Why SNP matters to whole of UK

Summary: John Swinney, the SNP's deputy First Minister of Scotland, told the Today programme this morning that the heart of its manifesto - due out later today - would be to end austerity in the UK as a whole, and would support Labour to bring that about.

Robert PestonEconomics editor This may sound great for Labour and Ed Miliband. But it is in fact pretty much his worst nightmare. How so? Well, Labour last week put at the heart of its manifesto that if elected it would get the government's deficit and debt down in the course of the next parliament, and to that end there would be cuts in non-protected public services (or everything but schools, health and overseas aid). It did that partly because all its polling showed that in England it would need to demonstrate what it thinks of as "fiscal credibility" to get a hearing from undecided voters. So it is quite definitely not an act of amity and solidarity with its putative Labour brothers for the SNP, led by Nicola Sturgeon, to tell voters that she'll get the Tories out, get Labour in and make sure Labour won't stick to its fiscal promises. The great fear for Labour is that its recent progress in England will be derailed, while its collapsing vote in Scotland remains shattered. Which if you are a Tory, you may think is great. And in fact the Tories are currently shouting from the rooftops about Labour being bossed by the SNP. But the Conservatives could yet live to regret the consequence of campaigning on the supposed poisonous embrace offered by Sturgeon to Miliband - because it brings the risk for the UK of constitutional and economic crisis. How so? Well, the Tories may hope that by alleging a Labour government would be backseat-driven from Edinburgh they'll persuade enough floating voters to switch to them, and secure an overall majority. However all the opinions currently demonstrate that's profoundly unlikely - it would require a shift of votes late in a campaign on a scale for which I can find no modern precedent. A far more plausible outcome is that the Tories end up with a few more seats than Labour, on the back of a slightly bigger share of the vote - and would therefore have first dibs on trying to form a government, under our constitutional convention. But if the SNP end up getting the number of seats that currently looks likely - not a million miles from 50 - and the Liberal Democrats slump to less than 30 (which also looks likely, right now), it may be impossible for the Tories to form either a workable coalition or an effective minority government on the so-called confidence-and-supply basis (whereby it would secure the backing of smaller parties for measures crucial to its ability to govern). At that point, Labour would presumably have its chance to form a government. But it has ruled out a formal coalition with the SNP. And it is very difficult to see how it could form any kind of more loose partnership with the SNP which would not look profoundly undemocratic to many English citizens, insulting to its residual loyalists in Scotland and therefore lethal to its long-term reputation. Could Labour form a credible government if it had fewer seats and fewer votes than the Tories, and having spent its campaign repudiating the advances of the SNP? That seems implausible. Out of this mess, perhaps a very odd and paradoxical alliance could be forged, as Robert Harris mused in yesterday's Sunday Times, between a Tory party recognising that union with Scotland no longer serves its own existential interests and an SNP whose priority is to secure constitutional independence from the rest of the UK coupled with a continued monetary union. As Harris pointed out, alliances as strange have been forged in our parliamentary history - and the logic of securing power can trump ideological and emotional differences. More likely however is that the UK would need another general election in short order. Which all sounds a bit inconvenient, but from an economic perspective could be a bit worse than that. Business leaders tell me they would expect an investment hiatus by companies during the unstable interregnum, bankers tell me overseas investors would shun the UK and city traders anticipate a sharp and destabilising fall in the pound; . It would be the equivalent of a big chill hitting Britain, that temporarily undermines economic activity. So because of the way that Scotland's resources are determined by the UK's budget, via the block-grant arrangements, it may be completely reasonable for the SNP to campaign in this election to end austerity for the whole of the UK. But the consequences of its decision to exercise that logic are unpredictable.

स्कॉटलैंड के एस. एन. पी. के उप प्रथम मंत्री, जॉन स्विनी ने आज सुबह टुडे कार्यक्रम को बताया कि इसके घोषणापत्र का मूल-आज बाद में आने वाला-समग्र रूप से यू. के. में तपस्या को समाप्त करना होगा, और इसे लाने के लिए लेबर का समर्थन करेगा।


Dellen Millard: Fun-loving heir whose killings stunned Canada

Summary: On Monday, Dellen Millard was convicted of shooting his father in the eye and making it look like a suicide. The judge's ruling marked the end of a long and deadly saga for Millard, who transformed from a millionaire heir to one of Canada's most notorious serial killers.

By Robin Levinson-KingBBC News, Toronto Dellen Millard was a man who liked the fast life. At 14, he had set a record by becoming the youngest Canadian to fly solo a helicopter and an aeroplane on the same day. By 27, he would own several million-dollar properties and a fleet of luxury cars. Born in 1985 as the scion of a dwindling aviation dynasty, he spent his days working for his father Wayne. On the weekends, he hosted pool parties at his luxurious McMansion in suburban Etobicoke and enjoyed offroad racing. His seemingly breezy existence was not without its dark spots - his parents divorced when he was a teen, and in November 2012 his father was found dead in bed with a bullet wound in his head. "He carried some great sadness with him throughout life that I never knew - he never wanted to share that with me," he told police the day after his father's death, which would be ruled a suicide. But Millard's playboy persona came crashing down on 14 May 2013 when he was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Tim Bosma, a total stranger. Soon, Millard found himself facing not one, but three separate first-degree murder trials, for the deaths of Bosma, his ex Laura Babcock and his own father. 'It was just a truck' If it was not for his truck, Bosma may still have been alive today and Millard may never have been charged with his father's murder. The 32-year-old family man was trying to sell his diesel vehicle, and his wife Sharlene Bosma had posted an ad online. The Bosmas had a two-year-old daughter and wanted to grow the family. Money was tight, and getting rid of the truck would ease their burdens. On 6 May 2013, Millard and his friend Mark Smich arrived at the Bosma family home outside of Hamilton, Ontario, to take the truck for a test drive. "When they come, should I go with them?" Bosma had asked his wife. "Yes you should, because we want the truck to come back," she replied. She never saw him again. After he did not respond to her many texts and voicemails, Mrs Bosma reported her husband missing. A social media campaign was launched, and soon the entire community was out looking for him. On 8 May, Mrs Bosma gave a heart-wrenching news conference in which she pleaded for her husband's safe return. "It was just a truck, a stupid truck," she said. "You do not need him but I do. Our daughter needs her daddy." Four days later, police found Bosma's truck in a trailer on the property of Millard's mother. The truck had been stripped, but gunshot residue and traces of his blood were found inside. Human remains were later found in an incinerator on Millard's farm, too charred to be identifiable by their DNA. The thread unravels Millard and Smich were charged with first-degree murder for the death of Bosma. Shortly after their arrest, police began to look into two other unsettling cases that shared one thing in common: Millard. The first was the disappearance of Babcock, Millard's ex-girlfriend, who went missing in July 2012. In the months leading up to her disappearance Babcock had led a troubled life. Described by family and friends as typically "bubbly" and "outgoing", she had also dealt with anxiety and depression for much of her life. That summer, she was fighting with her parents over house rules, and she was couch-surfing with friends and escort clients, her friends told the court. She and Millard had dated briefly in 2008-09, and may have continued their sexual relationship while Millard was dating Christina Noudga. Noudga pleaded guilty in 2016 to obstructing justice and helping Millard destroy evidence in Bosma's murder. She quarrelled with Babcock, who sent taunting texts to Noudga to claim she was still sleeping with Millard. During Millard's trial for Babcock's murder, prosecutors alleged that Millard killed Babcock to get out of the love triangle. Months before Babcock went missing, Millard texted Noudga to say: "First I am going to hurt her. "Then I'll make her leave. I will remove her from our lives." Millard did not act alone. At his side was always Mark Smich, who was also convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of Babcock and Bosma. It was Smich who went on the test drive in Bosma's truck, it was Smich who helped Millard plan Babcock's murder, the court heard. It was also Smich who provided an alibi for Millard the night of his father's death. Unlike Millard, Smich came from a middle-class family and had a record for minor crimes like drug possession and driving under the influence. He made his money from drug dealing, in which Millard also allegedly partook. The pair met in 2006 and bonded over video games and weed, the court heard. The two also liked to steal things for the fun of it, from trees to construction equipment. By 2012, Smich was living in Millard's basement. But by the time the two were charged with Bosma and Babcock's deaths, the friendship had soured. They retained separate legal counsel and each said the other person was the one to shoot Bosma. Father and child Millard inherited millions when his father died, but his assets were frozen once he was charged with his murder. After being convicted of Bosma's murder in 2016, and facing another expensive trial for Babcock's murder in 2017, Millard claimed he was broke. Although he had owned millions of dollars of property, he had transferred most of this portfolio to his mother after his arrest. Denied legal aid by the judge, Millard took the unusual step of representing himself. That is how, on the first day of the trial, Millard found himself standing across from Babcock's father, asking him what he knew about his daughter's life. "This can't be easy for you, being questioned by me, considering I'm the accused. Does this make it extra difficult?" Millard pressed. "No," Mr Babcock replied, determined to get through the exchange. Millard had a strained relationship with his own father, the court would later hear. He played the dutiful son in public, but in private he buckled under his father's expectations. "He was patient and stubborn. He admired Christ, Gandhi and Lindbergh," he wrote in his father's obituary in the Toronto Star two weeks after his death. "He believed animal welfare was a humanitarian effort. He was a good man in a careless world. He was my father." But employees at MillardAir said there had been tensions between Millard and his father, according to a CBC investigation. There was even talk the heir was going to be cut off because of his extravagant spending. During the trial for his father's murder, the court heard how Millard wanted nothing to do with his father's new business venture, an aeroplane maintenance and repair business the elder Millard hoped would revive the lagging family legacy. "The last time I spoke to him, I told him the company's financial troubles were his doing and that he was a failure," Millard wrote in a text that was presented in court. "Usually he tells me not to worry. But this time he said maybe I was right." The night of his father's death, Millard said he was at his friend Mark Smich's house. Millard was the one who "discovered" the body the next morning, but instead of calling 911 immediately he had called his mother, who had been divorced from his father for more than a decade. Millard was also the one who told police about his father's depressive mood. But phone records reveal he travelled back to his father's house hours before he said he found the body. A gun purchased illegally by Millard was also found next to his father with Millard's DNA on it. On Monday, after the verdict was read and Millard was declared a three-time murderer, the father of Laura Babcock addressed reporters outside the courtroom. "It's been proven that not only the Bosmas and ourselves lost a loved one, the Millard family must live with the fact that this heinous individual murdered his own father. We feel for Wayne's relatives, save for one." Aftermath Both Millard and Smich were convicted of first-degree murder and given two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of Babcock and Bosma. Millard awaits sentencing for his father's death; prosecutors will likely ask for another consecutive life sentence. Canadian law forbids criminals from profiting from their crime. Since being convicted of his father's death, it is likely he will be disinherited. It remains unclear what that means for a C$14m ($11m; £8m) lawsuit filed by the families of Bosma and Babcock. Timeline

सोमवार को, डेलन मिलार्ड को अपने पिता की आंख में गोली मारने और इसे आत्महत्या जैसा दिखाने का दोषी ठहराया गया था। न्यायाधीश के फैसले ने मिलार्ड के लिए एक लंबी और घातक गाथा का अंत किया, जो एक करोड़पति उत्तराधिकारी से कनाडा के सबसे कुख्यात सीरियल किलर में से एक बन गया।


Saudi human rights under new spotlight in Biden era

Summary: The Trump administration, according to President Biden's campaign team, "wrote Saudi Arabia a blank cheque". It accused it of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses and prolonging a disastrous war in Yemen where tens of thousands have been killed in six years of conflict.

By Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent The new team in the White House has promised a complete reset of relations with Saudi Arabia where human rights will now feature prominently. President Biden has signalled he will end US military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. Already, after just one week into his term, the US has suspended billions of dollars' worth of arms sales to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, pending a review. But is anything really going to change in the long term? Will the Biden administration's much-publicised intentions have any practical effect on the numerous human rights abuses in the kingdom or on its war in neighbouring Yemen? After all, Saudi Arabia is America's closest security partner in the Arab world, a vital strategic ally in confronting the expansion of Iranian-backed militias across the Middle East, and a major customer for US arms sales. Public image According to the Stockholm Institute of Peace Research Institute (Sipri), Saudi Arabia was the world's largest importer of arms during the period 2015-19, with the US providing the bulk of those sales. Western-supplied weaponry, including from Britain, has been used to bomb targets in Yemen. As Andrew Smith, of the UK-based Campaign Against the Arms Trade (Caat) points out, for anything to change, "it will take a far stronger stance than Biden took as vice-president during the Obama administration". "A lot of arms sales started under Obama." On human rights within the kingdom, Saudi officials point to a recent dramatic drop in executions. The top team around the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, (known as MBS) is clearly aware of the negative effect human rights stories are having on the country's global image. "MBS", says the British MP Crispin Blunt, "is getting contradictory advice from those around him but this [emphasis on human rights by Joe Biden] gives another opportunity to help the pragmatists advising him that Saudi Arabia's public image matters." Ever since MBS's meteoric rise to power in 2017 the country has experienced a curious paradox. The crown prince has led nothing short of a social revolution, lifting the ban on women driving, allowing public entertainment and the mixing of the sexes, while pushing back the power of the religious clerics. Saudi Arabia today feels like a much more normal and pleasant country than it did even five years ago. Yet at the same time, the crown prince - who, unlike many senior Saudis, has not spent time living in the West - has ordered a draconian crackdown on freedom of expression. It used to be the case that Saudis could complain online as long as they didn't demonstrate on the street. Now they can't do either. Thousands have been arrested and incarcerated, with little apology from the crown prince, who views even peaceful and constructive criticism as simply an obstacle to his plans for progress. Allegations and abuses The most glaring cases of human rights abuses have turned MBS into a pariah in the West. These include the murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 (fresh details of which may soon be declassified by the CIA), the arrest and alleged torture of women's rights campaigner Loujain al-Hathloul, and the ongoing arbitrary and opaque nature of the Saudi justice system. Trials are frequently conducted in secret, with defendants denied access to lawyers and counter-terrorism courts used to try peaceful dissenters. Under the crown prince, there has also been a spate of disappearances. These reach right up into the upper echelons of the royal family whereby Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the docile 79-year-old son of the kingdom's founder, was arrested last year and charged with treason. Also being held incommunicado is the former crown prince and interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was credited with defeating the al-Qaeda insurgency in the 2000s. His head of intelligence and formerly a major partner of the CIA, Saad al-Jabri, fled to Canada in 2017 and has filed a lawsuit against the crown prince, alleging that he sent a hit team to kill him in the weeks following the Khashoggi murder. Al-Jabri's children have been seized from their home in Saudi Arabia and accused of benefitting from embezzled state funds. Cautious voices President Trump paid little or no attention to these cases. He chose Riyadh for his first overseas presidential visit in 2017 and was always much more interested in making deals with the leadership than pressing to improve human rights. "Any US president can carry a great deal of influence," says Andrew Smith of Caat. "They can use that for democracy. Trump didn't do that." Dennis Ross, the veteran US diplomat who spent years as State Department Coordinator of Middle East policy, told the BBC: "The Trump administration made a big mistake by not imposing a price [on its close relationship with the Saudis]. But how do you square that with our strategic interest?" Despite the stated intentions of the Biden administration, there will be voices within the State Department, the CIA, the Pentagon and in the powerful US arms lobby urging a cautious approach towards the Saudis. If, for any reason, the ruling, largely pro-Western Al-Saud family were to lose power, there is a high chance it would be replaced by a hardline Islamist regime unsympathetic to the West. Diplomats like Dennis Ross know this. "We're not going to be able to dictate to the Saudis what to do. You don't beat anyone over the head in public [or] you force them to dig in deeper. It needs a high-level conversation in private." And so, to return to the original question: can a Biden administration improve Saudi human rights? Yes it can. Just how far though, will depend on how the White House pushes this agenda and what both countries ultimately see as being in their best interests. Russia and China, meanwhile, would love to do more business with Riyadh and they don't raise "awkward" questions about human rights. But for now, the US remains Saudi Arabia's primary strategic partner and according to one Royal Court insider, "the Biden administration will shine a much more powerful light on human rights than previously. It's on the agenda now and it will require actions, not words."

राष्ट्रपति बाइडन के अभियान दल के अनुसार, ट्रम्प प्रशासन ने "सऊदी अरब को एक खाली चेक लिखा।" उसने उस पर मानवाधिकारों के हनन और यमन में एक विनाशकारी युद्ध को लंबे समय तक बढ़ाने के लिए आंखें मूंद लेने का आरोप लगाया, जहां छह साल के संघर्ष में दसियों हज़ार लोग मारे गए हैं।


Cannes 2013: Debut directors hope to strike gold

Summary: There may be no British films in the main competition for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, but a number of young UK film-makers have travelled to the French Riviera in the hope of getting their productions seen by the world.

By Kev GeogheganEntertainment reporter, BBC News Away from the glamour of the red carpet, the Cannes Film Festival hosts a thriving movie market where producers have money to spend and film-makers seek funding to finish their films or get them distributed. "It's my first feature film so I think it's the perfect platform," says Scottish director Paul Wright, whose movie For Those In Peril has gained glowing reviews as part of the Critics' Week. "It gives it a better chance of getting it out there so people can see it, so we couldn't ask for more as a starting place for the film." Wright is one of dozens of film-makers whose work is vying for attention at this year's Cannes. Last year, more than 4,000 films were shown during the festival, both in and out of competition and at the adjoining market. Films are screened from early morning until late at night in the main Palais building as well as at screens dotted throughout the resort. Such competition, however, means it is tough to tempt potential distributors to come to see your film. "There are other people that know far more about that than I do," admits Wright. "Although it's a very Scottish film, it does have themes in it that hopefully do translate around the world." The film, about the young survivor of a boating accident that leaves his brother and several local men dead, deals with bereavement and loss. Brought up on local folk fables about sea monsters that eat people, the disturbed youngster believes this was the fate of his brother. "It's quite a simple story that hopefully a lot of people can relate to," says Wright, whose short film Until the River Runs Red won a Bafta in 2011. "We always wanted to make a film that could travel. I grew up in the East Neuk of Fife and was brought up with stories of the ocean. "At a similar time, not to overplay it, but I lost my father when I was quite young. I think I was of the age where I knew what was going on but I couldn't totally accept the finality of death. "So that was a theme that we pushed in the film, this idea that the character didn't accept that it was the end for his brother." Critics' Week was founded in 1962, making it one of the oldest strands of the festival. It showcases the first and second films by up-and-coming directors. Another strand at Cannes is the Cinefondation Prize, awarded each year to a standout student project. The Magnificent Lion Boy is the graduation film of National Film and Television students James Cotton and Ana Caro. Painstakingly animated with charcoal drawings, its young makers managed to persuade Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville and Lord of The Rings actor Andy Serkis to voice characters in the short film. Producer Cotton says: "This is my second time in Cannes. Last time, my experience was very different, shadowing a sale agent. "This is the first experience where I can decide what to do with my time, so I have approached a few companies for meetings." Cotton's "in" with Serkis came when he was employed as a driver on the film Sex And Drugs and Rock And Roll, in which Serkis played the late singer Ian Dury. Cotton says he is using his time in Cannes to "view the landscape and absorb as much information as possible - and balance that with having a good time and seeing a few films". Every year, the Cinefondation selects 15 to 20 shorts and medium-length films from film schools from all over the world. More than 1,000 are submitted. The strand gives weight to the festival's aims to foster the next generation of film-makers as well as celebrating the work of established auteurs. "It's fantastic in that respect," agrees Cotton. "Looking at the Cannes literature and the timetables, it's not like we're shoved in at the side, we're on the fold-out guide. "So in that respect, we get as much exposure as some of the big films." Documentary is one of the festival's fastest-growing areas. Films can be viewed daily on the market floor in what has become known as "Doc Corner". The films on show in Doc Corner may not make it to any of Cannes' big screens, but for young documentary makers, it is just as important. Fresh from winning an award at the London Independent Film Festival, community worker-turned-documentarian Yannick Oho Bambe is showing his work, which looks at the London riots of the summer of 2011. In When Tottenham Exploded, Oho Bambe, who works in the area, talks to teachers and locals, giving voice to the people most affected by the riots. "As I watched it unfold, I felt like it was a historic event, so I had this desire to show a different story," Oho Bambe explains. "I watched the media portray young people, especially from the community in Tottenham, as the people causing the events. I wanted to show that we could be part of the solution as well." The film is not a straight documentary, but mixes dance and poetry, written by the film-maker, to express his own thoughts about the events. He says he did not expect to be at the festival less than a year after making the documentary. "A friend of mine asked me the same question, 'How did you end up in Cannes?' And I said it had never been the plan to end up here. Now it's amazing how doors are being opened." As for getting the film seen abroad, Oho Bambe says: "I've been meeting with TV5, a French channel, which covers the whole world. That's the aim, to get it distributed." He adds: "My dream is get to meet directors and get to do some more work. What the documentary shows is that I might be a good storyteller. "So in terms of personal hopes, I would hope to work with the greatest."

इस साल के कान फिल्म महोत्सव में पाम् डी 'ओर के लिए मुख्य प्रतियोगिता में कोई ब्रिटिश फिल्म नहीं हो सकती है, लेकिन ब्रिटेन के कई युवा फिल्म निर्माताओं ने अपनी प्रस्तुतियों को दुनिया द्वारा देखे जाने की उम्मीद में फ्रेंच रिवेरा की यात्रा की है।


Simon Cheng: Former UK consulate worker says he was tortured in China

Summary: A former employee of the UK's Hong Kong consulate has told the BBC that he was tortured in China and accused of inciting political unrest in the city.

By John SudworthBBC News Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen who worked for the UK government for almost two years, was detained for 15 days on a trip to mainland China in August. "I was shackled, blindfolded and hooded," the 29-year-old tells me. UK government sources say they believe his claims - of being beaten and forced to sign confessions - are credible. Following our interview, the British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab summoned the Chinese ambassador. "We are outraged by the disgraceful mistreatment that Mr Cheng faced when he was in detention in mainland China... and we've made clear that we expect the Chinese authorities to review and hold to account those responsible," Mr Raab told the BBC. But on Wednesday a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told the BBC they "absolutely cannot accept the UK government's interference in this case" - and would in return summon the UK ambassador to "express their opposition and anger". "We hope the UK will be prudent and stop interfering in Hong Kong and in China's domestic affairs because it will, eventually, only harm the UK's own interests," the spokesperson added. Mr Cheng's raises questions for both the Chinese and the UK governments. The claims he makes - including that he saw other Hongkongers in Chinese custody - are likely to fuel protesters' fears that their city's freedoms are being eroded under Chinese rule. "They said they work for the secret service and that there are no human rights," he tells me. "Then they started the torture." Who is Simon Cheng? As a trade and investment officer at the UK consulate, Simon Cheng's particular brief was to drum up interest in investing in Scotland among the Chinese business community. It required him to travel frequently to mainland China. But in June, with Hong Kong engulfed in mass demonstrations, Mr Cheng volunteered for an additional role. "The British Consulate instructed staff to collect information about the status of the protests," he says. As a supporter of the pro-democracy movement he found it easy to blend in and, with the consent of the consulate, he signed up to some of the social media groups through which the protesters co-ordinated their actions. Paid overtime for the information he gathered, he began reporting back what he saw to his colleagues. His task, both Mr Cheng and UK government sources insist, was not to direct events in any way but to purely observe - the kind of civil society monitoring work many embassies do. But China had already begun to accuse the UK of meddling in Hong Kong, with British politicians becoming increasing vocal in their support for the protesters. On 8 August, with emails still on his phone linking him to that work observing the protests, he was sent by the consulate to a business conference in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. He didn't know it, but his life was about to change forever. How did he disappear? Although China has ruled Hong Kong for more than 20 years, the border between the city and the mainland still looks and feels like an international boundary. The "one country two systems" principle - that the protesters say they are fighting to preserve - is meant to ensure that Hong Kong retains control over most of its affairs, including its borders. But Simon Cheng was about to discover for himself the blurred edges of that legal and political framework. Since the opening of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen high-speed rail link last year, a new border post has been placed inside West Kowloon station, in the heart of Hong Kong. It is deeply controversial: Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement views the presence of the Chinese police, manning the Chinese side, as an unwelcome extension of Chinese authority. It was here they stopped Simon Cheng, returning from his business trip. He was put on a train, transported back to Shenzhen and handed over, he says, to three plainclothes officers from China's National Security Police. How does he describe his ordeal? Raising his arms above his head Mr Cheng shows me how he was hung up from the chain linking the handcuffs on his wrists. The questions focused on his involvement in the protests with the aim, he says, of forcing him to confess to fomenting unrest on behalf of the British state. "They wanted to know what role the UK had in the Hong Kong protests - they asked what support, money and equipment we were giving to the protesters." He says he was made to hold stress positions - squatting against a wall for example - for hours on end, and beaten if he moved. "They would beat the bony parts, like my ankles... or any vulnerable part." He claims he was subjected to sleep deprivation, with his interrogators forcing him to sing the Chinese national anthem to keep himself awake. And, he believes, he was not the only Hongkonger undergoing such treatment. "I saw a bunch of Hong Kong people getting arrested and interrogated. I heard someone speak in Cantonese saying: 'Raise your hands up - you raised the flags in the protest didn't you?'" Background to the Hong Kong protests From a large pile of more than 1,000 photographs of Hong Kong protesters, he says, he was told to jot down the names and political affiliations of anyone he recognised. "The secret police clearly stated that batches after batches of Hong Kong protesters had been caught, delivered and detained in mainland China." Strapped to a chair and held by his hair, he says they tried to force him to open his mobile phone using the facial recognition function. Once they'd gained access, they printed off the emails detailing the information he'd passed to the UK consulate about the protests. "I told them I want to make it 100% clear, the UK didn't assign resources or help with the protests," he tells me. But it was no use. Eventually, they made him record two video confessions, he says, one for the "betrayal of the motherland" and another for "soliciting prostitution". Why was he detained? The detention of a local employee of a foreign embassy or consulate is a relatively rare event. The last high-profile case involving the UK was the arrest in 2009 of a number of Iranian employees at the British embassy in Tehran. They were accused of playing a significant role in that year's violent demonstrations - an accusation that finds echoes in Simon Cheng's account. As in his own case, locally-employed staff usually have no diplomatic protection, potentially making them soft targets for intelligence gathering. But Mr Cheng may have been targeted for other reasons. He tells me he had a mainland Chinese friend who'd been arrested for taking part in the Hong Kong protests and was now on bail there. During his business trip to Shenzhen, without the knowledge of the UK consulate, Mr Cheng had met the relatives of this friend to collect money for his living expenses. Any mainlander known to have joined the pro-democracy demonstrations would be at risk of being placed under Chinese surveillance. Although collecting money for a friend in legal difficulty is unlikely to constitute a crime, even in China, it could well have placed Mr Cheng under suspicion too. I ask him what he thinks is the most likely reason for his detention - his position at the UK consulate, or his friendship with this mainland Chinese protester? "Until now I have no idea," he replies. "But I think both factors could be part of the reason." Why was he released? Alongside our interview, Mr Cheng has published his own detailed account of what happened to him. In it, he says that on the 11th day of his detention his treatment suddenly improved, a date that he says coincides with the first international media reports about his disappearance. UK government sources say that, behind the scenes, intense diplomatic activity was already under way to try to secure his release. Of China's only public version of events - the allegation that he was placed in 15 days administrative detention for soliciting prostitution - Mr Cheng is dismissive. "It was a tactic for secretly and arbitrarily incarcerating me for an even longer period, without interference from third parties." In China, administrative detention is a penalty that can be imposed by the police, acting with no judicial oversight. And, he suggests, the circumstances of his arrest appear unusual. Allegations of soliciting prostitution are normally dealt with in China as a routine matter by the local police. They are far less likely to be the concern of the Chinese border authorities in West Kowloon station. Mr Cheng's written statement also mentions that, before his arrest, he stopped in Shenzhen for a massage. I ask him directly if he paid for sex. "I don't want to focus on the question of whether I solicited a prostitute, because that's exactly what they want," he replies. "So, I just want to state clearly that I did nothing regrettable to the people I cherish and love." Whatever the reasons behind the decision to release him, he says it came with a warning. "They stated that if I receive media interviews and speak out [about] anything other than 'soliciting prostitution' publicly, I will be taken back to mainland China from Hong Kong." The UK's Hong Kong consulate has since reviewed, and tightened up, its guidelines for local staff travelling on work trips to the Chinese mainland. What will Simon Cheng do now? Simon Cheng has told the BBC that he believes it is too dangerous for him to return to Hong Kong. Initially, he was so concerned about his safety, he refused to allow the UK government to issue a statement condemning the way he'd been treated. More personal stories from Hong Kong He was also given little choice but to resign because the UK government now sees him as a security risk following his long interrogation at the hands of the Chinese secret police. But UK sources say he has been provided with support, including a two-year working visa for the UK. "Our hearts are with Simon Cheng and his family," Dominic Raab, the British Foreign Secretary, told the BBC. "From the outset my overriding concern has been to make sure that he's taken care of properly and he gets the support that he needs." But Mr Cheng's written statement suggests he does not see the protection he's being offered as adequate and, he says, he's now seeking asylum anywhere he can feel safe. While he faces an uncertain future, the political and diplomatic ramifications of his extraordinary testimony are likely to be significant. The claims he makes will feed into the already frayed relations between the UK and China over the subject of Hong Kong. China will face questions about the use of torture in its headlong search for proof of foreign interference. The British government will face questions about whether it could have done more to protect Mr Cheng as well as its treatment of him since. As for Hong Kong's protesters - who began their fight against an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be sent to China - Simon Cheng's story will confirm one thing above all else: that there is indeed much to fear from a justice system so at odds with their own.

ब्रिटेन के हांगकांग वाणिज्य दूतावास के एक पूर्व कर्मचारी ने बीबीसी को बताया है कि उसे चीन में प्रताड़ित किया गया था और शहर में राजनीतिक अशांति भड़काने का आरोप लगाया गया था।


Bank levy to fund Labour's free childcare pledge

Summary: Working parents of three and four-year-olds in Wales will get 10 hours extra free childcare a week if Labour wins May's election, the party has said.

It would be funded through UK Labour's pledge to increase the bank levy, which would provide £40m for Wales. Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith said the extra childcare was "the difference between work and welfare" for many. All three and four-year-olds in Wales are currently entitled to 10 hours per week of early years education. It is mainly provided in nurseries. Labour said the Welsh government would consult on how to provide the extra childcare, which would be available where all parents are working. Launching the general election pledge with a group of young mothers in Cardiff, Mr Smith said: "At a time when resources are tight and families are under pressure it is only right that we do all we can to help families and increase childcare provision."

पार्टी ने कहा है कि अगर लेबर पार्टी मे का चुनाव जीतती है तो वेल्स में तीन और चार साल के बच्चों के कामकाजी माता-पिता को सप्ताह में 10 घंटे अतिरिक्त मुफ्त बाल देखभाल मिलेगी।


How Germany remembers the world wars

Summary: The Prince of Wales is visiting Berlin on Sunday to participate in Germany's National Day of Mourning. The wreath-laying ceremony - in the year marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two - takes place in a building that symbolises the country's fraught relationship with the memory of war, writes Chris Bowlby.

Whereas Remembrance Day in Britain prompts a united sense of national pride in military service, and respect for the sacrifices of those who fought in both world wars, Germany's commemoration of the war dead is much more cautious and complex. Military service in 20th Century Germany is associated with profound shame - focused above all on the victims of Nazi military aggression and the Holocaust. Reinforcing that is a belief that the ground for Germany's Nazi catastrophe was laid by the militarism of the Prussian state that unified the country in the 19th Century and led it into World War One. It was this militaristic state that built the Neue Wache or "new guardhouse", a classical building on the famous central Berlin street of Unter den Linden, which is now at the heart of the annual day of mourning. Built in 1818, it was originally intended to celebrate the success of war in building national identity by liberating Germany from Napoleonic rule. And later military triumphs - especially over France in 1871 - were crucial landmarks as Prussia and Germany became a great European power. The Neue Wache was both a place to remember victories and generals and a centre of the famous Prussian military machine. It was from there that mobilisation for WW1 was declared in 1914. Like other participants in that war, Germany suffered huge casualties. An annual day of national mourning - the Volkstrauertag - was first held in the 1920s. And there was discussion about creating a place of national memory similar to the Cenotaph in London. But the re-opening of the Neue Wache as a "Memorial Site for the Fallen of the World War" in 1931 revealed sharp divisions within German society. Those on the left wanted the memorial to express pacifist sympathy for the victims of war. Others - including the rapidly growing Nazi movement - insisted it should continue to celebrate military triumph. After the Nazis took power in 1933 they replaced the day of mourning with a day of commemoration of heroes, the Heldengedenktag. The Neue Wache was now used for their glorification of war - an echo of Prussian militarism in a new fascist style. Twelve years later, the Third Reich's military aggression had led to a catastrophic defeat, and with the Neue Wache now located in Soviet-occupied Germany, what became the communist GDR was faced with a decision about how to use the building. On the one hand it was described as a memorial to the "victims of fascism" - a fascism the communists claimed they were solely responsible for defeating. But even though the GDR was a Soviet puppet state its leaders were keen to establish their own links with a deeper German history, including its military tradition. And so, bizarrely, when I first saw the Neue Wache in the early 1980s, GDR soldiers stood outside in uniforms similar to older German army uniforms, and even goose-stepped when changing the guard, a disturbing sight to those with memories of goose-stepping German armies of the past. After the GDR collapsed in 1989 and Germany reunified, the Neue Wache was changed once again, finally taking on the form and purpose that it has today. This time the focus was on a sculpture from the 1930s by the artist Käthe Kollwitz installed in one of the building's chambers, depicting a woman holding a dead child. Her sculpture was seen as finally turning attention away from military memory towards all the victims of war and tyranny. That is the spirit of the ceremony and modern day of mourning in which the Prince of Wales is participating. Speaking at the Neue Wache earlier this year, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the end of WW2 marked "the end of National Socialist tyranny, the end of night bombings and death marches, the end of unprecedented German crimes and the Holocaust's breach of civilisation". Kollwitz's sculpture is meant to represent not only a mother's grief at the loss of her soldier son but also all those non-soldiers caught up in the horrors of war - especially Holocaust victims but also less well-known sufferers, such as the German women who suffered mass sexual violence at the end of WW2. Modern debate about the Neue Wache has also involved another question - whether as part of the restoration of Berlin's Prussia-era architecture, its statues of famous generals should be restored to their original positions in or near the building. And that is part of a larger problem. Where does modern emphasis on remembering the victims of war leave the memory and reputation of those who served in the German armed forces? There can be no doubting the scale of grief felt by many millions of German families who lost fathers, brothers or sons in the world wars. Kollwitz lost two sons in WW1 and wrote movingly of her own bitter regret at having allowed her sons to enlist in the patriotic fervour of 1914. "Wrote a farewell letter to Peter," she recorded. "As if the child is being cut off the umbilical cord for the second time. The first time to live, the second time to die." He was killed a few days later. The figure in her sculpture in the Neue Wache, said Kollwitz, represented "an old, lonely and darkly reflecting woman". Remembering soldiers lost in WW2 has been especially sensitive. Werner Krätschell, a Protestant pastor in Berlin, told me that "the wounds of the Second World War are very vivid until today," as children were left without fathers, wives without husbands. And yet much of this grief had to remain private. These lost soldiers could not be commemorated in public as heroes, as the German military were more and more associated with the brutal conquests and war crimes committed by the Nazi regime. The very idea of an army and military service was highly controversial in post-war West Germany. After Nazism was defeated the Western allies initially banned the country from having an army. They relented in the 1950s under Cold War pressures. But the new Bundeswehr was intended to be "citizens in uniform", as different as possible from previous German armies, over which a veil was often drawn. When I first visited Germany on a school exchange in the 1970s, the father of the family I was staying with talked readily about older military history, and proudly took me to the huge memorial near Detmold commemorating the massacre in the Teutoburger forest of Roman legions by German tribes. He was much more reticent about his own service in WW2. War commemoration was diplomatically sensitive too. The West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl began tentatively in the 1980s to try and draw other world leaders into shared commemoration of German military casualties. But that backfired in 1985 when a cemetery he had invited US President Ronald Reagan to visit in Bitburg turned out to contain the graves of elite SS Nazi troops. It was widely claimed that Nazi war crimes had been committed by the SS and other elite units, while the mainstream Wehrmacht army had - like most of the German population - remained ignorant of and uninvolved in the Holocaust. "The image of the patriotic Wehrmacht," argues the historian Mary Fulbrook, "persisted for several decades, providing succour to those who had lost loved ones at the front." But then a 1990s travelling exhibition called The Crimes of the Wehrmacht showed how the army had often been complicit in atrocities. This challenged the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht" says Fulbrook, and "forced a shift in conversations, with young people now interrogating their grandparents in new ways." The awkwardness of such family conversations is what can make German commemoration of war still so difficult. And broader hostility towards the military in general remains strong. Today's Germany has tiptoed only very slowly towards becoming a more "normal" military power, with the Bundeswehr deployed abroad. Pastor Werner Krätschell is descended from a distinguished Prussian family of clerics and cavalry officers. But "because of our guilt" he told me, "there is in every German a deep unconscious knowledge of this bad side combined with uniforms, weapons, army, brutality and war". The private or small-scale remembrance of the millions of soldiers lost in war is still intense. War graves are central to this, with cemeteries in communities small and large hinting at the scale of the loss. The charity responsible for German war graves, the Volksbund, founded in 1919, still organises many of Germany's commemorations of the war dead including the national day of mourning. Since the end of the Cold War its work has also included the highly sensitive task of recovering soldiers' remains and maintaining German military cemeteries in parts of Central and Eastern Europe where the most terrible Nazi crimes were committed. The Volksbund stresses what it sees as its educational role. "The vast burial grounds are a reminder of the past that also confront the living with the consequences of war and violence," it says. And that idea, in the end, strongly shapes German remembrance of war. Individual grief at the loss of family members, including millions of soldiers, is real enough. But the memory of the vast numbers of other victims of Germany's wars will always be present too. You may also be interested in: The events of D-Day are often recounted by Allied troops who took part in the invasion. But what was it like for a German soldier surprised by the sudden - and completely unexpected - arrival of the enemy? The German soldier 'liberated' by D-Day

वेल्स के राजकुमार जर्मनी के राष्ट्रीय शोक दिवस में भाग लेने के लिए रविवार को बर्लिन का दौरा कर रहे हैं। पुष्पांजलि समारोह-द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध की समाप्ति की 75 वीं वर्षगांठ को चिह्नित करने वाले वर्ष में-एक ऐसी इमारत में होता है जो युद्ध की स्मृति के साथ देश के भरे हुए संबंधों का प्रतीक है, क्रिस बोल्बी लिखते हैं।


LTTE given back bodies of fighters

Summary: The Sri Lankan army says it's handed over the bodies of thirty rebels to Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the north of the island.

The International Committee of the Red Cross oversaw the transfer. According to the military, the rebels were killed over the past few days in clashes in Mullaitivu district. About twenty Sri Lankan government soldiers were also killed and several others wounded. Clashes have intensified in recent months following government promises to seize territory from the rebels.

श्रीलंकाई सेना का कहना है कि उसने द्वीप के उत्तर में तीस विद्रोहियों के शव तमिल टाइगर गुरिल्लाओं को सौंप दिए हैं।


Bellamy's says sorry for Australian baby milk shortage

Summary: Watching your products fly off the shelves is not usually regarded as a problem by most companies. But for the Australian maker of a popular baby milk powder, demand from China is resulting in shortages on domestic shelves and anger among loyal customers.

By Sarah PorterBBC News, Singapore A surge in sales ahead of China's online discount shopping day, Single's Day, which falls on Wednesday, has worsened the problem. Bellamy's Australia has now apologised to its customers, many of whom have been unable to find cans of formula in their local supermarket. The Tasmania-based company, which makes Australia's only certified organic infant formula, blamed "unprecedented demand" for its products last month. Following angry comments from customers, Bellamy's said on its Facebook page that "purchases of products solely for the practice of on‐selling in overseas markets has led to limited stocks of [its] products on the shelves of Australian retailers". The popularity of foreign baby milk products has prompted some Chinese people in Australia to snap up cans to resell to Chinese buyers. 'No control' While a can of Bellamy's infant formula costs about A$20 in Australia (£9.33, $14.10), it can sell for as much as four times that amount in China. "It's a fact that our brand is also very popular in China," Bellamy's said. "As a result some people like to buy our product here from Australian retailers and on‐sell it to China. We do not condone this activity but we have no control over what happens to our stock once we have delivered it to our retailers," it added. Australian consumer rights group Choice has been told that some people who buy large amounts of formula made by companies such as Bellamy's sell them on sites such as Taobao, a Chinese auction platform similar to eBay. Imported baby milk powder has been the preferred product in China since a deadly tainted milk scandal in 2008 when at least six children died and some 300,000 fell ill after consuming milk products contaminated by melamine. Bellamy's said that some retailers have limited purchases to two tins per customer, but that demand remained strong and "shelves are soon stripped". "We are doing everything possible to increase production as rapidly as we can, but this takes some time," the company added. As well as China, its products are also sold in Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Singapore. Online sales of Bellamy's are being restricted to three tins a fortnight for customers with addresses in Australia and New Zealand. It expects stocks to improve from late November. Supermarket chain Woolworths has an eight can per customer limit for Australian-made baby milk formula, while rival Coles has restricted sales to four units per customer. Big business The faith of Chinese consumers in baby milk products made in Australia and New Zealand is proving to be big business. In the year to August, Bellamy's net profit soared more than 600% to A$9m, while revenues rose 156% to $A125m. Since floating on the Australian stock market in August last year, Bellamy's shares have risen by an astonishing 580%, making the company worth almost A$900m. The stock jumped 33% in the past month after China announced the end of its one-child policy. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Fonterra - a farmer-owned co-operative that is the world's largest dairy products exporter - has said the infant formula market in China is worth about $15bn (£9bn) a year and would be worth more than $27bn by 2017.

आपके उत्पादों को अलमारियों से उड़ते हुए देखना आम तौर पर अधिकांश कंपनियों द्वारा एक समस्या के रूप में नहीं माना जाता है। लेकिन एक लोकप्रिय बेबी मिल्क पाउडर के ऑस्ट्रेलियाई निर्माता के लिए, चीन से मांग के परिणामस्वरूप घरेलू अलमारियों पर कमी और वफादार ग्राहकों के बीच गुस्सा है।


Nicola Payne case: Coventry murder suspects bail extended

Summary: Two men arrested on suspicion of the abduction and murder of Nicola Payne 22 years ago have had their bail extended.

Ms Payne was last seen in the Henley Green area of Coventry on 14 December 1991, when she was 18. The men, both 49, were arrested on 17 December on suspicion of abduction and murder. They were given conditional bail until 6 March, police said. A woman, 51, arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice also had her bail extended until 6 March. No charges have been brought in connection with the case and no body has ever been found. Ms Payne's family have been made aware of the latest developments, West Midlands Police said.

22 साल पहले निकोला पायने के अपहरण और हत्या के संदेह में गिरफ्तार किए गए दो लोगों की जमानत बढ़ा दी गई है।


Why is yoga day stressing India?

Summary: Massive preparations are under way in India to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga on Sunday - even as an unsavoury row has broken out over whether practising the ancient discipline makes one a Hindu, writes the BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi.

At the International Sivananda Yoga ashram in south Delhi, a few dozen men and women are working to perfect their stretches, bends and breathing. Guided by their teacher, with their palms flat on the mat, and knees pushing into their armpits, they slowly lift their entire bodies to rest on their arms. They are performing Bakasana - also known as the Crow pose - which is among the toughest of yoga poses. The 90-minute advanced class is for those who have been doing yoga for years and for whom it is a way of life. The 60-year-old ashram has played a crucial role over decades in popularising yoga in the West through its centres, and the "students" here are getting ready for Sunday's event. "It is a good initiative. It will create further awareness about yoga the world over," says Prakash Chand Kapoor, senior yoga teacher and director of the centre. Among the students is Anjali Singh. "Yoga is our gift to the world. I'm really proud we are celebrating this day," she says. 'Mindboggling numbers' And India has made grand plans to ensure its success. The lawns of India Gate in the heart of the capital are a hive of frenetic activity. Rajpath - the King's Avenue - has been shut to traffic for days, dozens of metal detectors are in place, a massive public address system is being installed and 7,000 yoga mats are being unrolled. This is where 35,000 officials, soldiers and students are expected to perform 35 minutes of exercises, led by trained yoga teachers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a huge yoga enthusiast and according to reports practices it daily, will be in attendance though he will not be doing yoga. Similar events are being organised in hundreds of Indian cities and towns and across the globe too. There will be yoga at Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, and on high seas. Popular yoga gurus with hundreds of thousands of followers, smaller private yoga studios and individuals have also pledged to participate in the event which the Indian government hopes will get into the Guinness Book of Records. "The numbers are mindboggling, we expect tens of millions to participate," Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said. Ms Swaraj herself will be in New York where she will attend the celebrations with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "Of the 193 member countries of the UN, yoga will be done in 192 countries - except in Yemen because of the conflict there," Ms Swaraj said. 'Damaging comments' Yoga has been practiced in India for thousands of years, it's taught in many schools and individuals or groups can be seen doing asanas (yoga poses) in parks across the country. Over the past few decades, it has also grown in popularity in the West where it has become a multibillion-dollar industry and been endorsed by celebrities like Madonna. To popularise Sunday's event, top Bollywood actors and sports stars have been roped in and training camps are being held all over the country. But the day, being billed as one to promote "harmony and peace", has hit a controversial note. Some Muslim organisations say yoga is essentially a Hindu religious practise and that chanting "Om" or performing Surya Namaskar (Salutation to the Sun God) is against monotheism that Islam preaches. Kamal Farooqui, a member of the Muslim Personal Law Board, told BBC Urdu that "yoga is not the only form of exercise, there are other forms of exercise too" and that by promoting yoga Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to push its Hindu agenda. Angered by the debate, an MP from Mr Modi's party advised Muslims opposed to sun salutation to "go drown in the sea". The government has been quick to point out that participation in the yoga day is not mandatory. "We're not forcing any one to participate - there's no threat, no coercion," Ms Swaraj said, adding that Hindu chants or the sun salutation were not even part of the yoga day protocol and reports that Muslims were opposed to yoga were exaggerated. But the slugfest has some yoga practitioners worried. "This event was supposed to bring people together, but statements by senior BJP leaders are polarising people. These are damaging and unnecessary," said yoga teacher Aashish Nanda. "Yoga is in a way Hindu because it comes from Gita and (Hindu god) Shiva was the first yogi. And the way the BJP is projecting it, there seems to be an agenda here," he adds. Mr Kapoor of the Sivananda ashram agrees that yoga has its origins in Hinduism, but he believes that it is for everyone because it has "no caste, creed or religion". "It's is not religion, it's a vast science of spirituality. The aim of yoga is to be a good human being. To be happy. So it's for everyone because everyone wants to be happy." Irresponsible statements by politicians, he says, do not bother him. "They're good for a panel discussion on TV. It's their job, and this - doing yoga - is my job," he says. International Yoga Day in numbers:

दिल्ली में बी. बी. सी. की गीता पांडे लिखती हैं कि रविवार को पहला अंतर्राष्ट्रीय योग दिवस मनाने के लिए भारत में भारी तैयारी चल रही है-भले ही इस बात पर एक अप्रिय विवाद छिड़ गया है कि क्या प्राचीन अनुशासन का अभ्यास करने से कोई हिंदू बन जाता है।


Swansea's new local TV station goes on air

Summary: A new local TV station is launching in Swansea.

By Huw ThomasBBC Wales arts and media correspondent Bay TV will broadcast to large parts of south west Wales from studios in the city centre. It will provide a mix of news, sport and entertainment to viewers on Freeview, Virgin Media and online. It is the second local television station to launch in Wales after Made in Cardiff went on the air in October 2014. Bay TV said it would show locally-produced programmes and live shows, alongside some content provided by the UK's 21 other local TV channels. Under an agreement reached by the UK Government when it introduced local TV stations, £140,000 from the BBC licence fee will support Bay TV in its first year, with additional licence fee funding secured for a further two years. In return, Bay TV will provide some of its content free of charge to the BBC. The station's new studios are located on the campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and students will be involved in making programmes. Other presenters include Cai Williams, a former contestant on The Voice, former BBC Wales presenter Gaina Morgan and local radio DJ Phil Hoyles. Peter Townsend, chairman of Bay TV Swansea, said they had been able to look at other local TV stations in Liverpool, Cardiff, Brighton and Birmingham, which had been helpful with developing programmes and scheduling. "We know there is a local audience there," he said. "It's untested. But if you go back about 40 years there was no local radio, now look at where that is. We hope we're at the beginning of a movement towards local TV being a standard across the UK." They will be broadcasting across as far west as Burry Port and Cross Hands and to Port Talbot in the east. Mold in Flintshire is the only other area to be awarded a licence, although attempts to get that channel on air have been hampered by technical hold-ups. They have got until November to start broadcasting or their licence expires. And it can be a bumpy ride. Made in Cardiff has had a high turnover of staff, and faced a sanction by Ofcom for broadcasting bad language and nudity during its daytime schedule. Its owners claim more than 380,000 people watch the channel every month, and it has made a point of focusing on local events, sports teams and Cardiff personalities to make it stand out. Dr John Jewell, director of undergraduate studies at Cardiff University's school of journalism, said indigenous programmes already produced by Made In Cardiff seemed to have captured the imagination of viewers by using local talent. "I see no reason why it can't work," he said of Bay TV. "The potential audience is smaller than the Cardiff area but I think there is a need for local news and if they provide enough of that they should attract the advertisers, which is the key to the success of any company these days." Dr Jewell said developing an online platform would also be key. In Swansea the organisers are optimistic that Bay TV can make an impression on the local audience, as long as they decide to tune in.

स्वानसी में एक नया स्थानीय टीवी स्टेशन शुरू हो रहा है।


Can Brave reverse Disney box office fortunes?

Summary: The creative minds at Pixar studios, home to Toy Story and The Incredibles, and their partners Disney have travelled into the Highlands of mediaeval Scotland for their latest film Brave. But following the financial failure of their sci-fi feature John Carter, how much pressure is there for this new project to be a box office hit?

By Kev GeogheganEntertainment reporter, BBC News Whether Brave's director Mark Andrews realises it or not, all eyes will be glued to the release of Pixar's newest film Brave this summer and not simply for its stunning animation. The film, featuring the vocal talents of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald, is being released by Walt Disney Pictures, still stinging from the below par performance of the live action sci-fi John Carter at the worldwide box office. Andrews was involved in that one too, as a co-writer with director Andrew Stanton - another Pixar alumnus who wrote and directed the hits Finding Nemo and WALL-E. "I just make the movie so that stuff is out of my hands, that's for the people up in Olympus, the gods," says Andrews. "I'm just a wayward movie director trying to tell my story and get on in the world." Disney has admitted that John Carter, based on the books of Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs, will end up as a $200m (£126m) hole in its pocket. "You know we all hope for a bazillion dollars at the box office but at the end of the day, John Carter was a great film," insists Andrews. "We're really proud of it and whatever happens with this, we all love it and we're going to be really proud of it." However, the failure to create a John Carter "brand" which would have included sequels, toys and merchandise and rides at Disneyworld will inevitably weigh heavy on its executives. "The unprofitability of John Carter is a very stressful problem for Disney," says UK box office expert Charles Gant. "But it's also a little awkward for Pixar because Andrew Stanton would have been given so much freedom because of his reputation. He would have been very supported by very important people within the Disney hierarchy." John Carter was the first of Disney's three big summer films, alongside The Avengers superhero movie and Brave. "It does inevitably add pressure to Disney overall, they struck out with John Carter so they definitely need the other two movies to deliver," says Gant. Brave is the tale of a feisty young Scottish princess - played by Macdonald - whose dreams of freedom are tempered by her loving but conformist mother, voiced by Thompson. Macdonald - who first made her name in 1996's Trainspotting - landed the role after Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon pulled out of the project due to work scheduling conflicts - one of several road bumps the production has already sufferedincluding the departureof the original director and co-writer Brenda Chapman. Praising his leading lady as "fantastic", Andrews said: "Her voice has that great teenager quality." And of course, she was born and bred in Scotland. As were the majority of the cast, which includes Robbie Coltrane, chat show host Craig Ferguson and Macdonald's Trainspotting co-star Kevin McKidd. However unlike the dark comedy set in Edinburgh's drugs underworld, this film will not be subtitled for mid-western US audiences, according to Andrews. "Kevin McKidd does the voices of Lord MacGuffin and young MacGuffin - who talks in the Doric dialect of his area," he says "and he would call his mum to remind him how to say certain things and we're going to leave it unintelligible because that's the gag." Anyone who is familiar with the Doric tongue of the north-east of Scotland will be better prepared for the gag than others. Brave's computer-generated sweeping shots of the hills and glens of Scotland are of the highest quality - the type expected of a studio which has won more than 25 Oscars. Andrews insists that the secret of Pixar's success lies in the "research, research, research" philosophy of chief creative officer and fellow director John Lasseter. "For Nemo, you're going to have to go underwater, Cars you need to know everything about cars and for Ratatouille we went to France," he explains with reference to the studio's past box office hits. The result was several trips to Scotland spanning two months. "We went everywhere from Edinburgh up into the highlands, the Isle of Skye, Lewis and Harris," says Andrews. "We went skinny dipping in lochs, we laid down in the heather, we climbed boulders, got stuck in the rain. It was fantastic." With the completed film still under wraps, one of the notable scenes shown to journalists takes place at a highland games where the sons of three noblemen compete for the hand in marriage of Merida. One of the film's stars, Billy Connolly, is a patron of the Lonach Highland Gathering near his home in Aberdeenshire in north-east Scotland. "We got a lot of information from Billy," says the director. "I'm of Scottish descent and I would have a mini-highland games on my birthday, we'd go to the park and I'd do the caber tossing so I was Pixar's unofficial games aficionado." Of course, Hollywood's regular dalliances with Scotland have produced memorable, if not always historically accurate results. Examples include the awful "Scotch" spoken in Brigadoon, Liam Neeson's strapping western-style cowboy loner in 1995's Rob Roy and Mel Gibson's blue painted and kilt wearing William Wallace. Andrews admits liberties have been taken with stone-built castles and clan tartans (not really popularised until Walter Scott in the 18th Century). But he defends the decision saying: "We (Andrews and Brenda Chapman) had such a love for Scotland and she just wanted a setting that was magical. "We'd be arguing which exact period it was, but it's fantasy Scotland somewhere between the eighth and 12th Centuries. It was really a character of that time period we wanted." The film will have its European premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Visit Scotland has been quick to seize upon the film's subject matter, ploughing around £7m into a tourism promotion tied in with Brave. Sidestepping the political implications of a flag waving Scottish film so close to a referendum on independence, Andrews simply says: "What Braveheart did for Scotland in getting everybody there was great and it's great when we can help each other." Brave is due out in the UK in August.

टॉय स्टोरी और द इनक्रेडिबल्स के घर पिक्सर स्टूडियो के रचनात्मक दिमाग और उनके साथी डिज्नी ने अपनी नवीनतम फिल्म ब्रेव के लिए मध्यकालीन स्कॉटलैंड के हाइलैंड्स की यात्रा की है। लेकिन उनकी विज्ञान-कथा फीचर जॉन कार्टर की वित्तीय विफलता के बाद, इस नई परियोजना के बॉक्स ऑफिस पर हिट होने के लिए कितना दबाव है?


Muslim women contest in Trinco

Summary: A group of seven Muslim women, thought to be the first in the district, are contesting local elections from the eastern Sri Lankan district of Trincomalee.

The group contests the local polls for Trincomalee Urban Council and Kinniya Urban and Divisional councils. All eight women contest from the main opposition United National Party (UNP). Selabadeen Aleen, one of the women contestants told BBC Sandeshaya that their campaign is based on developing women’s self-employment opportunities, children’s pre-schools and local roads, among other issues. But the ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) insists that it would win the elections in the district. “We would definitely win Kinniya Urban and Divisional Councils,” UPFA’s organiser for Muttur, Najib A Majid told BBC Sinhala service. Local government elections are scheduled to be held on 17 March.

जिले में पहली मानी जाने वाली सात मुस्लिम महिलाओं का एक समूह पूर्वी श्रीलंकाई जिले त्रिंकोमाली से स्थानीय चुनाव लड़ रहा है।


The Aquarius: Migrant taxi service or charitable rescuers?

Summary: Italy accuses search and rescue vessels in the Mediterranean of providing a taxi service for illegal migrants and says it wants to impound the ships. The crews remain undaunted, as the BBC's Gavin Lee reports from onboard the rescue ship Aquarius.

"We are probably the most famous ship in the world right now," says Antoine Laurent as we stand on the deck of the Aquarius, sailing past Tunisia on the way to the Libyan coast. The marine operations manager for the French-based charity SOS Méditerranée acknowledges that his team is persona non grata now with the Italian government, adding that they are exhausted and frustrated. It's the same team of 34 that includes rescue staff, ship maintenance crew and medics from Doctors Without Borders that is now back at sea, a week after the ship found itself at the centre of a political storm over how Europe deals with migrants crossing from Africa. Inside the former merchant ship, crew members are watching rolling TV news over a dinner of veggie fried rice, fish and fruit. Their week-long odyssey, now being retold on the news, started with Italy preventing their ship bringing 630 migrants ashore, with the accusation that such charity-run, foreign-flagged vessels are acting as a taxi service for migrants. Malta also refused to take the migrants. Four days and 1,000 nautical miles later, the ship arrived in Valencia after Spain's new government offered to accept them. Madrid also urged other European leaders to stop playing "Ostrich politics" over the migration issue and deal with it properly. On the ship's stern, hundreds of freshly cleaned life jackets hang on a line drying in the sun in preparation for the ship's arrival in the search and rescue zone, a 250km (155-mile) wide search area in international waters off the coast of Libya. Inside the bridge control room a GPS screen indicates that, if waters stay calm, the ship will start a search operation looking for stranded rubber boats on Sunday morning. On the same day, EU leaders will meet in Brussels for a summit on migration. The crew don't expect their voices will be heard or represented in a meeting focused on tightening Europe's internal and external borders. "We seem to have a short memory of history and people in desperation," says Max Avis, deputy search and rescue co-ordinator for SOS Méditerranée. "I'm worried we're moving into a world of greater ambivalence of immense human suffering. I would urge any of those leaders to come out on a ship with us and see the reality we face, watch people drown, and see if they have the same opinion afterwards." Some 16,000 migrants have been rescued at sea and taken to Italy this year, compared to 73,000 rescued in the first six months of last year. There were more than a dozen NGO ships in operation last year, but since the EU began training and funding the fledgling Libyan coast guard - which now carries out the vast majority of rescue operations - their number has dropped to just five, the Aquarius being the largest. In the time taken for the Aquarius to sail to Valencia and return, 220 migrants have died at sea. The crew argue that Italy is one less asset the ship has to help those in desperate need. But Italy claims that if the charity boats leave, migrants will no longer be tempted to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing.

इटली भूमध्य सागर में खोज और बचाव जहाजों पर अवैध प्रवासियों के लिए एक टैक्सी सेवा प्रदान करने का आरोप लगाता है और कहता है कि वह जहाजों को जब्त करना चाहता है। चालक दल निडर रहते हैं, जैसा कि बीबीसी के गेविन ली ने बचाव जहाज एक्वेरियस से रिपोर्ट किया है।


People chased by cleaver-wielding man in Newquay

Summary: A man wearing a "Friday 13th"-style mask and brandishing a meat cleaver chased people around a seaside resort, police have said.

It happened in the Fore Street area of Newquay, Cornwall, at about 04:40 BST. Devon and Cornwall Police said they received a "number of calls" from terrified members of the public who had been threatened. Officers arrested a man at about 05:10 BST and he remains in police custody. No one was injured in the incident. Related Internet Links Devon and Cornwall Police

पुलिस ने कहा है कि "फ्राइडे 13" शैली का मुखौटा पहने और मीट क्लीवर लहराते हुए एक व्यक्ति ने समुद्र तटीय रिसॉर्ट के आसपास लोगों का पीछा किया।


Body found on Jersey beach believed to be missing man

Summary: The body of a man found on a beach is believed to be that of a missing holidaymaker, police said.

Antonio Fernandes, who was 80, vanished on Thursday and was last seen near Sorel Point, on Jersey's north coast. Emergency services were called just after 06:00 BST to reports of a body on the beach at L'Etacq. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances but believe the body to be Mr Fernandes, although they could not confirm the identity. Earlier in the day, Channel Islands Air Search was called out at 05:20 BST by Jersey Coastguard to search for an elderly person missing on the north coast cliff area of Jersey, but were later stood down.

पुलिस ने कहा कि समुद्र तट पर पाए गए एक व्यक्ति का शव लापता छुट्टी मनाने वाले का माना जा रहा है।


Knowl View School: Review into Rochdale Council

Summary: An independent review is to be held into the way a residential school was run by Rochdale Council.

Andrew Warnock QC will review all council decision making relating to Knowl View from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s when the school closed. Events at the school are being investigated by police after several boys claimed they had been victims of sexual and physical abuse. Council leader Colin Lambert said: "We are treating this matter seriously." He added the council would "ensure that no stone is left unturned".

रोचडेल काउंसिल द्वारा एक आवासीय विद्यालय के संचालन के तरीके की एक स्वतंत्र समीक्षा की जानी है।


Mexican author Carlos Fuentes dead at 83

Summary: The Mexican author Carlos Fuentes has died, aged 83.

Fuentes was one of the most prolific Latin American writers known equally for his fiction and his essays on politics and culture. His most famous works were The Death of Artemio Cruz and The Old Gringo. He was associated with the Latin American Boom - a literary movement made up of mainly young authors whose politically critical works broke with established traditions. He died in a hospital in Mexico City. Hospital sources did not comment on his cause of death. Mr Fuentes wrote a wealth of novels, plays and essays and regularly commented on political events in Spanish newspaper El Pais. Born in Panama in 1928, he did not move to Mexico until he was 16. The son of a diplomat, Mr Fuentes spent much of his childhood moving around the Western Hemisphere. He said it was this which allowed him to view Latin America from a distance, giving him a critical edge. 'Universal Mexican' In many of his works he drew on historical events. His narrative, like that of his contemporaries of the Latin American Boom, was rarely linear, instead relying on flashbacks and changing perspectives. Among English-language readers he is arguably best known for his novel The Old Gringo, which was made into a film starring Gregory Peck in 1989. The novel was inspired by the real-life disappearance of American journalist Ambrose Bierce during the 1910-1920 Mexican Revolution. He was also outspoken in his political views, and was a vocal critic of US administrations, including Washington's policies on immigration and the war on terror. Fuentes was also highly critical of Mexican politics, and in a recent interview with the BBC World Service, he called for a different approach to the war on drugs. He also described the three main candidates in the Mexican presidential election as "mediocre". 'Deep imprint' Cultural and political figures around the world expressed their grief at the news of his death. "I am profoundly sorry for the death of our loved and admired Carlos Fuentes, writer and universal Mexican. Rest in peace," Mexican President Felipe Calderon wrote on Twitter. The front-runner in July's election, Enrique Pena Nieto, said he had not always agreed with Fuentes on political matters but that he recognised his "extraordinary work". Nobel Prize-winning Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa told Spanish daily newspaper El Pais that "with him, we lose a writer whose work and whose presence left a deep imprint". Mexican novelist Jose Agustin told BBC Mundo that Carlos Fuentes "became an essential protagonist in Mexican political and cultural life. He had an immense value, from his first launch in the 1950s he never once backed down for anybody". Chilean-American writer Ariel Dorfman said Fuentes had an amazing generosity of spirit. "He was constantly, constantly championing the younger people. I never heard him say anything nasty about anybody," Dorfman told the BBC. Mr Fuentes had often been mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize but never won. Among the many major literary awards he did win was the Cervantes Prize in 1987. He continued to write until the end, with an essay on the recent change of power in France published in Mexican newspaper Reforma on Tuesday, the same day the Angeles del Pedregal hospital announced his death.

मैक्सिकन लेखक कार्लोस फ्यूएंटेस का 83 वर्ष की आयु में निधन हो गया है।


Disruption is over - and Facebook won

Summary: On Friday, another one bit the dust. As Snap's shares plunged following disappointing results, it became clear that the myth that a feisty young challenger to Facebook could topple the social media giant from its perch was just that - a myth.

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter Of course, the company behind Snapchat is still a very impressive young business, building an audience of 173 million mostly young daily users in just five years and changing the way they communicate, in fun and inventive ways. But its future as an independent company looks uncertain, with talk of it being swallowed up by Google or another web giant. The deep pockets of Facebook, which bought Instagram and WhatsApp, and has relentlessly copied any challenger it couldn't buy, meant that Snap was always going to struggle to deliver on the vision of rapid growth it outlined when marketing its shares earlier this year. And that just adds to the growing sense that the days of creative destruction in the technology industry may be over, and that we are looking at a world where the big winners of the past decade - Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, or "Gafa" as this four-headed beast is sometimes described - will rule unchallenged. In its young life, Facebook has constantly been seen as under threat - and indeed it has fostered that view whenever there has been talk of curbing its power. Just as it had left Bebo, MySpace and Friends Reunited in the dust, the story went, it too could soon be heading for obsolescence as fickle users turned to the new, new thing. But the truth is the social media war is over and Facebook is the winner. A few smaller players such as LinkedIn and Twitter and, yes, Snapchat will have substantial audiences but struggle to make much money. But, apart from in China, the company that is now worth nearly $500bn (£385bn) will continue to be the biggest force in the way we communicate for the foreseeable future. The other members of the Gafa quadrumvirate also look secure in their dominance. Google won the battle for search on the desktop long ago, and has now become equally powerful on the mobile internet. Amazon is the undisputed champion of online retailing and logistics and has built a lead in cloud computing. And while Apple has a relatively small share of the global smartphone market, it has gobbled up most of the industry's profits for the past seven years. Now, key trends in technology mean the giants are poised to grow immeasurably richer. As advertising spending is aimed increasingly at phones, Google and Facebook already have most of the mobile ad revenue. But it is in the use of artificial intelligence that the technology giants aim to cement their technological lead. I was told recently that an AI researcher emerging from a top US university can command a salary of $500,000 a year in a first job. It is not start-ups paying that kind of money but Facebook and Amazon. Of course. you can find lots of brilliant artificial intelligence researchers in the UK - but many of them now work for American companies, with start-ups such as DeepMind and Swiftkey snapped up by Google and Microsoft respectively. So, should we worry about the huge and growing power of these businesses? Unsurprisingly, the companies still insist that at any moment they could be disrupted out of existence by a smart new start-up. But, so far, American competition regulators have also been pretty relaxed, because they tend to focus mainly on whether consumers are paying excessive prices because of a lack of competition. With social media and search giants offering excellent services for nothing, they see few causes for concern right now. In Europe, regulators tend to be somewhat more sceptical about whether companies with monopoly powers deliver for consumers in the long run. That is why we have seen the EU take action against first Microsoft and now Google, where American regulators have mostly left them alone. And while Europe's competition authorities insist that any action they take is based on law, not politics, there is undoubted concern among the continent's politicians about so much power over our lives being concentrated in the hands of a handful of companies based on America's West Coast. So far, however, Facebook has been relatively untouched by this tougher regulatory approach, even if politicians complain about issues such as fake news and the presence of extremist content. In the past year, we have seen it, arguably, play a key role in electing an American president, its global audience has risen above two billion, and it has now moved into video content, taking on YouTube and Netflix. In an interview this weekend with the New York Times, the former Downing Street strategist turned Silicon Valley guru Steve Hilton said: "A lot of the foundational philosophical approaches of tech leaders are actually all about decentralisation of power." Mark Zuckerberg may tell us that Facebook - where, incidentally, Mr Hilton's wife is now a senior executive - is all about giving power back to communities. But increasingly it seems that wealth, influence and control of the key technology of our age, artificial intelligence, are being centralised at addresses in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Cupertino and Seattle.

शुक्रवार को एक और झटका लगा। जैसे ही निराशाजनक परिणामों के बाद स्नैप के शेयरों में गिरावट आई, यह स्पष्ट हो गया कि यह मिथक कि फेसबुक के लिए एक उत्साही युवा चैलेंजर सोशल मीडिया दिग्गज को उसके पर्च से पछाड़ सकता है, बस एक मिथक था।


Man charged with Liverpool woman's drugs death murder

Summary: A 45-year-old man has been charged with murdering a woman who was found dead in a house last year.

Merseyside Police said ambulance staff found Lyndsey Alcock dead at the property in Swallowhurst Crescent in Croxteth, Liverpool, on 29 May. Carl William Alcock, of no fixed abode, was charged on 12 December with murder and remanded into custody. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was "mixed depressant drug toxicity with pneumonia". Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

एक 45 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर एक महिला की हत्या का आरोप लगाया गया है जो पिछले साल एक घर में मृत पाई गई थी।


Council planners oppose plans for Sanquhar wind farm

Summary: Plans for a new wind farm in Upper Nithsdale are facing opposition from council planners.

They have recommended that councillors refuse Element Power's application to build nine turbines at Twentyshilling Hill, two miles south of Sanquhar. Two local community councils support the development of the 125m (410ft) high turbines. But planners claim it would have a significant impact on a valuable scenic area.

ऊपरी निथ्सडेल में एक नए पवन फार्म की योजनाओं को परिषद के योजनाकारों के विरोध का सामना करना पड़ रहा है।


Immigration points-based systems compared

Summary: The campaign to get Britain out of the EU has called for an Australian-style, points-based immigration system to be applied to all migrant workers - not just those from outside the EU. So how does the UK's system - also based on points - differ from those of other countries?

By Adam DonaldPolitical reporter United Kingdom The numbers In the year to December 2015, an estimated total of 630,000 immigrants arrived in the UK to stay for more than a year, including 83,000 British citizens and 270,000 from other parts of the EU. An estimated 297,000 emigrated from the UK, including 123,000 British citizens and 65,000 citizens of other EU countries. The Office for National Statistics does not release a bulletin setting out the country of origin of immigrants, only the region they came from. Separate figures for National Insurance numbers issued to foreign nationals for the year ending March 2016 show how many people registered to work in the UK. The top five countries were: The top five countries for entry visas issued to non-EU nationals in the same year were: The UK's points-based system In February 2008, the Labour government introduced the UK's first points-based immigration system heralded by ministers as being based on the Australian system. It replaced a labyrinthine scheme which saw 80 different types of visa granted. The system contains a lengthy list of sub-tiers of migrant, but broadly they are classed as one of four 'tiers'. Tier 3 was intended to be a pathway for unskilled immigrants, but after the system began operating the British government decided there was no need for further unskilled immigration from outside the EU. Under the coalition, it has been removed and others tweaked so now the tiers are: Each tier offers its own allocation of points for specific 'attributes'. For each of the groups in tier 1, a person earns points according to different criteria: The admission of migrants who possess "exceptional talent"- that is, who are acknowledged to be world leaders in their fields - is capped at 1,000 per year, although few have taken advantage of this route so far. You must have a specific job offer in order to apply for entry under tier 2, and reach a total of 70 points. By far the easiest means of meeting that target is by having a job on the 'Shortage Occupation List', such as chief executive officer of a major company, biochemist, engineer or medical practitioner. Such an occupation earns a person 50 points, to be topped up by other factors including age and experience. Beyond the points Because the UK is a member of the European Union the points-based system only applies to people who are moving to the UK from outside the European Union. There is freedom of movement across the EU and, barring temporary restrictions for some new member states, freedom to work as well. Migrant health Paragraph 36 of the immigration rules provides that anyone planning to stay in the UK longer than six months should be referred for a medical examination, the cost of which is borne by the applicant. This is designed to ensure that no-one is admitted to the UK who might: UK Visas and Immigration currently runs a tuberculosis-testing programme for aspiring immigrants in "high-incident countries" and their applications are paused, pending treatment, if they test positive. Education Immigrants from outside the EU wishing to pursue higher education in the UK must satisfy several criteria. They must: Australia The numbers Australia operates two immigration schemes: the Migration Programme, which caters for economic immigrants, and the Humanitarian Programme for refugees and displaced persons. For the year 2013-14 Australia capped non-humanitarian immigrants at 190,000 - including the dependants of skilled workers. In that period Australia also welcomed approximately 20,000 people under its Humanitarian programme. The latest figures for people leaving Australia - for 2012-13 - was 91,000. The top 5 countries of origin for immigrants to Australia were: The points-based system The Australian Labor government elected in 1972 decided migrants would be granted a visa based on their personal attributes and ability to contribute to Australian society - most obviously, through their occupational status. The previous policy, which selected migrants largely on a racial and ethnic basis, was discarded. The points system - formalised in 1989 - has gone through several versions, and was most recently updated in July 2011. The Migration Programme divides available visas into two broad classes: skilled worker and employer-sponsored. Skilled-worker visas are points-tested, and to be eligible for one a person must meet a 65-point minimum. Skilled workers include professional and manual workers, with accountants and mechanics alike earning 60 points for their occupation. Those on the lower end of the scale, at 40 points, include youth workers and interior decorators. For people in a job on the skilled-worker list, points are awarded for factors including age, recognised qualifications, and previous experience working abroad. Those on employee-sponsored visas are not points-tested. Migrant health: Australia also has a health requirement for immigrants, designed to: Everyone applying for a permanent visa needs to complete a medical check, a chest x-ray (if older than 11) and HIV test (if older than 15). Only tuberculosis specifically precludes an applicant from meeting the health requirement, though even then they may resume their application after treatment. Those with other conditions are assessed by visa officers on the cost and impact of their treatment in Australian society, before a decision is made. Character test Australia has a mandatory "character test" for immigrants, designed to exclude anyone with a "substantial criminal record" or who is deemed to be a risk to the community. If someone is thought at risk of the following then they are excluded: Canada The numbers In 2013, Canada welcomed 258,619 immigrants, including economic migrants and refugees The latest figures indicate that in the same period, approximately 65,000 people left Canada. The top 5 countries of origin for immigrants to Canada were: Points-based system Canada was the first country to introduce a points-based system, in 1967. According to a report by the think-tank CentreForum, the Canadian system's distinguishing feature is that it "prioritises broadly desirable human capital, rather than a specific job offer". Like other countries, Canada distinguishes between skilled workers and other kinds of immigrant. Those applying for a federal skilled worker visa without a job offer are capped at 25,500, plus 1,000 each for a number of professional and technical professions. Some migrants can receive greater weighting for going to a particular territory, such as Nova Scotia. To qualify for Canadian immigration, a person has to meet a minimum of 67 points, with the maximum for each area as follows: 25 points from their educational background, 24 points from proficiency in the English and French languages, 21 points for previous work experience, 10 points for being in the prime age of employment, and up to 10 if one has an offer of employment. Financial background is also taken into consideration. Migrant health Immigrants to Canada must undergo medical examination by one of a list of physicians in their country of origin approved by the Canadian government. There are no diseases whose possession would immediately halt an application to immigrate - all cases are assessed individually. Medical inadmissibility is likely to be declared for applicants whose condition: Education Canada offers a student visa to any applicant who has:

ब्रिटेन को यूरोपीय संघ से बाहर निकालने के अभियान ने सभी प्रवासी श्रमिकों पर ऑस्ट्रेलियाई शैली, अंक-आधारित आप्रवासन प्रणाली लागू करने का आह्वान किया है-न कि केवल यूरोपीय संघ के बाहर के लोगों पर। तो यूके की प्रणाली-जो अंकों पर भी आधारित है-अन्य देशों से कैसे भिन्न है?


Jay-Z and Strokes for Wight fest

Summary: Jay-Z and The Strokes will play next year's Isle Of Wight festival.

By Greg CochraneNewsbeat music reporter The three day festival, held at Seaclose Park, Newport, takes place 11-13 June 2010 and will also see performances from Pink, Orbital and Blondie. Last year's event was headlined by The Prodigy, Stereophonics and Neil Young. Tickets for the festival go on sale on 4 December. Made famous in the late 1960s the festival is now in its ninth year having been revived in 2002.

जे-जेड और द स्ट्रोक्स अगले साल के आइल ऑफ वाइट उत्सव में खेलेंगे।