Reading road names shortlist includes local celebrities

Summary: A shortlist of new road names for Reading has been approved.

Among those who could have new streets named after them are late Reading FC goalkeeper Steve Death and club chairman Sir John Madejski. BBC Radio Berkshire presenters Andrew Peach and Phil Kennedy are also included on a list approved by the borough council. Planning committee chairman Pete Ruhemann said the names will "reflect the history and culture of the town". Reading Borough Council received 49 suggestions and recommended 27 which were approved at a Planning Application Committee meeting on Wednesday. Other names on the approved list include:

रीडिंग के लिए सड़कों के नए नामों की एक छोटी सूची को मंजूरी दी गई है।


Bedouin oppose Israeli plans to relocate communities

Summary: Bedouin in the occupied West Bank and in Israel's Negev desert say they fear for their future as new reports circulate that the Israeli authorities plan to relocate them. International aid and Bedouin groups say tens of thousands of people could ultimately be affected.

By Yolande KnellBBC News, Jerusalem Bedouin to the east of Jerusalem expect attempts will soon be made to move them against their will. They live in an area that is controlled by Israel's Civil Administration, part of the Defence Ministry that governs the West Bank. "Nobody can stop them. This is their project and they will implement it no matter what," says Ghadara Jahalin, who squats on a rug surrounded by her grandchildren in a camp made up of tents and metal shacks. "They will push us to somewhere where we won't be able to survive". The small community already endures harsh conditions in the desert. They have no running water or access to the electrical grid. On the other side of the busy road leading to Jericho, Israel's largest settlement, Maale Adumim, fills the horizon. "You can see now we are trapped between the settlements, their power cables and the road," Ghadara says. "We used to have wells, now we can't reach them. We can't plant anything so there is no pasture for the goats and sheep." The family moved here after they were forced away from Tel Arad in the northern Negev, more than 60 years ago, soon after the creation of Israel. Now there are plans to relocate them to allow for expansion of the nearby settlement bloc. The Israeli authorities say this will also give them better access to resources and services. Recently the Civil Administration declared its intention to move some 20 Bedouin communities, a total of about 2,300 people, most of them refugees. Reports said the Bedouin would be taken to a new permanent location by al-Azariya, close to a rubbish dump. Dozens of members of the Jahalin tribe were relocated there in the 1990s due to early construction at Maale Adumim but complain of lack of access to grazing land and health problems. The local UN agency, OCHA, says such a move would contravene international humanitarian law and "further endanger the Bedouin's way of life". However the Civil Administration spokesman suggested the plans were not final. He said work had gone on for months "to find a solution for the relocation dilemma of the Jahalin tribe who are illegally located without the required permit". "Talks are being conducted with the heads of the Jahalin tribe to find a solution that would suit them," he added. Demolitions and harassment The Israeli authorities ban most new construction by Bedouin in the West Bank zone they control. Since the beginning of this year there have been increased demolitions of homes. UN data shows more than a hundred Bedouin structures have been demolished. Settler harassment is also a growing problem. In Khan al-Ahmar, many homes are under demolition order, as is the primary school, set up with the help of an Italian charity two years ago. It was built out of rubber tyres covered in mud and concrete. Dozens of children attend classes there. "All basic international laws support education. Today you must have it. It's as important as water and oxygen," says Eid Jahalin, the father of two pupils. "The status of the school is like an intensive care patient: we don't know if it will make it or not," he goes on. "We are facing many lawsuits." It is estimated that about 27,000 Bedouin living in the West Bank. They mostly live in areas that Israel declared as state land or on private land leased from Palestinians. Some have deeds showing they bought territory when Jordan was in control of the area between 1948 and 1967. Many of the nomadic communities settled there after leaving their ancestral land in the Negev desert. The Bedouin that remained became Israeli citizens but still have a tense relationship with the state. 'Unrecognised' villages In September, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan that would see over 30,000 Bedouins moved from Negev villages which it views as "unrecognised", to land adjacent to existing urban centres. These are villages that often predate the State of Israel, are not officially recognised and therefore denied state support or services. "A decision must be made for the country and for the development of the Negev and its residents, Jews and Bedouin alike," said the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Legislation is soon expected to go before parliament after a three-month consultation period. Arab advocacy groups argue this reverses the usual planning process and that Negev Bedouin will never agree to relocate two-thirds of their population in "cramped towns" where they cannot pursue their traditional agricultural lifestyles. They say they seek rights to land that amounts to just 2% of the Negev. "We think the Prawer plan [named after Ehud Prawer, an Israeli official who led a team to resolve the issue of unrecognised villages] is bad for the Bedouin and Jews because it will upset Arab-Jewish relations," says Thabet Abu Ras of Adalah, the legal centre for Arab minority rights in Israel. He sees it is an act of discrimination against the Arab-Israeli community who he says are looked at as "a demographic and security threat". "They think they can push Arabs from the border, reduce the population and make room to establish more Jewish communities," he says. "Jewish citizens who live in the Naqab [Negev] are free to live in cities, a kibbutz, even their own farm. Why is this not the right of all citizens?" Large protests have already taken place and more are planned.

कब्जे वाले वेस्ट बैंक और इज़राइल के नेगेव रेगिस्तान में बेदुइन का कहना है कि उन्हें अपने भविष्य के लिए डर है क्योंकि नई रिपोर्टें प्रसारित करती हैं कि इजरायली अधिकारियों ने उन्हें स्थानांतरित करने की योजना बनाई है। अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सहायता और बेदुइन समूहों का कहना है कि अंततः हजारों लोग प्रभावित हो सकते हैं।


Windscreen smashed after brick thrown from A64 bridge

Summary: Police have said a driver and passenger could have been seriously hurt after a brick was thrown from a bridge, smashing the windscreen of a lorry.

The brick, thrown from a bridge on the A64 in Tadcaster, hit a passing Leyland HGV at about 0710 BST on Wednesday. The windscreen was shattered but the driver and passenger escaped unharmed. Sgt Neil Dunn said: "This was a dangerous incident which could have been much more serious for the driver and his passenger." Mr Dunn, of Selby Rural Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "Fortunately they were uninjured but incidents like this can potentially lead to serious or fatal injuries. "Whoever is responsible for this mindless act needs to realise what the consequences could have been. " Witnesses or anyone with information are being asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

पुलिस ने कहा है कि एक पुल से एक ईंट फेंके जाने के बाद एक चालक और यात्री गंभीर रूप से घायल हो गए होंगे, जिससे एक लॉरी की विंडस्क्रीन टूट गई होगी।


Jelly tot: Young dolphin flips jellyfish in Moray Firth

Summary: Highlands-based photographer Peter Jolly has captured images of a juvenile bottlenose dolphin playing with a jellyfish in the Moray Firth.

The photographs show the youngster flicking the creature into the air with its nose. The Moray Firth and North Sea provides habitat for the world's most northerly resident population of bottlenose dolphins. Research published in 2012 suggested the population was "stable" with almost 200 animals. The species is protected by European Union rules.

हाइलैंड्स स्थित फोटोग्राफर पीटर जॉली ने मोरे फर्थ में एक जेलीफ़िश के साथ खेल रही एक किशोर बॉटलनोज़ डॉल्फ़िन की तस्वीरें ली हैं।


Newspaper headlines: Labour turmoil, post-Brexit politics and Wimbledon siblings

Summary: The Daily Mail describes it as a "chaotic day in which the Labour Party went into meltdown" . The resignations of a series of shadow cabinet members following the UK vote to leave the EU come under scrutiny in Monday's press.

By Alex KleidermanBBC News Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, says the Times, is facing a "leadership ultimatum". With Brexit raising the prospect of a snap general election this year, figures from across the party told him they were resigning because he was not capable of securing victory, it reports. According to the Daily Mirror, former minister John Spellar is being tipped as a stalking horse candidate after rebel MPs collected the 51 names needed to trigger a coup attempt over Mr Corbyn's failure to inspire enough Labour voters to back Remain. The Guardian says the resignations will pitch politicians against the members who elected Mr Corbyn by an overwhelming majority "in a battle for the heart of the Labour Party". Mr Corbyn was left reeling but has already vowed to fight for the leadership and, adds the paper, will try to confront the crisis as he enters emergency talks with his deputy Tom Watson. Mr Corbyn's parliamentary authority was leeching away, writes Nigel Morris in the i, and suggests the events amounted to "the gravest test of his leadership to date". Battle for Number 10 The lead story in the Daily Mail focuses on what it sees as a campaign by the "bitter losers" in the EU referendum to force a second vote. "A string of senior figures in Britain and Europe yesterday attempted to undermine the democratic will of the British people by sabotaging Brexit," it says. Meanwhile, the Daily Express reports David Cameron has come under pressure to speed up his departure from Downing Street as concerns grew that a "stitch-up" is being plotted to scupper Britain's exit. Turning to the Tory leadership contest, the Daily Telegraph says George Osborne has been offered the opportunity to stay chancellor or become foreign secretary in a bid to secure his support for Boris Johnson. The Sun reports it comes after Justice Secretary Michael Gove gave his backing to fellow Leave campaigner Mr Johnson and the duo attempt to persuade other hopefuls to give the former London mayor a "free run to unite the Tories". But the Daily Mail says Theresa May will enter the race this week "triggering a fierce battle for the premiership" with the claim she can secure the best post-Brexit deal. Mr Johnson uses his regular column in the Daily Telegraph to say the "negative consequences" of an EU exit are being "wildly overdone" by those who seek to overturn the referendum result. According to the Financial Times, Britain is facing the "stark reality of crumbling influence on the world stage" after turmoil triggered by the vote to exit the EU plunged the country into domestic political instability. What the commentators say... The leader writers on... post-Brexit politics Eye-catching headlines Siblings on court As Wimbledon swings into action, the Financial Times says organisers are jostling with the world's three other Grand Slam tennis tournaments for supremacy. It reports on a multi-million-pound modernisation plan to create a "21st century venue that... maintains the spirit of the tennis in an English garden". The Daily Mirror carries news of a reunion at the All England Club for the ball boys supplied by children's charity Barnado's between 1946 and 1966. As for this year's tournament, the Times says "family business is thriving in SW19" with three sets of siblings from Britain due to compete. Like Andy and Jamie Murray, the families of Liam and Naomi Broady and Ken and Neal Skupski decided to reject the Lawn Tennis Association's help in training, it notes. And there is also news of a player who will not be participating. The Daily Telegraph is among several papers to feature a photograph Russian player Maria Sharapova has tweeted of herself sitting outside Harvard Business School. The 29-year-old - currently fighting two-year ban for a doping offence - is said to have just enlisted on a course there. Making people click Guardian: Firms plan to quit UK as City braces for more post-Brexit losses Daily Telegraph: Second referendum petition: Inquiry removes at least 77,000 fake signatures, as hackers claim responsibility for 'prank' Daily Express: Britain's oldest paperboy still delivering at 85 The i: England critics out of step not Roy Hodgson

डेली मेल ने इसे एक "अराजक दिन के रूप में वर्णित किया है जिसमें लेबर पार्टी मंदी में चली गई"। ब्रिटेन द्वारा यूरोपीय संघ छोड़ने के लिए मतदान के बाद छाया कैबिनेट सदस्यों की एक श्रृंखला के इस्तीफे सोमवार के प्रेस में जांच के दायरे में आते हैं।


Quetta hospital bombing: 'There were heaps of men lying over each other'

Summary: The scene of the attack in a Quetta hospital that killed more than 70 people and injured more than 100 on Monday will haunt its witnesses for a long time, says Shah Mohammad, a local lawyer and office-bearer of the Balochistan Bar Association.

By M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad He was asked over the telephone by a colleague to reach the Civil Hospital because the president of the Bar, Bilal Kasi, had been shot. As he reached the hospital, Kasi had died, and there were "hundreds" of lawyers crowding the gates of the emergency ward. "The blast happened when the body was being carried out through the gate. I fell down with the impact, then got up and took to running," he says. But soon after, he stopped and looked back - and saw the scene he says he will never forget. "All around the emergency gate, there were heaps of men lying over each other; some dead, some injured. There seemed to be hundreds of them. Some of the bodies were burning, some were torn to pieces. Many of them had been my lifelong colleagues." Pakistan lawyers mourn Quetta attack The lawyers who survived were able to regroup, but they didn't know how to handle that scene. "The hospital staff had disappeared. We didn't know where to start. Our minds had gone numb. Many of the victims simply bled to death because there was no first-aid available." While this may be the most tragic attack seemingly targeting lawyers, it is certainly not the first. Since 2007, at least 11 lawyers and three judges have been killed in militant violence in Quetta. Some were killed in sectarian attacks, others died in suicide bombings, while some were kidnapped and tortured to death, with their bodies dumped on the streets. Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital, has been torn by a decade-old separatist insurgency carried on by secular-nationalist ethnic Baloch groups. But it has also been home to an array of Islamist militants, ranging from the Afghan Taliban to their Pakistani religious and sectarian allies such as factions of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LEJ). For several years, the Pakistani military has been conducting an operation against the separatists, and has often been accused of using Islamists to counter them - a charge it denies. But after an apparent lull in recent months, a new wave of hostilities has been in evidence, and lawyers have been its apparent target. In June, militants gunned down the principle of Quetta University's law college, Barrister Amanullah Achakzai, while another lawyer, Jehanzeb Alvi, was gunned down in early August. The gun attack that killed Bilal Kasi on Monday and led to the carnage at the hospital was the third attack on lawyers this year. But why have lawyers become targets? "This is because lawyers are a more visible and vocal section of the society," says Amanullah Kanrani, a veteran lawyer and former advocate-general for Balochistan government, who was also at the scene of the attack. They are politically active, and, when one of their number is attacked, they will not hesitate to make themselves heard - through protests and strikes demanding better protection of lawyers, he says. "This may be what the attackers want," he adds, as many anti-government militants wish to undermine the authorities and make them appear powerless. Mr Kanrani received splinters in his arm and leg which were easily cleared by the hospital staff and he was discharged after receiving treatment. "Despite their nuisance value, lawyers… are just like any other non-official section of the society," with little influence and inadequate protection, Mr Kanrani says. Lawyers, like other civilians, are "a hostage to a situation that has been evolving between the militants and the state since 9/11." Asked how safe and professionally independent the lawyers feel in such circumstances, Mr Kanrani sounds rather pessimistic. "We must get realistic about it. It's not going to get any better. Every arm of the state has its own set of priorities. One arm moves to eliminate the militants, the other moves to supply them with weapons. How can you expect safety and independence in a situation like that?"

स्थानीय वकील और बलूचिस्तान बार एसोसिएशन के पदाधिकारी शाह मोहम्मद कहते हैं कि क्वेटा अस्पताल में हमले का दृश्य, जिसमें सोमवार को 70 से अधिक लोग मारे गए और 100 से अधिक घायल हो गए, उसके गवाहों को लंबे समय तक परेशान करेगा।


Grenades and guns drugs gang targeted in Liverpool and Manchester raids

Summary: A gang of drug dealers believed to be using guns and grenades have been targeted in dawn raids by police.

Twelve people, aged between 22 and 54, were arrested as warrants were executed in Manchester, Oldham and Liverpool. A police spokesman said nine men and three women were held on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, money laundering and firearms offences. Greater Manchester Police Insp Anthony Norman said anyone with information about the gang should contact police. The raids were carried out at properties on Falside Walk and Pirie Walk in Newton Heath, Warwick Road and Medlock Road in Failsworth, Parkview Road and Camelford Road in Gillmos,s and Parkhill Road in Dingle. Related Internet Links Greater Manchester Police

पुलिस द्वारा सुबह की छापेमारी में बंदूकों और ग्रेनेडों का उपयोग करने वाले मादक पदार्थ विक्रेताओं के एक गिरोह को निशाना बनाया गया है।


AV voting referendum: Sayeeda Warsi's viewpoint

Summary: A referendum will be held on 5 May on whether to keep the first-past-the-post system for electing MPs or to switch to the alternative vote. The BBC is asking a variety of people to give their personal view.

This referendum is much more than a choice between two counting systems. This is about a fundamental British principle - the principle of one person, one vote. Generations of British reformers have been inspired by that principle. They believed that because each person is equal, everyone should have an equal vote. It took many years for that principle to become part of our politics. But today it stands as the cornerstone of our democracy. Look around the world and we see the legacy: 2.4 billion people use our voting system. It's the most widely used voting system in the world. So what on earth will all these people think if they turn to the mother of democracies after 5 May and find we've turned our back on all this history and brought in a voting system which no one understands? My point is that AV could be disastrous for our democracy - for three crucial reasons. Confusing and perverse First, AV is unfair. With first-past-the-post, everybody gets one vote. But under AV, supporters of extreme parties like the BNP have more of their votes counted than those who back mainstream parties. As I argued in a speech in London's East End recently, this represents a serious danger, as candidates could end up pandering to extremists in order to win seats. Second, AV is confusing and perverse - because the candidate who comes third can end up coming first. Just imagine if we applied this rule to the Olympics. The British Coxless Four finishes first in the rowing - but they're awarded the bronze medal. It's a crazy idea. Third, AV is a totally discredited and unpopular system used by only three countries in the world. Even the "Yes" campaigners don't actually want AV. Not so long ago, they were saying AV would do nothing to rebuild trust in politics. They called it a "miserable little compromise" and a "politicians' fix". They were right. The simple fact is AV is wrong for our country. It's wrong that candidates who come third can win elections. It's wrong that your neighbour's fifth choice can count as much as your first. And it's absolutely wrong that elections can be decided by the eccentrics who vote for the Monster Raving Looney Party or the extremists who vote for the BNP. That's why we need to pull together and fight for our democracy - and say no to AV.

5 मई को एक जनमत संग्रह होगा कि क्या सांसदों के चुनाव के लिए पहले-अतीत-द-पोस्ट प्रणाली को बनाए रखा जाए या वैकल्पिक वोट पर स्विच किया जाए। बीबीसी विभिन्न लोगों से अपने व्यक्तिगत विचार देने के लिए कह रहा है।


New alcohol guidelines: What you need to know

Summary: Men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week - the equivalent of six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine - in order to keep their health risks low, new guidelines have recommended.

The new Department of Health limits - which come into effect on Friday - replace the previous ones on drinking, which were set out 21 years ago. Here is a breakdown of what you need to know: Why now? The government previously said it had heard "sufficient concerns" from experts about what was known about alcohol and its health risks. The previous guidelines came out in 1995 and the links between alcohol and cancer and heart disease were not as well understood then as they are now. It is now known that the risks from alcohol start from any level of regular drinking and rise with the amount being consumed. The new guidelines have been set at a level to keep the risk of mortality from cancers or other diseases "low". Work on the new guidelines has been under way since 2013. So what's changed? The new changes affect men more than women. Previously, women were advised to drink no more than 2-3 units a day and men no more than 3-4. This technically meant men could consume around 28 units a week, although the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recommended no more than 21 units should be drunk over seven days. The old guidance said that by sticking within recommended limits, there was "only a low risk of causing harm in most circumstances". However, the new rules now state that both men and women should drink no more than 14 units over the course of three days or more. This is the equivalent of a bottle and a half of wine over the course of a week. The rules also say that it's best not to "save up units" and drink them all in one go and to make sure you have alcohol-free days. I thought a small amount of alcohol was good for you? The new recommendations appear to be moving away from this long-held belief. The review found that the benefits of alcohol for heart health only apply for women aged 55 and over - and even then it's in very small amounts, around five units a week. The guidelines say: "There is no justification for recommending drinking on health grounds - nor for starting drinking for health reasons." It also says that evidence in support for drinking alcohol in small amounts to maintain good health was "weaker than it was at the time of 1995". What about drinking while pregnant? It's an issue which has caused great debate. But the new guidelines for pregnant women have now been updated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to be clear that no level of alcohol is safe to drink in pregnancy. Previously it was recommended that for women who had opted to drink, consuming no more than one or two units of alcohol - equivalent to one or two small glasses of wine - would "minimise the risk to your baby". The new guidance says that for women who do drink that amount the risk to their baby is likely to be low, but "nevertheless, we cannot rule out the risks altogether". Is there a safe drinking level? No. The new recommendations are at pains to point out that these guidelines are not for "safe" drinking, but rather just at minimising risk of illness. All alcohol consumption carries some risk, the guidance says. "The vast majority of the population can reduce health risks further if they reduce drinking below the guideline levels, or do not drink at all," the guidance says. Drinking above the new recommended 14 units a week is the point at which a person's risk of an early death increases by 1% - the equivalent amount of risk as driving a car. What happens elsewhere? The guidelines mean the UK has become one of the more stringent countries in Europe when it comes to recommended limits on alcohol intake. The table below shows guidelines for 12 other European countries - for which the Department of Health had data. The figures show alcohol units per week. What's the reaction? Prof Matt Field, who is a lecturer in addiction at the University of Liverpool, said one of the most important changes with the recommendations is that there is no "safe" level of alcohol consumption. "Any amount of drinking is associated with increased risk of a number of diseases; the often-reported protective effects will not apply to the majority of people and where they do apply, they refer to very low levels of drinking. So, any amount of alcohol consumption carries some risk," he said. "It is also important to emphasise why this advice is being issued. This is not about telling people what to do. Instead, people have a right to accurate information about alcohol and its health risks so that they can make informed decisions about their drinking behaviour." Booze calculator: Which nationality are you? Dr Niamh Fitzgerald, who is a lecturer in alcohol studies at the University of Stirling, said: "The purpose of these new guidelines is to provide the public with the latest accurate information on how they can reduce health risks from alcohol, if they choose to drink. "Most people are aware of the links between smoking and cancer, but far fewer are aware of evidence linking alcohol consumption with an increased risk of future health problems, in particular cancers of the mouth, intestines and breast cancer in women." Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, said: "I want pregnant women to be very clear that they should avoid alcohol as a precaution. Although the risk of harm to the baby is low if they have drunk small amounts of alcohol before becoming aware of the pregnancy, there is no 'safe' level of alcohol to drink when you are pregnant."

पुरुषों और महिलाओं को अपने स्वास्थ्य जोखिमों को कम रखने के लिए एक सप्ताह में 14 यूनिट से अधिक शराब नहीं पीनी चाहिए-औसत शक्ति बीयर के छह पिंट या शराब के सात गिलास के बराबर-नए दिशानिर्देशों ने सिफारिश की है।


Murray Hall: The New York politician who broke 19th Century gender rules

Summary: He was a hard-drinking, twice-married businessman and politician in 19th Century New York - but Murray Hall had a secret which was only revealed after his death. Now his story is being retold in Glasgow as part of an attempt to "write LGBTQI+ people back into history".

By Gillian SharpeBBC Scotland Murray Hall had a reputation for hard living - drinking, smoking, playing poker and even brawling with a policeman. He also had an active political career and a business as a bail bondsman. So far, so ordinary for a man at the time. But one aspect of his life remained a secret until he died from cancer in 1901. That was when it first emerged that Hall had been assigned female at birth. It was later reported that he had been born in Govan as Mary Anderson. According to a source quoted by the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, he began dressing as a male in his teens, then fled to America when his first wife disclosed his gender to the police. It was there that he took the name Murray H Hall, before marrying for a second time and beginning his business and political career. Writer and archivist Mel Reeve said there had been a "huge backlash" in the media after his death. "People were very angry and felt like they'd been betrayed, but obviously he was just living his life how he wanted to - which was as a man," she said. Newspapers reported breathlessly on the events in articles which reflected some of the attitudes of the times. The New York Times, for instance, accused him of "masquerading" in male attire. It said Hall had a reputation as "a 'man about town', a bon vivant, and all-around 'good fellow'." One senator described how Hall used to "hobnob with the big guns of the County Democracy" and said that he "cut quite some figure as a politician". He added: "He dressed like a man and talked like a very sensible one." 'They felt someone was transgressing' Another political colleague told the New York Times: "He'd line up to the bar and take his whisky like any veteran, and didn't make faces over it, either. If he was a woman he ought to have been born a man, for he lived and looked like one." The paper said Hall "exercised considerable political influence with Tammany Hall" - a political organization which played a major role in controlling politics in New York City and New York State. For some others, it was the knowledge that Hall had voted which rankled most at a time when women had not yet secured the right to vote in the US. "I think they felt that someone was transgressing," added Ms Reeve. "They were doing something that allowed them to exist in a space that they wouldn't otherwise have had access to and I think that's something we still see happen in the way that marginalised people are treated." The New York Times said Hall had suffered from breast cancer for several years, and speculated that he had not sought medical advice due to fears of his secret becoming known. He had, however, amassed a collection of medical books which he used to treat himself. When Hall did consult a doctor, he only had a few days left to live. His wife had died some years previously, leaving an adopted daughter as his sole heir. Murray Hall's story features in the new Stride with Pride heritage trail which is being launched this weekend by Glasgow Women's Library. The library's Sue John says it is important to have a wider view in order to fully understand history and society. "Otherwise we get a partial knowledge of history and it's almost like the default of our partial knowledge of history is it's about white men," she says. The site of Hall's last New York residence, an apartment on 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village, is highlighted by the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. "If you're a trans kid or a gender non-conforming kid today and you look back at that history and see that Murray Hall was a person living their life without the support of anyone, that's inspiring," says the project's Ken Lustbader. "Those intangible nuggets or history and information give you a sense of connection to the past and a sense of pride and removing isolation." Mr Lustbader, who lives near Murray Hall's former apartment, went to visit his unmarked grave at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens, New York, earlier this year. According to the New York Times, Murray Hall was buried there in woman's clothing. "When I was at the grave I had this little moment kind of envisioning him being buried there in women's clothing, much to his horror," said Mr Lustbader. "I just felt I was sending a message to Murray Hall saying don't worry, people know your story and you are not being mocked any longer. "You're being recognised for the contribution you've made and to your own personal struggle and what you've succeeded in doing - living as a man, as you so choose." All images subject to copyright.

वह 19वीं सदी के न्यूयॉर्क में एक शराब पीने वाले, दो बार शादी करने वाले व्यवसायी और राजनेता थे-लेकिन मर्रे हॉल के पास एक रहस्य था जो उनकी मृत्यु के बाद ही सामने आया था। अब उनकी कहानी ग्लासगो में "एलजीबीटीक्यूआई + लोगों को इतिहास में वापस लिखने" के प्रयास के हिस्से के रूप में फिर से बताई जा रही है।


Talks to resolve Southern conductors row to continue

Summary: Southern rail and the RMT union are to continue negotiations next week in a bid to resolve a year-long dispute over driver-only operated trains.

The two sides adjourned talks after two days of discussions on 24 and 25 April. The row is over Southern's plans to give drivers responsibility for door operation and changing the role of guards to on-board supervisors. The RMT has taken 31 days of strike action over the proposed changes. A spokesman for Southern said: "I can confirm we will be meeting with the RMT next week but, at this stage, can't confirm the date." In a separate dispute, members of drivers' union Aslef rejected initial proposals to resolve the row in February and this month voted against another proposed deal.

दक्षिणी रेल और आर. एम. टी. संघ केवल चालक द्वारा संचालित ट्रेनों पर एक साल से चले आ रहे विवाद को हल करने के लिए अगले सप्ताह बातचीत जारी रखेंगे।


Australia fires: The public ire falling on Australia's 'absent' PM

Summary: "I don't really want to shake your hand." "You won't be getting any votes down here buddy... you're out." "What about the people who are dead now, Mr Prime Minister? What about the people who have nowhere to live?"

By Jay SavageBBC News, Sydney As Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison toured a bushfire-ravaged town on Thursday, he was loudly heckled by locals. The anger towards him in Cobargo, New South Wales, was palpable. But most awkward - and attention-grabbing - were two quieter encounters. In one, Mr Morrison approached a woman and asked "how are you?" When she failed to meet his hand, he reached down and lifted hers for a limp handshake. She responded: "I'm only shaking your hand if you give more money to RFS [Rural Fire Service]. So many people have lost their homes." "I understand," he replied. As he walked away, she added: "We need more help." After a firefighter separately refused to shake his hand, Mr Morrison said to his aides: "Tell that fella I'm really sorry, I'm sure he's just tired." A local official responded: "No, no, he lost a house." The exchanges, all filmed and widely shared, have again focused public ire on Mr Morrison over his handling of an unprecedented bushfire crisis. The prime minister has faced persistent accusations of being too absent, including by taking a holiday to Hawaii, and underplaying the role of climate change. Fires as big as small countries Since September, blazes across Australia have killed 20 people, razed more than 1,200 homes and scorched millions of hectares. Though much attention has centred on worst-hit NSW, every state and territory has been affected. Smoke has shrouded towns and cities in Australia's most populated south-east, bringing hazardous air quality to millions of people. Millions of animals are estimated to have perished, and the economic cost is predicted to be enormous. Public gratitude has been boundless for the fatigued firefighters - overwhelmingly volunteers - who have battled blazes as big as small countries. Three have died on duty. Fire service chiefs, such as Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons in NSW, have often been the face of the crisis. To critics of Mr Morrison, those chiefs have provided a stark contrast in leadership. On Friday, a high-profile member of Mr Morrison's own party made a withering critique. "The only two people who are providing leadership at this stage are Shane Fitzsimmons and [NSW Premier] Gladys Berejiklian," Andrew Constance, the state transport minister, told Seven News. Of the heckling, Mr Constance added: "To be honest, the locals probably gave him the welcome he probably deserved." What has prompted the anger? Early in the crisis, criticism centred on Mr Morrison's reluctance to discuss how climate change is exacerbating bushfires - a link acknowledged by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology. Though he has since acknowledged it as a factor, the conservative leader maintains there is no direct link between the fires and his climate policies. This has continued to cause controversy because of Australia's reliance on coal mining. But as the fires have spread, Mr Morrison has been accused of "going missing" in other ways. Most prominently, he took a holiday to Hawaii last month as many blazes intensified - prompting him to later apologise for causing "great anxiety" with his timing. A New Year's Day cricket event, where he said Australians would soon be gathering round TV sets to be "inspired by the great feats of our cricketers", was accused of being "tone deaf". Many have called on the government to better fund Australia's largely unpaid firefighting services, pointing to an extraordinary strain on resources, and arguing that smaller communities are being disadvantaged. A group of ex-fire chiefs has argued a new long-term firefighting strategy is needed, but they have criticised Mr Morrison for refusing to meet them. Mr Morrison found himself in even more hot water on Saturday when he tweeted a video, authorised by his Liberal Party, trumpeting the government's latest measures to tackle the fires. To a backdrop of upbeat music, the video highlights the 3,000 defence force reservists called in, as well as extra water-bombing aircraft and other resources to bolster the operation. The Liberal Party also tweeted the extra measures in an advert saying "our Defence Force is providing boots on the ground, planes in the sky and ships at sea, to support the bushfire fighting effort and recovery". Mr Morrison's critics accused his government of using the bushfires - and the military - for political campaigning. The Australia Defence Association lobby group said the Liberal Party advert was a "clear breach" of conventions aimed at keeping the military out of politics. The association accused the party of "milking ADF support to civil agencies fighting bushfires". Pat Conroy, shadow minister for international development, said Mr Morrison was trying to "exploit a national tragedy". He described the advert as a "new low". What does Morrison say? After initially saying the firefighters "want to be there", the prime minister recently pledged compensation for volunteers who miss work to fight fires, and an additional A$11m (£5.8m; $7.7m) for firefighting aircraft. He has resisted calls for further funding, but frequently paid tribute to firefighters. He has emphasised a prolonged drought as a key reason for causing dry conditions which fuel fires. When asked on Friday why he had been heckled, he told 3AW radio: "Because people are hurting and angry. Whether they are angry with me or angry about the situation, all I know is they're hurting." He has maintained that Australia will meet its climate commitments - an assertion disputed by the UN and others - but that deeper action would not take precedence over "reckless" cuts to jobs in fossil fuel industries. Mr Morrison has called on Australians not to panic and to pull together. He has repeatedly said it was up to each state to arrange their emergency response - the best tactic is to let them get on with their job, he has said. His supporters say he can't be held responsible for the sort of natural disaster which has always struck Australia, nor fix it by knee-jerk policy U-turns. Mr Morrison also hit back at the criticism of his tweeted video, saying: "The video message simply communicates the government's policy decisions and the actions the government is undertaking to the public." 'You will be judged' Mr Morrison was returned last May in a surprise election victory that led many to hail him as a shrewd, instinctive politician. But for some, his bushfire response has stirred incredulity. "You are watching the destruction of a political leader and this time not by his own party but by his own hand," tweeted one veteran commentator, Barrie Cassidy, after the Cobargo footage. Another, Ten's Hugh Riminton, wrote: "I have never seen a PM so openly disdained during a national disaster." Not all have been been so critical. Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews, a Labor politician, thanked Mr Morrison for providing assistance as bushfires swept through the state this week. Liz Innes, a mayor of a shire near Cobargo, apologised to Mr Morrison for those who had heckled him, the ABC reported. The federal Labor opposition, too, has often appeared reluctant to directly criticise Mr Morrison. It has also been accused of courting pro-coal voters in the wake of its election loss. Australia was the fourth largest producer of coal in 2017, according to the International Energy Agency. It also has one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emission rates globally. The 2020 Climate Change Performance Index ranked Australia last of 57 countries for its climate policy, saying it had gone backwards under the Morrison government. Many including John Hewson, a former leader of Mr Morrison's Liberal Party, argue that the prime minister's "hang-ups on the climate issue" are holding him back on the fire crisis. "The die is already cast on your government and, if you continue as you have been doing, time will not be your friend," Mr Hewson wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald. "Ultimately, you will be judged on authenticity and policy outcomes - on genuine leadership."

"मैं वास्तव में आपसे हाथ नहीं मिलाना चाहता।" "आपको यहाँ कोई वोट नहीं मिलेगा दोस्त... आप बाहर हैं।" "उन लोगों का क्या जो अब मर चुके हैं, श्रीमान प्रधानमंत्री? उन लोगों का क्या जिनके पास रहने के लिए कोई जगह नहीं है?"


Jersey to get 'better quality water' after pipe upgrade

Summary: Jersey residents will get better quality water following an upgrade to the St Helier's mains pipe, according to Jersey Water.

A spokesman for the company said the £110,000 scheme would allow the pipe to better cope with customer demand. A number of bursts have affected the 106-year-old Burrard Street water main in recent years, which have led to disruption to the water supply. Parts of the road will be closed for six weeks as work takes place.

जर्सी वाटर के अनुसार, सेंट हेलियर के मुख्य पाइप के उन्नयन के बाद जर्सी के निवासियों को बेहतर गुणवत्ता वाला पानी मिलेगा।


Unpicking the Scottish budget

Summary: Expert analysis of the Scottish budget has foundered on its lack of clarity and transparency It is hard, if not impossible, to tell how much is being spent on priority areas, such as tackling poverty or boosting economic growth 'Wellbeing' is a new dimension to budget planning, but it has yet to be defined or baked into the financial plans Council tax remains barely reformed and regressive, yet bills are set to rise ahead of inflation.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland The draft budget now being road-tested at Holyrood was a "wellbeing" budget. It was progressive and inclusive. It was for growth, and a greener Scotland. Or so we were told. The stand-in finance minister, Kate Forbes, won plaudits and new admirers for the way in which she told us. The tricksy thing about budgets, however, is that they feature numbers, which either back up the claims being made or they don't. Or, alternatively, they leave even the experts baffled. So, let's ask the question, for instance: how much is being spent to support families in poverty? We don't know The figure £1.4bn was used in the budget speech. It turns, out, when checked by poverty policy experts at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, that was a number from two years ago. There's no number for next year, which is what this budget process is all about. How much is being spent to promote economic growth, or better still, inclusive growth? At the Fraser of Allander Institute, they read the budget long into the night, and concluded that they don't know. Take the flagship enterprise policy of taking many smaller businesses out of the reach of business rates. Is it popular with small businesses? Yes. Does it work in boosting growth? We don't know. Are councils better or worse off in their funding allocation? Nope, that's not clear either. There's more money going in, but it seems all of it is attached to central government priorities. The 'discretionary' budget for councils is down. That's unless they use the leeway to raise council tax by nearly 5%. (Of which, more later.) So in the very brief period available to MSPs to scrutinise the budget, to see if it stacks up and does what Kate Forbes said it does, they'll be lucky to get at the answers they're most likely to require. This was the main thrust of the post-budget analysis by the Fraser of Allander Institute - to which it added expertise drawn from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. These are not just any boffins and bean counters. The top two figures at Allander - the Strathclyde University economic and public finance centre - were at the heart of the St Andrew's House economic team, and not long ago. Prof Graeme Roy is scathing about the work his former colleagues have produced. Find an answer It is long, long-winded and reads like a series of memos between civil servants, he observes, and it doesn't answer the questions the public, and MSPs, are most likely to ask: what difference will it make, and does it actually follow the priorities being set? An innovation with this year's budget is that it is about wellbeing. Inclusive growth is no longer the sole guiding purpose of the Scottish government. No, it's wellbeing. And what is wellbeing, you might ask? Emma Congreve, of the Rowntree think tank, asked, and she couldn't find an answer. For now, like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder. One test of any new spending priority is whether it means some former priorities lose out. That is, it should isolate the spending that was NOT promoting wellbeing? That doesn't help us either. Wellbeing is a worthy departure for budget planning. It follows a lead set by the New Zealand government. So unfair But in the beehive-shaped parliament in Wellington, they've been busy defining the concept, setting a framework, and attaching numbers and values to outcomes. There's a lot more work to be done in Edinburgh, it seems. But at least we know that the SNP government is going to scrap "the hated council tax" because it is so unfair, and replace it with a much more equitable local income tax. And it trumpets a "historic concordat" with local authorities, giving them the freedom to spend their funds as they choose, without strings attached. No, hang on. That was 13 years ago, when it came to power. The concordat was binned long ago. More spending comes with more strings attached. And council tax goes on, with no sign of reform beyond some tinkering at the higher bands. Inside Holyrood, it is rarely questioned because none of the major parties have the stomach for reform. Outside Holyrood, it is regularly mauled by critics for being so regressive. That is, it demands a much higher share of the income of a poorer households than from that of a high earner. Since those heady days in 2007 when council tax faced the axe, it ceased to be so "hated" through the simple measure of freezing bills. Replacing it with a local income tax looked too expensive in cash and in political capital. Now, the Scottish government has income tax powers. That is more progressive than council tax. It is difficult to localise without administrative burdens. Yet instead of raising more funds through income tax (progressive), it is local authorities that are being invited to raise their council tax (regressive) bills by nearly 5%. Got that clear now? No, me neither.

स्कॉटिश बजट के विशेषज्ञ विश्लेषण ने इसकी स्पष्टता और पारदर्शिता की कमी पर जोर दिया है। यह बताना, यदि असंभव नहीं है, कि प्राथमिकता वाले क्षेत्रों पर कितना खर्च किया जा रहा है, जैसे कि गरीबी से निपटना या आर्थिक विकास को बढ़ावा देना 'कल्याण' बजट योजना के लिए एक नया आयाम है, लेकिन इसे अभी तक परिभाषित या वित्तीय योजनाओं में शामिल नहीं किया गया है। परिषद कर में मुश्किल से सुधार और प्रतिगामी बना हुआ है, फिर भी मुद्रास्फीति से पहले बिलों में वृद्धि होना तय है।


Voting age of 16 for Welsh assembly plan unveiled

Summary: Sixteen-year-olds would be allowed to vote in the next Assembly election in 2016 under a plan from Labour peers.

Baroness Eluned Morgan and Baroness Gale will ask the House of Lords to lower the voting age from 18 by amending the Wales Bill next week. Supporters claim the lower voting age increased interest in politics among young people when it was used for the Scottish referendum on independence. The bid is likely to fail unless it receives government backing. Commons leader William Hague said on Thursday there were "strongly held and opposing views" among MPs on the issue.

लेबर साथियों की एक योजना के तहत 2016 में अगले विधानसभा चुनाव में सोलह साल के बच्चों को मतदान करने की अनुमति दी जाएगी।


Northstowe: second phase of new town plans approved

Summary: The second phase of plans to create Britain's biggest new town since the 1960s have been given the go-ahead.

About 3,500 homes will be added to Northstowe, near Cambridge, where work is already under way to build 1,500 new properties. Two primary schools, a secondary school and a sports hall will also be created as part of the development. Northstowe, the biggest new town since Milton Keynes, is being developed by the government and property developers. Tim Wotherspoon from South Cambridgeshire District Council said securing approval for the latest phase was a "major milestone".

1960 के दशक के बाद से ब्रिटेन का सबसे बड़ा नया शहर बनाने की योजनाओं के दूसरे चरण को मंजूरी दे दी गई है।


The friendship that survived the division of a nation

Summary: Seventy years ago, in August 1947, British colonial rule in India came to an end. The country was divided into two independent states - Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Using letters and diaries sourced from the world's first Partition Museum which opens in Amritsar on 17 August, Soutik Biswas pieces together the extraordinary story of four friends who were separated by the traumatic event and reunited 30 years later.

"Our country has been broken; the great, sound pulsating heart of India has been broken," a young man in Lahore, Pakistan, wrote to his best friend in Delhi, the capital of India, in the summer of 1949. Writing in elegant cursive and turquoise blue ink, Asaf Khwaja had poured his heart out to Amar Kapur. Barely two years had passed since they had been separated by the bloody partition which split the subcontinent into the new independent nations of India and Pakistan. "We in Lahore, your friends and former playmates, those who were in school with you and in college and whose first 25 years of life, are inseparably linked with those of yours assure you with the utmost sincerity that distance has not made the slightest difference in our love and affection for you; that we remember you, and remembered you often, with the same brotherly feeling that for so long characterised our relations," wrote Asaf, who had just joined the Pakistan Times newspaper as a journalist. "We have spent good times, Amar, grand times, together." Amar Kapur, Asaf Khwaja, Agha Raza and Rishad Haider were like a brotherhood of friends. They lived within a three-mile radius, visited each other's homes, shared street snacks on the way home from convent school, studied in the same college and played soft ball cricket with twigs for stumps. From innocent boyhood to callow youth, they had shared the good times. Then, in the tumultuous summer of 1947, hard times arrived with a vengeance. Amar's separation had hurt the most. He was the only Hindu in the group, and his friends called him Punditji, which means a Hindu priest. Three weeks after the partition in August 1947, Amar and his family abandoned their sprawling family home and 57-year-old printing business in Lahore, and joined the millions of refugees that crossed the border in what was one of the greatest migrations in human history. Two years later, in Delhi, they were still trying to salvage their lives from the detritus of partition. Back in their severed homeland, Asaf, Agha and Rishad had entered adulthood and were starting to earn a living. Asaf's mordant wit was on magnificent display as he shared the news about their friends. "Agha and Rishad have entered into business - the swindlers. They are running an agency for Burmah Shell Company and minting a good bit of money. I wish you could see [Agha] Ahmad. He is (sic) grown so fat and bald that you would find it hard to recognise him - signs of prosperity!" Asaf wrote. Asaf was a pragmatic idealist. He loved cricket, poetry and the mountains and developed a love for contract bridge in his later life. He would sometimes spend his summers with his grandfather on a houseboat on Kashmir's Dal Lake or visit the unspoilt mountains of Swat. He was also hopeful about a brighter future for both nations. Partition of India in August 1947 Read more: "Much suffering has been caused and much bitterness engendered," he wrote to Amar. "But what is done cannot be undone. All we can do now is to make amends for our past mistakes and work wholeheartedly for the restoration of peace and goodwill among the divided sections of the people." But Amar was less buoyant. Riots had broken out in Lahore - a Muslim-majority city where businesses were dominated by non-Muslims - in the months before partition. Under the smoke-filled skies, Hindus and Muslims had turned on each other, burnt down properties, and looted shops and homes. His father had forbidden the children and women in the house to step outside. When his family finally left Lahore in September in a convoy of cars, led by his father's grey Opel, he hid a .38 calibre revolver in the door lining. "It was madness, complete madness," Amar Kapur, now 94, told me recently. He kept a diary after migrating to Delhi following the blood-drenched summer of 1947 via the border city of Amritsar, where the family spent three months on the veranda of a house. In Delhi, the Kapurs then lived without electricity for three years in three rooms in a disputed house. "On 3 June 1947 it was decided that India would be partitioned and Pakistan would come into being. On that day was India doomed," Amar wrote in his diary. He wrote that violence hadn't stopped since the announcement. "Religion, which should be a strictly private affair and the concern of the individual, was being used to cover up beastly acts of murder and other inhuman acts," he wrote. Asaf, in Lahore, believed none of this would affect their friendship. "We have common memories and common experiences that bind us so closely together that no adventitious circumstances can wrench us apart," he wrote in one of his letters. But separated by distance, experience and time, the four friends did get separated. For three decades, they completely lost touch. Keeping friendships alive in rival, hostile nations was difficult, not least because it was hard to get visas to visit each other's countries. They also lost each other's addresses. A simple twist of fate brought the four together again, however. In the summer of 1980, an uncle of Agha Raza visited Delhi to attend a conference. Before he left, Agha had asked him to try trace Amar and his whereabouts. He told him that his family owned a printing press business in Delhi which bore the Kapur family name. Agha had been the maverick of the quartet. He had worked for an oil company, joined the Pakistani navy as an officer and then worked for the labour department. In his thirties, he retired to the countryside to look after his family farm, some 120km (74 miles) from Lahore. His friends called him the agriculturist. Now, he was on the hunt for his long-lost friend. In Delhi his uncle, a former diplomat, looked up the telephone directory and began calling all the Amar Kapurs. He got lucky with the fourth call, and returned to Pakistan with Amar's address and phone number. Soon the friends reconnected, speaking on the phone and writing to each other. They shared notes about themselves and their families - all of them were now married with children - and work. There was lot of catching up to do. Rishad Haider had become one of Pakistan's most successful banking professionals. Agha was looking after his farm. Asaf continued to work with the Pakistan Times, and chaired Pakistan's National Press Trust until he quit after a run-in with military leader Gen Zia ul-Haq. Amar was ensconced in the family's thriving new printing business in Delhi and Agra. They spoke of their joys and sorrows: the marriages of their children, the death of relatives. When Amar lost his family home in a posh Delhi neighbourhood due to a dispute with his brother, Agha wrote to him: "I was shocked and greatly distressed to hear about the sale of your house. I felt as if my own house had been sold. How very unfortunate that it had to come to this. But who knows. It might turn out to be good for you and the rest of the family." In January 1982, Amar returned to Pakistan to attend the wedding of Agha's son, Qasim. Since getting a visa required submitting the wedding card well in advance as proof, Agha got a special card made months in advance and sent it to his friend in Delhi. Since Amar only had a visa to visit Lahore, the others came to visit him from Karachi and Islamabad, where they were working. Over the next decade the Kapurs visited Pakistan three times, once availing of an easier visa given out to Indians to watch a rare cricket Test against their arch rivals. In Lahore, family members remember night-long conversations and days-long marathon contract bridge games when Amar came visiting. "They were like blood brothers, like a family. I found it interesting that all the four men were dynamic, successful individuals. But when they met they kind of merged into each other and became completely childlike. The intensity of friendship was something," Cyma Haider, daughter of Rishad Haider, told me. Amar would often pick up the phone and invite Agha to visit him in Delhi. One day, he wrote to him, saying he hoped to visit him soon. "Your repeated invitations to visit you all are so full of love and kindness that I feel very guilty in not having been able to make it so far. But sooner or later, Inshallah, we will and I hope in the not too distant future." As winter approached in 1988, Agha promised Amar that he would see him in Delhi in the new year. But in December, he collapsed in his home and died of a heart attack, aged 67. Rishad was the next to depart, in 1993, also aged 67. Feeling rather unwell, he was admitted to hospital a few days before his death, telling his family, "I think my time has come." In June 1996, an unusually despondent Asaf wrote to Amar: "How saddening is to lose lifelong friends. It is as if a part of you dies. Both Agha Ahmed and Rishad have left a void in my life, a void that can never be filled. I have myself been keeping indifferent health for some time now, and it may not be long before I join my departed friends in their eternal abode." "My only wish is that I should die as they died - suddenly and without lingering pain." Asaf wrote about "leading a lonely life, with both our children away in the US". He said they did meet on short visits to each other's countries every two to three years, but these "short visits only sharpen the sense of loneliness". "Sometimes I feel that life has become meaningless." Asaf contemplated a future where their children would continue the friendships forged by their parents. "If you and I cannot meet, let our children get together if they can and carry on a friendship which their fathers have been able to retain only flimsily due to a tragic quirk of history," Asaf wrote. A month later, on 29 July, Asaf Khwaja woke up in the morning, showered, had his breakfast and began reading the morning papers when he suffered a heart attack and died. He was 71. At 94, Amar Kapur is the only survivor of the brotherhood. He sold off his business some 20 years ago and continues to lead a busy life with his wife, Minna, in his two-storey home that he built in 1986 in Faridabad on the outskirts of Delhi. He is remarkably agile for his age, and lives with his pencil drawings, paintings, photographs and a boxful of memories. He is rather stoic about his past, taking more pride in his wife's work with the Rotary Club, than anything else. I ask whether he misses his old friends. "I miss them," he says. "I loved them and I love them even more now." "They are the only real friends I ever had." Pictures by Mansi Thapliyal. Archive pictures provided by family members. Interviews conducted in Delhi, and by phone to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and California.

सत्तर साल पहले, अगस्त 1947 में, भारत में ब्रिटिश औपनिवेशिक शासन समाप्त हो गया था। देश दो स्वतंत्र राज्यों में विभाजित था-हिंदू बहुल भारत और मुस्लिम बहुल पाकिस्तान। दुनिया के पहले विभाजन संग्रहालय से प्राप्त पत्रों और डायरियों का उपयोग करते हुए, जो 17 अगस्त को अमृतसर में खुलता है, सौतिक बिस्वास चार दोस्तों की असाधारण कहानी को एक साथ जोड़ता है जो दर्दनाक घटना से अलग हो गए थे और 30 साल बाद फिर से मिल गए थे।


Coronavirus: How pandemic pods and zutors are changing home-schooling

Summary: When the number of coronavirus cases began to rise in the San Francisco area in early July, mother of one Lian Chikako Chang started a Facebook group to support local families and teachers who were suddenly facing the prospect of schools not opening in person as planned in mid-August.

By Penny SpillerBBC News The "Pandemic Pods" group, which aims to help with childcare and schooling needs, grew to more than 30,000 members within three weeks, as areas across the US were hit by Covid-19 spikes and more schools decided to stay shut. "Families were left scrabbling for solutions," says Ms Chang. "Most parents have to work, and most jobs are not compatible with home-schooling". And it's not just Facebook parents are turning to. Matchmaking apps and websites have sprung up offering to help parents connect with other families to form "safe" learning pods, or match them with teachers who can give online lessons, dubbed "zutors" (zoom tutors) by one matchmaking service. Regular tutoring services have also seen an explosion of interest. One company in Missouri saw a 40% rise in bookings for its online academic subjects across all age groups in April, and is now seeking to add 10,000 more tutors and instructors. But extra teaching does not come cheap, with private tutors costing anywhere between $20 (£15) and $65 (£49) an hour, and monthly fees at around $3,000 (£2,300). Posts to the Pandemic Pods group range from seeking advice on whether an "outdoor-based" pod of five children, made up of three families, can safely spend some time indoors, to a mother wanting advice on how to manage a "micro-school" timetable for six six-year-olds. One California mother has erected a huge geodesic tent in her back garden and renamed it "Dome School" for a small group of kindergarten-age children. Julie Lam, CEO of San Francisco-based real estate investment firm Goodegg, realised she needed to make changes for the new school year after her "really terrible" experience trying to work and home-school her three children aged five, seven and eight during the spring term. "I'm not an educator. I was trying to support each of my three children in their school work each day, trying to work out what they should be doing, trying to work out if they were doing it right, while fielding calls and taking meetings. It's was so stressful," she says. Unhappy with the input she got from her children's public school, she and her husband decided to move their children to a private school. Although her children will start their new school remotely, Mrs Lam says the support she has received has been "very refreshing". The children can expect a full timetable of study, and she can have a daily check-in with their teachers. Through a matchmaking site, she has also found a college graduate who can come to her house three days a week and help supervise her children's distance learning. Ms Lam recognises she is in a fortunate position to be able to make these choices. "I didn't grow up with wealth so I don't take it for granted. I think everyone is just trying to do the best they can in these difficult times." Widening gaps of inequality Her comments touch on one of the big concerns around the growing popularity of learning pods and private tutors - that it will further widen inequalities in the education system, which have long fallen along race and income lines. New research suggests the impact of the lockdown is already being seen in students' academic gains. A working paper from the NWEA, a non-profit organisation, predicts the average student will be starting the new school year having lost as much as a third of the expected progress in reading and half the expected progress in maths. Some students are nearly a full year behind where they might expect to be in a normal school year. Learning loss is likely to be greater among low-income black and Hispanic students, according to analysis by consulting group McKinsey and Company. It highlights data which shows only 60% of low-income students logging into online instruction compared with 90% of high-income students. Engagement rates were also lagging behind in schools serving predominantly black and Hispanic students, with 60-70% logging on regularly. Most schools across the US had intended to welcome back students on their premises when the new academic year starts in the coming weeks. But with US Covid-19 cases topping 4.7 million and rising by up to 77,000 a day, they have had to rapidly rethink their plans. More than half of 106 school districts have now confirmed they will begin remotely, compared with just one two weeks ago. Bree Dusseault of The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) says some schools have been able to transition smoothly to online teaching, while others are still trying to organise laptops and internet hotspots for their students. She says many school districts have not been properly supported at state level, and have been burdened with having to "provide everything for schools as well as ensure health". State intervention would allow for greater consistency when it comes to "device provision, communication hotspots, school meals, mental health and protections for physical health", she says. A big unknown, she says, is how the country's most vulnerable learners are faring. "Districts are reassuring us that they will provide services, but there has been almost no information about what support is being given to children who are homeless, disabled and in juvenile detention." Ms Dusseault understands why parents would seek out-of-school support "especially if their district isn't stepping up", but she says "the key is ensuring that all families can find and pay for those solutions if they have to". "Robust conversations" around equality issues are also heavily discussed in the Facebook groups, says Ms Chang, and some families are actively trying to organise pods that are more equitable. One public elementary school in San Francisco, Rooftop, decided to "head inequity off at the pass" as head Nancy Bui puts it, by organising a school-wide virtual "pod" programme. This programme "supports family-to-family connections by assigning kids in the same class to smaller cohorts" but ensures the pods reflect the diversity of the school. 'They didn't even know they were learning' Kellyse Brown's family is one for whom a solution has been found. The lively nine-year-old has spent the summer taking part in a summer school set up and run by a parent-led group in Oakland, California. Oakland Reach was set up four years ago to help disadvantaged families fight for high quality education for their children. Most of the city's public schools are majority black and Latino, and less than 30% of students were reaching the required reading level. A group of parents decided this had to change. Co-founder Lakisha Young said it became apparent as soon as the lockdown happened in March that the students of Oakland were likely to be adversely affected and indeed this proved the case, with just 30% of students found to be participating in online learning. The organisation raised more than $350,000 to pay for 14 teachers and two directors to run a free virtual summer school for 180 children aged between five and 13, for the whole of the six-week summer break. Kellyse's day starts with a virtual get-together with her classmates and teacher. She will do some maths and English along with an hour of mindfulness and an afternoon of enrichment activities ranging from science experiments to karate and cooking. Her mother, Keta Brown, who is a family liaison officer with Oakland Reach, says it has been a wonderful experience for her daughter. "It hasn't felt like work. Their literacy lessons for instance revolved around civil rights and Black Lives Matter - issues that are relevant to them. They didn't even know they were learning," says Keta, who is also delighted that her daughter now knows how to cook pasta. "I feel so fortunate that Kellyse was able to have this opportunity because so much learning is lost in the summer term, and it's very possible children this year will have backtracked to March." Oakland Reach is now thinking about how to help families further as the new school year gets under way remotely - and is well supported by both the school district and financial donors in doing so. Ms Young says that for families who are happy with their school's provision they still want to offer "robust one-to-one tutoring" to supplement children's learning. For other families, they intend to continue providing academic instruction and enrichment - and "setting up parents as the real leaders of their child's education", by providing support to access both the curriculum and the necessary technology. On the subject of pods, she says: "We would love to partner with them. This crisis has created an opportunity for real innovation and we are open to working with everyone to help make our education system work better for all."

जब जुलाई की शुरुआत में सैन फ्रांसिस्को क्षेत्र में कोरोनावायरस मामलों की संख्या बढ़ने लगी, तो एक लियान चिकाको चांग की मां ने स्थानीय परिवारों और शिक्षकों का समर्थन करने के लिए एक फेसबुक समूह शुरू किया, जो अचानक अगस्त के मध्य में योजना के अनुसार व्यक्तिगत रूप से स्कूल नहीं खोलने की संभावना का सामना कर रहे थे।


Is South Africa's Aids plan working?

Summary: South Africa has one of the world's highest HIV rates but for many years was accused of ignoring the problem. Two years ago, President Jacob Zuma introduced some radical changes to the country's Aids policy. To marks World Aids Day, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg asks what has changed.

By Pumza FihlaniBBC News, Johannesburg Moses Sechedi lives in Soweto, one of South Africa's biggest townships. Outside the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital - the largest hospital in Africa - Mr Sechedi, 62, tells me that he has seen the benefits of the new policy. "A few months ago, my younger sister became gravely ill and we rushed her to hospital. After a number of tests the doctor told us she had Aids," he says. The family was devastated. His 39-year-old sister suffers from mental illness and had been raped when she was younger by a local traditional healer who had promised the family he could cure her. The healer recently died of Aids-related complications but Mr Sechedi's family had not thought to have her tested until she became sick. Mr Sechedi says his sister would have died were it not for the Aids drugs she receives. "Those pills are the reason she is alive today. She is getting stronger by the day - it is like looking at a miracle daily," he says. 'Doing the right thing' Under President Zuma's new policy, the number of HIV-positive people like Mr Sechedi's sister receiving live-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs has more than doubled from 678,500 to 1.5 million. The government of former President Thabo Mbeki, who denied the link between HIV and Aids, said it could not afford to roll out this treatment to all the South Africans who needed it. More than five million people are HIV-positive - about 10% of the total population. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told the BBC that his department plans to provide Aids drugs to the remaining one million patients who need them by 2014. Not everyone who is HIV-positive needs the drugs. The most common way of checking is to measure the CD4 cells, which help the body to fight diseases. Under the previous administration, only those with a CD4 count of 200 were given treatment - by which time they were already sick - but this has now been raised to 350, meaning the drugs are provided in time to keep people healthy and active. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) led a vigorous campaign against Mr Mbeki's government - even taking the authorities to court to secure the right to ARVs. It says the government is "finally doing the right thing". "We have moved from an era of denialism to realism," the group's Marcus Low says. It seems there is now the "political will to fight the disease", he says. The government has also added medical male circumcision to its Aids plans. State health facilities now provide free circumcisions, which health officials say reduces the risk of transmission by 60%. Experts also say new infections have decreased over the past couple of years, which could indicate that young people are changing their sexual behaviour. Saving the children Another key plank of the government's new Aids policy is to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). Until 2009, pregnant HIV patients needed to be at least 28 weeks pregnant to access drugs - that has now been reduced to 14 weeks. According to a recent UNAids report, 95% of infected pregnant women are now getting ARVs to prevent their babies from getting HIV. This is a 30% increase from 2007. At the Harriet Shezi Children's Clinic in Soweto, more than 3,000 children currently receive Aids treatment. The clinic treats advanced cases of HIV in children. "In the past, most admissions would be of children under a year old - those would be fast progressors who had not been put on PMTCT or failed the limited treatment available," says the clinic's Nosisa Sipambo. Cost of life Following the changes, South Africa now runs the world's largest anti-retroviral programme but some have expressed concerns about how much these drugs are costing the country. Mr Motsoaledi says his department has managed to halve spending on ARVs. Instead of paying out 8.8bn rand ($104.5m; £67.2m) on the drugs over the next two years, South Africa will now spend just 4.2bn - less than 4% of the 2011 health budget of 112.6bn rand. But despite the progress, Aids remains South Africa's leading cause of death. Last year it killed more than 260,000 people - almost half of all those who died in the country. The TAC says it will monitor the government to makes sure that it builds on its progress. "We need to make sure that the government stays committed to this programme," says Mr Low.

दक्षिण अफ्रीका में एच. आई. वी. की दर दुनिया में सबसे अधिक है, लेकिन कई वर्षों से इस समस्या को नजरअंदाज करने का आरोप लगाया जाता रहा है। दो साल पहले, राष्ट्रपति जैकब जुमा ने देश की एड्स नीति में कुछ आमूलचूल बदलाव किए थे। विश्व एड्स दिवस के अवसर पर, जोहान्सबर्ग में बी. बी. सी. के पुम्जा फिहलानी पूछते हैं कि क्या बदल गया है।


What could change the dynamics of Brexit vote?

Summary: "We're going to get smashed" - one government insider's apocalyptic prediction about one of the most important votes in recent political history, the big night next Tuesday when MPs give their verdict on the government and the EU's compromise.

Laura KuenssbergPolitical editor@bbclaurakon Twitter As things stand, MPs are on course to kybosh Theresa May's long-argued-over Brexit deal, with a very heavy defeat. Dozens of her own backbenchers have said publicly they will vote against it. The opposition parties are adamant they will say "no" too. The Tories' supposed partners in government, the DUP, are deeply dug-in to opposing the agreement, for reasons we've discussed plenty of times here. And although there are whispers of compromises that might peel off a few rebels here and there and a handful of switchers - like her former policy chief George Freeman who revealed his change of heart in the Commons and will now back her - there is nothing on the horizon that looks like shifting big numbers. The draft script for Tuesday's drama, therefore, outlines a heavy and embarrassing defeat for the prime minister on her central policy, with nothing and no-one seeming to come to her rescue. But there are at least two factors that could change the dynamics, quite separate to the chorus of warnings about no deal from members of the Cabinet and outside voices like the Japanese leader Shinzo Abe. First off, with any rebellion it's not a bad rule of thumb to suggest that many of those who have made loud complaints may, in the end, prove to be less brave than they at first appear. It is not unusual for cantankerous politicians to be proven to have had rather a lot of mouth - and rather threadbare trousers. One senior Brexiteer told me they reckoned they had around 40 or 50 critics solid and certain to vote to reject the deal, far fewer than the hundred or so publicly opposed. Parliament seems in such uproar that perhaps the numbers will be as high as the most dire warnings suggest. But don't be surprised when MPs actually have to make a final decision and go through the division lobbies with their deadly rivals, if the scale of the defeat looks rather different. Casting a vote, especially one so vital, is very, very different to criticising a policy. Second, we're not exactly short these days of twists in Parliamentary drama. And there could be another one next Tuesday. Other tweaks, amendments, might be suggested by MPs, and voted on first. The way this place works, if any of those ideas are approved, that would change what's on the table - maybe a little, maybe a lot. That means, despite the months of rows about the precise terms of the agreement, there might not be a vote on Theresa May's deal in its original form. This could be something relatively minor, although important to some MPs, like the increased environmental protections the PM has discussed with Labour MPs. Or, much bigger, an amendment that kills the deal off altogether. Still with me? Politically, what happens with the other ideas backbenchers put forward, before the expected vote on the deal as it stands, might matter enormously. That's because a defeat on the plan as amended, might be much smaller than a defeat on the deal with no changes. For Theresa May's authority, losing by a few dozen, is very different to losing by way over 100. That might, in turn, make it seem much more credible for the prime minister to have another go at getting it through. And it also will matter who the main architects of the defeat appear to be. Government sources warning of being "smashed" in the Commons suggest the best outcome for them is, perversely, losing on an amendment, therefore avoiding a straightforward and overwhelming "no" to their deal. Some Brexiteers and some in government believe that that the Labour MP Hilary Benn's suggested change - that would reject the deal, and rule out no deal - could be voted through by MPs, because of support from former Remainers. And a narrow defeat at the hands of Remainers would be a totally different political beast to a heavy, heavy defeat at the hands of Brexiteers in their own party. Games not over One well-known member of the Conservative Eurosceptic group the ERG joked: "We may not even end up being the bad guys - we might not have to rebel." It's possible that Hilary Benn will pull that particular amendment, with talk of a different "no deal" amendment being put forward. And one senior Labour figure suggested the party would do almost anything to make sure that there is a clear vote on the prime minister's proposal and that Parliamentary shenanigans don't get in the way of the Commons giving a definite view, (they expect a total kicking), of Theresa May's plan. But as we head into these next few vital days, the point is that the serious games in the Commons are far from over. And what happens this time next week will be affected by precisely how Tuesday night plays out. In the wake of the likely defeat, Theresa May might make an emergency dash to Brussels, could pivot to a "plan B" or a series of emergency cross-party talks. But the actual numbers, the atmosphere once the tellers have actually counted the votes and who walks through which lobby will still shape what she does next. Need some guidance? If you feel like you ought to know more about Brexit...

"हम टूटने वाले हैं"-हाल के राजनीतिक इतिहास में सबसे महत्वपूर्ण वोटों में से एक के बारे में एक सरकारी अंदरूनी सूत्र की सर्वनाशकारी भविष्यवाणी, अगले मंगलवार की बड़ी रात जब सांसद सरकार और यूरोपीय संघ के समझौते पर अपना फैसला देते हैं।


Alternative Vote (AV) coverage on the Daily Politics, This Week and Politics Show

Summary: The Daily Politics - and sister shows This Week and Politics Show - have been covering the debate about the Alternative Vote (AV) referendum and the arguments for and against the proposed change, set to be decided during a UK-wide referendum on Thursday 5 May.

Watch our coverage in video over the last 12 months as we have followed the struggle to get the AV bill through the House of Lords. We also heard from those for and against the plan, who gave their views to Andrew Neil, Anita Anand, Jo Coburn and Jo Sopel, and we had films from our own reporting team of Giles Dilnot, Adam Fleming, David Thompson, Max Cotton and Susana Mendonça. The newest clips are at the top, and they go back in date order. Eddie Izzard and Lord Winston: May 4 Film from Giles Dilnot: May 3 Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne: May 3 Should we ever have a referendum: May 3 Lord Reid and Simon Hughes on AV coalitions: May 2 Ed Miliband on the AV campaign: May 1 Michael Portillo finally decides on AV vote: April 28 Michael Heseltine and Caroline Lucas: April 28 Can UK learn from Australian AV system?: April 27 Will AV vote rock the coalition?: April 26 Film from David Thompson: April 26 Explaining Scottish voting system: April 26 Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg: April 17 Alternative Vote Debate April 6: How would it affect minor parties? Click here to watch the 37-minute debate in full Alternative Vote Debate April 6: John Prescott speaks against Alternative Vote Debate April 6: Charles Kennedy speaks in favour Alternative Vote Debate April 6: Tessa Jowell speaks in favour Alternative Vote Debate April 6: Michael Howard speaks against Former Australian PM John Howard: April 5 Explaining the Australian voting system: April 5 Shirley Williams, Alan Johnson & Michael Portillo: March 31 Film from Max Cotton: March 27 Michael Portillo can't make up his mind: March 17 John Healey, Jeremy Hunt, Jo Swinson and David Lammy: March 16 Alan Johnson on This Week: March 10 Film by David Thompson: February 20 Jacqui Smith and Michael Portillo: February 17 Bernard Jenkin: February 16 Eleanor Laing and Charles Kennedy: February 15 Film by Susana Mendonça: February 15 Francis D'Souza, Mark Harper and George Foulkes : January 31 Lord Falconer and Lord McNally: January 20 Lord Foulkes and Lord Trimble: January 19 James Landale: January 18 Chuka Ummuna, Lord Falconer and Mark Harper: January 17 James Landale explains : January 13 David Blunkett: November 26 Lord Falconer and Lord McNally: November 15 In the Mood box: September 29 Bernard Jenkin: September 06 Giles Dilnot talks to Watford voters: July 06 Daniel Kawczyinski and Tim Farron: July 06 Douglas Carswell, Simon Hughes and Ben Bradshaw: May 26 Professor John Curtice: February 09 (2010)

डेली पॉलिटिक्स-और बहन शो दिस वीक एंड पॉलिटिक्स शो-वैकल्पिक वोट (एवी) जनमत संग्रह के बारे में बहस और प्रस्तावित परिवर्तन के पक्ष और विपक्ष में तर्कों को कवर कर रहे हैं, जो गुरुवार 5 मई को यूके-व्यापी जनमत संग्रह के दौरान तय किए जाने हैं।


Whatever happened to Psy and K-pop’s bid to conquer the world?

Summary: For a while, it was impossible to move without Gangnam Style pounding the eardrums — whether it was SuperBowl commercials, flash mobs, primetime TV performances or mobile ringtones chiming away, writes Omid Scobie, an expert on the entertainment industry and K-pop genre.

Every corner of the globe, it seemed, had become obsessed with Psy's viral hit in 2012. But despite two successful follow-up singles and promises of a US-produced album, there has been very little noise from the South Korean rapper since. K-pop was officially on the map, but did its unofficial ambassador give up? Hardly. Having earned an estimated $55m (£36m) from his work in the West, Psy is now racking up similar amounts from the lucrative Chinese market, where his collaboration with world-class pianist Lang Lang is currently producing a run of consecutive number ones. "Chinese fans love his music and the song," Hyun Suk "YG" Yang, his manager and founder and chairman of one of Korea's biggest entertainment companies, YG Entertainment told the BBC. "It topped [all the] Chinese music charts." Psy's decision to focus on the Asian music market may be an indication of where the entertainment industry turns over the highest profits for musicians - China's entertainment market was last valued at $95.7bn - but it also put a sudden end to the epic K-pop tidal wave he was supposed to be riding in to the West. That could be about to change. Talent manager Scooter Braun, who discovered the likes of pop megastars Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen, told the BBC that it was Psy who opened his eyes to South Korea's hottest commodity and its line-up of talented idol stars ripe for export. When he first saw Psy's Gangnam Style video "something in my gut went off" says Braun, who immediately signed the singer to his US-based label, School Boy Records. "K-pop as a genre invests a lot in their music videos, with unique and vibrant visuals and even a bit of an exoticness to them," he says. "These larger than life visuals allowed fans who may not understand the language to still understand the music." Which explains why, with virtually no marketing whatsoever, K-pop music videos continue to rack up millions of daily video views by overseas fans, many of whom simply discover the genre by chance. In fact, more than 90% of K-pop YouTube streams are now consumed outside Korea, many in North America. "The fact that fans around the world can see content online is really helping to establish K-pop outside of Korea and Asia," Braun says. As are the K-pop concerts. South Korean boy band, Big Bang's 2013 Alive Galaxy Tour performed at 48 international stadiums, including sold-out shows at London's Wembley Arena. Read more stories from the South Korea Direct season: The woman who liberated Korean housewives In Pictures: Fish, fruit and veg in South Korea's markets How good are Kim Jong-un's hackers? And for those still unaware of the genre, Braun's next discovery could be about to change things. Step forward 24-year-old Korean pop sensation, CL. Hailing from one of K-pop's biggest girl groups, 2NE1, the singer and rapper has more than 45 million Asia single sales under her belt and is already a favourite among US producers and elite fashion designers. Moschino's creative director Jeremy Scott, who has worked with the likes of Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Rihanna, credits her as his muse. "My team first saw CL perform with 2NE1 in Seoul at one of Psy's concerts," says Braun. "We were extremely impressed with her stage presence… [she's an] amazing performer. "We wanted to help her bring her talent to the US," explains Braun. So, can CL singlehandedly drive the K-pop takeover that Psy almost pulled off? "I grew up listening to English bands and American pop," CL says. "Now that I've been an artist in Asia for eight years, I feel like challenging a new crowd. I definitely have a long way to go, but I feel like I have the right people around me, a good team." Plus great connections. In the past year, Braun has helped CL (real name Chaerin Lee) rap on tracks for producers Diplo and Skrillex. In April, she appeared alongside young Hollywood's elite, including Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Ariana Grande, for a viral video style lip-sync cover of Jepsen's I Really Like You. Last week, her collaboration single with Diplo, Riff Raff, and OG Maco, called Doctor Pepper was released. Diplo, whose back catalogue includes hits for Beyonce, Madonna and Chris Brown, calls the hip-hop track "the right balance between glossy K-pop attitude and keeping CL positioned where she belongs - as the baddest, coolest female out right now." Like many idols in the K-pop industry, CL began training with her agency at the age of 15. Trainees are expected to juggle school and long hours of daily practice, which include singing, dancing, acting, language classes and, in extreme cases, plastic surgery makeovers. It is a gruelling process that can last years before an artist is deemed ready to debut though the rewards for those who succeed are worth the intense training periods. Korean entertainment agencies are known for signing artists to golden handcuff-like contracts, anywhere from seven to 13 years. These guarantee long and profitable careers for the artist and a lucrative return for the agency, who will have spent seven-figure sums on training. 2NE1's label mates Big Bang, a five-member male group who debuted in 2006, reportedly earned $71m in 2014, just $4m shy of One Direction in the same year. But for every success story there are, of course, cautionary tales. It is not uncommon for hopeful artists to dedicate years of their lives to training with an agency, only to never properly debut. Some trainees just do not live up to expectations, says a staffer at a well-known agency (who asked for anonymity). Instead of being dropped they will be tested out in different fields such as a variety show or TV presenting. "If that doesn't work, it might be behind the scenes - styling, writing, choreography," says the staffer. "Because the company has invested so much in to the training, they often refuse to let them go from their contracts until they have made some of the money back." Ida Simmons began training with SM Entertainment, one of South Korea's other major talent agencies, at 14. With a Korean mother and German father, her unique looks and note-perfect singing voice should have had her destined for big things with a company behind some of the top names in the industry. But while her peers went on to the big stage, Simmons failed to catch the attention of new fans during focus groups and TV appearances. Having signed a 13-year contract with SM, Simmons was technically benched by the agency and found a job by the company as a DJ on Korea's Arirang Radio to sit out the remainder of her contract. "It was definitely difficult," Simmons, now 29 and free of her contract, has said. "Now I'm just happy to be able to move on with my career." Nevertheless, there is much the Western music industry is keen to learn from the well-oiled system in South Korea. "The entire structure of developing a new artist in the US is completely different than it is in Korea," talent spotter Braun says. "In Korea, there is no real distinction between management and the record company. They are one and the same and invest heavily in finding and grooming talent from a young age. "I've actually learned a lot from YG and his company's system and really admire the work they do." Over the next year, we could see more of Western music's big players looking for a slice of the K-pop pie. Rapper Kanye West's creative team recently announced plans to launch Seoul-based joint-stock company 10-Jones, incorporating brand, agency and entertainment branches. The Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy group (LVMH) recently invested $80m in YG Entertainment. As for CL - who will release a full solo album later this year - she has fan and personal friend, Chanel and Fendi creative director, Karl Lagerfeld rooting for her. "CL is beautiful… you can't take your eyes off her. This year she will help K-pop take over the world." About the author: Omid Scobie is the European Bureau Chief for US Weekly magazine and founder of Korean entertainment news site, IdolWow!

मनोरंजन उद्योग और के-पॉप शैली के विशेषज्ञ ओमिद स्कोबी लिखते हैं कि कुछ समय के लिए, गंगनम स्टाइल के बिना आगे बढ़ना असंभव था-चाहे वह सुपरबाउल विज्ञापन हों, फ्लैश मॉब हों, प्राइमटाइम टीवी प्रदर्शन हों या मोबाइल रिंगटोन हों।