France struggles to cut down on nuclear power

Summary: The Fukushima disaster led many countries to rethink their view on nuclear energy. Germany plans to abandon it altogether, but French President Francois Hollande also wants to cut nuclear output sharply - by a third in 20 years. It's a big ask in a country that now relies on nuclear for 75% of its electricity.

By Rob BroombyBBC News, Paris If fully implemented, the pledge would force the closure of up to 20 of the country's 58 reactors according to Professor Laurence Tubiana a former government adviser who the president asked to facilitate a national debate, paving the way for what they call la transition energetique. This would be a huge step, but Tubiana describes it as a "logical evolution". France realised that Japan had survived economically when all its atomic power stations were shut down because of its diverse energy mix. In Japan, before the disaster, nuclear power delivered about 30% of the country's electricity, but France is hugely dependent not only on nuclear, but on a single generation of nuclear power stations. It is vulnerable to a "generic risk", according to Tubiana, where a problem with one reactor could force them all offline for the fault to be fixed. This would cause chaos. She says the 20 reactors closed in the "transition" could be replaced by renewable energy, which she says would maintain French energy independence and be both "stable and secure". So far, however, the government has only earmarked one power station for closure - the ageing plant at Fessenheim on the German border - which prompts some to question the government's commitment to Hollande's promise. There is evidently reluctance in cabinet. Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg is on record as saying that Fessenheim will be the only nuclear power station to close. On a visit to China in December he reassured his audience that nuclear energy was a "sector of the future" and would continue to contribute "at least 50%" of France's electricity output. Another member of Hollande's Socialist Party, the MP Christian Bataille, says the plan to curb nuclear was hatched as a way of securing the backing of his Green coalition partners in parliament. He describes nuclear power as the country's "only national energy source". "We no longer have coal, we never had much petrol and we don't have any gas. Nuclear energy contributes to our independence," Bataille says. "People only reject it if they're subjected to scaremongering campaigns." French nuclear power was the ultimate "grand project" forged in the 1970s and designed to make France as energy-independent as possible. Its reactors have been churning out low-carbon energy at some of the lowest prices in Europe for decades - helping, supporters say, to make French industry competitive. At a fashionable Parisian street market I spoke to a number of shoppers, with differing views on nuclear power. "People need energy, and nuclear is necessary to live," one smartly dressed woman told me. But others had been unsettled by Fukushima and were concerned about both safety and nuclear waste. "It is very useful but it is very dangerous," said one elderly man. He would prefer renewable energy, he said, but recognised it would take time to switch. Meanwhile, the economics of nuclear power are changing too. The safety upgrades forced by Fukushima will cost about 10bn euros (£8bn) and maintenance costs are expected to rise sharply as the nuclear plants age. By the end of 2022, more than one in three French reactors will have been in operation for 40 years or more. The state-owned utility EDF plans to extend the lives of reactors from 40 to 60 years, but that will cost money too. It's one reason why the golden age of low-priced electricity in France is over, according to Prof Patrice Geoffron of Paris Dauphine University. "All the drivers of the electricity price will go up in the future," he says. "If you hear what is said by the regulator of energy we will be obliged to increase the price by 30% by 2020." Independent energy analyst Mycle Schneider says that in this environment, the most expensive renewable energy sources could become more competitive than nuclear in less than five years - which is "tomorrow morning in energy policy," he says. Cecile Maisonneuve, a former board member of the state-owned reactor and fuel manufacturer Areva who now heads the energy division of IFRI, a think tank, describes the government's plan for the transition as "too fast and for the moment... not credible". France would fall back on gas, or even coal, she says, with a consequent rise in CO2 emissions. She says Germany has seen a small increase in the use of coal during its transition - though German experts say that is because gas cannot compete with coal on price, and the European Union's Emissions Trading System is to blame. Professor Tubiana says by concentrating on nuclear power France has slipped behind on rival technologies like wind, solar and biomass and it must now take steps to catch up quickly. "We were very good 20 years ago with solar concentration," she says. "We are now nowhere. We concentrated all our efforts on one side." If France does not create a market for renewable energy it will never be competitive in the sector, she says - while its nuclear industry could still be powerful even in 2050, even under the Hollande plan. If 50% of electricity continues to be generated by nuclear, that is still an "enormous" figure, she says. Even if President Hollande's plan for the transition stalls, it seems clear at least that there will be no further expansion of nuclear in France. EDF is planning to build two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley in western England with Chinese help, but at Flamanville in Normandy a new reactor of the same EPR design is behind schedule and massively over budget. A second envisaged EPR reactor in France has been shelved indefinitely - and no other new nuclear power stations are planned. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

फुकुशिमा आपदा ने कई देशों को परमाणु ऊर्जा पर अपने दृष्टिकोण पर पुनर्विचार करने के लिए प्रेरित किया। जर्मनी ने इसे पूरी तरह से छोड़ने की योजना बनाई है, लेकिन फ्रांसीसी राष्ट्रपति फ्रांस्वा ओलांद भी परमाणु उत्पादन में तेजी से कटौती करना चाहते हैं-20 वर्षों में एक तिहाई तक। यह एक ऐसे देश में एक बड़ी मांग है जो अब अपनी 75 प्रतिशत बिजली के लिए परमाणु पर निर्भर है।


Brussels terror threat: 'Weird atmosphere'

Summary: Brussels has been placed on its highest level of terror alert.

Prime Minister Charles Michel said: "Several individuals with arms and explosives could launch an attack... perhaps even in several places." This comes a week after Paris suffered a series of attacks that killed 130 people. People in Belgium have been describing what the atmosphere is like in the Belgium capital. Kiran from Brussels says: "Army and police are on patrol in the Sainte Catherine area of Brussels. "Rue Neuve the main shopping street in Brussels is fully closed. "On one main road running from north to south from the station I could see every 100m there were army trucks or police patrols. "From my house earlier I could see a large police and army presence." @IdairaRobayna tweets what the feeling is like in Brussels: @OphelinhaP tweets her concerns for the coming days: University student, Marie-Emmanuelle André-Dumont says it's been a day full of insecurities. "Everything has been cancelled, or almost. I feel like the city is in a state of war. "I was actually out in the early hours on Saturday when I first saw lots of police and military vehicles on the streets suddenly. I planned to go to a concert and shopping which has now been cancelled. My little brother's soccer game has been cancelled too because there's no public transport. It's a strange atmosphere. We never knew anything like this." Chris Foreman is spending the weekend in Brussels with his girlfriend but says he has been in his hotel for most of the day because of the security alert. "We were walking down the street last night looking for a restaurant and we saw at least 15 armoured military and police vehicles pass by at top speed with the sirens ringing. "We decided to play it safe and not go to the centre. "Today has been another 'play it safe' day and now we are thinking about how to get to the airport tomorrow and whether or not there'll be delays or cancellations etc. "Suffice to say, all hopes of a nice city break have been dashed. "We hope nothing happens and that life in Brussels, and the rest of Europe, can go on as normal." @NiallForKidney tweets about the atmosphere in the city: Compiled by Andree Massiah

ब्रसेल्स को आतंकी चेतावनी के उच्चतम स्तर पर रखा गया है।


Myanmar Muslims fear further 'turning of the tide'

Summary: For Tun Kyi, Myanmar is home. He was born and brought up in the country and, like thousands of other Burmese, he was also protesting in the streets for democracy during the military junta's rule. He spent 10 years in prison.

By Anbarasan EthirajanBBC News, Yangon Today, he is playing an active role in the Former Political Prisoners Society of Myanmar. He was one of those Muslims who hoped the community would get its rightful place in society after the end of military rule in 2010. "The situation changed after the violence in Rakhine state in 2012," he said. "The tide is not just against Rohingya Muslims but also against the Muslim community as a whole." Mr Kyi's ancestors migrated from India to Buddhist-majority Myanmar, also known as Burma, generations ago. The clashes between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas in western Rakhine state in 2012 drove 140,000 people out of their homes. Most of those displaced, particularly Rohingya Muslims, ended up seeking refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. I was invited to a mosque in Yangon during Friday prayers. Hundreds of men, many wearing their Islamic caps, were streaming in and getting ready for prayers. The discussions I had with some of the worshippers reflected a sense of uneasiness among the community following the latest round of violence in Rakhine. The violence was triggered after Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) - a Rohingya Muslim militant group - launched simultaneous attacks on Myanmar security check posts in the region on 25 August. The Myanmar military swiftly launched what it described as counter-terrorism operations. More than half-a-million Rohingya Muslims have since fled the violence, bringing with them reports of rape and extra-judicial killings. Senior UN officials and human rights groups have described the exodus of Rohingya Muslims as "ethnic cleansing"- a charge vehemently denied by the government of Myanmar. "The problem there in Rakhine state is terrible," says worshipper Muhammad Yunus. "There are concerns that the violence may spill over to Yangon and other places." He says that Muslims in other parts of the country are very careful about what they say and do in their day-to-day affairs. "There are people who were born and raised in Rakhine state now living in Yangon," says Mr Yunus. "They are worried about their family members and relatives back home." Muslims are believed to constitute about 4.5% of Myanmar's population of 53 million. The estimate also includes Rohingya Muslims, but Muslim community leaders argue that their real population could be twice the official figure. Various reports point out that Muslims have been living in Myanmar for centuries. Their numbers increased during British colonial rule when many of them either migrated or were brought in from the Indian subcontinent. Rohingya Muslims - who are linguistically different from Muslims in south and central Myanmar - lived mostly in western Rakhine state. Islamic community leaders say they are disappointed that despite the numbers there is no single sitting Muslim member of parliament. The elections in 2015 brought Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) to power, but even the NLD did not field any Muslim candidates. "We feel that we are being discriminated against in every way, you name it," says Al-Haj U Aye Lwin, the chief convener of the Islamic Centre of Myanmar. He says that has been the case since 1962 - when the military seized power - and Muslims have been weeded out from important government positions. "Now you don't find even one junior [Muslim] officer in the police force, let alone the army," says Mr Lwin. He argues that the discrimination mainly emanates from the government and is not so widespread at grassroots level. Mr Lwin is one of the members of an Independent Advisory Commission, headed by the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to find solutions to the conflict in Rakhine state. The commission was set up by Ms Suu Kyi in 2016. It submitted its recommendations on 24 August - a day before the latest round of violence started. Mr Lwin says Ms Suu Kyi may not be perfect, but "she is our only hope". He argues that the state counsellor has done whatever she could to solve the Rohingya issue. "If she comes out openly and started to speak for the Muslims, it will be a political suicide for her," he says. "We don't want that to happen." He warns that the West should understand that if she is discredited and removed from power, Myanmar risks a return to authoritarian rule. "Only the dictators will come back," he cautions. Where have the Rohingya fled to?

तुन की के लिए, म्यांमार घर है। उनका जन्म और पालन-पोषण देश में हुआ था और हजारों अन्य बर्मी लोगों की तरह, वे भी सैन्य जुंटा के शासन के दौरान लोकतंत्र के लिए सड़कों पर विरोध प्रदर्शन कर रहे थे। उन्होंने 10 साल जेल में बिताए।


Mosul battle: Despair and death as civilians flee

Summary: As the battle to retake the last districts of Mosul from IS control enters its final stages, the UN says as many as 100,000 civilians are trapped there, held as human shields by the militants. BBC Persian's Nafiseh Kohnavard is one of the few international reporters to have been on the frontline and witnessed what's becoming an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation.

Even by the grim standards of the long and bloody battle for Mosul, what's been happening in the western part of the city over the past two weeks is unlike anything that's gone before. As the Iraqi forces close in on the militants in a tiny area of narrow streets in the old city, the civilian death toll is rising at an alarming rate. Over the past two weeks, the UN says that 230 residents have been killed in western Mosul, some in air strikes and rocket attacks, and others shot dead by IS snipers as they try to flee. Unlike in eastern Mosul, where residents were told to stay in their homes and take shelter in the basements while the fighting raged around them, the advice from the Iraqi forces in leaflets dropped on the old town and neighbouring district is stark. "If you can find a way out, leave now." "It was a tough decision to make," says Gen Fares, from the Iraqi federal police. "But these areas are densely packed and we are expected intense fighting so saving civilians lives here is more difficult than in any other area." Standing just back from the frontline in Zanjili district, we watched a steady stream of distraught civilians fleeing towards Iraqi positions. With IS fighters less than 300 metres away, the air was full of the sound of gunfire and explosions. Many people were bleeding, many people had become separated from their families or had seen relatives, including children, shot. All around people were sobbing - adults and children. And everyone was shouting the same thing: "IS snipers! They shot at us, they kept shooting at us." We met a man called Mohammad who seemed frozen with shock. He was carrying his four-year-old son who had been shot dead as the family fled. "We didn't expect this. I swear we didn't," he said. "The army was so close by that we all decided to make a run for it." Even the Iraqi forces seem taken aback by the scale of the chaos. As we watched we saw medics struggling to deal with the wounded and ambulances too full to take everyone to hospital. The fleeing residents described an increasingly desperate situation inside the old town as the militants prepare for a fight to the death. "They didn't let us come out, they closed down all shops, they took whatever was left in markets and they forced people, especially women and children, to go with them," said Zohal a doctor who fled with her husband and four children. Others spoke of running out of food and water and having to dig wells in their yards to try to find water supplies. The Iraqi forces say they have no clear idea how many IS militants are holed up in the old town. "We thought there were between 150 and 300 IS fighters in western Mosul," Lt Gen Jewdat Raed, of the Iraqi Federal Police, told the BBC. "But after 16 days of day and nights of fighting we have killed 1,800." The task is complicated by the fact that armoured vehicles and heavy equipment cannot be taken into the narrow alleyways of the old town. The Iraqi forces are also reluctant to carry out air strikes on major buildings where they suspect the militants are hiding out, because they have reports civilians are being held inside. Lt Col John Hawbaker, of the US Army 82nd Airborne Division, who is providing advice and assistance to the Iraqi federal police, describes this type of warfare as "the hardest one for any army in the world". As we drove towards the frontline in Zanjili, we passed through areas newly liberated from the militants. Evidence of just how fierce the fighting has been was clear - with ruined houses, bodies lying in the streets and cars upended among mounds of rubble. The Iraqi forces say they want to finish the Mosul operation by the end of Ramadan. Many previous deadlines have been and gone. And with every day that passes the long list of civilians and soldiers who will never live to see their city liberated keeps getting longer.

जैसे-जैसे मोसुल के अंतिम जिलों को आईएस के नियंत्रण से वापस लेने की लड़ाई अपने अंतिम चरण में प्रवेश कर रही है, संयुक्त राष्ट्र का कहना है कि लगभग 100,000 नागरिक वहां फंसे हुए हैं, जिन्हें आतंकवादियों द्वारा मानव ढाल के रूप में रखा गया है। बीबीसी फारसी के नफीसेह कोहनवार्ड उन कुछ अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संवाददाताओं में से एक हैं जो अग्रिम मोर्चे पर रहे हैं और उन्होंने देखा है कि क्या एक तेजी से हताश मानवीय स्थिति बन रही है।


Mumps - is it the forgotten disease?

Summary: There has been a sharp increase in cases of mumps this year in England - but the viral illness which can cause swollen glands (and, more rarely, testes) has been around for a very long time.

By Philippa RoxbyHealth reporter, BBC News Way back in the 5th Century BC, Hippocrates is thought to be the first person to have recorded the symptoms of the disease. The Greek physician described "swellings... about the ears, in many on either side, and in the greatest number on both sides". His observations clearly point to the classic sign of mumps - the puffy-cheeked appearance which affects many, though not all, of those affected. This is a result of the mumps virus causing the swelling and inflammation of one or both parotid glands, which sit in front of the ears. It can lead to difficulty opening the mouth to talk, eat and drink. And this recognisable symptom probably gave the illness its name. 'Hamster face' Mumps is a strange word for an illness, and it has no clear origin. It could come from the old English word for grimace or sulk - mump - or it may be linked to the Icelandic word for a mouth being filled too full - mumpa - and the Dutch for mumble, "mompelen". However, the overriding impression is that the distinctive "hamster face" appearance of the illness has influenced its name. But it is not the only part of the body that can swell up - in rare cases, the testes, the pancreas, the brain and the ovaries can too. "It doesn't make boys sterile - that's a myth," says Prof Helen Bedford, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Mumps is, however, more serious and more painful the older you are. Headaches, fever and ear pain often accompany the swelling. Outbreaks are common Mumps has not only reappeared this year, despite the rise in cases. Before the MMR vaccine - the second M stands for mumps - was introduced in the UK in 1988, eight out of 10 people developed mumps and most of them were children of school age. At that time, there were five deaths a year from mumps, mainly due to encephalitis or swelling of the brain. After then, the illness became relatively rare but it started coming back again in the 2000s, with the largest outbreak in 2005 rising to more than 43,000 cases in England and Wales. Cases have never spiked like that again, but outbreaks are common and cases of mumps consistently outnumber measles and rubella cases each year. Teenagers and young adults in colleges and universities are now the ones who tend to be affected - for several reasons. They may be too old to have been immunised or offered the MMR, or may only have had one dose of the vaccine - or they had two doses, but the vaccine's protection against mumps has worn off. "The mumps vaccine is not as effective as other bits of MMR, which is why it's important to have two doses," says Prof Bedford. Close-mixing groups of young people in other countries are similarly affected by mumps outbreaks. The virus is easily spread, through saliva or droplets in a cough or sneeze - a bit like colds and flu. Prof Bedford says it is important to remember the impact of mumps (as well as measles and rubella) on children, and young people. "Mumps can make children feel very unwell and stay in bed for days. "It's not nothing. Perhaps we've lost sight of what these illnesses are really like," she says. Thankfully, we have Hippocrates to remind us.

इंग्लैंड में इस साल गलगंड के मामलों में तेज वृद्धि हुई है-लेकिन वायरल बीमारी जो सूजन ग्रंथियों (और, शायद ही कभी, वृषण) का कारण बन सकती है, बहुत लंबे समय से है।


Bradford City football stadium blaze surgeon honoured

Summary: It is nearly three decades since a fire swept through Bradford City's Valley Parade ground, killing 56 people and injuring hundreds more. And yet a pioneering burns research unit set up in its aftermath and funded largely by donations continues to thrive, with its founder still considered some sort of local hero.

Prof David Sharpe, who was presented with an award during Bradford City's last home game of the season, still finds that status surprising. "I think there's a bit of a myth that I personally dragged people out of the stand and saved their lives but that's not true," he said. "I just did what I was paid to do." Prof Sharpe had been working as a consultant plastic surgeon for just five months and was on call when fire broke out during a match between Bradford and Lincoln, on 11 May 1985. He treated and planned surgery for more than 200 people who had suffered burns, mainly to the hands, scalp and back of legs. "You become very fond of people when you're treating them like that, there is a lot of camaraderie on the ward, it's like a family," he said. One of the many people injured that day was Matthew Wildman, who told the BBC "[I] looked down at my hands and they were bubbling like melting cheese". The then 17-year-old was sitting in the block adjacent to where the fire started. It is thought a lit cigarette or match dropped onto rubbish beneath the club's wooden main stand could have sparked the blaze, which took no more than four minutes to leave 56 spectators fatally injured. Mr Wildman was "badly burned from head to foot" and was taken to St Luke's hospital in Bradford where he was treated by Prof Sharpe and his team. "I must have had five different experiments carried out on me with all sorts of new techniques for skin grafts and I had potions injected into me that helped my face repair naturally over time," he said. "The entire team was superb." In the weeks after the fire, Prof Sharpe helped found the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit at the University of Bradford, where he was director until retiring in December last year. The centre does not treat burn victims but carries out stem cell research to try to find new ways to treat the injuries and speed up the healing process. It was established by, and continues to exist through, donations from members of the public. At the beginning it was also assisted by the royalties from Prof Sharpe's "Bradford sling", which he designed and used to help those injured in the disaster. An appeal by Bradford's Telegraph and Argus newspaper to mark the 25th anniversary of the disaster raised more than £167,000 - enough to fund the unit for several more years. Prof Sharpe said: "It's gone on much longer than expected." And Alan Carling, of the Bradford City Supporters' Board, thinks that support will continue for a long time, despite Prof Sharpe's departure. "It's the lasting tribute - the institutional tribute - to the 56 who died," he said. "A lot of people owe their quality of life to Professor Sharpe and his colleagues in the early days of the burns research unit. "He was thrown in to the middle of an awful situation but his response to it led to great improvements in treatment to burns victims, and that has continued to this day." Prof Sharpe has described the tragedy as a "catalyst" that led to research and improvements. "Initially, the value of the unit was in clinical studies, for example research into scalp burns, which lots of people suffered at Bradford City, and treating them by putting a balloon under the scalp to stretch out the skin. "Burns will always be with us, so if we can speed up the healing process and make it easier it has long-term benefits." The presentation ceremony to mark Prof Sharpe's retirement was held at half-time on the pitch during Bradford's League One match against Crawley Town.

ब्रैडफोर्ड सिटी के वैली परेड ग्राउंड में आग लगने के लगभग तीन दशक हो चुके हैं, जिसमें 56 लोगों की मौत हो गई और सैकड़ों लोग घायल हो गए। और फिर भी इसके बाद स्थापित और बड़े पैमाने पर दान द्वारा वित्त पोषित एक अग्रणी जलती हुई शोध इकाई का विकास जारी है, जिसके संस्थापक को अभी भी किसी न किसी तरह का स्थानीय नायक माना जाता है।


Union Terrace Gardens rejuvenation forces one-way traffic move in Aberdeen

Summary: A major thoroughfare in Aberdeen city centre is to be restricted to one-way traffic for most of the year due to work on the rejuvenation of historic Union Terrace Gardens.

Union Terrace will be closed southbound from 27 January, with the restriction due to be in place until mid-November. Traffic will be allowed to travel northbound from Union Street to Rosemount Viaduct. Work to transform the sunken gardens began in September. The council said the closure was needed to ensure the safety of workers carrying out the replacement of the existing arches which run under the road, as well as strengthening of balustrades, slab reinforcement, and resurfacing. First Bus and Stagecoach will make timetable and route changes to some services as a result. The £25.7m Union Terrace Gardens project is expected to be completed in the summer of next year. The sunken gardens originally opened in 1879.

ऐतिहासिक यूनियन टेरेस गार्डन के कायाकल्प पर काम के कारण एबरडीन शहर के केंद्र में एक प्रमुख मार्ग को वर्ष के अधिकांश समय के लिए एकतरफा यातायात तक सीमित रखा जाना है।


Donald Trump Jr tweet: 'I'm a refugee' says Skittles photographer

Summary: Donald Trump Jr's tweet comparing Skittles to refugees has caused a furore on social media. In a new development, the man who took the photo of the Skittles has revealed himself to be a former refugee.

By Patrick EvansBBC David Kittos, 48, from Guildford, UK, woke up to find an image he had posted to Flickr in January 2010 had become embroiled in a political controversy. "This was not done with my permission, I don't support his politics and I would never take his money to use it," Mr Kittos told the BBC. "In 1974, when I was six-years old, I was a refugee from the Turkish occupation of Cyprus so I would never approve the use of this image against refugees." In his tweet, the son of the Republican presidential candidate uses Mr Kittos' image with the accompanying text: "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful?'' "That's our Syrian refugee problem." He adds: "This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first." Wrigley, the company that owns Skittles, stepped in to the furore by responding: "Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don't feel it is an appropriate analogy". 'No permission' David Kittos, who does not follow Twitter, was alerted to the use of the image by friends. A keen photographer, he told the BBC he originally took the picture in his home studio: "I was just experimenting with something called off-camera flash. "This was six years ago when there were no Syrian refugees at the time and it was never done with the intention of spreading a political message. "I have never put this image up for sale. This was not done with my permission, I don't support Trump's politics and I would never take his money to use it." Mr Kittos' personal history means he is particularly dismayed by his image being used in a debate around accepting refugees. "I am now a British citizen but I am Greek-Cypriot by birth and in 1974 I was a refugee because of the Turkish occupation. "I was six years old. We lived in the area of Cyprus that is now under Turkish military control. We had to leave everything behind overnight. Our property and our possessions." 'Pure greed' Mr Kittos is unsure whether he will take action over the use of his image by the Trump campaign. "I would like the Trump campaign to delete the image, but they are probably not interested in what I have to say," he said. "I was thinking about getting lawyers involved but I don't know if I have the patience. "This isn't about the money for me. They could have just bought a cheap image from a micro stock library. This is pure greed from them. I don't think they care about my feelings. They should not be stealing an image full stop." Patrick Evans, BBC's UGC and Social News team An emotional reunion Meet a family of Syrian refugees who are adjusting to a new life in Canada.

डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प जूनियर के स्किटल्स की तुलना शरणार्थियों से करने वाले ट्वीट ने सोशल मीडिया पर हंगामा खड़ा कर दिया है। एक नए घटनाक्रम में, स्किटल्स की तस्वीर लेने वाले व्यक्ति ने खुद को एक पूर्व शरणार्थी बताया है।


Man's nose broken and teeth knocked out in Derry attack

Summary: A man in his 20s has been left with a suspected broken nose and missing teeth after he was stopped while driving by a group of up to 20 men in Londonderry.

It happened in the Skeoge Road between 14:00 and 16:00 GMT and was reported at 18:40. The victim was driving near Clon Elagh when he was stopped. The PSNI said the driver-side door of the car was opened, he was repeatedly punched in the face and an attempt was also made to pull him out. Police said he sustained a "suspected broken nose" and lost two teeth in the attack before he got away. The windscreen of his car was smashed and the tyres were slashed. Det Sgt Gavin McLaughlin described it as an "appalling attack" which left the victim in "an extremely distressed and shaken state". "Our enquiries are continuing this morning, and we are working to establish a motive for this brutal attack," he said. Police are appealing to anyone who was on Skeoge Road at the time of the incident.

लंदनडेरी में 20 लोगों के एक समूह द्वारा गाड़ी चलाते समय रोके जाने के बाद 20 साल के एक व्यक्ति की नाक टूटी हुई और दांत गायब होने का संदेह है।


Two named in fatal Leicester police vehicle crash

Summary: Two men who died when a car being followed by an unmarked police vehicle collided with a tipper truck have been named.

Two passengers in a Peugeot 206 suffered fatal injuries in the crash on 10 March on Upperton Road, Leicester. They have been named by police as David Anger, 24, and Christopher Needham, 37, both from Leicester. A 35-year-old man arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has been released on bail. Updates on this story and more from Leicestershire The Peugeot driver suffered serious injuries but has since been discharged from hospital. Two people in the truck sustained minor injuries in the crash, which caused damage to a nearby shop. The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), Leicestershire Police said.

एक कार के पीछे एक अचिह्नित पुलिस वाहन की टिप्पर ट्रक से टक्कर में दो लोगों की मौत हो गई।


David Miliband quitting Parliament

Summary: A close friend of David Miliband has confirmed to the BBC that he is planning to quit Parliament to take up what is described as a "big international job based in New York".

Nick RobinsonPolitical editor The man who lost the Labour leadership to his brother only called friends this afternoon to tell them the news. One source told me that he must have known that "we would try to dissuade him... we badly need him... it's very sad." UPDATE 21:30 - The BBC understands David Miliband will be leaving Parliament to take up the job of CEO of the International Rescue Committee, a charity which, according to its website, works in over 40 countries and responds to "the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives". He is thought to be replacing Dr George Rupp.

डेविड मिलिबैंड के एक करीबी दोस्त ने बीबीसी को पुष्टि की है कि वह "न्यूयॉर्क में स्थित एक बड़ी अंतरराष्ट्रीय नौकरी" के रूप में वर्णित करने के लिए संसद छोड़ने की योजना बना रहे हैं।


The Story of Wales: Rebuilding historic monuments for the screen

Summary: How do you conjure up a majestic Roman amphitheatre from a set of 2,000-year-old stone ruins? How do you faithfully recreate a 9th Century wooden settlement on an overgrown island in the middle of a modern-day lake?

These were just two of the challenges facing the makers of BBC Wales' new history series, The Story of Wales. The six-part series traces the history of the nation from the Ice Age to the information age. It features computer-generated recreations of 28 ancient, crumbling or disappeared Welsh historic landmarks, ranging from the Roman settlement in Caerleon, near Newport, to the 19th Century slums of Merthyr Tydfil. To ensure each recreation was done as accurately as possible, the production team sought advice from the leading experts on each location. "We went to the best source in each case," said Llinos Williams, production manager on the series, which was made for BBC Wales by Green Bay. Llyr Williams and Christian Lett of Pontypridd-based animation production company Dinamo were brought on board to help produce the CGI sequences. 'Factually accurate' For episode three, the design team was tasked with producing a virtual reconstruction of the 12th Century Strata Florida Abbey near Tregaron in Ceredigion, and so turned to Cadw. "Cadw had their own research going on into what Strata Florida originally looked like," said Ms Williams. "Professor David Austin, who works with Cadw, is heading their research project into Strata Florida and he was incredibly helpful in getting us to the right structure. "We were even able to make sure that the window panels were factually accurate." To reconstruct the AD90 Roman settlement at Caerleon in episode one, the team drew inspiration from a painting that National Museum Wales had been putting together with Cardiff University. "Llyr and Christian would go out on site with the relevant episode director at each location and we put them in contact with academics," explains Ms Williams. "They then did their own research, drawing on information sources from across the world to help them piece together their images. "They looked at an amphitheatre in Rome to get an idea of the textures for the building materials for the Caerleon amphitheatre." The result was a remarkable sequence in which series presenter Huw Edwards walks in the present-day stone ruins of the amphitheatre. As he walks into the arena it morphs into the amphitheatre as it would have looked like in AD90, when up to 6,000 people would have gathered to watch gladiatorial games against man and beast. "That shot, which last 30 seconds, took us about a month to complete, I'd say," said Llyr Williams. "A lot of people knew about the amphitheatre there but what the CGI does is put across the true scale of the place," added Llinos Williams. Completing the CGI element of the series, which also features 38 dramatisations of key scenes from Welsh history, was a lengthy process. "It started in May 2011 and ended in December," said Ms Williams. "There were difficulties. The earlier you go in history, of course, the less documentation there is. "So an element of it is interpretation. But it's academic interpretation rather than us going off on a flight of fancy. "And in retelling Welsh history it really gives you a sense of being there, a sort of living history if you like." Her favourite sequence, she said, was a sequence in episode four recreating the 19th Century industrial hub of Swansea, complete with smoke and smog. "We went to Swansea Bay to film and, of course, on the day we filmed it was a bright and beautiful day. "But when the CGI image was laid on top the scene was totally transformed. "To me it was like being there. It's a real wow moment and brings history to life, especially for younger viewers." The Story of Wales: England and Wales can be seen on BBC One Wales on Monday, 5 March at 21:00 GMT. The series is available on iPlayer. A behind the scenes programme, Making The Story of Wales: From The Stone Age To The Tudors, can be seen on BBC Two Wales on Monday, 5 March at 22:00 GMT.

आप 2,000 साल पुराने पत्थर के खंडहरों के समूह से एक राजसी रोमन एम्फीथिएटर को कैसे बनाते हैं? आप आधुनिक समय की झील के बीच में एक बढ़े हुए द्वीप पर 9वीं शताब्दी की लकड़ी की बस्ती को कैसे ईमानदारी से फिर से बनाते हैं?


Q&A: Rail fare rises

Summary: Thousands of commuters heading to work after the New Year holiday are facing higher rail fares.

An average 2.8% increase in rail fares is the smallest rise in four years, although campaigners say they are going up faster than wages. The picture for rail travellers can be confusing - with prices for season tickets going up at a different rate than some other types of tickets. There are also varying price changes in different parts of the UK.

नववर्ष की छुट्टी के बाद काम पर जाने वाले हजारों यात्रियों को अधिक रेल किराए का सामना करना पड़ रहा है।


Broadland: Welcome to the UK's most peaceful place

Summary: The Norfolk district of Broadland has been named the most "peaceful" area of the UK by a study looking at violent crime statistics and socio-economic factors. BBC News takes a trip to find out what makes life there so tranquil.

By Jon WelchBBC News Boats bob gently on the water as the sun glints off the River Bure. Dog walkers stroll past on their way to pick up a paper from the newsagent. Ignore the constant traffic on the A1151 road, and the occasional honk from a goose, and all in Wroxham is peaceful. The village lies in Broadland, named as the most peaceful place in the country by the UK Peace Index, which looked at factors including rates of murder and violent crime. The district, which has a population of about 125,000, had only eight violent crimes reported in 2012. Its average overall crime rate for the past decade was 323 per 100,000, about a third of the national average. A largely rural area to the north and east of Norwich, Broadland includes picturesque villages, handsome market towns and some of the city's suburbs. 'Why I'm here' It also takes in large parts of the Broads, the network of inland waterways that are one of the country's most popular holiday destinations. Yvonne Evans, 50, is from Grimsby but spends a lot of time in the area on her boat. "I'm not surprised it's peaceful - that's why I'm here," she says. "It's laid-back. Everyone speaks to you; everyone's happy. I would like to move here permanently. "If you want the opposite side, go to Grimsby." Retired fruit-grower John Place, 83, agrees. "It's very peaceful. That is the attraction," he says. "It is a holiday area, but one that the lager-drinking people don't find so exciting. They would rather go to the south of France or Spain," he says. "If we had attracted all the lager louts, we would have brawls at night. "People are coming to the area for a quiet holiday. The local people are watching out for each other. "There are problems. People can lose outboard motors occasionally. There is some local theft but I think the police are much quicker on the uptake now." 'Bowls and bingo' Sonya Dickinson is clerk to Lingwood and Burlingham Parish Council, two Broadland villages east of Norwich. "I love Lingwood," she says. "It's a nice place because people say hello in the street and it's friendly." She lists the village's pub, Tiny Tots and Mucky Ducks groups for children, as among its attractions, along with bowls, bingo and table tennis. "There is hardly anything ever on the police reports. It's brilliant - I feel safe," she says. Johnny Payne, a butcher in the Broadland market town of Aylsham, says: "It's a lovely little town: lots of friendly people; friendly faces. "I think it's the friendliness of everybody that makes it so peaceful because you don't get a lot of people falling out with each other. "You don't like to upset people because it's such a close-knit place." University research Simon Woodbridge, a Conservative member and former leader of Broadland District Council, said a lot of hard work had gone into making Broadland safe and peaceful. He said the council started to take a deeper look at crime and anti-social behaviour following a national report in 2003, and commissioned the University of East Anglia to conduct research. "They said if you really want to make sure you have got the most peaceful, crime-free area you can possibly achieve, head into your primary schools and high schools and look towards delivering early intervention services to children who are suffering from bereavement, bullying, domestic violence and family breakdown. "It follows that if you give the pastoral care to youngsters when they are feeling emotionally distressed, that prevents them getting angry further down the line in their teenage years and will give you a significant reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour," He said social services, charities and the police had used this approach in the district to good effect. Keith Simpson, Conservative MP for Broadland, said if the statistics in the UK Peace Index report were correct, it was good news for everybody living in the area. "If we really are starred that high, this is going to encourage people to want to come and live in Broadland, and to invest in Broadland," he said. "You'll notice the slight caveat in what I said because those are statistics and I suspect there will be many people within Broadland who will say, 'Wait a minute. I have seen crime - I have been burgled and there has been anti-social behaviour'. "But I nevertheless think that this is, overall, good news. "It says a lot for the work being done by police and people in social services and, I suspect as well the community spirit in many of the villages and small towns that make up a large part of my constituency."

ब्रॉडलैंड के नॉरफ़ॉक जिले को हिंसक अपराध के आंकड़ों और सामाजिक-आर्थिक कारकों को देखते हुए एक अध्ययन द्वारा यूके का सबसे "शांतिपूर्ण" क्षेत्र नामित किया गया है। बीबीसी न्यूज़ यह पता लगाने के लिए एक यात्रा करता है कि वहाँ जीवन को इतना शांत क्या बनाता है।


The people with the reddest hair in the world

Summary: Russia is home to people from at least 190 ethnic groups and counts more than 20 different republics within its borders. With Moscow seemingly pursuing an aggressively nationalistic agenda, I wondered what life is like for ethnic minorities there.

By Mark StrattonRussia The Udmurts are said to possess the reddest hair in the world. The Tatars and Bashkirs descend from the Golden Horde. The Mari worship animist spirits amid their sacred forest groves. The connection between these different ethnicities is that they all have their own republics inside the Russian Federation. I travelled 500 miles (750km) east of Moscow to the Middle Volga lowlands, where six of these republics cluster together to see how they are run. They have their own parliaments to deal with local issues but their governors are appointed by Russia's president to ensure they're subordinate to Moscow in national matters. None of the republics I visit - Chuvashia, Mari El, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Mordovia, and Bashkortostan - are exactly new to Russian integration. Back in the 1550s when Tsarist Russia was at war with the marauding Tatars, Ivan the Terrible constructed a line of defensive forts along the Volga through the lands of these minority peoples. Pragmatically, they sought protection within the Russian Empire - and, indeed, backed the winning horse because Ivan lived up to his terrible sobriquet and forcibly subjugated the Tatars in Imperial Russia. "Joining Russia was a matter of preservation of our culture rather than colonisation," insists Tamara Vorobeyeva, my Chuvashian guide in their republic's capital, Cheboksary. Yet while a majority of citizens of Chuvashia claim Chuvashian descent, Vorobeyeva concedes that centuries of mixing with Russians and Tatars make it difficult to define how a typical Chuvashian looks. Nonetheless, she says, Chuvashian culture has undergone a revival since the Soviet Union's demise - Chuvash is now taught alongside Russian in schools and streets signs are written in both languages. "We're very happy inside Russia and have never felt discriminated against," she says. "Some extreme elements want a deeper cultural revival and have proposed Chuvash as the republic's sole official language. But this would force our ethnic Russians out and that would be an economic disaster," she adds. The neighbouring republic of Mari El is just 60 miles (90km) away amid thick pine forests. The Mari migrated here in the 6th Century from the Urals and their language approximates to Finnish. Mari El has a majority of ethnic Russians and once again I was told it's impossible to define a typical Mari look with any certainty because of centuries of intermarriage. I had read reports claiming Mari culture was under attack but local English tutor, Svetlana Maimina, insists all citizens of Mari El live harmoniously together. "My heritage is Jewish," she tells me. "We don't have a synagogue here but I've never experienced a day of anti-Semitism in my life." Over the centuries many indigenous peoples across these republics have undergone a conversion away from traditional folk religions to Orthodox Christianity. Yet in Yoshkar-Ola, at Mari El's national museum, Nastia Aiguzina says the Mari still practice folk worship. "Every rural village has a shaman. We go to the sacred birch groves to feast and offer animal sacrifices to the spirits in the trees," she says. I wondered if the Russian Orthodox Church frowned upon this? "No," she insists. "We hold both beliefs. In the morning people might attend church and in the afternoon visit the sacred forests." Perhaps the strongest cultural identity I encountered was the Muslim Tatars who make up just over 50% of Tatarstan. The Tatars arrived here in the 13th Century as part of the Mongol Golden Horde before their unprofitable conflict with Ivan the Terrible three centuries later. Nowadays Tatarstan's capital, Kazan, is a modern progressive city rich from oil wealth. Ivan's 16th Century hilltop Kremlin still dominates Kazan - a university lecturer, Rezida Muhametzanova, showed me around it. Since communism ended, two dazzlingly ornate places of worship have been rebuilt there - the Qolsharif Mosque and the Cathedral of Annunciation, barely 100 metres apart. "They were reconstructed simultaneously by our governor to show even-handedness dealing with different faiths," says Muhametzanova. "All religious persuasions live peacefully alongside each other and we have no culture of radicalism. I am a Muslim woman but not required to wear hijab," she says. I later encounter the Mordvins of Mordovia, the oil-rich Bashkirs of Bashkortostan and the Udmurts - all cultures heavily assimilated into the Russian way of life. And yes, some Udmurts really do boast a shock of bright red hair. Ethnic and religious harmony haven't always reigned in Russia's myriad republics. Think of Chechnya. But in the lands of the Middle Volga, it seems their diverse cultural casserole has simmered away for centuries without ever boiling over. Photographs by Mark Stratton unless otherwise indicated. How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30 Listen online or download the podcast. BBC World Service: Short editions Monday-Friday - see World Service programme schedule. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

रूस में कम से कम 190 जातीय समूहों के लोग रहते हैं और इसकी सीमाओं के भीतर 20 से अधिक अलग-अलग गणराज्य हैं। मास्को के आक्रामक राष्ट्रवादी एजेंडे को आगे बढ़ाने के साथ, मुझे आश्चर्य हुआ कि वहाँ जातीय अल्पसंख्यकों के लिए जीवन कैसा है।


Alien attacks and Fifa 15 chants: The art of video game noise

Summary: Sound design is often the unsung hero of video games. But when developers get it right, primal instincts are triggered, helping immerse players in the action. Below, the brains behind the soundscapes of five of this year's biggest releases discuss their art in exclusive interviews with the BBC:

By Leo KelionTechnology desk editor Skulking through the corridors of Alien: Isolation's derelict space station you strain to pick out the footsteps of the 9ft-creature hunting you from the creaks and ominous throbs of the surrounding walls and air ducts. In the distance you think you make out a reptilian "croak". A glimpse of the motion tracker confirms you're not alone, prompting you to hide inside a cabinet - but the door's slam is too loud and your own intake of breath threatens to give you away as the now unmistakable thud of beast approaches. Playing the spin-off of Ridley Scott's 1979 movie is a fraught experience. "We went for a sense of realism, but at the same time all the sounds had to have an emotional context to them," says Byron Bullock, the title's sound designer. "We want the player to feel scared. Things like the motion tracker, for example, as soon as you hear that beep it puts you on edge. "It's almost like a heartbeat to it - it gets faster and faster and higher in pitch. That can make you feel anxious." Deep breath Another sci-fi titan, George Lucas once said that "sound is half" the movie-going experience, adding that it's "where you get the most bang for your buck". But while film-makers have the luxury of knowing what's going to happen next, sound in games is a more complicated affair. "One of the most important things in horror is creating suspense and tension. That's easier in a film because it's a linear medium," Mr Bullock explains. "A sound designer will know what's happening in the next 10 seconds. They can pre-empt situations with sound-effects, music and by changing the mix. "We wanted to do a similar thing in Alien: Isolation but because the gameplay is so dynamic - the Alien is unpredictable - it became an exercise in creating systems. "So, we have a value called Stealth, which tells us at any given moment how stealthy the player is being - how much noise they are making, how close they are to an enemy, the enemy's awareness of the player. "We use that to both change the music and the mix. We will lower the atmosphere and raise up the Alien's sounds and Ripley's breathing rate. "You don't want to be making any noise at that point, so we'll start to raise up your sounds a little bit just to put you on edge." Football chants By its nature, Fifa 15 seeks a very different audio aesthetic. Authenticity is the watchword for the world's best-selling football simulator. To achieve it, the title's creators teamed up with TV sports broadcasters across the globe, which provided recordings taken from several games. Each delivered up to 32 separate but simultaneously recorded tracks created by microphones dotted around the stadium involved. As well as delivering "realistic" effects for the rattle of goal frames and spectators' "oohs" and "ahs", this also allowed the developers to provide "thousands" of real chants and songs. "With our 10,000 or whatever years of evolution, we can really hear the emotional content of what's being said or sung," says Jeffrey MacPherson, justifying the time-consuming and expensive effort. "There's no substituting the real deal. When you're at Anfield and hearing, 'You'll never walk alone,' it's truly hair-raising. We'd prefer to go to great lengths to acquire that experience rather than trying to simulate it." However, making use of this haul posed challenges. Chants featuring swear words had to be identified and ditched - a particular problem at South American games, Mr MacPherson remarks. And a pro-independence chant recorded at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium caused controversy in Spain after a "perfect storm" of factors let it slip through to the demo version of the game. It doesn't appear in the final release. "It generated a whole lot of press, that's for sure," Mr MacPherson recalls. "In our quest to be authentic we have to be even more vigilant, and what we end up doing is creating a censored version of reality. "When you play a match you're not going to hear the same breadth of content that you would hear at the grounds on a Saturday afternoon. You'll get 35% to 40% of what you might hear. "That's just the nature of having an E for everyone-rated game." Destiny's demands Bungie took a very different approach with its recently released sci-fi shooter Destiny. "Almost everything that you hear in Destiny was created from scratch, in-house," states audio director C Paul Johnson. "Part of it's professional pride, and [part] to give players something unique to enjoy." Exotic sounds required searching out unusual techniques. The sound of one enemy class - the Vex - was inspired by a performance artist who had uploaded a video of himself to YouTube, copied it, uploaded it again, and repeated this about 1,000 times. "He came up with this really crazy sound that sounded mechanical and robotic but had emotiveness to it," Mr Johnson recalls. "So we wrote a little program and used the sound of big cats - cheetahs or something - and ran it through a process like that... hundreds and hundreds of times." To deliver the perfect sound for dirt footprints Mr Johnson says he and another team member travelled "all over" the state of Washington, until they finally got what they wanted at the top of a mountain range. "We probably burnt thousands and thousands of dollars of people's time just to get those footstep recordings to sound good," he says. "You obsess over every single asset [but] I think the net effect of that is awesome-sounding stuff." And then there's the game's multitude of weapons. A three-day trip to Las Vegas to shoot "every gun we could think of" provided the raw material, which was later made to sound sci-fi back at base. But the critical trick, Mr Johnson adds, was to ensure that each shot fired sounded different. "Every sound has at least three versions," he explains. "You'll cycle between those versions so you never hear the same sound file twice in a row. You won't get that broken record effect. "We use both randomised pitch shifting and actual different samples between each firing. "And it's not just weapons, it's everything - the footsteps, the background ambiences and the character screams - everything except the mission dialogue basically". Wind and cloth Ubisoft has its fair share of weapons in forthcoming open-world adventures Far Cry 4 and Assassin's Creed Unity. But the audio directors of both games are currently obsessed about more commonplace features. In Far Cry 4, set in the Himalayas, it's the wind that is preoccupying Tony Gronick. "We knew when we went up higher in the regions - in the snow areas - that we would have difficult with ambiences, and the wind would have to carry most of it," he explains. "So, what we did was we hired a Japanese flute player and we got her to blow single notes into a microphone. And then what I did was took those and slowed them down and added them to wind gusts." The effect, he adds, is that the tonal gusts create a sense of desolation and fear. "Sometimes that flute will just echo and make you feel both cold and frightened at the same time." In the case of French-revolution set Assassin's Creed Unity, Tchae Measroch highlights that one benefit of restricting the title to "new-gen" consoles - the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 - and PCs is that he has more memory to devote to the sounds of the protagonist's movements. "If you push the character forward to do one footstep there are [up to] 30 sounds playing at the same time," he explains. "The footsteps, the cloth, the jingle of the sword, his cape, the friction of his coat. And all of these are very specific to every little bit of animation and the surface [he's moving on]. "It's hundreds, I'd say thousands of files in the data there." Out of time With many titles providing 15 or more hours of core gameplay - and several times that amount once you add side-missions and add-on content - the demands on video game sound design teams can be immense. From recording the sound of dry ice on metal to create the groans of Alien: Isolation's dying space station to twisting door knobs to simulate the sound of Assassin's Creed's 18th Century weapons, the teams responsible must be inventive. But they are also required to be resilient - especially as deadlines loom. So if sometimes it's a glitch rather than a subtle atmospheric effect that most stands out, it's worth remembering the pressure they are put under. "Unlike film or television where you can start at point A and end at point B, in games it's constantly changing," notes Mr Gronick. "The story is changing, the location is changing, the weapons are changing. "What happens is that everyone is rushing to get their work in at the end, and sometimes you end up after two years of work just trying to get the systems that were working a year ago fixed. "Sometimes you just lose that polish phase. It can be frustrating, but it's also a challenge."

ध्वनि डिजाइन अक्सर वीडियो गेम का गुमनाम नायक होता है। लेकिन जब डेवलपर्स इसे सही समझते हैं, तो प्रारंभिक प्रवृत्ति सक्रिय हो जाती है, जिससे खिलाड़ियों को कार्रवाई में डूबा देने में मदद मिलती है। नीचे, इस साल की पांच सबसे बड़ी रिलीज़ के ध्वनि दृश्यों के पीछे के दिमाग बीबीसी के साथ विशेष साक्षात्कार में उनकी कला पर चर्चा करते हैंः


Margaret Thatcher: Former Welsh Tory leader's memories

Summary: Not everyone loved her, but she will always be respected, says Nick Bourne. The Conservatives' former leader in the Welsh assembly assesses Margaret Thatcher's record - the woman who changed the political landscape and led the Tories to a record tally of seats in Wales.

By Nick BourneFormer Conservative leader in the Welsh assembly It is perhaps difficult to realise now the sense of shock in the establishment at the election of a woman as leader of a political party in the west. This was paralleled by a sense of excitement and curiosity at home and abroad. When Margaret Thatcher defeated Ted Heath in the first round of the leadership election for the Conservative party in 1975, I was a student at Cambridge. She went on to defeat all comers in the second round. She retained most of Heath's shadow cabinet. There was no lurch to the right. In Wales, Nick Edwards shadowed the Wales portfolio and became Welsh secretary in 1979, a post he retained throughout Mrs Thatcher's first two administrations. He was to be succeeded by Peter Walker whose tenure lasted from 1987 to March 1990. Mr Walker, though from the opposing wing of the party, was respected by Mrs Thatcher. Welsh interests He assumed office as Welsh secretary on the understanding that he was to be given free rein in the nation. Mrs Thatcher agreed and never went back on her promise. She even intervened, to the amazement of Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Major, to provide additional funds for Wales at Mr Walker's request. Mr Walker was to be succeeded by his protege David Hunt who was still in post when Margaret Thatcher left Downing Street in November 1990. During all of this period, Wyn Roberts also provided remarkable service in the Welsh Office and helped to ensure that Welsh interests were well protected. Despite popular mythology to the contrary, a record Conservative vote in Wales was recorded in the general election of 1979; later in 1983, a record number of seats was won (14) and 1987 still showed strong support. Conservative support in Wales under Mrs Thatcher was considerable. Margaret Thatcher's first term in office is perhaps best remembered for two characterising achievements: the economic stewardship along with Chancellor Sir Geoffrey Howe (a Welshman) and the battle against hyper-inflation on the home front; and overseas, the transformational battle to regain the Falkland Islands which had been seized by Argentina's military dictator General Galtieri. The latter episode showed Mrs Thatcher at her best - decisive, determined and above all successful. No doubt the success in the South Atlantic and the turning economic tide at home led to a public reassessment of her achievements and there followed a remarkable victory in the General Election of 1983 against a left-wing Labour Party and the newly formed SDP Liberal Alliance. From a Welsh perspective, it is to be noted that Mrs Thatcher was persuaded of the need for a Welsh-language TV channel during her first administration. S4C was born. Mrs Thatcher's second administration is well remembered for the miners' strike of 1984-1985. I fought the Chesterfield by-election during this period and can well recall the divisions of the time. Margaret Thatcher once again demonstrated her remarkable qualities of resilience and endurance, this time against the polarising Arthur Scargill whose obduracy and broader political objectives including the overthrow of the government did not in general play well with the electorate. The eventual return to work of the miners rewrote the perception of an invincible trade union. In Wales, particularly in mining communities, the government and its leader took a predictable knock. Despite all this, in 1987, the Conservative Party in Wales remained strong and still won 11 seats in the general election which represented, other than 1983, a record high in its post-war achievements. Overseas, her term of office saw settlement of the Zimbabwe issue, advancement of the single market in Europe and most significantly a breakthrough in east-west relations, which was crucially assisted by her obviously warm relationship with President Gorbachev. The final curtain call for the iron curtain was a consequence of the east-west dialogue of the time and a lasting testament to the politics of the woman that the Soviet Union had dubbed - helpfully from her perspective - the Iron Lady. Privatisation Margaret Thatcher's premiership from 1979 to 1990, a record in 20th Century Britain, represented a decisive break with the past. Trade union reform, privatisation, de-regulation and reduction of income tax rates were all achieved under her leadership. Whatever the political shadow boxing, all are lasting parts of the political landscape in Wales as in the rest of the UK. They remained almost totally intact during 13 years of Labour rule and will almost certainly be retained by any successor government. Indeed they have been copied faithfully in many parts of the western world. In Wales, despite the loss of jobs in mining and other traditional industries, there was record inward investment. With just 5% of the UK population, Wales attracted 22% of inward investment projects during 1979 to 1990 and the creation in consequence of 75,000 jobs. There was also considerable spending on public projects - Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital, the dualling of the A55 and the virtual completion of the M4 in south Wales being obvious examples. Margaret Thatcher the woman was in many ways a sharp contrast to Margaret Thatcher the world leader. She was, for example, famously kind and caring towards staff, whether hers or others. A noted demonstration of this was when a waitress accidentally dropped the contents of a gravy boat over Sir Geoffrey Howe. Mrs Thatcher called for a brandy - not for Sir Geoffrey but for the poor waitress, whom she proceeded to comfort. She fussed over me when I visited Downing Street at the time of the Chesterfield by-election and was keen that I had whatever support I wanted in that epic struggle against Tony Benn. Tony Benn said of her that politicians were divided between weather vanes and signposts and that Margaret Thatcher was a signpost and he respected that. I always found too that Margaret Thatcher respected opposing views and was willing to debate and change her position. She did not respect people who did not stand up to her. The presence of Peter Walker and Ken Clarke and others in her governments demonstrated this tendency. I met Margaret Thatcher on many occasions. She was always keen to give support and friendly advice. The last time we met we talked for some time and she spoke fondly of Wales and of her visits to the nation, including to my home town of Aberystwyth. I believe it will be some time before an effective overall assessment of her period of office can be made, but I think that it will demonstrate that pragmatism was much more to the fore than ideology. The bold primary colours were painted in later. It will also surely demonstrate that her remarkable period in office laid the foundations for political debate thereafter and that one of her greatest achievements is that she altered the terms of political trade at home and overseas. She will go down in history as a towering political figure - not loved by all, but always respected.

निक बॉर्न कहते हैं कि हर कोई उनसे प्यार नहीं करता था, लेकिन उनका हमेशा सम्मान किया जाएगा। वेल्श विधानसभा में कंजर्वेटिव के पूर्व नेता मार्गरेट थैचर के रिकॉर्ड का आकलन करते हैं-वह महिला जिसने राजनीतिक परिदृश्य को बदल दिया और वेल्स में टोरी को रिकॉर्ड संख्या में सीटों तक पहुंचाया।


Anglesey red squirrel deaths virus investigation

Summary: Experts will carry out tests to see if a virus is responsible for clusters of dead red squirrels found on Anglesey.

Three were found dead close to one another followed by another six a few hundred yards away close to Beaumaris. Tests will be conducted to see if they had the adenovirus, which has affected squirrels in the north of England. Dr Craig Shuttleworth of Bangor University said: "It's quite concerning. It's something we've got to investigate." The red squirrel population on Anglesey has increased from about 40 squirrels in 1998 to more than 700 and a wild colony is set to be established in neighbouring Gwynedd to try and boost its numbers.

विशेषज्ञ यह देखने के लिए परीक्षण करेंगे कि क्या एंग्लेसी पर पाए जाने वाले मृत लाल गिलहरियों के समूहों के लिए कोई वायरस जिम्मेदार है।


'Why pantomime deserves more respect'

Summary: Pantomime is for many families one of the most enjoyable parts of Christmas, but the frivolity and fantasy of a successful production don't happen by magic. Putting on a show takes talent and hard work - and as fans and actors explain, panto is a great British tradition that deserves more respect.

By Jennifer MeierhansBBC News Online When Robbie Williams recently told Sky News he was "proud to have an entertainment career this long" without "having to do panto", actor and producer Alan Mehdizadeh was moved to tweet in defence of pantomime, urging the pop star to "shut up and respect our industry". "Whilst [Robbie's] was a comment made in jest, it just made me think of the wider opinion sometimes of looking down on panto," says Mehdizadeh. His tweet was liked by 15,000 people, retweeted nearly 2,000 times and attracted hundreds of comments. Renowned musical lyricist Sir Tim Rice joined the chorus, declaring Dick Whittington starring Julian Clary and Elaine Paige as one of the best West End shows in the past five years. The 2017 Qdos production at the London Palladium won a coveted Olivier Award for the best entertainment and family category. Pantomime is often considered the "dirty word" of theatre, according to Michael Harrison, managing director of Qdos Entertainment. But winning the Olivier Award signalled recognition from the West End theatre industry that pantomime could be "something quite special," he told The Stage. John Challis, who is playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan at Nottingham's Theatre Royal, says he has seen a shift in attitudes during his more than 25 years of starring in pantomimes. "There's not as much snobbery as there used to be," he says. "People's view of entertainment has changed. "We are living in such uncertain times that people just want to sit and have a laugh and let it all wash over them. "They leave wreathed in smiles. Pantomime is the last surviving variety show. You've got acting, comedy, singing, dancing, special effects. "It takes an incredibly talented bunch of people to put on." Mehdizadeh says much of the snobbery he has experienced is from other actors. "[I've heard] things like 'I can't think of anything worse than 1,000 screaming kids at 10.30am'," says the 36-year-old from London. "The theatre is a place of magic, of learning, of imagination and of escape. "Pantomime makes all of those things possible, and it's such a treat for many children." Another criticism Mehdizadeh rejects is the view that "it's not proper theatre, it's over the top". "We have to respect the privilege of performing, no matter what the story, and that sometimes, the bigger the fairytale and the more unrealistic the surroundings, the more realistic it can be, and the more immersive the experience can be made," he says. For opera singer Ellie Sanderson-Nash, pantomime was not a natural calling. But the 26-year-old took a chance on Charles Court Opera's production of Buttons: A Cinderella Story at the King's Head Theatre in Islington, London. "I've got to admit I was a little bit hesitant when I first went to audition for the part of Cinderella, just because I wasn't sure [panto] was well respected and would be good for my voice," she says. "But it's definitely changed my view, I've loved every minute of it. Everyone works so hard. The run of shows is seven a week, whereas in opera you might do two or three shows with a rest in between." You might also like: The workload is something Challis agrees is underappreciated. "People are always surprised when I say it take 10 days to put together," he says. "It's not just the actors learning their lines, it's the set, the dances, the songs - it all has to be done with military precision. It's a huge team effort." And unlike television or film acting, it has to be all right on the night, he says. But mistakes are of course part of pantomime's charm. With so many stars like Dawn French and Julian Clary picking panto, Challis insists it is not a comedown - but more a comeback - to the stage, where many first fell in love with acting. "Acting is a hard enough industry and it's a lot of people's first job to get in the chorus or a small part," he says. "Pantomime gives great opportunity to new talent." Panto also makes a "vital contribution to a theatre's revenue", according to UK Theatre. London's West End aside, an average of 15% of all UK theatre tickets sold between 2013 and 2016 were for pantomimes. And for the 600-seater auditorium at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury, that figure is closer to 30%. According to marketing manager Craig Reeves, a successful pantomime season "makes a huge contribution to our overall sustainability, and affords us some greater freedom in programming live events through the rest of the year". Kevin Langford, from Shrewsbury, travels the country to see up to 20 pantomimes between November and January. He fondly remembers his first Snow White in Rhyl when he was seven or eight years old. "I'm a 51-year-old bloke but panto has this a magic formula and I'm a child again. It's escapism from all the news and trauma. You come out on such a high. "If there's any snobbery then it must come from people who haven't been to a panto," he says. Every pantomime needs a happy ending, and our opera singer-turned-Cinderella certainly got hers. Ellie Sanderson-Nash's partner Harry Thatcher made a surprise marriage proposal on the stage of the King's Head Theatre as her family and friends looked on from the audience. "I never ever would have predicted something like that," she says. "I was trembling. I almost forgot to say yes."

पैंटोमाइम कई परिवारों के लिए क्रिसमस के सबसे आनंददायक हिस्सों में से एक है, लेकिन एक सफल उत्पादन की तुच्छता और कल्पना जादू से नहीं होती है। एक शो में डालने के लिए प्रतिभा और कड़ी मेहनत लगती है-और जैसा कि प्रशंसक और अभिनेता बताते हैं, पैंटो एक महान ब्रिटिश परंपरा है जो अधिक सम्मान की हकदार है।


North Korea summit: Diplomacy is back on track

Summary: The year of dramatic inter-Korean diplomacy continues apace. On Wednesday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un surprised the world with a set of summit outcomes that exceeded expectations, writes North Korea analyst Ankit Panda.

Symbolically, both leaders conveyed a sense that their rapprochement was destined to continue. Beyond the practical outcomes on economic co-operation and reduction of military tensions, Kim announced he would accept an invitation to visit the South Korean capital, Seoul, and that he and Moon on Thursday would travel to Mount Paektu, which holds a central place in the country's mythology. Moon, meanwhile, achieved an important objective by securing concessions from Kim related to limiting his country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Diplomatic process back on track The concessions, to be sure, are not particularly costly for North Korea and do not set it on the path towards nuclear disarmament, but will bear particular significance in their ability to reinvigorate the stalled diplomatic process between South Korea's ally, the United States, and North Korea. Mr Moon announced that Kim would dismantle the Tongchang-ri facility, also known as the Sohae Satellite Launching Station - a well-known site associated with various aspects of the country's space and ballistic missile programs. Mr Kim had conveyed the North's intent to dismantle certain facilities there, including a static test stand for liquid propellant engines for rockets, at the June summit with US President Donald Trump. Satellite imagery showed some dismantlement work had begun. What is perhaps most significant about the declaration on Tongchang-ri is that North Korea will be inviting international experts to observe and verify the dismantlement activity at the site. Missile threat remains The closure of Tongchang-ri won't disrupt North Korea's ability to mass produce ballistic missiles or warheads, but it will serve as an important confidence-building measure. Importantly, North Korea has completed development work on its large liquid propellant engines for intercontinental-range ballistic missiles. The manufactured missiles will remain in its arsenal and any future missiles it manufactures can have their engines tested and proven elsewhere. Separately, it can explore the possibility of moving to mobile launchers for future satellite launches, as Israel and China have done with certain satellite launches. This would allow it to offer up Sohae on a platter as a concession, but retain its space program. Beyond Tongchang-ri, Mr Moon announced an unexpected potential concession: North Korea would be willing to permanently shut down its well-known nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. However, this concession was not without conditions. Moon said that this would require corresponding measures from the United States in line with the June declaration agreed by Trump and Kim. Translated, this implies US progress toward normalising diplomatic relations with North Korea and supporting a declaration to end the Korean War. A real shift in the mood While the concessions and developments related to North Korea's nuclear complex and missile programs were significant, the big announcement at the summit related to conventional arms control between the two Koreas. As had been widely anticipated in the lead-up to the summit, the two sides announced joint measures to reduce and manage tensions along the disputed Northern Limit Line and along the Demilitarised Zone. These concessions had long been in the works through working-level military-to-military talks and represent a real shift in the mood along their often-tense border. The next most important summit to watch closely will be the 25 September meeting between Mr Moon and US President Donald Trump in New York. The meeting will provide an opportunity for Mr Moon to brief the US president and, more significantly, draw him back to the negotiating table with North Korea. A chance for diplomacy As Pyongyang has observed, Mr Trump himself has been positive about the diplomatic process with North Korea, but his deputies, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis, and National Security Adviser John Bolton, have voiced reservations about North Korea's progress on denuclearisation and calls by both Koreas for the United States to sign on to a declaration to end the Korean War. Mr Moon's meeting with President Trump may pave the way for a second Trump-Kim summit meeting, allowing the United States and North Korea to work through the current logjam in the denuclearisation process. Mr Trump has welcomed the result of the outcome of the summit on Twitter already and lauded Kim Jong-un's gesture to leave nuclear-capable missiles out of the 9 September military parade to commemorate the country's 70th founding anniversary. Moon Jae-in might just be able to convince the US president to give Kim Jong-un another chance with diplomacy. Ankit Panda is an adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists and a senior editor at The Diplomat.

उत्तर कोरिया के विश्लेषक अंकित पांडा लिखते हैं कि नाटकीय अंतर-कोरियाई कूटनीति का वर्ष जारी है। बुधवार को, दक्षिण कोरिया के राष्ट्रपति मून जे-इन और उत्तर कोरिया के नेता किम जोंग उन ने शिखर सम्मेलन के परिणामों के एक समूह के साथ दुनिया को चौंका दिया जो उम्मीदों से अधिक था।


Three men arrested over illegal rave at RAF Charmy Down near Bath

Summary: Three men have been arrested in connection with an illegal rave which more than 3,000 people attended.

Police received noise complaints about the event at the former Charmy Down airfield near Bath on 18 and 19 July. People living as far away as Bristol complained about the noise at the former RAF airfield. The men aged 22, 23 and 26 arrested on suspicion of conspiring to cause a public nuisance remain in custody.

तीन लोगों को एक अवैध रेव के संबंध में गिरफ्तार किया गया है जिसमें 3,000 से अधिक लोग शामिल हुए थे।


The 'forgotten city' of the 2007 summer floods

Summary: On 25 June 2007, Hull was pummelled by rain for hours. Nearly every one of the city's 98 schools was damaged, thousands of people were forced from their wrecked homes, and a young man lost his life in the most horrific circumstances.

By Tom AireyBBC News But with floods hitting several other parts of the UK in that most unseasonal of summers, the perception soon arose that the people of East Yorkshire were being denied the attention their plight merited and the support they needed. Coining Hull "the forgotten city", the council's then leader Carl Minns pointed out that "if this was Chelsea or Fulham, this would have been plastered over the front pages for weeks". Paul Tempest, who would not be able to return to his Cottingham home for a year, recalls there was a stark contrast in the way the floods that affected more affluent parts of Britain were reported. "When there was flooding down south - we never had that level of news exposure - we saw people on the news in six inches deep of water and it made headlines," he said. "We thought, 'wait a minute, we've had it to the waist'." The floods that hit Hull and parts of East Yorkshire were caused by rainwater overwhelming drainage systems, in one instance with fatal consequences. Michael Barnett, 28, became trapped in a storm drain and died from hypothermia during an unsuccessful four-hour operation to free him from neck-high floodwater, which witnesses described as raging "like Niagara Falls". His father, also called Michael, went to the scene, in Hessle, five miles west of Hull, when he heard his son was in difficulty, but was turned away by the emergency services. "[My son] said to the firemen, 'are you going to get me out of here?' He then passed out - it was too much for him," Mr Barnett said. "He had gone under the water and six or seven of the firemen jumped in to try to save him with no thought for themselves - they all could have been sucked to the gate because it was quite fierce. "He had a good life, he always enjoyed himself, but he has now lost 10 years - would he have married, had children? "He used to say to me, 'I will look after you in your old age' - I couldn't look after him in his young age." What happened in June 2007 - the damage caused was put at more than £40m and affected over 10,000 properties - prompted an independent review of the region's flood defences and led to millions being spent on improvements. However, despite the passing of a decade, some residents and businesses are still dealing with knock-on effects of the deluge. Former Hedon resident Sally Johnson said: "A friend is still finding problems with her home, she goes out and monitors the rain as she likes to make sure it's not flooding. "It impacts you for the rest of your life." Martin Voase, based in the village of Brandesburton, 12 miles north of Hull, said the flood had changed the way he operates his farm. "Potatoes were one of our main crops. That got completely annihilated and flooded out - we've not grown potatoes since," he said. "We lost £200,000 of crops that year. We couldn't afford to take the risk of growing potatoes again, that was a big change." Mrs Johnson's daughter took to a dinghy to complete her daily paper round as her mother watched children being evacuated from Inmans Primary School opposite their home. "There were rats on the street afterwards, it was horrible - I felt so sorry for the children," she said. Every classroom of the school ended up underwater - 95 of the 98 schools in Hull suffered flood damage. Sally Morgan, head teacher of Inmans Primary School, said: "Before the last 20 pupils left, we were gathered in the main hall and water was bubbling up through the floor. The children were standing on chairs. "A year later we had some heavy rain and one or two of our children got upset and were panicking it was going to happen again; teachers were anxious too. "We used to take some of the kids with us to check the drains to reassure them." Clinical psychologists were appointed in the region to help support those children who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after having to abandon their homes. Paul Tempest recalls there being a "mad rush" for rental housing while repairs were being carried out. "At the estate agents, they had queues and a sign to a desk saying 'flood victims here'. It was like a warzone and you were almost a second-class citizen," he said. "Eventually you couldn't get dehumidifiers, you were in a queue for four months just to get one. They became as rare as rocking horse dung." His memories include carrying an elderly neighbour to safety and seeing piles of ruined furniture and broken TVs appearing on driveways. His wife Leslie Tempest said: "I know now how people die in cold water; it was bitter, cold. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. "There was never the recognition that it was a massive disaster, really." Down the road from their home, seven lagoons capable of holding four million gallons of water were later created to store run-off from the Raywell Valley during storms. Following the Pitt Review, which looked into the overall impact of the June and July floods that killed 13 people nationwide, increased funding was provided to help deal with surface water flooding. More than £50m has been spent on defences in Hull and East Yorkshire since 2007, with a further £120m to be spent in the next four years, the Environment Agency said. But shoring up defences and renovating homes is only part of the process of moving on, points out Prof Maggie Mort, a Lancaster University academic who researched Hull's recovery from the floods. She said the mental struggle of having to rebound from such an occurrence "affects people very deeply". "It's not the flood itself that causes the trauma, it's how you are treated afterwards and how your community, your family and agencies around you help you rebuild the social and personal fabric of your lives. "The emergency phase of a flood gets the most attention [in the media], but the long slog of recovery is overlooked." This effort to rebound from the despair caused by flooding is something that resonates with Jennifer and Michael Fox, whose home on Corona Drive near the city centre was in one of the areas worst hit by the deluge. The couple said what happened made them reassess what was important in their lives and caused them to try to keep a positive attitude, despite their plight. Mrs Fox said: "Your doors, your walls, your sandbags: nothing can stop the water, nothing at all. By the next morning all of the water had gone, but everything was just absolutely ruined." They cooked upstairs on a camping stove and washed their clothes in the bathroom while repairs were carried out. "The men [working on] the house accidentally cut through the water pipe and flooded it again," Mr Fox said. "We just fell about laughing, because it couldn't have got any wetter than it already was."

25 जून 2007 को, हल घंटों तक बारिश से घिर गया था। शहर के 98 स्कूलों में से लगभग हर एक को नुकसान पहुंचा था, हजारों लोग अपने बर्बाद घरों को छोड़ने के लिए मजबूर हो गए थे, और एक युवक ने सबसे भयानक परिस्थितियों में अपनी जान गंवा दी थी।


Tilehurst stabbing: Three in court over Raheem Hanif death

Summary: A man and two teenagers have appeared in court charged with the murder of a 26-year-old man who was fatally stabbed in a street in Reading.

Raheem Hanif died from his injuries in Dulnan Close, Tilehurst, on Saturday. Abas Khan, 23, of Helmsdale Close, Reading, and two boys aged 16 and 17 have been charged with murder and grievous bodily harm. They have been remanded in custody following the hearing at Reading Magistrates Court. They will stand trial at Reading Crown Court on a date to be set. A 16-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday accused of murder and grievous bodily harm. He is due back in court on 12 March and has been remanded in youth custody. Four other men were also arrested and released on bail. Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

रीडिंग में एक सड़क पर चाकू मारकर हत्या करने वाले 26 वर्षीय व्यक्ति की हत्या के आरोप में एक व्यक्ति और दो किशोर अदालत में पेश हुए हैं।


Pensioner airlifted to hospital after Wellingborough bus crash

Summary: An 87-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital with "serious injuries" after he was hit by a bus.

The incident took place at 13:10 BST on the High Street in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire Police said the man was taken by air ambulance to University Hospital Coventry. The force said officers had responded to a "serious road traffic collision between a single-decker bus and a pedestrian".

एक 87 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को एक बस की चपेट में आने के बाद "गंभीर चोटों" के साथ अस्पताल ले जाया गया है।


Two charged with murder following Kirkintilloch man's death

Summary: Two men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a 29-year-old man in Kirkintilloch.

Christopher Watt, 31, and Robert McSporran, 28, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday. It is alleged the men seriously assaulted Robert Cunningham - who later died - inside a flat on Braehead Street at about 08:00 on Saturday. Neither man made a plea. Both were remanded in custody. A third man, aged 34, has also been charged. He is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

किर्किंटिलोच में एक 29 वर्षीय व्यक्ति की हत्या के आरोप में दो लोग अदालत में पेश हुए हैं।


Hillsborough charity 96-mile run to Anfield starts

Summary: Fundraisers have started a 96-mile run in memory of the 96 football fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster.

Seven runners started at Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday FC, and will finish at Anfield, the home of Liverpool FC on Saturday. The first run last year raised £15,000 for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Hillsborough Family Support Group. This year, money raised will go to Alder Hey Children's Hospital and Sheffield's Children's Hospital. Team leader Dominic Williams said: "I am extremely proud of this team who put in so much hard work and dedication, in memory of the 96 for a brighter future."

हिल्सबोरो आपदा में मारे गए 96 फुटबॉल प्रशंसकों की याद में धन उगाहने वालों ने 96 मील की दौड़ शुरू की है।


Wales weather warning of snow and ice

Summary: People in parts of eastern Wales should be prepared for some disruption to travel from snow and ice, the Met Office has warned.

It has issued a yellow warning from 21:00 GMT on Saturday until 10:00 on Sunday. Up to 1.5in (4cm) of snow could fall on higher ground, forecasters said. The warning covers Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Denbighshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen and Wrexham. Related Internet Links Met Office

मौसम कार्यालय ने चेतावनी दी है कि पूर्वी वेल्स के कुछ हिस्सों में लोगों को बर्फ और बर्फ से यात्रा करने के लिए कुछ व्यवधान के लिए तैयार रहना चाहिए।


Abba's Agnetha comes out of retirement

Summary: One of pop's most enigmatic voices has emerged with her first album in nine years. Agnetha Faltskog's new album sees her duet with Gary Barlow and collaborate with Britney Spears' Swedish songwriting team. Just don't call her "mysterious".

By Mark SavageArts and entertainment reporter, BBC News Forty-five years ago, before Abba were even a twinkle in Eurovision's eye, Agnetha Faltskog made her very first TV appearance. Aged just 17, she performed Jag Var Sa Kar (I Was So In Love), a syrupy self-penned waltz, on Swedish TV show Studio 8. The melancholy lyrics, inspired by her idol Connie Francis, were a stark contrast to the exuberant blonde singer, who "took the radio in my arms and danced around" when she first heard her single on the air. Little did she know, misery would become her musical forte, especially when she teamed up with Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frida to form Abba. The songs on which Faltskog took lead vocals - Hasta Manana, The Name Of The Game, Chiquitita - were the band's biggest tear-jerkers. On The Winner Takes It All, recorded as her marriage to Bjorn Ulvaeus fell apart, the emotion is almost too much to bear. Faltskog is by turns defiant and broken. "I was in your arms, thinking I belonged there," she cries, as her husband merely shakes her hand and turns away. Oddly, the singer calls it "her biggest favourite" from the band's back catalogue. "It's a shame we never got to play it live," she adds. Since the band went their separate ways in 1982, the girl with golden hair has been the band's most elusive member. She largely shuns the limelight, living quietly on the secluded island of Ekero, west of Stockholm. Perhaps because of those world-weary lyrics, she was portrayed as a frail recluse - the Greta Garbo of pop. The revelation in 2000 that she had entered a relationship with an obsessed Dutch fan, 16 years her junior, who turned dangerous when she broke off the affair, only added to the perception that she was lonely and unhappy. Nervous return Today, she cannot talk about the relationship for legal reasons, but Faltskog says the media have the wrong impression of her private life. "I have been described as a very mysterious human being and that hurts a little bit, because it's not like that at all," she says. On the phone from Stockholm, she is neither awkward nor reticent, although she chooses her words carefully, sometimes with the aid of an interpreter. Laughter peppers the conversation, and she denies any suggestion she's a hermit. "I'm very earth-grounded and very normal," she says. "I just like to stay at home." Fate came to her house 18 months ago, when Swedish producer Jorgen Elofsson rang the doorbell, hoping to to play Faltskog three songs he had written for her. An internationally successful composer, his credits include Britney Spears' Crazy and Kelly Clarkson's Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You). His dream was to coax Faltskog out of a nine-year hiatus and back into the studio. "It was flattering," says the singer. "It really was." "I just couldn't say 'no'. I really loved the songs from the beginning." But before Faltskog would enter the studio, she had some conditions. "I told him, 'we have to talk about a lot of things first,'" she recalls. "It was nine or 10 years since I'd sung, so I didn't know if [my voice] worked." "I said from the beginning, 'if it sounds old I don't want to do this, because... Why should I?'" Tasteful and sumptuous Listening to the album, simply titled 'A', it is clear that Faltskog's vocal cords are in fine shape. Elofsson, for his part, has ditched the upfront production of his teen pop hits for a sound Faltskog calls "very mature and worthy". "When you love someone, and you've lost that one, then nothing really matters," sighs Faltskog on the first single, When You Really Loved Someone. On the closing track, the singer scatters photos of an old lover across her bedroom floor and wonders what happened to their relationship. Ripe with bittersweet emotion, the song is her sole contribution as a composer. You wonder why she didn't write more. Faltskog says she simply fell out of practice. "During the Abba years the boys were writing nearly all the material and I didn't have any time. They asked me a lot - but when we were at home, I just wanted to be with my children. "For this album, we had an idea that maybe I should try to write one song. I didn't want to do more. I'm not that composer that composes every day. But it was very exciting to see if it still worked - and it did!" The album doesn't reinvent the pop wheel, but is tasteful and sumptuous, rarely raising its tempo above "mid". One exception is Dance Your Pain Away, where disco strings stab at a gymnastic bassline, apparently summoned from the dusty off-cuts of Abba's Voulez Vous. Another stand-out is I Should Have Followed You Home, where Faltskog trades lines with Gary Barlow. "We haven't even met," Faltskog reveals. "I spoke to him once on the phone - but I was on holiday when he did his singing." She hopes to meet Barlow on a forthcoming promotional trip to the UK, but says there are currently "no plans" for them to perform the song together live. Tornado trauma Faltskog's trip to the UK may come as a surprise to some seasoned Abba-watchers. During the band's heyday, she had a rule that she would never leave home for more than two weeks at a time, so she wouldn't be separated from her children (both born in the midst of Abbamania). A nervous flyer, she arranged to travel separately from Ulvaeus for the sake of the children, in case anything should happen to either of them in mid-air. Then, towards the end of Abba's 1979 US tour, the band had a quick turnaround between gigs in New York and Boston. Faltskog boarded a chartered jet, which previously belonged to millionaire aviator Howard Hughes, and flew straight into the middle of a tornado which forced Boston's airfield to close. Running out of fuel, in a pitch black sky, the pilot performed an emergency landing in Manchester, New Hampshire. The first attempt was aborted at the last minute, pulling up just before the wheels hit the runway. Fortunately, the plane touched down on the second try. Since then, she has largely avoided flying - even coming to the UK "by bus once" for a promotional trip. "But nowadays I have started to fly again," she says. "I have gone to a man - a therapist - who taught me to think in another way, a very positive way. It works. It helps, at least." The 62-year-old says she's looking forward to coming back to the UK, and speaks fondly of Abba's seven-day residency in London's Wembley Arena in 1979. "People's reaction was fantastic on Dancing Queen," she says. "And otherwise, it was very nice with Thank You For The Music." She enjoys the memories of Abba, and has donated costumes and memorabilia to the Abba Museum which will open in Sweden in May ("it is very strange to have a museum in your honour!"), but cannot see the band reforming. "It was such a long time ago, and we are getting older, and we have our different lives," she says. For now, she is concentrating on the new record - one she thought she might never make, and one which could be her last. "I think to look in the future, to plan another one, it's not realistic right now. But I don't close any doors. I'm very open for what comes up. At the moment, we are so happy with this one. I really hope people will like it as much as we do." Agnetha's single When You Really Loved Someone is out now. Her album, A, follows later this year.

पॉप की सबसे गूढ़ आवाज़ों में से एक नौ वर्षों में अपने पहले एल्बम के साथ उभरी है। एग्नेथा फाल्टस्कोग के नए एल्बम में गैरी बार्लो के साथ उनका युगल गीत देखा गया है और ब्रिटनी स्पीयर्स की स्वीडिश गीतकार टीम के साथ सहयोग किया गया है। बस उन्हें "रहस्यमय" न कहें।