India's disturbing Oscar entry takes on police torture

Summary: A thriller in Tamil language has been chosen as India's official entry to the Best Foreign Language Film at next year's Oscars. Sudha G Tilak writes on an unusually gritty crime drama on police brutality and corruption.

A homeless young man is walking down a street after watching a late night movie in Guntur, a town in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. A police patrol halts by and asks his name. "Afzal", the man replies. "al-Qaeda? Isis?" sneers a policeman. "I'm a Tamil migrant worker," he replies not comprehending, and is rudely rounded off to the police station for unending torture in custody. 'New language' This scene from Tamil film Visaranai (Interrogation), India's official entry to the Oscars this year, sets the tone for this gritty crime drama on human rights violations. The film won the Amnesty International Italia Award for focusing on human rights violations after it premiered in the Orrizonti section at the Venice International Festival this year, the first ever for a Tamil language film. Visaranai is set in the border area of Andhra Pradesh where four innocent migrant workers from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu are callously picked up. The four are tortured into taking the rap for a crime they have not committed as the police find it easier to make scapegoats of the poor than searching for the real culprits. "This film heralds a new language in Indian cinema. I have not seen anything like it in India for a long time", says Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap who has lent his name to the film. As India's big cities see migrants pouring in from villages and towns, Visaranai is a condemnation of the utter inhumanity and wretchedness that displaced people, struggling with poverty, endure. They are shown as hapless victims before brute authority and state machinery. "Migrants are not a problem, accepting them is the issue," director Vetri Maaran told the BBC. In the film the Tamil migrants are homeless, sleeping in a park at night and doing odd jobs by day. They are easy targets for policemen hunting robbers, suspected to be Tamils, who have looted a rich man's home. 'Threat of violence' The four men's rights are withheld and they are not even told what they are in custody for, and instead subjected to gory violence to "confess". "To what?" they ask puzzled and after much torture are asked to confess to a robbery they have no idea about. The film's germ is based on the autobiographical novel Lockup, published in 2006, by N Chandrakumar alias Auto Chandran, a Tamil auto-rickshaw driver, who in 1983 began life as a youth, waiting at tables at a roadside eatery. Chandran and his pals were picked up by the police in the town of Guntur and subjected to police torture for two weeks, to confess to a crime they knew nothing about. Chandran survived and wrote a novel about the harrowing experience. "The novel made me realise how close the threat of violence is prevalent around us and how vulnerable we are to it," Maaran says. The scenes of custodial torture are deeply troubling to view, as the four men, led by Pandi, a shop assistant, refuse to take the rap. "Why should we lie about something we have not committed?" Pandi asks and is rewarded with unrelenting beatings and torture. 'Draining experience' More than 14,000 people died in police and judicial custody in India between 2001 and 2010, according to data released by the country's Human Rights Commission. Rights groups say a large number of such deaths happen because of torture in custody. And the government routinely attributes deaths in custody to illness, attempted escape, suicide and accidents. The process of filming Visaranai over 42 days was "a disturbing and draining experience", Maaran admits. The actors suffered injuries and some would collapse in tears, consumed by the scenes. "Filming it was rough and intense on the actors and crew", he says. "After the film was wrapped we all went in for meditation and group therapy to calm ourselves from the emotionally exhausting experience," says Maaran. Visaranai also weaves a parallel narrative that is a social indictment of class and authority. "The casualties in this system are the poor, voiceless and defenceless", says Maaran. It shows, on the one hand, a visceral and corrupt police force whose hands are bloodied by both careless and wilful deaths, internal machinations and political intervention. On the other hand, morally bankrupt people on the make are shown to collude with the police and politicians to safeguard their interests. "This is a country where possessing money is laced with guilt and not celebrated", says a corrupt auditor in the film. "Here an entire system is on the take," agrees a police officer.

तमिल भाषा में एक थ्रिलर को अगले साल के ऑस्कर में सर्वश्रेष्ठ विदेशी भाषा फिल्म के लिए भारत की आधिकारिक प्रविष्टि के रूप में चुना गया है। सुधा जी तिलक ने पुलिस की बर्बरता और भ्रष्टाचार पर एक असामान्य रूप से कठोर अपराध नाटक पर लिखा है।


Teenager airlifted to hospital after Snowdonia mountain fall

Summary: A 14-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after tripping while with a school party descending a mountain in Snowdonia.

The youngster gashed his head following the 12ft (4m) fall at Cwm Bochlwyd, on a footpath leading down from Tryfan. Members of Ogwen mountain rescue team helped out but because of the boy's injuries he was flown to Alder Hey Children's hospital in Liverpool. He was stable and conscious following the incident.

स्नोडोनिया में एक पहाड़ से उतरते हुए एक स्कूल पार्टी के दौरान एक 14 वर्षीय लड़के को हवाई मार्ग से अस्पताल ले जाया गया।


Disused public toilets in Merthyr Tydfil sold for £37,000

Summary: Disused public toilets in Merthyr Tydfil have been sold for more than six times its guide price.

The former public convenience in North Street, Dowlais, was up for auction starting at £6,000 but ended up being sold for £37,000. Auctioneers Paul Fosh said the building, which had been owned by the council, could be turned into a cafe, shop or even a new home. A spokeswoman said there had been "a lot of interest" in the property.

मेरथिर टायडफिल में अनुपयोगी सार्वजनिक शौचालयों को इसके गाइड मूल्य से छह गुना से अधिक में बेचा गया है।


Britpop: Photographer Kevin Cummins revisits the 90s

Summary: Twenty-five years since Blur and Oasis battled for chart supremacy, renowned music photographer Kevin Cummins has put the heady days of Britpop centre stage in a new book. The Manchester-born snapper recalls fights, flags and the scene's fall from grace.

By Simon ArmstrongBBC News As jobs go, it is a tough one - photographing a band when only one member has made it to the shoot. Dispatched to Amsterdam to picture the then up-and-coming Oasis in 1994, Cummins was greeted by a lone Gallagher brother. Expecting to be told singer Liam, guitarist Bonehead and drummer Tony McCarroll were indulging in the Dutch city's famous party scene, songwriter Noel gave an altogether blunter response: "They've been deported." "They'd had a scrap on the ferry overnight," Cummins remembers. "Noel had gone to bed, the rest of them had a fight with some football fans and were kept on the boat and sent back to England. "So that was my introduction to them. I had to drag Noel out and photograph him by the poster for the gig they were supposed to be playing to prove I'd actually turned up and get paid for it. "It never really changed. I once flew to LA to do a piece with them for [music magazine] NME when they were playing somewhere in Hollywood. Within 10 minutes they'd had two fights on stage then Liam claimed he'd lost his voice and that was the end of it. "There was always a bit of tension [between Noel and Liam]. If you've got a brother you know what it can be like. You kind of know because of your own family not to get involved in other people's squabbles." Oasis would go on to become one of the biggest bands of the decade - figureheads of the resurgence of UK guitar groups with a catalogue of anthemic hits and record-breaking concerts. Their rise to stardom - and that of contemporaries Blur, Suede and Pulp - provided a soundtrack to a changing of the guard in the pop charts. Cummins, whose camera work had been gracing the covers and inside pages of the NME since the late 1970s, has chronicled the story in the newly released While We Were Getting High: Britpop and the 90s. Taking its title from a line in the Oasis track Champagne Supernova, it has seen him narrow down 25,000 frames on negatives and transparencies to a few hundred with an array of images that would no doubt have adorned the bedroom walls of many music-loving teenagers. A corduroy-clad Jarvis Cocker, cigarette-smoking Justine Frischmann and Damon Albarn sitting astride a Lambretta scooter are all featured. The book also includes contributions from the aforementioned Noel as well as Suede frontman Brett Anderson, Echobelly's Sonya Aurora Madan and Martin Rossiter of Gene. Reflecting on that time, a quarter of a century on, Gallagher tells Cummins his band were responsible for pushing indie into the mainstream and that he found the Britpop tag "a bit demeaning". "Oasis weren't part of any scene," he says. "Blur and Suede had their foot in the door long before what came to be known as Britpop was even a thing. "We literally smashed it wide open. The NME had to invent a collective so every other [band] could ride on our coattails." Its beginnings were not immediately obvious though, says Cummins, who ironically relocated to London in 1987 just before all eyes turned to his home city as Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses led the "Madchester" craze. The 66-year-old says his Britpop pictures were aided by bands who "understood the value of a good front cover". "The early gestation of a music scene is apparent when you look back, but at the time you're not sure where it's going. It was certainly a lot calmer photographing Lush and co after spending about two years on the road with the Mondays. "With Oasis, I watched them try to kick lumps out of each other and then they'd get back into position and we'd do the photos so it was a bit unusual. "Blur just enjoyed themselves. They'd always do what I needed them to do. "Similarly with Suede, actually. I went to the [United] States with them a couple of times and they were prepared to do things to make a good photograph. They'd grown up looking at the NME and they wanted to work at it to make sure what they were giving you were really great pictures. "On tour, if the mood isn't right I sit back and wait. I don't feel I've got to be taking pictures all the time and I don't think I've got to be telling them jokes. There's always a level of trust." Suede's debut album topped the charts in early 1993, but it would be the following year when the excitement and hype around Britpop began to soar with the arrival of Blur's Parklife and Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe. When, in August 1995, the NME's front cover billed an upcoming singles battle between the latter two groups as a British Heavyweight Championship fight, the wider media immediately took notice. On BBC One's Six O'Clock News, presenter John Humphrys described it as the "biggest chart war in 30 years", adding "the music industry hasn't seen anything like it since The Beatles fought it out with The Rolling Stones in the 60s". As interest peaked over the next 12 months following the release of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis found themselves playing Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger to a quarter of a million adoring fans across two nights at Knebworth in Hertfordshire. Tabloids and "lads' mags" such as Loaded and FHM, which focused on booze and "birds", had also latched on to the phenomenon with many in the media and even the government talking up "Cool Britannia" and the rebirth of British pop culture. The union flag became a celebratory backdrop on magazine covers. So wide was Britpop's cultural impact, Prime Minister Tony Blair invited Noel Gallagher to Downing Street as part of a celebration of creative industries shortly after taking up residence in Downing Street in 1997. Those associations were problematic for some musicians, though, as Anderson tells Cummins in the book. "My view of the era is complex," the singer says. "When we started writing those songs in 1991 it felt thrilling and against the grain but [it] soon became a jingoistic, beery cartoon when the money moved in. "I think it's aged terribly. The faint whiff of nationalism and misogyny, the Men Behaving Badly and Loaded culture is so at odds with modern concepts it feels clumsy and almost anachronistic now. "It was an indication of the blithe optimism of Cool Britannia that people managed to get away with waving flags. In today's political climate exactly the same act would be seen as deeply troubling." While liking much of the music, Cummins admits he shares similar concerns. "I didn't really like the way Loaded magazine got hold of Britpop or the whole 'lad and ladette' movement. A lot of that was quite unedifying. "If you went to an Oasis or Blur gig, initially it would be quite mixed and then it just becomes blokes chucking pints of piss around. "Britpop was long dead when Tony Blair invited them all to Downing Street. That was the kiss of death. The whole point of youth movements is that they're anti-establishment." All images subject to copyright

पँचिश साल बाद से ब्लर और ओएसिस ने चार्ट वर्चस्व के लिए लड़ाई लड़ी, प्रसिद्ध संगीत फोटोग्राफर केविन कमिंस ने एक नई किताब में ब्रिटपॉप केंद्र मंच के प्रमुख दिनों को रखा है। मैनचेस्टर में जन्मे स्नैपर झगड़े, झंडे और दृश्य के पतन को याद करते हैं।


Solihull man pleads not guilty over cyclist's death

Summary: A man has denied causing death by dangerous driving in connection with a cyclist who was killed by a car in Solihull.

Anthony Satterthwaite, 51, was struck on Eastcote Lane on 22 December last year. David McSkimming, of Gainsborough Crescent, Solihull, entered a not guilty plea to the charge at Birmingham Crown Court. The 52-year-old is set to face trial at the same court on 27 April 2020. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.

एक व्यक्ति ने सोलिहुल में एक कार द्वारा मारे गए एक साइकिल चालक के संबंध में खतरनाक ड्राइविंग से मौत होने से इनकार किया है।


Corringham man in coma after Caribbean fall

Summary: The sister of a father-of-two, who is in a coma after a fall in the Caribbean, says her family faces a medical and transport bill of tens of thousands of pounds to get him home.

As first reported by Essex Live, Kurt Russell, 32, fractured his skull while helping a friend move house on Sint Maarten. Mr Russell was uninsured, but has had an operation in the Cayman Islands. His sister Tyla Russell says the bill is about $70,000 (£50,000). Mr Russell, from Corringham, suffered a skull fracture and a bleed on the brain after the three-storey fall on the Dutch dependency on Wednesday. Mr Russell, whose children live in England, spends about half his time in the Caribbean running angling tours. "He was helping a friend move and somehow lost his footing, reached out to grab the balcony rail and tumbled to the floor," said Ms Russell, who lives in Welywn Garden City. She said the medical centre on Sint Maarten's had put her brother into a coma, but they were not capable of carrying out the necessary surgery. The advice on Sint Maarten was for him to be treated at the private Health City hospital on the Cayman Islands and he was flown 1,200 miles (2,000km) to get there on Saturday. 'Begged and borrowed' "We got the phone call on Thursday and went into a panic. We have been scared for his life," said Ms Russell. "My mum and dad have begged or borrowed about £35,000 on credit cards or from friends and my dad thinks he might have to sell his house," she said. The family has set up a JustGiving page for his ongoing treatment and his eventual flight back to the UK. Health City confirmed it was treating Mr Russell. His sister said he was still in a coma, on life support and in a critical, but stable condition.

कैरेबियन में गिरने के बाद कोमा में रहने वाले दो बच्चों के पिता की बहन का कहना है कि उसे घर लाने के लिए उसके परिवार को दसियों हज़ार पाउंड के चिकित्सा और परिवहन बिल का सामना करना पड़ता है।


List of LTTE detainees with AG

Summary: The Chief Justice (cj) of Sri Lanka said that a list of LTTE suspects in detention has been handed over to legal authorities in order to initiate legal proceedings immediately.

The Attorney General (AG) was ordered to use the list of detainees handed to his office by the CJ to facilitate prosecutions or to release the suspects who had been in custody since 2009. CJ Asoka Silva issued the statement on Thursday, at a hearing of a fundamental rights petition filed by a detainee. The Petitionor demanded his release from prolonged detention without trial. Early Release CJ Asoka Silva, hearing the petition, stated to the state counsel that he had handed in a comprehensive list of names of the detainees in custody to the AG’s office. Asoka Silva also said that it is not appropriate to hold detainees for long periods without bringing charges. Assistance from the police should be sought to expedite the proceedings, said the Chief Justice Asoka Silva.

श्रीलंका के मुख्य न्यायाधीश (सी. जे.) ने कहा कि हिरासत में लिए गए एल. टी. टी. ई. के संदिग्धों की एक सूची कानूनी अधिकारियों को सौंप दी गई है ताकि तुरंत कानूनी कार्यवाही शुरू की जा सके।


Small Data: 1,574,728 - could young voters swing an election?

Summary: The Labour Party has promised to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote. There were 1,574,728 people that age in the UK at the time of the last election - could they have swung the vote, asks Anthony Reuben.

Small DataCurious numbers in the news It was a tight election in 2010, which led to the formation of a coalition government as the Conservative Party won 307 seats, 19 short of the 326 it would have needed to form a majority government alone. The Conservatives won 49 more seats than Labour's 258 seats while the Liberal Democrats won 57 seats. It's no good looking at whether the number of 16 and 17-year-olds would have swung the vote overall because the UK's political system works on a constituency by constituency basis (although for the record, the Conservatives won 2.1 million more votes than Labour). But the Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency report population figures broken down by constituency and by age group. I have taken figures for mid-2010, which is a close enough approximation to election day in May. It turns out that in 95 of the 650 constituencies in the UK, the winning candidate had a majority smaller than the number of 16 and 17-year-olds living there. For the biggest two parties, 43 of those seats were Conservatives and 33 were Labour. Now, clearly this assumes that all 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to vote, that they choose to vote and indeed that they vote for the candidate in second place in the ballot. But it demonstrates that the new teenage voters could swing a tight election and that politicians might have to start wooing a younger electorate if change does eventually come. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

लेबर पार्टी ने 16 और 17 साल के बच्चों को वोट देने का अधिकार देने का वादा किया है। एंथनी रूबेन पूछते हैं कि पिछले चुनाव के समय यूके में उस उम्र के लोग थे-क्या वे वोट बदल सकते थे।


Man dies in Fermanagh farm accident

Summary: A man in his 40s has died following a farm accident in the Derrylin area of County Fermanagh.

The incident happened on Thursday, and the man died as a result of his injuries in hospital on Saturday. The Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) is investigating. "Our sympathies are with the family at this most difficult time, a spokesperson said.

काउंटी फरमानाघ के डेरिलिन क्षेत्र में एक खेत दुर्घटना में 40 साल के एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


Is population growth out of control?

Summary: The respected broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, told the BBC recently that population growth was "out of control" - but one expert says the number of people on the planet could peak in 40 years. Who should we believe?

By Hannah BarnesBBC News "The world's population is increasing out of control," Sir David told the BBC's Today programme. "Since I first started making programmes 60 years ago, the human population has tripled." Two striking claims. Let's take the second one first - that the world's population has tripled in 60 years. In 1950, around the time Sir David began his broadcasting career, there were 2.53 billion people in the world. Sixty-three years later and the latest estimate of world population is 7.16 billion. That is a little shy of tripling - more like a factor of 2.8 - but it's not far off. The "out of control" claim is less easily measurable, but perhaps it could be interpreted as the idea that the population will continue to grow at the same rate, roughly tripling in 60 years. If this happened, the world population would reach almost 40 billion people by the end of this century. But the latest United Nations projection puts the figure at little more than a quarter of that - less than 11 billion. That's still 50% more than we have today, but it shows the UN expects much slower population growth in the decades to come than in decades gone by. Some might consider that an increase in the world population from seven billion to 11 billion by 2100 still represents out-of-control population growth. But this UN figure - contained in its World Population Prospects, published every two years - is considered by one expert, at least, to be much too high. "When I looked at them I discovered that they were almost certainly wrong," says Sanjeev Sanyal, Global Strategist for Deutsche Bank, of the latest update of the World Population Prospects, released in June this year. Population growth projections feed into many other forecasts and models - projections of energy use, for example, or corporate profits - so people like Sanyal scrutinise these UN figures carefully. And he finds the UN projections "difficult to justify" for a number of reasons. "If you look at fertility rates - the number of babies that a woman has over the course of her life - in very large parts of the world, those fertility rates are now below what is needed to replace the population," he says. "Much of Europe, Japan, large countries like China, even Brazil, don't produce [the necessary] 2.2 or 2.3 babies [per woman]. Some of them are way below that level and as a result it is almost certain that these huge countries are going to see rapidly declining populations within a few decades from now." The replacement rate is higher than two, because some women will die before they reach the end of their child-bearing years. Also, in developing countries the UN predicts rapidly expanding populations. In Nigeria, for example, it expects the current figure of roughly 160 million to increase to almost one billion by the end of the century. Sanyal is sceptical. "Surely Nigerians will recognise at some points that things are getting crowded and stop having so many babies?" he argues. He predicts the Nigerian population in 2100 will be 400 million fewer than the UN suggests. His forecasts are lower for the world's two largest countries too. He predicts China's population will be 60 million fewer than the UN forecasts for 2100, and India's 100 million. "Even the US is quite suspect," Sanyal says. Here, the UN predicts a rise from 312 million today to 462 million in 2100. "That would be extraordinary for a country which already has birth rates below the replacement rate… You will need huge amounts of migration into the US to reach anywhere near [that]." It is likely that lots of people will migrate to the US. Sanyal accepts that the US population will grow. But to increase at this rate he insists that other countries would have to be showing falls in population - falls that do not appear in the UN figures. Overall, Sanyal paints a very different picture from the UN, with world population peaking around 2050 at 8.7 billion and declining to about 8 billion by the end of the century. That's about a billion higher than it is now, but well short of the UN's 11 billion. Both Sanyal and the UN start with the same data - national censuses from 2010. The difference arises because they make different assumptions about fertility, mortality and migration. "I took into account two or three things which I think are inadequately reflected in the UN [report]," Sanyal explains. "I have probably accounted more aggressively for things like gender bias in countries like China and India. The fact that they are countries with far fewer women of childbearing age than their overall population would suggest." The UN predictions also assume, according to Sanyal, that all fertility rates will eventually converge towards the replacement rate - an "odd assumption" in his view. "We have not seen any country where fertility rates have declined very dramatically [only] to have seen them drift back up to the replacement rate," he says. And the UN has underestimated the impact of urbanisation on reducing fertility rates, he argues. Up to now, as he puts it, urbanisation has been "a very powerful contraceptive" in all countries. For their part, the UN experts say that Sanyal must have been assuming very sharp declines in fertility rates, which they do not share, and very small changes to the global fertility rate can have a huge impact decades down the line. The UN's own predictions highlight this. The 10.9 billion figure in 2100 is what is known as the "medium-variant" - it represents what the UN sees as the middle road. But if you assume a fertility rate of half a child below that, the world's population would have fallen to 6.8 billion by the end of the century. Go up by half a child in the UN's model and it hits 16.6. billion. What's more, small changes in fertility rates have a more pronounced effect over time. Sanyal's forecast and the UN's differ by 800 million at 2050. Yet, this increases to 2.8 billion by 2100. There is plenty of room for disagreement. Let's hope the disagreements don't get "out of control". You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook

सम्मानित प्रसारक और प्रकृतिवादी, सर डेविड एटनबरो ने हाल ही में बीबीसी को बताया कि जनसंख्या वृद्धि "नियंत्रण से बाहर" थी-लेकिन एक विशेषज्ञ का कहना है कि ग्रह पर लोगों की संख्या 40 वर्षों में चरम पर हो सकती है। हमें किस पर विश्वास करना चाहिए?


Petition to disarm armed groups

Summary: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court asking it to order Inspector General of Police(IGP) and the Defense Secretary to disarm armed groups in the east during local government polls.

People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has filed the petition with election commissioner and thirty five officials as respondents. In its petition, PAFFREL has pointed out that there has been election related violence in the district, and it poses an obstacle to ensure a free and fair election. Another obstacle for a free and fair elections, it states, is that the armed groups contesting the elections are involved in their election campaign with arms in their hands. PAFFREL has also made a request to the Supreme Court to issue a ban on the use of public property for election purposes.

उच्चतम न्यायालय में एक याचिका दायर की गई है जिसमें पुलिस महानिरीक्षक (आई. जी. पी.) और रक्षा सचिव को स्थानीय सरकारी चुनावों के दौरान पूर्व में सशस्त्र समूहों को निरस्त्र करने का आदेश देने के लिए कहा गया है।


Q&A: John Paul II's beatification

Summary: The Vatican has hosted its biggest event in years - the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II.

The globe-trotting Pope credited with contributing to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe was blessed in St Peter's Square on Sunday 1 May. Here the BBC's Rome correspondent, David Willey, answers questions about one of the most important events of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy.

वैटिकन ने वर्षों में अपने सबसे बड़े कार्यक्रम की मेजबानी की है-स्वर्गीय पोप जॉन पॉल द्वितीय का बीटिफिकेशन।


Flybe ends Jersey flights to East Midlands and Leeds

Summary: Flybe has cancelled direct flights from Jersey to the East Midlands for the winter, a spokesman has confirmed.

Shuttle flights which take Jersey arrivals from Southampton to Leeds Bradford Airport, have also been cancelled, though flights from Jersey to Southampton will continue. Last flights on both routes leave on Saturday. Flights to East Midlands Airport will start again in April. Flybe could not say whether the flights would be operated next winter. It said schedules were subject to regular review.

एक प्रवक्ता ने पुष्टि की है कि फ्लाईबी ने सर्दियों के लिए जर्सी से ईस्ट मिडलैंड्स के लिए सीधी उड़ानें रद्द कर दी हैं।


Tendring Eldercare director, 28, spends £25,000 keeping charity afloat

Summary: A 28-year-old man has spent almost £25,000 of his own money to help the elderly. Edward Bell is the unlikely chairman of Tendring Eldercare, a charity which supports older people in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.

By Michael BuchananSocial affairs correspondent, BBC News He became involved with the charity nearly four years ago, and now, before he even turns 30, he is the driving force behind ambitious plans that would allow it to either thrive, or go under. There is both pride and anxiety in his voice as he talks me through his plans for the shell of a building we are standing in. The walls are stripped back, floorboards have been pulled up, an old fireplace has been revealed, and stuck on one wall are the plans for a large kitchen. "Unfortunately I don't have the money to install it at the moment," he says. 'Somewhere to go' The success of the charity is personal to Edward, who has a background in digital marketing. He has ploughed nearly £25,000 of his own money into the venture, including taking out a £8,000 personal loan, and has explored getting a logbook loan, borrowing money against the value of his car. "I get on very well with the older generation. Some of them are incredibly funny and cheeky. They're just like us, only older. "But there are people who are desperately lonely that just need somewhere to go and someone to care for them. My great-uncle had lots of family but he was lonely and he was depressed because his wife that he was married to for over 70 years had passed away. "One day he came to see me and my sister, and he just cried his eyes out because he was so lonely. And it's heartbreaking to see a man you've always looked up to break down because he was heartbroken. That's why it's so important for me to keep this going - it's my family, who are no longer with me, that keep it alive in my heart." Tendring Eldercare has run a day centre and luncheon club on the Essex coast for nearly 40 years. When lockdown happened, much of its income disappeared. It initially transformed its services into providing food parcels for residents who were shielding. Hundreds of parcels were delivered, but as the lockdown has eased, the charity has shifted its focus to preventing loneliness. It has embarked on a pen-pal service, encouraging people to write to elderly residents in the area via the charity. Financial difficulties More than 40% of the local population is over 65 years old, one of the highest proportions in Europe. Many of the people who retire to the area come from elsewhere, so their families are often far away and loneliness is a constant danger. Edward believes that renovating the charity's building is their only hope, despite the current financial difficulties. Social distancing rules meant they would not have been viable once allowed to reopen, so reorganising the former 11-bed care home that they moved into last year will allow them to welcome people into separate rooms in smaller groups - as well as letting them open for longer. "The need is massive," Edward says. "I'm getting calls right, left and centre asking when are we going to reopen." The problem is financing the project. Essex County Council has continued to pay its fees despite the centre being closed, but much of that is used to pay monthly costs. The charity has furloughed 10 members of staff, and as the scheme's rules changed in August, it has to make increasing contributions, which it will currently struggle to fund. The charity's trustees applied for a government bounce-back loan three months ago. But while they believe they qualify, delays in processing their application means they have not received a penny yet. Edward is regularly chasing up the application, spending hours on the phone, so far to no avail. They are hopeful of getting £45,000, which would allow them to complete the building work and usher in a new future for the charity. "It's a lot of pressure, it does keep me awake at night. But I am confident this is going to work."

एक 28 वर्षीय व्यक्ति ने बुजुर्गों की मदद करने के लिए अपने स्वयं के पैसे में से लगभग 25,000 पाउंड खर्च किए हैं। एडवर्ड बेल एसेक्स में क्लैक्टन-ऑन-सी में वृद्ध लोगों की सहायता करने वाली एक चैरिटी, टेंडरिंग एल्डरकेयर के संभावित अध्यक्ष हैं।


How businesses will be affected by Royal Mail's changing prices

Summary: On Monday, 30 April Royal Mail will change its prices.

By Catherine BurnsBusiness reporter, BBC News The price of a first-class stamp will go up from 46p to 60p - a 30% increase - and second-class stamps will rise from 36p to 50p. But the changes are less clear-cut when it comes to packets and parcels. In some cases, prices will go up by 71%; in other circumstances they could also go down by 11.5%. At the moment, Royal Mail charges for packets according to how much they weigh. Anything less than 100g currently costs £1.58 and an item between 501-750g is £3.05. But from Monday, this system is being replaced by a flat rate. From then on, anything up to 750g will cost £2.70 and that means an increase of 71% for the lightest items. 'Annoying' James Turner says this is bad news for him. He runs a one-man business, selling wooden stands for smartphones and tablet computers. He sends about 50 parcels a month to online customers and includes free delivery in his prices. His phone stands weigh less than 100g, so they currently cost him £1.58 each to send. From Monday, his prices will automatically go up to £2.70 for the same items. "The packets are going to cost me an extra £1.12 to send, so I'm having to pass on prices to my customers to cover that difference," he explains. "It's very annoying that I've been put in this position. I don't feel that I've got a choice other than to use Royal Mail." Robert Hammond, who speaks for Consumer Focus, says these changes will hit the "most vulnerable, hardest - particularly older people and those on low incomes who rely more on the postal service and have fewer alternatives". He adds: "Although second-class prices are also rising significantly they are not rising as much as first-class. "So we would encourage consumers to try to post packets in advance by second class wherever possible." 'Shop around' The regulator Ofcom is allowing Royal Mail to put its prices up, because it says the service is at "severe risk". Nowadays more of us rely on texts and emails instead of popping down to the post box to send a letter and Royal Mail has lost almost £1bn over the last four years. A Royal Mail spokesperson said that kind of loss was "not sustainable for any business". It says the average increase for packets is 15% and it believes that jump is justified. "The changes better reflect the cost of handling packets which often cannot be delivered through the letterbox," the spokesperson said. "Royal Mail is committed to supporting social and business customers who send packets. "For the typical consumer and small business customer, we will remain the cheapest provider of packet services in the country." No choice Postal consultant David Stubbs says that is true, especially for smaller packets. He explains that they can be delivered straight through your letterbox by a postman who is going past your door anyway. So Royal Mail can afford to deliver smaller packets more cheaply than a courier service who would have to make a special journey to your door. "I think Royal Mail are doing this precisely because most people who are sending parcels around the £2 or £3 mark don't have a choice," says Mr Stubbs. "They are the only provider that will offer a service at this sort of price. "If you're sending something around £3 or £4, then you will have alternatives - have a shop around," he urges. However, Mr Stubbs warns that this will not always be the case. Other providers and couriers are doing as much as they can to close the gap, and he predicts they will manage that in the next two or three years.

सोमवार, 30 अप्रैल को रॉयल मेल अपनी कीमतों में बदलाव करेगी।


Mers: Saudis in push to keep Hajj free from deadly virus

Summary: Health officials in Saudi Arabia say they are doing all they can to avoid an outbreak of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) coronavirus at the annual Hajj pilgrimage next month. The BBC's Global Health Correspondent Tulip Mazumdar has been given rare access to the kingdom.

Out in the humid golden desert on the outskirts of Jeddah we witness a loving scene. A large, strong, beautiful camel is stroked and kissed by one of its herders, Abdel Salam Youssof. "I wake up each morning with my children and the first thing we do is bring him food and water," he says. These impressive animals are the source of millions of dollars' worth of trade, as well as entertainment, food, drink - and status in Saudi Arabia. But they are also believed to be a source of one of the world's newest killer viruses, known as Mers. In camels Mers mainly causes a mild cold. In humans it can be deadly. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Situation as of 21 August 2014 855 cases 333 deaths 723 cases in Saudi Arabia 73 cases in the UAE 59 cases across the rest of the world 40% death rate The virus has killed 302 people in Saudi Arabia since it first emerged in 2012. More than 723 people have been infected. At its peak in April and May, the World Health Organization (WHO) was considering declaring Mers a public health emergency. Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness in breath. It can also cause pneumonia and kidney failure. Nearly 40% of those infected have died. Most already had an underlying medical problem. It is unclear exactly how it passes from camels to people. Scientists say it is probably via secretions from the nose and mouth of infected animals. Raw camel milk could also carry the virus. The WHO says anyone working closely with camels should wear protective gear like masks and gloves. It also says people should avoid drinking raw camel milk. We didn't see anyone at the market following that advice. "I've drunk raw camel milk every day for the last 17 years and I am fine. Everything is safe here," said Mr Youssof. It is still unclear whether the key source of the virus is camels, or whether it could be another animal like bats. Mers is believed to spread between humans through droplets when infected people cough or sneeze. Although there have been sporadic cases outside Saudi Arabia, the vast majority of victims have been from the kingdom. Now, with around two million pilgrims getting ready for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, there are concerns there could be a significant outbreak. "We've done a lot of work to ensure Hajj goes smooth without any [Mers] cases," said Prof Tariq Madani, the government's scientific advisor on Mers. "Being a virus transmissible from human to human is a big concern for Hajj. We have overcrowding and this is an excellent medium for a respiratory infection to spread." But officials say they have now got this outbreak under control. Most of the victims who caught Mers, however, didn't pick it up from animals in the desert - they caught it in hospitals. Hygiene issue Poor infection control measures on wards meant people who came to hospital with Mers were able to spread it quickly to other patients and health workers. Staff weren't taking basic steps, such as washing their hands between patients and wearing masks properly, so they were picking up the virus and passing it on. Dr Hani Jokhdar said a third of those infected with Mers at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah in the spring were health workers. "When [so many] health care workers were becoming victims of the virus - that made an alert that there's something wrong, this is not a joke. [We realised] we need to stand up and put very strong infection control measures in". It was after this spike in cases, 18 months into the outbreak, that the King sacked his health minister and other health officials and brought in a new team. It was only then that things started to improve and the number of cases started to fall. Now the health ministry says thousands of health care workers have been given strict infection control training. Whilst we were in the kingdom, more than 20 patients were being treated for Mers. We were unable to interview any of them, nor were we given access to affected families. The government has been accused by some international scientists of a lack of transparency over the outbreak and taking too long to carry out the studies needed to find out more about the virus and where it came from. "Given that we are two years on from first identifying MERS-CoV, it is disappointing that there are still have so many knowledge gaps." The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said. The health ministry said it is working openly with international organisations including the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control in the US to figure out how Mers spreads, and where it actually came from. Many unknowns Saudi health officials say they have beefed up their response to the outbreak, with better infection control in hospitals and improved surveillance systems such as a new Command and Control Centre in Jeddah, which can coordinate swift isolation and treatment of new cases to prevent spread. "Mers is not an issue in Saudi anymore. We will do our best to ensure we continue doing all we can to have a safe Hajj for all our guests," said the Acting Health Minister Adel bin Muhammad Fakeih. Mers Source: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control The WHO says it still considers Mers a "public health concern". "There are lot of "unknowns" in our understanding of the origin of the virus causing the disease, transmission mode of the virus as well as the behavioural risk factors that may result in infection," said WHO spokesperson Rana Sidani. In the run-up to Hajj, it warned: "The virus will re-emerge if people won't adhere to behaviours that will protect themselves - such as proper way of coughing, good personal hygiene, avoiding close contact with camels as well as close contact with people who have been diagnosed with Mers." It says pilgrims are advised to consult a health care provider before travelling to review the risk and assess whether making the pilgrimage is advisable. In Jeddah's busy souks some hadn't heard of the virus, while other younger shoppers said they were aware of the disease from government campaigns on social media and YouTube. One man buying camel skin shoes said: "I am very worried, especially when I am in crowded places. I don't know why people here don't take precautions." Maissam's mother in law is currently being treated with a neurological condition in hospital and said: "I am very worried, I heard there are Mers patients being treated there as well." "I am scared she will catch the virus, or I will when I go and visit her. The nurses were trying to give us masks and gloves for protection - but really the protection is from God only."

सऊदी अरब में स्वास्थ्य अधिकारियों का कहना है कि वे अगले महीने वार्षिक हज तीर्थयात्रा में घातक मिडिल ईस्ट रेस्पिरेटरी सिंड्रोम (मर्स) कोरोनावायरस के प्रकोप से बचने के लिए हर संभव प्रयास कर रहे हैं। बीबीसी के वैश्विक स्वास्थ्य संवाददाता ट्यूलिप मजूमदार को राज्य में दुर्लभ पहुंच दी गई है।


Uber: Women voice safety fears over London licence loss

Summary: The news that Uber has lost its licence from Transport for London on public safety and security grounds has left some young women wondering how that will affect not just their wallets but their freedom to choose where they travel and when.

It decided not to issue Uber with a new private hire licence after concluding that the ride-hailing app firm was not fit and proper to hold one. It has concerns about how Uber goes about its background checks on drivers and reports serious offences. Concerns about how Uber deals with alleged attacks have also been raised by the Metropolitan Police Service, following cases such as a driver who was jailed for assaulting a woman. Uber, meanwhile, says its drivers have to pass the same safety checks as black cab and mini cab drivers. The company has changed the way people stay out and travel home - allowing them to book a cab at the touch of an app. And many women say they are reassured by some of its features. such as the ability for customers and their friends and family to track the journey and the driver; the door-to-door service that keeps people from waiting on the road; and knowing who is collecting them. Uber has some 3.5 million registered users in London, and many people prefer the service to the alternatives on offer. "I'm so annoyed," says 26-year-old marketing manager Lisette Henry of the licence loss. "London nightlife is one of the best in the world and I think it's going to restrict a lot of people having access to that." She uses the app every week and says she depends on it for late-night journeys from the airport after work trips. "As someone that's not loaded, and a young woman in London, I actually feel really uncomfortable getting the night bus or even the night Tube. "The area I live in isn't serviced by the night Tube; A night bus would really be the only option I could afford. "Night Tubes are great but you still have just as many problems with drunk and disorderly people as you do on night buses. (This change is) going to restrict me and I'm not going to go out as much. "I feel more comfortable because everything is tracked, I know who's picking me up, I know who they are, I know what their contact number is." Charlie Edmunds says a door-to-door service is better than standing late at night at bus stops. "Being a woman comes with an additional burden of keeping yourself safe," she says. Having a cab at the press of a button, she feels, reduces the burden not only of staying secure, but also of being judged if something bad did occur. But she does have reservations about the company, which has faced criticism over vetting drivers, and says it needs to get its house in order. Social media reaction "I'm lucky I live in zone two, otherwise finding a cab to zone three and beyond can be really hard as many won't take you." Tara Patel, a chartered accountant, 38, says. She remembers "plenty" of occasions when she has been working or out late and there are no black cabs around. And the tracking on Uber that lets her family see her whereabouts "gives me a greater feeling of security", she says. But Uber has its detractors, and their complaints range from safety issues, as cited in TfL's licence decision, to cost and reliability. Lisa Wilson says she thought the app was a "great concept" until one night a driver took an unrecognisable route to her house and she jumped out at traffic lights, "fearing the worst". "I was the middle of nowhere," she says. "Never would I use them nor would I let my daughter who is 18." Peaks and outrages Maya Lorford's concern stems from how the service's prices can rise as demand peaks. She felt stung after the estimate for a cab home after a babysitting job tripled from a morning check to an evening booking. "The estimation for a taxi ride from my babysitting to my house was £6-8," she says. "When I checked back at around 23:30 that evening, the price had risen to £20-£24. "I understand raising prices a little at peak times but by 300% is outrageous." Rachel says she has been "let down every time I've used the app", be that on waiting time, or price. "I've never had a good experience with it and that's before all the impact on black cabs, the road network and conditions for drivers," she says. "Good riddance!" Uber's licence is due to run until 30 September, but it has 21 days to appeal against TfL's decision on Friday and it will be able to operate while any appeals are ongoing. In the meantime, its users admit it is "not perfect by a long shot", as Charlie puts it, but the hope is Uber will rethink how it checks drivers. She is not the only woman anxiously awaiting the outcome.

यह खबर कि उबर ने सार्वजनिक सुरक्षा और सुरक्षा के आधार पर ट्रांसपोर्ट फॉर लंदन से अपना लाइसेंस खो दिया है, ने कुछ युवा महिलाओं को आश्चर्यचकित कर दिया है कि यह न केवल उनके बटुए को प्रभावित करेगा, बल्कि यह चुनने की उनकी स्वतंत्रता को भी प्रभावित करेगा कि वे कहाँ और कब यात्रा करते हैं।


India surrogate mothers talk of pain of giving up baby

Summary: India is known as the "surrogacy hub" of the world where infertile couples, many from across the globe, head to rent a womb. In recent years, the southern city of Chennai has emerged as a major centre with more than a dozen hospitals carrying out the procedure and more than 150 surrogates.

By Geeta PandeyBBC News, Chennai Most surrogate mothers are women from poor families who take up the assignment for money. It's generally believed that the transaction is purely commercial, but three surrogate mothers tell the BBC about the emotional bonds they developed with the babies they carried in their wombs for nine months and the pain they felt once the umbilical cord was snapped. S Sumathi, 38, mother of four I live in a slum in Chennai's Vyasarpadi area and I come from a very poor family. My husband is an auto-rickshaw driver who earns about 8,000 rupees ($120;£92) a month. I work in a factory that makes leather bags. I earn 6,000 rupees ($90; £69). Seven years ago, my family was struggling, we had borrowed 100,000 rupees from people, mostly to pay the fee of our school-going children, and the debts had to be repaid. One day, I met a man who worked as an agent for a surrogacy clinic. He told me that I could earn 200,000 rupees being a surrogate mother. I knew two other women in my neighbourhood who had been surrogate mothers so I agreed. I thought, I have four children, and now I can help someone who cannot have any. I was thinking how horrible it would be if my daughter couldn't bear children. I believe everyone should have children and I wanted to help. I never met the real parents and have no idea who they are. I was still under sedation when they removed the baby. I never set eyes on it. I have no idea whether it's white or black, whether it's Indian or foreigner, I don't even know whether it's a boy or a girl! When I gained consciousness, my first words to my husband were, 'Did you see the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?' He said he hadn't seen it. I asked my doctor, but she didn't answer my question. 'You are a surrogate mother, you shouldn't ask these questions,' she said. But I want to know about the baby. I want to know where he or she is and what it is studying. For three months after giving birth, I spent sleepless nights, I would get headaches thinking about the baby and I had to take medicines to calm down. Every year, on 4 November, the day the baby was born, our family celebrates its birthday. I do all the rituals that I do for my other children. I fast in the morning, I cook payasam [rice pudding] and share it with my family and neighbours, and I visit the temple to pray for the baby's well-being and long life. I've always wondered if the baby is like any of my other children. I really do miss the baby and would give anything to see it once. I know it's not my baby after all, but I know that if I'd seen the baby, I wouldn't have given it away. I hope the baby is happy and fine wherever it is. We talk a lot about it, we call it Paapa or Kuzanthai (Tamil words for baby or child) and at times, my family thinks maybe it would have been happier with us. But then, we are a poor family and in difficult times, we think that perhaps the baby's better off in a wealthier family. Anandi Chelappan, 34, mother of two I work in a shop where I earn 150 rupees a day. My husband works as a painter, doing paint jobs on people's homes at the daily rate of 500 rupees. I have two children - a boy, 11, and a girl, 10. Seven years ago we were faced with financial ruin. My husband was unwell for a while and we had borrowed 150,000 from friends, relatives and neighbours, mostly to pay our rent. When I proposed to my husband that I could make 200,000 rupees for surrogacy, he was upset, he thought I was going to do something immoral. But then when the procedure was explained to him, he understood it and agreed. While I was in the hostel, my family was allowed to visit only once a month and that was very hard for me. I was warned that whatever happened, I couldn't go home, but then thankfully nothing untoward happened which required me to visit them. My son was only four at the time and he asked me if I was going to have a baby. I told him that I was ill and that's why my stomach was swollen and I had to be admitted to hospital for treatment. My son bought my story, but if it was my daughter she would have asked me lots of questions. She is very inquisitive, but thank god, she was only three then and too young to understand. I never saw the baby after it was born. I told the doctor that I would like to see it, at least once. But she said, 'No, it will make you feel guilty.' For the first month, I cried a lot but my husband kept reminding me that 'it's not our baby, it belongs to others, we did this for money'. I understand the child belongs to its parents and I was only renting out my womb, but since I carried it for nine months, it would be nice to get to know the parents. I don't want to interact with the baby, but I just want to see it from a distance. But we no longer speak about the baby at home. With the money I earned, we managed to pay off all our debts and rented a home on a long-term lease, but the lease runs out next year and I'm thinking about being a surrogate mother for the second time. Of course, my children are older now and I can't fool them any more. So I'll tell them it's our child. What will happen when the baby is born and taken away? I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Jothi Lakshmi, 30, mother of three boys, 12, 10 and 7 years I work in a factory and earn 3,500 rupees a month. My husband is a rickshaw driver and he makes 5,000 rupees a month. In 2008, my husband had left home after a fight and it became impossible for me to even feed my children. In the past, I had donated an egg at a fertility clinic so I decided to do it again to make some money, but the doctor there asked me to be a surrogate. My mother and mother-in-law were unconvinced, they didn't speak to me during my pregnancy. I never laid eyes on the baby and I think maybe it was for the best because if I had seen it, I would have felt very guilty giving it up. But it was hard, I had felt the baby move in my belly, I had become attached to it, and I couldn't see it. It just disappeared. For about two-three years, I felt very bad and I lost a lot of weight. But now I don't want to see it. At home, we don't talk about it. I even discourage my husband from talking about it because I know it belongs to someone else. I have made peace with myself.

भारत को दुनिया के "सरोगेसी हब" के रूप में जाना जाता है जहां दुनिया भर से कई बांझ जोड़े, एक गर्भ किराए पर लेने के लिए जाते हैं। हाल के वर्षों में, दक्षिणी शहर चेन्नई एक प्रमुख केंद्र के रूप में उभरा है, जिसमें एक दर्जन से अधिक अस्पताल इस प्रक्रिया को अंजाम दे रहे हैं और 150 से अधिक सरोगेट हैं।


Bodelwyddan 'marble church' shuts for lighting work

Summary: A landmark "marble church" has been shut and services temporarily relocated as part of a £25,000 lighting project.

St Margaret's in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, has been filled with scaffolding to allow electricians to re-wire and replace ceiling lighting. Services are being conducted at nearby St Mary's Church in Rhuddlan. St Margaret's vicar Canon Ian Day said the building, nicknamed the marble church, would remain closed for several weeks. "I've been advised that it's not safe for services to be taking place at all, but we will be re-opening as soon as the work is completed," he said.

एक ऐतिहासिक "संगमरमर चर्च" को बंद कर दिया गया है और £25,000 की प्रकाश परियोजना के हिस्से के रूप में सेवाओं को अस्थायी रूप से स्थानांतरित कर दिया गया है।


Iomart cloud internet firm announces profit forecast

Summary: Iomart, a Glasgow company that offers specialised cloud computing data services, has raised its profit expectations for the fourth time in the current financial year.

In a trading statement, it told investors it expected profits to be about £6.5m for the year. The 2009-10 EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) figures were at £3.1m. The company made a loss in the year to March 2009. Iomart bought Titan Internet, an Essex cloud computing company, for £4.2m last November, raising its profits potential. Angus MacSween, chief executive of Iomart, said: "We continue to assess opportunities for further consolidation within our market, which combined with our strong levels of organic growth, means we believe the prospects for the group to be extremely positive".

विशेष क्लाउड कंप्यूटिंग डेटा सेवाएं प्रदान करने वाली ग्लासगो कंपनी आयोमार्ट ने चालू वित्त वर्ष में चौथी बार अपने लाभ की उम्मीदों को बढ़ाया है।


Blocking research with China would 'hurt', Microsoft boss says

Summary: Microsoft does more research and development in China than it does anywhere else outside the United States. But, as US-China relations continue to sour on issues of trade and cyber-security, the decades-long ties Microsoft has in China are coming under close scrutiny.

Dave LeeNorth America technology reporter In an interview with BBC News, Microsoft's chief executive Satya Nadella has said that despite national security concerns, backing out of China would “hurt more” than it solved. “A lot of AI research happens in the open, and the world benefits from knowledge being open,” he said. "That to me is been what's been true since the Renaissance and the scientific revolution. Therefore, I think, for us to say that we will put barriers on it may in fact hurt more than improve the situation everywhere.” Microsoft’s first office in China was opened by founder and then-chief executive Bill Gates in 1992. Its main location in Beijing now employs more than 200 scientists and involves over 300 visiting scholars and students. It is currently recruiting for, among other roles, researchers in machine learning. In April, it was reported by the Financial Times that Microsoft researchers were collaborating with teams at China’s National University of Defence Technology, working on artificial intelligence projects that some outside observers warned could be used for oppressive means. Speaking to the newspaper, Republican Senator Ted Cruz said: “American companies need to understand that doing business in China carries significant and deepening risk.” He added: "In addition to being targeted by the Chinese Communist party for espionage, American companies are increasingly at risk of boosting the Chinese Communist party’s human rights atrocities." Technology as weapon Mr Nadella acknowledged that risk. “We know any technology can be a tool or a weapon,” he told the BBC. “The question is, how do you ensure that these weapons don't get created? I think there are multiple mechanisms. The first thing is we, as creators, should start with having a set of ethical design principles to ensure that we're creating AI that's fair, that's secure, that's private, that's not biased.” He said he felt his company had sufficient control over how the controversial emerging technologies are used, and said the firm had turned down requests in China - and elsewhere - to engage in projects it felt were inappropriate, due to either technical infeasibility or ethical concerns. “We do have control on who gets to use our technology. And we do have principles. Beyond how we build it, how people use it is something that we control through Terms of Use. And we are constantly evolving the terms of use. "We also recognise whether it's in the United States, whether it's in China, whether it's in the United Kingdom, they will all have their own legislative processes on what they accept or don't accept, and we will abide by them.” 'Leaves me wondering...' Matt Sheehan, from the Paulson Institute, studies the relationship between California's technology scene and the Chinese economy. He said Microsoft's efforts, particularly its Beijing office, have had tremendous impact. "It dramatically advanced the field, advances that have helped the best American and European AI research labs push further," he said. "But those same advances feed into the field of computer vision, a key enabler of China's surveillance apparatus." He cites one particular paper as highlighting the complexity of working with, and within, China. Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition, published in 2016, was a research paper produced by four Chinese researchers working at Microsoft. According to Google Scholar, which indexes research papers, their paper was cited more than 25,256 times between 2014-2018 - more than any other paper in any other field of research. "The lead author now works for a US tech company in California," said Mr Sheehan, referring to Facebook. "Two other authors work for a company involved in Chinese surveillance. And the last author is trying to build autonomous vehicles in China. "What do we make of all that? Honestly, it leaves me - and I think it should leave others - scratching their heads and wondering." _____ Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC Do you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370

माइक्रोसॉफ्ट संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका के बाहर कहीं और की तुलना में चीन में अधिक शोध और विकास करता है। लेकिन, जैसे-जैसे अमेरिका-चीन संबंध व्यापार और साइबर-सुरक्षा के मुद्दों पर खट्टा होते जा रहे हैं, चीन में माइक्रोसॉफ्ट के दशकों से चले आ रहे संबंध कड़ी जांच के दायरे में आ रहे हैं।


Zuma's fall a chance to take moral leadership in Africa

Summary: It is rare in a journalistic life that one gets to sit a few yards from a president as he announces his resignation and then, within the same 24 hours, stand in the presence of his successor as he is sworn in.

By Fergal KeaneAfrica editor More so when it happens without a shot being fired or vast crowds taking to the streets. But South Africa has always been a nation to surprise. And to infuriate. And to inspire. It is like no other country I have ever reported from. From my first experiences in the apartheid 1980s to the rise of President Cyril Ramaphosa, it has frequently havered between the possibility of disaster and triumph, sometimes accommodating both possibilities within the space of a single day. The fall of Jacob Zuma came about, in part, because of several uniquely South African dynamics. Unruly nation It would never have happened without a strong constitution. This document was forged with painstaking care in the early to mid-1990s and is shaped by the memory of apartheid's brutal excesses and the dictatorships which had caused such misery elsewhere on the African continent. But the protections it enshrines - of free speech, democratic accountability, an independent judiciary - are also reflections of a national characteristic, what I would venture to call a redemptive fractiousness. South Africans love to argue. And they have the gift of being able to laugh at themselves and their leaders. In the dying days of the Zuma government there was a typically South African flurry of dramatic rumours. Zuma might declare a state of emergency and use the army to crush his opponents. Memories of PW Botha and the apartheid emergency of 1986 still haunt an older generation. Then came a story that suggested Mr Ramaphosa was negotiating a deal that might see Mr Zuma given immunity from prosecution if he turned state witness in major corruption allegations. Both were quickly debunked. The South African military will never be allowed to occupy the space in national life that it did in the securocrat apartheid state. Even Mr Zuma's most ardent supporters can remember what happens when you put too much power into the hands of the soldiers. As for immunity, it was always a nonsensical rumour. The new dispensation had no intention of beginning with a shabby deal that would, in any case, have been swiftly struck down by the courts. So how is President Ramaphosa likely to govern? The man I have observed over nearly 30 years is likely to move quickly to reduce the influence of the different security and intelligence departments. This will be a government led by a civilian schooled in the trade unions and civil society who never felt comfortable with the conspiratorial culture of some elements that returned from exile with the ANC. Over coffee the morning after President Ramaphosa's state-of-the-nation speech, my colleague Andrew Harding, who lived through two terms of Mr Zuma, summed up the change: "This will be a CEO presidency." Cyril Ramaphosa - South African union leader, mine boss, president Ramaphosa pledges 'new dawn' for South Africa Precisely. Civil servants are already nervously wondering about his plans for downsizing bloated government departments. There will be a war on government waste, and visits to government departments across the country, probably unannounced. But in a moment of hope some caution is needed. Just as in the days after apartheid the public discourse was filled with white politicians claiming they had never really supported apartheid, we can now expect many who thrived under President Zuma to declare themselves to have been ardent enemies of corruption all along. Mr Zuma was undoubtedly the figurehead under whom so much venality flourished. But the rot runs deep in the ruling party. The new president will move carefully, as always, but we can expect to see a steady edging out of those associated with the old regime. Some of them may fall because they find themselves embroiled in criminal proceedings. Others will be cold shouldered and outmanoeuvred. Will this split Africa's oldest liberation movement? I don't believe so. With elections looming next year the party will pull together, recognising that Mr Ramaphosa offers the best hope of victory. Beyond the party, South African society is calling for a reckoning on corruption. There were crooks at many levels of society who stole from state coffers, and many had links to the ANC. The truth commission which followed apartheid saw the beneficiaries of apartheid continue a life of privilege much as they had done before. I sense South Africans do not wish to see a similar veil drawn over corruption. There will be a "state capture" inquiry to join the other public processes which are forensically laying out the abuses of the Zuma years. And there will be trials of those accused of abusing their power. Jacob Zuma could be among those in court. 'State capture' and other ways Zuma's presidency shaped South African speech The survivor whose nine lives ran out What next for South Africa? Africa is undergoing profound political changes. But one cannot impose a single template and disregard the complex factors at work in different regions. In the last few months I have witnessed the aftermath of elections in Kenya and Liberia, and the removal of unpopular leaders in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In each place the dynamics were different. Zimbabwe happened because the incumbent Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace alienated the security elite that had propped up their ruinous regime for so long. In Liberia, the successful transition from one democratically elected leader to another, for the first time in the nation's history, came about in the context of a broadening of democracy across much of west Africa. In central and east Africa authoritarianism is the dominant force, for now. But the peaceful removal of Jacob Zuma, led by the institutions of a vibrant democracy, will inspire activists in Kinshasa, Kigali, Kampala, Nairobi and numerous other points across the continent. From the days when corruption and misrule threatened to make South Africa a laughing stock there is a chance to reclaim some moral leadership on the continent.

पत्रकारिता के जीवन में यह दुर्लभ है कि कोई राष्ट्रपति अपने इस्तीफे की घोषणा करते समय उससे कुछ गज की दूरी पर बैठता है और फिर उसी 24 घंटे के भीतर अपने उत्तराधिकारी की उपस्थिति में खड़ा हो जाता है जब वह शपथ लेता है।


Work starts to prepare Wrexham's 'super prison' site

Summary: Work has started to prepare the site of Britain's biggest prison, which is to be built in Wrexham.

Two diggers have begun preparatory works on the former Firestone site on Wrexham's Industrial Estate. The £250m "super prison" - due for completion in 2017 - will hold up to 2,000 inmates. It has received outline planning permission from Wrexham council, which is expected to vote on granting full permission later this year. Local community councillor Ray Squire said the diggers had been seen levelling ground on the site.

ब्रिटेन की सबसे बड़ी जेल की जगह तैयार करने का काम शुरू हो गया है, जिसे रेक्सम में बनाया जाना है।


Marines murder trial highlights battlefield rules

Summary: It has been one of the most unusual murder trials in recent history. A video was discovered which led to the prosecution - and formed much of the case against - three Royal Marines accused of killing an insurgent, despite the lack of a body.

By Caroline WyattDefence correspondent, BBC News This was also the first time British forces have faced a murder charge in relation to the conflict in Afghanistan. The commandos, known only as Marines A, B and C, were accused of killing a badly-wounded insurgent in Helmand in September 2011. He had been held and was classed as a prisoner of war or captured enemy combatant. Marine A was found guilty by the court martial board at Bulford, Wiltshire, while the other two marines were acquitted. The dead insurgent's identity remains unknown to the UK authorities, who sent a team to find the body without success. According to the prosecution, only a memorial placed at the site by local villagers appears to mark the incident. The video itself was shown to the seven-member court martial board, a military jury, on the opening day of the trial. The marines had all pleaded not guilty to murdering the Afghan national on or about 15 September 2011, contrary to Section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006. In the video Marines A, B and C could be heard talking during the run-up to the incident, shot on the helmet-mounted camera of Marine B. Marine A was seen shooting the Afghan national in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before saying- and swearing: "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us." He was then heard saying: "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I've just broken the Geneva Convention." 'Dignity and respect' Marines B and C were accused of being "party to the killing" and of having "encouraged and assisted" Marine A to commit the murder. On Wednesday, as the trial drew to a close towards the end of its second week, Judge Advocate Gen Jeff Blackett told the board - made up of men from the Royal Marines and Royal Navy - to consider the case against each defendant separately, and to use their "experience of life and the armed services" when considering their verdicts. David Perry QC, prosecuting, had told the court martial that it was not a killing in the heat of battle. He said: "It amounted to an execution, a field execution. An execution of a man who was entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, and entitled to be treated as any British serviceman or servicewoman would be entitled to be treated in a similar situation." Judge Blackett told the board that to convict the men of murder they had to be sure that there was an "intention to kill". He said that for Marine A to be convicted of murder, the board had to be sure that when he fired the pistol the insurgent was alive, that the defendant knew he was alive, that he intended to kill him and that the gunshot caused or accelerated his death. The judge said that the case against Marines B and C was one of "secondary liability". During his summing up, he asked the board: "Are you sure they did or said any of the things the prosecution allege? The prosecution case is that Marines B and C provided encouragement and assistance." The media had asked for the footage to be made public but after legal argument, the judge rejected the request, citing the risk to other serving personnel. Reverberations Prof Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute, says British troops already have a lot more training on the rules of engagement than ever before, leaving little room for doubt on what is or is not morally and legally acceptable on the battlefield. He says it is made clear to all those deploying on operations that they are responsible for what they do. "British troops always pride themselves on maintaining high standards of discipline, and in general I think that is true. "But increasingly, the conditions of modern counter-insurgency make these events more frequent than we would like to believe and events a bit like this... do go on and it's very hard to say that that isn't somehow intrinsic to the nature of counter-insurgency on the ground." He believes that there is not much more commanders can do to hammer home the message on the treatment of prisoners of war. "The only thing the MoD can do is not try to hide in cases that look as bad as this, and they're going to have to accept that if we fight these wars, there will be cases that we are not very proud of - and that's not justifying them, I think it's just a realistic understanding of the ways things work." However, the Royal Marines will have acutely felt the reverberations of this trial after so many tours of duty of Helmand, which have seen many deaths and also many gallantry medals. They have long been seen as a well-trained elite, who faced tough and repeated operational tours of Afghanistan. The court was told of the provocations and distress faced by Royal Marines during that summer tour of duty, which included the deaths of seven of their number. There were also incidents in which the defence said insurgents hung the body parts of dead Royal Marines from the trees in order to upset their comrades.

यह हाल के इतिहास में सबसे असामान्य हत्या के मुकदमों में से एक रहा है। एक वीडियो की खोज की गई थी जिसके कारण अभियोजन पक्ष ने-और तीन शाही मरीन के खिलाफ अधिकांश मामला बनाया-एक विद्रोही की हत्या का आरोपी, शरीर की कमी के बावजूद।


Somme centenary: ‘Most powerful place on the Western Front’

Summary: A hundred years ago, thousands of soldiers left their trenches in what would become the bloodiest day in British army history. Among them were the Devonshire Regiment, many of whom were later buried in the trench where they began the day and still lie in the fields where they perished.

By Alex MorrisonBBC News What was once a battle-scarred wasteland is now a neatly maintained, peaceful cemetery. Surrounded by a cluster of trees called Mansel Copse, the site is separated from the village of Mametz by a shallow valley of French farmland. Crossing that valley cost the lives of most of the men buried in the Devonshire Cemetery, as well as hundreds more. 'Danger spot' One of the 163 men buried here is Capt Duncan Martin, an artist who made a plasticine model showing the threat facing his men. Capt Martin was to lead a company of the 9th Battalion of the Devons to attack the German-held village. He was "convinced" there was a German machine gun in the corner of Mametz's churchyard, and his model of the area pointed out the "danger spot", says historian and former soldier Tim Saunders. Commanders saw the model, but Capt Martin's company was still sent into the fire of the machine gun. "He was killed leading his men through the danger spot, as he predicted," Mr Saunders says. All but two of the men buried in the Devonshire Cemetery belonged to the 8th or 9th Devons, and all but three died on 1 July 1916 - the first day of the Battle of the Somme, during World War One. But beyond these basic details, little is known about many of the soldiers in the Devonshire cemetery. Most were in their 20s or 30s, though there were more than a dozen teenagers and three men in their early 40s. In cases where a home town or next of kin's address is known, it is striking that many did not seem to come from Devon. They were from London, Birmingham, Lancashire and elsewhere in England and Wales. A 'handsome chap' Mr Saunders says the 8th and 9th Devons - both created after war was declared - were "fairly typical mid-war battalions" which by 1916 had "skin-deep" links to their county due to a continuing cycle of losses and replacements. He says the 8th Battalion had been "very Devon" at the start of the war, while the 9th had always contained many soldiers from elsewhere. One such solider was 2nd Lt Travers Adamson, a Dorset man who was 20 when he died. Chris Copson, curator of the Keep Military Museum, calls Adamson the "epitome" of a World War One junior officer - a "handsome chap" smiling out of his photograph, part of a "generation brought up to lead". He says such officers cared about their men, who cared in return. In the Devonshire Cemetery - which he calls the "most powerful place on the Western Front" - as elsewhere, officers and men died and were buried together. Another officer was 23-year-old Lt William Noel Hodgson, who had lived in Gloucestershire and studied at Durham School and Oxford. Hodgson did not lack bravery - having won the Military Cross for holding a captured trench for 36 hours at the Battle of Loos in 1915 - but he is perhaps best known for a poem called Before Action, written in 1916, in which he appealed to God to give him the courage to die. "By all the glories of the day / And the cool evening's benison / By that last sunset touch that lay / Upon the hills when day was done," it begins. The poem was read by Prince Harry at a memorial event on Thursday, ahead of an all-night vigil at the Thiepval Memorial. Like more than 19,000 British soldiers, Hodgson was killed on 1 July 1916. Many more were wounded, with the British forces suffering 57,470 casualties on a single day in total. 'Lacking experience' The Army was obviously not made solely of poets and artists like Hodgson and Martin. Using earthier language, 8th Devons soldier Pte Albert Conn - a former labourer at Millwall Docks who survived the war - described German soldiers of the Prussian Guards as "big ugly bastards" and called the Mametz attack a "balls-up". Historian Mr Saunders agrees that the attack, which began at 07:27, could have gone better. The 9th Devons were "lacking experience" and, suffering losses from the machine gun while other British battalions made better progress on either side, they "rather went to bits and were fighting all over the place" rather than as an organised unit, he says. But he says support from the 8th Devons eventually got through and they reached their objective at 16:30. Comparing the assault to other parts of the front line - where some units reached their objectives in the morning but others were "mowed down" - Mr Saunders says the Devons achieved a "modest success". The 8th and 9th Devons - mostly volunteers who joined up early in the war - had gone into battle with more than 1,500 men between them, and by the end of the day more than 400 were wounded, 62 were missing and 236 were dead. Among those buried in the Devonshire Cemetery - one of 450 now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in the Somme region - are 10 unidentified soldiers, whose headstones say: "A soldier of the great War. Devonshire Regiment." The Somme cemeteries, all carefully maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, range from fields of white gravestones to small plots with a handful of graves and single soldiers buried in civilian graveyards. Together they contain 150,000 British and other Commonwealth servicemen, 50,000 of whom are unidentified. The Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme, a few miles from Mametz, bears more than 72,000 names. The fact that most in the Devonshire Cemetery are identified may owe something to the work of their chaplain, Rev Ernest Crosse, who organised a group of stretcher bearers to gather the bodies three days after the attack. Crosse later said one of the first bodies he saw was that of Capt Martin - the officer who had made the model showing the danger posed by the German machine gun. The dead Devons were returned to the trench from which they launched their assault. On a wooden cross there - and now carved in stone - these words were written: "The Devonshires held this trench. The Devonshires hold it still." The Battle of the Somme Find out more:

एक सौ साल पहले, हजारों सैनिकों ने अपनी खाइयों को छोड़ दिया था जो ब्रिटिश सेना के इतिहास में सबसे खूनी दिन बन गया था। उनमें से डेवनशायर रेजिमेंट थी, जिनमें से कई को बाद में खाई में दफनाया गया था जहां उन्होंने दिन शुरू किया था और अभी भी उन खेतों में पड़े हैं जहां वे मारे गए थे।


Brecon Beacons: Gypsy family temporary site stay agreed

Summary: A family of Romany Gypsies has been given permission to stay on a temporary site in the Brecon Beacons as plans are finalised for a new permanent home.

Powys council intends to spend more than £2m on the new camp in Brecon and said it could open early next year. The family have lived at Cefn Cantref near the town since 2008 and have permission to stay until February 2014. The council will compulsorily purchase land for the new site and it follows a 15-year search for a permanent home. Powys council confirmed that Brecon Beacons National Park Authority had agreed to extend the family's stay at Cefn Cantref. The authority said people had until 20 June to submit objections to the planned new site adjacent to Brecon Enterprise Park.

रोमानी जिप्सी के एक परिवार को ब्रेकन बीकन में एक अस्थायी स्थल पर रहने की अनुमति दी गई है क्योंकि एक नए स्थायी घर के लिए योजनाओं को अंतिम रूप दिया गया है।


The Muslim cleric who predicted he would be killed

Summary: Police in Kenya say they have detained nearly 4,000 people in the past week in a massive security operation. The arrests come after the killing of a controversial Muslim preacher in the city of Mombasa, as Gabriel Gatehouse reports for BBC Newsnight.

Abubakar Shariff Ahmed's supporters have accused the Kenyan security forces of being behind the shooting. Suspicion has fallen in particular on the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU), which is funded by the UK and US. I met him in December: an affable man with a bad reputation. His name featured on a UN sanctions list, accused of facilitating and recruiting terrorists. He was more commonly known as Makaburi. It means "graveyard" in Swahili. He had told me that Kenyan police were planning to assassinate him. "I do not fear for my safety," he had said at his fourth floor flat in the Majengo area of Mombasa. "I know they are going to kill me. But I am a true Muslim. I believe I will only die the day Allah has ordained for me to die. Not a moment before, not a moment after." 'Two final gunshots' The moment of his death came shortly after 6pm on 1 April. Makaburi was leaving a courthouse on the outskirts of Mombasa. Witnesses told us they saw a car approaching from out of town. It did a U-turn outside a high-security prison attached to the court. "That's when I heard gunfire," said Mohammed Saidi, who was with Makaburi when he was shot. "We pushed each other as we tried to get down, so that we wouldn't get hit. We dived into a ditch and lay down. I heard two final gunshots. Then everything went silent." Makaburi was the third high-profile terror suspect to be shot and killed along the same stretch of road in the past two years. In private, Kenyan security officials have made no secret of their involvement in the killing of terror suspects. Late last year, a Mombasa-based security officer told me Makaburi's "days were numbered". When I spoke to that same officer last week, he said his unit had not been directly involved in the shooting, but that the hit had been planned and executed by security officers from outside Mombasa. Al Amin Kimathi, a Nairobi-based human rights activist, reports having similar conversations. "I've spoken to people within the security agencies who own up and even come out to say: 'You ain't seen nothing yet, we are going to do more of this. We kill, we shoot them to kill, not to detain them'." Britain accused That conversation, Mr Kimathi said, took place at one of the offices of the ATPU, which receives training and funding from the UK and the US. In a report published last November, two human rights groups documented what they said were dozens of cases of disappearances and extrajudicial killings carried out by the ATPU in recent years. Makaburi himself had made similar accusations. He had told me: "The British government is helping the ATPU in Kenya kill Muslims by training them and providing them with logistical support and giving them money. And we are supposed to be the terrorists." It's not clear whether the ATPU was involved in the shooting of Makaburi, but late last year one ATPU officer told me the police had lost faith in the courts and preferred instead to "eliminate" terror suspects. Khelef Khalifa, who runs the Mombasa-based group Muslims for Human Rights, which co-authored November's report, fears the methods employed by the ATPU, far from reducing radicalisation, will have the opposite effect. "If Britain or any other Western country fund this unit, and this unit violates the rights of Kenyans, so the anger also goes to the British taxpayers: why is their money being used for these extrajudicial killings?" There is no doubt Kenya has a problem with terrorism, and with radicalisation. In response to a recent series of explosions, shootings and terror alerts, the security forces have deployed extra officers across the country. Thousands of people, many of them ethnic Somalis, have been detained. Clear message The authorities are sending out a clear message: "We're getting tough." But, speaking to Newsnight, Kenya's interior minister, Joseph Ole Lenku, denied any official involvement in the killing of Makaburi or any other extrajudicial killing. "[That] is either an allegation, outright lies, or malice. I am speaking on behalf of the security forces. And that's the truth. So you choose to take the truth, or you take the rumours." The Foreign Office said in a statement that it regularly monitored the ATPU, and challenged them on allegations of human rights abuses. "If there is credible evidence that our support is being misused, we will take immediate action," it said. You can watch Gabriel's film on full on Newsnight at 22:30 BST on BBC Two on Wednesday, or later via the BBC iPlayer or Newsnight website.

केन्या में पुलिस का कहना है कि उन्होंने पिछले सप्ताह एक बड़े सुरक्षा अभियान में लगभग 4,000 लोगों को हिरासत में लिया है। गिरफ्तारी मोम्बासा शहर में एक विवादास्पद मुस्लिम उपदेशक की हत्या के बाद हुई है, जैसा कि गैब्रियल गेटहाउस ने बीबीसी न्यूज़नाइट के लिए रिपोर्ट किया है।


Ysgol Llanbedr to close after councillors' vote

Summary: Councillors in Denbighshire have voted to continue with the controversial closure of a rural primary school.

Ysgol Llanbedr will close on 31 August, with 22 existing full-time and seven part-time pupils transferring to Ysgol Borthyn in Ruthin. There have been objections from staff, parents and local politicians saying the school has had 15 applications for September and is oversubscribed for nursery places. The closure is part of a local review.

डेनबिघशायर में पार्षदों ने एक ग्रामीण प्राथमिक विद्यालय के विवादास्पद बंद को जारी रखने के लिए मतदान किया है।


Smashed Hits: What is a Bohemian Rhapsody?

Summary: BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs listeners have chosen Bohemian Rhapsody as their favourite pop song. It's the only number one about a murder trial to feature both opera and head-banging. But who is Bismillah, asks Alan Connor in his occasional series on song lyrics, Smashed Hits.

Freddie Mercury used a piano as the headboard of his bed. The double-jointed Mercury would awake with inspiration, reach up and back behind his head and play what he'd heard in his dreams. This was how Bohemian Rhapsody began. Some 20,000 people bought the single every day in its first three weeks, it's been number one twice so far and it's played on a radio somewhere in the world about once an hour. It's also now been chosen as the favourite pop song of Desert Island Discs listeners. It's no critics' favourite - the Melody Maker dismissed it on release as "Balham Amateur Operatic Society performing The Pirates Of Penzance" - but it was the desert-island pop choice of Jackie Stewart, Anita Dobson and the British public. So what's going on? The essential story is not pop's greatest enigma: a man confesses a murder to his mother, vainly pleads poverty in a trial and ends up resigned to his fate. But questions remain: who did he kill and why? And why does the judge talk funny? Indeed, it's the language in the court scene that arouses most curiosity. There's a touch of Italian culture: Scaramouche is a buffoonish stock character in commedia dell'arte; Galileo was a Florentine astronomer found guilty of heresy by the Inquisition and Figaro is the title character of Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, in which he helps true love to prevail. Sticking with Spain, the fandango is a flamenco dance, which had appeared at number one eight years previously in A Whiter Shade Of Pale. "Mamma mia", of course, means "my mother" in Italian - and was the title of the chart-topper which followed Bohemian Rhapsody - but it's also an exclamation in a moment of high drama. And that's how much of the song works. We don't need to be familiar with 16th-Century Italian theatre to know the "poor boy" is in some pretty serious trouble. The counsel for the defence tries to match the prosecution's ornate flourishes - "spare him his life from this monstrosity" - but it doesn't do much good. Freddie Mercury, of course, enjoyed ornate language as much as spandex unitards and there's a sense of revelling in sound and phrase. Senior Lecturer in English at UCL and Queen fan Matthew Beaumont says: "The architecture of Bohemian Rhapsody - and it is an architecture - is self-consciously, ostentatiously baroque. It is rich in ornate, curious details, occasionally Moorish in provenance. Also in soaring, sometimes dizzy-making, shifts of register and in a lachrymose emotiveness that is almost impossible to resist." It's also impossible to resist seeking something autobiographical in the lyric. Paul Gambaccini told Kirsty Young: "Tim Rice has this theory that it's to do with [Mercury] coming to terms with being gay, and I think there's a lot in that - the resignation, the abandonment of a previous role." The allusions to persecution and secret love in Galileo, Figaro and the rest don't hurt this theory, but not everyone agrees. In 2004, Queen's Greatest Hits became the first rock album allowed in Iran. The cassette came with an explanatory leaflet which insisted the hero "killed a man" by accident, then sold his soul to the devil. On the night before his execution he calls God in Arabic - "Bismillah" - and so regains his soul from Satan. Ben Elton has offered a re-interpretation in the musical We Will Rock You, where Scaramouche and Galileo become singing rebels in a future society where rock music has been banned by baddies. For many listeners, though, Bohemian Rhapsody is "about" sheer sonic bombast, as captured on film in Wayne's World. But its ambition - and its length - were nearly its undoing. Record company EMI was reluctant to release it as a single until the band slipped a copy to DJ Kenny Everett, who played it on Capital Radio 14 times over the following weekend, persuading EMI, the BBC and other sceptics that the listening public could handle it. Queen also regarded the song as a mini-showcase of their technical skill. "We felt that Bohemian Rhapsody probably captured more or less all the types of moods that we were doing," Mercury told Phonograph Record magazine in 1976. "So we thought: OK, this is what we want to present to the public and let's see what they do with it." The public's choice of "Bo Rap" as a desert-island favourite is also, perhaps, a vote for kitsch. It's a song about love, loss and death that's undoubtedly silly. "We viewed it quite tongue-in-cheek," Mercury insisted, but that lets you take it to heart as seriously as you like. "It's fairly self-explanatory," drummer Roger Taylor told the BBC, "there's just a bit of nonsense in the middle." It was also Taylor who made possibly the most inspired decision during the recording sessions. He locked himself in a cupboard until everyone agreed the b-side would be his song I'm In Love With My Car. Though less celebrated, Taylor's track automatically sold a copy every time someone bought Bohemian Rhapsody - with according royalties.

बीबीसी रेडियो 4 के डेजर्ट आइलैंड डिस्क के श्रोताओं ने बोहेमियन रैप्सोडी को अपने पसंदीदा पॉप गीत के रूप में चुना है। यह एक हत्या के मुकदमे के बारे में एकमात्र नंबर एक है जिसमें ओपेरा और सिर पीटना दोनों शामिल हैं। लेकिन बिस्मिल्लाह कौन है, एलन कॉनर से गीत के बोल, स्मैश हिट्स पर अपनी सामयिक श्रृंखला में पूछता है।


Talks on new aircraft for Barra

Summary: The Scottish government is in talks with Canadian aircraft manufacturer Viking about finding replacement planes to fly the route to Barra.

The island is served by two Viking Twin Otter aircraft which are approaching the end of their operational life. The Twin Otter is one of just a handful of planes capable of landing on Barra's beach runway. Western Isles SNP MSP Alasdair Allan said it was very welcome that negotiations were now under way.

स्कॉटिश सरकार बर्रा के मार्ग पर उड़ान भरने के लिए प्रतिस्थापन विमान खोजने के बारे में कनाडाई विमान निर्माता वाइकिंग के साथ बातचीत कर रही है।


'I was lost at sea three times': How one Indonesian teen defied fate

Summary: An Indonesian teen was recently rescued after spending 49 days adrift at sea in a fishing hut. But as Aldi Novel Adilang reveals to BBC Indonesian, it's not his first tale of survival.

Aldi Novel Adilang, 18, has survived not once, twice, but an incredible three times at sea. However his latest ordeal was by far the longest and has captured global attention. He was working on a floating fishing trap, known locally as a rompong, which is shaped like a hut and floats in the middle of the sea but is anchored to the seabed by ropes. On 14 July, he was anchored some 125km (77 miles) off Indonesia's Sulawesi island when the rope tethering him to the seabed snapped - sending him adrift. "My rompong's rope snapped after it rubbed against my friend's rompong," said Mr Adilang, who spoke to BBC Indonesian from his parents' house near the city of Manado in North Sulawesi. "Unfortunately he was asleep so he didn't know I was adrift." During the first few days, he survived on his limited food supply. But it only lasted for a week. "Rice, clean water, spices, cooking gas, and other supplies ran out. To survive I caught fish and burned the rompong's wooden fences to make a fire for cooking. I even ate raw fish," he said, smiling. His other challenge was getting clean water. His solution? He wet his clothes in the sea and then drank seawater through it, using it as a makeshift filter. He claims that by doing so, the salty taste of seawater would be reduced. 'Help, help' In the 49 days he was adrift, up to 10 ships passed by. None of their crews noticed him. Alone at sea, he sang Christian songs, read the Bible he carried and kept praying hard, wishing to be able to see his parents again. He admits that at one point he felt depressed and even considered drowning himself. But he kept himself going through prayer. On 31 August he spotted a ship carrying coal. "At that time, I cried 'Help, help'. That's the only thing I knew," said Mr Adilang, who was unaware that he had floated all the way from Indonesia to the waters of Guam in the Pacific. The crew of the Panamanian-flagged vessel rescued him and gave him a change of clothes and water to drink. Mr Adilang stayed in the vessel for a week until it reached its destination, Japan. He arrived in Japan on 6 September and flew back to Indonesia two days later, where he was reunited with his family. 'Never again' Mr Adilang says his two earlier experiences of being stranded at sea were much shorter. "The first [time], I was afloat for a week and helped by the owner of the raft. The second time, I was afloat for two days and also received help from the owner of the raft." There is no safety or navigational equipment on the rompong - he didn't even have a compass. His job had been to light the rompong's lamps, which are designed to attract fish. Every week, the teenager would be brought fresh supplies of food, water and fuel by someone from his company who would come to collect the fish. He signed a one-year contract and was paid $134 (£101 each month). After his latest experience, however, Mr Adilang said that this time he has promised himself that he will never sail again.

एक इंडोनेशियाई किशोर को हाल ही में मछली पकड़ने की झोपड़ी में समुद्र में 49 दिन बिताने के बाद बचाया गया था। लेकिन जैसा कि एल्डी नोवेल आदिलांग ने बीबीसी इंडोनेशियाई को बताया, यह उसके बचने की पहली कहानी नहीं है।