Could teen jihadist have been saved from himself?

Summary: A boy who attempted to incite a man in Australia to carry out an Anzac Day "massacre" has become the the youngest person in the UK to be convicted of a terrorism offence. The teenager - who was referred to as Boy S in court and was 14 years old at the time - was given a life sentence and told he must serve a minimum of five years behind bars. But could more have been done to challenge and stop the development of his violent mindset?

Dominic CascianiHome affairs correspondent@BBCDomCon Twitter The boy's slide into extremism began more than two years ago, at a crucial period in his development. His parents had separated, he changed schools, and he was developing a deep interest in world affairs. This was fed through his newly acquired smartphone. From February 2013, he was failing to settle into his new school. He was abusive, disobedient and quickly excluded. At home, his mother didn't want him associating with local youths, so he was spending hours online in his bedroom, apparently studying foreign affairs. On 23 October 2013 - now back in school - he praised Osama Bin Laden and declared he wanted to die a martyred fighter's death. Teachers talked to local officials involved in preventing extremism and he was referred to the national deradicalisation scheme, Channel. The scheme operates at the very sharp end. If police and other agencies identify a potential extremist - be they inspired by al-Qaeda, or neo-Nazi ideology - a meeting is arranged with a specialist who can help the person confront where they are heading. Its single aim is to get the potential extremist to change before it is too late. Boy S was referred in November 2013 - but it was another three months before he entered the process. Blackburn and Darwen Council, the lead body in the case of this teenager, wouldn't tell the BBC why there was such a delay. However, once he was seen and assessed, local officials recommended moving him to a secure school for troubled children. Once there, he became even more unhappy, alienated and aggressive. He told one teacher he would stab him in the neck with a pencil and subject him to a "halal" slaughter. It was just one of many threats to kill. "I felt angry, very angry with all of them," the boy has since said of his school, according to defence submissions. "I just wanted to get excluded. You couldn't run away, it was secure with locked doors. The best way to get out and go home was to threaten staff with beheadings. "I found the more I did this the more free time I had and I could get home on my phone." In July 2014, Channel closed his case because officials thought he could be best supported through social services. That decision came despite earlier proposals to set him up with a professional mentor. By the autumn of 2014, Boy S was talking openly about beheadings. He showed teachers an appallingly violent video on his mobile phone. And when he told teachers he had a beheading list, including the order in which he would kill them, he was referred to Channel again. Before the second intervention began in January 2015, the boy went on a family trip to London. While there he met an extremist preacher, whom we cannot name for legal reasons. Boy S followed the preacher's advice to get on Twitter. That proved to be a gateway to a series of extremist contacts, including leading figures inside the self-styled Islamic State group. Later that month, he met for the first time a "deradicalisation intervention provider" - a mentor capable of challenging his mindset. That mentor, known only as Witness A, concluded that of the dozen cases he had taken on, this boy was the most radicalised he had seen. And he warned that someone was taking advantage of the teenager. One of those people, Manchester Crown Court was told, was Abu Haleema, a self-styled London preacher who featured in an extremist social network that led to and maintained the boy's radicalisation. During a session with the mentor, Abu Haleema sent Boy S a link to a page about a woman being beheaded. In a phone conversation with BBC News, he confirmed that he had spoken to the teenager - and he claimed that at one point the boy had asked him whether he should kill an imam with whom he disagreed. Abu Haleema insisted he told him that it would be wrong. He has been interviewed by the police and has not been charged in relation to this case. In a final meeting with his mentor, Boy S said he wanted nothing more to do with him unless he stopped working with the Prevent team - the government's counter-terrorism strategy. "I only have my phone and you even want to take that off me," he said. In March 2015, Channel officials threw in the towel and passed the case to the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit. Boy S was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill. When police undertook a full examination of the boy's mobile phone they found it was filled with extremist material. Not only was there evidence of the Australia plot, but Boy S had also tried to incite a French man to carry out an attack, radicalised an American woman to raise her children as suicide bombers, and talked to a South African girl about going to Syria. He was operating 89 Twitter accounts - and among those were evidence that he was in direct contact with leading IS figures. Police discovered Boy S had formed an online relationship with a girl from Manchester who held similar pro-IS views. In August, she pleaded guilty to possessing a recipe for explosives. Unique circumstances? Did Channel make mistakes? Could it have done more or were its officials simply confronted with someone they could not turn around? Well, we don't really know. Harry Catherall, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council and chair of the Lancashire Contest Board - the official body that overseas counter-extremism work in the county - has issued a statement commending the local partnership for preventing an atrocity in Australia. But the council would not tell us whether it had reviewed how the boy's case was handled - or whether, with hindsight, it would do anything different. "No doubt lessons can and have been learnt by many people from the unique circumstances of S's case," said the judge, Mr Justice Saunders. "But there is no material before me from which blame should be attributed to anyone, except those extremists who were prepared to use the internet to encourage extreme views in a boy of 14 and then use him to carry out terrorist acts." So what happens now to Boy S? Can his extremist identity be deleted? More specialists will be brought in. The defence team argued that Boy S can be changed. But if he doesn't, the life sentence imposed on Friday means he could stay in prison forever.

एक लड़का जिसने ऑस्ट्रेलिया में एक आदमी को एन्ज़ैक दिवस "नरसंहार" को अंजाम देने के लिए उकसाने का प्रयास किया, वह ब्रिटेन में सबसे कम उम्र का व्यक्ति बन गया है जिसे आतंकवाद के अपराध में दोषी ठहराया गया है। किशोर-जिसे अदालत में बॉय एस के रूप में संदर्भित किया गया था और उस समय वह 14 साल का था-को आजीवन कारावास की सजा सुनाई गई थी और कहा गया था कि उसे कम से कम पांच साल जेल की सजा काटनी चाहिए। लेकिन उसकी हिंसक मानसिकता के विकास को चुनौती देने और रोकने के लिए और अधिक किया जा सकता था?


What did we learn from the Bank of England?

Summary: A disorderly Brexit - with no deal and no transition period - could, in a worst-case scenario, deliver a severe economic shock to the economy, triggering a worse recession than we saw after the financial crisis, with the economy shrinking by 8%.

Simon JackBusiness editor@BBCSimonJackon Twitter House prices could fall by 30%, commercial property by 48%. Unemployment nearly doubles, the value of the pound could fall by a quarter, which would push up the price of imported goods, and see inflation rise by 6.5%. That could prevent the Bank from lowering interest rates to help the economy - in fact interest rates might rise to 4% to tackle inflation. Holy cow - so far so bad. But wait. The bank also said today in its Financial Stability Report that a close economic partnership after Brexit between the UK and the EU with zero friction at the border could see the UK economy boosted by up to 1.75% compared to current estimates as uncertainty lifted and confidence returned. That doesn't appear to be on the table if you read the recent deal signed by the EU 27. A more realistic assumption perhaps is a trade deal based on the one Canada has with the EU which involves some non-tariff barriers at or behind the border. Not entirely frictionless - but Canada plus. On this basis, the bank thinks the UK economy will be between 1.25% and 3.75% lower in five years time than it would otherwise have been. The government's own assessment was that kind of scenario would leave the UK economy between 2.5 and 3.9% smaller by 2035 than if we'd stayed in the EU. To argue the toss over half a percent here when comparing highly uncertain scenario analyses over long and different time scales like these is pretty pointless. But the broad outlook from both the government and the Bank is similar. Almost every plausible scenario makes the UK worse off than it would have been if it had stayed in the EU. According to the Bank - the worst outcome is worse than the government thinks, and the best likely outcome is less bad. Its important to remember these are scenarios - not forecasts of what will happen to the economy. That gets affected by loads of other factors like trade wars, real wars, technology, natural disasters and so on, but in looking at the possible impact of a no-deal Brexit, the bank has in some ways come to the Prime Minister's aid. The difference between her Brexit and no deal is very wide indeed. Her deal is not good, but its not that bad and no deal could be positively ugly. Correction 26 March 2019: This article has been amended to make clear that in a worst-case scenario one of the consequences of a Brexit with no deal and no transition period could include the economy shrinking by 8%, according to the Bank of England.

एक अव्यवस्थित ब्रेक्सिट-बिना किसी सौदे और बिना किसी संक्रमण अवधि के-सबसे खराब स्थिति में, अर्थव्यवस्था को एक गंभीर आर्थिक झटका दे सकता है, जिससे वित्तीय संकट के बाद हमने जो देखा, उससे भी बदतर मंदी आ सकती है, जिसमें अर्थव्यवस्था 8 प्रतिशत तक सिकुड़ सकती है।


Yoshihide Suga: The unexpected rise of Japan’s new prime minister

Summary: Shinzo Abe was Japan's prime minister for so long that people around the world came to recognise his face and perhaps even knew how to pronounce his name. So, should we all now be learning how to say Yoshihide Suga? That is a difficult question to answer.

By Rupert Wingfield-HayesBBC News, Tokyo A month ago, there were very few who would have predicted what we are now witnessing. Firstly no one expected Mr Abe to go, certainly not before his beloved Tokyo Olympics. Even fewer would have guessed Mr Suga as his replacement. The 71-year-old is known in Japan as Mr Abe's fixer, the backroom guy who gets stuff done. When asked recently whether he thought of himself as a nice guy, Mr Suga responded: "I am very nice to those who do their job properly." His public face is that of the unsmiling and seemingly charmless government spokesman. His nickname among Japanese journalists is the "Iron Wall", a reference to his refusal to respond to questions he doesn't like. So how is it that Mr Suga is now suddenly Japan's new prime minister? According to economist and long-time Tokyo resident Jesper Koll, Mr Suga was chosen by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) bosses, the faction leaders who wield power behind the scenes, because they saw no obvious alternative. "This is obviously an election in smoky rooms right inside the LDP," he says. "The public had no voice in this choice of the prime minister of Japan. "In the end, you're only any good to your party if you can win victories in public elections. So, he is under pressure. He is going to have to prove himself to the party and to the Japanese people that he deserves to be prime minister," says Mr Koll. Mr Suga is clearly not without political skills. He has served as Japan's chief cabinet secretary for longer than any of his predecessors. He has a reputation for toughness and discipline and for understanding the machinery of Japan's byzantine bureaucracy. But are those the sorts of skills that win elections? Professor Koichi Nakano from Tokyo's Sophia University thinks not. "He rose to power because he has the political skills of intimidating opponents, including the press and dominating the scene through backdoor dealings and controlling the bureaucrats quite well," he says. "But when it comes to the public face of the party, when the lower house election needs to be called within a year, he's really unsuited because he's not very eloquent." That lack of eloquence was on display as Mr Suga made his victory speech on Monday. In ponderous tones with long pregnant pauses he promised the following. "I want to break down bureaucratic sectionalism, vested interests, and the blind adherence to precedent." But Mr Koll is someone who knows Mr Suga personally and he says we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss him. "Here is a man who gets up at 5am in the morning, does 100 sit ups and then reads all the newspapers," he says. "By 6:30am, he's starting meetings with business people, with advisers, with outside economists. He absorbs like a sponge and wants to get things done for the country. He's not interested in any of the glitz or bling that comes with the government." The new premier's eschewal of "glitz and bling" is put down to his humble origins. Mr Suga was born in a small village in the snowy north of Japan, the son of a strawberry farmer. According to a 2016 biography, he couldn't wait to escape the rural backwater. At 18 he left for Tokyo. There he worked in a cardboard factory saving to pay his own way through university. That sets Mr Suga apart from most of his predecessors, like Mr Abe, whose father was Japan's foreign minister, and grandfather prime minister. Mr Suga's "origins" story is a good one, but according to Professor Nakano it makes him extremely vulnerable in the sometimes vicious factional struggles inside Japan's ruling party. "Because Mr Suga comes from a humble background, he really doesn't have his own power base," he says. "He doesn't belong to any faction. He rose to power because he was Mr Abe's preferred choice. And the party bosses rally behind him in an emergency situation. But once the emergency situation is gone and once the party bosses start to realise that they are not getting all they wanted, I'm sure there is going to be a power struggle." There are many well connected "young pretenders" waiting in the wings, waiting for Mr Suga to make a mistake. And there are many things that could go wrong. Before he announced his departure, Prime Minister Abe's approval rating had fallen to 30%, largely over discontent at the way he's handled the Covid-19 crisis. Mr Abe's greatest achievement was to give Japan a long period of political stability. Before his election in 2012, Japan had seen 19 prime ministers in the previous 30 years. It was called "the revolving door", and some worry Japan is now poised to return to factional infighting and short-lived governments. "It does seem to be the case that after a long-serving prime minister, we get short-lived ones," says Kristi Govella, a Japan watcher at the University of Hawaii. "I think it's likely we will now enter a period of more short-lived prime ministers. It's not clear if they'll be every 10 months or rather every two years. It would certainly be beneficial for Japan if it were not a different person every year." For Prime Minister Suga, those are not reassuring words. He has a lot to prove, and probably not very long to do so.

शिंजो आबे इतने लंबे समय तक जापान के प्रधानमंत्री रहे कि दुनिया भर के लोग उनके चेहरे को पहचानने लगे और शायद उन्हें पता भी था कि उनके नाम का उच्चारण कैसे करना है। तो क्या अब हम सभी को योशीहिदे सुगा कहना सीखना चाहिए? इसका जवाब देना मुश्किल सवाल है।


Fresh Aberdeen harbour plan images released

Summary: Fresh images of a proposed new harbour for Aberdeen have been released.

The cost of the project at Nigg Bay, to the south of the existing harbour, is being estimated at more than £300m. A public consultation is currently ongoing. The exhibition material can be viewed and downloaded, and feedback can be emailed to aberdeenharbour@bartonwillmore.co.uk

एबरडीन के लिए एक प्रस्तावित नए बंदरगाह की ताजा छवियां जारी की गई हैं।


Heroin found at London Heathrow on plane from Pakistan

Summary: Police in the UK say a "quantity of heroin" has been found on board a plane that flew to London from Pakistan.

No-one is under arrest following the discovery on Monday, but the aeroplane was impounded on arrival at Heathrow Airport so it could be searched for several hours. The crew's passports were temporarily seized. Pakistani reports say it was an aircraft of the national carrier, PIA, flying from the capital Islamabad. They say the narcotic was distributed in bundles around different parts of the plane. The plane has now made a delayed trip back to Pakistan with a new crew. The UK's National Crime Agency says no arrests were made but enquiries were ongoing.

ब्रिटेन में पुलिस का कहना है कि पाकिस्तान से लंदन जाने वाले एक विमान में "हेरोइन की मात्रा" पाई गई है।


Is bad politics ruining India?

Summary: Is India losing its mojo because of bad politics?

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent It's an obvious question to ask at a time when powerful - and populist - regional parties are again flexing their muscles at a fickle federal government, key economic reforms are seemingly stuck in the bog of messy coalition politics, and the government is struggling under an avalanche of corruption charges. Economic growth and investment have cooled and inflation remains high. So is it surprising that The Economist magazine, in its latest issue, says the politics is "preventing India from fulfilling its vast economic potential"? Or when Fareed Zakaria, editor-at-large with Time magazine, tells an audience in Delhi this week that India's politicians are "out of touch… they try to portray India as a victim, not the victor". With uncharacteristic exaggeration, The Economist even invokes a return to the stifling days of the controlled economy. "Lately, like a Bollywood villain who just refuses to die, the old India has made a terrifying reappearance," says the magazine. It blames a "nastily divisive political climate" for the crisis and believes that India requires "energetic, active leaders, plus politicians who are ready to compromise". 'Corrupt and corroded' Both the magazine and the pundit are right and wrong. The quality of India's politicians, many argue, has declined drastically, as in many parts of the world. Most of them seem to be out of sync with modern day realities - expectations have fallen so ridiculously low that an iPad carrying politician is described by the media as a modern one! Most are also seen as greedy, corrupt and disinterested in serious reform. The increasing number of politicians with criminal records and the brazen use of money to buy party tickets and bribe voters erodes India's ailing democratic process. It is not a happy picture. "Today the Centre is corrupt and corroded," historian Ramachandra Guha wrote recently. "There are allegedly 'democratic' politicians who abuse their oath of ofﬁce and work only to enrich themselves; as well as self-described 'revolutionaries' who seek to settle arguments by the point of the gun." Only serious electoral reform can ensure a better breed of politician. But to believe that less politics is good economics is a bit fey. There is little evidence to argue that political instability has been bad for India's economy. India's first flush of economic reforms was launched by a minority government headed by PV Narasimha Rao of the Congress party in the early 1990s. The reforms spluttered to a halt when the government secured a majority. Later, a rag-tag 13-party coalition United Front government helmed by two prime ministers in 18 months in the mid-1990s undertook significant reforms, slashing taxes, deregulating interest rates and moving towards capital account convertibility. One study by Kausik Chaudhuri and Sugato Dasgupta actually found that more investments take place when coalition governments are in power, one of the reasons being various regional interests are held together by "generous distribution of infrastructure projects". Economist Surjit Bhalla has argued that political instability is actually good for economic reforms. "The contention is that lack of political dominance means that politicians in power will make the extra reform in order to fight for marginal votes in a future election," he has said. "And if political stability is present, the politicians are unlikely to make an effort because of their inherent short sightedness or complacence." Elitist biases The problem, as Paranjoy Guha Thakurtha and Shankar Raghuraman argue succinctly in a study of coalition politics in India, is that privatisation - a key aspect of economic reforms - remains a dirty word with most of India's politicians, trade unionists and opinion makers. There is still a serious lack of political consensus on issues like foreign investment, lowering interest rates on deposits in pension funds and privatising profit-making state-run factories. Public consensus is harder to come by in an awfully unequal society where the middle class and the rich root for further opening up of the economy, while the poor want the state to invest in health and education and check corruption. The elitist biases in public policy is made easier by a poorly-informed and often unlettered electorate with low expectations. Many would argue that India never got any magic going, so there is no question of losing it. Consensus is painfully slow in such a society, and sometimes only a crisis can provoke the government - and the people - to bite the bullet. Reformers need to be patient; there are no shortcuts in India.

क्या खराब राजनीति के कारण भारत अपना मनोबल खो रहा है?


Viewpoint: Is Kenya serious about tackling corruption?

Summary: Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta came to power on a pledge to fight corruption, but three years into his presidency and the problem seems as entrenched as ever, with even the country's chief justice saying Kenya has a "bandit economy". Anti-corruption campaigner Boniface Mwangi gives his view.

A recent survey by Kenya's anti-corruption commission found that nearly 75% of the population thought there was a very high level of corruption in the country, with many people citing greed amongst public officials as the main reason. The head of the commission, Philip Kinisu, told the Reuters news agency that the government lost about a third of its budget through corruption - a figure that the government disputes. The losses come in the shape of, among other things, artificially inflated prices the government is charged for tenders, non-existent projects that are paid for and wages for employees who do not exist, also known as ghost workers. Corruption is the monster that has sunk its claws into the neck of Kenya's economy, draining the life from the public and private sector. Transparency International (TI) found Kenya's police, who are supposed to enforce the law, to be the "most bribe prone institution in Kenya", but not a single senior police officer is in jail for corruption. A police recruitment exercise was cancelled in 2014 amid suspicion that some of the recruiters had received bribes. This pointed to a bigger issue with employing high-calibre staff. The working conditions are terrible and the primary motivation for many who want to join the police force is the opportunity to seek bribes. The judiciary has also not been spared. The TI report found that judges are also open to bribery, lending credence to the phrase "why hire a lawyer when you can buy the judge". One of the country's most senior judges, Justice Phillip Tunoi, is going to be investigated after being accused of taking a bribe to influence his ruling in an election dispute. Mr Tunoi denies the allegation. But the affair has damaged what little trust Kenyans had in the judiciary The attitude of the government towards the corrupt has been very demoralising. On the one hand President Kenyatta declared corruption a threat to national security, on the other we do not have people serving jail sentences for the crime. Our president has been long on talk but short on action, in contrast to President John Magufuli of neighbouring Tanzania, who is admired for his no-nonsense stance. Mr Magufuli's actions show that a president can lead in the war against graft and impunity. He has fired the head of the anti-corruption bureau for poor performance, and some senior government staff accused of being corrupt have lost their jobs and are being investigated. Today, Kenyans yearn for a Magufuli. In Kenya, a chicken thief will be sentenced in record time and given a huge sentence, but those who steal and bleed the country dry will rarely answer for their crimes. The victims of this greed are the ordinary people. The president seems resigned to the situation, declaring on a recent trip to Israel that Kenyans are "experienced in stealing and perpetuating other crimes". Chief Justice Willy Mutunga told a Dutch newspaper that Kenya's "bandit economy" is run by mafia-style cartels. The Kenyan people however will rally behind anyone who is able to show that they have the will and the capability to fight corruption. They are crying for a way out and for justice to be meted out to those who are strangling our economy. The question is: Will Kenya get a Magufuli? On Friday 25 March the African Debate on the BBC World Service will be asking "Is corruption Africa's biggest killer?" You can hear it at 19:00 GMT and find it online afterwards

केन्या के राष्ट्रपति उहुरू केन्याटा भ्रष्टाचार से लड़ने की प्रतिज्ञा पर सत्ता में आए, लेकिन उनके राष्ट्रपति पद के तीन साल बाद और समस्या हमेशा की तरह गहरी हो गई, यहां तक कि देश के मुख्य न्यायाधीश ने भी कहा कि केन्या में "डाकू अर्थव्यवस्था" है। भ्रष्टाचार विरोधी प्रचारक बोनिफेस मवांगी अपना विचार देते हैं।


'Outdated family-court rape views need addressing'

Summary: A judge who dismissed a woman's claim she had been raped, as she had done "nothing physically" to stop the alleged perpetrator, is among a number of family court judges to hold "outdated views", a joint letter says.

By Emma AilesBBC Victoria Derbyshire programme In it, over 130 lawyers and women's rights groups call for Judge Tolson's continuing cases to be reviewed. And they say family court judges should be trained on the "meaning of consent". The Judiciary said a commitment to further training had since been made. 'Serious harm' The case centred around a man who had asked to be allowed to spend time with his son, who was in the care of his former partner. She objected because she said the man had been controlling and had raped her. In his ruling, Judge Tolson told the family court because the woman "was not in any sense pinned down", she "could easily, physically, have made life harder" for the man - and it "did not constitute rape". The woman later argued the judge's approach had led to her losing the legal battle with the man. The letter - signed by organisations including Rape Crisis England and Wales, Women's Aid and the Centre for Women's Justice - says attitudes such as those expressed by the judge "leave children and women at risk of serious harm". Addressed to Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and the family courts president, Sir Andrew McFarlane, it says: "Increasingly, the courts are no longer seen as a safe place for women who have been abused." It adds that since the case came to light in the media, it has "resulted in women contacting some of the signatories to this letter with their experiences of [Judge Tolson] and other judges who have expressed similar attitudes. "Their concerns have included attitudes about sexual violence as seen in [this case], professional assessment of abusive parents being disregarded without reason and failure to provide special measures during hearings." The letter is supported by the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Vera Baird, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, and the London Victims' Commissioner, Claire Waxman. Trish's story Judge Tolson was also the judge in the case of "Trish" - not her real name - deciding the level of contact she and her ex-partner were allowed with their children. "I was with my ex-partner for several decades," she tells the Victoria Derbyshire programme. "He was physically abusive and financially and emotionally coercive and controlling. I finally left when he started to abuse my children as well." Trish's ex-partner applied to the courts for contact and was granted access. Her elder child is now old enough to be able to make their own decision about not going for contact. But she says her younger child is "terrified of going for contact with him and says he's been physically abusive". "All I want is for this to be properly investigated. I've been in court at least 20 times," she says. "He can afford lawyers but... I have to represent myself. "He's continuing to control me and abuse - and that's enabled by the courts. "The children's voices are not heard and to not even have the courts protecting vulnerable families is really scary. "I am deeply concerned for the future of my children and their safety." The woman whose rape claim was dismissed by Judge Tolson has now had her appeal upheld by a High Court judge, over its handling. Ms Justice Russell, ordered a fresh case to be held before a different judge and said specialist training was needed on how family-court judges dealt with sexual assault allegations. The letter welcomes her recommendations but adds: "There are wider systemic issues, including some lack of understanding of domestic abuse and serious sexual assault and a failure to apply the practice directions to afford victims a fair trial. "This is despite training and clear rules." It calls for the appointment of "appropriately trained domestic-abuse champions in each family court", greater accountability for judges and specific training on the meaning of consent and free will for all family-court judges. The UK Judiciary said in a statement that "prior to the delivery of the appeal judgment [in the Judge Tolson case], the president of the Family Division had asked the Judicial College to provide additional bespoke training in dealing with cases of sexually related assault for judges trying domestic abuse cases in the Family Court. "The enhanced training will be delivered - initially electronically - from May 2020 and from then on will be included in every continuation training course for the Family judiciary.' It said the proposals would see family-court judges given "similar training to that which is already given to criminal judges who hear serious sexual criminal trials". The Ministry of Justice declined to comment. Follow the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme on Facebook and Twitter - and see more of our stories here.

एक संयुक्त पत्र में कहा गया है कि एक न्यायाधीश, जिसने एक महिला के इस दावे को खारिज कर दिया कि उसके साथ बलात्कार किया गया था, क्योंकि उसने कथित अपराधी को रोकने के लिए "शारीरिक रूप से कुछ नहीं" किया था, कई पारिवारिक अदालतों के न्यायाधीशों में से एक है जो "पुराने विचार" रखते हैं।


British Airways Las Vegas plane fire: Eyewitnesses describe blaze

Summary: A British Airways plane bound for London caught fire at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport and forced the evacuation of 172 people on board. At least 14 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Here, passengers and eyewitnesses describe what happened.

'Giant flames' "I felt lucky the minute I landed, you know on the ground, and I feel very lucky right now. Everybody that got off before me as soon as they hit the tarmac they just sprinted because behind us are giant flames." Letha Dunn 'I was terrified' "Everything was going fine, the pilot was getting ready for takeoff, gaining speed on the runway and just as he was going to take-off there was a kind of bang, and then it just screeched to a halt and we were all kind of braced forward on our seats and we saw all this smoke. "Eventually the pilot just told us it was an emergency evacuation, we were all just to get off the flight. "As we were coming down the chutes it was pretty obvious the incident was on the left side of the plane, the whole engine was on fire on that side and the smoke was just belching everywhere. "I was terrified at the time. When we were trying to get off the plane, everyone was pushing and shoving and screaming - it felt like 10 minutes, but it was all over in a matter of minutes." Lynne Harrison, from Glasgow 'Holding their breath' Eyewitness Reggie Bugmuncher said she was waiting at a gate for her flight when she heard people saying: "Oh, my God." She said looked out the window and could see "bursts of flames coming out of the middle of the plane", the Associated Press news agency reports. "Everyone ran to the windows and people were standing on their chairs, looking out, holding their breath with their hands over their mouths,'' Ms Bugmuncher said. 'Immensely brave' "There were passengers saying 'there's a fire, there's a fire' and as soon as the crew heard passengers saying there was a fire there was no hesitation from them whatsoever. The exit doors were open. "They were literally in full swing; it was like clockwork for them, to be honest. "There was a lady with a very young baby not too far from us. She was immensely brave, taking her baby and stuff off the flight really quickly. Pretty much everyone was trying to help other people." Dominic Worthington 'Burning rubber' "We looked out the window and for the first time saw smoke near the wing. We could smell it. It was like burning rubber - bitter and deeply unpleasant - and it was time to panic," the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg writes, who was aboard the plane. 'Big bang' "I was sitting on the right-hand side of the plane in the middle by the emergency exit. I was with my friend Jacob Steinberg - the Guardian journalist - and another friend. "I heard a big bang and the plane screech to a stop. I saw smoke from the window. People started screaming and getting out of their seats. "Some people were running towards the exits. We could hear the cabin crew trying to calm us down. "One of them told us to prepare to vacate the plane by gathering by the middle exit - but then we saw smoke coming through into the plane from that exit. "We were then told to go to the front of the plane and vacate from there instead. I wasn't hurt but there was a lot of adrenaline. I'm fine now but still coming to terms with it." David Willey, from Manchester

लंदन जा रहे ब्रिटिश एयरवेज के एक विमान में लास वेगास के मैककेरन अंतर्राष्ट्रीय हवाई अड्डे पर आग लग गई और उसमें सवार 172 लोगों को बाहर निकालने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ा। कम से कम 14 लोगों को मामूली चोटों के साथ अस्पताल ले जाया गया। यहाँ, यात्रियों और चश्मदीद गवाहों ने बताया कि क्या हुआ।


Streaming fuels music industry boom

Summary: For years the music industry was the poster child for digital disruption.

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter The record giants were portrayed as dinosaurs, thrashing around helplessly as piracy took away their revenues and tech giants took on the job of leading the industry into the future. But today it's bright confident morning again for the UK music business - and most of the credit goes to the boom in streaming. Overall, music revenues grew by 9.6% in 2017 according to the Entertainment Retailers Association, with streaming revenues from subscriptions to services like Spotify up 41.9%. Separate figures from the BPI, which represents the record labels, show that streaming now accounts for more than half of UK music consumption, Despite a lot of breathless talk about the vinyl revival, that's still a pretty small contributor and overall physical sales were down 3.4%. Streaming - once regarded with deep suspicion by both the artists and the labels - now looks like the path back to prosperity in the digital era. One cynical music industry executive told me the labels were now rewriting history: "They opposed every single new technology and said it was the end of the world. Now suddenly streaming was all their idea," they said. Certainly the big companies seem convinced that the good times are back - news of the bumper pay packages awarded to executives at Warner Music Group raised eyebrows recently. But not everybody is so sure that the days of first class travel and unlimited spending on flowers for the office are - or should be - back. Two forces - the power of the tech platforms and the anger of the artists - mean that the days of disruption may not be over. Power game Back in 2005, while the industry was beset by gloom, 98% of its revenues came from products over which it had a fair measure of control - either physical sales or digital downloads. Now it has handed control over more than half of its revenue to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, with their one size fits all £9.99 per month subscription packages. Meanwhile, artists still aren't completely reconciled to the streaming model - and in particular the fact that, by one estimate, they get just 19% of the revenues earned by the record companies. We have already seen major artists stamping their feet and demanding better deals - or negotiating directly with streaming services. There's a complex three-way power game underway, with the tech platforms, the labels and the artists all dependent on each other - but it is no longer clear that the labels' sheer marketing muscle gives them the upper hand. But technology - once seen as a threat - could now help to expand the music market. In the "good old days" only half of the UK population ever bought a CD each year. Now smart devices like the Amazon Echo and the Google Home are giving an older audience a reason to bring music back into the home. For anyone who wants to see music have a sustainable and profitable future, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

वर्षों तक संगीत उद्योग डिजिटल व्यवधान के लिए पोस्टर चाइल्ड था।


Diver rescued from disused Dorothea Quarry in Snowdonia

Summary: A diver has been airlifted to a decompression chamber after surfacing from a 300ft (91m) deep pool at a disused quarry in Snowdonia.

The 24-year-old man was at the the flooded Dorothea Quarry in the Nantlle Valley, a popular diving site. He was taken by an RAF Sea King helicopter to a private Wirral hospital which has a decompression chamber. It is understood the diver is suffering from decompression sickness, also known as the bends.

स्नोडोनिया में एक अप्रयुक्त खदान में 300 फीट (91 मीटर) गहरे पूल से सतह पर आने के बाद एक गोताखोर को एक अपघटन कक्ष में ले जाया गया है।


Asad Bhatti: Redhill man charged with terrorism offences

Summary: A man from Surrey has been charged with terrorism offences, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said.

Asad Bhatti, 47, of Holland Close, Redhill has been charged with two counts of possessing an article for the purpose of terrorism. He has also been charged with three counts of making or possessing an explosive under suspicious circumstances. Mr Bhatti will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday. He was arrested after a property in Redhill was searched by counter terrorism officers on 8 January. Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links HM Courts Service

काउंटर टेररिज्म पुलिसिंग साउथ ईस्ट (सी. टी. पी. एस. ई.) ने कहा कि सरे के एक व्यक्ति पर आतंकवाद के अपराधों का आरोप लगाया गया है।


'I donate breast milk to give something back'

Summary: Scotland's only breast milk bank has fed more than 400 babies so far this year, with milk supplied from 180 donors. But the service, based at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, is looking for more mothers to donate their milk as it seeks to expand.

"I would donate blood, but I'm postnatal so I can't, so I'll donate milk instead," says Sara Stevenson from Glasgow. Her baby, Sam, is six months old and thriving. But it was a "rocky start" to feeding him that prompted her to later get involved with the breast milk bank. "Sam was losing a bit of weight and wasn't peeing and pooing," she says. "I'd had so much support from my midwife and from the community support…I just felt that at least I could give something back that way." Sara pumps milk for the donor bank at home and it is then collected by volunteer drivers. The milk bank relies on these drivers, from Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, to transport the milk from donors' homes to the bank, and then back out to neonatal units. Driver Kenny Wilson, who has been a volunteering for two years, said: "Aberdeen is probably the furthest away place I go on a regular basis. "During the summer we had a baby on Mull and we had to take milk down to Oban. One of the parents came and met us at Oban and the donor milk went over on the ferry. He added: "I've always believed in volunteering, and have helped in hospitals in the past, so this is just an extension of that." "We have donors from up in Inverness, right down to the Borders," says Debbie Barnett, co-ordinator of the breast milk bank, which supplies milk to neonatal units across Scotland. She says both the donors and the drivers help ensure the bank can provide a vital service for premature and ill babies in their crucial early weeks of life. "Mothers who have had a premature baby, or who are maybe themselves unwell, might take a little bit of time to establish their own supply," says Debbie. "For the really small babies…those babies that are born at 24/25 weeks, their gut is really sensitive and having access to either mother's own milk or donor milk is much more protective for them. "There are lots of anti-infective properties in breast milk as well." Mothers wanting to become donors are screened before their milk is used. Debbie explains: "We then take their milk and we pasteurise that. We take samples to make sure there is no unwanted bacteria, or bugs in that milk, and then we keep it in our freezers until all the test results are in. "And once the milk has been cleared for use, it goes back out to the neonatal units." One of the babies awaiting the arrival of the donor milk is Lily Gordon. She was born 16 weeks early and is being looked after at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow. "She's been getting breast milk for seven weeks now," says her mum Danielle Gemmill. "At the start she used to get half a millilitre every hour and now she is up to 25ml every two hours." Lily's dad Daniel Gordon says that when she was born they were told by doctors there was a one in seven chance that she would make it. Now she is making good progress. 'Home for Christmas' The One Milk Bank for Scotland opened at the old Southern General Hospital in Glasgow in 2013. It replaced the old milk bank which had been running at the city's Sick Children's Hospital at Yorkhill since 1978. In June this year, the Scottish government announced the bank would receive £300,000 of funding over three years. It said the funding would benefit more than 700 of the most vulnerable babies a year, allowing them to be fed breast milk for a longer period of time to reduce the health risks associated with being sick or premature. The bank now hopes to recruit more donors as it looks to widen its service. Lily's dad Daniel says she is an example of the benefits it brings. "She's doing well," he says. "Thankfully there are these people that actually donate the milk. It's a great thing for us." "We would say to them - thanks very much. Keep it up. "Hopefully we'll get Lily home for Christmas."

स्कॉटलैंड के एकमात्र स्तन दूध बैंक ने इस साल अब तक 400 से अधिक बच्चों को दूध पिलाया है, जिसमें 180 दानदाताओं से दूध की आपूर्ति की गई है। लेकिन ग्लासगो में क्वीन एलिजाबेथ विश्वविद्यालय अस्पताल में स्थित सेवा, अपने दूध को दान करने के लिए और अधिक माताओं की तलाश कर रही है क्योंकि यह विस्तार करना चाहता है।


Kurdish mothers 'can't lose hope' for peace

Summary: As the leader of the PKK declares a ceasefire, there are hopes it will pave the way for an end to its three-decade conflict with Turkey. One mother, Adile Samur, tells the BBC's James Reynolds in Istanbul how she hopes this would allow her children, all PKK members, to return home - but not without an "honourable" peace.

I come from a small Kurdish village called Suruc, near the border with Syria. My family isn't rich. A decade ago, we moved here to Istanbul because there were no jobs for us back home. My husband now runs a small kiosk in a shanty area in Istanbul. We have seven children. We managed to send them to primary school, but after that they had to look for work. Three of our children have joined the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party]. None of them gave me any warning, but that's how it is. My daughter joined up four years ago when she was only 18. My family in Suruc managed to get me a photograph of her. But I don't know exactly where she is at the moment - she could be in Turkey or in Northern Iraq [the main PKK base]. I haven't heard from either of my boys since they left. The first went up to the mountains three years ago, when he was 20. 'Devilish person' Then, just six months ago, the other one joined up. He's 26 years old and had never planned to join the PKK. But then he was jailed for six months. A judge ruled that he'd made "cryptic" remarks during a phone conversation with a friend. Just one phone conversation - and he was jailed for six months! My son said that he was tortured during his time in prison. I wanted to see the marks on his body - but he refused to show me. The last day I saw him, I was in the backyard. He was wearing green shorts and asked me to make tea for him. Then we sat down. He laid on the couch, put his head on my chest and said how comfortable it was. I remember that day so clearly. Then he was gone. He wouldn't have joined up unless he'd been tortured. From time to time the Turkish police still knock on my door and ask me "Where is your son?" I say, "I don't know, you very well know where he is." They call me a bad mother, a devilish person, for not knowing where my son is and threaten me that sooner or later they'll get him. I don't care what they say. 'Honourable peace' I hope I will be able to see my sons and my daughter again. I can't lose hope. Over the last 40 years, thousands of young men and women have gone up to the mountains - their mothers are waiting for them to return. They need to bring with them an honourable peace. They went up to the mountains in order to fight for peace and democracy - for the recognition of culture, identity, and language. But our children can't come back empty-handed. If they just come back for the sake of it then I will not accept their return. My head is held high because my children want the right thing. But if they come back empty-handed then I won't be able to hold up my head and look others in the eye. For 40 years, there has been a war in this country. People have been killed, or forced to migrate from their homes. There are mothers who are trying to find their children's bones. There needs to be justice for them. I hope that [PKK leader] Abdullah Ocalan is released from prison and that he gets elected to parliament. I don't know how to read and write but I watch TV. The MPs who've visited him say that he is healthy and in good shape. This time I believe there's hope for peace. I can't lose hope. I don't want any mothers to cry after their children any more. Neither the mothers of the Kurdish guerrillas nor the mothers of the Turkish soldiers. This should end.

जैसे ही पीकेके के नेता युद्धविराम की घोषणा करते हैं, उम्मीद है कि यह तुर्की के साथ अपने तीन दशक के संघर्ष को समाप्त करने का मार्ग प्रशस्त करेगा। एक माँ, आदिल समूर, इस्तांबुल में बीबीसी के जेम्स रेनॉल्ड्स को बताती हैं कि उन्हें उम्मीद है कि यह उनके बच्चों, सभी पीकेके सदस्यों को घर लौटने की अनुमति देगा-लेकिन "सम्मानजनक" शांति के बिना नहीं।


Sherborne's £4m Paddock Project art gallery approved

Summary: Plans for a new £4m art gallery have been approved.

Sherborne Arts Trust's Paddock Project in Sherborne, Dorset, will include three gallery spaces, a coffee shop and incorporate the town's tourist information centre. Dorset Council approved the plans at a meeting on Tuesday. The decision comes after several changes were made to the plans, including a repositioning of the main building. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) withdrew its previous objection following the amendments. Other concerns raised during a public consultation included increased traffic and parking issues. However, those who supported the application described it as an "asset" to the town.

एक नई 4 मिलियन पाउंड की कला दीर्घा की योजनाओं को मंजूरी दी गई है।


Clacton Christmas 'twig' tree replaced

Summary: A town centre Christmas tree labelled "a twig" by critics has been replaced by a new specimen twice the size.

The original 15ft (5m) tree was given to Clacton by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and put up in the Town Square. But Tendring District Council took it down saying it was "not man enough for the job". Speaking about the new tree, council leader Peter Halliday said: "Christmas is truly back on in style." Ian Wickes, of the FSB, said the new tree was "lovely" adding the organisation had been "needled appropriately" about the previous tree. The smaller tree will be donated to charity.

आलोचकों द्वारा "एक टहनी" लेबल किए गए एक शहर के केंद्र क्रिसमस ट्री को दोगुने आकार के एक नए नमूने द्वारा प्रतिस्थापित किया गया है।


Who to trust - business leaders or economists?

Summary: Neither business leaders nor economists have a monopoly of wisdom on what's good for Britain or are free from political bias. But it is perhaps therefore all the more important to remember that those paid to think about how best an economy should be run don't necessarily agree with those paid to run companies.

Robert PestonEconomics editor On the day that more than 100 past and current business leaders have written to the Telegraph that the "Conservative-led government has been good for business and has pursued policies which have supported investment and job creation", a survey of academic macro-economists has come up with a different conclusion. The Centre for Macroeconomics, which groups leading economists from Cambridge University, LSE, University College London (UCL), the Bank of England and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), polled what it calls its 50 experts on whether the "austerity policies of the coalition government have had a positive effect on aggregate economic activity (employment and GDP) in the UK". Its result was a decisive no. Two-thirds of the 33 economists who responded disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposition that austerity had been good for the UK. Now to be clear, this is not a scientifically robust poll of those who know best. But nor is the Telegraph's letter - and those those who took part in the economists' survey are no less distinguished in their field than the business signatories. Among those who disagreed strongly that austerity had been a good thing, Oxford University's Simon Wren-Lewis (never shy to express an opinion) asked if the question was "a joke", adding that "the only interesting question is how much GDP has been lost as a result of austerity" (which he thinks could be as much as 10% of national income). John Van Reenen of the LSE, who also disagreed with austerity, said "UK GDP is about 15% below where we would have expected on pre-crisis trends... Premature austerity has damaged UK welfare and, as I and others argued at the time, delaying consolidation would have left the UK in a much stronger position than it is today." But Sir Charlie Bean, former deputy governor of the Bank of England, neither agreed or disagreed. And he said: "The UK consolidation was never undertaken in the belief that it would boost demand directly, but rather that it would reduce the likelihood of a loss of market confidence in the UK government's economic policies, which - had it occurred - would have necessitated a much sharper consolidation." By contrast, Patrick Minford, of Cardiff Business School, agreed with the austerity policy, He argued: "The coalition government has managed to set a definite direction towards deficit reduction without moving so rapidly as to destabilise the economy. Essentially it has halved the deficit/GDP ratio in this Parliament. In spite of this correction and the reduction in public sector jobs, employment has grown strongly and recovery has been established." Policy guide: Where the parties stand The economists were also asked whether the outcome of the coming general election would have "non-trivial consequences for aggregate economic activity (employment and GDP)". An overwhelming majority, 77%, either agreed or strongly agreed that the economic impact of the election result would not be trivial. Their arguments for why the outcome would matter were not uniform. Costas Milas from the University of Liverpool said: "This is conditional on whether a Brexit referendum (a referendum on the UK leaving the EU, as promised by the Tories) takes place. A Brexit referendum will add to investor uncertainty, pushing up borrowing costs that companies face and therefore delay their investment decisions. As a result, economic growth will take a hit." Michael Wickens of Cardiff Business School and York University said: "Given the closeness of the likely outcome of the election, the Labour Party's denial of their role in ruining the public finances prior to 2010, their continued focus on increasing public expenditure and the likelihood of needing a working arrangement with the even more spendthrift SNP, the prospects for the UK are very precarious - almost on a knife-edge." Meanwhile, Christopher Martin of Bath University said: "The difference between current Conservative and Labour spending plans is about £40bn per year by the end of the next Parliament. Even the most hard-core, anti-Keynesian would argue that £40bn a year has non-trivial consequences."

न तो व्यापारिक नेताओं और न ही अर्थशास्त्रियों का इस बात पर एकाधिकार है कि ब्रिटेन के लिए क्या अच्छा है या वे राजनीतिक पूर्वाग्रह से मुक्त हैं। लेकिन शायद इसलिए यह याद रखना अधिक महत्वपूर्ण है कि जिन लोगों को यह सोचने के लिए भुगतान किया जाता है कि अर्थव्यवस्था को सबसे अच्छा कैसे चलाया जाना चाहिए, वे अनिवार्य रूप से उन लोगों से सहमत नहीं हैं जिन्हें कंपनियों को चलाने के लिए भुगतान किया जाता है।


Radio election debate: Be in the audience for south of Scotland hustings

Summary: Do you want to be in the audience of special programmes putting politicians under the spotlight?

BBC Scotland is hosting a series of TV and radio debates ahead of the Holyrood election on 5 May. Two hustings will take place in the south of Scotland - the first in Dumfries on 26 April and the second on 28 April in Selkirk. The debates will focus on a number of issues including economic growth, transport and council services. Debate in detail - Dumfries Debate in detail - Selkirk

क्या आप राजनेताओं को सुर्खियों में लाने वाले विशेष कार्यक्रमों के दर्शकों में शामिल होना चाहते हैं?


£1m Wrexham Waterworld leisure centre work under way

Summary: Work is under way on a £1m project to improve the Waterworld leisure facilities in Wrexham.

It is part of a £2.7m investment at four leisure centres in the county borough. The gym at Waterworld was shut over the weekend for new flooring and will close again next week for more renovations and equipment installation. Plans to demolish the centre were scrapped in 2015.

रेक्सम में वाटरवर्ल्ड अवकाश सुविधाओं में सुधार के लिए 1 मिलियन पाउंड की परियोजना पर काम चल रहा है।


Grunwick dispute: What did the 'strikers in saris' achieve?

Summary: The long hot summer of 1976 saw Britain in the grip of a gruelling heatwave, struggling with a drought lasting for months. But it was not the only draining battle taking place. In north-west London, a group of South Asian women took to the streets in revolt at poor working conditions at the Grunwick film processing factory. Eventually more than 20,000 people joined in the protest.

By Bethan Bell & Shabnam MahmoodBBC News The women behind the dissent eventually found themselves taking on not just the factory bosses but the trade unions that initially supported them. So what is the story of the "strikers in saris"? It is a story not just of a groundbreaking movement, but of an extraordinary woman - Jayaben Desai. In the 1970s, black and Asian workers were typically relegated to the lowest paid jobs, were often paid less than their white colleagues and were "more often than not, ignored by the trade unions," says Amrit Wilson, a writer and activist on race and gender issues. Many of the women, originally from India and Pakistan, had been settlers in East Africa when it was under British colonial rule. They lived comfortable lives and worked in middle-class jobs such as teaching or administration. When Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda gained independence, new governments adopted policies that discriminated against these Asian migrants. As British citizens they were entitled to settle in the UK and many decided to do so. In London's unwelcoming post-war society, the only work they could get was low-paid factory work and manual labour. The Grunwick factory, in north-west London, took on many migrant women workers, mostly Indian women from East Africa, who were considered to be "hardworking and docile," according to research. On 20 August 1976, mother-of-two Mrs Desai walked out of the factory in support of a sacked colleague. As she left, the line manager compared her and her colleagues to "chattering monkeys". She replied: "What you are running here is not a factory, it is a zoo. But in a zoo there are many types of animals. Some are monkeys who dance on your fingertips, others are lions who can bite your head off. "We are the lions, Mr. Manager." Her son Sunil Desai, who also worked at the plant, helped her set up picket lines outside the factory. The pair began a passionate campaign to improve standards at the company and egged on many more workers to walk out. Mr Desai remembers it as "a hot summer with hot tempers". Mrs Desai, who died in 2010, said at the time: "They got more work out of us. Asians had just come from Uganda and they all needed work. "So, they took whatever was available. Grunwick put out leaflets saying 'come and we will give you a job. We give jobs to everyone.' "Door to door. When I went, a friend of mine followed. And soon they were full of Asians." Hardworking the women may have been - but when roused, docile they were not. Research by Dr Sundari Anitha, from the University of Lincoln, and Professor Ruth Pearson, from the University of Leeds, suggests that, while these women were "willing to accept jobs that had low status and low pay, they were unwilling to accept the degrading treatment that in those days was typically handed out to 'unskilled' non-white immigrants in workplaces". Dr Anitha and Prof Pearson have also produced a comic strip about Mrs Desai. What was wrong with their workplace? One protester described the managers as "being in a glass cabinet. They could see us, and if they called us into their office, the rest of the workers could see them, but could not hear what was going on. "We used to work out of fear." The workers decided that they'd had enough. They joined a trade union and began to make demands. Grunwick refused to recognise they had joined a union and also refused to give them permission to do so - a position from which they refused to budge. The 137 workers on strike were sacked. After a few months picketing outside the factory, their cause was taken up by the wider trade union movement. By June 1977 there were marches in support of the Grunwick strikers, and on some days more than 20,000 people packed themselves into the narrow lanes near Dollis Hill Tube station. The dispute rapidly escalated, culminating in pitched battles between mass pickets and police as the company bussed in other workers. Three of the Labour government's ministers - Shirley Williams, Fred Mulley and Dennis Howell - joined the picket line. National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill and striking colliery workers also joined in. On a particularly brutal day in November 1977, when 8,000 people turned out to protest, 243 pickets were treated for injuries, 12 had broken bones and 113 were arrested. Home Secretary Merlyn Rees, who insisted a heavy police presence was "necessary", turned up at the demonstration to appeal for calm but he was jeered. The conciliation and arbitration service Acas was forced to withdraw from the dispute because the Grunwick management refused to take part in mediation. Eventually, both the TUC (Trades Union Congress) and Apex (the strikers' union), felt that the dispute could not be won and withdrew their support. At first, Jayaben Desai and the strikers refused to be dictated to. The long hot summer of 1976 was now in the distant past and - on a cold day in November 1977 - four stalwart protesters - Mrs Desai, Vipin Magdani, Johnny Patel and Yasu Patel - started a hunger strike. Mrs Desai and her colleagues felt abandoned and disillusioned. As she said: "Trade union support is like honey on the elbow - you can smell it, you can feel it, but you cannot taste it." But nothing worked and after two long years of struggle, the dispute ended in defeat for the strikers. The workers who took action were never reinstated and neither did they win union recognition. There is now little sign in the narrow streets of Dollis Hill that this was once the site of a long and bitter struggle, other than a small, barely noticeable plaque on the wall of the former factory commemorating Mrs Desai's actions. Later this year a mural will be unveiled where the factory once stood, the funds raised by Brent Trades Council and local activists. But did the Grunwick dispute have any lasting impact? Although the strikers did not get their jobs back, some concessions relating to existing and future workers' pay and pensions were won. However, the greater victory was arguably the message it sent about immigrant workers' place in society and their determination to stand up for their rights. "The strike was a unique and transformative moment," says Ms Wilson. "It did not put an end to stereotypes of Asian women, but it certainly challenged them. "This passionate assertion of strength, and the claiming of a newfound collective identity, bringing with it a sense of hope and new possibilities, arose not only from taking a stand as exploited workers but from collectively confronting racism at work. "It was also, often, about winning a struggle against the patriarchy of the women's families and communities in order to go on strike in the first place." There were other knock-on effects from the dispute. The mobilisation of the trade union movement in support of the women was one of the factors that contributed to the outlawing of secondary picketing by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government of the 1980s. And the period also saw the establishment of state databases of activists, for the purposes of surveillance. Special Branch even had files on the Grunwick strikers and some of their supporters, including Jack Dromey MP, who was at the time the secretary of Brent Trades Council. He said that the lasting legacy of the strikes was the example set by Mrs Desai. He said that, in generations to come, "people will look back at a woman who was truly one of the most remarkable women to ever have fought for workers' rights".

1976 की लंबी गर्म गर्मी ने ब्रिटेन को एक भीषण गर्मी की चपेट में देखा, जो महीनों तक सूखे से जूझ रहा था। लेकिन यह एकमात्र सूखा युद्ध नहीं था। उत्तर-पश्चिम लंदन में, दक्षिण एशियाई महिलाओं के एक समूह ने ग्रुनविक फिल्म प्रसंस्करण कारखाने में खराब काम करने की स्थिति पर विद्रोह करते हुए सड़कों पर उतर आए। आखिरकार 20,000 से अधिक लोग विरोध में शामिल हो गए।


Farming couple dig sheep free from Powys snow drift

Summary: A sheep-farming couple managed to dig one of the animals out of a snow drift and hope there are not any more.

Robbie Alman-Wilson and her husband have 2,000 sheep on their land at Llanbister, Powys. However, they are not sure how many are missing following the heavy snow during Storm Emma. They have been out each day and hope most of the flock made it to lower ground in time but will not know for definite until the snow has melted. "I would like to think we haven't lost many, no more than 10," she said.

भेड़-पालन करने वाला एक जोड़ा बर्फ के बहाव से एक जानवर को खोदने में कामयाब रहा और उम्मीद करता है कि अब और नहीं है।


The battle for readers and viewers

Summary: Britain's biggest commercial news publisher is after your data, as part of a vigorous shake-up of the battle for readers and viewers. Newspapers have been slow to tap that source of reader value, while US-based tech giants have gobbled the advertising market. Newsprint sales continue to fall, for most, while the BBC's future is under pressure from market disruption and politics.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland If you haven't yet been "engaged in a key vertical", brace yourself. The Daily Record stable of newspapers, which is Britain's biggest, currently provide access to online content for free, are about to demand your data. That includes the Mirror, Express, their weekly partners including the Sunday Mail and many more local titles. According to Jim Mullen, the Glaswegian who has led publisher Reach plc since last August, this "will enable us to better personalise our offering and introduce customers to new products and services". It's to get "a better understanding of their behaviour and interests". Sounds very considerate of him, doesn't it? But as you're probably aware, he's tapping into that data - your data - because, in the right hands, it's gold dust. Up front, it can lead to personalised ads. Behind the algorithms, and diving deep into the "key verticals", it can be mixed with numerous other data sources to provide a rich and textured picture of customer behaviour, spending power and preferences. This shouldn't shock you. Those who use the big four - Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft - are handing over vast amounts of information to them. In turn, they have become immensely powerful and valuable controllers of the data and algorithms that shape our online experience. Hacked off What might shock you more is how slow news publishers have been to join in. Reach plc - formerly Trinity Mirror until it merged with the Express and Star group - gets data from only a tiny proportion of its online users - around 2% of 47 million users who ramble across its news sites, at least occasionally. Mr Mullen wants it to become the fifth big player, at least in the UK. The chief executive announced this initiative while revealing improved financial results for 2019. That may have helped draw attention away from the £86.5m bill, so far, that his company has had to pay out or set aside for those whose phones it hacked - substantially up on last year. Meanwhile, the print end of news continues to look weak and, for those of us proud to have worked in it, sad. Some 61% of revenue from Reach newspapers comes from circulation (the cover price), down by 4.5%. Falling sales have been offset by higher prices. In advertising, which delivers 39% of print revenue, it's down 19% in only one year. Regional titles The results were published in the wake of the industry's annual upsum on what they call "regional" titles. That description used to make Scottish national newspaper editors bristle with indignation. But falling sales of their print editions has made the "regional" description all too true. The Audit Bureau of Circulation, owned by the industry, has just published figures for July to December, which show the not-so-national Scotsman shifting only 14,400 copies a day. Of those, 2,700 are given away. Ten years ago, the Scotsman was selling 43,000. Until recently, it gave away online content for free, hoping that digital advertising at scale would make up for lost print sales. Those hopes haven't come to much. After waves of cuts to editorial budgets, the financiers who bought the assets of Johnston Press, its former Edinburgh-based owner, when that was put into administration, are trying to sell. Further north, in Dundee and Aberdeen, the city-based papers have declined, but not nearly as sharply. It seems that it helps not to aspire to be national, but instead to serve an established regional market within Scotland. The Courier was down 3,000 on 2018, to 30,200 daily sales, on average, in the second half of last year. The Press and Journal was down at a similar pace, to 39,500. Deep pockets By last month, among the papers classified as "national", the Scottish Sun was shifting 154,400 copies daily, both the Record and its Sunday Mail stablemate were just above 100,000. Ten years ago, the Sun sold 340,000 while the Record was shifting 300,000 daily in Scotland, and 35,000 south of the border. Last month, the Scottish Daily Mail was selling 70,200 in its average daily sale, and the Express 31,700. The once world-beating Sunday Post sells 68,200 weekly. For those publishers who see the death of print as inevitable, milking it for profit while they can, The Times shows it doesn't have to be that way. It has combined reduced price print sales with online subscriptions, and other benefits from club membership. The paper's publisher has also used deep pockets to continue investing in journalism. The result is print sales which have defied the powerful sector gravity, and last month sold 28,400. And The Herald? Or its stablemate, The National? Ten years ago, the Herald was selling more than 50,000. By 2018, that was below 20,000. Then, during last year, American-owned publisher Newsquest opted out of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. It opted into a specialist at counting digital traffic. Circulation numbers have now been released by BPA, the new auditors, that put Herald circulation on 22,400. The National, with a campaigning take on Scottish independence, is on 10,000 and the Sunday National on 11,000. Those numbers are up on the ABC figures, but may not be directly comparable. Digital is where most news publishers are picking up new readers. That's where they hope to make a future for news publishing. But being so far behind the Google and Facebook curve in advertising, they have a long way to catch up if they're going to provide any challenge for the digital giants. Licence to bill The other news publisher that publishers would love to cut down to size is the BBC. It has a funding stream from the TV licence fee, and the corporation's website soaks up a large share of news traffic. The opportunity to hobble it may have arrived, with a UK government consultation on the proposal that it ends the pursuit of licence fee non-payers through criminal law. To that, add barely anonymised briefings from Downing Street that there's a project to force the BBC into shedding numerous services which compete with commercial media. The corporation's competitors for viewer eyeballs - and notably younger ones - are now Netflix, Amazon and Sky, investing heavily to recruit and retain subscribers with glossy entertainment. In that environment, justifying the licence fee clearly gets harder. The older newsprint publishers are unlikely either to come to the BBC's aid, or to shed a tear. But along with ITV and STV, they fear the prospect of the BBC being forced to sell advertising. That competition could do a lot of damage to their advertising revenue. John McLellan, spokesman for the newspaper publishers, wrote in The Scotsman last week about the perception of commercial publishers struggling in markets such as Orkney and Shetland, where the BBC offers local radio news services. BBC Scotland's year-old digital channel is also under assault from critics over the size of its audiences. They are a long way behind the main four terrestrial channels - BBC1, ITV1, BBC2 and Channel Four. That should be no surprise. The BBC response is that the new channel does well against the dozens of others that compete further down the Electronic Programme Guide, and search for content on iPlayer has risen a lot and consistently. "So much of the debate about the BBC in Scotland surrounds the spending settlement and alleged anti-SNP bias," wrote Mr McLellan, "while the really big questions about the suitability and sustainability of the licence fee, how Scottish public service broadcasting can be sustained, and the BBC's relationship with commercial media large and small go largely unanswered." There are no simple answers - and any complex answer has to take into account the media market clout of the digital giants. Taxing them fairly would surely help reduce their capacity for disruptive destruction. But that requires international agreement. And while President Trump is around, and Britain tries to curry favour with him and other trading partners around the globe, such tax fairness seems a distant prospect.

ब्रिटेन का सबसे बड़ा वाणिज्यिक समाचार प्रकाशक पाठकों और दर्शकों के लिए लड़ाई के जोरदार झटके के हिस्से के रूप में आपके डेटा के पीछे है। समाचार पत्र पाठकों के मूल्य के उस स्रोत का उपयोग करने में धीमे रहे हैं, जबकि अमेरिका स्थित तकनीकी दिग्गजों ने विज्ञापन बाजार को हड़प लिया है। न्यूजप्रिंट की बिक्री में गिरावट जारी है, जबकि बीबीसी का भविष्य बाजार में व्यवधान और राजनीति के दबाव में है।


How the 'world's toughest one-day bike race' could put Bhutan ahead

Summary: The reclusive kingdom of Bhutan has for years granted only limited access to tourists. But the country is now slowly attracting more visitors - and one way it is doing so is through extreme sports, as filmmaker Alex Bescoby recounts.

It was 2am on a chilly September morning in Bhutan, and a gruelling 268km (166 miles) slog lay ahead. Between me and the finish line in the capital, Thimphu, lay four mountain-passes each more than 10,000ft high (3,050m) and a feat of endurance that has taken world-class athletes more than 11 hours to complete. As the organisers of the Tour of the Dragon (TOD) point out, real dangers awaited. The TOD has been billed as the "toughest one-day bike race in the world". Between the rough undulating terrain and the potential to run into wild tigers, leopards and wild boar, it wasn't hard to see why. Only 47 others took part and most were, unlike myself, perfect cycling specimens from Bhutan and abroad. 'It's my dream' Beside me at the start-line was Wangchuk Namgay, the youngest rider at just 17. "It's my dream to complete this race," he confided. He had never ridden anywhere near this distance before, but his nerves were dampened by the months of training he had put in, and the potential to win the first prize of £1,500 ($1,950). On my other side was a more seasoned Bhutanese rider, 46-year-old Rinzin Norbu, who was undertaking his eighth race. "Has anyone ever died doing this?" I asked him, increasingly nervous. "No, not yet", he grinned. "Our prime minister broke his jaw. It didn't stop him finishing." It's a good insight into the people that thrive in this nation of just 750,000, tucked between India and China, and nicknamed The Land of the Thunder Dragon. Bhutan's Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck a passionate cyclist, founded the TOD in 2010 as a challenge between friends. But such is the veneration for the royal family in Bhutan, the race has become a national event. The 34-year-old prince, dressed ready to race, stopped to greet each rider personally. Heads were bowed and backs straightened. "Pace yourself, and stay safe," he told me in a reassuring tone. Minutes later a rumbling prayer from saffron-robed monks built to a crescendo, and the starting gun set off a cloud of confetti. Before sunrise, darkness was the biggest danger. The cheap torch I'd strapped to my handlebars failed to spot cows emerging like bovine icebergs in the pre-dawn fog. They refused to move - possibly due to a lack of fear stemming from the ban on all animal-killing in Bhutan, or perhaps due to the copious marijuana growing wild around us. When the sun finally rose five hours later, it brought its own problems. The temperature rocketed, and my skin turned bright-red in the thin mountain air. The five-hour uphill slog that followed deserved its own circle in hell. Bhutan only paved its first road in 1962, and large sections of the route remained a work-in-progress. As I inched forward in the lowest gear through mile-after-mile of treacle-like mud, the air turned blue with my increasingly inventive swearing. I found myself dead last, making painfully slow progress. The driver of the sweeper bus behind me alleviated his boredom by live-streaming my efforts across social media via his smartphone. Culture vs cash Mobile phones only arrived in Bhutan in 2003 - just four years after the television - but the country is now reaching 100% penetration rates. Its thinly spread population once relied on messengers travelling weeks on foot through precarious mountain passes. But now social media is connecting the Bhutanese like never before, as well as broadcasting my suffering across the country in seconds. And it's not just smartphones that have taken off in Bhutan. The country's tourism industry is also on the rise. Bhutan has traditionally restricted tourism to the wealthy few, using steep daily visa-fees to safeguard its pristine environment and proudly independent culture. But a partnership agreement with India has seen large numbers of tourists visiting Bhutan visa-free in the last few years. Many bring their own cars and supplies, and stay only briefly in the growing number of high-volume, low-budget hotels popping up across the country. While some welcome the extra revenue and interest in Bhutan's unique history and culture, it's an issue causing rare disagreement in a country famous for focusing on "Gross National Happiness". Finding the right balance will likely be top of the agenda for the new government formed after Bhutan goes to the polls for only the third time in history in October. So perhaps cycling could be the country's way of striking that balance - attracting international athletes while showcasing the best of its culture and environment. Bhutan is traditionally known for its obsession with archery, its national sport. But the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC) has been increasingly keen to see Bhutan's young athletes consider cycling as an option. Its secretary-general, Sonam Karma Tshering, believes the presence of world-famous cyclists taking part in the TOD could inspire a future Bhutanese world-champion. He feels that Bhutan's unforgiving terrain is the perfect place for elite cycling to take hold. The royal family's passion for cycling has also helped. Bhutan's beloved former king, now in happy retirement having abdicated in favour of his son, can be seen cycling dressed in his traditional gho most days in the hills around Thimphu. Back in the unforgiving mountains, my race towards the finish line continued. After more than 14 soul-destroying and awe-inspiring hours, I finally surrendered at the 200km mark - a distance surprising both me and my growing online following. "Ah, the last man standing", quipped Mr Tshering as I limped into his office at the BOC a few days later to discuss his vision for the race. "It could be the Tour de France of Bhutan!" he declared, only half-joking. While the race was over for me, the BOC has high hopes of attracting more riders than ever for next year's 10th TOD. But there is a limit, Mr Tshering insisted. "We want a world class race without selling our soul."

भूटान के एकांत राज्य ने वर्षों से पर्यटकों को केवल सीमित पहुंच प्रदान की है। लेकिन देश अब धीरे-धीरे अधिक आगंतुकों को आकर्षित कर रहा है-और ऐसा करने का एक तरीका चरम खेलों के माध्यम से है, जैसा कि फिल्म निर्माता एलेक्स बेस्कोबी याद करते हैं।


Ira 'Taffy' Jones: One of RAF's most decorated fighter-aces

Summary: It was seven years before the first manned flight when James Ira Thomas "Taffy" Jones was born in St Clears, Carmarthenshire, on 18 April 1896. But the illegitimate son of a farm labourer would go on to become one of the most decorated fighter pilots in the RAF's 100-year history.

By Neil PriorBBC News His career, which began as a 17-year-old in 1913, saw him earn 37 dogfight victories, and survive 28 crashes over the Western Front. It all started when he won a place to study wireless engineering at the Army's Royal Flying Corps at Hendon aerodrome in London. According to Byron Rogers, whose book Tiger Squadron tells his tale, it was here that Jones knew he was going to be a pilot. He said: "I grew up with the stories of Taffy from my father and uncle who were in school with him. Even though he was only 5ft 4in and had a severe stutter, he was a force of nature. "He'd barely started at Hendon when he was taken on his first flight. He described the sensation of people moving like ants below him, and wrote 'Please god let me do this for the rest of my life'." Jones spent the first two years of World War One directing air traffic by radio from the trenches, but by 1916 he had progressed to flying as an observer. According to military historian Dr Jonathan Hicks, the war in the air was changing, just at the right time for Taffy. He said: "At the start of the war, planes were largely just seen as spotters for artillery, but gradually as their importance increased, they started to attack each other, often just with a pistol, or on occasions even with a rifle. "Eventually they were fitted with machine guns, though they were incredibly difficult to use as you had to fly the plane with one hand and operate the machine gun with the other. Plus there was the risk of shooting off your own propellers. "The invention of the interrupter gear was crucial, as that sequenced the gun with the propeller, allowing pilots to fire between the blades." Unusually for someone from his background, Jones was commissioned from the ranks in 1917, and trained as a pilot just in time to become part of the new RAF's 74th Tiger Squadron on 1 April 1918. After World War One he was given command of 74th Squadron, flying in operations over Russia and Iraq. Semi-retired at the outbreak of World War Two, he trained pilots at RAF Porthcawl, where Taffy achieved possibly his most famous feat. Having no available fighters, when the air raid siren sounded he took an unarmed Hawker Henley training plane and attacked a Junkers JU88 bomber over Swansea. Armed with nothing but a flare gun, he forced the German pilot to abandon his bombing run. Afterwards, in an audience with George VI, the King remarked: "You're too old for this sort of thing Taffy, it's a young man's game." Though Mr Rogers believes Taffy's superiors were not as appreciative of his efforts. He said: "As the war went on, Taffy increasingly felt he wasn't getting the recognition he deserved, and he began to drink heavily. "This can't have been helped by what we'd almost certainly describe today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "In one diary entry he describes waking from nightmares 22 times in a night, and having to tie the strings of his pyjamas to the bedpost to stop him thrashing around." He died in 1960 after suffering a fall at his home and is buried at Cana Chapel yard in Bancyfelin, Carmarthenshire. You can listen to the full story on Tigers Over The Trenches on BBC iPlayer.

यह पहली मानवयुक्त उड़ान से सात साल पहले की बात है जब जेम्स इरा थॉमस "टैफी" जोन्स का जन्म 18 अप्रैल 1896 को सेंट क्लियर्स, कार्मार्थेनशायर में हुआ था। लेकिन एक खेत मजदूर का नाजायज बेटा आरएएफ के 100 साल के इतिहास में सबसे सुसज्जित लड़ाकू पायलटों में से एक बन गया।


The state that loves bullfighting but isn't Spain

Summary: Villagers in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu hope to celebrate the New Year harvest festival later this month with traditional "bull-taming" contests once more. "Jallikattu" is a sport that has been practised in southern India for thousands of years, but was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 following objections from animal rights activists. For the first time in centuries no events were held last year.

Now, political parties and supporters of Jallikattu hope the government in Delhi will promulgate a special act to bring back the contests in time for the 2016 season in mid-January. Photos by J Suresh. Words by Anbarasan Ethirajan. This was a typical scene until 2014. Here a bull has been let loose at a "Manju Virattu" contest (a version of Jallikattu). In recent years, regulations were imposed to improve safety for bulls and spectators, as well as contestants. In Manju Virattu, the bull roams freely in the crowd, while contestants try to pluck money or other prizes from its horns. Last year, villages across the state celebrated Pongal, a New Year festival that coincides with the rice harvest, without the running of the bulls. The Tamil sign on the top left says: World famous bullfighting arena at Alanganallur. The town's arena has been silent since the ban. Bulls which would normally have been kept busy have been idle since 2014. Protests have been held across the state, with political parties and cultural organisations up in arms against the ban. They say Jallikattu is a part of their cultural tradition. Here in Palamedu near Madurai last month a special prayer was said in support of bringing back bullfighting. To welcome the new harvest festival, people soon will be wearing new clothes, houses will be painted, roads will be decorated with garlands and special prayers will be offered to Mother Nature and other deities. The bullfighting villages hope to be back in business too. All eyes on the bull - for contestants the taming of the bull is a matter of heroism, pride and great danger. Seen here before the ban, young men are wearing numbered uniforms - part of the new regulations in recent years. During the event, hundreds of men will run along with the bull, hold on to its hump and pluck away bundles of money or gold tied to its specially sharpened horns. Unlike bullfighting in Spain, in Jallikattu the bull is not killed and the bullfighters are not supposed to use any weapons. The idea is to dominate and tame the animals. Jallikattu is more than 2,000 years old and considered to be one of the oldest sports still practised in the modern era. Though most of the bullfighting happens in January, several villages organise events during various festivals from January to June. Here, bulls are readied for contest before the ban - animal rights activists argued that keeping the bulls in such an enclosed space was bad for their health. They also pointed to tactics like tail-pulling as being cruel. The Supreme Court said that the use of bulls in the sport "severely harmed" the animals and was an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Over the years, scores of people have been gored or trampled to death in the contests. Hundreds, including spectators, have been mauled or injured. In arenas like this one, coir matting from coconut trees cushioned the impact of a fall - but it provides no defence against a raging bull. This young man's future is hanging by a few strands of cotton. In Jallikattu, the bull is released from the pen and the bullfighters are supposed to hold on to the hump for about 15-20 metres or three jumps of the bull to win the prize. Fighters have got to be fit - some may take a drink beforehand to strengthen their nerves, but being drunk means you won't be allowed to take part these days. It's also a very bad idea - when angry bulls with sharp horns are around, reflexes need to be razor sharp too. It's prestigious to be the owner of a champion bull and takes a lot of money - the animals are kept on a special diet and very few can approach them. Those who tame a bull - as the man in the picture above has done - were seen as heroes in their villages. "Bull fighting has been part and parcel of our cultural tradition for centuries. Despite agreeing to the rules imposed by the court earlier, the event has been banned. We are terribly upset," says P Rajasekaran, president of Tamil Nadu Jallikattu Association, from the city of Madurai. He denies accusations that the bulls were tortured and ill-treated. "We implemented strict rules regarding welfare of the bulls and bull fighters after the court intervened in 2008. We have no idea why the Supreme Court decided to impose the ban." Contestants and the ferocious noise of the crowd ensured the bulls were enraged by the time they entered the arena. Animal rights activists say the bulls were also sometimes force-fed homemade liquor, and had chilli powder rubbed in their eyes, ears and mouth. In some places their tails were even bitten and testicles pinched to get them angry. Following the outcry, the state government introduced a number of strict regulations aimed at ensuring the bulls were not ill-treated and keeping people safe. Animals now need to be registered, photographed and tested by a vet before they are allowed to take part. Details are cross-checked before they enter the arena. Bulls are also given regular exercise to keep them fit and strong for competition. If the ban is lifted they will be ready to run in time for the January festival, their owners say. The events used to attract often vast crowds. There was always a higher risk of injury to people at Manju Virattu contests, where bulls were set loose among the tightly packed spectators and contestants. At this pre-2015 Jallikattu contest some of the new safety measures are visible - the crowd is fenced off from the bull. Since the ban was imposed, protesters in Tamil Nadu have been demanding the central government allow them to continue the sport. The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Delhi has promised to look into their demands sympathetically, much to the annoyance of animal rights activists. It's far from certain that bulls will be part of the festival this year - the government and legal opinion are at odds on the issue - but hopes in Tamil Nadu are high as their New Year approaches. J Suresh is an award-winning photographer based in Delhi.

दक्षिणी भारतीय राज्य तमिलनाडु के ग्रामीण इस महीने के अंत में पारंपरिक "बैल-नियंत्रण" प्रतियोगिताओं के साथ नए साल के फसल उत्सव को एक बार फिर से मनाने की उम्मीद करते हैं। "जल्लीकट्टू" एक ऐसा खेल है जो दक्षिण भारत में हजारों वर्षों से प्रचलित है, लेकिन पशु अधिकार कार्यकर्ताओं की आपत्तियों के बाद 2014 में सर्वोच्च न्यायालय द्वारा प्रतिबंधित कर दिया गया था। सदियों में पहली बार पिछले साल कोई कार्यक्रम आयोजित नहीं किया गया था।


Guernsey first-time buyers 'not a priority'

Summary: Guernsey's housing minister has admitted more could be done to help first-time buyers - but said it was not a priority for his department.

It follows a call for a subsidy on stamp duty from Dean De La Rue, a local mortgage lender. He said the burden of legal fees prevented people from getting on to the property ladder. Deputy Dave Jones said his department recognised the problem and would try to improve the situation in the future. He said: "It has never been easy to buy a house in Guernsey, it's always been expensive because we live in an island that has very little unemployment and it's a place where people want to live. "We will have to look at it and see what we can do more to help youngsters, but at the moment our job at housing is to level up the playing field and make sure that all tenures of housing are available to all people."

ग्वेर्नसे के आवास मंत्री ने स्वीकार किया है कि पहली बार खरीदारों की मदद के लिए और अधिक किया जा सकता है-लेकिन कहा कि यह उनके विभाग के लिए प्राथमिकता नहीं थी।


Airbus A220: Belfast wing factory to benefit from new order

Summary: A US aircraft leasing company has signed a letter of intent to buy 50 Airbus A220s, the wings of which are made in Belfast.

By John CampbellBBC News NI Economics & Business Editor Air Lease Corporation (ALC) made the announcement at the Paris Airshow on Monday. About 1,000 staff work at the A220 wing factory in Belfast. The A220 was formerly the Bombardier C Series until Airbus bought a majority share in the project in 2017. The Belfast plant was given a similar boost in 2018 when US airline JetBlue ordered up to 120 Airbus A220 planes for delivery in early 2020. The order announced in Paris is part of a bigger deal with Airbus. Airbus said there is now an order book for more than 500 A220s. ALC is one of Airbus's biggest leasing customers but this is its first order for A220s.

एक अमेरिकी विमान पट्टे पर देने वाली कंपनी ने 50 एयरबस ए220 खरीदने के इरादे के एक पत्र पर हस्ताक्षर किए हैं, जिनके पंख बेलफास्ट में बनाए गए हैं।


Latvia country profile

Summary: Situated in north-eastern Europe with a coastline along the Baltic Sea, Latvia has borders with Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania. It has linguistic links with Lithuania to the south, and historical and religious ties with Estonia to the north.

Not much more than a decade after it regained independence during the demise of the Soviet Union, Latvia was welcomed as an member of the European Union in May 2004. The move came a matter of weeks after it joined Nato. For centuries Latvia was primarily an agricultural country, with seafaring, fishing and forestry as other important economic factors. Like its Baltic neighbours, Latvia has made a rapid transition to the free market since the early 1990s. More than a quarter of the population is primarily Russian-speaking, and Russian propaganda efforts in this community are a cause of concern for the Latvian authorities. FACTS LEADERS President: Raimonds Vejonis Raimonds Vejonis was elected in June 2015 after five rounds of voting in Latvia's 100-member parliament. Mr Vejonis's previous position as defence minister was seen as a possible advantage in dealing with heightened military and political tension with neighbouring Russia. Although generally a ceremonial post, Latvia's president can veto legislation, call referendums, and has some leeway in nominating the prime minister for parliamentary approval. Prime minister: Arturs Krisjanis Karins Arturs Krisjanis Karins became prime minister in January 2019 at the head of a coalition of five conservative and liberal parties, excluding the pro-Russia Harmony party that had emerged as the largest bloc in parliament after the October 2018 elections. Mr Karins was born in the US state of Delaware to Latvian emigre parents, and earned a doctorate in linguistics before emigrating to Latvia and going into business. He was elected to parliament in 2002 as an MP for the centre-right New Era Party, and went on to serve as economy minister before becoming a member of the European Parliament. He was the conservative Unity party's candidate for premiership at the 2018 election. MEDIA The media operate freely, with few legal restrictions. A law provides prison terms for libel and incitement of racial hatred. Newspapers - all of them privately-owned - reflect a variety of political views. Many titles have suffered declining circulations. By 2015, around 82% of Latvians were online (Internetworldstats). TIMELINE Some key events in the history of Latvia: 1800s - Latvia is under Russian rule. 1917-20 - Latvian war of independence. After the Russian Revolution, Latvia fights to establish its independence against the Soviet Russian and German armies. 1920 - Soviet Russia recognises Latvian independence. 1940 - Soviet Union annexes Latvia, along with neighbouring Estonia and Latvia. Mass deportations to Siberia and Central Asia follow. 1941 - Nazi Germany invades. Some 70,000 Latvian Jews are killed by Nazi death squads and Latvian paramilitary units. 1944 - Soviet Army returns, heralding further waves of deportations and repression of resistance to Soviet rule. 1991 - Independence restored. 2004 - Latvia joins European Union and Nato. 2014 - Latvia joins the eurozone.

बाल्टिक सागर के साथ तटरेखा के साथ उत्तर-पूर्वी यूरोप में स्थित, लातविया की सीमाएँ एस्टोनिया, रूस, बेलारूस और लिथुआनिया से लगती हैं। इसका दक्षिण में लिथुआनिया के साथ भाषाई संबंध है, और उत्तर में एस्टोनिया के साथ ऐतिहासिक और धार्मिक संबंध हैं।


West Midlands photographers capture winter wonderland

Summary: The cold snap in the first few days of 2021 has created a winter wonderland across the West Midlands for photographers to capture.

Dozens of images of wonderful frost and snow scenes have been shared via the BBC Midlands Instagram account. You can see them by following the Instagram hashtag #bbcmidlands, and below is a gallery of some of our favourite shots. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk Related Internet Links BBC Midlands Instagram

2021 के पहले कुछ दिनों में ठंड ने फोटोग्राफरों को पकड़ने के लिए वेस्ट मिडलैंड्स में एक शीतकालीन आश्चर्य का क्षेत्र बना दिया है।