's opposition Green Movement were placed under house arrest. BBC's Persian's Mehrzad Kohanrouz looks at how their absence has affected opposition supporters and gauges their mood.

It was February 2011, and the Arab world was in turmoil. As the regimes first in Tunisia and then Egypt fell, Iranian opposition leaders saw a chance to revive their own short-lived "Tehran spring". Two years earlier, Iranian security forces had crushed protests which erupted after the disputed presidential election. The two candidates who lost out to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the controversial poll decided it was time to make a move. Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister, and Mehdi Karroubi, a former speaker of parliament and senior cleric, applied for official permission to hold a rally in support of the Arab protesters. Their request was refused, but on 14 February thousands of people across Iran defied the authorities and took to the streets. Dariush in Tehran was one of them. "The security forces managed to block all the streets leading to Azadi (Liberation) Square," he recalled in a post on the popular opposition website Balatarin. "But the protesters scattered across the city and the security forces weren't able to contain them." House arrest The security forces also turned their attention to Mr Mousavi and Mr Karroubi. Both men had been under intense pressure from the authorities since 2009, when they and millions of Iranians demanded another presidential election at mass protests that drew the largest crowds since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. After security forces crushed the Green Movement - named after its signature colour - they rarely appeared in public although both kept in regular contact with their supporters via their websites. But just before the 14 February protest, the authorities moved to silence them completely, and confined them to house arrest in Tehran. They are still being held one year on. They have not been able to speak to anyone outside their immediate families, their precise whereabouts are unclear, and nothing is known about the conditions in which they are being held. 'Failures' Last month, the deputy speaker of parliament, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, revealed that it was actually the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had sanctioned their detention. His comments provoked outrage on Iranian opposition websites. "What kind of a dictatorship is this?" a web user called Arnazin wrote in one online chatroom. "This means that the [Supreme] Leader himself ordered their incarceration. How could the judiciary give in to such an order? It's ridiculous!" But what difference has the removal of its two main leaders had to Iran's opposition movement? Judging by the people who have contacted the BBC's Persian service recently, opinions are divided. "Why should I call them leaders?" Pouria from Tehran asked in a telephone call to the interactive programme, Nowbat-e Shoma (Your Turn). "They should have kept the protest momentum as Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy movement leader, did in Burma." "Mousavi and Karroubi... failed to keep up with people's demands," Seyyed from Khomein, in central Iran, wrote in an email. "They put protesters off by calling on them to return to the political ideals of the Islamic revolution and the 'golden era' of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini." Leila Behzad agreed, saying: "Leaders should be ahead of the crowd." "As the protesters were shouting 'Independence, Freedom, Iranian Republic', Mousavi and Karroubi were still urging us to return to the values enshrined by Ayatollah Khomeini." But Nima Saeedi from the northern city of Karaj emailed BBC Persian to say that the unrest of 2009 and the subsequent crackdown had shown people that they did have the power to challenge the authorities. "The more hardship we go through, the more we realise just how much pressure we managed to inflict on the establishment," he wrote. "The Green Movement is alive and successful because it moved beyond the Islamic Republic's ideology," wrote Kaveh. "Mousavi and Karroubi helped spark the movement. Now it's up to us to carry on their legacy and take on the regime." 'One goal' Mojtaba Vahedi, a senior aide to Mr Karroubi who now lives in the US, defended the two leaders' record and said their biggest achievement had been to unite the opposition. 'Without [the Green] Movement it would have been impossible to rally opposition groups behind one set of principles," he said. "Now they are all now sharing one goal." Mr Karroubi's wife, Fatemeh, who had been detained with him, was released last May for medical treatment. She has been allowed to visit her husband occasionally since then, and sometimes conveys messages from him to his supporters. In an interview with an opposition website on Saturday, Mrs Karroubi said her husband was "more determined than ever". She quoted him as saying: "The road ahead will be long and dangerous. But the people have legitimate and deep-rooted demands and as society reaches political maturity the future is looking bright." It is not clear how many ordinary opposition supporters share Mr Karroubi's optimism. On 2 March, Iranians will be electing a new parliament. Some opposition figures have called on people to boycott the poll. All eyes will be on the turnout.

ईरान के विपक्षी ग्रीन मूवमेंट के नेताओं को नजरबंद किए हुए एक साल हो गया है। बीबीसी के फारसी के मेहरज़ाद कोहानरोज यह देखते हैं कि उनकी अनुपस्थिति ने विपक्षी समर्थकों को कैसे प्रभावित किया है और उनकी मनोदशा का आकलन करते हैं।


'Doctors ignored me - my girls are gone'

Summary: An investigation is to be held at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, following at least seven avoidable deaths in less than two years . Here, some of those parents tell of how they lost their babies.

Kelly Jones was delighted to discover she was expecting twin girls. Already a mother of two girls, the babies would complete her family, she thought. But she began to feel pain during her pregnancy. Despite repeatedly telling staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital about this, and asking them to properly assess her, Kelly was ignored. At one point she tried to discharge herself because she was so unhappy with the care she was getting. By the time medics finally took her seriously, it was too late. Her twins Ella and Lola were stillborn in September 2014. A letter from the trust to Kelly says their investigation "shows that both babies had died from severe hypoxic ischemia (oxygen starvation to the brain) contributed to by delay in recognising deterioration in the foetal heart traces and the missed opportunities for earlier delivery". Kelly said her midwife "came in crying, saying I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry". "Too late, damage is done - my girls are gone," said Kelly. "Because they couldn't be bothered doing their job." The trust's letter, dated June 2015, promised that improvements would be made in the monitoring of baby heart rates. Two months later, Kye Hall died aged just four days. An inquest into his death found the failure to listen to his heart rate at two critical times prior to delivery contributed to this death at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. Four months after Kye's death, Graham Scott Holmes-Smith was stillborn at the same hospital. The trust has accepted that with proper monitor of the baby's foetal heart rate, "on the balance of probabilities, baby Graham would have been born alive". Ten days after Graham's death, in December 2015, also at the Princess Royal Hospital, Ivy Morris was born. Again, staff failed to properly monitor her heart rate, a mistake that was to prove fatal. While Ivy was born alive, she was in extremely poor condition and died in May 2016 from complications associated with her birth. An inquest found her "death would have been prevented had appropriate monitoring taken place in the second stage of labour". "It (the death) should never have happened," said Ivy's mother, Tamsin. "To hear that this (mistake) has happened before - it's just another blow. I've had an apology from the hospital, and assurances that this won't happen again. And I accept those. "But other families have had those assurances and those apologies and if those were followed up, in the way that they said that they would, then I would have my daughter."

श्रोसबरी और टेलफोर्ड अस्पताल एन. एच. एस. ट्रस्ट में दो साल से भी कम समय में कम से कम सात ऐसी मौतों के बाद एक जांच होनी है जिनसे बचा जा सकता है। यहाँ, उन माता-पिता में से कुछ बताते हैं कि उन्होंने अपने बच्चों को कैसे खो दिया।


Dead minke whale 'hit by ship' washes up on Shoeburyness beach

Summary: A dead whale has been found on an Essex beach.

The 24ft (7.4m) minke whale was first spotted floating in the Thames Estuary on Sunday and was found washed up on East Beach, Shoeburyness, on Monday. Scientists from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) examined the mammal and said it appeared to have died after being struck by a ship. It is not yet known how the carcass of the whale will be disposed of, or when it will be removed. More on this and other stories from Essex here The CSIP, which attends cases of whales, porpoises and dolphins that become stranded on the UK coastline, was first informed about the dead whale on Sunday. A member of staff from the Port of London Authority reported that it was floating in water in the estuary. A spokesman said whales in water it controls were "becoming more common". "We've had five or six in the last five years or so." The whale first washed up near Shoeburyness on Monday but floated back out on the tide. It later beached on land owned by the Ministry of Defence and was examined by experts on Tuesday. Minke Whales generally grow to between 23ft to 32ft (7m to 10m) and live for up to 50 years. They are found throughout the northern hemisphere.

एसेक्स समुद्र तट पर एक मृत व्हेल पाई गई है।


Bee Gees 'on a par with Beatles'

Summary: The Bee Gees, whose founder Robin Gibb has died, had hits spanning five decades in genres from disco to country. Here, two songwriters explain why they were among the greatest ever songwriting teams.

"You can easily speak about them in the same breath as Lennon and McCartney and Elton John and Bernie Taupin," according to award-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice. The Bee Gees were on a par with The Beatles when it came to songwriting, he believes, adding that the band wrote songs that would be around forever. Sir Tim, who presented Robin, Barry and Maurice Gibb with a lifetime achievement honour at the Brit Awards in 1997, said the trio's place in the songwriting pantheon was "almost as high as you can get". He told BBC News: "It took a bit of time for some of the more so-called intellectual end of the music business to realise this, but the public realised it almost from the word go." Much of the group's appeal came down to Gibb's voice in the early days, Sir Tim believes. "He had this extraordinary soulful voice, which was very unusual - especially from a boy still in his teens - on records like Massachusetts and I Started A Joke," he says. "But they also had two other singers in Barry and Maurice, with Barry taking over a lot of the lead vocals in the disco era. Whatever style they presented their music in, it was always original. "They were fantastic performers and singers but of course why they will last forever is the songs. They had jolly good melodies and very original lyrics and they were songs an awful lot of people could identify with." Sir Tim, who has won numerous awards, including an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe and Tony, during an illustrious career, also praised the longevity of the band. "In a way, unusually for most pop singers, they actually got better as they went on," he says. "Islands In The Stream and I Am A Woman In Love and all these other songs were quite late in their career." Jive Talkin', which gave them success in 1975 after three years out of the charts, was a pivotal release for them, Sir Tim explains. "Jive Talkin' was the record that got them back in a big way when they'd been out of favour," he says. "That one is quite overlooked - it was a huge hit, but the thing about it was that it really ushered in a new rhythm and it was a key record for the whole disco movement. "They just got those rhythms going really early on and coupled them with fantastic melodies." The trio's songwriting has influenced generations of artists, Sir Tim says. "Their influences are such that a lot of people from The Fugees to Take That, from blatant pop acts like Steps to quite sophisticated acts today, are covering their songs. "And of course, people who have done their songs over the years include legendary artists like Al Green, Elvis, Nina Simone and Barbra Streisand. These are Division One artists." Gary Osborne, songwriter and chairman of the Ivor Novello songwriting awards, suggests that if it had not been for the Beatles, the Bee Gees would have been recognised as the best writers of all time. "The Beatles were in a different league, then there was the Gibbs, then there was everyone else," says Osborne, who has written tunes for Sir Elton John, Jeff Wayne and Kiki Dee. "I don't even think [Mick] Jagger and [Keith] Richards could quibble with that, just in terms of the quality of the actual songs. "In the dance era, the groove was very important, but the Bee Gees weren't about the groove. They were about the song, whereas the Rolling Stones are about the feel of the riffs. "We love the vibe and the synth on Jive Talkin' and all those things, but when you strip them down to a guitar they would have worked in any era. They were just classy writers. "They won 29 Ivor Novello Awards between them in pretty much every category we've got, culminating in the Academy Fellowship in 2005. And in songwriting terms that pretty much says it all. "They just wrote brilliant tunes. It's not a mystery but it's magic."

बी गीज़, जिसके संस्थापक रॉबिन गिब की मृत्यु हो गई है, ने डिस्को से लेकर देश तक शैलियों में पांच दशकों तक हिट फिल्में दीं। यहाँ, दो गीतकार बताते हैं कि वे अब तक की सबसे महान गीतकार टीमों में से क्यों थे।


Pakistan's deadly descent into polio contagion

Summary: Pakistan was close to eradicating polio 10 years ago. But conspiracy theories, a Taliban insurgency and drive-by shootings of polio workers have reversed the gains. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan reports from the frontline of the government's war against the virus and the militants' war against its vaccinators.

"Polio workers had been shot in the area before, but we never imagined it could happen to us." Falak Naz, a member of the World Health Organisation's polio eradication effort in north-western Pakistan, is in a desperate situation. "I never anticipated I would be stranded in Peshawar city with an injured wife," he tells me at the Lady Reading hospital, where he has been tending his wife, one of several family members injured in a gun and grenade attack on his home in a rural district in April. "I don't have the resources to take up a place in this city, and going back home is not only unsafe, I don't have proper living quarters there." That attack on him was the second in a month in which gunmen have broken with the past pattern of drive-by shootings on the streets, and have instead followed health workers into their own homes. Conspiracy theories Pakistan is one of three countries where polio is endemic and the WHO recently issued a grave warning about the resurgent threat of the polio virus. Part of the reason is precisely the inability of Pakistan to immunise some of its children in the most vulnerable areas. The violence is relentless and the source is ultimately the Taliban's conspiracy theories about the polio vaccine. As the death toll of the health workers rises, so does the incidence of polio. In the four months since January, Pakistan has reported 59 new cases of polio, an all-time high for this generally low-transmission season. Of these, 42 cases have been reported from the tribal area of North Waziristan alone. And this is where the reason for Pakistan's failure to eradicate polio lies, says Dr Imtiaz Ali Shah, head of the provincial government's Polio Monitoring Cell in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). "The polio virus is under control all over the country," he says. "Cases reported in the KP, and even in Karachi, are an extension of the situation in Waziristan, where non-state groups do not allow vaccination. It is a political issue, which technical people like us cannot solve." Pakistan was close to eradicating polio virus in 2005, when only 28 new cases were reported. Dr Shah says if not for the politics, polio could be eradicated in three months. In that year militant groups based in Swat and parts of the tribal region along the border with Afghanistan decided to oppose the polio eradication initiative. These groups used FM radio sermons to create hostility towards polio vaccination, calling it a conspiracy by the Americans to sexually sterilise children and thereby control the population of Muslims. During subsequent years, health workers were roughed up in communities, or even kidnapped by organised groups. Some of them turned up dead. The defiance grew more violent after 2011 when a Pakistani doctor was accused of running a fake vaccination campaign to help the American CIA track down Osama Bin Laden. Dr Shah says the present spike in polio cases is directly linked to the July 2012 decision by the groups controlling the Waziristan tribal region to ban vaccination there. 'My sister was shot' December 2012 was when trained snipers drew their first blood by staging a drive-by shooting of health workers conducting immunisation campaigns. One of the first workers to fall to the assassins' bullets in Peshawar was a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Farzana Rahman. Her sister and co-worker, Amena Rahman, 20, still remembers that day. "We had been doing volunteer work for WHO for a couple of years to earn pocket money, and also because both of us aspired to become health professionals. "So as usual, we were operating as a two-member team; Farzana would administer polio drops to children, and I would scrawl the markings on the doors of the houses we covered for future reference." Farzana had just finished administering polio drops to two children at one house, and Amena was chalking on the door when she heard the shot. "It was a dry sound, like the whack of a small cracker, or if you slap someone," she recalls. "When I turned around, I was shocked to see Farzana sitting on the ground, leaning against the door. A man rushed away from us, jumped on a motorbike behind another man and rode away. A lady who had brought out the children for vaccination pushed the door hard to shut it from inside, and one of Farzana's fingers was caught in it. But she didn't wince." This angered Amena. She first shouted at the lady, and then taunted her sister for being frightened by the sound of a mere cracker. "She didn't respond, so I kneeled down before her and touched her shoulder. She fell into my lap. There was a gaping wound on the side of her head, and the blood was gushing out of it." Shaista's polio And so polio continues to infect the young. The illness contracted by 19-month-old Shaista Gul has come at a particularly bad time for her family. Her father, Wahid Gul, is just 24, but already wears the look of a withered man. A brick-kiln worker who can earn up to just about two dollars a day at the best of times, he has been unemployed for the last six months. And since he cannot afford to own or rent a house, he lives with his equally poor in-laws. One night in late March, the family discovered that little Shaista, a vivacious child who had learned to walk and often played with her cousins on a flat grassy ground outside the house, was running a high fever. "In the morning, her mother tried to stand her on her feet, but she collapsed. She hasn't walked since then," he says tearfully. "She learned to walk too soon, and she was so nimble-footed. Perhaps she caught an evil eye." The family faces uncertain times. They have no money to pay for laboratory tests and rehabilitation exercises, and no help has arrived from the government's charity funds. At least 33 field health workers have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Farzana, says Dr Shah. "But there is little evidence of turnover among our teams, which is a sign of their resilience and courage." Her sister Amena is a case in point. Despite having suffered the trauma of watching the murder of her sister, she plans to rejoin the campaign. "I like this work. If I can save a life, it will make God happy. My parents agree with me."

पाकिस्तान 10 साल पहले पोलियो को खत्म करने के करीब था। लेकिन साजिश के सिद्धांतों, तालिबान विद्रोह और पोलियो कार्यकर्ताओं की गोलीबारी ने लाभ को उलट दिया है। बीबीसी के एम इलियास खान ने वायरस के खिलाफ सरकार के युद्ध और इसके टीकाकरण करने वालों के खिलाफ आतंकवादियों के युद्ध की अग्रिम पंक्ति से रिपोर्ट की है।


X Factor 2014: Fleur East number one on iTunes

Summary: X Factor finalist Fleur East already has a number one.

By Tracy OllerenshawNewsbeat reporter The 26-year-old has topped the iTunes chart after performing Uptown Funk during Saturday night's semi-final of the ITV competition. The tune, by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, is only available digitally and features on Ronson's upcoming album Uptown Special due out next year. Fleur's mentor Simon Cowell said the performance was one of the top three in the show's 10-year history. He said it had all the makings of being "one to remember". So, last-minute song change. Check. Singing AND dancing. Check. Being a little known track, as it's not physically been released yet. Check. While the viewing public were clearly impressed they downloaded it so much it hit the top spot on iTunes, one person had something else to say. And shock, horror, it was Lily Allen. She tweeted: "Is this even out yet? #XFactor ... Well done to @sony for managing to get a not yet released song of theirs sung on prime time weekend telly. #uptownfunk #shazam #airplay "It is an amazing song and Fleur did it justice but it's still a great example of music industry corruption. #uptown funk" The so-called "corruption" she's talking about is more just clever song choice by Simon Cowell, surely? Note that Mark Ronson's track is physically released on 11 January on Columbia Records which, along with Simon Cowell's label Syco, are both part of Sony Music. After Fleur belted out the tune wearing black hotpants and a gold jacket there was a standing ovation from the judges and gushing comments from Simon. "Let this moment sink in because this is the moment that you went from a contestant to a star," he said. "That was in the top three best performance I've seen on the show." When Fleur was told the good news about grabbing number one on the iTunes singles chart on The Xtra Factor she was obviously thrilled: "Oh my god! I can't believe it! Right now I am literally lost for words, but feel on top of the world," she said. So that was Sunday night and as I write it's still at the top spot now (the only of the current X Factor contestants in the top 40), while the video of her performance has already racked up more than 670,000 hits on YouTube. Seventeen-year-old Lauren Platt was kicked out of the competition on Sunday leaving Fleur East, Ben Haenow and Andrea Faustini to battle it out in next weekend's final. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

एक्स फैक्टर फाइनलिस्ट फ्लूर ईस्ट के पास पहले से ही नंबर एक है।


Tixover quarry: Off-roader suffers serious injuries

Summary: A man is in hospital with serious injuries after crashing into a tree at an off-road 4x4 event in Rutland.

Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called to a quarry in Tixover, near Stamford, at 10:38 BST. Leicestershire Police said a man in his 40s was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, by road ambulance. The 4x4 event had to be cancelled and organisers have urged anyone with pictures and videos of the vehicle involved to share them with police. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

रटलैंड में एक ऑफ-रोड 4x4 कार्यक्रम में एक पेड़ से टकराने के बाद गंभीर रूप से घायल एक व्यक्ति को अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया है।


Mystery over man bundled into car boot in Spalding

Summary: Hundreds of motorists have been questioned by police after reports of a man being bundled into a car boot.

Police said a man in his late 20s was seen being put into the boot of the blue car, possibly a BMW, by two other men in Spalding on Wednesday night. Supt Phil Vickers, of Lincolnshire Police, said: "We have an open mind as to what we're dealing with here." Police said they were uncertain if it was a crime being committed, or just "high jinks". The car was parked near the junction of Winsover Road and West Parade at about 17:00 BST. More stories from Lincolnshire About 300 motorists completed a questionnaire for the investigation during a road check, police said.

एक व्यक्ति के कार के बूट में बंडल किए जाने की रिपोर्ट के बाद पुलिस ने सैकड़ों मोटर चालकों से पूछताछ की है।


Aberystwyth's damaged public shelter to be repaired

Summary: A Grade II-listed public shelter which was badly damaged during the recent storms should be repaired, said Welsh historical monuments body Cadw.

The 1920s building on Aberystwyth prom has partly fallen into a hole after its foundations were washed away. Ceredigion council said it would try to move the shelter by lifting it in one piece during the next week. Cadw has told the council it wants the shelter to be repaired and replaced in its current position. In 2010 Ceredigion Council proposed to replace the two public shelters on the prom with new ones at a cost of £60,000. At the time the council said the shelter damaged this week near Bath Rock was becoming too costly to repair. But the plan to replace it was scrapped in 2011 after it was made a Grade II-listed building by Cadw.

वेल्श ऐतिहासिक स्मारक निकाय सी. ए. डी. डब्ल्यू. ने कहा कि हाल के तूफानों के दौरान बुरी तरह से क्षतिग्रस्त हुए ग्रेड II-सूचीबद्ध सार्वजनिक आश्रय की मरम्मत की जानी चाहिए।


Are IS recruitment tactics more subtle than we think?

Summary: How exactly does the so-called Islamic State radicalise young Muslims over the internet? The experience of one British teenager, who claims to have turned many others away from IS, reveals tactics similar to those employed by groups who seek to normalise anorexia and self-harm.

By Ed CampbellBBC News Sajid opened a fake Twitter account about a month after his brother disappeared. Arshad had never shown any signs of radicalisation, or of being particularly interested in the Syria conflict, but the evidence was plain to see. His bed was empty, his passport gone. His school had not seen him. His laptop's search history showed a host of IS-related content. Then, Arshad contacted Sajid from Syria to say he, like hundreds of other young Britons, had decided to become an IS fighter. Sajid, who was 16 and still at school in London, wanted to know more. Using a false Arabic name he took from a TV programme, he opened a Twitter account and began searching "Isis" (an alternative name for IS) and "Syria" and following relevant accounts. Immediately, he was followed back by an IS supporter. A brief exchange of tweets followed before Sajid logged out. He had homework to get on with. Instant followers Two hours later, when he went back to Twitter, he found he had amassed about 5,000 followers. Many Twitter chats followed, and, eventually, he became close to six online contacts, whom he would message regularly. Some were in Syria, others were IS supporters in the West. They were "surprisingly supportive" given that Sajid had been clear he rejected his brother's actions. "Surprisingly, no Isis supporter actually told me to come [to Syria] or even to support Isis," Sajid tells me, in a series of exchanges over an encrypted messaging app. "This was a shocker for me. I expected them to push me to come. To this day, I don't know why no-one actually told me to support Isis." His experience conflicts with the popular view of IS recruitment, that, like paedophiles or online fraudsters, its operatives are lurking online to ensnare and recruit vulnerable young men and women. The picture Sajid paints is less one of sinister puppet-masters pulling young innocents to the centre of a web - more that of a delusional but self-supporting community seeking affirmation in each other. It is not dissimilar to online communities devoted to celebrating anorexia, self-harm or conspiracy theories. Groups like this function by attracting people with a common interest who encourage each other to share pictures and videos about their fixation. As they do so, the behaviour they celebrate becomes normalised. Yet through open networks and private messaging apps, he was exposed to a constant stream of propaganda. Much of it focused on the persecution of Sunni Muslims at the hands of Iraq's Shia Muslim-dominated security forces, followed by the retribution of IS fighters. To Sajid, it seemed the chief attraction of IS for most of his online contacts was the notion of "payback" for Sunnis against Shia atrocities, and the feelings of empowerment that came with it. "I started to watch the videos and I became heart-hardened," he said. "After reading about Shia crimes against local Sunnis, I remember watching a video of an execution of an Iraqi soldier and thinking, 'Good.'" But this moment became a turning point for Sajid. Hatred was being stoked in his heart, and with it, sympathy for IS. "This shocked me afterwards," he said. "I questioned my conscience, and my results were that I did not support Isis with my heart at all. I decided to stop watching the videos." In effect, Sajid had realised he was being radicalised, just like his brother. "I thought to myself, 'Is this what my brother felt? Maybe he's right and I'm wrong.'" But his brother's experience meant Sajid was "more aware of the circumstances if I'd joined a terrorist group". "Somewhere it is a personal choice to be honest," he said. "When my bother went, I had seen the impact it had on my family. "My little siblings refusing to eat, no sleep et cetera. "So I knew that would be their fate again if I decided to do that. "I don't think my brother had the idea of how my family would get torn apart from his stupid decisions." It's difficult to say how typical Sajid's experience of radicalisation is. After all, when he first announced himself online, it was as the brother of suspected IS-recruit. However, Sajid can put himself in the place of others who are less self-aware. Deleted tweets "I think there are levels to radicalisation," he said. "Imagine a young Muslim boy thinking that [Iraqi] soldiers are getting away with murder, then Isis comes along and tells them, 'Come fight for the caliphate, and we'll help you get revenge.' It will be the guy's dream." Among Sajid's contacts were two IS fighters in Syria who would update him constantly via instant messaging app Kik. As a result, he became something of an authority, with supporters asking him for news and even travel advice. As he became more aware of his status as an "insider", he began to portray a more pro-IS line, while still being determined to prevent others from following his brother's footsteps. "One of the biggest challenges I faced, was pretending to be an Isis supporter and still trying to tell people not to go," he said. "Once, a Somali girl living in London messaged me and told me... she was thinking of going [to Syria]. "My response was, 'What? Don't be stupid? Don't go.' "I think she replied, 'What the hell? Are you a spy or something?' I actually got scared. I feared she would broadcast this to Isis on Twitter. Thank God, after two minutes she deleted the tweets. More from BBC News At least 700 people from the UK have travelled to support or fight for jihadist organisations in Syria and Iraq, British police say. This BBC News database details the stories of those who have died, been convicted of offences relating to the conflict or are still in the region. Who are Britain's jihadists? "Later she told me she changed her mind and won't go." Sajid believes he convinced "a lot" of people to turn away from IS, but he grew tired of being a "fake supporter" particularly as more and more IS accounts were suspended by Twitter. He eventually closed his accounts. Several months on, the battles fought by and against IS have taken their toll on his six closest contacts. Three were now dead in Syria or Iraq, he said, two had been charged with terrorist offences, one in the UK, one in the US, while the last was alive and free and had now dropped his support for IS. One person who has not, though, is his brother, who remains in Syria and continues to support IS. Sajid said he had tried to convince him otherwise - but every time he challenged Arshad, he just blocked him. Scared of losing what little contact he has with his brother, Sajid has given up trying. Names have been changed in this article in the interests of guarding individuals' safety.

तथाकथित इस्लामिक स्टेट वास्तव में इंटरनेट पर युवा मुसलमानों को कट्टरपंथी कैसे बनाता है? एक ब्रिटिश किशोर का अनुभव, जो कई अन्य लोगों को आईएस से दूर करने का दावा करता है, उन समूहों द्वारा नियोजित रणनीति के समान है जो एनोरेक्सिया और आत्म-नुकसान को सामान्य करने की कोशिश करते हैं।


Welsh National Opera: Life of Lady Rhondda hits the stage

Summary: She was one of the key players of the suffrage movement, campaigning for women to sit in the House of Lords, embarking on a hunger strike in jail, as well as sitting as director on countless company boards.

By Gwyneth ReesBBC Wales News Yet the achievements of Margaret Haig Thomas, otherwise known as Lady Rhondda, havye been largely airbrushed from history. All that marks her four decades of campaigning is a small blue plaque in Risca Road, Newport, close to the postbox she tried to blow up in 1913, and a long-awaited portrait of her in Parliament. Now though, Welsh National Opera is seeking to make her centre stage, touring a comedy opera about her life. Boasting an all-female team, Rhondda Rips It Up! was commissioned to mark the centenary of some women getting the vote, and details Lady Rhondda's achievements within the suffrage movement. Mezzo-soprano Madeleine Shaw, who plays the title role, said: "Lady Rhondda was instrumental in the fight for women's equality and performing this opera now couldn't be more relevant. "Hopefully, as we travel around the country, it will ignite what women are fighting for today." Born in 1883, Lady Rhondda was the daughter of Liberal politician and businessman Viscount David Thomas. Brought up as an only child and a feminist, she became secretary of the Newport branch of Emmeline Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union, leading the campaign for women's suffrage across south Wales and taking the cause to many hostile meetings. She also took part in protest marches with the Pankhursts and attempted to destroy a postbox with a chemical bomb. It was this act - and refusal to pay the fine - that landed her in Usk jail, Monmouthshire, a sentence from which she was only released after going on hunger strike. She then launched the feminist weekly magazine, Time and Tide, with contributors including Virginia Woolf and CS Lewis. Further drama ensued in 1915 when, after travelling to America with her father to help arrange munitions supplies for the British Armed Forces, her return ocean liner, the RMS Lusitania, was hit by a German torpedo and sank. Along with her father, she clung to a wooden board and survived. She then continued her business interests - becoming director of 33 companies throughout her life, the majority in coal, steel and shipping, and founding the Efficiency Club, a networking organisation for British businesswomen. After her father's death in 1918, she inherited his title but was not allowed to sit in the House of Lords - a ban she voraciously campaigned against. She died in 1958 - a few months shy of the first women taking their seat. Her private life was as equally revolutionary. In 1922, she divorced her husband Sir Humphrey Mackworth before having several relationships with women. Yet despite her achievements and struggle for emancipation and equality, Rhondda Rips It Up! is far from a serious opera. Performed in a classic Edwardian music-hall style, it is a tongue-in-cheek cabaret, with original songs inspired by the suffragette slogans. It also features prominent male politicians of the time - Winston Churchill, Herbert Henry Asquith and David Lloyd George - who are all played by women. The librettist Emma Jenkins said: "It's slapstick but word comedy too. All the words rhyme. "Big influences for it were Jeeves and Wooster by PG Wodehouse, plus Gilbert and Sullivan and, dare I say it, the Carry On films. "Right at the start, we decided to do it as a comedy. There is a lot of comedy to be found in the world of provincial suffrage." Explaining how she wrote the score, composer Elena Langer said: "I was initially finding it difficult, then I read a scene about food. "It describes how all the posh suffragettes came to Lady Rhondda's house and her husband arranges for lots of teatime treats - pudding and souffle and all kinds of things. "The suffragettes know they should support their sisters in prison (on hunger strike), but they see all these little things and they cannot resist it so they stuff their faces. "The souffle - it's small and light. It immediately gave me tunes and textures." The show will premiere in Lady Rhondda's hometown of Newport on Thursday before touring Wales and England. It will be accompanied by a programme of community and youth projects on protest, rebellion and human rights. As well as this opera about her life, Lady Rhondda is on the long-list of influential Welsh women, one of whom will be immortalised in a statue in Cardiff's Central Square in 2020.

वह मताधिकार आंदोलन के प्रमुख खिलाड़ियों में से एक थीं, जिन्होंने महिलाओं के हाउस ऑफ लॉर्ड्स में बैठने के लिए अभियान चलाया, जेल में भूख हड़ताल शुरू की, साथ ही साथ अनगिनत कंपनी बोर्डों में निदेशक के रूप में भी बैठी।


Terror threat complex says deputy PM Nick Clegg

Summary: Greater security measures are being taken in the UK because we cannot live in a "false sense of safety", the deputy prime minister has said.

Nick Clegg said we cannot "seal ourselves off from the outside world" in the wake of the attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. The Liberal Democrat leader said threats are becoming "more complex". Meanwhile, he added Wales should not be left behind as devolution goes forward in the UK. He told BBC Radio Wales it was "so logical" for Wales to be part of devolution. "I think we are pushing on an open door in terms of extra money for Wales. As devolution goes forward in other parts, of course Wales should not be left behind," he said. Mr Clegg added his party was campaigning to win back the Montgomeryshire seat from the Conservative Party in what he thought would be the most "unpredictable, fragmented" elections he can remember.

उप प्रधान मंत्री ने कहा है कि ब्रिटेन में अधिक सुरक्षा उपाय किए जा रहे हैं क्योंकि हम "सुरक्षा की झूठी भावना" में नहीं रह सकते हैं।


Andy Hill: Who is the Shoreham Airshow disaster pilot?

Summary: Andrew Hill has been cleared of 11 counts of manslaughter after crashing an eight-tonne jet on to a busy road in a failed aerobatic loop. Who is the pilot at the centre of the deadliest air show disaster in Britain in more than 60 years?

By William McLennanBBC News Eighteen months before Andy Hill crashed an ex-military jet and killed 11 men outside the Shoreham Airshow, the former RAF and British Airways pilot's aerobatic prowess featured in an episode of ITV drama Midsomer Murders. His home-built plane simulated an out-of-control dive, in which the pilot narrowly avoided a crowd of spectators after pushing his aircraft to the limit. An air traffic controller warned the fictional pilot: "You are headed for the crowds." It would prove to be a tragic foreshadowing. When the 1950s Hawker Hunter struck queuing traffic on 22 August 2015, it became the deadliest air show accident in Britain since 31 people lost their lives at Farnborough in 1952. For Mr Hill, who miraculously escaped with his life after being thrown from the cockpit, it was a dark chapter in a decades-long love affair with flying. "He has aviation fuel running through his veins," said Sean Maffett, an air show commentator who regularly worked with Mr Hill. "He is an extraordinary man, there is no question about it." Andrew Grenville Hill, who was born in March 1964, was educated at the prestigious Tonbridge School in Kent and began his flying career aged 17 when he took to the skies as part of a Royal Navy scholarship. A little over three years later, in 1984, he joined the RAF, fresh from the University Air Squadron at Cambridge University, where he had studied computer science at Christ's College. His record shows him to be among the most skilled of his peers and, in his own words, he was "creamed off the top" to fly a Harrier jump jet - viewed as one of the most difficult planes to master. "The Harrier Force was the top of the pile - that's where the best guys went," said Bob Marston, a former Harrier flying instructor and RAF pilot of more than 40 years, and the author of Harrier Boys. "They have to have the best physical co-ordination to master the aeroplane and they need workload capacity to be able to multitask." Stationed in West Germany in the final throes of the Cold War, his days would likely have been taken up flying training drills from camouflaged launch sites, preparing to strike "Soviet tanks coming en masse over the border from East Germany", Mr Marston said. Mr Hill later flew preventative sorties out of Incirlik, Turkey, as part of the northern Iraq no-fly zone intended to protect Iraqi Kurds from Saddam Hussein's forces after the First Gulf War. Within three years of joining the RAF, he had qualified to instruct new pilots in the use of the Jet Provost and went on to teach basic flying skills to new recruits at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire. However, he did not only excel in the air. Combining his twin passions of computing and aviation, Mr Hill developed a digital version of the Harrier's operating manual that was cleared for use by the MoD. "That was an exceptional piece of work," said Maj George Bacon, who flew for both the RAF and the Army Air Corps in a career spanning more than four decades. Shoreham Airshow pilot acquitted over deaths 'As soon as I wake up every day I miss him' Shoreham pilot in TV mayday flight Mr Hill was an "outstandingly talented pilot and he is of course a very intelligent man as well," he said. "It probably makes him a little more introvert than the average... probably verging on the nerdy." This sideline in computer programming was presumably the source of his nickname, "The Prof", that had its origins in the RAF but would follow him into his commercial career with British Airways, which he joined in 1996, after a year with Virgin. He was promoted to captain six years later, flying passenger jets on both short and long-haul flights around the world. For Mr Hill, aviation was more than a day job. In 2003, he began once again to pilot the Jet Provost, flying a former military model from an airfield in North Weald, Essex, and soon began instructing civilian pilots. In late 2005, together with his wife Ellen, a fellow BA pilot, he embarked on a self-build project, assembling a single-engine plane in the double garage of their home. The couple documented their progress on a now-deleted website, uploading stage-by-stage photos as they assembled the parts of the Van's RV8, which were shipped from the manufacturer in Oregon. Having completed the plane, which bore the registration tag "G-Hilz" on its wing, in October 2007, Mr Hill regularly flew from his Hertfordshire farmhouse, using it to commute to North Weald Airfield. BBC News has learned that he took off and landed on a 500-metre grass field next to his home near Sandon. In 2008, he obtained permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to perform aerobatic displays in the home-built plane. With experienced display pilot Alister Kay, he launched a two-man formation flying team, known as the RV8Tors, a punning portmanteau of "RV8" and "aviators". The pair flew their matching planes at air shows and weddings, describing their "daredevil" performances as "thrilling and unforgettable". By 2012, they were estimated to have flown in front of nearly three million people. The duo's fast-paced formations picked up a devout following on the air show circuit and they became known for their signature finale, a smoke-trail heart. Air show regulars were among the more than 1,900 people to join a Facebook group, entitled Support for Andy Hill, in the days after the crash. Alongside supportive messages, which continued throughout the trial, members of the group sent cards to the Hills' home address and even posed beside a Hawker Hunter holding a banner that read "Get well soon, Andy Hill" three months after the crash. Mr Hill had begun to fly the Hawker Hunter with a display group called Team Viper in 2011. The outfit was led by Dan Arlett, who was described at Mr Hill's trial as one of the RAF's most experienced fighter pilots who now helps prepare the next generation of frontline airman by posing as hostile aircraft in simulated dogfights. Giving evidence during the trial, Mr Arlett, an RAF squadron leader, said Mr Hill was "probably the most diligent of all the team". He told the jury that air show pilots flew well-drilled displays, within the confines of their abilities. "You are not showcasing yourself," he said. "You are showcasing the aircraft." So, why does a commercial airline pilot, who has unlimited access to a plane that can take off and land on a personal airstrip, spend his weekends flying public displays? "Going to air shows is quite a lot of hassle," said Mr Maffet, who is known as the official commentator of the Vulcan bomber. "It's hard work and there is no money in it. I think the fascination with flying is such that people do get the bug. "They can do this extraordinary stuff that most of us mere mortals can't begin to understand. I think that's what it is that drives them on." The two weeks before the crash demonstrate Hill's dedication, performing eight displays at five different air shows. In the 90 days before, he flew in 33 displays and practice displays. While he was renowned among air show fans for his dazzling aerobatics, he was known for more mundane reasons to his BA colleagues, who preserved his military nickname, The Prof. Showing technical savvy first displayed when he digitised the Harrier's manual, Mr Hill designed a software package that allowed BA pilots to automatically book their desired shifts. Known as EasyBid, it was used by more than 1,900 pilots at its peak. Catherine Burton, the most experienced female BA captain at the time of her retirement in 2017, said that, as a result of the software, he was more widely known than a typical pilot. "At one point, I'd guess at least 75% of our pilots were his customers," she said. "He was well-liked for his excellent customer service in the software line." But the evidence of the Crown Prosecution Service was at odds with the picture of the conscientious and scholarly pilot. During the trial, prosecutors pointed to previous air shows at which Mr Hill allegedly infringed rules, with one display drawn to a halt over safety fears. He was, the court heard, "reckless" and "cavalier". Mr Hill denied allegations that, during the 2015 Shoreham display, he knowingly committed to the dive and engaged the plane's "flaps" in an attempt to complete a tighter loop, instead of abandoning the manoeuvre when it became clear he was too low. So, with all his experience and technical knowledge, did Mr Hill believe he could get away with what, to most pilots, would appear impossible? Mr Bacon doesn't think so. "I wouldn't conclude that," he said. "I've never known him as an arrogant person." Mr Hill has not spoken publicly about the disaster - save for giving evidence at his own trial - and those closest to him have declined to comment. Mr Bacon, who has kept in regular touch with Mr Hill since he came out of a coma in September 2015, said he had been living in a "period of purgatory". "At one stage when I was chatting to him I almost thought this guy was close to having a complete breakdown and may even be close to taking his own life," he said. "I think he has had to work really hard to give himself enough confidence to even stand on the witness stand." In the intervening years, his life in the sky has been on hold and neither of his two pilot licences is currently valid. Now cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence, he is free to walk from court and may soon be back in the cockpit. "Frankly, I think he will probably have a very quiet life," Mr Bacon said. "He'll carry on flying in his spare time, but I doubt that he will go back to fast jet displays."

एंड्रयू हिल को एक असफल एरोबेटिक लूप में एक व्यस्त सड़क पर आठ टन के जेट को दुर्घटनाग्रस्त करने के बाद हत्या के 11 मामलों से मुक्त कर दिया गया है। 60 से अधिक वर्षों में ब्रिटेन में सबसे घातक एयर शो आपदा के केंद्र में पायलट कौन है?


The age of the tragic selfie

Summary: When daily life resumes at a scene of death and destruction it's usually a hopeful sign. At the Erawan shrine in Bangkok, the site of Thailand's most deadly bomb attack, it didn't take long for Hindu worshippers to return - and with them came other people taking selfies. Is this now a natural response to tragedy?

By Stephen Evans BBC News, Bangkok Sometimes it's the smallest detail which makes the deepest impression. Fourteen years after 9/11, I remember the silence of the New York bar I went to in the evening after the attacks more than the events of the day itself. And now it's the smell of incense in my clothes which lingers and which I find hopeful. The aroma of worship at the shrine in Bangkok means normal life is insistent on returning. Ordinary people very quickly sought peace at a place ripped apart by violence. And the image of a small patch of freshly-laid concrete, its moistness, glistening in the fierce morning light. It says much about a determination to recover the routine of normal life. The bomb exploded at seven in the evening on Monday and by Wednesday morning the indentation had been concreted over with great determination. It's true this resumption of daily life, where worshippers bow and kneel before the statue of the Hindu god of creation, Lord Brahma, has been punctuated by swirls of officialdom, ambassadors and politicians sweeping through with their entourage of helpers and photographers. But routines have resumed. It didn't take long for the sellers and hawkers to return. And the routine of normal life in our modern times involves the selfie. It's hard to know exactly what ritual is played out when we stand in front of a scene of tragedy and take a picture of ourselves. There is a debate among some Jewish groups, for example, about taking selfies at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, of all places - some say it's an act of utter insensitivity and others that at least these selfie-takers have visited the place and may reflect on its horrors. In Bangkok, I watched a few people at the shrine angling themselves so that the scene of mass-murder would appear in the shot behind them. There is a global tourism industry and I suppose that participating in its rituals doesn't mean that your brain or your heart has switched off. And who are we as journalists with our cameras to condemn citizens with their cameras? A quarter of a century ago, a few months after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, I took trains round Poland and Czechoslovakia, and ended up on the site of the death camp at Birkenau. It was deserted and bitterly cold. The ice was packed solid underfoot, and I still remember the small detail of the crunch and the coldness and a rose-red wintery sun of an early dusk in a milky sky. My friend and I were alone on this expanse with only the outlines of the huts in which the doomed existed. And then, a taxi pulled up, and out jumped two tourists. While the car waited, they each took a picture of the other in front of the railway line which brought about a million people to their murder. Then they got back into the car and drove off. That was it. It would be nice to think these picture-taking visitors to a site of horror later used their portraits to reflect on the enormity of what had happened there, but I'm not convinced they did. Technology, of course, has moved on. Where we used to take pictures of each other, now we don't even need that extra pair of hands. The selfie in front of a scene of tragedy no longer demands two people - that's why it's called a selfie. But better technology doesn't necessarily bring greater insight. We now see the very moment of murder through CCTV cameras, the moment the bomber placed the bomb. We see the moment of evil but we are no closer to seeing inside the mind of the evil-doer. For me, the image which lingers is not that grainy footage of a bomber, but the fresh concrete covering up his deeds - fresh-hopeful concrete asserting the will to return to the routine of normal life. The difficulty is that concrete only covers material damage. It can't cover up the pain of the bereaved and injured. How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30. Listen online or download the podcast. BBC World Service: At weekends - see World Service programme schedule or listen online. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

जब मृत्यु और विनाश के दृश्य पर दैनिक जीवन फिर से शुरू होता है तो यह आमतौर पर एक आशाजनक संकेत होता है। बैंकॉक के इरावन मंदिर में, थाईलैंड के सबसे घातक बम हमले के स्थल पर, हिंदू उपासकों को लौटने में देर नहीं लगी-और उनके साथ अन्य लोग सेल्फी लेने आए। क्या यह अब त्रासदी के लिए एक स्वाभाविक प्रतिक्रिया है?


Man charged over Middlesbrough sex assault on girl, 14

Summary: A man has appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Middlesbrough.

Police said the teenager was attacked on a path adjacent to Ormseby Road in the Nomanby area at about 21:30 GMT on 17 February. Araz Khdir, 39, of Marton Grove Road in Middlesbrough has appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court. He was remanded in custody to appear at Teesside Crown Court on 22 March. Related Internet Links HM Courts Service

मिडल्सब्रो में एक 14 वर्षीय लड़की के यौन उत्पीड़न के आरोप में एक व्यक्ति अदालत में पेश हुआ है।


Visit York chief Gillian Cruddas to step down

Summary: The chief executive of tourism organisation Visit York is to step down after 17 years in the job.

Gillian Cruddas will leave the post at the end of October. In a statement, Ms Cruddas said: "I've been fortunate to hold one of the best jobs in tourism and it has been a real privilege to have worked promoting this city." She has worked in the tourist industry for more than 25 years and was awarded an MBE in 2010.

पर्यटन संगठन विजिट यॉर्क के मुख्य कार्यकारी 17 साल के कार्यकाल के बाद पद छोड़ने वाले हैं।


York community stadium: Plans submitted to committee

Summary: A 6,000 seat community stadium in York is a "major step closer" to completion with the submission of a planning application by developers, Oakgate Ltd.

The City of York Council is aiming to finish the stadium and county athletics facility at Monks Cross by 2014. It is expected to create some 300 jobs and provide a home for both York City FC and York City Knights RLC. Both clubs have previously said that a new stadium was the only way to guarantee their long-term futures. The council said the project was a "priority" which would provide benefits for those living in the area. Project manager, Tim Atkins, said: "Today's announcement is a result of a great deal of work undertaken by the partners involved in this exciting project, which is now a major step closer to being a reality." The application will go through the due planning process and will be considered by the Planning Committee.

यॉर्क में 6,000 सीटों वाला सामुदायिक स्टेडियम डेवलपर्स, ओकगेट लिमिटेड द्वारा एक योजना आवेदन जमा करने के साथ पूरा होने के लिए एक "बड़ा कदम करीब" है।


Coronavirus: Why vaccines rely on volunteers

Summary: The world eagerly awaits a coronavirus vaccine, and labs are racing to develop one. Some have now reached the stage of human trials and are looking for volunteers. So what's it like to be part of a vaccine trial?

Fergus WalshMedical editor@BBCFergusWalshon Twitter I remember very clearly my first medical trial. It was in Oxford where I was going to receive an experimental vaccine against bird flu. This was in 2006 and at the time H5N1 avian flu was a big deal. It was a deadly virus, killing half of those it infected. That would make it perhaps 50 times more lethal than Covid-19. So there was a need for a vaccine, and the Oxford Vaccine Group was to conduct a trial of healthy volunteers. I didn't hesitate about sticking my hand up, or rather, rolling up my sleeve. After all, I rely on patients to agree to me filming them in order to illustrate some aspect of healthcare, so it was a good thing for me to experience what that's like. Very often they are taking part in a medical trial, be it for cancer, diabetes or any number of other conditions. Naturally I was filmed while receiving the vaccine. I can remember being determined not to grimace because I didn't want to set a bad example. The immunisation takes just a few seconds, and I also had to give some blood samples the same day. As the needle for the blood draw was about to go in, a kindly doctor said "sharp scratch" which was my cue to look into the lens and deliver a faultless "piece to camera" - the bit in most TV reports when correspondents pontificate. But with a needle in your arm you have to get it right the first time. As my blood entered the test tube I spoke about antibodies and immunity. I think it went fine, but I remember a recent occasion that was a nightmare. Again, I started speaking as the needle went in, and my words, thankfully, flowed out on cue. The trouble was, the red stuff did not. It was like getting blood from a stone. It took four needles, and by the end of the filming the colour had drained from my face and I was in a cold sweat. Fergus on Covid As the BBC's medical correspondent, since 2004 I have reported on global disease threats such as bird flu, swine flu, Sars and Mers - both coronaviruses - and Ebola. You could say I've been waiting much of my career for a global pandemic. And yet when Covid-19 came along, the world was not as ready as it could have been. Now it's here I wish, like everyone else, it would go away. Sadly, we may have to live with coronavirus indefinitely. In this column I will be reflecting on that new reality. The bird flu vaccine trial went well. The following year it was approved for use, but bird flu never made the full jump from animals to humans, so it's not been needed. Not so with coronavirus. To say the results of vaccine studies are eagerly awaited would be the understatement of the year. There are lives, livelihoods and whole economies depending on a successful vaccine against Sars-CoV-2, to give the virus its proper name. More than 100 vaccines are in development around the world. Many of these may never get to human trials, but several have already reached that stage, in record time. Normally it would take years, decades even. The Chinese government shared the genetic sequence of coronavirus on 11 January, and within weeks a team at the University of Oxford had developed an experimental vaccine. Their human trial, the first in Europe, began last month. More than 1,000 volunteers are now part of the Oxford vaccine study. Half will get ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, as the vaccine is called, and the rest a control vaccine which protects against meningitis. The trial is "blinded" so that the researchers and the volunteers won't know which jab they are getting. The use of a real vaccine as a control, which may result in the odd sore arm, means volunteers really won't know whether they have got the real thing. That's important, as all of them will need to keep a daily health diary for up to four weeks, and come back for several blood tests. I wanted to volunteer for the first phase of the vaccine trial, but was ineligible. It's the first time I've been too old for a clinical study - the cut-off was 55 years and I'll be 59 in September. Though the trial has now been extended to include older adults and children aged five to 12, I may still be ruled out. Anyone who already has antibodies to coronavirus is excluded, and as I explained last week, I'm pretty sure I have these. I have signed up online just in case they will have me. In order to check whether the vaccine works, it is vital that those given the jab come across the virus in their daily lives. So the team would like volunteers who have public-facing roles, especially health workers, who are more likely to be exposed to coronavirus. You don't need all of your volunteers to get up close and personal with the virus, but it's important that some do, and in the absence of a guaranteed treatment it would be unethical to deliberately infect them. The volunteers are all told to maintain the same social distancing as the rest of us. And remember they don't know which vaccine they have received. There's one big problem surrounding all of this, which is that you need a lot of virus to be circulating to know whether the vaccine protects the people who've been immunised, and at present cases are decreasing. It's reckoned about one in 1,000 people in England are currently infected, not counting cases in hospitals or care homes. A further 10,000 volunteers are being recruited at sites across England, Wales and Scotland. At present there are more cases in parts of the north of England and Scotland than in Oxford. Volunteers are absolutely crucial to medical advances; we'd never get anywhere without them. The same goes for blood donors. With all the volunteers I've spoken to over the years there's a really strong element of giving something back. People say, "Well, it may not help me, but it'll help those coming after me." Some years ago, I covered a typhoid study in Oxford, in which they were immunising people with a new vaccine, and then infecting them deliberately with the disease - they could do this because it can be treated with antibiotics. The volunteers had to swallow a drink that had typhoid bacteria in it, and I remember one of them saying, "Down the hatch!" before they drank it. That vaccine is now being used in Pakistan and Zimbabwe, and has reduced cases of the disease by 80%. When I let those volunteers know recently, they were delighted. That trial was of absolutely no benefit to their daily lives, they did it purely because they felt it was the right thing to do. But with the coronavirus trial there may be some benefits for volunteers. There has been much speculation about when we will get results from the Oxford vaccine trial. I've heard September, even June. The hard truth is, it's not certain when we will know. It depends on whether we get a second wave of infections. If, and it's still a big if, the vaccine does work, hundreds of millions of doses could be made within months because of a manufacturing deal struck with the pharma giant, AstraZeneca. It says it could produce a billion doses by the end of 2021. And the Oxford vaccine is not the only show in town. Imperial College London is developing a coronavirus vaccine which will begin human trials next month. All the researchers I've spoken to have said this is not a race to be first, but a race against the virus. It's a race we all hope they will win. Find out more about the Oxford Vaccine trial Follow @BBCFergusWalsh on Twitter Read last week's column: Antibody tests which show that you have had a Covid-19 infection are being rolled out, prioritising NHS and care staff. So what happens when you test positive? Carry on as before - and I should know. 'I was gobsmacked to test positive for coronavirus antibodies'

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