Pareidolia: Why we see faces in hills, the Moon and toasties

Summary: People have long seen faces in the Moon, in oddly-shaped vegetables and even burnt toast, but a Berlin-based group is scouring the planet via satellite imagery for human-like features. What's behind our desire to see faces in our surroundings, asks Lauren Everitt.

Most people have never heard of pareidolia. But nearly everyone has experienced it. Anyone who has looked at the Moon and spotted two eyes, a nose and a mouth has felt the pull of pareidolia. It's "the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist", according to the World English Dictionary. It's picking a face out of a knotted tree trunk or finding zoo animals in the clouds. German design studio Onformative is undertaking perhaps the world's largest and most systematic search for pareidolia. Their Google Faces programme will spend the next few months sniffing out face-like shapes in Google Maps. Google Faces will scan the entire globe several times over from different angles. So far the programme has pinpointed an eerie profile in Russia's remote Magadan region, a fellow with hairy nostrils next to Priory Road in Ashford, Kent, and a mangy creature in the mountains of Alaska, among others. It's certainly not the first to uncover faces where they don't actually exist. This week, US department store JC Penney sold out of a kettle thought to look like the leader of the Third Reich after the resemblance was noted on social news site Reddit. A chicken nugget shaped like US President George Washington earned more than £5,000 ($8,100) on eBay last year. A decade earlier, some 20,000 Christians travelled to Bangalore to pay homage to a chapatti with the image of Christ burnt on it. Some visitors even offered prayers to the glass-encased flatbread. In 2011 a Tumblr site that specialises in finding things that look like Hitler posted a photo of a modest terraced house in Swansea. Its angled roof resembles a comb-over, and the moulding over the house's door is said to evoke the dictator's trademark moustache. In 2009 the Allen family of Ystrad, Rhondda, spotted the face of Jesus on the underside of a Marmite lid. Instead of the usual mundane brown smears, they found a "comforting" image and saved the top after finishing off the jar. And American Diana Duyser took a bite out of a cheese toastie in 1994 only to find herself face-to-face with what looked to her like the Virgin Mary. She noticed the Madonna's burnt image on the bread after the first bite and saved the rest of the sandwich for over a decade. Duyser put it up for auction on eBay where it drew 1.7 million hits and eventually sold for about $28,000 (£18,500). Google Faces designers Cedric Kiefer and Julia Laub were also inspired by pareidolia. After seeing the famous "Face in Mars" snapped by the Viking 1 Orbiter in 1976 and playing around with facial recognition technology, they became curious about "how the psychological phenomenon of pareidolia could be generated by a machine", Kiefer says. They didn't expect their project to be a big deal, but soon their photos of faces in the Russian tundra and rural Britain were spreading across the web. "It seems like there is something fascinating about pareidolia," Kiefer says. While some countenances resemble cartoon characters and abstract art, other images appear almost "too real to believe it's just coincidence", he adds. But why do people see faces in what is quite literally nothing more than a stain, a splotch or a strange rock formation? Some of that is our evolutionary heritage, says Dr Nouchine Hadjikhani of Harvard University. Humans are "prewired" to detect faces from birth, she says. "If you take a baby just after a few minutes of life, he will direct his attention toward something that has the general features of a face versus something that has the same elements but in a random order," she says. And the tendency to pick out familiar figures goes back to the first humans, says Christopher French of the British Psychological Society. "We've evolved brains that think in these quick, dirty ways that are usually right, but at times can lead us to systematically be biased," he explains. "A classic example is the Stone Age guy standing there, scratching his beard, wondering whether that rustling in the bushes really is a sabre-toothed tiger. You're much more likely to survive if you assume it's a sabre-toothed tiger and get the hell out of there - otherwise you may end up as lunch." Other experts say pareidolia is a consequence of the brain's information processing systems. The brain is constantly sifting through random lines, shapes, surfaces and colours, says Joel Voss, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University. It makes sense of these images by assigning meaning to them - usually by matching them to something stored in long-term knowledge. But sometimes things that are slightly "ambiguous" get matched up with things we can name more easily - resulting in pareidolia, he says. Pareidolia can also be a product of people's expectations, says neuroscientist Sophie Scott, of University College London. "Being able to see Jesus's face in toast is telling you more about what's happening with your expectations, and how you're interpreting the world based on your expectations, rather than anything that's necessarily in the toast," she says. And once the Virgin's face or George Washington's profile are spotted, it's virtually impossible to unsee them, says Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity. "That's one of the things about illusions, they have this remarkable tendency to formulate in your mind, and it's very difficult to unthink them," he says. But simply spotting a face in a morsel of food or a fence doesn't explain why some people spend thousands of pounds to buy it or make a pilgrimage to see it. Pareidolia can be extremely evocative - especially if a person believes in miracles, Scott says. "It's an incredibly strong demonstration of how powerful these perceptual effects are. We really want to see things like faces, we really want to hear things like voices, and our perceptual system will set out to do that," she adds. For some, pareidolia stands as evidence of the supernatural, Hood says. "People will seek out these sorts of things for some sort of intervention." The object itself can also take on special significance, says French. People assume that if it has been divinely produced, then it has been "touched by God" and "will bring good fortune", he says. But you don't have to be particularly religious to appreciate pareidolia. "I don't for one minute think there's any kind of religious significance or anything else in them," French says. "But hey, they're pretty neat, aren't they?" You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook Seen a face in the clouds, on toast or a tree trunk? Send us a photo you have taken for a picture gallery. Email yourpics@bbc.co.uk with the subject line Magazine faces, or upload your photos here with the same subject line. If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's Terms and Conditions.

लोगों ने लंबे समय से चंद्रमा में चेहरे देखे हैं, अजीब आकार की सब्जियों में और यहां तक कि जले हुए टोस्ट में भी, लेकिन बर्लिन स्थित एक समूह मानव जैसी विशेषताओं के लिए उपग्रह इमेजरी के माध्यम से ग्रह की खोज कर रहा है। लॉरेन एवरिट पूछती है कि हमारे आसपास के चेहरों को देखने की हमारी इच्छा के पीछे क्या है।


Offshore vessel Malaviya Seven detained in Aberdeen over wages

Summary: An offshore supply ship has been detained in Aberdeen on the grounds of non-payment of crew wages.

The Malaviya Seven will stay at port until the workers are paid, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). It was detained under merchant shipping regulations. The RMT union said 15 people on board had not been paid for almost two months. A vessel in Great Yarmouth has been detained for similar reasons.

एबरडीन में चालक दल के वेतन का भुगतान न करने के आधार पर एक अपतटीय आपूर्ति जहाज को हिरासत में लिया गया है।


Mansfield toddler death: Woman, 25, charged with neglect

Summary: A 25-year-old woman has been charged with neglect following the death of a 20-month-old in Nottinghamshire.

Katie Crowder, of Wharmby Avenue, Mansfield, was arrested on Friday morning when police were alerted to concerns for the welfare of a child. The toddler was taken to hospital but died shortly after. No details of the cause have been released. Ms Crowder was charged on Saturday night and will appear before magistrates on Monday, police said. Officers said the child had not been formally identified and the death was being treated as unexplained. Nottinghamshire Police had said it was believed to be an isolated incident.

नॉटिंघमशायर में एक 20 महीने की लड़की की मौत के बाद एक 25 वर्षीय महिला पर लापरवाही का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Why the row over cuts has started early

Summary: OK, so it goes like this. Phil the defence secretary doesn't want his budget cut any further. The generals won't wear it and anyway, the prime minister promised that defence spending would rise in the future.

James LandaleDeputy political editor@BBCJLandaleon Twitter So Phil says, why not cut welfare instead? Theresa the home secretary doesn't want her budgets cut either. She's done enough already, she says, to reduce police pensions. Why not cut welfare, she asks, almost as if she and Phil had been comparing notes. You might imagine at this stage that Iain the welfare secretary is feeling pretty hard-pressed. But he actually agrees with his colleagues! Iain's already cutting £3.5bn from welfare but he thinks he could probably find another £6bn from the benefits bill. However, Nick the deputy PM says no, the money's got to be found elsewhere. The hard-up are being squeezed enough already, he thinks. His mate Vince the business secretary says why not raise taxes instead - a mansion tax comes to mind - or scrap Trident or perhaps even dip into the budgets that give pensioners free bus passes, TV licences and help with their fuel bills? But Dave the boss says no, pensioner benefits can't be cut. He's made a promise to protect them and that is one commitment he is going to stick to. Mutterings Iain the welfare secretary is not so sure and wonders why rich pensioners should keep their support when he is squeezing so many other claimants. But Dave the boss is standing firm. Meanwhile, a covey of Conservatives mutter to the media that the government should stop protecting international development aid. But Dave the boss is sticking to his guns on that too. And other Tories whisper that perhaps Mike the education secretary might have to start dipping into his protected schools' budgets. No he won't, say Mike's allies, otherwise there will be no more free schools. They need premises and premises cost money. So don't touch: free schools and academies are a legacy issue. And don't forget, Nick the deputy PM doesn't want to upset the teachers having lost students over tuition fees and health workers over NHS reforms. Lib Dems cannot be careless with voters these days. So no cuts to schools. Welcome to the world of George Osborne, a man with perhaps more advice than he needs. The chancellor is trying to agree how much money the government will have to spend in the first year of the next parliament. So he's carrying out a comprehensive spending review for the financial year beginning in April 2015. And as part of that review, he's looking for another £10 billion of cuts and all the rest of the cabinet are fighting like dogs to say: "Not me. Cut the other guy." A few conclusions: 1. Cabinet ministers are showing unusual independence. They have been dubbed the national union of ministers - the NUM - and are flexing muscles that have not been stretched for a while. This, in itself, is not particularly striking. But what is interesting is the question of why. Some say it reflects Downing Street's relative weakness; others say it shows ministers are positioning ahead of a post 2015 leadership contest. The Treasury says this is just what happens at every spending review. Maybe, but ministerial tail feathers are on show. 2. This particular spending review is complicated by coalition. On one level, ministers are just defending their departments' budgets, regardless of their political colour. In other words, this is as much a blue-on-blue discussion as it is orange-on-blue. But there is a coalition dynamic at work. The Lib Dems are looking for ways of differentiating themselves from the Conservatives. And a good old battle over welfare cuts is as good a way as any. 3. This debate has a long way to go. Yes, the so-called "spending envelope" - the total pot of spending for 2015/16 - will be announced in the Budget in a few weeks' time. But the Treasury has not yet even begun holding formal meetings with ministers and officials to discuss the spending review. The proper negotiations are some months off. And there will be no deal agreed until just before the summer break. This ain't over till it's over. 4. The political danger is that all this fighting muddies the coalition's one clear message. This is a government that exists to cut the deficit. On that one aim hangs its economic and political credibility. The chancellor cannot open his mouth without telling us that the deficit has been cut by a quarter. Now we have a string of cabinet ministers - who are supposed to be fiscal conservatives - parading their bleeding stumps for all the world to see. In other words, this government could get a reputation for being full of ministers who want to dodge budget cuts rather than crack down on the deficit.

ठीक है, तो यह इस तरह चलता है। रक्षा सचिव फिल अपने बजट में और कटौती नहीं करना चाहते हैं। जनरलों ने इसे नहीं पहना और वैसे भी, प्रधान मंत्री ने वादा किया कि भविष्य में रक्षा खर्च बढ़ेगा।


Leicester City Council bids for £5m for bus services

Summary: A bid for £5m government funding has been made by Leicester City Council in an effort to reduce congestion and improve services for bus passengers.

The council hopes to use the money from the Better Bus Area Fund, in support of its proposed £13.75m revamp of Haymarket Bus Station. The plans include eight new city centre bus stops and the installation of CCTV bus lane-enforcement. The bid is in addition to the £3.5m scheme in Humberstone Gate East. Councillor Rory Palmer, Leicester deputy city mayor responsible for transport, said: "A high quality public transport network was key to the future economic development of the city. "Buses have a vital role to play in supporting jobs and helping our local economy grow." He added the scheme would help the city to reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions.

भीड़ को कम करने और बस यात्रियों के लिए सेवाओं में सुधार करने के प्रयास में लीसेस्टर सिटी काउंसिल द्वारा 5 मिलियन पाउंड के सरकारी वित्त पोषण के लिए बोली लगाई गई है।


Cory Booker and me

Summary: The US has a new senator, Cory Booker, who swept to an election win in New Jersey on Wednesday. The Democrat is tipped for great things by his supporters, which comes as no surprise to those that knew him at university.

By Anthony ReubenBBC News In Marshall Curry's Oscar-nominated film about Cory Booker's unsuccessful 2002 campaign to be mayor of Newark, New Jersey, he shakes hands with a girl while out canvassing. She turns to the documentary-maker's camera and says: "Smell my hands 'cos I just touched Cory Booker. "He smells like the future." Now Cory Booker has earned a Senate seat after beating Republican Steve Lonegan this week, it's worth recalling how much star quality he had when he was at The Queen's College, Oxford, in the early 1990s. He was a Rhodes scholar with a masters degree from Stanford. I was five years younger and just starting out on my first degree. Booker was such a striking figure that you always noticed him. I've never met anyone with as much charisma as Cory - he could make you feel better about yourself with a nod from the other side of the quad. You know when you see charisma in someone - the atmosphere changes when they enter the room and you want to get to know them. I had signed up for the university's inter-college American football tournament. It was flag football, so instead of jumping on opponents to tackle them you have to pull a velcro flag off their belts. Booker had been a player of national standard in high school and then played for Stanford University, so was just the man to teach us the game. But he had a job on his hands, because we were dreadful. It turns out that a good American football team needs to have at least one player who can throw and one who can catch. We had Booker, who could do both, but that's not enough. We lost all of our games, but the preparation was extraordinary. He showed us a particular play, which he said Stanford had used to "whip Notre Dame's ass". The rivalry between the Fighting Irish and the Stanford Cardinal makes the annual game between them a grudge match. So it made for a surreal experience playing in the middle of a park in Oxford, using tactics that had been devised for a game played in front of 90,000 people. Before our first game, Cory gave us a team talk. Team talks are the bread and butter of great sporting films, but I'd never been on the receiving end of a proper motivational talk before. We all sat around him as he told us a story, about a time when he was playing college football and another player was questioning whether he wanted to win enough. I think it may even have been a player he admired from another team. In the denouement of the story, this enormous player sat on Cory's chest (and he's not a small chap himself), stopping him breathing. We were gripped by this narrative, as Cory, without raising his voice, gradually got to the point in the story where he was about to pass out and the other player told him that he would not be a great player until he wanted to win as much as he wanted to take a breath. It was extraordinary - I wanted to win that game more than I've wanted to do anything. In a pretty hopeless team, I was easily the worst player. But in a game that we lost, like all the others, I had my moment. I was playing on defence when the person I was supposed to be marking got many yards away from me and prepared to catch what would have been a touchdown pass. I ran and took a huge, goalkeeper-style dive and got my fingertips to the ball. I remember watching it dribbling over the sideline as I landed in a heap on the floor. Cory dragged me up from the ground with his hand over my eyes, so I could hear the shouting around me but not see the team. He generously described it as the greatest play he'd seen. I've played a lot of pub football and village green cricket since then and had some pretty exciting moments, but I would have no hesitation in describing that as the greatest sporting moment of my life. It's not because there was much at stake - I think we were already way behind in the game. It was exciting because of the atmosphere and motivation around the team that Cory had created. As mayor of Newark, Booker has been credited by his supporters for overseeing a drop in violent crime and reducing the city's budget deficit. But he also has a national profile thanks to his prolific and savvy media appearances. His clever use of social media was most notably demonstrated when he was tweeted by a woman whose elderly father needed help shovelling snow from his drive. After a brief exchange, Booker himself turned up at his home to offer a helping hand. On another occasion, he assisted one of his Twitter followers to propose to his girlfriend. An all-action reputation was sealed when he rescued a woman from a burning building and then a year later rescued a dog in frozen conditions. He also took in people temporarily homeless from Hurricane Sandy. But there have been bumps in the road. Eyebrows were raised when the 15-year-old son of CNN chief Jeff Zucker became an advisor at a tech start-up Booker co-founded with the help of some high-profile investors in Silicon Valley. Booker sold his stake in the firm last month. No such criticism at Oxford, where Cory had a great effect on Rabbi Shmuel Boteach, who was the representative in Oxford of the chasidic Jewish movement, Chabad-Lubavitch. He'd set up a rival Jewish Society for Oxford students called the L'Chaim Society. In practice, it was seen by students as a club for American post-graduates, which had very impressive speakers. But it was still quite a shock when Rabbi Boteach appointed Cory, a 6'3" black Baptist, to be president of the society. The rabbi said he'd given Cory the job because he was the best person he knew. Cory would give talks at the society's Friday night dinners about that week's Torah portion and apparently has been studying biblical tracts with Rabbi Boteach ever since. When Cory was running to be mayor of Newark, his opponents criticised him for not really wanting that job, saying that it was just a stepping stone to higher political dreams. It says a lot about him that in the Senate campaign, his opponents have been saying the same thing. Talking to other contemporaries from Queen's he seems to have been widely liked and admired. He volunteered for the charity Nightline, which gives emotional support to students, as well as doing some voluntary work in a school on the nearby Blackbird Leys estate. We were all wrong about him at college, though. We were convinced he'd be the first black president, and he missed that boat. But I wouldn't bet against him in a future race.

अमेरिका में एक नया सीनेटर, कोरी बुकर है, जिसने बुधवार को न्यू जर्सी में एक चुनावी जीत हासिल की। डेमोक्रेट को उनके समर्थकों द्वारा महान चीजों के लिए संकेत दिया जाता है, जो विश्वविद्यालय में उन्हें जानने वालों के लिए कोई आश्चर्य की बात नहीं है।


Fiona Scourfield death: Teen pleads guilty to axe and sword murder

Summary: A teenager charged with murdering a woman using a samurai sword and an axe at a farm in Carmarthenshire has pleaded guilty.

Police found the body of 54-year-old Fiona Scourfield at Broadmoor Farm in Laugharne in March. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded in custody after the hearing at Swansea Crown Court on Monday. He will be sentenced at a later date which is to be confirmed. Ms Scourfield, who grew up in Laugharne, was a volunteer with the German Shepherd Rescue UK charity. In a tribute, released via police after her death, her family said: "Fiona was a loving and caring person who will be remembered for her kindness, especially her kindness to animals. "We are distraught by our loss."

कार्मार्थेनशायर के एक खेत में समुराई तलवार और कुल्हाड़ी से एक महिला की हत्या करने के आरोप में एक किशोर ने अपना अपराध स्वीकार कर लिया है।


Man burgled Lisnaskea home of 96-year-old blind woman

Summary: A 22-year-old man has been told to "expect a significant custodial sentence" after pleading guilty to the burglary of a 96-year-old woman's home.

Nathan Phair, from Castlebalfour Park, Lisnaskea, admitted breaking into the house on 27 August 2017. He smashed a downstairs window, ransacked the house, and took £200. Dungannon Crown Court was told the victim was particularly vulnerable as she is blind and hearing impaired. During an earlier unsuccessful bail application, a detective said the victim was in bed when she vaguely heard a noise in her home. 'Fled scene' When she opened her bedroom door, she saw a man coming down a flight of stairs from the attic. He fled and police were called. Officers recovered a glove and a footprint. DNA matching Phair's was found on the glove.

एक 96 वर्षीय महिला के घर की चोरी के लिए दोषी ठहराए जाने के बाद एक 22 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को "महत्वपूर्ण हिरासत की सजा की उम्मीद करने" के लिए कहा गया है।


Covid-19: All NI pupils return to school after Easter break

Summary: All 350,000 pupils in Northern Ireland return to school on Monday.

By Robbie MeredithBBC News NI Education Correspondent For many of those in post-primary years eight to 11, it will be their first time in the classroom in 2021. Primary and pre-school pupils and those in years 12-14 made a phased return to school in March before the Easter break. Health Minister Robin Swann and Education Minister Peter Weir welcomed the return, but said safety measures should continue to be followed. The full return to school follows a decision taken by the Northern Ireland Executive on 1 April. All school staff and pupils in years 12,13 and 14 are being asked to take twice-weekly lateral flow device (LFD) tests. The Public Health Agency (PHA) has said that is to reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted in schools. Post-primary pupils will also be required to wear face coverings in classrooms unless they have an exemption. Schools have a number of other safety measures in place, including class "bubbles" to limit pupils mixing and ventilating classrooms. They have also been told by the Department of Education (DE) that breakfast clubs, sports fixtures between schools and other extra-curricular or after-school clubs should not take place yet. Rita Moore, principal of St Mary's in Limavady told BBC's Good Morning Ulster her staff were "looking forward" to welcoming children back through the gates. "What I would call on Minister Weir to do, is let us know what the arrangements are going to be for next year," she added. "We can't leave the end of this term without teachers knowing exactly what they have to prepare their children for in the coming academic year." Dr Michelle Rainey, principal of Ballyclare High School, said it was important to reassure children. "We're controlling what we can, bringing them in and creating that safe environment for them," she said. Mental health Some experts have called for pupils to be given time to settle back in after what has been, for many, a long period learning from home. The mental health champion Prof Siobhan O'Neill, for example, has previously said there should initially be a curriculum "designed to address children's worries about the pandemic and the virus."". There have also been concerns that some pupils in years 12 -14 will face multiple exams as schools gather evidence to award them GCSE, AS and A-level grades. As summer exams have been cancelled for a second year, teachers and schools will calculate the grades to be awarded to their pupils. On Monday, Mr Weir said it was "important schools do not over test" those pupils in exam years. He reiterated that tests, which the Northern Ireland exams board CCEA sent to schools for pupils to sit when they returned to school, were not compulsory. "But the balance needs to be struck to make sure an assessment is being done," he said. "I know work is being done to try and ease them back in and particularly a focus on trying to make sure their mental health is protected, but there will need to be some level of assessment." A few grammar schools have also already said they would not use transfer tests in 2021 to select pupils due to the disruption to the education of children currently in Primary Six.

उत्तरी आयरलैंड के सभी 3,50,000 छात्र सोमवार को स्कूल लौटते हैं।


Lily Allen changes stage name to Lily Rose Cooper

Summary: Lily Allen is changing her stage name to Lily Rose Cooper.

By Emma BrantNewsbeat reporter The 27-year-old says she wants to reflect her marriage to Sam Cooper and is working on new material. A statement from her publicist said: "The singer will now be known as Lily Rose Cooper, the name she already uses on her Twitter account." She and property developer Sam Cooper married last year and are expecting another child. The couple already have an eight-month-old daughter, Ethel. The singer had previously said she was retiring from music and had no plans to make another album after the release of her second, It's Not Me, It's You, in 2009. After making her final performance supporting Muse at Wembley Stadium in September 2010, she announced that she was expecting but miscarried six months into her pregnancy. Lily Allen went on to launch a fashion line and clothing rental shop with her sister Sarah and then, last year, a record label. But in June she revealed on Twitter that she had returned to the recording studio to work on new tracks. In this latest statement Lily said: "It's great to work at my own pace, with no commitments other than to make music. I'm excited to be heading back into the studio." No release date has been set but anything she releases in future will appear under her married name of Lily Rose Cooper.

लिली एलन अपना मंच नाम बदलकर लिली रोज़ कूपर कर रही हैं।


FBI: US naval base attack 'motivated by al-Qaeda'

Summary: A Saudi Air Force officer who went on a deadly gun rampage at a US naval base in December 2019 worked with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to plan the attack, US officials say.

The gunman's phone revealed the terror link, the FBI and Department of Justice said. The Pensacola, Florida, attack killed three US sailors and injured eight. Prosecutors criticised Apple for refusing to unlock the gunman's phones, which authorities took months to hack. The attack led to the expulsion of 21 Saudi military pupils who had been studying at the base with the attacker. According to the FBI, the gunman, who was killed by authorities after shooting 11 people, had been radicalised before arriving Florida for a three-year aviation course the US navy hosts for allied foreign servicemen. Records revealed that he had been in active contact with AQAP, an off-shoot of al-Qaeda based in Yemen, up to the shooting, including talking about plans to carry out a "special operation" for them. The group's leader, Qasim al-Raymi, was confirmed in February to have been killed during a US operation. AQAP had released an audio message earlier that month with Raymi's voice, in which he said the group was behind the naval base shooting. FBI Director Christopher Wray said that gunman was "more than inspired" by AQAP, sharing tactics and "co-ordinating" with the group on plans for attack. The attack strained US-Saudi relations and led the defence department to pause all international military training in the US until further vetting measures could be put in place. 'Apple did nothing to help' In disclosing details of the terror investigation on Monday, the Trump administration criticised Apple for refusing to help unlock the gunman's phones, which he had attempted to destroy before he was shot dead following the attack. Hacking into his two phones four months after the attack diverted attention from other important work and gave conspirators time to evade justice, Mr Wray and Attorney General William Barr said. "Apple has made a business and marketing decision to allow only the user to unlock their phones, no matter the circumstances," said Mr Barr, adding that the company had ignored a personal request from President Donald Trump. "Apple's decision has dangerous consequences for public safety and the national security, and is in my judgement, unacceptable," he added, calling on new laws to mandate Apple's future co-operation. Mr Wray told reporters that the phones had already yielded valuable intelligence, which led directly to a US counter-terror operation in Yemen. Apple has denied FBI requests to unlock its iPhone devices in several high profile mass shooting cases, citing larger concerns over privacy. Who was the attacker? Mohammed Alshamrani had been speaking regularly with a contact with AQAP and was "certainly more than just inspired" by the terror group, Mr Wray said when asked if the attacker had been "directed" from abroad. He was frequently "sharing plans and tactics with them", including video he made of the campus, said Mr Wray. He was "co-ordinating with them and providing them an opportunity to take credit," he said, adding that the group released Alshamrani's will after his death. He was radicalised in 2015, officials said, and his communications with the terror group "continued right up until the end, the very night before he started shooting". The expelled Saudi students were found to have had jihadist material and indecent images of children in their possession, investigators have said, but none were accused of aiding the killer. US Attorney General William Barr vowed that Saudi Arabia would conduct a review to determine if any soldiers should face military discipline or criminal charges in the US. The investigation continues. How have the Saudis responded? In a statement on Monday, the Saudi embassy in Washington DC said it "reiterates its sincerest condolences to the American people". "Saudi Arabia will continue to use every means at our disposal to counter the men, mindset and money of terrorism that enables AQAP and others to recruit followers and threaten communities, or even entire nations," it said. It added: "But we will never let the terrorists win, or allow their acts of hatred to divide us. The US-Saudi partnership is one of the primary pillars of the global effort to dismantle and defeat terrorist networks such as AQAP.

अमेरिकी अधिकारियों का कहना है कि दिसंबर 2019 में अमेरिकी नौसैनिक अड्डे पर घातक गोलीबारी करने वाले सऊदी वायु सेना के एक अधिकारी ने हमले की योजना बनाने के लिए अरब प्रायद्वीप में अल-कायदा (एक्यूएपी) के साथ काम किया।


Coronavirus: Your pictures on the theme of 'homegrown'

Summary: We asked our readers to send in their pictures on the theme of "homegrown" amid the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the pictures sent to us from around the world.

The next theme is "open spaces" and the deadline for entries is 4 August 2020. Send pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or follow the link to "Upload your pictures here", below. Further details and terms can be found by following the link to "We set the theme, you take the picture", at the bottom of the page. All photographs subject to copyright.

हमने अपने पाठकों से कोरोनावायरस महामारी के बीच "स्वदेशी" विषय पर अपनी तस्वीरें भेजने के लिए कहा। यहाँ दुनिया भर से हमें भेजी गई कुछ तस्वीरें हैं।


Festive hope for Bangor and Llandudno town traders

Summary: Last year in a series of reports from high streets in Wales, Crunch Christmas, we reported on how shops were faring in the battle with recession. We have returned to the same businesses to see what difference a year makes.

By Wena Alun OwenBBC News This time last year retailers in both Bangor and Llandudno reported mixed trading conditions, with many concerned about the future. Sue Morris runs the Merrymoon gift shop in Llandudno with her husband Bryan. A year ago she reported falling customer numbers and said that, in general, people were spending less than they used to. Twelve months on, there have been changes. "It's been a very difficult year. We had to move because the rent and business rates were so high where we were before. 'Cutting our cloth' Ms Morris said three shops had closed and one has opened near where Merrymoon used to be in Upper Mostyn Street. She said another problem was losing suppliers because some importers are struggling. "When we moved we had to let two part-time people go too, which was hard. "But we want to still be here when the recession ends so it's a matter of cutting our cloth accordingly." John Wynn Jones is the chairman of the Balchder Bangor (Bangor Pride) group. 'Rejuvenate' Last year he argued that the city was no worse than anywhere else as shops closed as retailers struggled. Another 12 months has seen "some businesses open, and other close", he said. "Asda has just opened in the town centre and we hope that will rejuvenate the top end of the high street. "We are trying our best to attract businesses here. "From what businesses are telling us people are reasonably positive, although things are difficult." The Victoria Centre in Llandudno is home to 34 businesses. 'More positive' Centre manager Sue Nash said traders had told her it had been a "so, so year". "They tell me they are holding their own. Nobody is struggling and they are happy they haven't lost anything in that compared to the year before they've held on. Ms Nash said the numbers of traders in the centre was the same as last year although one had expanded to larger premises. "The town in general is looking more positive. Things are definitely going the right way," she added. The Mostyn Estates is a significant property owner in Llandudno. 'Fairly positive' Managing director Edward Hiller said he believed the town had survived quite well. "We've been able to hold up our occupancy rate, they are at or better than this time last year. "I'm fairly confident about the town's prospects." "It's not easy, it's hard work but overall we've done extraordinarily well. The town feels vibrant." In Bangor, Kate Jones is manager of the Deiniol Shopping Centre. Last year she spoke as the chair of the business group which was part of Balchder Bangor. As in Llandudno many businesses seem to be holding their own. "It's been quite tough but people seem to be spending more in the past couple of weeks," she said. 'On the up' "In the centre there is some interest in a couple of our empty units. "Bangor itself is on the up too. The public realm work has improved the environment. "Even the empty shops here look better than they did a couple of years ago after landlords put work into making them look presentable." One casualty of the economic down-turn in Bangor was the Traed Bach (Little Feet) children's shoe shop. It was opened in July 2011 and traded for just 14 months. "Things gradually got worse and worse each month," said owner Emma Evans. "There was no help for things like the rates, and although I was managing to cover costs there was nothing left. Homework "I was lucky enough to be offered a job back at my old place of work at a farmer's supply centre. "I'm glad I tried though, and don't regret it at all. "My advice to anyone who wants to have a go is to do their homework well. "Don't take it for granted that it'll work out either, make sure you have a fall-back plan." The last monthly sales figures available are for November. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) described it as a "cautious month of wait and see". BRC director general Stephen Robertson said it got off to a flying start, but sales fell off as the month progressed "suggesting customers are taking care not to spend too much too soon".

पिछले साल वेल्स की ऊँची सड़कों, क्रंच क्रिसमस की रिपोर्टों की एक श्रृंखला में, हमने बताया कि मंदी के साथ लड़ाई में दुकानें कैसे आगे बढ़ रही थीं। हम उसी व्यवसाय में लौट आए हैं यह देखने के लिए कि एक साल में क्या अंतर पड़ता है।


Windows Phone 8 system update announced by Microsoft

Summary: Microsoft has unveiled the next version of its smartphone operating system.

Windows Phone 8 shares much of its code with the firm's PC system, making it easier for developers to write programs for different types of devices. The company said it should mean there would be some "amazing games" for handsets running its new release. A tie-up with Nokia has already brought several Windows Phone devices to market, but sales lag some way behind models running Android or Apple's iOS. Microsoft said Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei would all be making devices powered by the system upgrade. High-def handsets Other new features announced at the Windows Phone Summit event in San Francisco included: Background Skype The update also allows internet call software based on VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and video chat technologies to run in the background. This addresses a complaint that the firm's own Skype program could not be used to receive calls while its owner was using another application - a function offered on rival platforms. The firm said VoIP calls should now "feel like any other call" made or received by Windows Phone handsets. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 strongly resemble each other - at least when the PC system is run under its Metro interface - and Microsoft was keen to stress that their relationship goes deeper than appearance alone. The two will share a range of components including graphic drivers, the DirectX collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) and the NT kernel that ties application software to the hardware it is installed on. They can also both support native code in the C and C++ programming languages. Microsoft said this should not only make it easier to port software between the two environments, but should speed up the time it takes developers to recode programs originally built for iOS and Android. More games Microsoft noted more than 100,000 apps had been released for Windows Phone 7. By contrast there are more than 466,500 programs in the Android marketplace according to search site Appbrain , and "over 500,000" in Apple's app store according to the iPhone maker. Securing "marquee titles" is more important to some than raw numbers, and Microsoft addressed this too with news that Gameloft's Nova 3 and Zynga's Draw Something were coming to Windows Phone. "Until now handsets running Microsoft's system have been missing some of the most innovative applications and popular games," said Malik Saadi, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms. "Now with the update from Windows Phone 7 to 8 this should be addressed. Many of the developers I had spoken to had said they were holding off until they knew more about the new system. It looks like that barrier has now gone."

माइक्रोसॉफ्ट ने अपने स्मार्टफोन ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टम के अगले संस्करण का अनावरण किया है।


No change as Northern Ireland paper £5 note stays in use

Summary: The paper £5 note will live on in Northern Ireland.

By Julian O'NeillBBC News NI Business Correspondent Its 'old-fashioned' fivers are staying in use for now, despite the Bank of England's version being withdrawn at midnight on Friday night. All four Northern Ireland banks print their own money - a tradition which stretches back to the early 19th Century. But only two of them produce fivers - the Ulster Bank and the Bank of Ireland. The Bank of England paper note is being pulled from circulation because there is a newer version, made of polymer. Northern Ireland's banks could, eventually, follow suit, but for now their paper £5 notes remain in use. Sean Murphy of Ulster Bank said: "In the long run, polymer notes will probably be more cost-effective and it is something we are actively looking at." There is about £2.5bn worth of Northern Ireland banknotes in circulation. One of the most recent new designs was the George Best £5 note, a million of which were issued in 2006 by Ulster Bank in tribute to the late footballer. Danske Bank is currently doing a print run of £20 notes, with the signature of its chief executive, Kevin Kingston, being added for the first time. 'Prestige and branding' There are rules covering the issuing of Northern Ireland banknotes. Each of the banks must hold assets with the Bank of England equal to the value of the cash being printed, so that if they were to ever go bust their notes in circulation could be exchanged. The banks have said the main reason they print their own notes is for prestige and branding. Incidentally, in Northern Ireland the paper £5 Bank of England note was never legal tender, which has a very narrow technical meaning. Just like Northern Ireland banknotes being presented in Great Britain, acceptability as payment is essentially a matter for agreement between the parties involved.

उत्तरी आयरलैंड में 5 पाउंड का कागजी नोट चालू रहेगा।


Devon and Cornwall Police raise precept by 2%

Summary: Plans to raise the policing part of council tax bills in Devon and Cornwall by 2% have been approved

The rise, approved by the force's Crime Panel, will mean an extra £3.19 per household per year. Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg said not raising the precept would have had a "major impact" on policing and numbers may have fallen "to well below 3,000" from about 3,500. Mr Hogg said: "We are working hard to maintain officer numbers."

डेवोन और कॉर्नवाल में परिषद कर बिलों के पुलिसिंग हिस्से को 2 प्रतिशत तक बढ़ाने की योजना को मंजूरी दी गई है।


Long-term safety fears over Yorkshire's Pacer trains

Summary: Pacer trains are some of the most unpopular on the network.

By Alan WhitehouseTransport Correspondent, BBC Yorkshire Built in the 1980s, they are essentially a bus body mounted on a freight wagon chassis with a diesel engine slung underneath. When passengers complain of cattle truck conditions, they are sometimes closer to the truth than they realise. Pacer trains were built as a stop-gap with an expected life of no more than 20 years. But they are now 25 years old and there are no plans to replace them. 'Notable incidents' Now the rail regulator is placing a question mark over the long-term safety of Pacers, saying: "There is particular concern over the ongoing use of Pacers beyond their intended design life." It says there have been some "notable incidents", including the failure of drive shafts that transmit power from the engine to the wheels. Northern Rail operates about 100 Pacer trains all over the north of England. In Yorkshire, it operates commuter services around Leeds, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Wakefield and York over routes such as the Huddersfield-Sheffield and Huddersfield-Wakefield lines, between York, Harrogate and Leeds, and on the coast line from Scarborough to Hull. There is no suggestion that the trains are unsafe today. But the rail regulator says its investigations are continuing and it wants to see an action plan from the rail industry that demonstrates how the trains will be kept safe as they get older. They already have an extensive daily safety check, and Northern Rail insists they would not be allowed out on the tracks if there were any doubts about their safety. Higher fares But the company does accept that the trains are old and need replacing. The problem is how to afford it. A new train would cost about six times as much as a Pacer in leasing charges, so each train would have to carry six times the number of passengers or the subsidy paid to keep loss-making lines running would have to go up by the same factor. Neither action is likely. Instead, it looks as though if commuters want new trains they will have to be prepared to pay for them through higher fares. That would be politically unpopular as well as bringing howls of outrage from daily travellers. But it is a fact that rail fares in Yorkshire are low compared with other parts of the country. Northern says its average fare is just £2.19, less than the cappuccino that many commuters buy to drink on the train. Car parking is also free at most local stations, and that is likely to come under scrutiny. Commuters in the South East are accustomed to paying to park at their local station. Yorkshire commuters are not, and that may have to change if they are ever to afford the cost of the shiny new trains which rail travellers would love to see.

पेसर ट्रेनें नेटवर्क पर सबसे अलोकप्रिय में से कुछ हैं।


Sajid Javid: Calling a strike will be harder

Summary: He's been in the job less than 24 hours - a point he keeps reminding me of as we chat - but Sajid Javid is already clear on the direction of travel he wants to take as David Cameron's new business secretary.

Kamal AhmedBusiness editor@bbckamalon Twitter Pro-enterprise and deregulation will be his watch words, bringing a distinctly Conservative flavour to the top of the department. It's no coincidence that during his rapid rise up the ministerial ranks he has had a picture of Margaret Thatcher on his office wall. And, let's not forget, Mr Javid will be the first Conservative business secretary for 18 years. His in-tray certainly contains its fair share of controversies - the European Union in/out referendum, new rules on strikes in the public sector and airport expansion will be all jostling for his time. Essential public services The Conservative election manifesto pledged to tighten the laws on strikes, demanding a 50% turnout in strike ballots. The plans, which will be included in the Queen's Speech at the end of the month, will also demand that any strike affecting "essential" public services such as health, education, transport and the fire service, would need the backing of 40% of those eligible to vote. Unions have condemned the plans, with Dave Prentis of Unison saying that the new rules would make it "virtually impossible" for anyone in the public sector to go on strike. "The changes we want to make to strike laws are absolutely proportionate and sensible," Mr Javid told me. "It was something we would have liked to have done earlier but it was blocked by the Lib Dems. What people are fed up with is strike action that hasn't been properly supported by members of the union. "Especially when it comes to essential public services, think of the impact [a strike] has - transport, the health service - on ordinary people going about their daily jobs. I think they should be in people's minds as well when these kind of decisions are made." I ask him the obvious question - will this make going on strike in the public sector harder? "Of course, by increasing the thresholds it will certainly increase the hurdles that need to be crossed but it is the right thing to do, it is the fair thing to do." 'Deregulation' It's all part of what Mr Javid sees as a relentlessly pro-business approach. The son of Pakistani immigrants who arrived in Britain - it's been reported - with £1 to their name, Mr Javid is quick to mention his background as a way of explaining his approach to the new job. "Business is something that has been with me throughout my life," the former banker tells me. "I grew up living above my father's shop, he was a bus driver who then had market stalls, then we had a family shop. I believe passionately in free enterprise, it is the lifeblood of any successful economy. "There are lots of reasons for governments to be involved in making rules and regulations, but there are also lots of reasons for governments to stay out of the way. Sometimes I think they can get too involved and actually make things worse rather than better. "I believe in more deregulation, we are committed to reducing the burden of regulation on businesses." 'British people decide' Of course, one of the most pressing issues for the many businesses that will be beating a path to Mr Javid's door will be Britain's relationship with the European Union. Mr Javid is no europhile and despite repeated questions, he refuses to say whether he would back Britain staying in the European Union if suitable reforms were agreed. "We need to settle this issue. The right way to end the uncertainty is to have this referendum and let the British people decide," he said. "I am confident about getting the reforms. Because if you look at the track record of the Prime Minister, the negotiations he's had in the past and what he has achieved, it suggests that we will be successful in these negotiations. "I don't think anyone, including me, can make a decision on what will actually happen in that referendum until we know what the results are. "But it doesn't really matter what I think, ultimately it is a decision for the British people and that's the right way to do it." I try asking again - with the right reforms in place, would he back Britain remaining in the European Union? "We have to go about discussing those reforms first and see where we end up," he replies carefully. "I want the best outcome for Britain and until we have started that process it is not possible to say." In the past, Mr Javid has said that leaving the EU "isn't something we should be scared of". Does he still believe that? "I've said that and I would say it again." Airport issue On the vexed issue of expanding airport capacity in the south-east of England and whether there should be a new runway at either Heathrow or Gatwick - or neither - Mr Javid is diplomatic. As a former backer of the Free Enterprise Group of MPs, he did support more runway capacity at Heathrow in 2012. But that was before he was in the Cabinet. Now, he will only talk of the need for more "capacity" in the South East. "Whether it is ultimately going to be Heathrow or Gatwick, that is a decision we haven't yet taken as a government," he said. BBC Charter renewal Finally, we talk about the BBC, which came under Mr Javid's departmental responsibilities in his previous role as culture secretary. Yesterday, David Cameron announced that John Whittingdale would replace Mr Javid at the Department of Culture, putting him in charge of the renewal of the BBC's Charter and the future of the licence fee. Mr Whittingdale has described the licence fee as "worse than a poll tax" and "unsustainable". I ask Mr Javid whether Mr Whittingdale's appointment shows the BBC is likely to be in for a tough ride over the course of this Parliament. The Daily Telegraph said this morning that the Tories were going "to war" against the BBC. "He's a big fan of the BBC," Mr Javid says of Mr Whittingdale. "And he also understands when you have had so many changes in the broadcast environment over many years - just the technology changes have been phenomenal - you need to look at all the issues and get a long-term sustainable funding arrangement for the BBC." 'Political spectrum' The election campaign has brought some complaints from politicians, Mr Javid included, that the BBC was not always as balanced as it should have been, criticism that has been robustly dealt with by the corporation. Mr Javid says that the election coverage should be looked at as part of the charter renewal process. "Throughout the election campaign there were lots of people that had views on whether it was fair coverage or not, on all sides of the political spectrum," he said. "As a politician I don't think it's a judgement I can reasonably make myself, I think these are the kind of things that should be looked at independently. "The review that will happen [on election coverage] is the charter review and that is something that looks at a number of issues and I think that's the right way to do this. "Of course there was coverage throughout the election and not just from the BBC that will irritate you and I don't think that's surprising to hear, that happens."

वह 24 घंटे से भी कम समय से नौकरी में है-एक बात जो वह मुझे याद दिलाता रहता है जब हम बात करते हैं-लेकिन साजिद जाविद पहले से ही स्पष्ट है कि वह डेविड कैमरून के नए व्यापार सचिव के रूप में यात्रा की दिशा लेना चाहता है।


World War One: How the German Zeppelin wrought terror

Summary: Before the 20th Century, civilians in Britain were largely unaffected by war, but this was to change on 19 January 1915 with the first air attacks of World War One by the German Zeppelin. Historian and aerial specialist Ben Robinson has traced the attacks for Inside Out East.

The creation of Count von Zeppelin, a retired German army officer, the flying weapon was lighter than air, filled with hydrogen, and held together by a steel framework. When the war started in 1914, the German armed forces had several Zeppelins, each capable of travelling at about 85mph and carrying up to two tonnes of bombs. With military deadlock on the Western Front, the Germans decided to use them against towns and cities in Britain. The first raid took place on the eastern coastal towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn, on 19 January 1915. 'No military advantage' Residents reported hearing an eerie throbbing sound above them, followed shortly afterwards by the sound of explosions in the streets. The full horror of aerial warfare was unleashed. When the smoke cleared, Britain's first ever air-raid causalities were revealed - 72-year-old Martha Taylor and shoemaker Samuel Smith. Kate Argyle, from English Heritage, said: "There was no military advantage. It was all about instilling terror and really that's what these aerial bombardments did. "The Zeppelins would come out of the dark - you couldn't see them and it was totally random. You didn't know if you were running towards danger or away from it." The aim of the Zeppelins was clear - the Germans hoped to break morale at home and force the British government into abandoning the war in the trenches. But there was not the sort of chaos and panic that the Germans had wanted. "The people reacted very stoically, they got on with the job of clearing up - that British sense of not being fazed by this," Ms Argyle said. As the people of Great Yarmouth counted their dead and injured, a second Zeppelin was already bombing King's Lynn. Propaganda value A further two people were killed, but once again there were no scenes of panic. Despite this, the propaganda value of the bombings was enormous. Now Britons were not only dying on the battlefields of Flanders but also in their beds at home. For the next couple of months Zeppelins would hit towns across the east - Southend, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds were all attacked and six more people were killed. But the Germans were still no nearer to breaking the British spirit, so they aimed for the capital. A house in Stoke Newington was the first ever in London to be attacked from the air, hit by an incendiary bomb. Albert Lovell, who owned the house, dragged his family out before alerting the fire brigade. Aviation historian Ian Castle said: "There had been no raids before, there's never been anything like this. Suddenly a blazing bomb is coming out of the sky and setting light to a house, it's almost science fiction." The first death happened in Cooper Road at the house of a man called Samuel Legget who had five children. Three-year-old, Elsie, died on her bed. In 20 minutes a Zeppelin had dropped 3,000 pounds of bombs, 91 incendiaries that had started 40 fires, gutted buildings and left seven people dead. Not a single shot was fired in retaliation. From that day forward the Zeppelins were known as the "baby killers". One person who remembers the attacks vividly is 102-year-old Doris Cobban from Bedfordshire. She was only five-years-old and living in Lewisham when London came under attack. "I remember my father coming up to the bedroom and he picked me up and wrapped me in a blanket and he said 'this is history, you must see this'," she said. The airships were more than twice as long as a modern day Jumbo Jet and thousands of people took to the streets to see them. "My mother took my elder sister who was two years older than I was by the hand and we went out into the road and he [her father] said 'look up there' and over London I saw this long thing and it looked like a huge cigar to me," Mrs Cobban said. "We were all out there - as far as I remember it was cheerful, but probably the grown-ups were absolutely petrified." On 8 September, Germany's most successful Zeppelin commander, Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Mathy was to lead the most destructive attack of the war. Zeppelin shot down London was ablaze, buildings were ripped apart and by the time the attack was over 22 people were dead, 87 had received horrific injuries and the Zeppelin had escaped into the night completely unharmed. Gradually better defences were brought in to defend the skies, but it was another year before the tide began to turn. At the beginning of September 1916 more than a dozen German airships headed for Britain in their largest raid. Bombs fell in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Kent but only one airship made it through to London. It immediately came under heavy anti-aircraft fire and was shot down by 19-year-old William Leefe Robinson. While Britain celebrated, the Germans stepped things up with the so-called Super Zeppelins, but Britain had found the Zeppelin's Achilles heel - explosive bullets which could set the hydrogen alight. This would prove to be the Zeppelin's undoing. During their brief, but deadly dominance the airships killed more than 500 people and injured more than a thousand in places all down the east of the country. The last ever attempt to bomb Britain by a Zeppelin was over the Norfolk coast on 5 August 1918. Three years earlier, when a Zeppelin first appeared in the skies above Great Yarmouth, it was an invincible force, but now they were outclassed and dealt with swiftly. But the Zeppelin exposed those at home who were now as vulnerable as those on the front line. The government became acutely aware they needed an aerial defence system that operated in depth. It led to the formation of the RAF in 1918 and to the development of operations rooms such as the one at Duxford that proved so crucial in 1940 during the Battle of Britain and ultimately victory in World War Two.

20वीं शताब्दी से पहले, ब्रिटेन में नागरिक युद्ध से काफी हद तक अप्रभावित थे, लेकिन 19 जनवरी 1915 को जर्मन ज़ेपेलिन द्वारा प्रथम विश्व युद्ध के पहले हवाई हमलों के साथ इसे बदलना था। इतिहासकार और हवाई विशेषज्ञ बेन रॉबिन्सन ने इनसाइड आउट ईस्ट के हमलों का पता लगाया है।


25 bodies handed over to LTTE

Summary: The International Committee of the Red Cross in Sri Lanka says that it's handed over to the Tamil Tiger rebels the bodies of twenty-five of their fighters.

The Sri Lankan army says that the rebels were killed in fighting on Thursday as the government's forces made a major advance. The Tigers have not yet made any comment. However, pro-rebel Tamilnet reported that 25 LTTE bodies were handed over to the Vavuniya hospital on Friday by military authorities. Military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told BBC Sandeshaya on Friday that at least 25 special commandos of Charles Anthony brigade were killed in fighting in Vavuniya. Fighting between the two sides for control of the north of the island has intensified in recent months. Almost every day brings reports of fierce fighting, and often wildly conflicting accounts of casualty figures that are hard to verify.

श्रीलंका में रेड क्रॉस की अंतर्राष्ट्रीय समिति का कहना है कि उसने तमिल टाइगर विद्रोहियों को उनके पच्चीस लड़ाकों के शव सौंप दिए हैं।


The curious story of how the lie detector came to be

Summary: The science behind the lie detector test has been disputed since its creation 90 years ago, so is there any reliable way to tell if someone is lying, asks Dr Geoff Bunn, author of The Truth Machine: A Social History of the Lie Detector.

"If I was guilty and wanted to beat that machine, it wouldn't be hard," says Sharon Stone's psychopathic character in Basic Instinct. And the history of the polygraph - better known as the lie detector test - is littered with people who have been able to trick it. The polygraph machine was invented in 1921 in Berkeley, California. "Berkeley was a town with a very famous police chief, August Vollmer, and he was in charge of police reform and a leader of police professionalisation in the United States," says Ken Alder, professor of history at Northwestern University in Chicago. "He actually wanted to use the science to make the cops more law-abiding themselves, to substitute this new scientific interrogation for what was formerly known as the third degree, which was a way of getting information from people by beating them up." Berkeley police officer John Larson created the first machine, basing it on the systolic blood pressure test pioneered by psychologist William Moulton Marston, who would later become a comic book writer and create Wonder Woman. Marston believed blood pressure changes could show whether someone was lying. The modern polygraph measures a range of physical changes such as pulse and breathing as well as blood-pressure. But the credibility of the polygraph was challenged almost as soon as it was invented. In 1923, in what became a historic Supreme Court judgement, Frye v United States, it was ruled that scientific evidence, like that obtained through the polygraph, should only be admissible if it was "sufficiently established to have gained general acceptance" in the scientific community. The polygraph was backed by Leonarde Keeler, who in 1930 helped set up the scientific crime detection laboratory at Northwestern, the first forensic lab in the US, a year before the FBI. In 1948 Keeler played himself in the movie Call Northside 777 opposite James Stewart as a reporter who exonerated a man wrongly convicted of murder. "One of the things Keeler was great at doing was bluffing people into confessing," Alder says. "He was able to get 60% confession rates by bluffing people [with the threat of the lie detector]." His classes at Northwestern were attended by cartoonist Chester Gould, who is said to have based the incorruptible, square-jawed Dick Tracy character on Keeler and his colleagues. Ninety years after its invention, the polygraph still has not been accepted by the scientific, legal or political communities. "The whole process smacks of 20th Century witchcraft," said Senator Sam Ervin, who died in 1985. It does not help that every now and again serious criminals trick the polygraph. In 2003, Gary Ridgway admitted he was the Green River Killer, having murdered 49 women in the Seattle area. Ridgway had passed a lie detector test in 1987, while another man - who turned out to be innocent - failed. It has been argued that psychopaths like Ridgway or serial killer Ted Bundy are able to trick the polygraph because they have lower anxiety levels than normal people but the research into this has had mixed results. There are also examples of others - like Aldrich Ames, a CIA agent who spied for Russia - cheating it. Polygraphy has no grounding in science because polygraph techniques in use today were developed by interrogators, not scientists, says George Maschke, a former US Army intelligence officer and co-founder of AntiPolygraph.org. "It's dangerous and irresponsible to place any reliance on polygraph outcomes. Polygraphy has not advanced in the way a scientific field would, and that is because it's not a science, it's an interrogation technique. It can be useful in getting confessions, but it is not reliable in and of itself. "Polygraph tests can be easily beaten. You don't have to be a trained spy or a sociopath. You just have to understand how to recognise the control questions and augment reactions to them with techniques such as biting the side of your tongue or solving a maths equation in your head," he says. In recent years other lie detector tests have come on the market, such as voice stress analysis software, which has been used by some local authorities and government departments to check if benefit claimants are lying. But will new techniques find foolproof ways of telling if someone is lying? "It is possible under very controlled laboratory conditions to use a brain imaging technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging," says Steven Rose, emeritus professor of neuroscience at the Open University. " Subjects are asked to deliberately tell a lie. The claim is that you can actually detect when someone is telling an untruth. But in the real world that ain't so." Geraint Rees, director of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, says: "I don't want to be over-optimistic here that we are going to come up with some all-singing, all-dancing brain-reading, lie-detecting device. This is extremely unlikely, now or in the foreseeable future. "What we can't do is say that because a particular area of the brain is active someone was doing something like lying. Any brain area does multiple things." You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook

द ट्रुथ मशीनः ए सोशल हिस्ट्री ऑफ द लाइ डिटेक्टर के लेखक डॉ. ज्योफ बन पूछते हैं कि झूठ डिटेक्टर परीक्षण के पीछे का विज्ञान 90 साल पहले इसके निर्माण के बाद से विवादित रहा है, इसलिए क्या यह बताने का कोई विश्वसनीय तरीका है कि क्या कोई झूठ बोल रहा है।


Release of James Bond film No Time To Die delayed - again

Summary: The release of the new James Bond film has been delayed again.

The premiere of No Time To Die had already been moved from April to November because of the pandemic. The film has now been further delayed until 2 April 2021 "in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience", a statement on the film's website said. "We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing No Time To Die next year." No Time To Die, the 25th instalment in the Bond franchise, marks Daniel Craig's final appearance as British secret service agent, 007. Trailers for the film, as well as Billie Eilish's title song, have already been released - with the Eilish video debuting mere days ago - before Friday's last-minute decision to delay. Industry insiders had been speculating whether the studio would stand by the November release date, following lacklustre box office returns for the Christopher Nolan blockbuster Tenet, which was released last month. The sci-fi epic, which cost approximately $200m to make, has so far made $243 million internationally, but only $41m in the US - where cinemas in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco largely remain closed. A significant part of Bond film earnings come from the UK and European market, where coronavirus is once again on the rise and there may be been concern by the studio that potential restrictions could limit box office earnings in November. The previous Bond film, 2015's Spectre, took almost $900m (£690m) at worldwide box offices - winning an Oscar for best original song. The latest film will no longer be in contention for the 2021 Oscars under current guidelines. Bankrupt cinemas The postponement of No Time to Die comes after both two major autumn releases, Wonder Woman: 1984 and Marvel Studios' Black Widow - starring Scarlett Johansson - were both pushed back. With Steven Spielberg's West Side Story and Kenneth Branagh's Death of the Nile remake also delayed, it could spell disaster for many struggling cinema chains, which rely on big budget releases for much of their income. In the US, the National Association of Theatre Owners, the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association wrote an open letter last week calling on Congress to bail out "our country's beloved movie theatres". The letter stated that if the current situation continued without additional support, 69% of small and mid-sized cinemas in the US would likely go bankrupt or close. The letter was signed by a string of Hollywood directors, including James Cameron, Clint Eastwood and Britain's Steve McQueen. But John Fithian, head of the National Association of Theatre Owners, told Variety it was also essential that the studios played their part in supporting cinemas - by continuing to release films. "If we don't have any movies until we're fully vaccinated as a world, a lot of the theatre companies are going to be gone and the theatres themselves won't be there," he said. "This idea of waiting out the pandemic to make your movies more profitable doesn't make sense to me. There won't be as much of an industry left to play your movies in if you do that." In China, cinemas reopened in July - with restricted numbers - while in India they are due to partially reopen in mid-October, ahead of the Diwali holiday in November. Cinemas in the UK were given the go-ahead to reopen in July, with social distancing measures in place, staggered start and finish times and pre-ordered popcorn, among the measures. However many sites did not open immediately. Cineworld, the world's second-largest cinema chain, reopened many of its locations across the UK in early September. It recently reported a $1.6bn loss in the first six months of the year. On Friday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden urged the British public to "support your local cinema" as he announced a government cash boost of £650,000 to 42 independent cinemas across England as part of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. Some fans on Twitter have called for the latest franchise to be released digitally rather than delaying the release date to next Easter. Earlier this week, Warner announced that the big budget remake of Roald Dahl's The Witches, starring Anne Hathaway, will debut on the streaming platform HBO Max in the US.

जेम्स बॉन्ड की नई फिल्म की रिलीज में फिर से देरी हुई है।


How big is Tunisian militant threat?

Summary: Once regarded as a beacon of secularism in the Arab world, Tunisia has seen militant Islamists gain strength since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in a popular uprising in 2011.

The attack on the famous Bardo museum in the capital, Tunis, was the deadliest since the revolution, with at least 23 people - mostly European tourists - killed. The Islamic State (IS) has said it carried out the attack - the first by the group in Tunisia. This would suggest IS is extending its influence in North Africa, following the series of high-profile attacks it has carried out in neighbouring Libya this year, including the bombing of an upmarket hotel and the beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians living there. Tunisian authorities say up to 3,000 of its citizens have gone abroad to wage jihad - including to Syria and Iraq, the birthplace of IS - making them the largest number of foreign fighters to join the group's ranks, according to some researchers. Some of the militants are now said to have returned, increasing the security threat. The attack is a big blow to Tunisia's new secular-led government, which vowed to take a tougher line against the militants after it defeated the moderate Islamist Ennahda party in elections last year. Having won the first post-revolution election, Ennahda was accused of being soft on jihadist groups - a perception which grew after leading secular politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi were assassinated in 2013. Tunisia has also battled fighters linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) along its border with Algeria. The group has carried out a spate of attacks on security forces in Tunisia's mountainous region - at least 14 soldiers were killed in a raid on two checkpoints in July 2014, the heaviest death toll recorded by the army since independence from France in 1956. That attack came despite the fact that the military had been carrying out an air and ground offensive since 2012 to eliminate the militant threat. But the setback was not surprising - Tunisia has one of the smallest armies in the region, with little experience in counter-terrorism, though its troops have been receiving training and equipment from Europe and the US. Within Tunisia, the main Islamist group is Ansar al-Sharia. Designated a terrorist group, it was accused of attacking the US embassy in Tunis in September 2012. The group is led by Abu Ayadh al-Tunisi, who was pardoned and released from prison after the overthrow of former President Ben Ali's regime as part of efforts to promote reconciliation. An arrest warrant has been reissued for him following claims that the group has been involved in violence, including the attack on the US embassy and the killing of Mr Belaid and Mr Brahmi. It denies the allegations, and says it is campaigning peacefully for Islamic law to be implemented in Tunisia. Ansar al-Sharia has built support through humanitarian work, especially in neighbourhoods where unemployment and poverty levels are high. Some analysts believe that although its support base is small, Ansar al-Sharia's grassroots mobilisation - and links to IS - makes it the biggest threat to Tunisia's record as the only Arab state to achieve a successful political transition following the uprisings that spread through the region in 2011. Correction 20 March: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Ahmed al-Rouissi was the same person as Abu Ayadh al-Tunisi

कभी अरब दुनिया में धर्मनिरपेक्षता के प्रकाश स्तंभ के रूप में माने जाने वाले ट्यूनीशिया ने 2011 में एक लोकप्रिय विद्रोह में लंबे समय तक शासन करने वाले शासक ज़ीन अल-अबिदीन बेन अली को उखाड़ फेंकने के बाद से उग्रवादी इस्लामवादियों को ताकत हासिल करते देखा है।


Coronavirus: Family stopped on 300-mile trip to visit relative

Summary: A family making a 300-mile round trip to visit a relative have been stopped by police.

Officers, who were enforcing the coronavirus lockdown rules, halted their vehicle on the M4 near Reading on Monday. The family admitted they were trying to travel from their home in London to visit another family member in the Bristol area. Thames Valley Police said they were fined and sent back home.

एक रिश्तेदार से मिलने के लिए 300 मील की यात्रा कर रहे एक परिवार को पुलिस ने रोक दिया है।


The Flying Dutchman: A Wagnerian chorus in Peterhead

Summary: A ship pulls into a grey dock.

By Pauline McLeanBBC Scotland The men, weighed down by their oilskin jackets, clamber down ladders and file slowly into the steamed up chip shop in the harbour. All the time, singing a Wagnerian chorus. So begins The Flying Dutchman. Only this Scottish Opera version sets the story on the north east coast of Scotland. Peterhead in the 1970s to be precise. "I suppose the designer and I were keen to capture that image," says director Harry Fehr. "The grey, the steel, the oilskins, the darkness of it all. "It's not a beautiful, romantic production. It's much darker, blunter." Richard Wagner's tale of a mysterious ghost ship was originally set in Scotland. Fehr tracked down the original score in the British library where the character of Daland is Donald, and there's a ceilidh for the sailors, not to mention other Scottish elements. 'Very fashionable' So why did Wagner abandon his plans just a month before the premiere in Dresden in 1843 and reset it on the coast of Norway? "No one really knows but I think there were a couple of reasons," says the director. "Scotland was very fashionable at the time in books and music. Wagner would have read Sir Walter Scott. "But he was also aware that other composers were using Scotland and he may have wanted to stay ahead of fashion. "As well as that, Wagner liked to include an autobiographical strand to his work and he had been caught in a storm on a ship on the way to London a few years before. "They'd taken shelter in a Norwegian fjord and that may have influenced his decision to set the opera in Norway." This is the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth and a number of productions are planned, including several of The Flying Dutchman. Opera Northern Ireland recently staged a version set in the 1970s but this is thought to be the first version of the original opera, on UK soil. Complete with oilskins, grey granite and fish and chips. The Flying Dutchman opens in Glasgow's Theatre Royal on Thursday.

एक जहाज एक ग्रे डॉक में खींचता है।


Ukraine prospects for peace: People on the edge of war

Summary: It has been more than a month since a deal was reached to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Fighting there has claimed some 6,000 lives and left more than a million people without homes since it began in early 2014. The BBC's Natalia Antelava and Abdujalil Abdurasulov have been meeting people in areas affected by the fighting as they examine how successful the truce has been.

Luhansk - rebel held territory The city of Luhansk, one of the strongholds of pro-Russian rebels, has seen some of the fiercest battles. After Ukrainian troops withdrew and fighting died down the rebels declared it the People's Republic of Luhansk. The BBC's team spoke to some of the people living in the city to find out how life there is now. Among them were a 21-year-old former drama student, now volunteering to fight for the rebels, and a woman at a flea market in the city who said: "There is nothing for anyone here." Because the conflict is so steeped in differing cultural ideologies and identities, many ordinary people have volunteered to join the fight either in support of the national government or the pro-Russia separatists. The BBC News team visited a children's rehabilitation centre in Luhansk that provides shelter to youngsters whose parents either died in the war or are still fighting. They met one girl who asked as soon as she arrived at the centre: "Where will we hide if we are scared?" Donetsk - rebel held territory The crisis in eastern Ukraine has heightened tensions between Western nations and Russia. One of the worst battles of the conflict so far has been around Donetsk airport, now destroyed after months of bitter fighting. When the journalists took a ride with a rebel battalion patrolling the area - just 1km from the Ukrainian forces' position - one fighter told them that the US was his main enemy. He showed the BBC's Natalia Antelava a tank he claimed had been supplied by the US - but she was able to inspect it and conclude it was Ukrainian. The fighter was happy, however, to show our correspondent his own piece of American weaponry. Arriving in the city of Donetsk, the team met a woman still living in the basement of a shelled and abandoned apartment block in the city's suburbs. She told them why she wanted to break away from Kiev and be part of Russia. Ukrainian-controlled territory Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, both pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on drones for surveillance and reconnaissance. Travelling to the town of Krasnogorovka, the BBC's team met Ukrainian volunteers on a drone reconnaissance mission into rebel-held Donetsk. And as their journey continued, they meet a villager still living by the front line. The woman spends her days among bombed-out buildings and empty homes, with the sound of gunfire a part of daily life. On the line When Ukraine and Russia-backed rebels signed a ceasefire deal in Minsk in February, they agreed to withdraw heavy weapons, creating a separation line between the two sides. Natalia Antelava and Abdujalil Abdurasulov travelled to Shirokyne, on the ceasefire line, with international observers watching the implementation of the truce. From there, they went to the border with Russia, which Ukraine is due to regain control of under the truce. It wants to stop what it says is the flow of Russian troops and military vehicles into the country. Russia denies accusations of sending troops and supplying the rebels. Alexander Hug, deputy chief monitor of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said the observers had not been granted the access they needed to the border. He spoke to Gen Alexander Lencov, deputy commander of the ground forces of the Russian Army, who said he was not aware of any problems.

पूर्वी यूक्रेन में संघर्ष को समाप्त करने के लिए एक समझौते को हुए एक महीने से अधिक समय हो गया है। 2014 की शुरुआत में शुरू होने के बाद से वहां लड़ाई में लगभग 6,000 लोगों की जान गई है और दस लाख से अधिक लोग घरों के बिना रह गए हैं। बीबीसी की नतालिया एंटेलावा और अब्दुजलिल अब्दुरासुलोव लड़ाई से प्रभावित क्षेत्रों में लोगों से मिल रहे हैं क्योंकि वे जांच कर रहे हैं कि संघर्ष विराम कितना सफल रहा है।


Cyber-flashing: 'I froze when penis picture dropped on to my phone'

Summary: Looking at my phone on the journey to work, a picture of a naked man pops up on the screen, and a heatwave of embarrassment warms my body, as if I were the one naked and exposed.

By Janay BoulosBBC News My iPhone was asking me whether to accept or decline a nude picture from a stranger via AirDrop. He had used a filter, sharpened his slim body, blurred the background and was posing in front of a mirror with an erect penis. That's a lot of effort to put into a picture intended for a stranger. My response was immediate: decline. But I couldn't reject the insecurity and fear it left me with. As a woman who is empowered by the growing feminist strength movements, I always thought I could handle any man or any insult I'd receive. I didn't want to let this go, so I scouted the Tube carriage to find the man who resembled the naked perpetrator. From Baker Street to Oxford Circus on the Bakerloo Line, I inspected each face until I received the picture again once we got out of the carriage. I kept on walking behind him, unsure of what to do. Is it him? Is it not? He had the same long, slim legs, the same face and skinny arms, but what would I say to him? I stood behind him on the escalator and saw that, on his screen, he had the photos open and the AirDrop box below it. But when he looked into my eyes, the anger and the words to express the insults in my mind vanished. I couldn't say anything. I couldn't ask him why or blame him. I was too scared to do so, and I convinced myself that he understood it from my angry gaze. The truth is, no matter how strong I thought I was, he turned me, with a picture, into a weak person, feeling humiliated and with no ability to stand up to myself. That sense lasted the whole day, and the incident still repeats in my mind. I looked into AirDropping nude pictures on the Tube and found that it has a name - cyber-flashing. I also discovered that it's a broader issue facing many people, as AirDrop lets you send files to and from nearby Apple devices. How does AirDrop work? By BBC News technology reporter Zoe Kleinman Apple launched its file-share service AirDrop in 2011 to enable people to share data wirelessly between Apple devices quickly. It can be used to share photos, videos, contacts and other documents, but it only works between Apple products. It works using a combination of Bluetooth and Wifi - both have to be activated for a device to send or receive anything via AirDrop, and the personal hotspot option must be switched off. If it's an iPad or iPhone it will need to be running iOS7 (released in 2013) or later for Airdrop to work. Under the general settings menu, Apple users can select to limit AirDrop to only accept files from contacts already stored in their device, or they can select to have it switched off as a default. There is a similar service for Android devices called Android Beam which works using NFC (near field communication) - NFC is best known for being used in contactless payments. Turning off NFC disables Android Beam. Other women have spoken about the problem of cyber-flashing. Emma Wilson said she reported an incident to British Transport Police (BTP) but months after it happened, on the Hammersmith and City line, she is still "angry" at the male officer who she says told her it was impossible to investigate - that there are many incidents and not enough information, and suggested to her it was "just photos". His advice was to make sure she turned off her AirDrop in all public places in future. The tool means files can be shared instantly and easily between phones without a number being revealed. Apple itself advises people to guard against unsolicited messages by turning AirDrop off or setting it to receive files from contacts only. BTP Detective Inspector Ashley Cooper said on average the force receives about two to three reports each month from people who have been cyber-flashed. He reiterated the advice for people to review their privacy settings. But Rachel Krys, co-director of End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the onus should not be on women. Police should "stop telling women to do something and expecting them to change their behaviour because men might invade their privacy", she said. Emma also feels that the point is not to turn off a useful feature but for men to stop sending these kinds of pictures. "I'm mad that we live in a system where tech is something women need to be careful with and wary of, should we tempt men to use it to harass us," she said. The government is working to take action in England and Wales to protect people from receiving unwanted images of male genitals on their smartphones. A new law proposed by the House of Commons' Women and Equalities Committee has a "strong focus on prevention so it's not about telling women to change their behaviour, but about changing the behaviour of the men who choose to be abusive in this way." And it has called for a whole programme of work aimed at both boys and men to prevent sexual harassment in all its forms. There are several petitions online to make cyber-flashing a crime. But some, including Ms Krys, believe making it a crime is not the solution and that there must be safeguards built into the system so that when companies develop technology software, they think about women and how this could affect them. For now, BTP says the best way to tackle cyber-flashing is to report it, as soon as possible after the event. "Cases of cyber-flashing go largely unreported either because victims don't feel the incident is serious enough to report or simply because they don't know where to turn," Det Insp Cooper said. He said each offence reported helped to bring police closer to identifying an offender, which may ultimately lead to their arrest and prosecution.To contact BTP text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40.

काम पर जाने की यात्रा के दौरान मेरे फोन को देखते हुए, एक नग्न व्यक्ति की तस्वीर स्क्रीन पर दिखाई देती है, और शर्मिंदगी की गर्मी की लहर मेरे शरीर को गर्म कर देती है, जैसे कि मैं नग्न और उजागर हूं।


Man, 21, killed in stabbing in Sheffield

Summary: A 21-year-old man has died after being stabbed at a property in Sheffield.

The man was found seriously injured at a house in Southey Avenue, in the Longley area of the city, at 21:45 GMT on Thursday. Police said the man, who has not been named, was taken to hospital but died from his injuries later. South Yorkshire Police said a murder investigation is underway and are trying to determine the circumstances of the man's death. Read more about this and other stories from across South Yorkshire

शेफील्ड में एक संपत्ति में चाकू लगने से एक 21 वर्षीय व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


Borders to Edinburgh railway: Galashiels traffic changes in place

Summary: A one-way system has been introduced in Galashiels to allow for a work on a new station as part of the Borders to Edinburgh railway.

The move is to allow for "safe construction" at the Ladhope Vale site. The temporary one-way system will be in place in the town until 5 December. The Borders Railway project said it had been working closely with Scottish Borders Council to identify the "least disruptive system". The rail link between Edinburgh and Tweedbank in the Borders is set to reopen next year.

सीमा से एडिनबर्ग रेलवे के हिस्से के रूप में एक नए स्टेशन पर काम करने की अनुमति देने के लिए गैलेशियल्स में एक तरफा प्रणाली शुरू की गई है।


Nottingham Castle to reopen after three-year £30m refit

Summary: Nottingham Castle is set to reopen on 21 June after three years.

The landmark closed its doors in 2018, with funding for the £30m development provided by the Arts Council England, D2N2, National Heritage Lottery Fund and Nottingham City Council. Attractions telling the story of Robin Hood will be among the new features. Sara Blair-Manning, chief executive of Nottingham Castle Trust, said: "This is a highly-anticipated moment for fans of the Robin Hood legend." Nottingham Castle has had a tumultuous history, with the previous version torn down following the English Civil War in the 17th Century. It was replaced by a palace for the Duke of Newcastle, but then that was burned down in 1831 after riots following the defeat of a bill in Parliament to expand the vote. After lying derelict for decades it was reopened as a museum, and in more recent times the Ducal Palace has been more sedate, including playing host to the city's beer festival. Nine gallery and exhibition spaces will feature inside the castle, with the Mercian Gallery and Rebellion Gallery set to "explore the fight for democracy, representation and fairness" and others displaying collections of art, sculpture and Nottingham lace. Hood's Hideout, an outdoor play area named in honour of the much-loved legend, will also be based on the site, and the story of Robin Hood will also feature more prominently in interactive displays. Castle bosses hope more than 300,000 visitors will come to see the attraction each year. Anne Jenkins, England Midlands and East director for National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the castle will be "a beacon of pride and optimism as we move forward from the challenges of the past year". "Nottingham Castle is a true symbol of resilience for the region," she said. Dave Trimble, portfolio holder for culture at Nottingham City Council, said the site will bring new jobs to the city and "be something Nottingham people can be proud of". "While it's been frustrating to have had to previously delay the reopening due to the Covid restrictions, we now have a firm date to plan ahead for," he added. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links Nottingham Castle Nottingham City Council Museums

नॉटिंघम कैसल तीन साल बाद 21 जून को फिर से खुलने वाला है।