Living in the ghost streets

Summary: Thousands of people have been left "utterly stranded" in desolate streets up and down the country because housing regeneration schemes have stalled. What's it like to be the only resident on a road full of empty houses?

By Andy McFarlaneBBC News As Maureen Walsh sips tea in her homely back room, surrounded by family photos, it might be a scene typical in homes across the UK. But a peek through her front curtains reveals something far from the norm; a patch of scrubby grassland where a terrace once mirrored her own. Behind a wire-fence barrier, a single inhabited home of an elderly lady is propped up by the remains of its derelict, pigeon-infested neighbours, their gaping sides covered with tarpaulin. "I just feel really, really sad when I look out of the window," says Mrs Walsh, who bought her two-bedroom terrace in Oldham with husband Terry in 1973. "We've lived in this area for 50 years and it was a superb community. There's no community now, no children. All they've done is knock down houses, grass over the land and put little railings around." London Road in Oldham's Derker district was just one of scores across England earmarked for demolition in 2005. It was part of Labour's ambitious £2.2bn project to breathe new life into neighbourhoods "characterised by dereliction, crime, anti-social behaviour and poor services" and blighted by "housing market failure". The 15-year Pathfinder scheme, initially in nine areas of England, was designed to attract private-sector investment to improve housing stock and increase demand. In places, it meant replacing terraces, said to be in low demand, with family homes with gardens and parking spaces. But eight years on, the scheme was reeling from the successive blows of the recession, the collapse in house-building, and public spending cuts. The coalition wound it up with Housing Minister Grant Shapps branding it a failure - "bulldozing buildings and knocking down neighbourhoods... demolishing our Victorian heritage". However, MPs on the Communities and Local Government Committee now say government action to help those left in such communities is "a drop in the ocean" compared with the resources that are needed. Its abrupt end left some neighbourhoods in limbo - including many householders who opposed the programme. Mrs Walsh admits she was a "thorn in the side" of Pathfinder. While most householders moved out, she was among a minority who fought demolition in court. She insists she was never against regeneration but that - if their house was to be flattened - they should get a like-for-like replacement. Instead, she says she was offered an equity loan of £35,000 to bridge the gap between the price they would get for their home and the cost of a new-build. "I used to say 'I'm 65, we worked hard to pay off our mortgage, why do I want a £35,000 loan?' - I didn't want to leave that for my kids," says Mrs Walsh. In Liverpool, Toxteth's "Welsh Streets" became a Pathfinder cause celebre. Built in the 1880s and given Welsh names by builders honouring their homeland, the terraces hit the headlines thanks to 9 Madryn Street, birthplace of former Beatle Ringo Starr. No area better demonstrates Mr Shapps' opinion that the scheme "pitted neighbour against neighbour". On one side was artist Nina Edge, who led the Welsh Streets Homes Group battling demolition. Her five-bed, three-storey townhouse fell inside the demolition zone, while the homes opposite were to be preserved. New Heartlands - Merseyside's market renewal scheme - demolished 4,443 homes, building 2,844 and refurbishing another 20,157. However, the Welsh Streets have remained unchanged since they were emptied. Where once children played, the streets are desolate. Metal grilles have replaced front doors, while bay windows are bricked up. "The physical decline is really upsetting," says Ms Edge. "There are times I can't bring myself to walk up there. It's distressing to see the shocking waste. These were perfect homes." Others, like Mary Huxham, had a very different view. She lived in nearby Powis Street for 68 years but was glad to leave the home where she had brought up her four children for a new housing association property nearby. "We lived with rising damp, fungus, ice on the inside of the windows," she previously told the BBC. "I brought up four children in these horrible damp conditions. We want the streets to be demolished and modernised." 'Draughty places' New Heartlands argued 72% of residents backed the scheme, with 90% happy after relocation. However, the National Audit Office criticised some aspects of the Welsh Streets consultation , saying an independent survey found just 52% of residents in support. Ms Edge acknowledges her group's battle to stay put may have delayed the refurbishment of other people's homes earmarked for later phases. "You go into the post office and you don't know if the people in there have been opposing you for years because they have been living in draughty places, and you're their scapegoat," she says. Meanwhile, the Welsh Streets are still due for the wrecker's ball - although Kelvin Grove may yet get a reprieve after the council allowed Ms Edge's group to bid to bring its empty homes back into use. Charities such as Save Britain's Heritage accuse councils like Liverpool of being too gung-ho on demolition. But the authority points to plans for Anfield where - having been largely emptied by Pathfinder - streets in the shadow of the famous football stadium are earmarked for a new "village". With a housing association, the council aims to refurbish some homes, enlarge others by knocking two into one and demolish others to create gardens and parking spaces. "Our policy is to refurbish wherever possible," says a spokesman. "If people want to live in the houses, they won't be demolished. But if we want to make them sustainable then evidence suggests we need a mix of housing. We aren't in a position [financially] to dictate to developers." Last year, ministers set aside £35.5m in transitional funding "to help families trapped in half-empty and abandoned streets" but have since faced criticism for approving bids largely focused on continued demolition. David Ireland, of renovation campaign charity Empty Homes, says: "The transitional funding didn't envisage going on buying up more houses and demolishing those, which is what seems to have been done." However, after the publication of the MPs' report, committee chairman Labour's Clive Betts told a parliamentary debate : "If nine out of 10 houses are not occupied and we still have to deal with the one that is, the only logical conclusion is to demolish." Alicia Rose, 41, is facing just that scenario. She heard her Winifred Street terrace, in Liverpool's Edge Hill, was earmarked for demolition within weeks of moving in in 2005. "I've watched everyone move one-by-one. It's awful," she says. "Hanging over me the whole time have been questions over whether to make repairs, put in new heating - or would I just be throwing away money." Around her home, wires hang forlornly from long-forgotten satellite dishes. Plants protrude from guttering and through cracks in walls, while paint peels away from bricks and cladding. Occasional stickers announce: "All items of value have been removed". It has not deterred thieves. "I caught one guy on the roof next-door-but-one... he was probably nicking lead. It's scary," says Miss Rose. Alicia has tried to keep her home looking neat, putting up a tidy wicker hanging basket outside, but misses a community around her. "Last October there were four of us in the street. I held a street party with a PA and had my drum kit out - at least there were no neighbours to complain." She says she is not a drain on society, has a modest amount of debt, works and volunteers in the community. But she felt she was being forced to take on a loan she could not afford, and instead of owning her own house would have owned "a bit of one". With demolition imminent, she is yet to agree an offer from the council and faces a hunt for a new property that she believes will double her outgoings either through increased mortgage repayments or rent. For some, however, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In Hull, 64-year-old June Rimmington and husband Geoff, 65, had lived in their two-bedroom Clyde Street home during four decades which saw them raise three children. They too received a letter telling them it was earmarked for demolition - to make way for a park as part of a new housing development. "We were happy. We'd had double glazing and central heating fitted and an extension put on the back," says Mr Rimmington. "When they started to board up houses and people moved out, the area changed. There have been fly-tippers, squatters, people taking copper pipes and wiring. Now half the street has been boarded up and the other half is just in limbo." They have agreed a price with the council which would allow them to buy a 50% share in a new three-bedroom property nearby and are waiting for confirmation the necessary funds are in place. But the couple will not relax until they have moved in. "We've had so many false dawns," Mr Rimmington says.

हजारों लोग देश के ऊपर और नीचे सुनसान सड़कों में "पूरी तरह से फंसे हुए" रह गए हैं क्योंकि आवास पुनर्जनन योजनाएं ठप हो गई हैं। खाली घरों से भरी सड़क पर एकमात्र निवासी होना कैसा लगता है?


Tablets to smart speakers: The 2010s in spending

Summary: It was the decade of the tablet computer, the smart speaker and the sugar tax. With a hypothetical "basket of goods" statisticians measure how prices change, based on what we're buying and what we're leaving on the shelves. What went in the basket in the 2010s and what went out with disposable cameras and sat navs?

By Daniel WainwrightBBC News Early 2010. The Apple iPad has yet to be released. You can still rent movies on discs by going into a shop. And if you want to know the weather you need to open the curtains instead of asking your smart speaker to tell you. What you probably aren't doing is taking photos on a disposable camera. What is the 'basket of goods'? The basket of goods is not just the weekly grocery shop, although food prices do feature. It is a list of 720 commonly-bought products and services, including big household items like fridges or leisure activities such as football tickets. The prices are used by statisticians to calculate inflation and the cost of living. ONS senior statistician Phil Gooding said: "Auditors around the country check prices but also provide updates on what's happening in the shops, such as whether products are getting more or less shelf space devoted to them. "The effect of the smartphone has been massive. It's had an impact on everything from the growth of apps to the decline of traditional camera film. "We have added video on demand to DVD rentals but we're still tracking CDs and DVD sales as even though digital streaming services have come in, there is still substantial spending on them." What went in the early part of the decade? The year 2010 saw the Office for National Statistics (ONS) discard disposable cameras from its notional basket of items because of rising expenditure on digital cameras and because it saw camera phones were becoming "increasingly popular". It was the year Instagram launched so this was before the unstoppable rise of filters, selfies and influencers. Meanwhile lipstick went out in favour of lip gloss. Cigarette vending machines were banned in England in 2011 and so their sales disappeared from the basket. The same year smartphone handsets and mobile phone apps were added. Tablet computers joined the mix of goods in 2012, to reflect "a significant and growing market". These days more than three quarters of children aged 5-15 have access to one. At the same time, rolls of 135/24 camera film came out of the basket, in a sign of the way digital cameras and phones had changed photography. When did digital consumption start taking over? By 2013 eBook sales had grown to such an extent they too were being monitored for inflation. Out of the basket went the Freeview box, replaced by a digital television recorder/receiver. Online video on demand was lumped in with DVD rentals in 2014. Blockbuster Video stores had gone but online companies like LoveFilm were still delivering discs to your door. By 2015 we preferred a fresh pizza to a frozen one, with spending on chilled pizzas leaving the frozen variety out in the cold. There was increased spending on headphones, online games for consoles and music streaming subscriptions. The sat nav also went, thanks to the rise of smartphone maps and cars with built-in systems. It meant no more suction marks on the windscreen to advertise to thieves that there might be one in the glove box. E-cigarette refills and liquid were added in 2015 because of a rise in vaping. Coffee pods were put into the basket in 2016 but we weren't swapping alcohol for caffeine, as gin was added in 2017 to reflect increasing spending and the growth of small distilleries. It was about this time the basket also reflected growing interest in vegetarian and vegan diets as non-dairy milk drinks were added in 2017. A year earlier vegetarian meals at restaurants had started being tracked separately to those containing meat or fish. Has a rise in veganism changed things? There are no official statistics on how many people consider themselves vegetarian or vegan. The Vegan Society estimated it to be just over 3% vegetarian and just under 0.5% vegan, based on surveys by Ipsos Mori in 2016, with the vegan figure rising to just over 1% of the population in 2019. Flexitarian diets, where people eat meat or fish occasionally, are expected to grow in popularity with Sainsbury's predicting people identifying as such will make up half of the population by 2025. Arti Chudasama opened The Pantry, a vegetarian and vegan deli and coffee shop in Leicester, after experimenting with her diet and cutting out meat and dairy products. The 40-year-old said: "A lot of people want to reduce the amount of meat they eat. "You can see it in all the dishes being offered in the chain restaurants. Even just in the last year, it's really taken off." Lynne Elliot, chief executive the Vegetarian Society, said the success of the Gregg's Quorn sausage roll had shown meat-free food was taking off. "Restaurants appear to have led the trend, and shopping habits have followed suit," she said. When did we start to ask Alexa and Siri? In 2018 admission prices for soft play areas, the refuge of a sleep-deprived parent desperate to tire the kids out long enough to justify plonking them in front of CBeebies, began to be tracked. Popcorn and peanut butter were added in 2019 while soft drinks were split into regular and diet or sugar free, a consequence of the sugar tax and people buying more "zero sugar" versions. The smart speaker has been added too, with Ofcom suggesting 20% of households now have one. Will these devices still be in the basket by 2030? Or will they go the way of DVD rentals and disposable cameras? You could try asking Alexa, but she probably doesn't know that one.

यह टैबलेट कंप्यूटर, स्मार्ट स्पीकर और चीनी कर का दशक था। एक काल्पनिक "वस्तुओं की टोकरी" के साथ सांख्यिकीविद मापते हैं कि कीमतें कैसे बदलती हैं, इस आधार पर कि हम क्या खरीद रहे हैं और हम अलमारियों पर क्या छोड़ रहे हैं। 2010 के दशक में टोकरी में क्या गया और डिस्पोजेबल कैमरों और सैट एनएवी के साथ क्या हुआ?


Facebook - buy or sell?

Summary: It's the week that Facebook shares are likely to start trading in New York, a seismic event in the technology and business world. It promises to be the most valuable stock market debut ever for a technology firm - and there are already expectations that the share price will then soar as investors rush to get in on the act. But suddenly there seem to be quite a few reasons to be bearish about Facebook.

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter The main cause came from the company itself, which updated its advice to investors in official documents last week to include an extra risk factor: "[I]ncreased user access to and engagement with Facebook through our mobile products, where we do not currently directly generate meaningful revenue, particularly to the extent that mobile engagement is substituted for engagement with Facebook on personal computers where we monetize usage by displaying ads and other commercial content." In other words, the future of Facebook is on mobile phones, and we haven't the faintest idea how we make money from that. If you, like many people, spend much of your social networking time staring at a smartphone, you may have noticed something rather refreshing - a lack of advertising cluttering up the valuable real estate of the small screen. Whatever the claims of a fast growing mobile advertising industry, it is proving hard for Facebook and other companies dependent on ad revenue to insert messages into the mobile conversation. Mark Zuckerberg's company has responded to this threat with an extraordinary burst of activity in the run-up to the IPO (Initial Public Offering). There was the $1bn purchase of the mobile photo sharing app Instagram, the announcement that Facebook was launching an app store, and, over the weekend, news of trials of a system where users would pay a small fee to make their posts more visible to friends on the network. But it's not clear any of this will generate a lot of revenue. Putting adverts around Instagram snaps, thereby taking screen space from your pictures, doesn't sound attractive. How Facebook will get much of a payback from an apps store if it is mainly linking to the Apple and Android stores remains to be seen. And, as for paying to make your friends listen to you, asking users to shell out for something that they have always got for free sounds like a no-no. The other cause for concern for potential investors is the rising tide of anxiety about the implications of sharing so much of our data with the social network. With perfect timing, the Silicon Valley controversialist Andrew Keen has a new book out, Digital Vertigo, which is in essence a diatribe against the "frictionless sharing" that is at the heart of Facebook's business model. "Chillingly Orwellian" is his description of a world where our every move is tracked to generate better advertising returns. Meanwhile there appears to be a user revolt against the broadcasting of one's media habits on Facebook, with reports that newspaper social reading apps are seeing a rapid decline in usage. Do you really want the world to know you've just read some gossipy diary item in the Guardian, or listened to a One Direction track on Spotify? Now, Facebook is confident that these are the concerns of a tiny if vociferous minority, and that most of us want to share ever more of our lives online. But if its users become even a little more cautious about their privacy, that will be damaging to the revenue growth which is already built into a sky-high valuation. The biggest counter-argument, the bull's case for Facebook, can be summed up in one word - Google. When the search giant floated in 2004, there was similar scepticism about its prospects, but shares priced at $85 at the launch had climbed above $600 three years on. And Facebook is a more mature business than Google was back then, with more than twice as much revenue in the year before its IPO. Still, Google was valued at around $23bn in 2004, while Facebook is looking at a price tag four times as high. Investors who do take the plunge are betting that Facebook will enjoy the same stellar rate of growth in revenue and profits that Google has experienced over the last eight years. And here the news is not so good. The most recent quarterly figures actually showed a decline in revenue on the previous three months, blamed on seasonal factors. In the end, though, the Facebook IPO is a bet on the shape of our digital future. If you believe in a world where billions of us share our lives online with our friends and with advertisers, then shares in the social web's dominant business may look attractive. But if you think that people are going to start rebelling against the idea that, if they're not paying, they're the product, then maybe you won't be buying a stake in Mark Zuckerberg's company.

यह वह सप्ताह है जब फेसबुक के शेयरों का न्यूयॉर्क में व्यापार शुरू होने की संभावना है, जो प्रौद्योगिकी और व्यापार जगत में एक भूकंपीय घटना है। यह एक प्रौद्योगिकी फर्म के लिए अब तक का सबसे मूल्यवान शेयर बाजार की शुरुआत होने का वादा करता है-और पहले से ही उम्मीद है कि शेयर की कीमत तब बढ़ेगी जब निवेशक इस कार्य में शामिल होने के लिए जल्दबाजी करेंगे। लेकिन अचानक फेसबुक के बारे में मंदी के कई कारण प्रतीत होते हैं।


Scotland's best new buildings of 2020

Summary: Eighteen buildings have made the shortlist of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland's annual awards.

The developments, which include Aberdeen Art Gallery and Bertha Park High School in Perth, were selected from 80 entries. Judging will take place at the end of March and the RIAS award winners will be announced on 28 May. The shortlisted contenders are: All images copyrighted.

अठारह इमारतों ने स्कॉटलैंड के वार्षिक पुरस्कारों में द रॉयल इनकॉर्पोरेशन ऑफ आर्किटेक्ट्स की सूची बनाई है।


Christmas annuals in the attic - what are yours worth?

Summary: The comic book annual was often the biggest present you'd find in your stocking, only just fitting inside, although providing a sturdy spine for the other Christmas goodies. But how relevant are these annuals to the children of today - and how much might the Ruperts and Beanos of yesteryear be worth now?

By Neil HeathBBC News Duncan McAlpine, who runs the Comic Book Price Guide website, said annuals were a "uniquely British" tradition dating back as far as the 1820s, and a key part of a child's Christmas. He said some of the most sought after annuals were published during World War Two - these often ended with huge Christmas feasts that were appetite-whetting for hungry children unused to treats or luxuries. Books from this period are rare and hugely sought after. A 1940 Beano annual fetched £3,505 in October 2012, but a "very fine" copy could be worth double that amount, while a 1939 Dandy made £6,232 in September 2006, said the annual "devotee" and comic-collecting expert. Annuals about Rupert, the bear who wore a red jumper and yellow-checked trousers and scarf, are often sought by collectors. A copy from 1936, with its dust wrapper, could go for about £3,000, but if you are lucky enough to own one of the 12 copies of the 1973 annual - where Rupert has a brown face instead of the traditional white - you could sell it for more than £20,000, said Mr McAlpine. Annuals aimed at girls, like Bunty and Misty, are also being hunted down more than ever, according to the collector. "There's some really unexpected gems like the Misty annual with very sophisticated horror and suspense stories," he said. "Girls also kept their annuals in better condition." Maria Goddard, from Stella & Rose's Books, in Hereford, a specialist in rare and collectible books, said seeking out annuals was largely about nostalgia, particularly with Rupert books which "reflect an age of innocence". "Those who had annuals as a child remember them fondly as an adult," she said. "Thus begins the hunt for them and the desire to find and own all that were published." But what about the cotemporary market? One change from the early days of annuals, which were mostly dominated by comic book characters, saw diversification into areas such as sport, film, TV, pop music and computer games. Another addition was the annual aimed at adults. Adult comic Viz, which was founded in Newcastle in 1979, parodies the Beano and Dandy through the the antics of characters such as Johnny Fartpants, Roger Mellie and Billy the Fish. Since 1987 those behind the subversive publication have released an annual in time for Christmas, a collection of the best material from the previous 10 issues. Graham Dury, who is originally from Nottingham and has been a cartoonist with Viz for about 30 years, said the annuals, with their risqué titles, were largely about showcasing their best work. "The comic was largely rubbish in the first six years before they could justify putting any of it in an annual," he said. "Financially it's not as important as the comic, but it lets people know Viz is still going. The main money comes from the comic - it would be lovely if [readers] bought both. "The annuals have an enduring appeal and it's good value for money - it hasn't gone up in price for 15 years. "You often find them in charity shops or at car boots, but people do seem to collect them - they are nice things and always sell well." Even in a digital age in which there are many alternatives to the printed page, there is a still a market at Christmas for annuals for both adults and children. At the time of writing, The Beano is the number one bestseller in comics and graphic novels for young adults, on Amazon, followed by The Broons, Oor Wullie and The Dandy. In the broader category of children's books two annuals appear in the top 10 - Minecraft and Match, with The Beano at number 28. However, statistics compiled by consumer data experts Nielsen suggest that despite sales remaining strong, since 2009 there has been a year-on-year decline in the number of annuals being sold. In that year £18.7m was made through the sales of about 4.6m annuals, but by 2016, the revenue had more than halved to £7.8m with about 2.3m books sold. That equates to a 58% drop in revenue within seven years and a 45% drop in the number of annuals sold. The decline has of course coincided with the rise of the smartphone, the tablet and Kindle, although analysts say having a physical book is still attractive to consumers. Stephen Lotinga, chief executive of the Publishers Association, said annuals have been a "go-to present for British children" for decades, although he admitted that competition from digital products has had an impact on sales. So do annuals have a future? Les Hurst, from Derbyshire independent bookshop Scarthin Books, paints a gloomy picture. He said Christmas annuals were declining in appeal to young people and the only new one in much demand was Private Eye, which is for adult readers. Mr Hurst hopes that if parents and grandparents share their old annuals the tradition might be kept alive. However, Mr McAlpine is more upbeat. "I think annuals will [always] be around because of their tradition," he said. "It's a nice thing to receive and a very handy present if it's an annual concerned with your favourite TV show or football club, film franchise or pop star. "The diversity of subjects that can be covered is the annual's enduring strength and there will always be a place for a Beano book."

वार्षिक हास्य पुस्तक अक्सर सबसे बड़ा उपहार होता है जो आपको अपने स्टॉकिंग में मिलता है, केवल अंदर ही फिट बैठता है, हालांकि क्रिसमस के अन्य उपहारों के लिए एक मजबूत रीढ़ प्रदान करता है। लेकिन ये वार्षिक आज के बच्चों के लिए कितने प्रासंगिक हैं-और गुजरे समय के रूपर्ट और बीनोस की कीमत अब कितनी हो सकती है?


Heineken profits fall as bad weather hits sales

Summary: Poor weather in Europe and the US has contributed to a fall in profits at Heineken, the world's third-largest brewer.

Heineken, whose brands include Sol and Strongbow cider, saw first-half profits fall 17% to 639m euros (£546m). It said bad weather had led to weak "consumer sentiment", but there was also slower growth in emerging markets. Chief executive Jean Francois van Boxmeer said the outlook for the second half of 2013 was similar. Revenues rose 3% to 10.4bn euros, but that was because of Heineken's takeover of Asian Pacific Breweries, the maker of Tiger beer. Heineken bought the 58% stake in APB it did not already own for 4.8bn euros last year. Shares in Heineken fell 4% in early morning trading.

यूरोप और अमेरिका में खराब मौसम ने दुनिया के तीसरे सबसे बड़े शराब बनाने वाले हाइनेकेन के मुनाफे में गिरावट में योगदान दिया है।


My Money: 'I had to get tickets, it was a huge sum, $519!'

Summary: My Money is a new series looking at how people spend their money - and the sometimes tough decisions they have to make. Here, Sunneva María Svövudóttir from Reykjavik in Iceland, records her spending over a week and shares tips for saving.

We're looking for more people to share what they spend their money on. We're particularly keen to hear from disabled people about the extra cash your disability costs you. If you're interested, please email my.money@bbc.co.uk or get in touch via our My Money (World) Facebook group, or if you live in the UK, please join our My Money (UK) Facebook group and we'll aim to contact you. Sunneva is 20 and lives in Iceland. She works in a bakery part-time as she has just finished at school. Her hobbies are art, bullet journaling, music and make-up. She recently went head-to-head with another My Money blogger, Chelsea Thomas from California, on World Business Report - have a listen to hear Sunneva talk about what she spent her money on this week. Sunneva's week: Dinner at Metro, free acrylic nails and an amazing graduation cake Today I went out to meet my friend for lunch. We met at a sushi place and I ended up getting some sushi as well as some gyoza dumplings, which cost around 1,700 króna ($13.85, £10.60). I didn't do much for the rest of the day besides walk around Reykjavík and talk. But on the night I met my best friend who lives far away from me and we got dinner together at Metro and that was 1,000 króna. Today I didn't really save any money as I had made plans to eat out with two people. I also dyed my hair at home but thankfully my mom offered to pay for the dye so I ended up not spending money on that. Total spend: 2,700 króna This day was full of stress, as I was doing last minute things for my graduation. Early in the morning I took a bus, which I didn't have to pay for as I have a yearly season ticket, to get my nails done. Usually acrylic nails will cost around 8,000 króna but I got them done for free as a gift. After this I had to do some last minute shopping and went to a grocery store and I ended up getting some money from my dad to buy things for the graduation celebration. I ended up spending 4,000 króna on soda, coffee and things that still had to be bought. For lunch I had some pho noodles which cost around 1,700 króna. I had to go help my mother after that so I was busy until dinner time. For dinner I met my aunt, we ate food and went to the movies and that was about 4,000 króna. The rest of the night was spent getting ready for the graduation celebration the next day. Total spend: 17,700 króna This was such a big day, so many amazing things happened today. Let's start with this morning. I woke up at 8am, and the biggest reason for this is because there were concert tickets that went on sale at 9am. It was for a concert in London, for a K-pop group called Seventeen, a group I have been following since 2015. So I knew I had to get tickets as they had never been to Europe before. I ended up getting the most expensive tickets for their show in the SSE Arena, it was a huge sum: 64,500 króna ($519, £397). Yes, you read that correctly. It was go all out or don't bother so, I did it. After this it was time to get ready for my GRADUATION! I saved money by doing my make-up myself, instead of getting some professional. I had my hair done for free, by a professional. The dress and the shoes I also got for free from Facebook! In my school we have to wear a cap while we graduate, which costs around 15,000 króna BUT instead of buying one I just ended up wearing my mother's cap that she had worn years ago, it looked the same so I saved a lot my doing that! I don't mind wearing things from other people, the dress, the shoes and the cap all looked new. The ceremony went by fast and after that I went home to get everything ready for the small family gathering that was happening at 5pm. All the food was all figured out by my amazing mother so I didn't have to spend any money on that. The night was so fun, I spent it with my friends and family, and I ended up getting a lot of money as gifts from my family. The last thing I did was go out for KFC with my best friend, and that was 1,200 króna. Total spend: 65,700 króna I didn't do a lot on this day. I had work early that morning and the only thing I spent money on were two things for my mother. Those things cost about 4,800 króna, a lip balm and a foam cleanser. I was happy to finally just get to relax at home. I ate dinner with my family so I didn't spend any money on food that day, Total spend: 4,800 króna I didn't do that much today either. I just had work again this morning and then after such a long week of waking up early I had a very big nap. When I woke up for dinner I got a phone call from my aunt and she asked me if I was interested to go see the new Star Wars movie - yes! I took a bus, again I have a bus card so I didn't have to pay anything for that. She had already bought a ticket so I saved money on that because my aunt is amazing. I offered to buy popcorn for us so I got some snacks that were 1,200 króna. Total spend: 1,200 króna On Saturday I just had a calm day at home so I didn't do anything special or spend any money. Total spend: 0 króna On Sunday I met my aunt, again. (Yes we are pretty close even though she is 11 years older than me!) We went to the mall, as she was trying to find some gifts. I bought a white pen that I needed that was 250 króna but after this we drove to her place and we just spent the day watching horror movies. Total spend: 250 króna How does Sunneva feel about her week? The week was a very busy one, I spent a bit more money on food than I would usually do but since I was rarely at home it just happened that way. I also spent a huge sum of money on something I have wanted to do for so long, go to a concert. I am excited for that, even though it was a huge amount of money. I think that's what I'm most happy about this week. I do also want to point out the amount of kind people online. There are so many groups on Facebook that can help with all different occasions, you don't need to buy a very expensive dress to feel beautiful. Facebook has a bunch of places you can find free stuff, stuff for a low price and such. I highly recommend looking through some pages if you are ever in trouble. Total weekly spend: 92,350 króna

माई मनी एक नई श्रृंखला है जिसमें देखा गया है कि लोग अपना पैसा कैसे खर्च करते हैं-और कभी-कभी उन्हें कठिन निर्णय लेने पड़ते हैं। यहाँ, आइसलैंड के रेकजाविक की सुन्नेवा मारिया स्वोवुडोटीर, एक सप्ताह से अधिक समय तक अपने खर्च को रिकॉर्ड करती हैं और बचत के लिए सुझाव साझा करती हैं।


Bethany Fields named as woman who died in Huddersfield street

Summary: Police have released a picture of a woman who died after being found injured in a town centre street.

Bethany Fields, 21, from Leeds, was found on Fitzwilliam Street, Huddersfield, at about 18:10 BST on Thursday. She died at the scene, West Yorkshire Police said. A 35-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody. The force said it was treating the death as a domestic incident. More news from across Yorkshire Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

पुलिस ने एक महिला की तस्वीर जारी की है जो शहर के केंद्र की सड़क पर घायल होने के बाद मर गई थी।


Guernsey tax consultation 'nearly ready', says deputy

Summary: A consultation document on taxation in the Bailiwick of Guernsey will be completed in a matter of days.

Deputy Jan Kuttelwascher, the Deputy Treasury and Resources Minister, said it would help ensure taxation was fair. He said the consultation would ask for opinions on social security payments, income tax, and other charges. He added that it would ask members of the public what they felt they could "bear comfortably" in terms of tax increases and payments. Deputy Kuttelwascher said the document would be finalised by the end of February.

गुएर्नसे के बैलीविक में कराधान पर एक परामर्श दस्तावेज कुछ ही दिनों में पूरा हो जाएगा।


New £333m Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre approved

Summary: Plans for a new £333m Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre have been approved by the full council.

Henry Boot Developments is behind the project to replace the existing Bridge-of Don AECC, at a site in the Dyce area. Council leader Jenny Laing said: "The new AECC represents a significant, but very affordable, investment for the city." The plan includes two hotels. The current site would be used for housing. Councillors unanimously backed the business case for the new AECC, near Aberdeen International Airport. The hotels, plus a business park and green energy plant, are aimed at offsetting the costs.

एक नए 333 मिलियन पाउंड के एबरडीन प्रदर्शनी और सम्मेलन केंद्र की योजनाओं को पूर्ण परिषद द्वारा अनुमोदित किया गया है।


Gwent Police officers to help tackle Hurricane Irma looting

Summary: Eight officers from Gwent Police have flown to the hurricane-hit Caribbean to help local police tackle looting.

The Welsh officers - six men and two women - will work with police in the British Virgin Islands who are struggling to deal with crime in the wake of Hurricane Irma. At least five people died when Irma swept through the islands last month. Gwent Police Chief Constable Julian Williams said the deployment would be "challenging". The team, made up of seven PCs and a sergeant, will join officers from 12 other UK police forces who are providing support to local officers.

स्थानीय पुलिस को लूटपाट से निपटने में मदद करने के लिए ग्वेंट पुलिस के आठ अधिकारी तूफान से प्रभावित कैरिबियन के लिए उड़ान भर चुके हैं।


Dora Maar: Picasso's lover comes out from his shadow

Summary: Dora Maar lived to be almost 90 yet, despite being a gifted artist in her own right, her reputation has rested mainly on her romantic relationship with Pablo Picasso. Now a new exhibition is aiming to bring Maar out of Picasso's shadow.

By Vincent DowdArts correspondent, BBC News He was a hugely celebrated painter but before they met in 1935 she was already known in France for her photographic work. The Tate Modern exhibition sheds light on Maar's life and on her sometimes neglected work. In 1935 Maar (born Henriette Théodora Markovitch) was unit stills photographer on a film being shot at the Billancourt Studios on the outskirts of Paris. She was introduced to Picasso, 26 years her senior and already a world-famous artist. Maar became his lover and - some have thought - the most influential of his muses. For the next eight years they were part of one another's lives - although Picasso continued his existing relationship with Marie-Thérèse Walter. Those few basic facts are often all that even art-lovers know about Maar, who died in 1997. Over the years there were many women in Picasso's life and she was undoubtedly one of those who mattered most to him. But Maar's reputation has been growing. A version of the Tate Modern show has already been seen at the Pompidou Centre in Paris and next year the exhibition will travel to Los Angeles. As a photographer and a painter in her own right does she deserve now to step out of his shadow? Or could what she achieved now be overstated, to compensate for decades of neglect? Professor Mary Ann Caws wrote a book about Maar 20 years ago, before her reputation had revived, and considers Maar to have been a "remarkable talent". "Much of her early work in France was fashion photography but it's unlike anyone else's fashion photography.... the best of her pictures are very dramatic. "The juxtapositions are often peculiar and so is the way she used light and dark. As soon as you know even a sample of what Dora Maar did you will always recognise her work - the pictures will speak to you. The proportions of her photographs can be peculiar but the work's always telling and has an impact. "Some of her photos can be shadowy and have a feeling of doom yet others can be remarkably funny. But the fashion images were only one part of Dora Maar. She went to Barcelona and took pictures of starving people in desperate circumstances. A lot of that work has been ignored because people see her in the context of knowing Picasso later." Emma Lewis is co-curator of the Tate Modern show, which contains more than 250 photographic images. She says she's come to admire the "dark glamour" of Maar's work but adds "there's a playful element too - real subversive wit". Maar also photographed some of the 30,000 inhabitants of "la zone" - the circular strip of undeveloped land which became a wretched linear shantytown around Paris. The Tate Modern exhibition has striking examples of all these elements of her early career. Lewis says the 1930s were the heyday of illustrated weekly and monthly magazines. "It provided Dora with a means of making a living and we show how talented she was in what she did. "It allowed her to play with avant garde and experimental imagery. She was involved with Surrealism - but I think it was very hard for a woman to be part of that group of artists. "Dora Maar's commercial work appeared in big French magazines of the day such as Rester Jeune. It also circulated in various arts journals and erotic reviews. "By and large the documentary photography was seen in exhibitions and not in print. But her politics were left-wing and in the Depression her documentary work on the plight of the poor was important to her - she had links to the radical Association of Revolutionary Writers and Artists." The exhibition could hardly ignore the Picasso connection. But it puts that part of Maar's life in context. As a photographer she recorded him working on probably his best known painting - Guernica (1937). Visitors to the Tate can see some of the Picasso works influenced by Maar in their years together, including the well-known Weeping Woman (also of 1937) which the Tate already owns. Some describe this as a portrait of Maar but she always insisted she had never modelled for Picasso for any picture. But she acknowledged he used elements of her appearance. Professor Caws says Maar was the most intellectual of Picasso muses. "She spoke Spanish which meant they could have real conversations about the convulsive events of the 1930s. She was beautiful but I think Picasso was attracted by the dramatic spark she had." The passionate relationship faded from around 1942 and Maar headed south to live in Menérbes in Provence. So had Maar accepted that no woman would ever possess Picasso? "I don't think she was a woman meekly to accept anything," says Professor Caws. "When it all ended she was screaming and passionate and furious. But when she settled in the south she developed her own skills as a painter, something which used to be ignored when people wrote about her. Those paintings can be pretty remarkable but the best of the photography is incredible. "So we don't need to try to cut Pablo Picasso out of her life. She still has things to say to us with him or without him." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

डोरा मार लगभग 90 वर्ष की आयु तक जीवित रहीं, अपने आप में एक प्रतिभाशाली कलाकार होने के बावजूद, उनकी प्रतिष्ठा मुख्य रूप से पाब्लो पिकासो के साथ उनके रोमांटिक संबंधों पर टिकी हुई है। अब एक नई प्रदर्शनी का लक्ष्य मार को पिकासो की छाया से बाहर लाना है।


Electoral roll for 2012 unveiled by Guernsey's States

Summary: Guernsey's Home Department has unveiled a new electoral roll and campaign encouraging people to register to vote.

With the island's next general election due to take place on 18 April 2012, the new roll has now opened, allowing residents to add their names. Anyone who wishes to vote must register, as the new roll will not use any information from previous ones. Registration forms will be sent to every household and islanders must sign up by 29 February 2012. The Home Department aims to use the campaign, Election2012, to get 35,000 residents registered to vote.

ग्वेर्नसे के गृह विभाग ने एक नई मतदाता सूची और लोगों को मतदान के लिए पंजीकरण करने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करने वाले अभियान का अनावरण किया है।


Aircraft bird strike injures pilot flying to Jersey

Summary: A pilot suffered facial injuries when a bird smashed the cockpit window of his plane about a mile from Jersey.

The pilot was the only person on board the light aircraft which was flying from Alderney to Jersey when the accident happened on Saturday. A spokesman from Jersey Airport said the man, who has not been named, managed to land the aircraft safely. The pilot was treated at the scene for lacerations caused by the broken windshield. The Air Accident Investigation Branch and Jersey's director of civil aviation have both been advised of the incident.

एक पायलट के चेहरे पर चोटें आईं जब एक पक्षी ने जर्सी से लगभग एक मील दूर उसके विमान के कॉकपिट की खिड़की को तोड़ दिया।


Roman Baths featured in new Royal Mail stamp collection

Summary: Bath's Roman heritage features on a collection of stamps highlighting some of Britain's most significant sights.

The collection - A-Z of the UK Part 2 - was issued on Tuesday. The Roman Baths - a World Heritage Site - was chosen along with the white cliffs of Dover and London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Its manager Stephen Clews said the image captured the baths "as few people ever see it, with dawn light breaking". He added: "In the early morning the baths can be a calm and quiet space with mist rising slowly from the waters, allowing the viewer to immerse in tranquil solitude."

बाथ की रोमन विरासत डाक टिकटों के संग्रह पर दिखाई देती है जो ब्रिटेन के कुछ सबसे महत्वपूर्ण स्थलों पर प्रकाश डालती है।


Lou Reed: In his own words

Summary: In 1965, Bob Dylan sang his ode to Mr Tambourine Man: "In the jingle, jangle morning / I'll come following you". Though Dylan has since denied it, the song's subject was widely regarded to be code for a drug dealer, at a time when any explicit references to drugs or sex fell foul of US broadcasting rules.

By Kev GeogheganEntertainment reporter, BBC News Just two years later, track seven of The Velvet Underground's debut album was Heroin, a seven-minute hypnotic frenzy about Lou Reed's burgeoning drug habit. His lyrics, the raw words of a New York street hustler - poetic yet startlingly direct - set a template for his work. Drugs, sex, fetishes, cross-dressing, prostitution and love - nothing was off limits in the Reed canon. Searing honesty walked hand in hand with disturbing imagery, all delivered with the icy, detached indifference of that rare breed of person, that elite rock and roll bastion, the truly 'cool'. Famously monosyllabic and often combative in interviews, he was reluctant to explain the meanings behind his songs. Here are a selection of some of his lyrics and quotes. I'm Waiting for the Man (1967) I'm waiting for my man / Twenty-six dollars in my hand / Up to Lexington, 125 / Feeling sick and dirty, more dead than alive / I'm waiting for my man Hey, white boy, what you doin' uptown? / Hey, white boy, you chasin' our women around? / Oh pardon me sir, it's the furthest from my mind / I'm just lookin' for a dear, dear friend of mine / I'm waiting for my man From the Velvet Underground's debut album, Reed's tale is of a desperate New York drug addict travelling to Harlem to meet his dealer. He first played the song for Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale in 1965. It was among a set of early tracks to be recorded by Lou Reed, John Cale and guitarist Sterling Morrison in the band's Ludlow Street loft in Manhattan. Delivered in his languorous New York drawl, Reed continued to incorporate the song into his live performances after leaving the Velvet Underground in 1970. He successfully battled drug and alcohol dependency and in recent years had taken up tai'chi and meditation. "Everything about that song holds true, except the price." (Lou Reed - quoted in Rolling Stone) Listen to I'm Waiting For The Man Venus in Furs (1967) Kiss the boot of shiny, shiny leather / Shiny leather in the dark / Tongue of thongs, the belt that does await you / Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart Venus in Furs incorporates sexual themes of sadomasochism, bondage and submission. The song's title is based on a novella by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. During the 1990s, the song's vivid imagery was even used to sell car tyres in a surreal nightmarish TV advert. Based around John Cale's piercing, screeching viola, it was one of the first rock records to incorporate "drone music". There is some contention over who produced the song. Andy Warhol is credited, but Cale says he "didn't do anything" and cites Tom Wilson as the real producer. Reed was more generous - saying Warhol's patronage gave the band the freedom it needed to make such avant garde, experimental records, free from record company interference. "We went from sleeping on the floor - nothing - and then Andy took us in, which meant we got to eat fruit every night." (Speaking to The Telegraph in 2007) Listen to Venus In Furs Sister Ray (1968) They're busy waiting for her sailor / Who's big and dressed in pink and leather / He's just here from Alabama / He wants to know a way to earn a dollar Sister Ray was taken from the Velvet Underground's second album White Light/White Heat and was a concert favourite of the band. It concerns drug use, violence, homosexuality and transvestism. "It was built around this story that I wrote about this scene of total debauchery and decay," said Reed. "I like to think of 'Sister Ray' as a transvestite smack dealer." Interviewer: "Are you a transvestite or a homosexual?" Reed:"Sometimes." Interviewer: "Which one?" Reed:"I don't know, what's the difference?" (Interviewed at Sydney Airport in 1974) Listen to Sister Ray Walk on The Wild Side (1972) Holly came from Miami, F.L.A. / Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A. / Plucked her eyebrows on the way / Shaved her legs and then he was a she / She says, "Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side" One of Reed's most famous songs from his second solo album Transformer, which was produced by David Bowie. The song was a popular radio hit, despite tackling such taboos as transsexuality, drugs, and male prostitution. In 1970, Reed was approached about a project to turn Nelson Algren's novel A Walk on the Wild Side into a musical. The project never materialized but he used the title for this song, describing the lives of the people in circulation at Warhol's Factory studio. "I thought it would be fun to introduce people you see at parties but don't dare approach," he said. Produced by David Bowie, it gave Reed his only top 20 hit in the USA and reached number 10 in the UK. Not that the famously taciturn musician was impressed by his British success. "I never liked The Beatles, I never really liked any British group, I don't think the British should play rock and roll... I never took British rock and roll seriously and I still don't." (Lou Reed speaking in 1983) Listen to Walk On The Wild Side Perfect Day (1972) It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spend it with you / Such a perfect day - you just keep me hanging on / You just keep me hanging on At first listen, the song appears to be a simple story about cherishing time spent with a love one but it took on a darker tone when critics interpreted it as Reed singing about his battle with drug addiction. Ending with the refrain You're going to reap / Just what you sow makes it harder to justifiably explain away as a simple love song. The drug claims undoubtedly inspired Danny Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting, where it was used during a scene in which the lead character Renton, played by Ewan McGregor, overdoses on heroin. One of Reed's most straightforward songs, compositionally, it was covered by a number of artists and released as a single in 1997 for the BBC's Children in Need appeal. "One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz." Listen to Perfect Day Sad Song (1973) Staring at my picture book / She looks like Mary, Queen of Scots / She seemed very regal to me / Just goes to show how wrong you can be In 1973, Reed recorded his Berlin album, a tragic rock opera about a doomed junkie couple, which addresses themes of drug use, prostitution, depression, domestic violence, and suicide. It ended with the track Sad Song, Reed sings with tenderness but the lyrics have a bitter edge as he argues that "somebody else would have broken both of her arms". The album was not well-received, to put it mildly. Rolling Stone called it "a disaster", with critic Stephen Davis writing: "There are certain records that are so patently offensive that one wishes to take some kind of physical vengeance on the artists that perpetrate them. "Reed's only excuse for this kind of performance... can only be that this was his last shot at a once-promising career." It later recanted and put the record at 344 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". "I have never been interested in critical receptions, deceptions, hellos, goodbyes, huzzahs, hurrahs. I don't read them, so I don't care." (Speaking to the BBC in 2007) Listen to Sad Song Hello, It's Me (1990) I really miss you, I really miss your mind / I haven't heard ideas like that in such a long, long time / I loved to watch you draw and watch you paint / But when I saw you last, I turned away In 1990, Reed joined up with his Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale to record Songs for Drella, a concept album about his former producer and mentor, Andy Warhol - who had died three years earlier following surgery. Drella was a nickname for Warhol, a contraction of Dracula and Cinderella, used by his friends. Reed had not spoken with the artist after a falling out and the song tenderly spoke to his bereavement for his friend. "These are really terribly rough times, and we really should try to be as nice to each other as possible." (Interviewed for The Guardian in 2003) Listen to Hello, It's Me

1965 में, बॉब डायलन ने मिस्टर टैम्बोरिन मैन के लिए अपना गीत गायाः "इन द जिंगल, जंगल मॉर्निंग/आई विल कम फॉलोइंग यू"। हालांकि डायलन ने तब से इसका खंडन किया है, गीत के विषय को व्यापक रूप से एक ड्रग डीलर के लिए कोड माना जाता था, ऐसे समय में जब ड्रग्स या सेक्स के किसी भी स्पष्ट संदर्भ अमेरिकी प्रसारण नियमों के खिलाफ थे।


Lebanon's Coronavirus lockdown: 'We can't leave our homes day or night'

Summary: People in Lebanon are living under one of the world's strictest lockdowns. Under the round-the-clock curfew, citizens who are not "essential workers" have been barred from leaving their homes since 14 January.

Here residents in the capital, Beirut, describe what it's like. 'I miss my friends' Laila, 12, student A few days into the 24-hour lockdown it had already got really hard as me and my family have to work in the same environment. Although it's good to spend more time with the family, we all have our own work to do and when we have meetings we hear each other. It can be a real distraction and stop you from finishing your work on time. Sometimes I can't study well because I get stressed with all the work they're giving us. It is definitely not the same studying online as it is in the physical world where we can interact with the teacher and she can explain things one-on-one. I miss my friends a lot even though we talk online, and I try to fill my spare time by watching movies, playing the piano, reading and dancing. I also paint at night. 'It is hitting hard' Walid Kanaan, 45, hairdresser This year has been extremely difficult psychologically and economically. I own my shop but still I cannot afford it. I pay the workers' salary so I am really broke. This latest lockdown is making me very nervous, not because of money but where we are now. People are now focused on how to eat, not how to live. Who cares about their hair or how they look? It is hitting hard. You can't go out at all or do anything. My wife works in a bank and she is also collapsing. She doesn't know if she will still have her job or not. It is everything - economic meltdown, money evaporated in banks, prices are up and even now we can't go out. We don't trust the government that if they bring a vaccine it will be safe to take it. We can only pray for God to protect us. 'I pray this will end soon' Mouna Sleiman, 58, Syrian refugee This latest lockdown has been the hardest for me. Not only can I not go out to work and therefore not bring in any income, but me and my whole family got infected with coronavirus. All our savings went on tests, medications and supplements to fight the disease. Staying at home is hard psychologically and economically. I fled to Beirut in 2012 from the war in Syria and I live here with my daughter, her husband and their two children. I work day in, day out to support them and support my son and his family who are still in Aleppo. I normally cook for many families - for lunch or dinner parties - so I can make ends meet, but if I miss a day, it makes it harder to cover expenses. I pray to God that this will end soon and we can resume life as before. I have a family to look after. 'You feel like you're not safe' Rasha, 22, hotel receptionist It has been very hard on us, especially people in the hotel industry who have to work with guests [quarantined upon arrival in the country at government-approved hotels]. We face problems with some of them, such as where they don't want to obey the rules, like when it comes to wearing masks or taking mandatory Covid tests. Some of the guests just don't understand that this is for their own health and our own safety. Lockdown is also very hard for us because hotel minibus transfers for staff have been suspended, so I feel really sorry for the hotel workers who have to walk home or stay at the place they work in. Some of us have lost our jobs, others are struggling to get paid. The management in this hotel are trying their best to keep us happy but when you're working through a pandemic and when you get to deal with people that don't understand how serious this is, you get frustrated and annoyed because you feel like you're not safe. At the end of the day you have to work to provide for your family so this is very sad and I just wish God could give us some strength and patience to handle it. 'Education has been going down' Roula Natour, instructor, Lebanese University Personally I don't mind being at home but it drags you away from social life, from social interaction, and I miss the formality of getting dressed to go out. I've been teaching at the university for almost 20 years, and while it's easier to give lessons online while sitting relaxed at home, it's harder to prepare. We're lucky that the sector of teaching has still been going on compared to other sectors, but the level of education has been going down in terms of not all students attending classes due to either lack of technology or lack of motivation. Preparation-wise, it's harder to prepare, and sometimes you feel as if you are talking to yourself when there is minimum interaction with students. First Year students are also not benefiting from the experience of real interaction they get from being at university. Interviews by Narinder Kalsi You may also be interested in:

लेबनान में लोग दुनिया के सबसे सख्त लॉकडाउन में से एक के तहत रह रहे हैं। चौबीसों घंटे के कर्फ्यू के तहत, जो नागरिक "आवश्यक कर्मचारी" नहीं हैं, उन्हें 14 जनवरी से अपने घरों से बाहर निकलने से रोक दिया गया है।


Hong Kong security law: Why we are taking our BNOs and leaving

Summary: Since China imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong, a lot of dinner party chatter in this protest-minded city has been about personal exit strategies. For up to three million Hongkongers, the exit could come in the form of a British National (Overseas) passport. Will they really leave - and what of those left behind?

By Grace TsoiBBC News, Hong Kong Michael and Serena have decided to leave Hong Kong for good and settle in the UK, a country they have never set foot in. The couple have British National (Overseas) - or BNO - passports, which were issued to Hong Kong residents that registered before the city was handed back to China on July 1997. Essentially a travel document with rights for some consular assistance, its usefulness seemed limited to many for anything but easier access to the UK and European travel. Some people went for it anyway. Why not, went the thinking for many Hongkongers. Michael and Serena are the embodiment of the comfortable prosperity common in Hong Kong: well-travelled with a 13-year-old daughter, they are both middle managers in a bank and bought a flat many years ago. It is a lot to give up. They say that Hong Kong has become unrecognisable in its handling of the months-long protests triggered by a bill which proposed to allow extradition to mainland China. What the couple saw was a government which did not listen to the people, and police force that showed little restraint. Their daughter has been deeply affected by the protests, even though the family did not take part because the couple work at a Chinese bank, where an employee was fired for protesting. "She has been very angry and upset. She kept asking why the authorities could treat us like that?" Serena said, adding that their daughter had told them she wanted to study abroad. The controversial national security law, which took effect last week, was the last straw. "The articles of the national security law are outrageous," said Michael. Serena said she did not believe Beijing's claims that the claim that law would only target "a tiny number of people". The UK now wants to offer BNO passport holders citizenship rights after six years of stay, arguing that China has breached the Sino-British Joint Declaration by enacting the national security law, which violates the city's high degree of autonomy and infringes the civil liberties of Hong Kong residents. Michael and Serena's original plan was to only send their daughter to study abroad, but now moving to the UK as a family has become their first choice. Last November, they renewed their long-expired BNO passports, thinking that it could become useful - a hedge against an uncertain future. "I thought the UK would only offer citizenship to BNO passport holders as a last resort. I didn't think it would happen so soon, but all of a sudden great changes are happening," Michael said. In the week since China announced the new security law, the story of Michael and Serena has become more common. The people without BNO passports Currently, there are about 350,000 BNO passport holders in Hong Kong, and the UK government estimates that there are about 2.9 million BNOs in total. Hong Kong residents born after the 1997 handover are not eligible for the BNO passport - and those who did not apply for one before the handover are not allowed to do so now. Helen was born in 1997 before the handover, but her parents did not apply for a BNO passport for her because she was a baby. "I am not sure if I want to go. But this is my right. Compared to the UK, I like Hong Kong more. But I should have had a BNO passport," she said, admitting that she blamed her parents a little for not applying for one for her back then. It is difficult to gauge the number of Hong Kong residents who will take up the UK's offer at this moment - but interest is running high, especially after the UK's announcement on July 1. On that day, Mr Raab told the House of Commons: "We will not look the other way on Hong Kong, and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people." Ben Yu, who works for an immigration consultancy in the UK, said: "My Hong Kong-based colleague receives 30 to 40 messages on Facebook every day. His WhatsApp has received hundreds of messages asking about moving to the UK by all routes, including BNOs and other visas. The messages come in 24/7 non-stop since then." The number of BNO renewals appears to be driven by political upheavals in Hong Kong. In 2018, about 170,000 BNO passports were in circulation. The next year, the number jumped to more than 310,000. During the colonial days, Hong Kong was always described as a borrowed place on borrowed time - and it is no stranger to waves of emigration. Between 1984 and 1997, between about 20,000 and 66,000 people left the city every year. The imminent wave of emigration will also likely look different to those in the past. "A lot of them returned to Hong Kong either before 1997 or after 1997, when they had seized their safety outlets when they had got their foreign passports, when they saw that the political nightmare had not occurred as predicted," said Professor Ming Sing, who teaches politics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. "For the current wave, should it happen, I guess we will see a higher proportion of them is going to be a one-way ticket," he said. "A lot of them see that the legislation of the national security law which has been imposed from the top is not only draconian in nature, but it also reflects Beijing reneging on its promise. Not only its failure to protect Hong Kong's freedoms under the Joint Declaration and under the Basic Law," he said, adding that he thinks more young people, many of them are protesters, will exit Hong Kong. What comes next? In the city of 7.5 million, about 800,000 people have British, Australian, Canadian, or American passports - including expats. Beijing has expressed anger over the UK's plan to offer citizenship to BNO passport holders in Hong Kong. China's Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming said on Monday the move constitutes "gross interference in China's internal affairs" "No one should underestimate the firm determination of China to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests," he said. The Chinese Embassy also said in a statement all "Chinese compatriots residing in Hong Kong are Chinese nationals". In an earlier interview with ITV, Mr Raab said there is little the UK could do if China doesn't allow Hong Kong residents to come to the UK. "It is hard to predict what consequences Beijing has in mind. Probably more diplomatic ones in the form of a counter-measure, which does not necessarily need to be in the same form but should not be disproportionate," said Simon Young, a legal scholar at the University of Hong Kong. Benedict Rogers, co-founder and chair of advocacy group Hong Kong Watch, described the BNO offer as "generous, courageous and welcome". But the rescue element should be a last resort, Mr Rogers said. "We should be working to ensure the conditions are met whereby HongKongers can continue their way of life, with the freedoms they were promised, without having to flee their homes. But the reality is that now, for some, it is already too late and they will need a place of sanctuary." Michael and Serena are making preparations for a new life in the UK, but they did not succeed at convincing their older son, who is turning 18 soon, to leave with them. He will live with his grandparents after the rest of the family has moved. "My son says he doesn't want to leave Hong Kong, because he thinks Hong Kong belongs to him," Serena said. Some names have been changed.

जब से चीन ने हांगकांग पर एक कठोर राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा कानून लागू किया है, तब से इस विरोध-भावना वाले शहर में डिनर पार्टी की बहुत सारी बातें व्यक्तिगत निकास रणनीतियों के बारे में रही हैं। तीस लाख हांगकांगवासियों के लिए, निकास एक ब्रिटिश राष्ट्रीय (विदेशी) पासपोर्ट के रूप में आ सकता है। क्या वे वास्तव में छोड़ देंगे-और जो पीछे रह गए हैं उनका क्या?


Scottish 'mince' makes it into Hansard

Summary: An SNP MP has had to dish out help to the official written record of the House of Commons after they failed to understand her use of the word "mince".

Kirsty Blackman, the MP for Aberdeen North, was contacted by Hansard over a criticism of standing orders. Ms Blackman was sent a note saying "...sorry, didn't catch this word". The MP tweeted: "The word I used was *mince*." Mince is Scottish slang used to describe something which is below par or rubbish. The official Hansard record later appeared with the word mince quoted.

एस. एन. पी. के एक सांसद को हाउस ऑफ कॉमन्स के आधिकारिक लिखित रिकॉर्ड में मदद देनी पड़ी है क्योंकि वे उनके "मिन्स" शब्द के उपयोग को समझने में विफल रहे हैं।


Covid-19: 'My job as an undertaker gives me purpose'

Summary: The increase in deaths caused by Covid-19 is putting huge pressure on the undertaking business. One funeral director has spoken of how "the human cost" of the virus, plus the increased workload he and his colleagues face, is wearing him out.

Jack O'Malley, of O'Malley Family Funerals, in Cannock, Staffordshire, said the firm had recently doubled its mortuary capacity to cope with the number of bodies they were receiving. "The last two weeks have been really bad, more acute than ever," he said. Pre-pandemic, the firm would receive about five night-time callouts a month, he said, compared with the three or four a week they get since cases of coronavirus began climbing. Adding to the pressure are the rules crematoriums have in place, which often fall to the undertakers to enforce - for example telling a family member they cannot act as a pallbearer. "Some of the rules, when you see the human side, you can't even put a flower on the coffin outside, when you're saying that on behalf of the faceless local authority, that's the thing I'm finding so depressing," he said. "It's the real human cost, funerals don't usually affect me as I do them every day, but some of these rules, the whole way bereaved families have to behave now, it's at such a human cost." Enforcing the rules is hard, he said, as they are set by the local authority and vary in each area. Rules for funerals in England from 6 January Source: Gov.UK At the beginning of the pandemic undertakers were stressed about access to PPE and worried about stock and the supply of coffins, he said, but this time that side of things is not such a worry. "I don't look at the news, Covid I'm seeing every day, every conversation [at work] is a heavy topic, you have to be able to hold yourself in a certain way, so it's nice to close at the end of the day and just go and deflate," he said. "I do feel guilty, I'm a funeral director and people say 'oh I bet you're doing well', but we're not raking it in... but my job does give me purpose, I don't know what I'd do without it." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk Related Internet Links COVID-19 - Guidance for funerals during the coronavirus pandemic

कोविड-19 के कारण होने वाली मौतों में वृद्धि उपक्रम व्यवसाय पर भारी दबाव डाल रही है। एक अंतिम संस्कार निदेशक ने बताया है कि कैसे वायरस की "मानवीय लागत", साथ ही उसके और उसके सहयोगियों के बढ़ते काम के बोझ ने उसे थका दिया है।


Pensioner 'hounded' by woman to hand over money at Aberdeen ATM

Summary: A pensioner has been left "traumatised" after being repeatedly forced to withdraw and hand over money to a woman in Aberdeen.

The victim is believed to have withdrawn a mid-four-figure sum after being targeted between 17 June and 7 July. She was taken to an ATM in a shop at the junction of Urquhart Road and King Street after being approached nearby. The woman is described as gaunt, in her late 20s, with long brown hair. Police said the woman sometimes wore her hair in a ponytail, and wore casual clothing. PC Louise Calder said: "This has been a traumatising experience for the elderly woman who was subjected to ongoing harassment from the suspect. "She is being supported by her family and our officers."

एबरडीन में एक पेंशनभोगी को बार-बार पैसे निकालने और एक महिला को पैसे सौंपने के लिए मजबूर किए जाने के बाद "सदमे" में छोड़ दिया गया है।


Men arrested over Rotherham child sex abuse

Summary: Three men have been arrested on suspicion of historical sexual offences against underage girls.

South Yorkshire Police said the arrests were part of an investigation into allegations of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. The force said the three men, aged 35, 38 and 39, were arrested after search warrants were executed at five properties in Goole, East Yorkshire. The allegations date to a period between 1990 and 2001.

कम उम्र की लड़कियों के खिलाफ ऐतिहासिक यौन अपराधों के संदेह में तीन लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Jared Leto explores America's 'good, bad and ugly' on new album

Summary: When is a political album not a political album?

By Kev GeogheganMusic News LIVE reporter When it's the new record by actor and singer Jared Leto's band Thirty Seconds to Mars. America, the band's fifth album, is out today and for all its bombastic stadium rock and pseudo-inspiring call to action, tries to steer clear of any specifics, choosing instead to paint slogans with a rather broader brush. Walk on Water, the taster track from the record which was released last summer, was accompanied by a video stamped with figures about US migration, prison statistics, footage of North Korean nuclear launches, protests and, of course, the President Donald J Trump. The targets are wide but it's not immediately clear what Leto, his brother Shannon and the rest of the band are asking people to protest about. A thin line, the whole truth/The far right, the left view/Breaking all those promises made/Times are changing "Walk on Water is a political song about standing up and fighting for what you believe in," insists Leto, talking to the BBC between dates of the band's UK tour in March. "It's about change and it's about the possibilities that we have at our fingertips." The album's promotional campaign allows users to design their own cover, picking five words which best define the United States of America. It's a clever spin on traditional album artwork, though just how much the band's fans who live outside the 50 States will be engaged remains to been seen. "The idea around the album campaign, the lists, it's almost like a time capsule, if you look at the individuals, they describe specific things but as a whole they give a sense of the culture and the times that we're living in," explains Leto. The 46-year-old, who formed his band 20 years ago, first found fame as an actor starring opposite Claire Danes in the short-lived cult TV series My So-Called Life. His performance as a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club in 2013 won him an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for best supporting actor. He also played Batman's iconic nemesis The Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad. As a musician, Leto has sold 15 million albums worldwide, first touring the United States as a headline act in 2006. "I'd always wanted to make an album based upon my travels around the country and write an album about the places I'd been and the people I'd interviewed," he says "We made a portrait of a country in what I think is a really important time, a time of great change, of instability and uncertainty, a time where were asking big questions about who are we, what type of country do we want to be and these questions are being asked around the world." The album is partly a companion piece to a short film, which Leto directed, called A Day in the Life of America which aimed to capture 24 hours of American life on the Fourth of July. Both projects, says Leto, attempt to portray the country warts and all. "We explore the good, the bad and the ugly, I don't think there's an American alive that sees perfection or sees things in a idealistic way. I think that we are like every nation, a collection of imperfections but also aspirations to kind of follow or reach a bigger ideal or dream." Leto describes the new album as not just political "it's social, it's imaginative, it's highly personal and revealing" but steers clear of any overt campaigning, perhaps for fear of alienating fans on either side of an increasingly divided country. In today'sclimate, it feels slightly against the grain with even commercial artists like Eminem nailing their colours to the mast, speaking out against the NRA in a new verse of his track Nowhere Fast and his blistering viral anti-Trump freestyle. Leto did speak out in support of young Americans who took part in the March For Our Lives, telling the BBC he backed them "1000%". But of the album, which includes duets with rapper A$AP Rocky and singer Halsey, he says: "I didn't want to be overtly political, I was much more interested in being personal and being social and being fun because those are things happening now. "It's not just a time for suffering and disappointment, there's a lot of excitement and fun and inspiration - for every heartache there's a story of perseverance that is really powerful." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

राजनीतिक एल्बम कब राजनीतिक एल्बम नहीं होता है?


Nest cameras to protect birds of prey in Devon

Summary: Cameras are to be installed at the nest sites of rare birds in a bid to protect them from persecution and disturbance.

The motion-sensitive cameras will operate 24 hours a day at a number of sites across Devon. The move follows a spate of poisonings in 2011 in which goshawks, peregrine falcons and a buzzard were killed. In 2012, two men were prosecuted in south Devon after they approached a peregrine falcon's nest to take photographs without a licence. They both admitted intentional disturbance and were both issued with police cautions. The police hope the cameras will deter and detect those disturbing the birds.

दुर्लभ पक्षियों के घोंसले वाले स्थानों पर कैमरे लगाए जाने हैं ताकि उन्हें उत्पीड़न और गड़बड़ी से बचाया जा सके।


Russian para-athlete's delivery job prompts criticism

Summary: A Russian para-athlete who started working as a food delivery courier has unwittingly put state support for athletes with disabilities under the spotlight amid speculation that he is trying to raise money to participate in sporting events.

By News from Elsewhere......as found by BBC Monitoring Videos on social media showing Mikhail Astashov, who's been missing parts of his upper and lower limbs since birth, wearing a delivery service uniform, prompted a flurry of support and praise for the athlete, as well as criticism for state authorities. The food service, based in the city of Yekaterinburg said Mr Astashov was "very motivated to work". Many social media users were convinced his motivation was powered by his desire to fulfil his dream and raise funds to travel to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. 'Bewildered by the interest' Some pointed out that Astashov told fellow athlete Anton Shipulin recently that he needed 350,000 roubles (over 5,500 dollars) to attend the Paralympic qualifiers in Australia and the UAE. Mr Shipulin in turn said that Mr Astashov needs to write a "very sorrowful" letter to get money from potential patrons. Mr Astashov's coach Anatoly Reshetov told the Ura.ru website that the athlete wanted to buy equipment for his performance at the Paralympic Games, including bicycle parts and sports shoes. "The problem is", Mr Reshetov added, that the man who won the 2019 Paratriathlon World Cup "doesn't have a technical sponsor but he has to buy something constantly". Mr Astashov posted a video on Instagram, addressing supporters and the media. In it, he explained that he's been overwhelmed and bewildered by the unexpected interest, before going on to tell his story. "Training is what matters the most to me and I would like to eventually make it to the Paralympics," he said, adding that he receives funding from a local businessman. He explained that he applied for the delivery job "not for the hype or money", but to gain new experience and boost his self-confidence. Smiling throughout, he spoke of his surprise and gratitude for getting the job, given that he had been rejected in the past. "And now", he ended, "I don't know what to do with the popularity". 'Example to follow' People on social media say they've been moved by his "strong will", with some calling him "an example to follow" and others offering him money to fund his endeavour. Sports journalist Yevgeny Slyusarenko, wrote in a Facebook post that "If the lad decided to earn money for better preparation, then we should cheer for him, understanding the reality in which he lives, and that he is doing something, instead of moaning." You may also be interested in: Mr Slyusarenko also stated that no para-athletes in countries participating in the Paralympic Games are fully funded by their state. Meanwhile, two Russian regions which Mr Astashov represents in national championships - Sverdlovsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia - have tried to downplay his need for cash, saying they both allocated 240,000 roubles for him each. Following the publicity around the story, fellow athlete Anton Shipulin promised to raise the "urgent issue of insufficient financing of Paralympic sports in Russia" with the new Russian sports minister. In an interview in November, Mr Astashov said he doesn't consider himself a disabled person and lives a life "without any limitations". Reporting by Yaroslava Kiryukhina and Krassi Twigg Next story: Uzbek schools to drop gender stereotypes Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

एक रूसी पैरा-एथलीट, जिसने खाद्य वितरण कूरियर के रूप में काम करना शुरू किया, ने इस अटकलों के बीच कि वह खेल आयोजनों में भाग लेने के लिए धन जुटाने की कोशिश कर रहा है, विकलांग एथलीटों के लिए अनजाने में राज्य समर्थन को सुर्खियों में ला दिया है।


Giant's Causeway celebrates 1m visitors in 2017

Summary: One million people have visited the Giant's Causeway this year - the first time a tourist attraction in Northern Ireland has reached that milestone.

Visitor numbers to the County Antrim coast attraction are up by a third since 2013. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust, which said 70% of visitors were from overseas. The Titanic Centre in Belfast welcomed 650,000 guests through its doors in 2017. Heather McLachlan, Director of the National Trust Northern Ireland, said it has been an incredible year for the Giant's Causeway. "Situated between the famous Walled City of Derry and Titanic Port of Belfast, the Giant's Causeway offers visitors the opportunity to marvel at this area of outstanding beauty whilst unlocking the stories of the stunning rock formation".

इस साल दस लाख लोगों ने जाइंट कॉजवे का दौरा किया है-पहली बार उत्तरी आयरलैंड में एक पर्यटक आकर्षण उस मील के पत्थर तक पहुंच गया है।


Three men charged over fatal five-vehicle crash in Bathgate

Summary: Three people have been charged in connection with a five-vehicle crash in West Lothian in which a woman died.

Three cars and two motorbikes were involved in the collision on the A7066 in Bathgate at about 16:30 on 6 July last year. Fiona Reid, 37, from Seafield, West Lothian, who was driving one of the cars, later died in hospital. Three men, aged 35, 38 and 39, have now been charged and are due to be reported to the procurator fiscal. Her family described her as "a beautiful, caring woman who was loved by many". Related Internet Links Police Scotland

वेस्ट लोथियन में पांच वाहनों की दुर्घटना के संबंध में तीन लोगों पर आरोप लगाया गया है जिसमें एक महिला की मौत हो गई थी।


Pakistan murder: Shahbaz Bhatti's 'goodbye' call

Summary: A day after the assassination of Pakistani Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the BBC's Orla Guerin describes a frightened phone call he made to the BBC just before his death and examines the growing climate of fear enveloping opponents of the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

It was a troubling phone call and it came late in the evening. The man on the line had been told by security officials of a plot to kill him. He wanted more protection but wasn't getting it. He sounded anxious and alone, though he had a seat at the cabinet table. The call was from Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's Minister for Minority Affairs, the only Christian member of the Cabinet, now silenced forever by the Taliban. His killing was a death foretold by many, most of all Bhatti himself. When he called that night, he was concerned about a warning from the security agencies. "They say there's a terrorist plot to assassinate me," he said. "They've told me to be careful, but didn't tell me anything else. I haven't been given any extra security. It's just the same as it has been since I became a minister." Though his voice sounded weary, the minister's commitment was unwavering. "I have struggled for a long time for justice and equality," he said. "If I change my stance today, who will speak out? I am mindful that I can be assassinated any time, but I want to live in history as a courageous man." After we ended our conversation, I could not escape the feeling that the minister had called to say goodbye. Shahbaz Bhatti knew his days were numbered and he knew why - because of his outspoken criticism of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, and his calls for reform. Under the statutes, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death. Convictions can be based on no more than hearsay. Human rights workers say the laws are often used to settle scores and to persecute minorities, though most of those charged are Muslim. Last man standing Recent casualties of the laws include a 17-year-old student accused of blaspheming in an answer on an exam paper, and a doctor who threw out a business card from a salesman named Mohammed. The minister stated repeatedly that the laws were being used to victimise the innocent. He refused to back down, even after he was threatened with beheading. His cause was shared by Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who paid with his life in January when he was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards. From then on, Shahbaz Bhatti was the last man standing - a lonely voice, unheeded even by his government. On Wednesday morning, as he set out for a cabinet meeting, the Taliban caught up with him. Hours after they riddled his body with bullets, we received a message from the minister, as if from the grave. He had recorded a statement in December, and asked that it be sent to the BBC in the event of his death. "I am living for my community, and for suffering people," he said, gazing directly at the camera, "and I will die to defend their rights. I prefer to die for my principles and for the justice of my community rather than to compromise." But the assassins who shot him almost 30 times left a message of their own - in leaflets scattered at the scene, signed in the name of al-Qaeda and the Punjabi Taliban. They promised a death sentence to anyone following in the minister's footsteps. "With the blessing of Allah, the mujahideen will send each of you to hell," it said. Shahbaz Bhatti's bid to reform the laws looks certain to die with him. Pakistan's government was already in full retreat from any attempt at examining the statutes, after noisy protests from the religious right. A parliamentarian from the governing PPP party, Sherry Rehman, had to drop her reform bill, because her party won't back it. She's all but vanished from view, due to concerns for her safety. There's now a fight for the soul of Pakistan. Emboldened Islamists It's not a battle of liberals versus conservatives, according to political commentator Mosharraf Zaidi, but of sane versus insane. An aide to Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, goes further, warning of "a concerted campaign to slaughter every liberal in the country". "The time has come for the federal and provincial governments to speak out," said the aide, Farahnaz Ispahani, "and take a strong stand against these murders to save the very essence of Pakistan." But that seems unlikely. Critics say the state's response to growing religious extremism has been a deadly combination of silence and appeasement. Now an emboldened Islamic movement is going after Pakistan's remaining liberals, according to author Aatish Taseer, one of the sons of the murdered governor. "I think it's starting to seem like part of a systematic plan to silence dissent in Pakistan, to silence liberal voices and it's working," he said. "It's been very effective. It takes a few people who are willing to instil fear in society, and it takes the silence of people who should have been speaking out." Now Pakistan has been robbed of both a minister and a governor who dared to speak out for the voiceless, and take on the hardliners. The fear is that the extremists are winning, by literally killing off debate.

पाकिस्तानी अल्पसंख्यक मामलों के मंत्री शाहबाज भट्टी की हत्या के एक दिन बाद, बी. बी. सी. के ओरला गुएरिन ने अपनी मृत्यु से ठीक पहले बी. बी. सी. को किए गए एक भयभीत फोन कॉल का वर्णन किया और देश के विवादास्पद ईशनिंदा कानूनों के विरोधियों को घेरने वाले भय के बढ़ते माहौल की जांच की।


Creating the world's new chess capital

Summary: Chess is a global game, enjoyed by millions around the world. For much of the 20th Century the nucleus of chess was the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. But now a new chess capital of the world is emerging - the American Midwest city of St Louis.

By David EdmondsBBC News, St Louis It's a beautiful spring evening and Chuck is sitting opposite me, outside the St Louis chess club. He's an African-American in late middle age who, during the day, runs a business selling meat. But this is where he comes after work. Between us is a beautiful inlaid chess board, on which stand elegant wood-carved pieces. I'm forcing Chuck's king back: "Check, check, check." Then his king finds a safe haven. "Damn," I say, "I've run out of checks." "No worries," he says, without pausing for breath and grabbing a pawn: "I'll take a credit card." Chess is a tricky game to start with, and it's not made any easier by having to think and talk at the same time. But in speed games - blitz games, as they're called - trash-talk is all part of the competition. The aim is to outwit your opponent verbally as well as on the board. And Chuck is the King of Trash. It's a skill shared by Maurice Ashley, the world's first black grandmaster, who grew up with chess and trash-talking in the parks of New York."The best trash-talkers blend themes on the board with themes from life, with politics, with music - they quote Shakespeare," he says. The real art, he says, is to put down your opponent - but in jest, not malice. "If you're actually insulting someone while trash-talking, you're probably not doing it right." Find out more Checkmate Me in St Louis is broadcast on Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4 at 11:00 on Thursday 12 May. You can catch up on the iPlayer. Over the past couple of years, St Louis has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In August 2014, a white policeman shot dead a black teenager, Michael Brown, in the northern suburb of Ferguson. The riots that followed received global coverage. Here was a story about one of the most violent cities in the country, a story of racial segregation. But chess is an unusual game in that it transcends race, in a way few things in America do. "Chess has exploded in the black communities here," says Ashley. The city's mayor, Francis Slay, wants to rebrand St Louis. If the world knows about St Louis for its black-white tension, he'd rather it was celebrated for its black and white squares. "It's a great cultural attraction. By itself it's not going to change our image. But it adds to the mix of things that make our city unique," he says. The US Congress has officially declared the city the chess capital of the nation. In central St Louis, the plush three-storey St Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center now hosts elite grandmaster tournaments - during my visit, it was the American championship. Next door is the Kingside Diner, where instead of baseball on its giant TV screens, as in a traditional bar, you can follow chess commentary. Opposite the club is the Chess Hall of Fame, difficult to miss because at its entrance stands a 4.5m-high chess piece (a king). It offers classes, including "Toddler Tuesdays", where nought-to-three-year olds can use chess for, to quote the leaflet, "cognitive development". Bullet chess At the award ceremony for the US championship one of the world's best grandmasters played some fast and furious games of "bullet chess" - where each player is allocated 60 seconds at the start of the match. Much of this has to do with one man. Rex Sinquefield, a grey-haired man in his early 70s, is sitting in the audience watching the US Chess Championship. He's in his shorts, wearing a baseball cap, and fuelling his concentration with glass after glass of Diet Coke. Sinquefield is a rich man, and he likes chess. He likes it so much he's put tens of millions of dollars into the game. No, he's not partially responsible for the renaissance in American chess, former US champion Yasser Seirawan corrects me - he's entirely responsible. The scale of Sinquefield's wealth is unknown. He claims, a bit implausibly, that he himself has no idea. Unlike other super-rich, he's not one to brag about his bank account, though it's widely assumed he's a billionaire. The money comes from a career in finance - he created some of the first index funds, funds that are cheap to run because they simply track the performance of a stock-market index. In Missouri, Rex is a deeply contentious figure, a looming giant of local politics -Tyrannosaurus Rex, he's been called. He pushes a radical free-market agenda and wants to abolish the state income tax. He's funded right-wing think tanks and backed selected candidates to the tune of $40m (£28m) - no-one in the state has ever given more. Missouri is the only state in the United States which has no limits to campaign donations, a freedom Sinquefield has exploited to the full. Laura Swinford of Progress Missouri, an advocacy organisation, believes his power in politics is pernicious: "I think we would all throw ticker-tape parades down the centre of the city if he would only focus on chess and his charitable donations," she says. But Sinquefield says his political donations are small change compared to the sums he has spent on chess and other charities. At the weekend, Sinquefield lives on a vast countryside estate. During the week, home is a handsome stone mansion, complete with an extensive art collection, just round the corner from the chess club. A solid but not expert player himself, he thinks about chess every day. He has about 18 online games going on at any one time, with opponents from around the world (he uses a pseudonym, so they have no idea who they're playing). It's not easy to fathom what motivates his philanthropy - Sinquefield rarely speaks to the local press, and quickly deflects personal questions. But a clue is to be found a 20-minute drive from his city home - St Vincent's orphanage, where his mother sent him after his father died and where he spent much of his childhood. It was run by strict German nuns - the children slept in big dormitories, had to wash the dishes, clean the rooms and scrub the floors with steel wool. He's oddly nostalgic about his time there. "It was regimented, it taught me self-discipline," he says. He did well at school, getting 100% in many of his tests, though he still smarts at his 97% for spelling, when he was downgraded for writing "judgement" with an "e", the British way. He went on to do graduate work at the University of Chicago, where he was taught "rational economics", and the idea that individual investors can't outwit the markets. It was this that eventually inspired him to set up index funds - the foundation of his fortune. But just as he credits the orphanage with strengthening his character, so he believes in the transforming power of chess. "It carries over into all aspects of a child's academic life," he says. Around St Louis there is now an extraordinary clustering of chess activity. Three local universities offer chess scholarships, covering the tuition fees of top players. They include Webster University, which houses SPICE, the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence. Brainy Spice herself, Susan Polgar, was the first woman in history to earn the grandmaster title by successfully competing in chess tournaments. She's built a college team at Webster that would trounce almost every national chess team in the world. And chess is not just funded at university level. It's been introduced in after-school classes in more than 100 local schools, including all the schools in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, where the riots took place. At Vogt Elementary School in Ferguson, I meet the principal, Dr Leslie Thomas-Washington. She's wearing a vivid pink trouser suit, and in the morning greets each of her students with a hug. Vogt is part of a rigorous study designed to assess whether chess really can improve attendance and test scores. The full results won't be known for several years, but Washington says she's already noticed a difference among the children playing chess. "I've seen a dramatic change in grades. The children look at things with a more critical lens." Back at the club, the US Chess Championship concluded with victory for Fabiano Caruana - or Fabulous Fabi, as the commentators call him. This tournament attracted the strongest field in US chess history - the country now has three players in the top 10 in the world. They include Wesley So, who was raised in the Philippines, and Caruana, who, though born in the United States, later moved to Europe and played for Italy. Both players now compete under the Stars and Stripes. Caruana is sponsored by the St Louis Chess Club - his move back to the US is all part of the Sinquefield effect Outside the club, the chess tables - paid for with Sinquefield money - are all occupied. I await my turn and decide to take on Chuck in another blitz game. He talks incessantly. It's the sedate game of chess - with a loud running commentary. "I'm in your house," he says, as a rook enters my half of the board. "I didn't want to break in, but you left the back door open and I'm in your house." And with that, he captures another pawn. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

शतरंज एक वैश्विक खेल है जिसका दुनिया भर में लाखों लोग आनंद लेते हैं। 20वीं शताब्दी के अधिकांश समय तक शतरंज का केंद्र पूर्व सोवियत संघ और पूर्वी यूरोप था। लेकिन अब दुनिया की एक नई शतरंज राजधानी उभर रही है-सेंट लुइस का अमेरिकी मिडवेस्ट शहर।


Derby City Council's Osmaston housing plans move closer

Summary: Plans for an area of Derby described by the city council as chronically poor have moved a step closer.

The authority and Rolls-Royce, which used to occupy much of the area, have come up with a shortlist of companies to build new housing in Osmaston. The plans involve knocking down some poor housing and building new homes on brownfield land. Companies Morgan Sindall and Keepmoat are bidding to redevelop the area. One of them could be chosen in November. In 2009, residents were consulted on a £500m regeneration plan for the inner-city area. Ideas for the area included social and private housing as well as shops, services and green spaces.

नगर परिषद द्वारा दीर्घकालिक रूप से खराब के रूप में वर्णित डर्बी के एक क्षेत्र के लिए योजनाएं एक कदम और आगे बढ़ गई हैं।