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world-europe-11027288 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11027288 | Q&A: France Roma expulsions | France is controversially deporting Romanian and Bulgarian Roma (Gypsies) as part of a crackdown on illegal camps in the country. The trigger was a clash in July between French Roma and police in the town of Saint Aignan. France's deportations have been widely criticised in the EU. | What prompted the latest government action? In July, dozens of French Roma armed with hatchets and iron bars attacked a police station, hacked down trees and burned cars in the small Loire Valley town of Saint Aignan. The riot erupted after a gendarme shot and killed a French Roma, 22-year-old Luigi Duquenet, who officials said had driven through a police checkpoint, knocking over a policeman. Media reports suggested he had been involved in a burglary earlier that day. Duquenet's family dispute the police version of events, saying he was scared of being stopped because he did not have a valid driver's licence. The night before, there were riots in Grenoble after police shot an alleged armed robber during a shootout. French President Nicolas Sarkozy called an emergency ministerial meeting, at which it was decided that some 300 illegal camps and squats would be dismantled within three months. A statement from the president's office said the camps were "sources of illegal trafficking, of profoundly shocking living standards, of exploitation of children for begging, of prostitution and crime". Dozens of camps have since been shut down. Those found to be living illegally in France are being sent home. The move is part of a raft of new hardline security measures recently announced by the government, which has struggled with low approval ratings in the opinion polls. Has this happened before? In fact, France has closed down illegal Roma camps and sent their inhabitants home for years. Last year 10,000 Roma were sent back to Romania and Bulgaria, the government says. What is the EU doing about it? EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding described the deportations as a "disgrace" and the European Commission took a first step towards legal action against France. On 29 September the Commission told France that it had two weeks to start implementing a 2004 EU directive on freedom of movement. France was warned that it would face an official EU "infringement procedure" if it failed to do so. The directive sets out rules for deportation cases. On 19 October Ms Reding said she was satisfied that France had responded "positively" to the Commission's official request. The Commission decided not to pursue the infringement procedure. The Commission refrained from opening a case against France for alleged discrimination, instead demanding more proof to support France's claim that it was not deliberately targeting Roma. Wholesale action against an ethnic minority would violate EU anti-discrimination laws, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights. In a speech to the European Parliament in September Ms Reding deplored the fact that a leaked official memo had contradicted assurances given to her by France that the Roma were not being singled out. "This is a situation I had thought Europe would not have to witness again after the Second World War," she said. Many MEPs also condemned France's deportations. The Commission has set up a task force to examine how EU funds earmarked for Roma are being spent. It is also checking to see whether any other member states are violating EU rules in their treatment of Roma. Has there been criticism elsewhere? Yes. The European Roma Rights Centre said Mr Sarkozy's plan "reinforces discriminatory perceptions about Roma and travellers and inflames public opinion against them". Romanian President Traian Basescu said he understood "the problems created by the Roma camps outside the French cities" but he insisted on the "right of every European citizen to move freely in the EU". The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination sharply criticised France's crackdown and said racism and xenophobia were undergoing a "significant resurgence". The Vatican and other Church leaders have also voiced concern. Who are the Roma, and how many Roma are there in France? The Roma are a nomadic people whose ancestors are thought to have left north-west India at the beginning of the 11th Century and scattered across Europe. There are at least 400,000 Roma - or travelling people - living in France, who are part of long-established communities. In addition, there are about 12,000 Roma from Bulgaria and Romania, many of whom live in unauthorised camps in urban areas across the country, according the French Roma rights umbrella group FNASAT. Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, don't their citizens have freedom of movement within the EU? They have the right to enter France without a visa, but under special rules they must have work or residency permits if they wish to stay longer than three months. These are hard to come by, and most Roma from the two countries are thought to be in France illegally. Nine other EU states also have restrictions in place, typically requiring work permits. From January 2014, or seven years after the two countries' accession, Romanians and Bulgarians will enjoy full freedom of movement anywhere in the EU. Is France united behind the deportations? French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said the new measures were "not meant to stigmatise any community, regardless of who they are, but to punish illegal behaviour". The government said the measures were in line with European rules. Opinion polls suggest that as many as 65% of French people back the government's tough line. Foreign-born Roma are often seen begging on the streets of France's cities, and many French people consider them a nuisance. French opposition parties have condemned the deportations and Mr Sarkozy has faced dissent in his cabinet, too. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was "shocked" by the government's focus on people of foreign origin, while Defence Minister Herve Morin said any programme based purely on police repression was doomed to fail. A member of Mr Sarkozy's own UMP party, Jean-Pierre Grand, a centre-right politician, compared police round-ups of the Roma in camps to the large-scale arrests, known in French as "rafles", of French Jews and Gypsies during World War II. What will happen to the Roma who have been sent home? Bulgarian and Romanian Roma face discrimination at home, and Roma communities in both countries have faced forced evictions. Generally, they have a low standard of living, high unemployment and low literacy levels. Some Roma threatened with deportation say that if they are sent home, they will simply come back. | फ्रांस देश में अवैध शिविरों पर कार्रवाई के हिस्से के रूप में रोमानियाई और बल्गेरियाई रोमा (जिप्सी) को विवादास्पद रूप से निर्वासित कर रहा है। जुलाई में सेंट ऐगनन शहर में फ्रांसीसी रोमा और पुलिस के बीच झड़प हुई थी। यूरोपीय संघ में फ्रांस के निर्वासन की व्यापक रूप से आलोचना की गई है। |
business-44054906 | https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44054906 | Customer choice under threat at Britain's banks | Until this year, things were looking up for the new generation of banks trying to make their way in Britain's notoriously tough banking market. But the woes of TSB have raised a question mark over their future. | By Jamie RobertsonBusiness reporter, BBC News The financial crisis massively reduced the choices available to British customers, as weaker banks and building societies were forced to merge with stronger rivals. By 2011, the biggest four banks had more than three-quarters of all current accounts. The answer was to promote the growth of a new generation of smaller, more varied, more competitive institutions giving customers more options for handling their money - and to reduce the risk of too-big-to-fail banks that the government might one day have to rescue again. So the regulations changed and new names appeared on the High Street, online and, crucially, on mobile phone apps. They are a diverse bunch: some like TSB were spun off from bigger banks, deliberately marketing themselves as ready to take on the old industry "fat cats". Metro Bank opened its seven-day-a-week service in 2010 - the first new independent UK High Street bank in over 100 years. Others, like Wyelands, ClearBank, or Secure Trust Bank offered specialised banking services, while start-ups such as Atom, Tandem or Monzo offered pure digital platforms. Low interest rates, economic growth and a healthy property market were fertile ground for the newcomers. Last year, accountants PwC estimated that they employed 35,000 staff and served some 20 million customers. 'Broken bank' But the financial sands have been shifting. TSB managed to stand alone for a year before being taken over by Sabadell of Spain, and has since been struggling to contain the fallout from a botched attempt to move customers onto a new IT system. Nicky Morgan MP, chair of the Treasury Select Committee which cross-examined its chief executive Paul Pester, called TSB a "broken bank". There is a growing expectation that the sector is about to be hit by a wave of take-overs. Last year Shawbrook was bought out for around £870m by Pollen Street Capital and BC Partners, and Aldermore was bought by South Africa's FirstRand. Now Virgin Money is facing a £1.6bn bid from rival challenger CYBG, which owns the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank networks. John Lyons, partner at PwC and author of its 2017 report on challenger banks, believes they are ripe for consolidation - and that's no bad thing: "They have reached a new stage, when they have to gear up and merge if they want to compete at the next level." All the same, life for the challengers has become more challenging. Closing the tap Three months ago the Bank of England turned off a financial tap that the credit ratings agency Moody's estimates saves British banks some £800m a year in interest payments. The Term Funding Scheme (TFS) was set up to support bank lending immediately after the 2016 referendum. It offered cheap money - on the condition that the bank lent the money on to customers. According to the Bank of England £127bn has been lent to banks and building societies over the last two years with rock bottom interest rates, close to the base rate. More than 60 financial institutions took advantage of it. Virgin Money was one of the biggest borrowers among the challenger banks, receiving £6.4bn. Now the tap has been turned off, and funding is getting more expensive at a time when challengers are facing weaker economic growth and tough competition. To replace the TFS the banks are going to have to harvest depositors by putting up their savings rate - good for savers but tough for the banks. Craig Donaldson, chief executive of Metro Bank, says he has already seen an increase in deposit rates online but insists it won't affect Metro: "We win customers largely on service and convenience. If you want the best rate it will be somewhere online. But last year we grew our deposits by £3bn - we want our customers for the long term." However, as the banks change so do the customers. PwC and YouGov last year surveyed 2,000 UK consumers and found that over half (54%) would prefer to use a number of banks, having a mortgage here, a deposit account there, and a business account somewhere else. And for those people life is becoming easier. Fintechs arrive Since the beginning of the year open banking has arrived in the UK. This should allow customers to share their financial data securely with anyone they choose, allowing them to compare banks' products faster and more safely than ever before. Mr Lyons, explains how the new financial landscape will suit the digital banks: "These banks are still very small - typically having fewer than 150 employees and, for those that are active, fewer than 100,000 users. "They are positioning themselves to lead in the forthcoming era of open banking - which will require specific banks to share specific data securely through open [application programming interfaces] - the technological tools that will deliver this change." Some of the newcomers are already winning thousands of new customers a week without even being fully fledged banks, raising money from investors and offering cheap but limited financial services. Revolut, for instance, offers a current account service which allows you to make and receive payments, withdraw money from cash machines, and transfer money abroad. It can't call itself a bank, as it doesn't have a banking licence, though it is now applying for one. According to founder Nikolay Storonsky, it is adding 6-8,000 accounts every day: "As we are not a bank we cannot use clients' money. "At the moment with two million or so customers across Europe we are not real competition to the big banks, which have 20-30 million customers. But we offer free services and we provide better products." Revolut raised £179m from investors, valuing the company at £1.3bn, achieving the status of a tech "unicorn" - a private start-up valued at more than $1bn (£740m). So there's no shortage of funding for bright banking ideas which will continue to change the way we bank. Financial boost A big boost for the challengers is on its way from an unlikely source - RBS. In exchange for receiving state aid during the financial crisis it did a deal with the European Commission and the government, called the alternative remedies package (ARP). The ARP amounts to some £800m, to be earmarked for increasing competition in the banking sector. Some of this is for banks to invest in business banking services, while the rest will be for funding incentives for customers to switch banks. Mr Donaldson of Metro Bank thinks it could be a game changer. Metro is applying for £120m of the funds. "It could make a fundamental difference, and there is enormous responsibility on the committee deciding who will receive the funds. "At the moment we are opening 100 new business accounts a day. If we get this money we will spread it out across the UK. We will spend every penny on creating competition and jobs." | इस साल तक, चीजें नई पीढ़ी के बैंकों की ओर देख रही थीं जो ब्रिटेन के कुख्यात रूप से कठिन बैंकिंग बाजार में अपना रास्ता बनाने की कोशिश कर रहे थे। लेकिन टीएसबी की परेशानियों ने उनके भविष्य पर सवालिया निशान लगा दिया है। |
business-35251692 | https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35251692 | UK economy: George Osborne's warnings explained | Chancellor George Osborne has warned that 2016 looks like serving up a "dangerous cocktail" that needs to be carefully avoided to ensure the UK economy is not left unsteady on its feet. What - according to the chancellor - are the key ingredients of this cocktail? | By John HandBBC News Danger! The slowing global economy If you listen to the welter of weighty analysis and surveys, you'll be fairly convinced by now that 2016 will see global economies stumble compared to more recent times. The World Bank said on Wednesday it had revised its forecast for the global economy to expand by 2.9% this year. Just last summer, it was predicting 3.3%. The OECD has forecast a similarly gloomy global outlook for 2016, citing "doubts about future potential growth". And legendary US billionaire investor George Soros has warned that 2016 could see a global financial crisis on a similar scale to that which triggered the dramatic global downturn eight years ago. And this is the man who warned that we should all sit up and take notice of what was going on in Greece. But that's the world as a whole. Wasn't the UK the second fastest growing western economy last year? Isn't it the place the Daily Telegraph proudly reported was on track to become the world's fourth largest economy, leaving France and Germany floundering in its wake? The BBC's economics editor Kamal Ahmed explains: "There is an issue of how much it is for Britain to work on its own economy and make its own economy successful, and how Britain is interconnected to the rest of the world. "There is some stuff here in Britain that is a problem but the chancellor is saying that the global economy - these big macro trends - are the ones that will affect how we perform." Danger! China It used to be said that, when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. But much of the global recovery from the financial crisis of 2008 has been built on China's booming economy. But Chinese economic failures were the very first element that Mr Osborne highlighted as one of the dangers that could influence the UK economy in 2016. The world's most populous country has been a catalyst for global economic growth, but the pace of that growth has slowed markedly. That intensified fears about China's waning need for the world's commodities, such as oil, fears that have sparked significant stock market volatility over the past few days - trading had to be suspended completely twice this week to avoid an epidemic of panic selling. These days, when China shakes, the world wobbles - just witness the reaction of Europe's leading markets this week. Danger! Oil prices Falling prices at UK petrol pumps - now below £1 a litre in many places - have put about £3 a week back in the pockets of the average driver and boosted the British economy's feelgood factor. That has been prompted by oil prices falling below $33 a dollar and has provided a fillip for the many businesses that rely on goods being driven around the UK and Europe. Kamal Ahmed explains that it is "great news for consumers here", but bad news for the many global economies that rely heavily on exporting oil. And, he says, that comes back to bite the UK because some of those nations are important buyers of British exports, exports they now struggle to afford. Danger! Rising interest rates? The UK interest rate - set independently by the Bank of England - has been held at 0.5% since 2009. Long gone are the monthly adjustments that affected how much it costs to borrow money and therefore determined the level of most mortgage repayments. But rates are set to rise sooner rather than later - with expectation heightened by an interest rate rise in the US last month. Kamal Ahmed explains that while the chancellor is hoping a UK increase will demonstrate a return to "normality", there is a concern about the impact on consumer confidence. "The concern in the Treasury is that there are a lot of mortgage holders that have never experienced an interest rate rise," says Kamal. But if the expected rise doesn't come and rates stay as they are, that would equally be a cause for concern for the Treasury. Our correspondent explains: "They fear that because money is so cheap, people could be encouraged to overextend themselves because they're feeling 'the economy is back on track, I might just take on a little bit more borrowing'. "There is a concern that we will take on too much personal debt. And that means there is a concern that when the interest rate rise eventually comes, the public reaction will be very negative - even though that rate rise will be a very small one." Danger! Complacency The chancellor himself points out that one of the biggest risks to the British economy recovery is "complacency". The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith suggests Mr Osborne is using language designed to shake up the British electorate, and adds: "It reads like the trailer for an apocalyptic American action movie. It's deliberately done like that because he fears we are suffering from 'austerity fatigue'. "His fear is that people are thinking 'things are pretty much ticking along OK, let's just take our foot off the gas and get back to the good old days'. "The political intent is pretty clear. One is we are going to have to carry on with very difficult spending curbs." Critics have pointed out that Mr Osborne himself would have encouraged that complacency by pushing such a positive line in his recent Autumn Statement, in which he used an unexpected £27bn windfall to rewrite his plans for spending and cuts. So the warning about complacency can be seen as a clear attempt to re-emphasise the difference the economic approach of the chancellor and that of Labour - and to highlight what he says are the dangers of Jeremy Corbyn's anti-austerity message. | चांसलर जॉर्ज ओसबोर्न ने चेतावनी दी है कि 2016 एक "खतरनाक कॉकटेल" की तरह लग रहा है जिससे सावधानीपूर्वक बचने की आवश्यकता है ताकि यह सुनिश्चित किया जा सके कि ब्रिटेन की अर्थव्यवस्था अपने पैरों पर अस्थिर न रह जाए। चांसलर के अनुसार-इस कॉकटेल के प्रमुख तत्व क्या हैं? |
newsbeat-53888269 | https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-53888269 | Everything Everything: The kings of bizarre DIY music videos | They say you should learn from your mistakes. | By Will ChalkNewsbeat reporter When that mistake was spending £15,000 building and blowing up a giant sand sculpture of a woolly mammoth, the lesson for Everything Everything was clear. "The dynamite went off and the head just slowly slid to the floor, it was the most anti-climactic thing," laughs singer Jonathan Higgs. "We were in a supermarket in Germany when the video came through and we were all just watching on our phones going, 'what the hell have we wasted all that money on?'" The footage, filmed over a decade ago, never saw the light of the day and their music videos since have mostly been directed by Jonathan himself, often for little or no money. So, ahead of the release of the band's fifth album Re-Animator, we've been picking his brains for any other big lessons he's learnt over the years. The first one is surprisingly simple. "I think people like to see violence or sex or death or humour, but not all of them are possible," Jonathan says. "We're never going to do a sexy video, because... well, look at us." He's got a point. Not about the attractiveness, or otherwise, of his band mates, but about the fact that - from dancing fatbergs to monkey puppets and angry cavemen - you'd be hard pressed to call any of Everything Everything's videos sexy. "I look at it as what kind of films do I like. My favourite bits of films are the spectacular bits - but also the most impassioned bits", Jonathan says. "I think people connect to a real emotion much more than they do a slick image or expensive looking thing - as long as your heart is in it, then that will come across. "We've made some really cheap videos, but you just have to put your passion into different areas rather than than trying to make it look great." Arguably their most ambitious video was, in fact, the cheapest. In Birdsong is a five minute journey through decaying 3D models of the band's friends and family - it's enough to make you need a lie down afterwards, and Jonathan made it completely with free software demos. "Just yesterday someone asked me to make a new model for something else and when I opened up the software my trial had expired - so I couldn't," he says. "It shows you what a wing and a prayer I made this thing on. "My free trial was counting down day after day, I had the deadline for finishing the video coming up and I didn't even really know how to use the programme. You might also like: "I'm sure if somebody professional looked at the finished video they'd find loads wrong with it - but it didn't matter because the images I was using were of people in my life, so I think the passion I put into it came across. "It's not perfect at all, but it's full of love." So, if you are starting out in the music industry and you want to make your own videos on the cheap, what should you do? "Get good at editing, because that's where videos live or die", Jonathan says. "It doesn't matter how good things are in front of your camera, if you can't edit them, it will never work. "See how it makes you feel if the picture changes when the snare hits or the kick drum pounds - it feels like you're watching moving music, and that's why people love music videos. "And keep forcing more and more stuff in because people's attention spans are tiny. You want to be seeing something new basically twice a second. "Keep it moving and keep it full of emotion. Those are my tips." Re-Animator is released on 11 September. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. | वे कहते हैं कि आपको अपनी गलतियों से सीखना चाहिए। |
uk-england-cambridgeshire-43142006 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-43142006 | Peterborough woman stuck up tree in botched cat rescue | A woman who attempted to retrieve a cat from a tree had to be rescued herself after getting stuck while climbing. | The unnamed woman was trying to reach a kitten called Bella from the garden of a house in Morland Court, Peterborough. Firefighters had to be called and rescued both cat and owner on Tuesday. Both were unharmed. A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said people should not "risk their own lives" to save a pet. Read more Cambridgeshire stories here A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We know that people love animals and would risk their own lives to save a family pet or other animal in distress. "Our advice would always be to avoid putting yourself in danger and to contact the RSPCA in the first instance." | एक महिला जिसने एक पेड़ से एक बिल्ली को निकालने का प्रयास किया, उसे चढ़ाई के दौरान फंसने के बाद खुद को बचाना पड़ा। |
world-us-canada-47857494 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47857494 | Citizen firefighters combat blazes in California's 'forgotten canyon' | For several consecutive years, fires have devastated the Californian coast, and the fire service is under increasing pressure with fewer resources. One former firefighter is setting up his own fire crew, but is that the right approach? | By Lucy SherriffBBC News Eric Beninger, who lives in Palo Colorado Canyon in Big Sur, saw many of his neighbours' homes destroyed by the 2016 Soberanes fire, one of the most expensive wildfires in US history. The 2017 wildfire season was one of the worst in the state's history, with more than 9,000 fires burning 1.2 million acres (500,000 hectares). Last year, the fire that hit Paradise alone killed 86 people. After witnessing the devastation of his own community, Mr Beninger decided to recruit his neighbours and train up an independent fire team to be on standby for future fires. "When the fire crews finally arrived, they had to decide which houses to just let burn," he says. "Everything was on fire." The Soberanes fire, which burnt for three months, destroyed 57 homes and cost around $260m (£200m) to suppress. Of the 27 homes along Mr Beninger's road, only eight survived. The US Forest Service's response was subsequently criticised for its handling of the fire. Even help from the region's volunteer service was not enough to stop the flames. "After the fire started, the neighbours mostly fled," Mr Beninger recalled. "A few of us stayed behind to protect our homes, because we knew we weren't going to get help. We risked our lives to be here, not knowing what the fire would do. "Where we live is difficult to reach, it's secluded. And we were forgotten about." The fire chief of the Mid Coast Fire Brigade, the volunteer fire service that tackled the blaze, said they worked hard to protect the residents and their homes in the days that the fire burned. "The brigade worked relentlessly with little food or sleep during the first seven days of the fire," says Cheryl Goetz. "These are not just people in a community - to us they are neighbours, friends, co-workers and family." There will never be enough resources to get out in front of and stop these types of fires as they are spreading at rapid rates, says Ms Goetz. "Despite our best efforts, even as we were advised of a person trapped by the fire, the intensity of the fire and the numerous trees falling forced us out of the area." Mr Beninger is a carpenter, but used to be a firefighter with the US Forest Service in one of the hotshot crews - teams known as America's "elite" firefighters due to the danger of their work. He says he and two friends helped save three homes from burning - by using water bottles from the Red Cross. "We had a shovel - no chainsaws though, mine had burnt in the fire. We were just this tiny makeshift fire brigade in a pick-up truck with some water bottles." That's where the idea began, said Mr Beninger, who soon after heard about a small fire truck for sale in nearby Carmel Valley. The owner gave it to him for half the price, and now it's up to him to restore it and build a team. The fire truck is built around a 1973 Dodge Power Wagon, and has a four wheel drive, meaning it can access the canyon's almost-impassable dirt roads. "At the moment we don't have a big crew, but we're speaking with another six neighbours and we're going to do what we can. We're going to give everybody basic fire training." Mr Beninger is planning barbecues, calendars - "men and women" he noted - and "whatever it takes" to drum up the $10,000 needed to get started. "The best part is making our community tighter. Having the truck is one thing, but knowing how to use it and bringing everybody closer is more important. I don't know if we're going to be able to save any homes, but we're going to try." Ms Goetz advises people should be careful about setting up their own firefighting teams as her volunteers are fully trained. It's better if householders take steps to protect their homes, she says: - Clearing vegetation around their homes - 100ft minimum - Ensure you have access to a water source that will not be compromised by loss of electricity - Clearly mark that water source for all incoming firefighting equipment - Clearly address your property so firefighting resources know and understand there's a home up that dirt road More on California wildfires An August 2018 assessment found the state could see a 77% increase in the average area burned by wildfires in 2100. A Cal Fire report, published in March 2019, noted as many as 15 million acres of California forests are in "poor health", needing work to boost fire resiliency. Experts have warned there is now no longer a "typical" California wildfire season, and that the risk may be year-round. "If the community doesn't do something to protect itself, who will?" added Mr Beninger. "I think it's going to be a great addition to the neighbourhood, it will bring people back together. We were devastated by that fire; families fled, there used to be lots of children here but now there aren't. "The fire could've been handled within days, but there just weren't the resources. We're going to take care of our own." The truck's already got a nickname - Scarlett - which Mr Beninger wants on the uniforms. "They won't be anything too fancy, but we might have some scarlet on there, maybe some redwoods , ocean and the mountains. But we'll have to change the writing on the side of the truck." After a few moments he added, with a chuckle: "Maybe we could call it the forgotten canyon fire department?" UPDATE: This story was first published on 9 April, then re-published on 24 April with statements from the Mid Coast Fire Brigade | लगातार कई वर्षों से, आग ने कैलिफोर्निया के तट को तबाह कर दिया है, और अग्निशमन सेवा कम संसाधनों के साथ बढ़ते दबाव में है। एक पूर्व अग्निशामक अपने स्वयं के अग्निशमन दल की स्थापना कर रहा है, लेकिन क्या यह सही तरीका है? |
world-europe-isle-of-man-37154170 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-37154170 | Isle of Man General Election 2016: Deadline for Keys candidates nears | Candidates intending to stand in the Isle of Man's general election have until Wednesday to register. | About 60 people are expected to contest the 24 available seats in the House of Keys - Tynwald's lower house. This year two MHKs will elected from each of the 12 constituencies following a reform of the Isle of Man's electoral boundaries. Those looking to win election to the world's oldest continuous parliament must register by 13:00 BST. The island's 2016 general election is due to take place on 22 September and the deadline to register to vote is 1 September. | आइल ऑफ मैन के आम चुनाव में खड़े होने के इच्छुक उम्मीदवारों के पास पंजीकरण करने के लिए बुधवार तक का समय है। |
uk-england-hampshire-11208362 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-11208362 | New £34m revamp at Southampton City College | A £34m redevelopment of Southampton City College has been unveiled to students on the first day of the new academic year. | Two new buildings opened at the further education college, which caters for 16-to-18-year-olds and adult learners. The development includes a 240-seat theatre, a hair and beauty salon, restaurant and kitchens, a TV studio, lecture theatre and seminar rooms. The work is the final stage of eight years of redevelopment costing £48m. A spokeswoman for the college, in St Mary's, said about "80% of the campus is now new and purpose-built for the highly-vocational curriculum". | नए शैक्षणिक वर्ष के पहले दिन छात्रों के लिए साउथेम्प्टन सिटी कॉलेज के 34 मिलियन पाउंड के पुनर्विकास का अनावरण किया गया है। |
world-asia-india-47823588 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47823588 | The couples on the run for love in India | Most Indian families still prefer marriages arranged within their religion and caste. Marriages outside these rigid boundaries have often led to violent consequences, including "honour" killings. But some young Indians are still willing to defy their families and communities for love, reports the BBC's Divya Arya. | Ravindra Parmar knew that pursuing a relationship with an upper-caste woman would be dangerous. He is a Dalit (formerly known as "untouchable"), a caste that sits at the lowest rung of India's social ladder. The woman he fell in love with, Shilpaba Upendrasinh Vala, is a Rajput - a Hindu warrior caste near the apex of the system. The yawning gap between his position and hers is something rarely bridged in Indian society. "We are not even allowed to walk past their area and I had dared to marry into their family," he says. "Those who marry inter-caste are seen as aliens. The perception is that they are terrorists who revolt in society." Ravindra and Shilpaba were born and brought up in two villages separated by more than 100km (62 miles) in the western state of Gujarat. They met on Facebook and would spend hours taking digs at each other. But all that friendly banter had a deep impact on Shilpaba. "I was like any other village girl limited to home and college, but he broadened my horizon, made me realise that my life has more meaning," she says. Social media has opened a space that did not exist a few decades ago. Rigid caste and religious divides meant that the possibility of meeting, interacting and striking friendships in public places was neither possible nor encouraged. The caste system is hereditary, and the practice of marrying within the caste ensures that the hierarchy is perpetuated. Caste divisions have deep roots in history and Dalit men who have married women from upper castes have been killed. Marriages across caste or religion in India are uncommon. According to the India Human Development Survey, only about 5% of Indian marriages are inter-caste. The onus of upholding tradition, culture and "purity" falls on the woman and if she marries outside traditional boundaries, she is seen as besmirching the honour of the community and her family. The anger and backlash can lead to violent attacks and killings. Shilpaba had to flee from her village to marry Ravindra. But the threat of violence has continued to hang over them: they have moved between houses and cities a dozen times in the past three years. Ravindra is a trained engineer but had to leave his job and has had to do daily-wage labour wherever they have lived to make ends meet. Read more stories by Divya Arya Shilpaba says the stress became unbearable. They started blaming each other for their situation and she even contemplated taking her own life. "Ravindra convinced me out of it, as that was no solution," she says. "Now we are both studying law with a vision to take up human rights cases and make our parents proud through our work. "Maybe then they will see that we didn't take this decision to just have fun and they will accept us." 'Shocking' level of prejudice The latest data available from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that 77 murder cases in 2016 were reported with "honour killing" as the motive. Such violence is highly under-reported and these numbers do not accurately reflect social attitudes that may be growing more conservative. A 2016 survey, Social Attitudes Research for India (Sari), conducted across Delhi, Mumbai, and the states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan found the majority of respondents opposed to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages. In fact they were in favour of a law banning such marriages. "It is quite shocking that despite rising levels of literacy and education, prejudicial beliefs do not reduce. In fact, they are worryingly high," says Professor Amit Thorat of Jawaharlal Nehru University, who worked on the Sari survey. "Religious and traditional values around hierarchies, around the notion of purity and pollution seem to be more sacrosanct and valuable than human rights, the right to live or the right to marry by choice." Feeling unsafe Bibi Ayisha and Aditya Verma were 17 years old when they fell in love. They too found each other on Facebook. That they were born into different religions - she is Muslim, he is Hindu - did not matter to them. But their families fiercely opposed the relationship. Aditya was born and grew up in Delhi. After finishing school, he enrolled in a college in the southern Indian city of Bangalore only because Ayisha lived there. But that sign of his dedication couldn't win her parents over: he was still a Hindu. Madly in love, and after waiting for two years, Ayisha ran away with Aditya. They moved to Delhi but, like Ravindra and Shilpaba, they still did not feel safe. "We were so scared that for five months we stayed in a room. Neither of us was working at that time. I thought if I stepped out, I would be killed, because I was Muslim and he was Hindu," says Ayisha. In February 2018, 23-year old Ankit Saxena was murdered in broad daylight in the capital Delhi for having a relationship with a Muslim woman. The woman's parents and two others were arrested and the trial is ongoing. Ayisha says that after that incident, the fear of a possible honour killing started feeling very real. "Even if we went out briefly, I was constantly looking around and if I saw anyone with a beard, I thought that they were members of my family coming to kill me." Spreading awareness Her fears have been set against the backdrop of an India where religious polarisation is increasing. A Hindu nationalist government has been in power since 2014 and is accused of normalising anti-Muslim sentiment. "I think the present environment is such that rather than bringing people and religions together, it is trying to fan the fires of division," says Prof Thorat. He is quick to point to the violent partition of India to underscore that such beliefs have existed for more than half a century, but believes that efforts to bridge divides are lacking. Ayisha's parents like Aditya but are not ready to accept him into their family unless he converts to Islam. Aditya's parents are equally unwilling for the marriage unless Ayisha adopts Hinduism. Both of them are opposed to adopting the other's religion - and losing their own. "When we fell in love, I knew she was a Muslim and she knew I was Hindu. We don't want that any of us should lose our identity," Aditya says. India passed a law in 1872 that enables legal registration of a marriage between a man and woman of different religions or caste without any conversion. Aditya found out about the Special Marriage Act through Asif Iqbal and Ranu Kulshreshtha, a couple who married inter-faith back in 2000. Soon after their marriage - in the aftermath of the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 - they witnessed targeting of couples like themselves and a lack of any support mechanisms. They set up an organisation called Dhanak, which spreads legal awareness and provides counselling as well as safe houses to couples who want to marry inter-faith or inter-caste. But awareness about the Special Marriage Act is very low. It also has a rule that requires a notice about the intended marriage to be displayed at a public place for a month, giving opportunity to anyone to place an objection. "This provision is often misused by fanatic Hindu groups like Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Muslim organisations like Nizam-e-Mustafa, who would approach the families and pressure them to stop their daughters as daughters are easy targets," explains Asif Iqbal. According to him, the local police also do not encourage such marriages and instead play an active role in stopping them, especially in smaller towns. Rekha Sharma, chairperson of the government's advisory body, the National Commission for Women, agrees. "The government needs to do more in sensitising the police and legal officers about this, as the law helps in stopping conversion yet still enabling inter-faith marriage," she says. But she adds that lasting change cannot come only by enforcing laws, but by changing social mindsets. Acceptance is key for the survival of such couples as they deal with severe social and economic isolation. 'Trust and love' The Dhanak network has helped Ayisha feel safe. She has now met many couples like her and Aditya, and it gives her immense hope. "If you trust your partner and love them very much, then nothing else should matter. You should not waste time worrying about family and society. They will come around eventually," she says. After their marriage, Ravindra and Shilpaba decided to change their surname to Bharatiya, which means Indian. They decided to drop their original surname since it revealed their respective castes. Ravindra is an idealist - he believes that more inter-caste marriages will lead to a future in India where caste divisions will cease to be an issue. | अधिकांश भारतीय परिवार अभी भी अपने धर्म और जाति के भीतर व्यवस्थित विवाहों को पसंद करते हैं। इन कठोर सीमाओं के बाहर विवाह अक्सर हिंसक परिणामों का कारण बनते हैं, जिसमें "ऑनर किलिंग" भी शामिल है। लेकिन कुछ युवा भारतीय अभी भी प्यार के लिए अपने परिवारों और समुदायों की अवहेलना करने के लिए तैयार हैं, बीबीसी की दिव्या आर्य रिपोर्ट करती है। |
uk-wales-politics-46618507 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-46618507 | Mark Drakeford: From Latin degree to Wales' leader | After years at the heart of government, Mark Drakeford today starts in the top job. BBC Wales' political correspondent Daniel Davies has spoken to friends, colleagues and opponents of the Welsh Labour leader about his politics, personality and the sort of first minister he will be. | Mark Drakeford's political awakening came early. Nationalist fervour swept his home town of Carmarthen when Gwynfor Evans was elected as Plaid Cymru's first MP in 1966. At grammar school, Mr Drakeford remembers groups of pupils marching around chanting political slogans. English-only road signs lay piled on the ground, torn down the night before. The political climate fired the imagination of the young Drakeford, a clarinet-playing cricket fan. Trashing road signs was, he thought, a "fantastic thing to be doing", he told me. But the teenager thought class was more important than nationality, so he became a socialist and joined the Labour Party. In the final year of his Latin degree at the University of Kent in Canterbury, he answered an advert in the Guardian to become a probation officer. Arriving for work in Cardiff in 1979, he found the offenders in Ely living in substandard council houses. But there wasn't much a probation officer could do about that. So he stood for and was elected to South Glamorgan council in 1985. Back then, Cardiff's highly factional Labour Party was a "viper's nest", says one of his contemporaries. In the late 80s, the council was led by Jack Brooks, for years the right-hand man of former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan. "Jack was very much in control, very much the baron, the person in charge," says Labour AM Julie Morgan, a long-time friend and ally of Mr Drakeford. Lord Brooks threw his weight behind one of the signal projects of the day - the Cardiff Bay Barrage. Some were deeply opposed, including Mrs Morgan's late husband Rhodri, the former Cardiff West MP and future first minister. Mark Drakeford was an opponent too, believing it would cause flooding in his Pontcanna ward. Together with another future AM - Jane Hutt, then the councillor for Riverside - he was suspended from South Glamorgan council's Labour group for voting against it. Instead of civil engineering spectacles, Mr Drakeford preferred the grass-roots approach of setting up charities and community centres. Mr Drakeford was part of a leftish circle of Cardiff politicians who later joined Rhodri Morgan's "kitchen cabinet" in the Welsh government of the 2000s. Among them were Ms Hutt, Jane Davidson and Sue Essex. All three become assembly members and ministers. "These were all political friendships but we had a lot in common as well politically," Ms Hutt says. "Alliances and friendships go together often." In 1993 Mr Drakeford stood down from the council. He went into academia, teaching at Swansea and later at Cardiff University, where he became a professor of social policy. One of his students was future leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood - like him, a probation officer who became an assembly member (AM). He got her an extension for her final assignment which was due while she was standing for Plaid Cymru at the 1997 general election. "He believed I would learn more running a general election campaign about how to help people than on the course for two months," she says. His bid to become the AM for Cardiff Central in the first assembly election in 1999 failed. Nevertheless, he came to wield huge influence over devolution - arguably more influence than most AMs. When Alun Michael was ousted as first secretary, Mr Drakeford became a special adviser on health and social care under Rhodri Morgan. They already knew each other well through the Cardiff West constituency. Mr Drakeford had been Mr Morgan's election agent. Jane Hutt, Mr Morgan's health minister, says it was a "huge bonus" having her old friend there at the start of devolution when things were "really tough". Soon, he went to work directly for the first minister, trying to stabilise the Welsh Government and give it a purpose. "We saw him as the main intellectual driving force of the left in Wales," says Darren Williams, a member of Labour's ruling executive from Cardiff. It was a frantic start for devolution. The institution lurched from one controversy to another. In the government's Cardiff Bay offices, a former minister says: "There was always this pool of calm where Mark was sitting on the fifth floor amid the chaos." Former Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Lord German, deputy first minister in a Labour-led coalition, calls Mr Drakeford the "Sherpa" who "stood at Rhodri's shoulder". In his biography, Mr Morgan, describes an encounter between his right-hand man and Tony Blair's entourage: "Mark was dressed down in his normal 1960s polytechnic sociology lecturer super-casual gear, tie-less, sloppy sweater and jeans." Another official present that day in 2002 remembers Mr Drakeford's mobile phone ringing during a speech by Mr Blair at Cardiff's old library. Off came the trademark sweater as Drakeford "faffed" to find the phone. "It was painful," the witness says. "Blair, fair play, carried on. It would have been better if he had made a joke." When he became a government minister himself, the lecturer's outfit gave way to a suit and tie. Supporters and opponents talk unflatteringly about how he wears it. The habitually undone neck button is now as much a trademark as the "sloppy sweater" once was. The project to define 'Morganism' culminated in the Clear Red Water speech of 2002 to illustrate the difference between Welsh Labour and New Labour. Although Mr Morgan departed from the script and never uttered the key sound bite when he delivered the speech in Swansea, it came to define his leadership. Free prescriptions, school breakfasts and bus passes were gimmicks and giveaways to critics. But to the Welsh Government they were part of a vision to make society more equal. They called it "progressive universalism" - the idea that everyone should enjoy the same access to services - and you can expect more of the same now Mr Drakeford is in charge. The Morgan-Drakeford partnership continued through to a coalition with Plaid Cymru. Helping bring the two sides together, there were meetings with Plaid's future leader, Adam Price, at Mr Drakeford's offices in Cardiff University in 2007. A source who worked in that coalition government says Mr Drakeford "created the narrative". "Rhodri's first 20 minutes in cabinet was about what he heard in the pub or in Riverside Market. It drove people bonkers. "Mark could articulate what the strategy was that Rhodri was trying to follow." When Mr Morgan retired in 2011, Mr Drakeford followed in his footsteps as the AM for Cardiff West. The then First Minister Carwyn Jones left him on the backbenches for two years, before giving him arguably the toughest job in the cabinet - health minister. His big idea for the service was called prudent healthcare, which involved patients taking more responsibility for their health. Siobahn McClelland, who held senior positions in the NHS under him, says: "Whether that actually made a difference to anything is actually a moot point." Mr Drakeford's department was bombarded by criticism about waiting times from the UK government and Conservative-supporting newspapers. He was determined to ban E-cigs from being used in public places. A former official recalls he "wouldn't budge" on the issue. The plan faltered when Plaid Cymru withdrew support, partly because another cabinet minister, Leighton Andrews, called the nationalists a "cheap date". Memories of the episode still annoy Mr Drakeford, but Prof McClelland says: "There are other things we should be doing that are going to make a bigger difference." After the 2016 election, he became finance secretary as the Welsh Government prepared for tax powers and the de-facto Brexit minister. Detecting a growing appetite to stop Brexit within Labour, his two leadership opponents this year tried to outflank him by demanding a further referendum. But he stuck to the line that his job was to prepare for Brexit, not fight it. Mr Drakeford says he wrestled with the idea of succeeding Carwyn Jones, not least because of the impact on his family - wife Clare and their three grown-up children. A friend says he was "conflicted". Was Wales ready for an atheist, republican, socialist first minister? Gossip intensified in the months after Carl Sargeant died days after being sacked as a minister - and when Mr Jones told Welsh Labour's conference in April that he was going, there was a clamour from his friends for Mr Drakeford to stand. "I think he would be a blessing to Wales," Ms Hutt said at the time. Whatever his doubts, Mr Drakeford says he became fully committed to the contest. And after the emotional toll of Carl Sargeant's death, Mr Drakeford's supporters think he is someone they can rally around. He is the right man for this time "because of what happened with Carl", says Julie Morgan. Admirers and former colleagues talk about how clever he is and how his experiences as a probation officer taught him how hard life can be. Will he thrive as leader? Leanne Wood, who followed the same career path, from the probation service to leading a party, says: "He's got the right value base, I would say, but you need discipline and doing the job is a lot harder than it looks. "What you see is only a fraction of what goes on. So much is behind the scenes." Mr Drakeford is used to working behind the scenes. Now we'll see whether he thrives in the limelight. | वर्षों तक सरकार के केंद्र में रहने के बाद, मार्क ड्रेकफोर्ड आज शीर्ष पद पर आ गए हैं। बीबीसी वेल्स के राजनीतिक संवाददाता डैनियल डेविस ने वेल्श लेबर नेता के दोस्तों, सहयोगियों और विरोधियों से उनकी राजनीति, व्यक्तित्व और वह किस तरह के पहले मंत्री होंगे, इस बारे में बात की है। |
uk-england-nottinghamshire-50250892 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-50250892 | The commuter cats who became fur-mous | A cat called Benton has won carriage-loads of fans, thanks to his propensity for hanging around tram stops. But Benton is just one of a long line of cats who have rubbed shoulders with commuters, some prompting bestselling books and coming within a whisker of a film deal. BBC News meets the cats who don't have a ticket to ride (but they don't care). | By Gavin BevisBBC News A social media thread a few weeks ago about a cat called Benton - who likes hanging out at the Inham Road tram stop in Beeston, Nottinghamshire - sparked a huge response. His owner Ginny Hicks, who lives near the stop, wrote: "I'm increasingly aware that many of you have met (and I hope are fond of) my black and white kitty. "He's greeted his public there since the tram line was built. "I do hope he brings a little of affection to you when you see him." Miss Hicks says she rescued Benton when he was about four months old after she spotted him walking in the path of a bus. "He would have died if I hadn't seen him on the road that day," she said. "Now he brings love and affection to as many people as he can." In one of Benton's most recent exploits, Miss Hicks says he "cadged a ride" home from the tram stop with a boy in a wheelchair. "His mum got in touch to say it made her son's day," she said. Miss Hicks says she is not concerned about Benton's safety around the trams. "He's well aware when one is coming as you can hear the tracks humming when a tram is still a couple of hundred yards away," she said. "I'm actually more concerned about him getting on one and me getting a phone call to collect him from the other side of Nottingham." But Benton is far from the first feline to paw his way into the hearts of England's commuters. Here are just a few tales about the cats who love public trans-pawt - and the followings they have inspired. Casper, the puss in bus All eyes were on Plymouth a decade ago when a bus-loving cat named Casper rose to prominence. The black-and-white feline would trot on board the number three bus when it stopped outside his house each morning and then ride a full loop of the route before the driver carefully made sure he was dropped off back where he started. His antics prompted national media coverage, an avalanche of letters to owner Susan Finden - who died in 2017 - and even his own book. Susan's daughter, Kim Holland, said: "Mum wrote the book and it had a massive response. It was one of the first of its kind - I know there are lots now but this was one of the early ones. "From that people wrote to my mum for years. Some would address the letters to 'Casper's mum, Plymouth' and the postman would deliver them all." The family was even contacted by a producer who wanted to make a film, with Dawn French mooted to play the part of Susan. "He was super keen and kept in touch with mum for a long time and often discussed the film," said Ms Holland. "He didn't manage to get the funding so it sadly didn't get off the ground." Sadly Casper's travelling adventures came to an abrupt end in 2010 when he was hit by a car and killed. "Poor old Casper got hit by a taxi outside mum's house," Ms Holland added. "She got so many letters from bus drivers and the local community, all giving their condolences. "He was quite a character really. He touched all sort of people's hearts." Full steam ahead, Felix Next time you visit Huddersfield railway station, keep a beady eye out for two furry workers named Felix and Bolt. Sneakily brought in by station staff nine years ago while the manager was on leave, Felix has become a favourite with commuters and even has her own name badge. Last year she was given an "apprentice" - her younger brother Bolt - to further delight cat-loving passengers. As with Casper, Felix's popularity prompted a best-selling book and a follow-up about Bolt's arrival has just been released. Station manager Andy Croughan said: "Felix's rapid rise in popularity took us all by surprise - it just came from a couple of photos posted on Facebook. "That's when the whirlwind started. The national news came down and then the book deals came about so we could tell the whole story. "We'd had highs and lows as a group of people at the station - good times, but also the passing away of colleagues - and the first book told the whole story really well. "Felix and Bolt may just be cats, but they've contributed a huge amount to charity. With the two books and calendars, we could be looking at more than £200,000 in total." Batman aka tram cat "He's a bit of a tart." So speaks the owner of Batman, a cat that helps to brighten the morning for commuters waiting at Chorlton tram stop in Manchester. For more than two years the young rescue cat - named after his facial markings - has regularly trotted out of his front door, just down the road from the stop, to lap up strokes and adoration from strangers. "It's got to the point where he knows when the rush hours are," explained owner Nicci Cuff. Ms Cuff set up a Facebook page in her cat's honour and soon began to realise many people considered Batman a lucky charm. She said: "One person was going through a very hard time in their life and they said Batman saved their year. "Someone else said they'd had a job interview and felt nervous but as soon as they saw Batman they knew it was going to be OK. They got the job. "I said to a friend that I'd always wanted to make the world a better place but instead it's actually my cat that's doing it." Transport and cat facts Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. | बेंटन नामक एक बिल्ली ने ट्राम स्टॉप के आसपास लटकने की अपनी प्रवृत्ति के कारण प्रशंसकों की गाड़ी-भर जीत ली है। लेकिन बेंटन उन बिल्लियों की एक लंबी कतार में से एक है जिन्होंने यात्रियों के साथ कंधे से कंधा मिलाया है, कुछ किताबें सबसे अधिक बिकने के लिए प्रेरित करती हैं और एक फिल्म सौदे के बीच आती हैं। बीबीसी समाचार उन बिल्लियों से मिलता है जिनके पास सवारी करने के लिए टिकट नहीं है (लेकिन वे परवाह नहीं करते हैं)। |
uk-wales-south-west-wales-30196411 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-30196411 | DVLA marks 25 years of personalised registration plates | The DVLA has raised more than £2bn for the Treasury in 25 years of selling personalised registration plates. | To mark the occasion, the Swansea-based agency is holding its 150th auction on Wednesday when several Welsh-themed registration plates will go under the hammer. Patriotic motorists can get their hands plates including WEL 55H, CY07 MRU and WA11 LES. Since 1989, the DVLA has sold more than 4.2 million registrations. Among the Welsh-themed registration plates which have sold for the highest price are W4 LES (£6,000), S10 NED (£7,600) and WEL 5H (£27,200). | डी. वी. एल. ए. ने व्यक्तिगत पंजीकरण प्लेट बेचने के 25 वर्षों में कोषागार के लिए 2 बिलियन पाउंड से अधिक जुटाए हैं। |
world-28679020 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-28679020 | Surrogate babies: Where can you have them, and is it legal? | The case of Gammy, a baby with Down's syndrome who was born to a Thai surrogate mother and allegedly left behind by the intended Australian parents, has caused international controversy. Where do people go to arrange for surrogate babies, and is it legal? | By Helier CheungBBC News What is surrogacy? Surrogacy is where a woman becomes pregnant with the intention of handing over the child to someone else after giving birth. Generally, she carries the baby for a couple or parent who cannot conceive a child themselves - they are known as "intended parents". There are two forms of surrogacy. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother's egg is used, making her the genetic mother. In gestational surrogacy, the egg is provided by the intended mother or a donor. The egg is fertilised through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and then placed inside the surrogate mother. Is surrogacy legal? It varies from country to country. Countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria prohibit all forms of surrogacy. In countries including the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Belgium, surrogacy is allowed where the surrogate mother is not paid, or only paid for reasonable expenses. Paying the mother a fee (known as commercial surrogacy) is prohibited. Commercial surrogacy is legal in some US states, and countries including India, Russia and Ukraine. People who want to be parents may go abroad if their home country does not allow surrogacy, or if they cannot find a surrogate. However, even here, the laws may vary. For example, some Australian states have criminalised going to another country for commercial surrogacy, while others permit it. Where do people go for surrogacy? Experts say that countries popular with parents for surrogacy arrangements are the US, India, Thailand, Ukraine and Russia. Mexico, Nepal, Poland and Georgia are also among the countries described as possibilities for surrogacy arrangements. Costs vary significantly from country to country, and also depend on the number of IVF cycles needed, and whether health insurance is required. Families Through Surrogacy, an international non-profit surrogacy organisation, has estimated the approximate average costs in different countries: There are few statistics on how many children are born through surrogacy arrangements, as many countries do not formally record this. Nicola Scott, a lawyer with UK family law firm Natalie Gamble Associates, says that about 25% of her firm's clients go to the US, often because they feel it is safer. "The US has a very long history of surrogacy. One reason is that the parents know there are established frameworks in many states, particularly California, so there is safety associated with going there," she says. Why do women become surrogate mothers? Sarah Wisniewski, Surrogacy UK We're aware of how, just taking a year out of our lives can drastically help someone else's life. The majority of us have our own children, although a couple of the surrogate mothers in our network are childless. We appreciate and are grateful for our own children too - the majority of us just see pregnancy as something we find very easy - something we can do while getting on with our everyday lives. "People who choose other destinations tend to do so because a surrogacy there typically costs a lot less than in the US." In many countries, "surrogacy isn't illegal, but there's no framework to support it," Ms Scott says. For example, Thailand does not have clear regulations surrounding surrogacy. However, legislation has been drafted to regulate surrogacy, and authorities now say the surrogates must be a blood relative of the intended parents. Similarly, India is considering legislation which could "massively restrict surrogacy", Ms Scott says, and will "shut the door to singles and gay couples". What are the complications? There are no internationally recognised laws for surrogacy, so many parents and children can be left vulnerable - or even stateless. It can take several months to bring a surrogate baby back to the parents' home country, as they may not be automatically recognised as the legal parents. "In Thailand, surrogates are seen as the legal mother, so if the parents leave the baby with the mother, she is legally responsible. This is one of the difficulties seen in the Gammy case," Ms Scott says. "In India, the intended parents are seen as the legal parents," whereas under UK law, the surrogate mother is recognised as the legal mother. "This means a surrogate baby born in India, for UK parents, is born stateless, and has to apply for British citizenship." Depending on the parents' legal status in their home country, things can also become difficult if the couple split up, Paul Beaumont, a Professor of EU and Private International Law at the University of Aberdeen, and author of the book International Surrogacy Arrangements, says. "There can be an unfair advantage in a custody dispute. The father will often have parental rights, as the one who supplied the sperm, whereas, more often than not, the egg has been provided by a third party donor... so the mother may not be regarded as the parent of the child," Prof Beaumont says. Many experts argue that an international agreement, similar to the Hague Adoption Convention, is needed so that rules are consistent across different countries. However, this could be difficult since countries are divided in their views of surrogacy. Are there risks for surrogate mothers? Prof Beaumont argues that regulation is also needed to ensure that "clinics are properly regulated and mothers are adequately compensated, given proper healthcare, and properly consenting". Regulation would also ensure that "the intending parents are considered suitable to be parents in their home country", he adds. Without regulation, one potential risk for many surrogate mothers is that "if the child is born with some kind of defect, the intending parents could abandon the child", as has been claimed in the Gammy case. Although it is difficult to get hard evidence of exploitation, it is also possible that, like any potentially lucrative industry, surrogacy could be open to abuse, with women forced to act as surrogate mothers for profiteers, Prof Beaumont says. My experience with surrogacy: Richard Westoby, author of Our Journey: One Couple's Guide to US Surrogacy We chose to go to the US because my partner is American, and there is a legal framework in place in a lot of states that protects the surrogates, the intended parents, and the child. All the parties involved had legal representation - our surrogate had her own lawyer represent her when we were negotiating the contract. We spoke about the whole situation - what we were expecting regarding the number of embryos, caesareans, abortion - everything was discussed up front, so everyone was fully informed. It's so important that people have the whole picture before it starts. So many things can and do go wrong if you're not properly counselled and guided through the process. Surrogates don't get a huge amount of money. I think surrogates are phenomenal women going through the process because they want to help other people enrich their lives with family. My partner was in the room when the twins were born. It's the same as when any parent meets their child for the first time - there were lots of tears. It was indescribable. There's nothing like when your children open their eyes for the first time. It was an incredible feeling. Our surrogate is part of our life now - we email regularly and she comes to the UK to see the children. | डाउन सिंड्रोम से पीड़ित एक बच्चे, गैमी का मामला, जो एक थाई सरोगेट माँ से पैदा हुआ था और कथित तौर पर ऑस्ट्रेलियाई माता-पिता द्वारा छोड़ दिया गया था, ने अंतर्राष्ट्रीय विवाद पैदा कर दिया है। लोग सरोगेट शिशुओं की व्यवस्था करने के लिए कहाँ जाते हैं, और क्या यह कानूनी है? |
magazine-32718813 | https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32718813 | The country that blends endangered frogs | Peru is one of the most biodiverse nations on earth. Its weird and wonderful wildlife makes it a hotspot for the illegal trade in live animals - and the country's ecological police are struggling to cope. Some readers may find parts of this story disturbing. | By Linda PresslyBBC News, Lima On a counter at the popular Mayorista market in Lima, stand two small, glass aquariums, containing dozens of toads and frogs. The frogs are from the Andes mountains, and some of the species are endangered. The stallholder works quickly, taking orders from a stream of customers who perch on stools or stand watching her work. Making a "frog shake" takes a few minutes. First the stallholder grabs a frog from the tank. She cuts its neck with a knife and skins it as easily as if she is peeling a banana. Then she puts it into a pan on a small stove with some liquid. Next the bubbling concoction is poured into a liquidiser with the other ingredients - powdered maca, a medicinal Peruvian root, vitamins, fruit and honey. The stallholder stops the blender and tastes the thick green mixture, her face a picture of concentration. She spoons in more honey, gives it a final whizz and pours it into a tin jug. "It's very good for anaemia and for chest complaints," says a customer. It is also known as a kind of Andean Viagra. "It's good for that too," he agrees. "But for anyone who's ill, if you take it three or four times a week, you will feel better very quickly." The amphibian "smoothie" originated among indigenous communities in the Andes, but its popularity has spread. Here, it costs five Peruvian soles - just under $2. "I sell maybe a 100 a day," the stallholder says. And she is well aware some of the frog species are under threat. "We all know that, but well… When they disappear, they disappear. But while we have them, we can help people with this drink." A couple approach the stall with a small lidded, plastic box. They buy two frogs to take away. The woman explains she will make her own frog shake at home following an old family recipe, and use it to treat a lung complaint. The stallholder has been fined several times for selling the frog drinks, but she has continued to trade - and customers continue to believe, without any scientific evidence, that the drinks benefit health. In Peru it is illegal to sell, transport or profit from wildlife. People caught with species listed in the Convention of the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) or the corresponding Peruvian decree may be jailed. "Every day we find five or six listed animals in local markets," says Maj Jose Miguel Ruiz, of Peru's ecological police. "Last week at the airport six drugged toucans were discovered. They had been put in a tube, and were being sent abroad." But in practice prison sentences are rare - Ruiz says there were only seven in Lima last year. At another market in the north of the city, the Santa Luzmilla market, Ruiz and his team, together with officers from the Forestry and Wildlife Authority, have raided Gladys Permudes' shop. Outside there are baby rabbits and chickens in cages. There is also a sad-looking parrot, and some parakeets - and these are CITES-listed. The shopkeeper says she paid $50 for the parrot, and is planning to teach it to speak. "I've seen how a parrot becomes an attraction for customers in other shops - I'm not selling it," she says. The parakeets, however, are for sale. Ruiz confiscates the birds, and tells Gladys Permudes she will have to come to the police station. It is live trafficking that causes most concern. Peru's myriad species of birds and animals are coveted by collectors both at home and abroad. Most of this furry and feathered contraband on sale in Lima comes from Peru's Amazon territory, especially the Loreto region. The Belen market in Iquitos, the regional capital, is a riot of colour, music and smoke. Stalls are stacked with tropical produce, and there is bush meat galore - caiman, jungle deer, and peccary (an animal from the pig family). Indigenous communities in Peru are permitted to hunt for subsistence, but the selling of bush meat is a grey area. Live animals are also for sale here. A man selling fruit is holding an iguana. He produces a grubby washing up bowl from underneath a table loaded with bananas - in it are turtles, iguanas, and four baby black caiman - an endangered species. He tells a story about one of the big buyers who comes to the market, buys the animals, drugs them, then sends them to Colombia. A woman standing nearby chips in to say she has carried wildlife to Lima in her luggage, and nothing happened at the airport. Peru does have a legitimate wildlife business. In the region of Loreto, there are indigenous communities farming turtles and peccary for export. These are projects that enable people to make a living, and encourage conservation. Loreto is also known for its export of farmed ornamental, aquarium fish. But Rainer Schulter, a German biologist and frog expert who has lived most of his adult life in Peru, believes legal wildlife commerce is often a cover for illegal activity. "They put a false bottom in the tank of aquarium fish for export. Under that, they put frogs, rare turtles, lizards… I would say nearly all illegal frogs travel like that with the fishes." Schulter says buyers - often Germans, in his experience - buy frogs for $5 from the communities around Iquitos. But collectors will pay at least $100 for rarer species on the international market. There are some who say the authorities are overzealous in their attempts to catch wildlife traders. "A hotel here had a caiman skull that was given to the owner by his grandfather well before CITES was in existence," says Richard Bodmer, a British biologist and expert in the Amazon region who has made his home in Iquitos. "The ecological police confiscated the skull, because they would get funds from abroad if they did confiscations. It's degrading the culture here. Anybody who even thinks of owning an animal is illegal. But this is part of nature." The Obama administration is concerned about trafficking from South America - the US is the second largest market for illegal wildlife products after China. Recently the government announced the imminent deployment of an officer from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to Lima. But Bodmer argues that the biggest threat to the Amazon's wildlife - climate change - is being ignored. "This year, two million animals will die from the flooding," he says. "I see groups coming down here wanting to close everything in Belen market, when their countries - such as in North America - are producing all this carbon which is killing two million animals." Threats to Peru's wildlife are immense - deforestation, over-hunting and climate change have left their mark. Trafficking is an additional pressure. At the Ecological Police HQ in Lima, Maj Ruiz has completed the paperwork on his detainees from the markets. One elderly man arrested with two squirrel monkeys has been allowed to go home on account of his age. Gladys Permudes, the shopkeeper selling endangered parakeets, is held for 24 hours and released by the judge the next day. And it is business as usual for the stallholder making "frog shakes". "In some cases we make one or two, even 10 visits to shops, and we stop the selling," sighs Fabiola Munoz, director of of the Forestry and Wildlife Authority. "But one month later, somebody opens a new store opposite." She has one message to anyone thinking of buying a tropical pet or wildlife product that may come from Peru: "If it isn't certified, don't buy it." Listen to Linda Pressly's documentary Peru's Wildlife for Sale on Assignment on the BBC World Service, or Crossing Continents on Radio 4. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. | पेरू पृथ्वी पर सबसे अधिक जैव विविधता वाले देशों में से एक है। इसका अजीब और अद्भुत वन्यजीव इसे जीवित जानवरों के अवैध व्यापार के लिए एक हॉटस्पॉट बनाता है-और देश की पारिस्थितिक पुलिस इससे निपटने के लिए संघर्ष कर रही है। कुछ पाठकों को इस कहानी के कुछ हिस्से परेशान कर सकते हैं। |
world-europe-jersey-12166452 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-12166452 | Jersey hospital cancels 13 non-urgent operations | A number of operations had to be cancelled at Jersey General Hospital due to a large number of patients needing intensive care beds. | There were 13 non-urgent operations cancelled on Monday, the hospital said. The Jersey health service said it needed to make sure anaesthetists who provide intensive care support were available. It said they were rescheduling all the operations and no other appointments were affected. The hospital said one person was moved to the UK at the weekend for treatment at an intensive care unit. It added operations were back to normal on Tuesday. | जर्सी जनरल अस्पताल में कई ऑपरेशन रद्द करने पड़े क्योंकि बड़ी संख्या में रोगियों को गहन देखभाल बिस्तरों की आवश्यकता थी। |
uk-england-norfolk-43700933 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-43700933 | Driver with baby clocked doing 105mph on A11 at Wymondham | Police officers who clocked a motorist doing 105mph were "shocked" to find a baby in the front passenger seat of the car. | The driver of the Vauxhall Insignia was stopped by officers from the Norfolk and Suffolk roads policing team on Sunday at about 19:15 BST. On social media, the team said the 12-month-old baby was strapped in a car seat in the front of the vehicle. A force spokeswoman said the driver had been reported for speeding offences. If successfully prosecuted, the motorist faces a minimum fine of £100 and three fixed penalty points. Related Internet Links Speeding penalties - GOV.UK | जिस पुलिस अधिकारी ने एक मोटर चालक को 105 मील प्रति घंटे की रफ्तार से दौड़ाते हुए देखा, वह कार की अगली यात्री सीट पर एक बच्चे को देखकर "हैरान" हो गए। |
world-asia-51716474 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51716474 | How Malaysia’s government collapsed in two years | It was seen as a historic turning point - an election that overturned a party which had been in power for more than 60 years. But less than two years later, the new government is out, and the old ruling party back in power. So why did a coalition whose victory had ignited such hopes for change in Malaysia collapse so quickly? | By Jonathan HeadSouth East Asia correspondent Malaysia has a new prime minister after a week of unprecedented political turmoil and uncertainty. Muhyiddin Yassin is an unassuming career politician who was ejected from the then-government party Umno in 2016. He joined forces with political heavyweights Mahathir Mohammad and Anwar Ibrahim to form a multi-party, multi-ethnic coalition called Pakatan Harapan (PH). Together they rode a wave of public anger over corruption to inflict the first-ever election defeat on the Umno-led coalition Barisan Nasional (BN). But the events of the past week - in which Mr Muhyiddin brought down the government by defecting with more than 30 MPs, and forming an alliance with his old party - have been a shattering blow to those who saw the 2018 election as a watershed, a new beginning for the country. "I am sorry for failing you. I tried. I really tried to stop them", tweeted Syed Saddiq, a telegenic young Malay politician whose stunning victory in a Johor seat in 2018 was seen as emblematic of the hunger for change. A member of Mr Muhyiddin's party, Syed Saddiq, is refusing to join him in working with Umno. There have been protests against what is being called a "backdoor government". "This is utter betrayal," said lawyer and activist Fadya Nadwa Fikri. "People didn't vote for this." Pakatan was an eclectic coalition, bringing together the reformist Keadilan party of Anwar Ibrahim, the main ethnic Chinese party, the DAP, and two anti-Umno Malay parties, Amanah and Bersatu. The last was led by Mahathir Mohamad, the veteran former prime minister whose backing was crucial to reassuring ethnic Malays that it was safe to abandon the ruling party. Pakatan was also supported by a network of civil society organisations which had been campaigning for years against corruption and abuses of power. Right up to polling day on 9 May 2018 they could not be sure they would succeed in dislodging Barisan. But there was a tangible sense of excitement, of possibilities. Mr Mahathir had campaigned wittily on the theme of then-prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah as a pair of thieves. The rising cost of living, and in particular an unpopular sales tax, played into the hands of the opposition. And the Malay vote, normally reliably pro-government, was split three ways, between Pakatan, Barisan and the Islamic party PAS. When I encountered people at polling stations showing me their Umno veterans' cards, but telling me they were voting for the opposition, it seemed momentum was moving that way. There was jubilation when Mr Najib conceded the next day. He was the first prime minister from his party to lose an election. So what went wrong for the Pakatan government? It was always going to be an uneasy coalition. Mr Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim had a tortuous history going back 30 years. Mr Anwar, at one time Mr Mahathir's protégé and designated successor, blames him for his first five-year term in prison. The two men eventually reconciled and agreed that Mahathir Mohamad, who led the election campaign, would be prime minister if they won, but hand over to Anwar Ibrahim after two years. But exactly how and when that would happen was left unsaid. There were other personality clashes, and differences over how the coalition would deal with an increasingly harsh economic climate. "We have the same problem of dissatisfaction as we see in many countries," says Ibrahim Suffian, from the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research. "We have economic growth, but wages have not caught up with the cost of living, particularly among the Malay population, particularly among the young. "The economy is not generating enough jobs that pay well. That was the challenge the coalition faced, because when they entered government they found that most of the cupboards were bare, and that they had enormous debts that they had to deal with." Malaysia has been defined by ethnic politics since independence in 1957, and the creation of a Malaysian federation in 1963. Ethnic Malays make up just over half the population; so called "bumiputera", which include other indigenous groups on the Malay peninsular and on Borneo, make up about 68%. The largest and most successful minority are the Chinese, who migrated to Malaysia during British colonial rule. Race riots in 1969 persuaded the government that policies favouring bumiputera, and in particular Malays, were essential. Umno defined itself as the party that looked after the Malays, who tended to be economically less successful than the Chinese. Mahathir Mohamad's 22-year rule in the 1980s and 90s was marked by generous pro-Malay projects, funded by impressive export-led growth. The downside was rising cronyism and corruption. But Malays still expect government largesse. It was partly the fear that the Pakatan government, with a large Chinese component, would cut back on that generosity, that has eroded its support among Malays. A quick trip to a low-income neighbourhood in Gombak, just outside Kuala Lumpur, illustrated this disenchantment. Here the futuristic highways and high-rises around the city centre give way to drab concrete apartment blocks and rows of small workshops and car-repair garages. Mohammad Amin, who is building a small café, told me he and his neighbours felt ethnic Malays were not being taken care of as well as in the past. Muhammad Tarmizi described poorer people in the area as being unable to meet the cost of their most basic daily needs. This government is not looking out for kampung - village - folk, for the Malays, he said. Although Umno's reputation was badly damaged by the revelations about huge sums of money that went missing in the 1MDB financial scandal, some of it ending up in Mr Najib's personal bank account, the party has been quick to exploit public disappointment over the state of the economy. So it's little surprise that Pakatan has now lost five out of the last six by-elections. In one contest, in the strategic state of Johor, PH saw its vote drop by more than half. The crisis broke over the succession. Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters pressed Mr Mahathir for a date, suggesting the two-year anniversary of the election in May. The prime minister refused to be drawn. Mr Anwar's camp backed off, leaving the decision with Dr Mahathir. But the growing tension within the coalition persuaded Mr Muhyiddin to break away and team up with the other side. As with every previous crisis in the past 40 years there was an overriding assumption - inside and outside Malaysia - that whatever happened, Mahathir Mohamad, the master manipulator, was pulling the strings, exploiting every twist in a bewilderingly fast-moving drama to ensure he came out on top. When he stunned the country by tendering his resignation, many of the political factions rushed out to express their support for him to stay in the job. Even Mr Anwar assured his supporters that, contrary to rumour, Mr Mahathir had not been behind what he was calling a coup against the coalition. But by the end of the week it was clear that the 94 year-old maestro had miscalculated. Malaysia's constitutional monarch, King Abdullah, whose role it is to invite a candidate to form a new government, declared that Mr Muhyiddin had the numbers, and would be sworn in as the country's eighth prime minister. Mr Mahathir has challenged this and could try to bring the new government down once parliament meets again. But incumbency, and the blessing of a revered monarch, are powerful assets for Mr Muhyiddin, which will certainly attract waverers to his side. "The King cannot make political decisions," says Mustafa Izzuddin at the National University of Singapore. "But he can play the role of honest broker, bringing the warring sides together. Even then it is unprecedented for a king to do so in Malaysia. "But Malaysian politics are in uncharted waters, so revolutionary methods may have been necessary. And the King may have seen Muhyiddin as the most trustworthy and steady of the candidates." It is worth recalling too that Mr Mahathir has a history of conflict with Malaysia's sultans, something that may have been a factor in the King's choice. Back in 1983 and 1993 he pressed for constitutional changes that imposed limits on royal power. "In the earlier crisis the role of leading royal resistance to Mahathir was played by the then-Sultan of Pahang, the current king's father," says Clive Kessler at the University of New South Wales. "Memories and resentments linger on and are not easily forgotten or set aside." So after less than two years in opposition, Umno is back in power. There are understandable fears that the investigations and trials of Mr Najib, who is still a significant and visible party figure, will be shelved. Mr Anwar, the man who believed he was destined to be prime minister back in the 1990s, and believed he was promised the job this year, has once again been thwarted. His repeated career setbacks, over more than two decades, might have come from the plot of one of the Shakespeare tragedies that he read to pass the time while he was serving his two terms in prison. And Mr Mahathir, one of the most remarkable political survivors of modern times, appears to have run out of road. As he absorbed the shock of finding himself outmanoeuvred, his wife of 63 years Siti Hasmah put her arms around his waist, in a fierce, protective hug, perhaps hoping that now, a little before his 95th birthday, he might finally retire. | इसे एक ऐतिहासिक मोड़ के रूप में देखा गया-एक ऐसा चुनाव जिसने एक पार्टी को उलट दिया जो 60 साल से अधिक समय से सत्ता में थी। लेकिन दो साल से भी कम समय बाद, नई सरकार बाहर हो गई, और पुरानी सत्तारूढ़ पार्टी फिर से सत्ता में आ गई। तो फिर जिस गठबंधन की जीत ने मलेशिया में बदलाव की ऐसी उम्मीदों को प्रज्वलित किया था, वह इतनी जल्दी क्यों गिर गया? |
uk-53635932 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53635932 | Coronavirus: The childcare 'jigsaw' parents are facing this summer | With kids off school and lockdown easing, childcare has become a summer issue for many parents returning to work. There have been warnings of a "perfect storm" for working parents - of rising costs and providers closing. So how are parents managing? | By Hazel ShearingBBC News "I absolutely love my job," says 32-year-old Sharleen Smith, from Great Yarmouth. "I want to do my work." Sharleen hated working from home during lockdown and was delighted to return to her magazine's office last month. But as the summer holidays approached, she became increasingly concerned about what to do with her seven-year-old daughter, Kourtney. Every day she checked to see whether Kourtney's usual summer holiday club would open. Eventually it announced it would, but only for two weeks - leaving her and her partner with a four-week black hole over the summer holiday. "I don't want to be dramatic but it has been terrifying for me," says Sharleen, who has mild autism and says she has lost sleep over the issue of childcare. "The unknown is the scariest thing possible." Her solution involves a mix of friends, family and a nursery that is accepting older children. But this summer isn't cheap. The holiday club is twice its usual price, and the nursery is double that. Sharleen is one of many parents struggling with a "childcare jigsaw" during the school holidays, with many providers unable to operate under coronavirus guidelines, according to Coram Family and Childcare Trust. Research suggests mums appear to be doing most of the family childcare during lockdown, and are able to do less uninterrupted work compared to dads. "As lockdown restrictions start to ease, many parents are being asked to go back to work but are facing the same childcare shortages they have been battling since lockdown began," says the charity's head Megan Jarvie. "This summer more than ever, we are at risk of seeing parents having little choice but to give up work completely." Holiday clubs have been particularly affected by government guidance being issued at "short notice", says Ms Jarvie. Guidance published at the start of July - three weeks before most schools finished - said clubs must keep children in consistent bubbles of 15. This was later slightly relaxed after clubs pointed out the same children do not necessarily attend on the same days - but for many providers that came too late. 'Left in front of screens' "We need clear daylight of six weeks to be able to mobilise our camps - and that would really be cutting it fine," says Neil Greatorex, founder of holiday club chain Barracudas. This is the first summer in almost three decades he has not been able to open his sites. He says earlier guidance would have given him time to work out which of his 46 camps could run. He thinks lots of parents will "struggle" this month. "The service they rely on just isn't going to be there in the same way it normally is. A substantial part of the provision that is there throughout the UK is going to be missing." In Cambridge, Panash Shah decided he would run his three holiday clubs this summer, but has had to increase fees to pay for extra cleaning and around 20 additional members of staff needed to supervise the bubbles. After a "desperate rush" to work out logistics once the guidance was published, he says he has only allowed parents to book one-week blocks, rather than odd days here and there. Panash thinks this has "scared off" parents who may only need childcare for two days and do not want to book the whole week at an increased price. "What happens to those children? Will they be maybe potentially left in front of screens all day?" he asks. "Or would grandparents or other family members step in?" Clare Freeman, of the Out of School Alliance, which supports holiday clubs, says the fact that grandparents "may be unable to help due to health concerns" will add to parents' woes. "Even leaving children with friends is problematic as we are being advised not to mix households," she says. Rising costs In Cheshire, Gemma, a travel agent who did not want her surname to be used, has looked after her two children while on furlough. But with her colleagues starting to return to work, and her partner working full-time, she is not sure what she will do if she is asked to go back over the summer. She says she was told she will be put on unpaid leave if she can't come in. Holiday clubs near her have limited spaces, and their usual childminders aren't taking on any more work. Childminders who are available are double the price, she says, costing more than £60 a day. "I'm only on minimum wage anyway, so if and when I do go back to work and I have to start using a more expensive childminder it's probably pointless me going to work for the day." Gemma's usual childminders may be fully-booked, but half an hour's drive away in Warrington, Melanie Han is struggling to find business. "Usually I've got a very, very long waiting list," the childminder says, explaining that she thinks demand has slipped because parents are either at home themselves or are worried about the virus. She knows other childminders who have stopped working altogether. A recent survey conducted by the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) suggested that around 40% of childminders were unsure if their businesses would be able to survive - particularly if the end of the furlough scheme in October leads to more redundancies. "I'm advertising on everything, and nobody's coming back to me. That would suggest there's no childcare needed, but in some areas it's really busy," Melanie says. Local demand Last week, Labour warned of a "perfect storm" of providers closing down and rising childcare costs. PACEY estimates that nine out of 10 early years childcare settings are open, but on average are only half are full. Ms Freeman puts local variations down to "demographics of different areas": "The decision of a local large employer regarding shutting down, or conversely recalling all furloughed staff back to work, will have a big effect on the local demand for childcare." Back in Great Yarmouth, Sharleen is relieved that she has found childcare, even if it is costing a lot more. But she is also aware, because she works early hours, that she will need to find childcare for Kourtney between 07:00 and 08:30, when school starts again. She used to use the school's breakfast club, but that's not due to go ahead. "I am worried about that," she says. "I'm just actively trying to find a childminder that I can potentially take her to do the mornings. But I have got to a stage where there's not really much I can do about it at the moment." | बच्चों के स्कूल जाने और तालाबंदी में ढील के साथ, कई माता-पिता के काम पर लौटने के लिए बच्चों की देखभाल एक ग्रीष्मकालीन मुद्दा बन गया है। कामकाजी माता-पिता के लिए एक "सही तूफान" की चेतावनी दी गई है-बढ़ती लागत और प्रदाताओं के बंद होने की। तो माता-पिता कैसे प्रबंधन कर रहे हैं? |
world-africa-11099949 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-11099949 | Obituary: Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader | As independent Zimbabwe's first prime minister, and later its president, Robert Mugabe promised democracy and reconciliation. | But the hope that accompanied independence in 1980 dissolved into violence, corruption and economic disaster. President Mugabe became an outspoken critic of the West, most notably the United Kingdom, the former colonial power, which he denounced as an "enemy country". Despite his brutal treatment of political opponents, and his economic mismanagement of a once prosperous country, he continued to attract the support of other African leaders who saw him as a hero of the fight against colonial rule. Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born in what was then Rhodesia on 21 February 1924, the son of a carpenter and one of the majority Shona-speaking people in a country then run by the white minority. Educated at Roman Catholic mission schools, he qualified as a teacher. Winning a scholarship to Fort Hare University in South Africa, he took the first of his seven academic degrees before teaching in Ghana, where he was greatly influenced by the pan-Africanist ideas of Ghana's post-independence leader Kwame Nkrumah. His first wife Sally was Ghanaian. In 1960, Mugabe returned to Rhodesia. At first he worked for the African nationalist cause with Joshua Nkomo, before breaking away to become a founder member of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu). In 1964, after making a speech in which he called Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and his government "cowboys", Mugabe was arrested and detained without trial for a decade. His baby son died while he was still in prison and he was refused permission to attend the funeral. In 1973, while still in detention, he was chosen as president of Zanu. After his release, he went to Mozambique and directed guerrilla raids into Rhodesia. His Zanu organisation formed a loose alliance with Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu). During the tortuous negotiations on independence for Rhodesia, he was seen as the most militant of the black leaders, and the most uncompromising in his demands. On a 1976 visit to London, he declared that the only solution to the Rhodesian problem would come out of the barrel of a gun. Conciliatory But his negotiating skills earned him the respect of many of his former critics. The press hailed him as "the thinking man's guerrilla". The Lancaster House agreement of 1979 set up a constitution for the new Republic of Zimbabwe, as Rhodesia was to be called, and set February 1980 for the first elections which would be open to the black majority. Fighting the election on a separate platform from Nkomo, Mugabe scored an overwhelming and, to most outside observers, unexpected victory. Zanu secured a comfortable majority, although the polls were marred by accusations of vote-rigging and intimidation from both sides A self-confessed Marxist, Mugabe's victory initially had many white people packing their bags ready to leave Rhodesia, while his supporters danced in the streets. However, the moderate, conciliatory tone of his early statements reassured many of his opponents. He promised a broad-based government, with no victimisation and no nationalisation of private property. His theme, he told them, would be reconciliation. Later that year he outlined his economic policy, which mixed private enterprise with public investment. He launched a programme to massively expand access to healthcare and education for black Zimbabweans, who had been marginalised under white-minority rule. With the prime minister frequently advocating one-party rule, the rift between Mugabe and Nkomo widened. After the discovery of a huge cache of arms at Zapu-owned properties, Nkomo, recently demoted in a cabinet reshuffle, was dismissed from government. While paying lip service to democracy, Mugabe gradually stifled political opposition. The mid-1980s saw the massacre of thousands of ethnic Ndebeles seen as Nkomo's supporters in his home region of Matabeleland. Confiscation Mugabe was implicated in the killings, committed by the Zimbabwean army's North Korean-trained 5th Brigade, but never brought to trial. Under intense pressure, Nkomo agreed for his Zapu to be merged with - or taken over by - Zanu to become the virtually unchallenged Zanu-PF. After abolishing the office of prime minister, Mugabe became president in 1987 and was elected for a third term in 1996. The same year, he married Grace Marufu, after his first wife had died from cancer. Mugabe already had two children with Grace, 40 years his junior. A third was born when the president was 73. He did have some success in building a non-racial society, but in 1992 introduced the Land Acquisition Act, permitting the confiscation of land without appeal. The plan was to redistribute land at the expense of more than 4,500 white farmers, who still owned the bulk of the country's best land. In early 2000, with his presidency under serious threat from the newly formed Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by former trade union leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe lashed out against the farmers, seen as MDC backers. His supporters, the so-called "war veterans", occupied white-owned farms and a number of farmers and their black workers were killed. Foreign aid The action served to undermine the already battered economy as Zimbabwe's once valuable agricultural industry fell into ruin. Mugabe's critics accused him of distributing farms to his cronies, rather than the intended rural poor. Robert Mugabe - key dates 1924: Born. Later trains as a teacher 1964: Imprisoned by Rhodesian government 1980: Wins post-independence elections 1996: Marries Grace Marufu 2000: Loses referendum, pro-Mugabe militias invade white-owned farms and attack opposition supporters 2008: Comes second in first round of elections to Tsvangirai who pulls out of run-off amid nationwide attacks on his supporters 2009: Amid economic collapse, swears in Tsvangirai as prime minister, who serves in uneasy government of national unity for four years 2017: Sacks long-time ally Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, paving the way for his wife Grace to succeed him November 2017: Army intervenes and forces him to step down Robert Mugabe: From liberator to tyrant In pictures: The life of Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe moved rapidly from being one of Africa's biggest food producers to having to rely on foreign aid to feed its population. In the 2000 elections for the House of Assembly, the MDC won 57 out of the 120 seats elected by popular vote, although a further 20 seats were filled by Mugabe's nominees, securing Zanu-PF's hold on power. Two years later, in the presidential elections, Mugabe achieved 56.2% of the vote compared with Mr Tsvangirai's 41.9% against a background of intimidation of MDC supporters. Large numbers of people in rural areas were prevented from voting by the closure of polling stations. With the MDC, the US, UK and the European Union not recognising the election result because of the violence and allegations of fraud, Mugabe - and Zimbabwe - became increasingly isolated. The Commonwealth also suspended Zimbabwe from participating in its meetings until it improved its record as a democracy. In May 2005, Mugabe presided over Operation Restore Order, a crackdown on the black market and what was said to be "general lawlessness". Some 30,000 street vendors were arrested and whole shanty towns demolished, eventually leaving an estimated 700,000 Zimbabweans homeless. Squabbling In March 2008, Mugabe lost the first round of the presidential elections but won the run-off in June after Mr Tsvangirai pulled out. In the wake of sustained attacks against his supporters across the country, Mr Tsvangirai maintained that a free and fair election was not possible. Zimbabwe's economic decline accelerated, with inflation rates reaching stratospheric levels. After hundreds of people died from cholera, partly because the government could not afford to import water treatment chemicals, Mugabe agreed to negotiate with his long-time rival about sharing power. After months of talks, in February 2009 Mugabe swore in Mr Tsvangirai as prime minister. It came as no surprise that the arrangement was far from perfect, with constant squabbling and accusations by some human rights organisations that Mugabe's political opponents were still being detained and tortured. Mr Tsvangirai's reputation also suffered by his association with the Mugabe regime, despite the fact that he had no influence over the increasingly irascible president. The 2013 election, in which Mugabe won 61% of the vote, ended the power-sharing agreement and Mr Tsvangirai went into the political wilderness. While there were the usual accusations of electoral fraud - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked that these be investigated - there was not the widespread violence that had marked previous polls in Zimbabwe. Successors It was an election that saw Robert Mugabe, at the age of 89, confirm his position as the undisputed power in the country. His advancing years, and increasing health problems, saw much speculation as to who might replace him. But the manoeuvring among possible successors revealed how fragmented Zimbabwe's administration was and underlined the fact that it was only held together by Mugabe's dominance. Mugabe himself seemed to delight in playing off his subordinates against each other in a deliberate attempt to dilute whatever opposition might arise. With speculation that his wife, Grace, was poised to take control in the event of his death in office, Mugabe announced in 2015 that he fully intended to fight the 2018 elections, by which time he would be 94. And, to allay any doubt remaining among possible successors, he announced in February 2016 that he would remain in power "until God says 'come'". In the event it wasn't God but units of the Zimbabwe National Army which came for Robert Mugabe. On 15 November 2017 he was placed under house arrest and, four days later, replaced as the leader of Zanu-PF by his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Defiant to the end Mugabe refused to resign, But, on 21 November, as a motion to impeach him was being debated in the Zimbabwean parliament, the speaker of the House of Assembly announced that Robert Mugabe had finally resigned. Mugabe negotiated a deal which protected him and his family from the risk of future prosecution and enabled him to retain his various business interests. He was also granted a house, servants, vehicles and full diplomatic status. Ascetic in manner, Robert Mugabe dressed conservatively and drank no alcohol. He viewed both friend and foe with a scepticism verging on the paranoid. The man who had been hailed as the hero of Africa's struggle to throw off colonialism had turned into a tyrant, trampling over human rights and turning a once prosperous country into an economic basket case. His legacy is likely to haunt Zimbabwe for years. | स्वतंत्र जिम्बाब्वे के पहले प्रधान मंत्री और बाद में इसके राष्ट्रपति के रूप में, रॉबर्ट मुगाबे ने लोकतंत्र और सुलह का वादा किया। |
stories-41946935 | https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-41946935 | Colin Thubron returns to Damascus after 50 years | It is 50 years since writer Colin Thubron published his portrait of Damascus, in which he recounted his travels around the Syrian capital and explored the history of the city. A lot has happened since then - not least the civil war. Recently Thubron returned to Syria to see what was left of the place he recalled so fondly. | The city that comes into view is of course bigger than I remember - its population must have quadrupled. Since I was here its suburbs have swamped the Old City that I loved, and even inside its walls a rash of restaurants and boutique hotels has appeared. But they're all closed now, or empty. It's a city at war. Whole streets are fenced off by tank blocks and razor wire. Less than a mile away from my empty hotel I can see burnt-out tenements still in rebel hands. This is perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth. In the Muslim world it had grown open and tolerant. A quarter of its people belong to Christian and other minorities, including Alawites, a sub-sect of the Shia, who dominate the government and army. However reluctantly, the Damascenes cling to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Islamist alternative, just outside the walls, might be fatal to them. Fifty years ago I was almost alone here, because tourists hadn't yet come. Now I'm alone because they're gone. Yet I see an Old City miraculously intact. It's escaped the devastation of Aleppo. But late every night the regime's artillery opens up on the enemy suburbs. It sounds like far-off thunder. In the dark I stand outside my hotel, listening, wondering how this can continue. Once a week a defiant mortar-shell flies the other way. By day I wander the alleys and monuments that had so fascinated me as a young man. Sometimes I find myself gazing through his eyes, remembering the youthful enchantment of entering an old mosque or a sultan's tomb. I'm more wary now, and old. The sentries rarely frisk me. In the great bazaars, still bustling, the shopkeepers stare at me with hope, as if I might be the vanguard of returning foreign business. I'm surrounded by ethnic complexity. I glimpse russet hair, and green or hazel eyes. But there's a darker and more homogeneous influx - rural immigrants, refugees. In the lanes of the Old City an odd quiet descends. I think it was always like this. But now there are more windows boarded up, more doors padlocked. Behind them, out of sight, I know, are marble-paved courtyards, fountains, lemon trees. I find the home of a student I once knew, but I can see through the windows that it is derelict, the courtyard piled with builders' rubble. I check to ensure that I'm not being followed. People speak with me more cautiously than they did. Once I could barely walk down a street without an invitation to coffee (from Christians) or tea (from Muslims). But those voices have gone. "We can't see an end to it," people say now. "We've become like Baghdad or Kabul or Tripoli. This war will never end. And prices go up all the time." Find out more They talk of suicide bombs, of children killed, houses wrecked. But the deepest wounds, I think, are in people's psyches. They seem to be losing hope. There is a sweetness of old custom still, and hospitality. If I linger long enough at a door or enquire strenuously for an absent family, somebody probably will ask me in. "But Syria's just the toy of foreign powers," they routinely say. "Here, have some coffee, you are our guest… But Syria is bleeding." My friends may have gone, but the buildings I loved are still here. The only damage I find is to the mausoleum of a warrior sultan against the Crusaders, which has taken a mortar bomb through its dome. Then I come with trepidation on the city's greatest monument - the 8th-Century Ommayad Mosque. The first great mosque in Islam, it was built in the shell of a Roman temple to Jupiter. Its sister mosque in Aleppo was wrecked months ago. I find the huge spaces still unblemished. A shrine contains the supposed head of John the Baptist. Worshippers are caressing its gilded bars, Muslims and Christians venerating it together. Above all, the mosaics in the courtyard arcades still shine undamaged. They're beautiful things, in emerald green and gold. In the absence of any living figure portrayed, they depict an idyllic river flowing among palaces lit with mother-of-pearl lanterns - an image of the Barada perhaps, the river that feeds Damascus, or a foretaste of the Koranic paradise. The head of Syria is Damascus, reads the biblical Book of Isaiah, and Damascus is still the head of Syria. But it's a different Syria, and a tense city. Its gates and railings are plastered with outsize photos of soldier-martyrs, and the bazaars hung with portraits of Bashar al-Assad, who looks justifiably a bit concerned. His notional Shia faith elicits Iranian support. "You see these people everywhere nowadays," a man complains to me. "The Shia are walking tall now…" And now I start to see them too. Iraqis and Iranians, mainly, praying at the supposed tombs of Mahomet's family. They clutch at the barred cenotaph that separates them from the buried head of their martyred Imam Hussein, and trail through the Bab al-Saghir cemetery just outside the city walls. I come here too. More than 40 pilgrims to its shrines were killed by bombs, and now the graveyard's patrolled by heavily-armed soldiers. Here Mahomet's muezzin Bilal, the first man to summon the faithful to prayer, is buried in a little green-domed tomb. And suddenly at noon the call to prayer arises, whose plangent cadence, relayed from minaret to minaret, had entranced me all those years ago. But now its cry of "Allahu Akbar" resonates differently among the gravestones, and I wish I could love the sounds as I once did. It's not the army that controls this country, I think, but the Mukhabarat, the feared intelligence service. I was taking a careless snapshot of the city from a hillside suburb when two plainclothes men appeared behind me. They escorted me to a room immured among poor houses. There my captors multiplied to five, and were deferential at first. They spoke formulaic English, and my tourist Arabic had gone. You are our guest, you have nothing to fear. What are you doing here? How did you get here? I answer that my visa was granted by their Ministry of Information. They demand my passport and camera. The passport bears an entry stamp from the Syrian frontier with Lebanon. The camera they scroll through avidly. It shows photos of Damascus alleys, of posters stuck to the city gates - martyrs, slogans. Their suspicion grows. They scroll back to leftover photos of a holiday on Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. There's a shot of a pretty woman in headphones in the cockpit of a helicopter. "Who is this?" "This is my wife." "What she doing in airplane? Why has she these on her ears?" "These are headphones. She is going to Lundy Island." "She listening to MTN or Syriatel?" These are Syrian network providers. "No. There is no Syriatel on Lundy Island. She is listening to the pilot." They stare harder, their suspicion fomented. They scroll back to shots of Highland cattle and seals gazing at the camera from the sea. "What are these?" "These are seals." "Why are they looking?" But now they have summoned a fox-faced officer who looks senior. I'm driven to a guarded compound deep in the city. A thin, tiled stairway leads into a warren of sordid passageways. There's little light and an acrid smell I can't identify. I'm put in a prison cell, but the iron door is left open and it's lined with filing cabinets. Three different portraits of Bashar al-Assad hang on the walls, festooned with tinsel. I am afraid now. The questioning grows more intense. I have the telephone number of the Ministry of Information official who granted my visa, but nobody rings it. A thug in a black vest lumbers in and out, as if mutely playing bad cop, while different interrogators come and go. At last I'm taken to a huge room where a uniformed officer sits at a desk with his back to the light. There's no more talk of Lundy Island or seals. "I have just returned to a city I once loved," I say, as if to emphasise the sadness between that time and this. He lays my passport and the camera on his desk, within reach. "I think these are holiday snaps," he says. But it is only an hour later that I am free, after Fox-face drives me to the Ministry of Information, where my official - an elegant woman behind another huge desk - describes it all as a misunderstanding. Further reading Zahed Tajeddin had always wanted to live in Aleppo's historic old town, in one of the city's ancient houses, with a front door opening into a corridor that leads to courtyard with a fountain and jasmine climbing up the walls. As a teenager he would explore the old houses just before they were demolished, scampering through courtyards and over crumbling rooftops. He finally managed to buy one for himself, after making a career as a sculptor and archaeologist, in 2004. Return to Aleppo: The story of my home during the war Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | 50 साल पहले लेखक कॉलिन थुब्रोन ने दमिश्क का अपना चित्र प्रकाशित किया था, जिसमें उन्होंने सीरिया की राजधानी के आसपास की अपनी यात्राओं का वर्णन किया था और शहर के इतिहास का पता लगाया था। तब से बहुत कुछ हुआ है-कम से कम गृह युद्ध तो नहीं। हाल ही में थुब्रोन यह देखने के लिए सीरिया लौट आए कि उस जगह में क्या बचा था जिसे उन्होंने इतने प्यार से याद किया था। |
technology-21195765 | https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-21195765 | Why air traffic control still needs the human touch | With 2.2 million flights a year to look after and 200,000 square miles (518,000 sq km) of airspace under its watchful eye, there's rarely a quiet moment when you're on duty at National Air Traffic Services (Nats). | By Zoe KleinmanTechnology reporter, BBC News In November 2011 life got a little easier for some of the organisation's 1,900 air traffic controllers when a bespoke new computer-based tool called iFACTS was introduced to the main control room at its Hampshire headquarters. Years in the making, the rigorously tested software has been designed to take some of the complex manual calculations out of air traffic control. "iFACTS, based on Trajectory Prediction and Medium Term Conflict Detection, provides decision-making support and helps controllers manage their routine workload, increasing the amount of traffic they can comfortably handle," trumpets the Nats website. What this means is that iFACTS uses data from both aircraft and Nats itself to calculate flight paths, ascent and descent details. It can also identify potential collisions, working around 18 minutes ahead of real time, and spot any unexpected behaviour by individual aircraft, highlighting potentially dangerous situations in the sky. It has been a big success, according to Nats. So why is it nowhere to be seen in their most demanding operation of all? In the London control room, all five of the capital's airports are under separate supervision from the rest of Nats' domain, which includes Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and most of England. This small area of the south east sees by far the largest concentration of air traffic, and the 18 minute window required by iFACTS is a luxury here, explained Nats General Manager Paul Haskins. "It would light up like a Christmas tree," he said. " It's designed to manage large airspaces." "It would think every flight was on a collision course. It's not like the States - Chicago airport has nothing around it for 300 miles (482km). In the UK airports are very close." For this reason there is one key difference between the London and national air traffic control rooms - and the first clue is the noise. In the London area there's a constant low-level clacking noise in the background, reminiscent of the typing pools of yore. It is not the click of a computer mouse but the shift of brightly coloured plastic holders, organised in rows in front of each air traffic controller. Each holder contains a printed strip that represents one aircraft. Details such as the pilot's call sign, speed, altitude, destination and a short-hand scribbled record of all instructions issued, are on the strips. As the aircraft nears its destination or leaves the airspace, the controller manually moves the strip further down the desk until it is no longer under Nats guidance - either because it has descended below radar - 600ft (183 metres) in London - or successfully made its way into somebody else's domain. "I wouldn't say any controller is better than technology," said Mr Haskins. "But in the London control room the controllers can move more aircraft." "Do you redesign the airspace around the technology or do you redesign the technology to fit the airspace?" With a missed slot on a Heathrow runway costing its owner £500,000, Nats cannot afford to slow down. iFACTS may one day be able to speed up, but there is no such thing as a beta launch in this frontline sector. "When you implement technology in air traffic... it has to be 99.999 percent working," said Mr Haskins. "It takes a lot longer to develop." So although none of the air traffic controllers actually have eye contact with their charges - Nats HQ is about 70 miles (112km) from London, in Swanwick, Hampshire - their presence is still very much required. Part of that need for the human touch is psychological, admitted Mr Haskins. "Controllers and pilots talk to each other. I've got a piece of kit that knows what the controller is doing and the autopilot is also filing data. Couldn't they just talk to each other?" he said. "Well yes - but to have an aircraft with 400 people in the air and no person looking after it just doesn't sound right. Would you want to get on board a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)?" As well as wanting to know they are there, plenty of actual people want to be air traffic controllers themselves. Nats receives 1,000 applications for every 20 places on its four-year training scheme. Candidates must pass initial psychometric tests, and successful recruits face an extra 18 months under human supervision if they wish to work on the London beat. Perhaps the happiest marriage between man and machine exists among the organisation's 1,000 engineers. "These days they aren't the guys with the spanners," said Paul Haskins. "They're the guys with the laptops." | देखभाल के लिए एक वर्ष में 22 लाख उड़ानों और 200,000 वर्ग मील (518,000 वर्ग कि. मी.) हवाई क्षेत्र के साथ, जब आप राष्ट्रीय हवाई यातायात सेवा (नैट्स) में ड्यूटी पर होते हैं तो शायद ही कभी कोई शांत क्षण होता है। |
entertainment-arts-34681667 | https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34681667 | Roman Polanski: Film's dark prince | BBC News profiles legendary film director Roman Polanski. | The life of the Polish-French director has been as tortuous and full of incident and tragedy as one of his dark films. His 2002 drama The Pianist, a story of a virtuoso's escape from a Warsaw ghetto during World War II, won the prestigious Palme D'Or award at Cannes and also the best director Oscar. The Paris-born director had himself survived the Nazi atrocities committed in the Krakow ghetto, but lost his mother in a concentration camp gas chamber. He went on to study at the prestigious Polish State Film College in Lodz and came to international prominence with his feature debut Knife in the Water in 1962. A claustrophobic thriller set on a weekend yacht trip, the film angered communist officials but won the critics' prize at the Venice Film Festival. Polanski moved to Hollywood and scored a major box office success with Rosemary's Baby. Family tragedy Starring Mia Farrow as a woman who dreams she has been impregnated by the devil, the tense, uneasy 1968 film heavily influenced the horror genre with its psychological tone. Tragedy overwhelmed Polanski the following year when his heavily pregnant wife Sharon Tate was brutally murdered, along with four others, by killers acting on the orders of radical cult leader Charles Manson. Dubbed the crime that "killed" the spirit of the 1960s by some, the murders were part of Manson's deranged efforts to start a race war in America. The traumatised Polanski left for Europe, and made his return to film with an oppressive and gloomy version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth in 1971. He returned to Hollywood in 1974 to make Chinatown, considered by many the peak of his US film career. Jack Nicholson played JJ Gittes, a detective in the Philip Marlowe mould, in a California-set thriller shot through with the darker aspects of predecessors like The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. Polanski gave himself a cameo as a hood who slashes Nicholson's nose. The film was nominated in 11 other categories in the 1974 Oscars, taking home just one prize - for best original screenplay. Jumps bail But three years later, Polanski was plunged into controversy when he was charged with having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl at Jack Nicholson's house in Los Angeles. Maintaining the girl was sexually experienced and had consented, Polanski spent 42 days in prison undergoing psychiatric tests, but chose to jump bail and flee the US in 1978 - first to Britain and then immediately to France. The filmmaker has lived there ever since, unable to return to the US for fear of arrest and imprisonment. He even avoided making films in the UK because of the danger of extradition. Polanski's attempts to have the case dismissed failed in 2009, when a court in Los Angeles rejected his request to have a hearing heard outside the Los Angeles court system. He later mixed arthouse projects like 1992's Bitter Moon featuring Hugh Grant and 1994's Death and the Maiden, with Hollywood-friendly films. Return to form He made the Harrison Ford-vehicle Frantic in 1988, and in 1999 the supernatural thriller Ninth Gate, which featured Johnny Depp. Polanski's decision to direct The Pianist caused much debate, as the story of musician Wladyslaw Szpilman paralleled Polanski's own wartime experiences. But for many critics, the film - which starred best actor Oscar-winner Adrien Brody as Szpilman - heralded a long-overdue return to form. In the ultimate showbiz accolade, the film won the best director Oscar for Polanski at the 2003 Academy Awards. Harrison Ford collected the statue on Polanski's behalf. In 2005, he directed Oliver Twist, a film which he felt mirrored his own life as a young boy having to fend for himself in World War II Poland. Four years later, Polanski was due to be awarded a life-time achievement award at Zurich Film Festival but he was arrested by Swiss police at the request of US authorities, on a decades-old warrant. He was allowed to remain in Switzerland, living under house arrest, after posting $4.5m (£2.9m) bail. He was freed after nine months, but production was delayed on his next film, 2010's political thriller The Ghost Writer, starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. It went on to win six awards at the European Film Awards in 2010, including best director, and Polanski won the Silver Bear for best director after the film made its debut at the 60th Berlinale. In 2011, Polanski made Carnage, based on Yasmina Reza's play Gods of Carnage. It starred Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster, telling the story of two couples whose children get into a fight at school and the chaos that ensues. He premiered Venus in Fur at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, which starred his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner. In 2014, the United States requested Polanski's extradition from Poland after he made a high-profile appearance at the opening of a Jewish museum in Warsaw, Poland. He was questioned by Polish prosecutors, acting on a US request and agreed to comply with the Polish justice system as it examined the matter. The next chapter in Polanski's saga played out in October 2015 when a court in Krakow ruled against a US request to extradite the now 82-year-old film director. Judge Dariusz Mazur said the request was "inadmissible". The decision is not legally binding, as prosecutors can now appeal the ruling, and so the saga continues. | बीबीसी न्यूज ने महान फिल्म निर्देशक रोमन पोलांस्की की प्रोफाइल बनाई है। |
world-europe-jersey-29546197 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-29546197 | Jersey care 'abuse victim tortured with electric shocks' | A man was tortured with electric shocks as a boy when he was put in care in Jersey in the 1940s, an inquiry heard. | John Doublard, now 79, said he was subjected to the treatment by boys twice his age, who were "tyrants". Appearing at the independent Jersey Care Inquiry, Mr Doublard said he was sent to the Jersey Home for Boys on two occasions, aged seven and eight. The inquiry is investigating abuse allegations in the care system from 1945 to the present day. Mr Doublard said the boys tortured him with electric shocks to his legs or genitals. The attacks would leave him screaming, but he said that despite that no member of care home staff responded, the inquiry heard. The inquiry continues. | एक आदमी को 1940 के दशक में एक लड़के के रूप में बिजली के झटके से प्रताड़ित किया गया था जब उसे जर्सी में देखभाल में रखा गया था, एक जांच में सुना गया। |
entertainment-arts-53691576 | https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53691576 | Grammy-winning producer Detail charged with rape | Grammy Award-winning producer Detail, who has worked with stars like Beyonce, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, has been charged with raping five women and sexually assaulting another. | The attacks are alleged to have taken place between 2010 and 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said on Thursday. Detail, real name Noel Christopher Fisher, has helped craft hits including Beyonce's 2013 song Drunk in Love. He denies all of the allegations. The 41-year-old was arrested on Wednesday and held on bail believed to be worth around $6.3m (£4.8m). Prosecutors added that most of the alleged incidents - with women aged between 18 and 31 at the time - took place at his home. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 225 years behind bars. The Detroit producer has also worked with Jennifer Lopez, Wiz Khalifa, Future and Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | बियॉन्से, लिल वेन और निकी मिनाज जैसे सितारों के साथ काम कर चुके ग्रैमी पुरस्कार विजेता निर्माता डिटेल पर पांच महिलाओं के साथ बलात्कार और एक अन्य के यौन उत्पीड़न का आरोप लगाया गया है। |
uk-england-nottinghamshire-51597695 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-51597695 | Man charged with Nottingham kidnap and assault | A man has been charged with kidnapping and attacking a man who was kept against his will in a car. | The victim managed to escape from the attack in Bestwood Road, Nottingham, on the evening of 15 February, Nottinghamshire Police said. A 22-year-old man from the city has been charged with kidnap and assault by beating and is currently in police custody. He is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court later. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. | एक व्यक्ति पर अपहरण और उस व्यक्ति पर हमला करने का आरोप लगाया गया है जिसे उसकी इच्छा के खिलाफ कार में रखा गया था। |
uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-26765025 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-26765025 | Legal high awareness event held in Aberdeen | The first event by Police Scotland to raise awareness among hundreds of schoolchildren about the dangers of legal highs has been held in Aberdeen. | Substances officially known as "new psychoactive substances" are marketed at young people and presented in bright packaging. The latest official UK figures show 68 deaths were linked to legal highs in 2012, up from 10 in 2009. The event was held at extreme sports social enterprise Transition Extreme. It is hoped it can be rolled out across Scotland. Insp Kevin Wallace said: "Our officers attend incidents where young people have put themselves at risk having taken these substances. "The long-term effects of new psychoactive substances and the health impact these substances could have is still so unknown. "Our message is clear. We do not know what is in these substances so to keep safe do not take them." | सैकड़ों स्कूली बच्चों के बीच कानूनी ऊंचाइयों के खतरों के बारे में जागरूकता बढ़ाने के लिए पुलिस स्कॉटलैंड द्वारा पहला कार्यक्रम एबरडीन में आयोजित किया गया है। |
uk-wales-mid-wales-33494957 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-33494957 | Child treated in hospital after fall from limousine | A child has been taken to hospital after falling from a limousine in Powys. | Police said the child received hospital treatment following the incident, at 13:15 BST on Saturday on the A470 between Caersws and Carno. The road was closed on Saturday afternoon, with diversions in place. Dyfed-Powys Police asked for anyone who witnessed the child falling from a black Rolls Royce limousine to contact them. | पॉव्स में एक लिमोजिन से गिरने के बाद एक बच्चे को अस्पताल ले जाया गया है। |
uk-scotland-20680939 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-20680939 | Gregory's Girl: John Gordon Sinclair and Clare Grogan go back to school | It was the movie that changed the Scottish film industry and made stars of its two unknown leads. In a BBC Scotland documentary John Gordon Sinclair and Clare Grogan go back to the school in Cumbernauld where Gregory's Girl was filmed . | By Steven BrocklehurstBBC Scotland news website Clare and Gordon - as Sinclair is known - first met in the summer of 1980, when as raw Glaswegian 18-year-olds they made a low budget film which changed their lives. Director Bill Forsyth's much-loved film was made at Abronhill High, as well as other locations around the new town of Cumbernauld. More than 30 years on and the school is earmarked for closure but the two stars, who are now both 50, went back to class to reflect on the film's lasting success and the unexpected turns their careers have taken since. Sinclair, who had been a member of the Glasgow Youth Theatre, had worked with Forsyth before. But he says he had started as a trainee apprentice electrician when Forsyth offered him the part of Gregory, so he was worried about missing his work. Grogan was working as a waitress, though not in a cocktail bar, she jokes. Forsyth, she says, was a regular in the Spaghetti Factory in Gibson Street and told her he wanted her in his film. Grogan says: "I said 'what kind of film are you talking about?'" But Forsyth overcame her suspicions and she first met Sinclair in a read-through at Pollok House in Glasgow. He says Grogan was an "exotic creature to me" and describes her as a Glasgow "west end trendy". She says Sinclair "seemed like the tallest person in the world - and he was wearing flares". In the film Gregory is infatuated with Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), the football team's female striker, but it is Susan (Grogan) who is the girl he should be looking for. When it came out in 1981, the naturalistic coming-of-age comedy struck a chord around the world and the young stars were soon whisked off to America and ferried from interview to interview by limo. By this time Grogan was also enjoying success with her band Altered Images. "Literally the summer I left school I got signed to Epic records and made the film," says Grogan. But she says she didn't tell the record company she was making a film and she did not tell the director she was in a band. "I didn't think it was particularly relevant," she says. Grogan's career with the band led to a string of hits including Happy Birthday and I Could Be Happy. In the video for Altered Images' 1983 single Bring Me Closer, Sinclair was brought in to play a James Bond-type character. Sinclair had also had a hit record the previous year when he was the lead voice on the Scotland football team's World Cup record We Have a Dream. The pair were living a superstar lifestyle hanging out with pop stars of the day such as Spandau Ballet and Wham. "Looking back I don't think we realised what a lucky position we were in," says Sinclair. The pair admit they "took it all for granted". "It was the naivete of youth and the arrogance of youth as well," Grogan says. Quite soon Grogan says she got "weary" of that environment and being away from home so much. "All you really felt like was that wee person from Glasgow. From the moment I left school my life was extraordinary," she says. A few years ago she tried to put those experiences in a book for children in an attempt to explain to her daughter Ellie about the joys and pitfalls of success. She says she wrote Tallulah and the Teen Stars because she got "so depressed" with young people wanting to be famous for the sake of it. "I wanted to explain to Ellie that it was all right to have fantastic dreams and aim for them, as long as you recognise there is some work involved in that," she adds. Call the shots Sinclair has also turned to writing in recent years, although his first novel Seventy Times Seven, is perhaps darker than Grogan's children's book. His is a crime thriller set in Northern Ireland and America. Sinclair says he likes writing as it allows him to "call all the shots" like a director and "play all the characters" like an actor. However, the pair have kept acting throughout all their other diversions. As well as comedy and drama, Sinclair won an Olivier award for the stage musical She Loves Me and starred in The Producers. There is also the small matter of the Gregory's Girl sequel he made in 1999. Next year he can be seen in Brad Pitt's World War Z, which was partly filmed in Glasgow. Grogan, who appeared in shows such as Red Dwarf and EastEnders, will play the mother of Glasgow gangster in The Wee Man. She says that after filming finished on Gregory's Girl all those years ago she felt "bereft". "I did not know how I would keep it going," she says. "I'd had a little taste of it and wanted to keep it going." The versatility that both Sinclair and Grogan have shown means they have managed pretty well. When Clare Grogan Met John Gordon Sinclair is on BBC Two Scotland at 22:00 on Tuesday 11 December and available on the iPlayer for seven days after that. | यह वह फिल्म थी जिसने स्कॉटिश फिल्म उद्योग को बदल दिया और इसके दो अज्ञात नायकों के सितारे बना दिए। बीबीसी स्कॉटलैंड के एक वृत्तचित्र में जॉन गॉर्डन सिनक्लेयर और क्लेयर ग्रोगन कंबरनॉल्ड के उस स्कूल में वापस जाते हैं जहाँ ग्रेगरीज गर्ल को फिल्माया गया था। |
entertainment-arts-18261992 | https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-18261992 | Knitwear artist kits out Antony Gormley sculptures | Two of sculptor Antony Gormley's iron men, which normally stand on a beach wearing nothing but rust and barnacles, have been given a multi-coloured make-over by a guerrilla knitwear artist. | By Ian YoungsArts reporter, BBC News Part of Gormley's Another Place series, the life-size figures have been on Crosby beach in Merseyside since 2005. The head-to-toe crocheted outfits were added by New York-based artist Olek. "I feel that barnacles provide the best cover-up, but this is very impressive substitute!" Gormley said. One figure was given a pink, purple and green crocheted jumpsuit, while the other was clad in white, grey and black. Polish-born 34-year-old artist Agata Oleksiak, known as Olek, has previously surprised New Yorkers by giving the Wall Street bull similar treatment. She has also covered everything from cars and grand pianos to an entire apartment and its contents in her trademark colourful crochet. She said her outfits for the Gormley sculptures were "transforming old into new". "I think it is his most successful installation," she said. "The pieces have been there for a while and people stop paying attention to them. "By covering them and giving them a new skin, I made them more alive... besides, it is a public work and needs an interaction with a viewer." Gormley, who won the Turner Prize in 1994, installed 100 of the figures over a two-mile stretch of the beach. The outfits were spotted by the Liverpool Confidential website at the weekend. Olek added that she had wanted to dress all of the figures but was only in the area for one night, "travelling in a crocheted taxi from London across UK". She is now back in the US, installing a crocheted exhibition in Raleigh, North Carolina, before shows in Montreal and at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. | मूर्तिकार एंटनी गोर्मली के दो लोहे के लोग, जो आम तौर पर समुद्र तट पर जंग और बार्नाकल के अलावा कुछ नहीं पहनकर खड़े होते हैं, उन्हें एक गुरिल्ला बुने हुए वस्त्र कलाकार द्वारा बहु-रंगीन मेकअप दिया गया है। |
uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49125509 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49125509 | Ampthill python sssstuck under oven rescued by fire crew | An 8ft (2.4m) long snake that became stuck under a large oven has been rescued by firefighters. | Venus, a reticulated python, escaped from her tank on Friday morning in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. She had become confused because of the hot weather and buried herself underneath the range cooker, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue said. The crew who went to her aid said she was "very heavy, very fast but now very safe in her tank". Related Internet Links Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service | एक 8 फीट (2.4 मीटर) लंबा सांप जो एक बड़े ओवन के नीचे फंस गया था, उसे अग्निशामकों द्वारा बचाया गया है। |
uk-politics-33256084 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-33256084 | How did we get to this welfare state? | We think of the welfare state as a creation of the 20th Century but its roots stretch back to Elizabethan times. It's a history littered with benefit crackdowns, panics about "scroungers" and public outrage at the condition of the poor. | By Brian WheelerPolitical reporter In an 1850 investigation into the life of the poor, Charles Dickens described how the inmates of a Newgate workhouse skulked about like wolves and hyenas pouncing on food as it was served. And how a "company of boys" were kept in a "kind of kennel". "Most of them are crippled, in some form or another," said the Wardsman, "and not fit for anything." Dickens sparked outrage with his powerful evocations of workhouse life, most famously in the novel Oliver Twist, but the idea that you could be thrown into what was effectively prison simply for the crime of being poor was never seriously challenged by the ruling classes in Victorian times. There was no welfare state, but the growth of workhouses had been the product of a classic British benefits crackdown. Since Elizabethan times and the 1601 Poor Law, providing relief for the needy had been the duty of local parishes. Life was not exactly easy for itinerant beggars, who had to be returned to their home parish under the law, but their condition was not normally seen as being their own fault. They were objects of pity and it was seen as the Christian duty of good people to help them if they could. But by the start of the 19th century, the idea that beggars and other destitutes might be taking advantage of the system had begun to take hold. The "idle pauper" was the Victorian version of the "benefit scrounger". 'Extortion and perjury' The Victorians were concerned that welfare being handed out by parishes was too generous and promoting idleness - particularly among single mothers. "The effect has been to promote bastardy; to make want of chastity on the woman's part the shortest road to obtaining either a husband or a competent maintenance; and to encourage extortion and perjury," said the 1832 Royal Commission into the operation of the poor laws. The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act that followed aimed to put a stop to all that. Conditions in workhouses were deliberately made as harsh as possible, with inmates put to work breaking stones and fed a diet of gruel, to make the alternative, labouring for starvation wages in factories or fields, seem attractive. The shame of dying in the workhouse haunted the Victorian poor. Shame also stalked the drawing rooms of polite society, whenever a writer like Dickens or Henry Mayhew exposed the living conditions of the "great unwashed", half-starved and crammed into stinking, unsanitary slums. But the driving force of the Victorian age was "self help" and the job of aiding the poor was left to voluntary groups such as the Salvation Army and "friendly societies", who focused their efforts on the "deserving poor", rather than those deemed to have brought themselves low through drink or moral turpitude. It would take a war to make the alleviation of poverty for the masses the business of the national government. The appalling physical condition of the young men who were enlisted to fight in the 1899 war between the British Empire and Dutch settlers in South Africa (the Boers), which saw nine out 10 rejected as unfit, shocked the political classes and helped make a war that was meant to be over quickly drag on for three years. 'War socialism' David Lloyd George won a landslide election victory for the Liberal Party in 1906 with a promise of welfare reform. A means-tested old age pension was established for those aged 70 or more (the average life expectancy for men at that time was 48). A national health system was set up, to be run by voluntary bodies, and, in 1911, the president of the board of trade, Winston Churchill, introduced a limited form of unemployment insurance and the first "labour exchanges," forerunners of today's job centres. It would not take long for the failings of the new system to be exposed. The disaster of mass unemployment in the 1930s and botched attempts to provide assistance through the dreaded "means test" left a deep scar on the consciousness of the working class that would pave the way for the birth of the welfare state as we know it, at the end of the Second World War. Liberal politician Sir William Beveridge - the father of the modern welfare state - wrote in his best-selling report, published at the height of the war, about the need to slay the five giants: "Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness". The public's imagination was captured by the idea of "winning the peace" and not going back to the dark days of the 1930s after all the sacrifices of wartime. Labour was swept to power in a promise to implement the Beveridge report, a task made easier by "war socialism" - a country united to fight for a common good and a massive state bureaucracy in place to run it. 'Benefit dependent' A national system of benefits was introduced to provide "social security" so that the population would be protected from the "cradle to the grave". The new system was partly built on the national insurance scheme set up by Churchill and Lloyd George in 1911. People in work still had to make contributions each week, as did employers, but the benefits provided were now much greater. When mass unemployment returned at the start of the 1980s, the system ensured nobody starved, as they had in the 1930s. But the shame experienced by working class men, in particular, who had lost their job and were not able to provide for their families, captured in era-defining TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, was an uncomfortable echo of the Great Depression. As a new century approached and mass unemployment became a fact of life, old scare stories about a class of "idle paupers" taking advantage of an over-generous welfare system returned. Anxiety about a permanent "underclass" of "benefit dependent" people who had never had a job - coupled with a sense that the country could not go on devoting an ever greater share of its national income to welfare payments - began to obsess politicians on the left and right. The new Beveridge? The defining TV drama, in an era where a life on benefits had lost much of its stigma, was Shameless, as the "benefits scrounger" became both an anti-establishment folk hero and a tabloid bogey figure. Labour made efforts to reform the system to "make work pay" but it was the coalition government, and work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, that confronted the issue head-on. To his critics, Duncan Smith is the spiritual heir of the Victorian moralists who separated the poor into "deserving" and "undeserving" types - and set out to demonise and punish those thought to have brought it all on themselves. But to his supporters, Duncan Smith is the new Beveridge. The great social reformer surely never envisaged a welfare system of such morale-sapping complexity, they argue, where it often does not pay to work. "The state in organising security should not stifle incentive, opportunity, responsibility," wrote Beveridge in his report. "In establishing a national minimum, it should leave room and encouragement for voluntary action by each individual to provide more than that minimum for himself and family." The Conservative government is committed to achieving full employment, seeing work as the answer to many of society's ills. It has avoided the criticism levelled at the Thatcher government of the 1980s, that it allowed millions to rot away on benefits as a "price worth paying" for economic recovery. But cuts to in-work benefits such as tax credits have handed ammunition to those on the left who accuse the government of trying to balance the nation's books on the backs of the working poor. The debate opens up a new chapter in the story of Britain's welfare state, although many of the characters and themes have a very familiar ring to them. | हम कल्याणकारी राज्य को 20वीं शताब्दी की रचना के रूप में देखते हैं, लेकिन इसकी जड़ें एलिजाबेथ के समय तक फैली हुई हैं। यह एक ऐसा इतिहास है जो गरीबों की स्थिति पर लाभकारी कार्रवाई, "स्क्रॉन्गर" के बारे में दहशत और सार्वजनिक आक्रोश से भरा हुआ है। |
uk-scotland-tayside-central-53767098 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-53767098 | Girl, 5, taken to hospital after fall from window in Perth | A five-year-old girl has been taken to hospital after falling from a window in Perth. | The incident happened in the Tulloch area of the city at about 07:15. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said the girl was taken by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. There is currently no information available on the child's injuries. | पर्थ में खिड़की से गिरने के बाद एक पांच वर्षीय लड़की को अस्पताल ले जाया गया है। |
uk-england-birmingham-49137688 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-49137688 | Man bailed over Darlaston pub stabbing | A teenager who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was stabbed outside a pub has been released on bail. | The injured 21-year-old remains in a critical condition in hospital following the stabbing on Forge Road, Darlaston, Walsall, on Wednesday night. A 19-year-old handed himself into West Midlands Police on Friday, the force said. A man arrested on suspicion of affray has also been released. The victim was injured in the leg during a fight, according to police. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. | एक पब के बाहर एक व्यक्ति को चाकू मारने के बाद हत्या के प्रयास के संदेह में गिरफ्तार किए गए एक किशोर को जमानत पर रिहा कर दिया गया है। |
uk-wales-55681556 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55681556 | National Library of Wales: Thirty jobs at risk | Thirty jobs are at risk at the National Library of Wales. | Staff at the library in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, which employs about 225 people, have received details of a proposed new structure. A consultation is running until 15 February. The Welsh Government said it could not increase its revenue support. In September, an independent review found the library faced a threat to its financial viability and said its finances needed "urgent attention". At the time, chief executive and national librarian Pedr ap Llwyd said it was down to "systematic, historic underfunding by Welsh Government". He said the library's position was "unsustainable" and faced a "real threat" to its future. The library is both a registered charity and a Welsh Government-sponsored body. It is funded by a combination of grant in aid allocated by Welsh Government and income secured through its commercial, fundraising and charging activities. Mr ap Llwyd has been asked to comment. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We know this is a very difficult period for the culture and heritage sector and talk of any job losses is a real concern. "We have been able to protect the library's grant-in-aid from any reductions, but due to unprecedented budget pressures it has not been possible to increase revenue support. "It is now a matter for the library to make decisions as to how it can operate effectively within available budgets." Related Internet Links The National Library of Wales | वेल्स के राष्ट्रीय पुस्तकालय में तीस नौकरियां खतरे में हैं। |
uk-england-suffolk-31698946 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-31698946 | Life inside a mobile telephone 'not spot' | While some people can download entire movies to their mobile telephones in seconds, there are others who can neither make a call nor send a text. These are the inhabitants of so-called 'not spots'. So is silence still golden in the information age? | By Laurence CawleyBBC Inside Out Neville Jamieson is a man most people hope could be reached in an emergency. He is a heart surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. But when he gets about five miles (8km) from his Suffolk home, the mobile telephone provided by the hospital - which has the necessary security measures to give access to patient information - loses reception. He has entered one of England's numerous mobile telephone 'not spots'. Mr Jamieson, of Cowlinge, Suffolk, has two other mobile telephones, each with a different network provider. One works off broadband, which has been intermittent and does not work in the garden, while the third has reception only sporadically in certain areas of the house. Why do 'not spots' exist? For more: Mobile Operators Association Asked what he does if he is expecting an issue with a patient during the evening, Mr Jamieson said: "I'll sit in the living room by the landline telephone and stay there." But he does not want to be chained to his living room. "I'm available on a 24-hour basis," says Mr Jamieson. "A phone in your pocket is just perfect. So please give us a mobile signal that works." For thousands of years, farmers managed perfectly well without mobile telephones. But the industry has changed, says George Gittus, who farms in Little Saxham, near Bury St Edmunds. Most people think farmers only need a mobile telephone if they get into trouble out on their land. Not so. "Nowadays, like many businesses in the urban environment, farming is able to control a lot of what it does via mobile phone," says Mr Gittus, "We've got computer controlled systems that work via a mobile phone." Mr Gittus's piggery systems and the control system for the farm's bio gas plant both work via mobile telephone. "Not only can I not control them without a mobile telephone signal, I also cannot get the alarm signals that they send about potential pollution and other situations like that." But such systems only work if the farmer can get a signal. And that, says Mr Gittus, is not always guaranteed. Mr Gittus said rural Britain was at risk of being left behind in what he described as "phone poverty". So what is the future for these remote 'not spots'? The picturesque village of Blakeney might have the answer. It is one of a number of villages in which Vodafone has installed a series of discreet mini phone masts, creating a reliable network in an area of salt marsh where a traditional mast would not have been allowed. Dr Robert Matthews, of Vodafone, said: "Without a mast you can't use your mobile phones. "In the past people have objected to our structures for whatever reason and these objections and concerns have led to the fact that we haven't been able to develop our network as quickly as we'd like." Delicatessen owner Nick Howard said the new system was "revolutionary". "It means we can get hold of suppliers to sort out for restocking purposes, customers can get hold of us and place orders. "It has made a huge difference." | जबकि कुछ लोग सेकंडों में अपने मोबाइल टेलीफोन पर पूरी फिल्म डाउनलोड कर सकते हैं, कुछ ऐसे भी हैं जो न तो कॉल कर सकते हैं और न ही कोई संदेश भेज सकते हैं। ये तथाकथित 'नॉट स्पॉट्स' के निवासी हैं। तो क्या सूचना के युग में मौन अभी भी सुनहरा है? |
sinhala.080526_jvpsoma | https://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2008/05/080526_jvpsoma | 'Conspiracy' to remove Somawansha | There is a conspiracy to remove Somawansha Amarasinghe as the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says the breakaway group of the JVP. | Secretary General of National Freedom Front (NFF) Nadana Gunatilake said the conspirators are planning to oust the JVP leader in the National Conference of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on Tuesday. He accused a JVP group "supported by the United National Party (UNP)" of JVP trying to capture power in the JVP. The NFF leaders who were senior leders of the JVP was forced to leave the party because of the same group he said. Nanadana Gunatilake and Wimal Weerawansha formed the NFF on 12 May after leaving the JVP. Wimal Weerawansa then the propaganda secretary of JVP accused the party of conspiring against him. The JVP is due to hold its Fifth National Conference on Tuesday. The party is scheduled to appoint the senior leaders at the party convention. | जे. वी. पी. से अलग हुए समूह का कहना है कि जनता विमुक्ति पेरामुना (जे. वी. पी.) के नेता के रूप में सोमवंशा अमरसिंघे को हटाने की साजिश है। |
world-asia-india-34486891 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34486891 | Claiming Delhi's streets to 'break the cage' for women | Young female students in the Indian capital, Delhi, are fighting to assert their right to public spaces with a campaign called Pinjra Tod (Break The Cage). The BBC's Geeta Pandey joins them for a night as they go out to "claim the streets" and fill them with their "dreams and desires". | Just as night falls, about 60 young women and men begin marching through some of Delhi university's premier colleges. Many are carrying posters, they shout slogans, halt outside women's hostels, recite poems and break out into impromptu dances. "We don't need no false protection, you can't cage half the nation," they sing. One young man plays a drum hanging around his neck, while a woman wearing a red sari gives a lively speech. At regular intervals, the participants - Delhi university students past and present - whistle and clap in approval or chant "shame, shame". The issue that has brought all these men and women out on to the streets is what is called the "curfew hour" in women's hostels - the deadline by which residents must return to their rooms. "It is discriminatory," says Devangana Kalita, a 26-year-old researcher and co-founder of the Pinjra Tod movement. "Curfews and deadlines in the name of providing protection and safety are actually mechanisms of reproducing patriarchy. We are saying this is not about women's safety really, this is about moral policing." Students say most women's hostels - whether run by the university or privately-owned - follow curfew hours. Some lock their gates as early as 6:30pm or 7:30pm while a few allow students to remain out until a little later. They say while curfew times are stringently enforced in women's hostels and those who break them run the risk of being expelled, hostels for men, which also have curfew hours on paper, rarely enforce them. Libraries and laboratories in the university are open until much later - till midnight or in some places, even until 2am - and curfew hours mean women have no access to them. "The university infantilises you," says Ms Kalita. "They don't see you as equipped to handle your safety on your own, they say we will be your guardians, they impose these restrictions on you so they can mould you into a particular kind of a girl who is saleable in the marriage market, who does not cross boundaries. "But tonight, we are out to claim the streets, to fill the streets with the audacity of our dreams and desires," she adds. Shambhawi Vikram, a 23-year-old arts student, who lives in a private hostel - which are called PGs or "Paying Guest" hostels - says the restrictions are "humiliating" but being locked up can also be dangerous and life-threatening. "Two years ago, there was an earthquake in Delhi. As our building shook, all of us who lived on the lower floors rushed out, but 20 students who lived on the fourth and fifth floors were stuck, because they were locked up. It was frightening, they all ran out into the balcony and looked at us. We could only look at them. We all felt so helpless." Rafiul Rahman, a 23-year-old postgraduate student who is among the protesters, says the march to claim the streets is "unprecedented" and "historic". "Something like this has never happened before in the university. It's crazy to lock up women after 7pm. You have to question and challenge irrational norms." Mr Rahman says whenever he steps out at night, there are a lot of men sitting and smoking and drinking chai, "but you don't see a single woman - and that must change". Campaigners say that the idea that locking up women will keep them safe is very flawed logic. "You can't keep women safe by keeping them away, it does not make any sense. Streets will be safer only when we have more women on the streets," Mr Rahman says. With their night walk, Ms Kalita says, "we are trying to create a new imagination, about what public spaces could be like". Protests by students in the past have forced the authorities to relax timings somewhat, but the Pinjra Tod campaigners say that's not enough. The campaigners are using social media to mobilise students - and others - across Delhi and beyond to broaden their movement for freedom. Ms Vikram says in India, women across ages and class live in cages and they have to fight to escape these prisons throughout their lives. "Some 40-50 years ago, women had to break the cage to get in to university, today we are trying to break the cage to get to the library after 7pm. "Even Cinderella could stay out until midnight. Why can't we," she asks? | भारतीय राजधानी दिल्ली में युवा महिला छात्र पिंजरा तोड़ (पिंजरे को तोड़ें) नामक एक अभियान के साथ सार्वजनिक स्थानों पर अपने अधिकार का दावा करने के लिए लड़ रही हैं। बीबीसी की गीता पांडे एक रात के लिए उनके साथ शामिल होती हैं क्योंकि वे "सड़कों पर दावा करने" के लिए बाहर जाती हैं और उन्हें अपने "सपनों और इच्छाओं" से भर देती हैं। |
world-europe-isle-of-man-28467537 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-28467537 | Early engine repairs for Isle of Man Manannan ferry | Repair work on the Isle of Man's ferry is to take place earlier than planned, after one of its four engines was damaged by discarded fishing gear. | The Steam Packet company said the Manannan fast craft had been operating on reduced power since June. Repairs had been scheduled to take three days during September, but a revised plan means the boat will be repaired in just one day, on 6 August. Passengers booked to travel on this day are asked to contact the ferry company. The Manannan runs from Douglas to Liverpool. | आइल ऑफ मैन की नौका पर मरम्मत का काम योजना से पहले होना है, क्योंकि इसके चार इंजनों में से एक मछली पकड़ने के उपकरण को फेंकने से क्षतिग्रस्त हो गया था। |
uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-17727255 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-17727255 | How surveillance society solved a murder with no body | Two years ago, Suzanne Pilley disappeared on her way to work in the centre of Edinburgh. Her body was never discovered but her killer was convicted last month after his movements were traced by a range of surveillance devices. On Wednesday, David Gilroy was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years before he can apply for parole. | By Steven BrocklehurstBBC Scotland news website CCTV footage, mobile phone records, emails, shop receipts - our everyday routine leaves an "electronic footprint". David Gilroy went to great lengths to cover his tracks after he killed Suzanne Pilley in May 2010. But an extraordinary police investigation tracked his movements in the smallest of detail. CCTV footage from a supermarket two days before Suzanne's disappearance shows the pair buying groceries for a meal near her flat. What looks on the screen to be an unremarkable domestic scene is in fact his last desperate attempt to resurrect the relationship. Gilroy, a married man, had been having a secret relationship with his work colleague for about a year but she had been trying to end it. That night they had a massive row and two days later he killed her. At 08:19 on Tuesday 4 May, Suzanne's final commute to work was captured by CCTV cameras which track virtually every bus passenger in the Scottish capital. She had spent the night with a new man whom she had recently met. Suzanne got off the bus at 08:49 and was picked up by other CCTV cameras as she walked the last part of her journey to work. She was seen going into a supermarket before she finally disappeared from view. Specialist CCTV analysts looked at images from 84 cameras in the area and built up a case that a tiny image of Suzanne could be seen from a distant camera as she entered her work. Gilroy had spent the previous few weeks besieging her with numerous texts and voicemails, desperate to continue their relationship. Police were able to recover everything left on her phone, even though the phone itself has never been found. Gilroy knew there were no CCTV cameras at the place where he and Pilley worked. However, CCTV cameras on properties outside the building show him going in and out of the basement garage. The man who quickly became a suspect had arrived at work by bus but later made excuses to go home and collect his car. Later he was caught by CCTV having just bought four air fresheners. Police believe Gilroy lured Suzanne to the basement and killed her. He then hid her body in a stairwell before later transferring it to the boot of his car. Specialist cadaver dogs were used to search the basement and garage of the building. They found areas of interest but no DNA or forensics. Before Gilroy went home he went to his computer and arranged an appointment which would require him to drive about 130 miles to Lochgilphead in rural Argyll the next day. The killer then went home and acted naturally. CCTV images even caught him attending a school concert and a restaurant that evening. Police reconstructed Gilroy's trip to Argyll on 5 May through CCTV at various places along the route, such as when he stopped for petrol. Officers had to trawl for CCTV footage from hundreds of cameras - not just on the main route to Lochgilphead but surrounding roads as well. It was a route Gilroy took regularly but on this occasion he went much further north than the direct route and police were suspicious. Gilroy's mobile phone was later seized by police, along with his car. Experts found that the phone had been switched off between Stirling and Inveraray and the same on the way back. Police suspected Gilroy had deliberately switched his phone off to conceal his movements while he did a "reccy" for a site to dispose of Suzanne's body. He repeated this on his way back when he actually buried the body. But Gilroy did not realise that his car would provide more clues that he had been driving along rough forest tracks. Damage to the suspension, scrape marks on the underside of the car and vegetation attached to the car were all clues of his off-road activities. Police reckoned that the average time for the journey between Tyndrum and Inveraray was 36 minutes. CCTV analysis of the time taken by Gilroy indicated that he took five hours and eight minutes. Footage from CCTV also showed that an umbrella on the back parcel shelf of his car, probably put there when Suzanne's body was placed in the boot, disappeared from view on the return journey, having been placed back in the boot. Despite extensive searches, Suzanne's body was never found. However, due to the cumulative evidence built up in the police investigation, Gilroy was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh last month. On Wednesday, he was given a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years before he can apply for parole. Suzanne Pilley: The Woman Who Vanished will be shown on BBC One Scotland on Wednesday 18 April at 22:45. | दो साल पहले, सुज़ैन पिली एडिनबर्ग के केंद्र में काम करने के लिए जाते समय गायब हो गई थी। उसका शव कभी नहीं मिला था, लेकिन उसके हत्यारे को पिछले महीने दोषी ठहराया गया था, जब उसकी गतिविधियों का पता कई निगरानी उपकरणों द्वारा लगाया गया था। बुधवार को, डेविड गिलरॉय को पैरोल के लिए आवेदन करने से पहले कम से कम 18 साल की सजा सुनाई गई थी। |
magazine-24427637 | https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24427637 | The mass escape of Jews from Nazi-occupied Denmark | Seventy years ago this month, an extraordinary mass escape happened from Nazi-occupied Denmark. Tipped off about German plans to deport them to concentration camps, almost the entire Jewish population - several thousand people - fled their homes and left the country. | By Ellen OtzenBBC World Service As he stepped onto the fishing boat that was meant to carry them across the Baltic sea to safety, 14-year-old Bent Melchior feared he might never see his home again. A week earlier, he had left the home in Copenhagen he shared with his parents and four siblings. It was 8 October 1943 and Denmark was under Nazi occupation. Along with thousands of other Danish Jews, Bent and his family were fleeing the Germans. "We were gathered in this boat that was supposed to carry herrings, but instead it was now carrying human beings," he says. They set off after dark. There were 19 people on the boat, hiding below deck in case German planes should spot them from overhead. The night air was chilly and the sea rough. "People started to be sick, and every minute felt like an hour". Melchior and his family were part of a mass escape. That autumn night, 2,500 Jews set sail for neighbouring Sweden from Danish beaches and ports, in rowing boats, canoes, as stowaways on ferries and cargo ships. Some even swam across. In September that year, the Nazi secret police - the Gestapo - had decided to deport all Danish Jews to concentration camps, just as they'd done to millions of other Jews across Europe. The raid was scheduled for Friday 1 October, when they had hoped to find families gathering for the Jewish Sabbath dinner. But when they raided their homes, they found fewer than 300 people still there. A few days earlier, Georg Duckwitz, a German naval attache working at the German embassy in Copenhagen, had tipped off Hans Hedtoft, a leading member of the Danish Labour party. Hedtoft, who later became Denmark's prime minister, warned the Jewish community to leave. "My parents were worried the phone might be tapped. So my mum started ringing other Jewish families, encouraging them to 'take a holiday in the countryside'," Melchior recalls. "She told them we were also going away for a few days as we hadn't had a holiday that year." In 1943, Denmark was home to around 8,000 Jews. Although the country had been invaded by Germany three years earlier, the government had accepted the occupation in exchange for a measure of control over domestic affairs. Danish Jews were protected by the Danish government, whose leader collaborated with Hitler. But a determined campaign by the Danish resistance prompted Germany to take over full control of Danish affairs and the government resigned in August. The following month, Hitler ordered the deportation of all Danish Jews. As news of the imminent Nazi raid spread, Melchior's father, a rabbi at Copenhagen's main synagogue, interrupted a service celebrating Jewish New Year to urge the congregation to go into hiding and to spread the word to other Jews. The Melchior family caught a train to the island of Falster in south-eastern Denmark. The carriages were filled with German soldiers and Bent's mother and five-year-old brother Paul travelled in an empty first-class carriage in case the youngest family member unwittingly gave away where they were going. Together with 60 other Jewish refugees, Bent Melchior's father brought his wife and four youngest children into hiding at the home of a bishop. From there, they hoped to flee across the sea to neutral Sweden, which offered safety for refugees. But getting there was not easy. To even secure a place on one of the small fishing boats being used to ferry the Jews across could cost as much as £5,500 ($9,000) a head in today's money. After eight hours at sea, the boat carrying the Melchior family came close to land. Dawn was breaking and a lighthouse was clearly visible. But something was wrong. Having learnt in geography at school that Sweden was east of Denmark, Bent realised that daylight was coming from the wrong direction. In fact, the boat had sailed in a circle rather than east to the Swedish coast. The lighthouse was a Danish lighthouse and the refugees were back where they had set off. The fisherman at the helm had never sailed far from the coast and had no idea how to navigate. Sitting in the comfortable apartment in central Copenhagen he shares with his wife Lilian, surrounded by pictures of their four sons, his recollection of the escape he made 70 years ago is still crystal clear. "We were afraid. My five-year-old brother had no idea what was going on. Unbeknownst to me my mother was pregnant at the time, so she had a terrible time," says Bent Melchior. "If it was dangerous to be out at sea it night, it was even more dangerous in daylight. We could hear German planes overhead. If they had seen us, the Gestapo would have captured us." Eventually they started to sail east, following the sun. Miraculously, after 18 hours at sea, they reached Lilla Beddinge, a small fishing village on the Swedish coast. A six-year-old boy, Per-Arne Persson, spotted them from the beach and alerted his father, a local fisherman, who sailed out to meet the boat. Bent Melchior and his family settled down to their new life in Sweden. Bent was enrolled in a Danish school in the town of Lund, while his father got a job as a rabbi. But they were now refugees in a foreign country. Swedish was not hard for Danes to understand and the Swedish government had assured them they could stay for the duration of the war. Nevertheless, strangers would often make comments about them. "People would complain that we were taking their coffee rations, or whatever was rationed at the time. "As refugees we had to queue up to buy second-hand underwear, which they had decided was good enough for us." Seven decades later, Bent can still recall what it was like to be an alien abroad: "All these denigrating signs, I can still feel today," he says. Around 200 people were caught by the Germans while trying to escape and deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic. But more than 7,500 Danish Jews eventually made it across to Sweden in October 1943. They were brought out under cover. Some escape routes were organised by members of the resistance movement. But most Danish historians argue that the escape would not have been possible had it not been for thousands of ordinary Danes who helped the Jews flee. Some were "admitted" to hospitals under false names, others were hidden in churches, farms and holiday homes by the sea while they organised transport. There were of course, exceptions. Eighty Jewish refugees hiding in the loft of a church in the northern town of Gilleleje were arrested by the Gestapo after a young Danish housemaid, engaged to a German soldier, turned them in. They too, were deported to Theresienstadt. After 19 months in Sweden, the German occupation of Denmark was over. Liberation came on 4 May, 1945 and the refugees were free to return home. Melchior and his family moved back into their old apartment in Copenhagen. Life fell back into its usual rhythm, but it was never the same. His experience as a refugee galvanised Bent Melchior to a life-long involvement with refugees. "We were changed people. I became very active in various movements within the Jewish community and outside. "We tried to take a lesson from what had happened, to stop this terrible intolerance." He later went on to become a senior member of the Danish Refugee Council and followed his father in becoming the chief rabbi of Denmark. He has travelled the world telling his story, determined that this tale of survival should never be forgotten. Per-Arne, the six-year old Swedish boy who spotted their boat from the beach 70 years ago, is still a friend today. Bent Melchior's interview with the BBC World Service programme Witness will be broadcast at 07:50GMT on 8 October. Listen via BBC iPlayer Radio or browse the Witness podcast archive. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook | सत्तर साल पहले इसी महीने नाजी के कब्जे वाले डेनमार्क से एक असाधारण सामूहिक पलायन हुआ था। उन्हें यातना शिविरों में निर्वासित करने की जर्मन योजनाओं के बारे में जानकारी मिलने पर, लगभग पूरी यहूदी आबादी-कई हजार लोग-अपने घरों से भाग गए और देश छोड़ दिया। |
uk-england-manchester-40012115 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-40012115 | Manchester attacks: What teenagers need to know | US singer Ariana Grande was just leaving the stage at Manchester Arena when a bomb exploded right outside, killing and injuring dozens - including teenagers. Here, Alison Jamieson, author of Talking about Terrorism, answers some of your questions. | What happened? The gig was just about over and crowds were swarming towards the exits when a "huge bang" went off. Some thought the noise was balloons popping, but in fact it was a man setting off a home-made bomb. We know that 22 people died - including an eight-year-old girl and a student - and more than 50 were hurt. The impact threw some people into the air and sent the music fans into a state of panic, desperate to get out of the building. Who does things like this? At the moment, we know very little about the man who did this. Terrorists - people who try to make themselves heard through violence - think they are acting not just for themselves but for the wider community. Somebody who does this sort of thing may be acting out of hatred towards a particular group of people or feel that they have been treated badly. Alison says attackers are usually acting out of anger. They have sometimes followed instructions through websites, or acted alone, or they might have been trained. It's too early to know for certain if the man who carried out this attack had views connected to political or religious belief systems. But the so-called Islamic State, which is a group fighting wars in Iraq and Syria, has said it is behind this attack. Sometimes with attacks like these the person involved might be miserable, hate his life and want to get into the history books. Again, an attacker could be lonely or unwell, and may not be thinking in a way that most people think. Why target young people? We don't know exactly who he meant to target but with a lot of these sorts of attacks, it's a question of opportunity. Some places like underground rail systems, shopping centres or, in this case, Manchester Arena can't be completely protected. These types of venue are possibly easier to target than Parliament or town halls, so you can sometimes say the attacker is just choosing the easier option. Could this happen to me? Terror attacks are very, very rare in most countries. But no-one is 100% safe and you can't give people false assurances, says Alison. Britain is largely a safe place to live. It's an island so it's not easy to smuggle weapons in and it's also a place where people look out for each other. Whatever your background, there's a group who will look out for you. The police, security services and the government are all working to keep you safe. How can I stay safe? What can I do to help? Manchester seems to have shown extraordinary courage and generosity, says Alison. Kind people offered beds for people to sleep in, gave them lifts and left food and drink at the scene for the emergency services. Some ideas for how you and your friends could help include: Alison Jamieson has written Radicalisation and Terrorism: A Teachers' Handbook for Addressing Extremism (2015) and Talking about Terrorism: Responding to Children's Questions (2017) | अमेरिकी गायिका एरियाना ग्रांडे मैनचेस्टर एरिना में मंच से बाहर निकल रही थीं, तभी बाहर एक बम विस्फोट हुआ, जिसमें किशोरों सहित दर्जनों लोग मारे गए और घायल हो गए। यहाँ, टॉकिंग अबाउट टेररिज्म की लेखिका एलिसन जैमीसन आपके कुछ सवालों के जवाब देती हैं। |
uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-44582605 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-44582605 | Man dies after industrial accident in Cheddleton | A man has died in hospital following an industrial accident at an agricultural machinery manufacturer in Staffordshire. | He suffered multiple injuries at LM Bateman & Co's premises in Station Road, Cheddleton, Leek, at about 03:34 BST on Wednesday. He was treated at the scene but died at Royal Stoke University Hospital. LM Bateman & Co said it was "deeply shocked and saddened". The Health and Safety Executive is investigating. | स्टैफोर्डशायर में एक कृषि मशीनरी निर्माता में एक औद्योगिक दुर्घटना के बाद एक व्यक्ति की अस्पताल में मृत्यु हो गई है। |
world-africa-50598882 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50598882 | Lesotho: Why a dispute over mohair led to a parliamentary fist-fight | A sitting of Lesotho's upper house of parliament this week degenerated into a fist-fight between massed ranks of rival MPs who also threw wooden panels, documents and anything else they could get their hands on across the chamber at each other. | By Pumza FihlaniBBC News, Johannesburg The scuffle happened during a debate over a long-running dispute over new regulations around the wool and mohair trade - not the subject you might expect to ignite such strong passions. First off, what is mohair? Mohair is made from the hair of Angora goats. It is much softer than wool and has a noticeable sheen and lustre. Because it is considered to be a luxury textile, garments made entirely from mohair are more expensive than those made from other types of yarn. Some call it the "diamond fibre". But why fight over it? Mohair and wool production is one of Lesotho's main industries and is the main source of income for many families. More about mohair Sources : Mohair SA, Department of Trade and Industry SA, Lesotho Bureau of Statistics Find out more about Lesotho Earlier this year, thousands of farmers marched to parliament to protest against a regulation signed in 2018 forcing them to sell their wool and mohair to a Chinese broker. The farmers said that the new broker was not paying them for their goods. This led to a crisis that left an estimated 48,000 farmers without earnings for more than a year, according to South Africa's BusinessLive newspaper. After numerous protests in the months after that, the government, led by Prime Miniser Tom Thabane, changed its tune and ended the controversial deal with Guohui Shi and his company, Lesotho Wool Centre. So the farmers should be happy? Unfortunately not. While the deal with the Chinese businessman is no longer in place, what has remained is a decision for mohair and wool to be auctioned from Lesotho instead of neighbouring South Africa which had been the practice for many years. Lesotho's farmers say the government's refusal to allow producers to sell their products in South Africa and elsewhere means they cannot get fair market prices. They used to rely on a South African broker, BKB, to export their products seemingly without any problems. They now want to either return to that arrangement or be allowed to sell to alternative markets. In October, lawmakers called for the regulations to be repealed but a new deal is yet to be finalised. Why do they want to sell their mohair in South Africa? Lesotho is a small landlocked country, with a population of just two million, and the partnership with South Africa gave producers access to a broader market, they say. It is one of southern Africa's poorest nations, with unemployment rates of 24-28%, according to the World Bank. Neighbouring South Africa produces 53% of the world's mohair and runs the world's biggest auction in the coastal town of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province. Farmers back in Lesotho, and opposition MPs, are worried that if they continue to only sell their produce from their own country, buyers might move elsewhere because of the increased travel costs involved. While there are other tensions between the government and opposition, this week's sitting was expected to start addressing the concerns raised over existing regulations. Opposition leaders grew frustrated when they learned Minister for Small Business Development, Conservation and Marketing Chalane Phoro would not be appearing in parliament, as they had expected, to explain what was happening with the regulations. Then the speaker of parliament suspended the session, sparking uproar. So what happens now? That is not entirely clear. There is still a dispute of over the mohair regulations and, once the dust has settled, this will need to be resolved by the very people who came to blows. In the meantime, the many hundreds of families in Lesotho who depend on mohair for their living will be hoping those in leadership positions can put their fists away long enough to come to a decision. | इस सप्ताह लेसोथो के संसद के ऊपरी सदन की एक बैठक प्रतिद्वंद्वी सांसदों के बड़े पैमाने पर रैंकों के बीच एक मुट्ठी-लड़ाई में बदल गई, जिन्होंने लकड़ी के पैनल, दस्तावेज और कुछ भी जो वे कक्ष में अपने हाथों में ले सकते थे, एक दूसरे पर फेंक दिया। |
blogs-trending-38610402 | https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38610402 | Conversations with a hacker: What Guccifer 2.0 told me | Who or what is Guccifer 2.0? US intelligence agencies believe the mysterious hacker persona was central to efforts to interfere with last year's American election and responsible for distributing hacked documents that embarrassed the Democratic Party. But now Guccifer 2.0 has broken a two-month silence to deny any connection to Russia. In the run up to Donald Trump's victory, BBC Trending's Mike Wendling struck up an online dialogue with Guccifer 2.0 to try to probe the hacker's motives. | By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why It turned out that talking to one of the world's most notorious hackers was easier than you might think. Just send him a tweet. In the summer of 2016 the hacker, going by the name Guccifer 2.0, leaked a trove of documents from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to Wikileaks, which then made the material public. The revelations were embarrassing for the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign, and resulted in the resignation of party chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz. Although Guccifer 2.0 took his name from a Romanian hacker - the original Guccifer hacked emails belonging to American and Romanian officials, and is currently in prison - suspicion immediately fell on Russia. Metadata attached to the leaked documents was in Russian not Romanian. Analysts determined that Guccifer 2.0 had used a Russian server. A host of security experts traced the leak to Russian intelligence. Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, a journalist with Vice's Motherboard, chatted with the hacker in Romanian in the days after the DNC hack. The problem was, Guccifer didn't seem to speak the language very well. "He did answer some questions in Romanian," but the answers were very basic, Franceschi-Bicchierai told BBC Trending. "I showed those answers to people who did speak Romanian and they all agreed he wasn't a Romanian speaker," Franceschi-Bicchierai says. "We later put the conversation to linguists and not everyone agreed that he was a Russian speaker but he was definitely not a native Romanian speaker." BBC Trending Radio Listen to more on this story on BBC Trending radio on the BBC World Service. During our exchanges in October - and until the present day - Guccifer 2.0 continued to deny having anything to do with Russia. He also claimed to have more incriminating documents on Hillary Clinton - documents which he urged me to publish. The information was sent to me via encrypted email. But despite the cloak-and-dagger presentation, the material was ultimately disappointing - a mishmash of old stories, publically available documents which were rather dull, and others which were obvious forgeries. I asked him about his motivations. He said he believed that people have the right to know what's going on in the election process. Trying to get friendly journalists to write sympathetic stories is a common tactic of Russia's online intelligence operations, says Lee Foster of FireEye, one of the big computer security firms which has been looking into the Guccifer 2.0 hacks. "This is actually something that we've coined 'direct advocacy'," Foster says. "These false hactivists reach out to journalists but also other individuals, security blogs, and so on to get them to publicise the activity that they've been engaged in and sometimes even to spin particular narratives around those leaks as well." Foster says he's highly confident that the Russian authorities are behind the Guccifer persona. For its part, Moscow denies being behind the leaks, and Julian Assange of Wikileaks says Russia wasn't the source of the leaked DNC emails. I asked Guccifer about Russia. After that, he stopped responding to my messages. In the run-up to the US election in November, Guccifer warned that the Democrats would attempt to rig the vote. But after Donald Trump's victory, he went silent. Last week US intelligence chiefs released a declassified version of a report which has been presented to President Obama and President-Elect Trump. One of the report's key judgements read: "We assess with high confidence that Russian military intelligence (General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU) used the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed material to WikiLeaks." It added: "Guccifer 2.0, who claimed to be an independent Romanian hacker, made multiple contradictory statements and false claims about his likely Russian identity throughout the election. Press reporting suggests more than one person claiming to be Guccifer 2.0 interacted with journalists." So could there be several people involved in operating the Guccifer 2.0 persona? Lee Foster from FireEye believes so. "It may be one person who actually looks after the twitter account or it may be part of a team," he told Trending. "But what we certainly can say based on the scale of the activity that we're seeing - that encompasses everything from this initial breach all the way through to the creation of these fake personas to push the information through to the trolling activity trying to push narratives around these leaks - this is not a one person effort. There's quite clearly a concerted and very well resourced and frankly sophisticated operation that is making all of this stuff come together." Late on Thursday, Guccifer broke his two-month silence to respond to the US intelligence agencies report. "Here I am again, my friends!" he announced on his blog. "I'd like to make it clear enough that these accusations are unfounded," the hacker wrote. "I have totally no relation to the Russian government. I'd like to tell you once again I was acting in accordance with my personal political views and beliefs." Several observers noted that Guccifer's English had markedly improved. More from BBC Trending Visit the Trending Facebook page Donald Trump has promised a full report on hacking within 90 days of taking office. Lee Foster from FireEye says we shouldn't get too hung up on the Guccifer 2.0 brand. "What doesn't really matter here is the personas themselves. What matters is to what extent does type of activity continue and potentially expand as well. We're already on the trolling side seeing a redirection towards European elections coming up, particularly France and Germany in 2017," he says. After the report, and his blog re-emergence, I tried once more to contact Guccifer 2.0 on Twitter. He hasn't responded. Blog by Mike Wendling Next story: 'Why I dropped the case against the man who groped me' Samya Gupta, a 21-year-old law student from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was napping on a seat near the back of a bus when she felt something on her breasts. READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | अमेरिकी खुफिया एजेंसियों का मानना है कि रहस्यमय हैकर व्यक्तित्व पिछले साल के अमेरिकी चुनाव में हस्तक्षेप करने के प्रयासों के केंद्र में था और हैक किए गए दस्तावेजों को वितरित करने के लिए जिम्मेदार था जिसने डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी को शर्मिंदा किया। लेकिन अब गुसिफर 2 ने रूस से किसी भी संबंध से इनकार करने के लिए दो महीने की खामोशी तोड़ दी है। डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प की जीत से पहले, बीबीसी ट्रेंडिंग के माइक वेंडलिंग ने हैकर के उद्देश्यों की जांच करने की कोशिश करने के लिए गुसिफर 2 के साथ एक ऑनलाइन बातचीत शुरू की। |
world-us-canada-52912238 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52912238 | Viewpoint: US must confront its Original Sin to move forward | Following the death of George Floyd while under arrest, protests have consumed America and onlookers have wondered how one of the most powerful countries in the world could descend into such chaos. | By Barrett Holmes PitnerContributor Despite being defined by race, American society does not spend much time analysing the history of our racial divisions, and America prefers to believe in the inevitable progression towards racial equality. The election of Barack Obama in 2008 fed into this narrative of progress, but Donald Trump's presidential victory in 2016 was seen as a step backwards, coming after a campaign with a slogan that championed America's divisive past as a form of progress. Floyd's death now appears to be the tipping point for an exhausted, racially divided nation still in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic cost that followed. **WARNING: This article contains a racial slur** Floyd's cries of "I can't breathe" echoed the cries of Eric Garner, who was choked by police on a New York City sidewalk in 2014. Floyd's words reminded Americans of the oppressive past we work to forget regardless of whether it is six years ago, 60 years ago, the 1860s, or 1619 when some of the first slaves arrived in America. To a large extent, America's neglect of the past and belief in progress have left many Americans unaware of the severity and scope of our racial tensions, and as a result many Americans lack the words to articulate our current turmoil. Recently, I have used the word ethnocide meaning "the destruction of culture while keeping the people" to describe America's past and present racial tensions, and this language also helps articulate the uniqueness of America's race problem. In 1941, Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew and distinguished lawyer, immigrated to the United States as he fled the Nazis. While in America he implored the American government to stop the Nazis from killing his people, and as his words fell on deaf ears, he realized he needed to create a new word to describe the unique horror befalling his people. In 1944, Lemkin coined the words genocide and ethnocide. Lemkin intended for the words to be interchangeable but over time they diverged. Genocide became the destruction of a people and their culture, and this word radically changed the world for the better. Ethnocide became the destruction of culture while keeping the people, and has been ignored for decades. Recently, ethnocide has been used to describe the plight of indigenous people against colonisation, but regarding America, ethnocide also pertains to the transatlantic slave trade and the founding of the nation. From the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade, European colonisers destroyed the culture of African people, but kept their bodies in order to create the chattel slavery system that became the economic and social foundation of the United States. Colonisers prevented Africans from speaking their languages and practising their religions. Tribal and familial bonds were broken, and African people could no longer identify as Igbo, Yoruba, and Malian. Instead de-cultured names such as nigger, negro, coloured, and black were stamped upon African people. Additionally, Europeans identified themselves as white, and in the United States the one-drop rule was created to sustain that division. One drop of black or African blood meant that a person could not be white. In America, whiteness became a zero-sum identity that was maintained by systemic racial division. Interracial marriage was still illegal in much of America until the Loving vs Virginia decision in 1967. Read more from Barrett From colonisation to the formation of the United States, America has created countless laws and policies to sustain the racial division between blacks and whites forged by ethnocide. These American norms, extending to housing, education, employment, healthcare, law enforcement and environmental protections including clean drinking water, have disproportionately harmed African Americans and other communities of colour in order to sustain racial division and white dominance. George Floyd's murder represents a continuation of the systemic criminalisation and oppression of black life in America that has always been the American norm dating back to Jim Crow, segregation (which means apartheid), and slavery. When the Confederacy, the collection of American slave-holding states in the South, seceded from the United States, they launched the Civil War to defend the immoral institution of slavery. After losing the Civil War, these states were readmitted back into the United States. To this day, many Americans, and especially America hate groups, still celebrate Confederate soldiers and politicians as heroes, and there are monuments and memorials dedicated to them across America. Despite the American South losing the Civil War in 1865, American President Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederate soldiers, and soon thereafter Confederate politicians won elected office in the newly-reunited America. The influence of former slave owners and Confederates contributed to erasing the rights that African Americans won in the 1860s including citizenship and the right to vote. The political campaign to remove African American rights was called the Redeemers movement, and it was led by former slave-owners and Confederates, who wanted to redeem the South by returning it to the norms of chattel slavery. The Redeemers and "Make America Great Again" derive from America's oppressive, ethnocidal school of thought. The Redeemers were also assisted by American terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) that were made up of former Confederate soldiers. The KKK, and many other white supremacist groups, terrorised and lynched black Americans, and they also prevented them from voting to help ensure that Redeemer candidates won elected office. The terrorists became the government. By the start of the 20th Century, the Redeemers had succeeded in undoing the racial equality progress of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, and now Jim Crow segregation became the norm of the American South. The Supreme Court's decision in Plessy vs Ferguson made "separate but equal" the new law of the land, and America again became a legal apartheid state. According to the Equal Justice Initiative's 2017 report Lynching in America, over 4,400 lynchings of African Americans occurred from 1877-1950. That is more than a lynching a week for 74 years. During Jim Crow, America could not legally deny black people their humanity, but they could deny them the services that are afforded to human beings. Black people were denied education, housing, employment, and were expected to "know their place" as a perpetually subjugated people. Large prisons were erected on former plantations; black people were arrested for minor crimes and given long prison sentences doing manual labour on the same land their ancestors were forced to work as enslaved people. As a result of Jim Crow, millions of African Americans fled the neo-slavery and terror of the South during the Great Migration, and racial tensions spread as other American cities did not welcome these domestic refugees. This is the same journey as the Underground Railroad, where prior to the Civil War enslaved African Americans escaped the South and sought refuge in Canada and the Northern parts of America. The civil rights movement of the 1960s effectively ended Jim Crow, and African Americans began reclaiming the rights, specifically voting rights and freedom of movement, they had previously won in the 1860s, but it is a long road to dismantle systemic and legalised racism and segregation. Obama's election in 2008 was a monumental event in American society, but it did not magically erase the systemic racism woven into America's social fabric and the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, 17, helped launch the Black Lives Matter movement to national attention. Trayvon was shot and killed by George Zimmerman as he walked home in his own neighbourhood because Zimmerman thought he looked suspicious. Martin was unarmed. Zimmerman pled self-defence and a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Trayvon was one of countless African Americans killed by America's ethnocidal society that sanctions terror from both the government and civilians. The unjust killing of black people by the police and racist vigilantes remained the norm during Obama's presidency, but now the black community could record and document these crimes on video, and had a president who would defend them. Obama famously said: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon." The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and other protests under Obama occurred because black Americans were confident that the White House would listen to their cries of "I can't breathe" and make American society finally equitable and just. Under Trump those cries have fallen on deaf ears and tensions have escalated. America has much work to do to fix our racial tensions because our divisions and inequality are forged in our ethnocidal roots. We need to reform the policing of a nation nearly the size of a continent with over 300 million people, but we also need to make our education, healthcare, and housing systems, and every facet of our democracy more equitable. Additionally, truth and reconciliation commissions, a national apology, reparations, holding evildoers accountable, and other processes nations have used to heal after a genocide, the linguistic sibling of ethnocide, will help America change course and forge equality and justice. Also, America has rarely criminalised white supremacist hate and terror and instead has spent centuries normalising white terrorist groups, celebrating them as heroes, and letting them decide if their actions are evil or not. This is why the Confederacy is still celebrated today. Europe did not allow fascists and Nazis to determine if their actions were good or not, but America has always given this luxury to racist slave-owners and their generational apologists and offspring. This must change. Rwanda, Germany, and South Africa have reckoned with their troubled past to make a better future, but America has long preferred to ignore the past, and proclaim the inevitability of progress. America today must define and confront the Original Sin of slavery, ethnocide, and the cultural destruction it has inflicted upon all Americans, past and present. Otherwise we will fail to make a better future, and will continue our regression. Barrett is a writer, journalist and filmmaker focusing on race, culture and politics | गिरफ्तारी के दौरान जॉर्ज फ्लॉयड की मौत के बाद, विरोध प्रदर्शनों ने अमेरिका को खा लिया है और दर्शकों को आश्चर्य है कि दुनिया के सबसे शक्तिशाली देशों में से एक इस तरह की अराजकता में कैसे उतर सकता है। |
uk-england-london-19002136 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-19002136 | Met Police officers to keep anonymity in 'Duggan gun' trial | Seven police officers can give evidence anonymously at a trial of a man accused of supplying a gun to the man whose death sparked last summer's riots. | A judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court said the Met officers could give evidence from behind a screen using pseudonyms at Kevin Hutchinson-Foster's trial. The judge said he made the order to prevent them from coming to harm. Police believe the weapon used could be the same gun found at the shooting of Mark Duggan on 4 August. His death prompted rioting in Tottenham, north London, last August which then spread to other parts of London and across England. The trial of Mr Hutchinson-Foster, 29, is due to begin in September. The officers are a mixture of firearms and surveillance officers. | सात पुलिस अधिकारी उस व्यक्ति के मुकदमे में गुमनाम रूप से सबूत दे सकते हैं, जिस पर उस व्यक्ति को बंदूक की आपूर्ति करने का आरोप है, जिसकी मौत ने पिछली गर्मियों के दंगों को जन्म दिया था। |
world-asia-22022951 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22022951 | Pakistan election: Taliban threats hamper secular campaign | The cancellation of a key political rally that was to kick-start the election campaign of one of the largest political parties in Pakistan is seen by many as indicative of hard times for the country's secular political forces in the coming days. | By M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) abandoned plans for Wednesday night's rally in its native stronghold of Larkana town following what party leaders called "security threats" from militants. The PPP is one of three parties recently named by a spokesman of the Pakistani Taliban as "legitimate" targets for militant attacks during the elections, due in May. The other two parties on the hit list are the Karachi-based MQM, and the Pashtun nationalist ANP party which has its main base in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and also enjoys sizeable support in Karachi. All three are professedly secular, and were partners in the government that completed its five-year term last month. Similar Taliban threats forced former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf, also known for his secular leanings, to cancel a welcome rally on 24 March, the day he returned to the country after a four-year long self-imposed exile. These threats follow huge election rallies already held by former cricketer Imran Khan's PTI, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N and Maulana Fazlur Rahman's JUI-F. Parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and the political wings of some of the jihadi and sectarian groups also have an open field for campaigning. All these parties are either overtly religious, or are run by right-wing liberals with religious leanings. Campaign of attacks The question is, can the secularists defy the militant threat and assert themselves to ensure a level playing field in the vote? An answer would depend on how serious the militant threat really is, and whether the country's intelligence-cum-security apparatus has the competence or the will to deal with it. Thus far, the militants have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to attack the secular parties, while the security forces have failed to clear them out of their known sanctuaries in the north-west. The ANP party, which led the outgoing administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been the worst hit. In October 2008, the party's chief, Asfandyar Wali, narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack near his residence in Charsadda. Since then, the party's top leaders have limited their movements and have avoided public exposure. A recent report by BBC Urdu said that more than 700 ANP activists have been killed by snipers or suicide bombers during the last four years, including a top party leader, Bashir Bilour. In recent weeks, low-intensity bombs have gone off at several local ANP election meetings, reducing its ability to conduct an open campaign. Wings clipped The PPP's losses at the grassroots level are minimal, but it did suffer a major shock in 2007 when its charismatic leader and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack. The then government, which was headed by Gen Musharraf, blamed the attack on the Pakistani Taliban on the basis of some communication intercepts and half a dozen arrests. In June 2011, Ms Bhutto's husband and by then the president of Pakistan, Asif Zardari, was stopped from visiting his ailing father in an Islamabad hospital after the intelligence agencies uncovered what they claimed to be an assassination plot involving several Taliban suicide bombers. As for the MQM, it has its main base in Karachi, and is reported to have a strong militant wing of its own, a claim it denies. But in recent months its activists have been targeted by the Taliban, including a provincial lawmaker, Manzar Imam. Whether or not these parties will hit the campaign trail in a big way just as their right-wing competitors have done will become clear over the coming days and weeks. They will be desperate to do so. Their leaders, especially those of the PPP and ANP, have been out of touch with the voters for nearly four years due to restricted movement. Their inability to openly access the voters now may make it difficult for them not only to stem some of the unpopularity they may have earned during their incumbency, but also to prevent their more loyal vote-bank being eroded. For many, the situation is becoming more like the 2002 elections, when the military regime of Gen Musharraf forced the main political leaders into exile, creating conditions for religious forces and conservatives to sweep the election. Often those with the largest vote, the secular political forces have in the past had their wings clipped repeatedly by a powerful military establishment which finds an Islamic image of the state more suited to its security needs. Now that job is being done by the Taliban. | पाकिस्तान के सबसे बड़े राजनीतिक दलों में से एक के चुनाव अभियान की शुरुआत करने के लिए एक प्रमुख राजनीतिक रैली के रद्द होने को कई लोगों द्वारा आने वाले दिनों में देश की धर्मनिरपेक्ष राजनीतिक ताकतों के लिए कठिन समय के संकेत के रूप में देखा जा रहा है। |
stories-44688104 | https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-44688104 | The crop that put women on top in Zanzibar | Seaweed has been hailed as a new superfood, and it's also found in toothpaste, medicine and shampoo. In Zanzibar, it's become big business - and as it has been farmed principally by women, it has altered the sexual balance of power. | By Lucy AshBBC World Service, Zanzibar Just after dawn, a group of women carrying ropes and sticks on their heads walk to the beach to plant seaweed at low tide. Knee deep in the water, they drive the sticks into the sand. Small pieces of seaweed are then attached to rope strung out between the posts. In just over six weeks, these seedlings will grow tenfold and be ready to harvest. Some will be eaten but most will be dried, sold to a local broker and exported. Raucous laughter mingles with the sound of wet skirts flapping in the breeze. The women crack jokes and exchange gossip - it's like a watery neighbourhood allotment. When seaweed farming was first introduced in the early 1990s, men thought it wasn't worth their while. They preferred fishing or jobs in tourism. But some didn't want their wives to farm either. Mohamed Mzale, a community leader in the east coast village of Paje puts it bluntly: "I thought this seaweed business was a kind of family planning because after hours on the beach and work in the house our women were very tired - they had no time - you know… to make babies." Mohamed initially refused to allow his first wife to go with the others. "She was sad and crying a lot," he says. So eventually he relented. Seaweed farming has proved a liberating force on the overwhelmingly Muslim island. Until recently most women in the villages only left their houses to go to a funeral, a wedding or to visit a sick relative. Their isolation was even reflected in the architecture - many houses have stone benches along the outside wall to allow men to receive visitors at home without compromising the privacy of their women indoors. "At the beginning some husbands threatened divorce if their wives went out to farm seaweed," says marine biologist Flower Msuya. "But when they saw the money women were making, they slowly began to accept it." Women began visiting the market and travelling on buses to the capital rather than leaving all the shopping to their husbands. Soon many families could afford school books and uniforms, furniture, better food and roofs made of corrugated iron rather than grass. Safia Mohamed, a seaweed farmer from the village of Bweleo on the south-west coast, has done exceptionally well for herself. She has a shop where she sells seaweed soap, jam and chutney. With the proceeds she bought her sons a fishing boat, a scooter and built a big family house. I admire the shiny white floor tiles and fancy corniced ceilings but she is much prouder of something else. "I have four children, I have been married since 1985 and I'm my husband's only wife," she says. Safia tells me she'd have to accept a second wife, because that's Islamic law. But quickly adds that the new woman would have to sleep somewhere else - not in her house. Find out more Listen to Assignment: Seaweed, Sex and Liberation on BBC World Service Under the tranquil surface of Paje, all manner of domestic dramas are unfolding - some worthy of a soap opera plot. Along with polygamy, divorce is also commonplace. Nearly 50 women on the island were divorced for voting in the 2015 elections or for voting for a politician their husband disapproved of. Some women on the island appear to have been emboldened by their financial independence. Marital disputes are usually dealt with at one of the 10 Islamic Shariah law courts on Zanzibar and the neighbouring island of Pemba. Theoretically, either partner has the right to seek divorce, although in practice it is instigated by the husband. Like the savvy businesswoman Safia, Mwanaisha Makame has also put her seaweed money into real estate. I assume the half-built house she shows me near the taxi rank is for her grown-up children but she says no, it's a place where she can live in case her marriage breaks down. It is an insurance policy in a society where men are seldom forced to pay alimony. "There's no guarantee in marriage in Zanzibar," she laughs. "If our husband falls for some other woman, love can make him crazy and he can just tell you to go." I wonder if there is much jealousy between women in the village. Mwanaisha stops smiling and gives me a hard look. "Yes. A lot!" she says. The women here have another problem to deal with - climate change. Most of Zanzibar archipelago's seaweed is grown on the island of Pemba, which has rocky inlets rather than flat wide beaches and consequently been less affected by rising water temperatures. But in Paje seaweed stopped growing for three years from 2011. It gradually returned, but only the low-value spinosum variety which contains less of the substance - carrageenan - which is used as a thickening agent in foods, cosmetics and medicines. As a result, the business is now less lucrative. To make matters worse, for a while the warmer sea temperatures encouraged a form of blue-green algae that gave the women painful rashes and blisters. Many in Paje gave up the business - out of 450 seaweed farmers working in the town 20 years ago, only 150 are left. Reziki, Mwanaisha's neighbour, badly needs money with seven children but she is now selling fried samosas instead. Other women who used to farm seaweed on the beach are now making handicrafts which they can sell to sunbathing tourists. Still, the fact that they are at work outside the house is one of seaweed's legacies. Marine biologists say the best way to make seaweed more profitable again is to plant cottonii - a valuable variety containing more carrageenan - in deeper, cooler water. But there's a hitch. The women need boats - and they don't know how to swim. I get into the sea at high tide with a group of women in the village of Mungoni wearing lifejackets and straw hats. Their long wrap around skirts make learning breast stroke very difficult if not dangerous. There is a lot of screaming and nervous laughter. One woman in a flowery dress is clinging tightly to a mangrove tree - she looks terrified. But out of the water she regains her composure. "I was happy because I was learning," she says. "If men can swim, we can too." Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Listen to Assignment: Seaweed, Sex and Liberation on BBC World Service | समुद्री शैवाल को एक नए सुपरफूड के रूप में जाना जाता है, और यह टूथपेस्ट, दवा और शैम्पू में भी पाया जाता है। ज़ांज़ीबार में, यह एक बड़ा व्यवसाय बन गया है-और जैसा कि इसे मुख्य रूप से महिलाओं द्वारा उगाया गया है, इसने शक्ति के यौन संतुलन को बदल दिया है। |
newsbeat-41305123 | https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-41305123 | The fashion designer still making clothes in his parents' garage | Staging your first show at London Fashion Week is a big deal. | By Hannah MooreNewsbeat reporter at London Fashion Week For new designers, it means getting their clothes seen by the world's press and buyers, alongside established brands like Burberry and Versace. "You study fashion, and that's what you dream of doing. To be actually doing it is really surreal," says designer Supriya Lele. Newsbeat finds out how she and other emerging British designers have managed it. Matty Bovan Despite graduating from art school Central Saint Martins two years ago, Matty has become one of the most talked about designers at fashion week. This is a photo of Matty from his Instagram account. "I was always really focused, and I really wanted to do it, which I find kind of weird, looking back," says the 27-year-old. "My parents never went to uni, so it was quite a rare thing for me to go, but I think if you work hard, it does pay off." The Yorkshire-based designer showed his collection as part of Fashion East. The not-for-profit organisation supports new designers by giving them bursaries and mentoring. "I think it's very important that people realise designers can work outside London. Everything's made in York. "I was lucky I got bursaries at Saint Martins, and we do get a bursary from Fashion East, but I live with my parents. "It's super hard to make a living, make it work and pay the bills. A show is incredibly expensive. The set, the lights, everything. "There's a huge, huge team of people. We have probably 100 just for me, because you have a short space of time to do make-up and hair. It's a lot. A video showing all his designs was put on Instagram. "My biggest piece of advice would be, 'Just stick to your own style, and never let people change you.' It's totally possible to do this." Supriya Lele "That was my first runway, so it was completely exhilarating," Supriya tells Newsbeat backstage. She's also been supported by Fashion East, creating a collection inspired by her Indian heritage. "Being part of London Fashion Week is mad," explains the 30-year-old, who graduated from the Royal College of Art last year. "In terms of the high glamour of it all, it's not really like that. "It's a lot of hard, hard work, for months and months, for five minutes." She says any would-be designer should "believe in yourself, and push yourself. It will happen". Molly Goddard Rihanna and Fearne Cotton are among the fans of Molly Goddard's pastel princess dresses. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan even came backstage to congratulate the 28-year-old after her show. "It was fun. It's three years since the first [fashion event] we ever did, and that feels mad, going from working in my mum's tiny, tiny spare bedroom to having a studio, and employing people," she says. The London-born designer is supported by NewGen, a British Fashion Council scheme that helped launch the careers of Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane, among others. And her signature oversized designs have been imitated by almost every high street shop. "When I got NewGen support, that catapulted [my career]. "But the main thing is getting help from my friends and my family. It's very much a family business now," says Molly, who employs her sister Alice as a stylist on her shows. She says it's important not to give up if you don't make it as a designer. "It's not all about being like me. There are millions of other jobs in fashion. Molly uploaded a photo from London Fashion Week to Instagram. "Like if you're interested in numbers, it's very useful. People who are good at spreadsheets, at colour... there are lots of relevant roles that are just as interesting as what I do." Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat | लंदन फैशन वीक में अपना पहला शो आयोजित करना एक बड़ी बात है। |
uk-england-dorset-11941770 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-11941770 | Sandbanks chain ferry resumes crossing after refit | A chain ferry service in Dorset has resumed after it was out of action for five weeks due to maintenance checks. | Passengers were faced with a 25-mile detour while the Sandbanks to Studland crossing was suspended at the beginning of November. The ferry was taken to Southampton where it underwent a refit. The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road Ferry Company apologised for the inconvenience but said it was happy the service was back up and running. The operator said it made sense to carry out the work in November as it was its quietest month of the year. | डोरसेट में एक श्रृंखला नौका सेवा रखरखाव जांच के कारण पांच सप्ताह तक बंद रहने के बाद फिर से शुरू हो गई है। |
world-europe-24636868 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24636868 | Graphics: Europe's asylum seekers | Syria's brutal civil war is pushing a new wave of migrants towards Europe. Their numbers have surged, but many asylum seekers in Europe have also fled the conflicts and turmoil in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. | European governments are struggling to co-ordinate their response to the influx. Large movements of migrants from country to country quickly fuel suspicions that some politicians are trying to shift the burden on to their neighbours. Greece and Italy - major entry points for migrants - say there must be more burden-sharing in the EU, especially as they have been hit hard by the eurozone crisis. Migrants continue to board overcrowded, rickety boats, risking their lives. More than 3,000 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in September - more than four times the estimated deaths in 2013. In one of the worst incidents, at least 300 migrants drowned off Malta in early September. Survivors said their boat had been rammed by Egyptian people traffickers. Among industrialised countries, Germany now receives the most asylum claims - in 2013 it overtook the US. The increase in Germany has been fuelled by big migrant flows from war-torn Syria and Iraq, Deutsche Welle news website reports. (Total applications includes some asylum seekers not yet officially registered) In 2013 Syria became the top country of origin among those seeking asylum in the EU. In 2012 Afghanistan was in the top slot, followed by Russia and then Syria. The UN says asylum claims have soared to their highest level since the wars in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Globally Europe is by far the top destination for asylum seekers. Asylum is granted to those who say they are fleeing persecution and who can convince the authorities that they would face harm or even death if they were to be sent back. Germany handles about a quarter of the total asylum claims in the EU. The influx has put a great strain on the reception centres housing asylum seekers. France is the second biggest destination. But often English-speaking migrants head for the UK, which is home to large communities from Pakistan, Somalia and Middle Eastern countries. Among the asylum seekers from Russia there are many Chechens, whose homeland was devastated by war between separatist rebels and Russian troops. The asylum seekers from Serbia include many Roma and ethnic Albanians, who complain of discrimination in Serbia. It is important to remember that developing countries host more than 80% of the world's refugees. People fleeing conflict or persecution often end up in a neighbouring country - but many do not want to settle there permanently. Pakistan, with 1.6 million refugees, ranks highest for sheltering refugees. The vast majority of Afghan refugees are in Pakistan and Iran. Most Syrian refugees are in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, and most have not made formal asylum claims. In such cases of massive displacement - Somalia is a similar case - those fleeing are automatically recognised as refugees, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told the BBC. The refugees register and their stay is regulated, so they are protected from being sent back, the UNHCR's Andrej Mahecic said. It is not individual asylum processing as happens in Europe. Many countries do not have a national asylum system. For many asylum seekers Europe is easier to reach overland or by boat, especially those fleeing conflicts in the Middle East or Africa. And people traffickers already have well-established smuggling routes to Europe. The figures illustrate why immigration has become such a hot topic in Europe. Globally Syria has overtaken Afghanistan as the top country of origin among asylum seekers. In 2013 the numbers from Iraq - racked by war, like neighbouring Syria - rose above those from China and Pakistan. The main countries of origin have anti-government minorities and dissidents who allege discrimination or persecution. | सीरिया का क्रूर गृहयुद्ध प्रवासियों की एक नई लहर को यूरोप की ओर धकेल रहा है। उनकी संख्या में वृद्धि हुई है, लेकिन यूरोप में कई शरण चाहने वाले भी अफगानिस्तान, इराक और हॉर्न ऑफ अफ्रीका में संघर्ष और उथल-पुथल से भाग गए हैं। |
technology-49280726 | https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49280726 | Hong Kong protesters turn to Uber and Pokemon | In late July, Hong Kong protesters returning from a demonstration were attacked by a group of men wearing white shirts. Soon afterwards, anonymous adverts appeared online calling for a mass Pokemon Go hunt in a town where the suspected attackers had congregated a week earlier. | By Danny VincentBBC News, Hong Kong "If we said that we were going to an unauthorised protest it would have provided good evidence for the police to charge us," said KK, an office worker and protester in his late 20s, who asked for his identity to be protected. Thousands of protesters gathered at the location, recognising that the video game - which lets players pit virtual monsters against each other at real-world locations - had been used as a way to gather people together for a very different kind of battle. Crowds were eventually dispersed with tear gas as police and protesters clashed into the late evening. "Many people think of creative ways to gather people," KK added. "We will occasionally 'play' Pokemon Go, or take part in 'Bible reading groups' or 'history tours'." AirDrop used to share protest details Mass demonstrations against a now-suspended extradition bill started in Hong Kong in the spring. Among the protesters' demands are amnesty for anyone arrested during the demonstrations and greater choice in future elections held in the semi-autonomous city. And they are are finding increasingly creative ways to organise and stage their rallies. From chats on the private messaging app Telegram to Uber's ride-hailing service, apps have become an integral part of the way that Hong Kong's youth-led movement is organised. On packed subways, protesters anonymously send freshly-designed posters via Apple's wi-fi and Bluetooth-based file-transfer facility AirDrop - to share times and locations. "At the very early stage of the movement, Telegram was mostly used to spread information to protesters," said Rob, a university graduate and active protester in his 20s. "Information typically included real-time locations of the police force, the situations at different front lines on different streets and locations of first aid stations, gas masks, goggles, bottles of water." Now, he explained, it is frequently used to place orders for Uber pick-ups. The drivers disable their GPS (global positioning system) receivers to avoid being tracked as they offer rides home to protesters who need to leave the scene. "Volunteer drivers now submit their location, destination and licence number to the admin of the [relevant Telegram] channel," says Rob. "Protesters can see from the real-time map - Uber drivers at the same location usually means pick-up points... to get away." Another protester, who wanted to be known as NA7PNQ, added that he recently used Uber to travel through various different protest sites, picking up protesters needing to be "evacuated". The Abacus news site has also reported that the dating app Tinder has been used to help organise events. Alex, a full-time protester who quit his job to focus on the movement. said he would not leave home without a smartphone and a portable charger. "Information on police's location from the scouts are key to reach protest location or escape without being caught," he explained. "On the protest day, I do what I do best in the field, in the front line, and in other days I help reviewing our actions, making promotion materials. "We have friends who live in foreign countries to share it on Facebook and WhatsApp. But we won't do it ourselves as it is just too risky." On the ground, protesters also make use of an anonymous Hong Kong forum called Lihkg. It helps them arrange to share out specific tasks. Rob specialises in putting out tear gas canisters fired by the police. KK believes that the use of apps is key to the "leaderless nature" of the movement. Since early June, police have arrested more than 500 protesters. The demonstrators say using online tools - which help them protect their anonymity - has helped avoid individuals being targeted. "All of the people in the Umbrella Movement were jailed for inciting people to protest, now people tend not to be so open about encouraging people to protest," KK says, referencing the 2014 pro-democracy protests and subsequent imprisonment of their leaders. Another resident compares the street battles to a last-player-standing video game popular in Hong Kong. "There is no-one in charge. They look like they are playing the mobile phone game PUGB [Player Unknown Battlegrounds]." And while protesters are actually turning to games like Pokemon Go to push their agenda, they are also subverting its slogan - a point the same resident makes without apparently realising it. "It's not easy for the police to catch all of them because they are not one organised group," he says. "When the police catch one, they can only catch one team. "They can't catch them all." | जुलाई के अंत में, एक प्रदर्शन से लौट रहे हांगकांग के प्रदर्शनकारियों पर सफेद शर्ट पहने पुरुषों के एक समूह द्वारा हमला किया गया था। इसके तुरंत बाद, गुमनाम विज्ञापन ऑनलाइन दिखाई दिए जिसमें एक शहर में बड़े पैमाने पर पोकेमॉन गो शिकार का आह्वान किया गया था जहां संदिग्ध हमलावर एक सप्ताह पहले एकत्र हुए थे। |
uk-northern-ireland-21236150 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-21236150 | DUP call to bar Sinn Féin's £100,000 Westminster grant | The DUP has said state funds given to Sinn Fein for research and policy work at Westminster should be withdrawn because the party do not take their parliamentary seats. | Sinn Fein gets an annual grant of £100,000 under a scheme designed for parties that do not sit in the chamber. North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds said that money was hard to justify. The issue is due to be raised at a debate in Westminster later on Tuesday. "We think that it is wrong and there's a cross-party view among many of the parties in Westminster that it is wrong and that needs to be addressed," he said. "I think there is a growing view that given the clampdown on the waste of taxpayers' money generally across the public sector and, indeed, public expenditure, that people are fed up by the situation." Mr Dodds said Tuesday's debate would highlight what he considered a "ludicrous and farcical" situation. | डीयूपी ने कहा है कि वेस्टमिंस्टर में अनुसंधान और नीतिगत कार्यों के लिए सिन फेन को दी गई राज्य निधि को वापस ले लिया जाना चाहिए क्योंकि पार्टी उनकी संसदीय सीटें नहीं लेती है। |
technology-16178266 | https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16178266 | Paypal plans daily deal coupons to compete with Groupon | Online payment service Paypal plans to enter the discount coupon market. | The eBay-owned business said it planned to launch the service in the US before April 2012. Paypal's president, Scott Thompson, told the Bloomberg news agency that his firm would use its knowledge of its 103 million members' past purchases to tailor offers. The move poses a challenge to the sector's two biggest players, Groupon and Livingsocial. Daily deal businesses offer their members the chance to buy goods or services - from spa treatments and sushi to cheap flights and theatre tickets - at a steep discount. Buyers are usually limited to using the coupons within a restricted time span. The daily dealer business then splits the revenue with the organisation providing the goods. Companies may make a loss on the specific offer, but profit if customers return for repeat business. Discount deluge According to the daily deal data aggregator Yipit, four of the biggest players sold close to $210m (£135m) worth of coupons in the US in October. The firms surveyed were Groupon, Livingsocial, Amazonlocal and Google Offers. Mr Thompson said Paypal's service would be "different" because the firm would only offer unique and relevant offers rather than "bombard" its members. A spokesman for the company hinted it might launch coupons in the UK soon after the US. "We don't have any specific plans to bring this to the UK at this stage," said spokesman Rob Skinner. "But Britain is Paypal's second biggest market after the United States, and the past shows that the big developments in the US tends to travel across the Atlantic to the UK very quickly." Although analysts forecast growth for the sector, they have repeatedly warned that the firms involved are likely to face increasing competition because the barrier to entry is relatively low. In the past two years KGB Deals, Time Out, Grabone, the Telegraph newspaper, Discountvouchers, STV and Mightydeals are among those to have started targeting the UK public with discounted coupon offers. Directed deals However, while it may be relatively easy to enter the market, some firms are finding it hard to replicate Groupon and Livingsocial's success. "Daily deals are hard to do - the key to success is flawless execution of the sales process," said Shane Hayes, founder of the deal aggregator service Siftie. "Groupon has proved it can do this and its barrier to entry is more than 5,000 local sales people knocking around doors of businesses around the world. "What we will probably see is next is 'Daily deals 2.0' where things like better targeting, using consumer data, will be used to change consumers' experience of the phenomenon. This may give Paypal an opportunity." In the meantime Groupon intends to maintain its lead by increasing its range of offers. Earlier this week, the firm made headlines when it offered a pair of business class tickets to fly around the world with up to 10 stopovers. The asking price was $20,000 (£12,900). | ऑनलाइन भुगतान सेवा पेपैल छूट कूपन बाजार में प्रवेश करने की योजना बना रहा है। |
world-africa-46071479 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46071479 | South Africa's 'toxic' race relations | BBC Africa editor Fergal Keane visits South Africa's conservative rural areas nearly 25 years after white-minority rule ended, and finds that racism is still deeply embedded but there are also symbols of racial reconciliation. | It was a young boy who noticed us and ran to tell his father. Around 10 years old, blond-haired and barefoot, he rushed indoors. The child looked scared. It was dusk and we were strangers. I caught sight of him in the rear-view mirror as we drove along the dirt road that ran past the tall steel fence that encircled their home. Maybe 10 minutes later, a car approached from behind. Headlights flashed, beckoning us to stop. Revolver on hip We pulled up within a few yards of each other. It was an old car, a Toyota from the 1990s. Beaten and rusted, it is a vehicle of the rural poor. A young white man got out. He wore a baseball cap pulled down over his forehead and his right hand sat on the revolver strapped to his hip. There was a young woman with a baby on her lap in the front seat. She looked exhausted, her hair lank and eyes struggling to stay open. The child was ill, coughing and its face covered in red blotches. I saw the man relax as I got out of the car and approached him. I greeted him in Afrikaans. The hand came away from his hip. "You frightened them, you know," he said, pointing towards the house. "They called up on the radio and we came to check on you. They didn't know who you was. We talk to each other on the radio." He said there had been farm attacks in the area. There was constant theft. The young man pointed across the railway tracks to where the fields were now dissolving into the dark. "The farmer over there, if he sees anyone on his land, he is likely to just take a shot. He will fire at anything. Be more careful, man," he said. 'We will level them with the gravel' This was near Potchefstroom on the "platteland" - an Afrikaans word which refers to the great rolling heartland encompassing vast swathes of the South African interior. More than 20 years after watching black and white leaders negotiate an end to the racist system of apartheid, I was driving west of the main city, Johannesburg, to test how much had changed in what had been the most conservative part of South Africa. Potchefstroom, Ventersdorp, Fochville and numerous other towns and villages had provided the muscle for an abortive right-wing rebellion. The leader of the neo-Nazi Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB), Eugene Terreblanche, had sworn never to surrender to black rule. "We will level them with the gravel," I'd heard him declare one hot afternoon in Ventersdorp. There were threats to set up white republics. But the rebellion failed, snuffed out when a black soldier killed three AWB members in cold blood on a rural road and terrified the rest into going home and living with the new dispensation. This was after AWB members shot civilians in and around the platteland town of Mafeking in March 1994. Resenting inequality Terreblanche was murdered 16 years later by one of his own workers. His movement splintered, shrank and became irrelevant. Most Afrikaners accepted the compromise which led to black majority rule. But travelling across the platteland, it is obvious that while dreams of white secession have evaporated, there is much that is unchanged. I was going back to a place where many black people resent the inequality which keeps 67% of arable farmland in white hands, and where white people fear violent attack and dispossession. It is not that South Africa has become newly racist, unequal or violent. It was always all of these things. The violence of racial discrimination and the resentment it bred are part of the nation's DNA. 'Beaten unconscious' Social media has provided an outlet for amplifying the crudest racial slurs and anger over corruption and inequality have stoked an increasingly febrile environment. What is striking is the way in which racial resentment can still be so brutally expressed. Last February a 22-year-old black athlete, Thabang Mosiako, was walking with some friends in Potchefstroom when he saw a shop assistant being insulted by a group of young white men. It was a Saturday night. When Mr Mosiako and a friend intervened, they were set upon. "They were hitting me until I was unconscious," he remembered. "Then I woke up in the hospital, not knowing what happened." His friend, also an athlete, suffered a broken arm. Mr Mosiako runs for South Africa and lost three months from his training because of the beating he received. Worse, he says, is the lingering trauma and fear when he sees groups of white men. "I feel really scared. I can't even go to town alone. I don't know when and where will they come back again." 'Alcohol thrown' Travel 300km (186 miles) north-east to the town of Middelburg and you learn that racist violence can still be lethal. The town has some bad history. In August 2016 two white farmers were filmed beating and then forcing a black man into a coffin in which they told him he would be buried alive. They were given sentences of 11 and 14 years. In another case, Xolisile Ndongzana, 26, was driving home in Middleburg one night last July when he found the road blocked by a group of white men. They approached the car and threw alcohol through the open window, drenching the occupants. Mr Ndongzana was dragged out. His friend, Laurence Nelumoni, witnessed the violence. "They pulled out my friend and beat him. When I tried to save him, it was too late. They used all these 'k-words' - black, kaffir, everything. It was terrible." The "k-word" was the most offensive racial slur used to humiliate black people during the apartheid years. It is a symbol of de-humanisation. Mr Ndongzana died of his injuries. The white attackers have yet to be charged. Mr Nelumoni is rueful when I ask if those who witnessed the end of apartheid were wrong to believe in a "rainbow nation" - the multiracial patchwork of peaceful co-operating groups. "You were wrong. It's not a rainbow nation. Whites still have more powers." What was apartheid? As so often in this country, and in this particular place, there are competing narratives of fear. The white farmers of the platteland worry that their land will be seized under government proposals to take property without compensation. Inflammatory words Populist politicians in the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and some local leaders of the governing African Nationalist Congress (ANC) have been accused of stoking racial tensions. The South African Human Rights Commission is taking one radical black leader to court over comments he made calling for the killing of white people. Andile Mngxitama, who leads the Black Land First organisation, represents a political fringe but his comments have received widespread publicity and heightened racial tensions. The attacks on white farms - long a feature of rural life - have deepened a sense of alienation from the government on the part of some white farms. Right-wing groups have spread the myth of a white genocide abroad. There is no genocide but there is genuine fear of physical attack and dispossession. More on race relations: Bernadette Hall witnessed the murder of her husband on their farm near Fochville in 2012. Her land is parched and browned from a long southern winter without rain. The cattle are lean. We are standing outside the dairy building where Mrs Hall witnessed her husband's death. "They beat him and he fought with them. But by the end he was on his knees and the one black guy just shot him," she said. She was beaten and tied up as the attackers hunted for money and guns. They found neither. Her two sons live in the nearby town and constantly urge their mother to move away from the farm. But she will not go. "This is my land. I didn't steal it. Why should I move? I belong here," Mrs Hall said. Capacity to surprise Had I left at that moment, I would have come away with an impression of a world incapable of change. The angry racist outbursts and the constant discussion of race on social media give the country a claustrophobic feel these days. But a recent opinion poll by the South African Institute of Race Relations think tank gives some cause for hope. The telephone survey found that 77% of black respondents had never "personally experienced racism directed against them". The same percentage said that "with better education and more jobs, the differences between the races will disappear". Another survey by Afrobarometer found that 92% of South Africans expressed themselves as tolerant towards other ethnicities. Then something happened on our platteland journey. It was at once surprising and yet strangely familiar, a testament to this country's endless capacity to surprise. Earlier we had spotted a bush fire sending a huge cloud of white smoke into the pale blue of the sky. It seemed to be growing in strength. There was a call to Mrs Hall's phone. The man on the other end was speaking Afrikaans and talking about the fire. "Come on. He needs help," she said. 'Great neighbours' We headed in the direction of the smoke. Mrs Hall led the way in her "bakkie" - the ubiquitous pickup jeeps of the platteland - and in a few minutes we were in the middle of the fire and Mrs Hall was shaking the hands of a black man who was fighting the flames. "This is Firi. He's my neighbour," she said. Firi Lekhetha owned the land next to Mrs Hall. He was a young man who had emigrated to the UK to play professional rugby, earned some money and returned to try his hand at farming under a government scheme to encourage black farmers. Soon other white people were arriving and local black farm workers too. The flames were advancing towards Mr Lekhetha's home. Together the group fought them back. They knew the truth of the platteland fire. It spreads. It does not respect fences. "These are great neighbours," Mr Lekhetha shouted to me. "They are always here for me." The flames subsided. Exhausted people slumped on the ground or leaned against bakkies. Mr Lekhetha and Mrs Hall shook hands. He thanked her for the help; she thanked him for the loan of some petrol. I began to ask about the problems of racial animosity on the platteland. Mrs Hall interrupted: "What animosity do you see here? None. There's none." It would be wrong to read too much into the dynamics of a single incident. As I saw earlier in the journey, racism remains pervasive and toxic in South Africa. But the symbol of a fire that consumes all - irrespective of race - is a potent one for this country. As much as they did in 1994, at a time of historic compromise, South Africans need each other. | बीबीसी अफ्रीका के संपादक फर्गल कीन ने श्वेत-अल्पसंख्यक शासन समाप्त होने के लगभग 25 साल बाद दक्षिण अफ्रीका के रूढ़िवादी ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों का दौरा किया और पाया कि नस्लवाद अभी भी गहराई से अंतर्निहित है लेकिन नस्लीय सुलह के प्रतीक भी हैं। |
uk-england-london-35151927 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-35151927 | Hunt for London's 12 'most evasive' burglary suspects | Twelve of London's "most evasive" burglary suspects, including a man who stole more than £10,000 worth of Asian gold, are being hunted by the Met. | The force has released images of the suspects and said the stolen gold, worth a lot for sentimental reasons, is "irreplaceable". A 39-year-old man is being hunted in connection with the crime. More than 1,400 people were arrested over burglary offences from 21 September to 14 December, the Met said. Suspects photographed, left to right: Top row Second row Third row Simon Letchford at the Met's Territorial Policing arm said he was stepping up efforts to find and arrest "outstanding wanted suspects" to tackle burglary in the run up to Christmas. He asked anyone with information to get in touch. Mr Letchford added: "We will use every means at our disposal to catch those wanted so they can face justice, so our message is clear, 'if your face is on this list, hand yourself in - don't ruin Christmas for your family'." | लंदन के "सबसे बचकाने" चोरी के संदिग्धों में से बारह, जिनमें एक व्यक्ति भी शामिल है जिसने 10,000 पाउंड से अधिक का एशियाई सोना चुराया था, का मेट द्वारा शिकार किया जा रहा है। |
uk-scotland-highlands-islands-41387181 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-41387181 | Actress reveals how she won her role in Star Wars | Popular culture festival, Fort Con 2, takes place in Fort William this Saturday. One of its guests, American actress Gloria Garcia, has appeared in EastEnders, Bond film Spectre and secured a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens thanks to her former career as a US sheriff. | By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Garcia is looking forward to making her first visit to the Scottish Highlands. "How exciting, right?" she says. "I'm waiting for the kilts and bagpipes and good medieval stories." Garcia admits to being a newcomer to the comic convention circuit. She attended her first event only last year and last week was at Sci-Fi Wales. Fort Con 2 will be her third time. "I feel so lucky as it is a very tight network," she says of her invites to events popular with fans of comic books, film and TV shows. "I guess my name was coming up and people were like 'Yeah lets get her in'," she adds, laughing. "I feel so fortunate. It's pretty spectacular being a part of Star Wars fandom." 'Changed my life' Garcia's fandom comes from her appearance in the opening scenes of 2015's JJ Abrams-directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Her character is caught up in a battle to save a village on the desert planet Jakku from an invading force of the villainous First Order. But, while auditioning as an extra for the film, Garcia feared she had ruined her chances during an encounter with the director. "There was a moment when director Abrams gathered some of the girls and there were a bunch of 'weapons' lying around and he said: 'Alright pick em up'," says Garcia. "Well, I had a 'gun' and I cocked it and pointed it straight at him. "He looked over at me and says: 'You look like your gonna kill me'. I thought 'oh great I'm being fired as an extra'." But later the director pulled Garcia aside and introduced himself. 'Boom. There you are' Garcia says: "He asked me what I used to do for a living. I said I used to be a Chicago sheriff in the Cook County Sheriff Department. He almost fell over. "The next thing, he was directing me in what was my feature shot. The rest as they say is history. He single-handedly changed my life forever." She adds: "When I win an Oscar he will be the first person I thank." Garcia, who had previously played a police officer in EastEnders and was Monica Bellucci's stand-in in Spectre, said her part in The Force Awakens will live with her forever. "There was a moment when I heard someone calling my name 'Gloria , Gloria...' I thought 'Who is calling me?' and it was JJ Abrams. "He waved me over and showed me on the camera my shot and he said: 'Boom. There you are'. "But truly there are so many moments both on set and the movie itself that I will never forget. "Watching on the big screen the Stormtroopers coming out of the ship to attack Jakku - to see that on set and on the big screen was quite unforgettable." Looking ahead to Saturday's Fort Con 2, she says: "There is no greater reward then being able to meet all the Star Wars fans in person. "They are incredible people all with their own stories. I love them. I would not be if it weren't for them." | लोकप्रिय संस्कृति महोत्सव, फोर्ट कॉन 2, इस शनिवार को फोर्ट विलियम में आयोजित किया जाता है। इसके मेहमानों में से एक, अमेरिकी अभिनेत्री ग्लोरिया गार्सिया, ईस्टएंडर्स, बॉन्ड फिल्म स्पेक्टर में दिखाई दी हैं और उन्होंने अमेरिकी शेरिफ के रूप में अपने पूर्व करियर की बदौलत स्टार वार्सः द फोर्स अवेकन्स में एक भूमिका हासिल की है। |
uk-wales-north-east-wales-35441159 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-35441159 | Wrexham police station art gallery plans get go-ahead | Plans to convert an art gallery into a new home for Wrexham's town centre police station have been approved. | Wrrexham council voted in favour of moving the police station to the former Oriel Wrecsam building on Monday. Plans had been put on hold on 4 January due to concerns over disabled parking. The council-run gallery has already been temporarily relocated and will eventually move to a new arts and culture hub planned for the town. The police's town centre tower block offices are to be demolished. | रेक्सम के टाउन सेंटर पुलिस स्टेशन के लिए एक आर्ट गैलरी को एक नए घर में बदलने की योजना को मंजूरी दी गई है। |
uk-england-25762151 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25762151 | WW1 brothels: Why troops ignored calls to resist 'temptation' | When British soldiers set off for the trenches in 1914, folded inside each of their Pay Books was a short message. It contained a piece of homely advice, written by the Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener. | By Dr Clare MakepeaceCultural historian on warfare "In this new experience you may find temptations both in wine and women. You must entirely resist both." In his memoirs Private Frank Richards, who served continuously on the Western Front, recorded men's responses to these words: "They may as well have not been issued for all the notice we took of them." Visiting prostitutes is a little-known and little-discussed aspect of life on the Western Front, but it was a key part of the British soldiers' war experience. Licensed brothels had existed in France since the mid-19th Century - the war saw the trade flourish. 'Not monks' "Immorality in Boulogne is as prevalent as death in the line," recorded Brig Gen Frank Percy Crozier, who arrived on the Western Front in 1915. ''Rouen has been ruinous to my purse (not to mention my morals)," confided James H. Butlin, a lieutenant who, in 1914, swapped his place at Oxford University for one in the trenches. "But I have enjoyed myself," he confessed. Brothels displayed blue lamps if they were for officers and red lamps for other ranks. Outside red lamp establishments, queues or crowds of men were often seen. Cpl Jack Wood compared the scene he witnessed to "a crowd, waiting for a cup tie at a football final in Blighty". Others saw brothel visits as a physical necessity - it was an era when sexual abstinence for men was considered harmful to their health. Lt R. G. Dixon explained in his memoir: "We were not monks, but fighting soldiers and extraordinarily fit, fitter than we had been in our young lives, and fairly tough - certainly with an abundance of physical energy. "If bought love is no substitute for the real thing, it at any rate seemed better than nothing. And in any case it worked off steam!" 'Presence of death' Physical need made it more acceptable for married men, rather than single men, to visit prostitutes. Cpl Bert Chaney, while he surveyed a queue of soldiers outside one red lamp brothel, was told by those who waited in line "these places were not for young lads like me, but for married men who were missing their wives". Brothels were also places where soldiers went to spend what could be their final mortal hours. Twenty-four hours before the major British offensive of the Battle of Loos, Pte Richards saw "three hundred men in a queue, all waiting their turns to go in the Red Lamp". Lt Dixon described how "we were consistently in the presence of death, and no man knew when his turn might come. "I suppose that subconsciously we wanted as much of life as we could get while we still had life." The war poet, Capt Robert Graves, recorded how this life experience was particularly urgent for some: "There were no restraints in France; these boys had money to spend and knew that they stood a good chance of being killed within a few weeks anyhow. "They did not want to die virgins.' Brothel visits could also be a way to avoid death. They gave soldiers a chance to swap time in the trenches for a few weeks in a hospital bed. According to Gunner Rowland Myrddyn Luther, who enlisted in September 1914, and served through to the Allied advance of 1918, a great many soldiers were prepared to chance venereal disease, rather than face a return to the front. 'Belonged to war' "The total number thus infected must have been stupendous, both officers and men alike. "In fact the contraction of such a disease seemed sought after, even if only to keep a man from the front during treatment." The numbers infected were indeed quite "stupendous". Around 400,000 cases of venereal disease were treated during the course of the war. In 1916, one in five of all admissions of British and dominion troops to hospitals in France and Belgium were for VD. But, succumbing to the temptation Kitchener had warned against was, for many, confined to the extraordinary circumstances of war. For Lt Dixon "the business was compartmentalised - it was, as it were, shut off from normal human relationships, and belonged to this lunatic world of war and to nowhere else." The visits of Tommies and their officers to brothels are unlikely to receive attention in the World War One centenary, but they should. Pte Percy Clare included "the subject" in his memoir because he was "writing faithfully of our life in France". As he summed it up "it is better to know the truth". | 1914 में जब ब्रिटिश सैनिक खाइयों के लिए रवाना हुए, तो उनकी प्रत्येक वेतन पुस्तिका के अंदर एक छोटा सा संदेश था। इसमें गृह संबंधी सलाह का एक टुकड़ा था, जिसे युद्ध सचिव, लॉर्ड किचनर ने लिखा था। |
uk-england-devon-43855623 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-43855623 | Firefighters tackle 'two-mile long' Dartmoor gorse fire | Firefighters have been tackling a "two-mile long" gorse fire in Devon, a fire service has said. | People were urged to avoid Watern Tor on Dartmoor while the blaze was brought under control. The National Police Air Service (NPAS) in Exeter was called to assist Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service at 13:00 BST. Residents said smoke could be "seen for miles" but there was "no threat" to the public, the NPAS said. | अग्निशमन सेवा ने कहा है कि दमकलकर्मी डेवोन में "दो मील लंबी" गोर्स आग से निपट रहे हैं। |
uk-england-40485543 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40485543 | The landmarks that mean you're nearly home | They're the sights that mean the journey's end is near and the comforts of home await. From towers to trees and works of art, BBC News takes a trip around some of your favourite roadside landmarks that loom large above the landscape. | By Amy GladwellBBC News Cookworthy Knapp, Devon The copse of 140 beech trees stands proudly atop a hillside to the south of the A30 at Lifton on the approach to Cornwall from Devon. Local historians believe the trees were planted in about 1900, either as a landscape feature to mark the northern edge of the Lifton Park Estate, or as cover for pheasants. Artist Katy Stoneman, who is from the area, said: "They are known to my children as 'Mummy's trees' because of my paintings. "As it is such an iconic view and means so much to visitors and locals alike, it is known by many different names: 'Cornwall beyond', 'Grandma's trees', 'nearly home'," she said. Diana Kempster, from Launceston, said: "We used to think it was 'our copse' (small-minded arrogance!) and would chirp out 'nearly there'. "There is something almost ethereal and otherworldly about the copse... counting everyone safely in then bidding them a safe goodbye." Transmitter at Emley Moor, West Yorkshire The Arqiva Tower transmitter, which overlooks the Pennines and West Yorkshire, is known by locals as the Emley Moor Mast. The 1,083ft (330m) Grade II-listed structure is taller than The Shard in London. Its television coverage area is one of the largest in the UK, serving most of Yorkshire including Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York. Emily Wells told the BBC: "I've lived in Flockton all my life so see it every day from my window. Driving past, I never tire of slowing down and looking up. "I went up a couple of years ago, which was amazing. I cried as we walked out on to the gallery as it took my breath away." Teacher Lindsay Burrell said: "I grew up in the shadow of the mast for nearly 20 years. As a child we used to play 'first to spot the mast wins' on journeys back home from visiting family or going on holiday." Vikki Brown said: "I suppose it is a bit of a constant in a mad world, and, crazy as it might sound, it feels as though there's an invisible string that tethers me to it." Jill Kynaston, 60, said: "My mum used to cry when she saw the mast after fab holidays because we were nearly home and the holiday was definitely over." Kate Watto, 40, recalled that when she was a child her father made a video of their new house in Emley including footage of the mast, complete with a classical music soundtrack. "As we turned down the hill from Wakefield and caught sight of the mast for the first time, we knew we were nearly home and we all started singing the main theme," she said. "From then on this was our soundtrack whenever we spotted the mast after a trip away." Didcot Power Station, Oxfordshire The site's chimney is one of the tallest structures in the UK and its three remaining cooling towers - which are due to be demolished - can be seen from miles around. The coal-fired Didcot A power station was turned off in 2013, after 43 years in service. During demolition work on the site in February 2016, four men were killed when part of a boiler house collapsed. Francis Caton, from Abingdon, said he had an emotional association with the site. "I was sent away to boarding school in York, where I was bullied without respite," he said. "On my long train journey home from York to Didcot at the end of each term, I used to view the lights of the power station in the night sky from the open train window from Oxford onwards, watching them get slowly closer with each clickety-clack of the train's wheels whilst the wind whistled through my hair, knowing that when I finally reached the lights I would be safe." Emily Rees, 35, from Oxford, said: "I am nostalgically attached to the cooling towers now. "They are such a big part of the horizon and can be pretty striking when the morning sun hits them." Glastonbury Tor, Somerset Glastonbury Tor has been a location of religious significance for more than 1,000 years and is known as "one of the most spiritual sites in the country", according to the National Trust. Pagan beliefs are still "very much celebrated" at the tor and legend has it King Arthur and his knights of the round table also visited it, the trust said. Bethany Dawes said: "It has inspired a monument in a story I am writing, it is that special... we also recently released the ashes of our family dog around the tor." Kate Cook told the BBC: "I lived in Glastonbury all my life until six years ago... coming down over Wells Hill, my heart skips a beat as I know I'm home. "My memories are climbing the tor nearly every day in the school summer holidays with our jam sandwiches and a bottle of water. Then we would roly-poly down the hill," she said. Hazel Cutting said: "My husband used to live in Glastonbury. The tor was visible whilst we were on the M5 when I was taking the kids down for the weekend. "I get butterflies when I see it." 'Give peas a chance' graffiti, Buckinghamshire "Peas" was reportedly the name of a London graffiti artist who daubed his name on the M25's only Edwardian bridge, between junctions 16 and 17, near Uxbridge. The words "give" and "a chance" were added later, with the amended graffiti thought to refer to his frequent arrests, according to a historic building report by Oxford Archaeology. The "Peas" tag can been seen in several places, particularly on other bridges. The bridge has its own Facebook page with about 6,500 followers. Anne Bradford said: "This is a special bridge that marks some family memories of journeys along this part of the motorway." Angel of the North, Tyne and Wear The iconic 200-tonne steel angel has loomed over the A1 in Gateshead since 1998. The sculpture, which is 20 metres tall and has wings measuring 54 metres across, has become a much-loved piece of public art. Dan Homarus said: "The Angel means so much to me... any time I drive back to the 'Toon' now, the sight of the Angel brings back a decade of memories. "It's one of my favourite pieces of outdoor art in the UK: it epitomises the North East with its rusty elegance, flying out of the old coalmine of the past. I love it." For Liam Heenan, from Newcastle, the first glimpse of the Angel is a welcome reminder he is nearly home. "When you have driven all day up the M1 and A1, the sight of the Angel of the North to your right means you're only 10 minutes away from a deserved cuppa," he said. Rachel Wearmouth said: "It is like a relative that you are forced to see at Christmas, and when you do you're glad they're weathering life so well. "It keeps on keeping on, much like me Mam and the poor old commuters stuck in traffic on the A1 every morning." This story was inspired by responses to How do you know when you're nearly home? | ये वे दृश्य हैं जिनका मतलब है कि यात्रा का अंत निकट है और घर के आराम का इंतजार है। मीनारों से लेकर पेड़ों और कलाकृतियों तक, बीबीसी न्यूज़ सड़क के किनारे आपके कुछ पसंदीदा स्थलों की यात्रा करता है जो परिदृश्य के ऊपर बड़े हैं। |
uk-politics-eu-referendum-36574526 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36574526 | Eight reasons Leave won the UK's referendum on the EU | The UK has voted to quit the European Union following a referendum on its membership. So how did the Leave campaign win? | 1. Brexit economic warnings backfire What started off as a trickle soon became a steady stream and ended up as a flood. The public was bombarded with warnings about how they would be poorer if they voted to leave the EU but, in the end, weren't convinced by what they were told and/or believed it was a price worth paying. The CBI, the IMF, the OECD, the IFS - an alphabet soup of experts lined up to say economic growth would be hobbled, unemployment would go up, the pound would plummet and British business would be left in a no man's land outside the EU. The Bank of England raised the prospect of a recession while The Treasury said it would be forced to put income tax up and slash spending on the NHS, schools and defence. If that wasn't enough, President Obama suggested the UK would go to the "back of the queue" in terms of securing a trade deal with the US while top EU official Donald Tusk hinted at the end of Western political civilization. Some on the Remain side accepted this was overkill and that so-called "Project Fear" had got a bit out of hand while the Leave campaign was quick to dismiss the naysayers as wealthy, unaccountable elites with their own vested interests talking down Britain. But the fact the public discounted so readily the advice of experts points to something more than just a revolt against the establishment. It suggested far more people felt left behind and untouched by the economic benefits of five decades of EU involvement being trumpeted. How will Brexit affect your finances? 2. £350m NHS claim gets traction The assertion that leaving the EU would free up £350m a week extra to spend on the NHS is the kind of political slogan that campaigns dream of: striking, easy to understand and attractive to voters of different ages and political persuasions. No surprise then that Vote Leave chose to splash it across the side of their battle bus. The fact that the claim does not stand up to much scrutiny - the figure is calculated using sums which were disputed by the Treasury Select Committee and described as potentially misleading by the UK Statistics Authority - did not reduce its potency. Remain campaigner Angela Eagle may have told her opponents to "get that lie off your bus" but polling suggests it gained traction and was the single most remembered figure from the campaign, with many people believing that money handed over to the EU to be a member should be spent in the UK instead. In that sense, it served as a powerful illustration of how the UK could be better off outside the EU. 3. Farage makes immigration the defining issue If they didn't quite bet the farm on the issue of immigration, Leave played what they knew was their trump card often and they played it successfully. The issue fed into wider questions of national and cultural identity, which suited Leave's message - particularly to lower income voters. The result suggested that concerns about levels of migration into the UK over the past 10 years, their impact on society, and what might happen in the next 20 years were more widely felt and ran even deeper than people had suspected. Just as crucially, it suggested Leave's central argument that the UK cannot control the number of people coming into the country while remaining in the EU really hit home. Turkey was a key weapon in Leave's armoury and, although claims that the UK would not be able to stop it entering the EU were firmly denied, there was enough uncertainty about this - a fact that the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe unquestionably fed into. The language and imagery used by the Leave campaign came in for criticism and there were recurring tensions between the Conservative dominated official Leave movement, Nigel Farage's UKIP roadshow and the separate Leave.EU group. But their various messages resonated and segued with their central proposition that a vote to leave was a once in a generation chance to take control and assert national sovereignty. 4. Public stop listening to PM David Cameron may have won one leadership contest, one (or two if you include the 2010 coalition-forming one) general elections and two referendums in the past ten years but this was the moment his luck ran out. By putting himself front and centre of the Remain campaign, and framing the decision as a question of trust, he staked his political future and personal reputation on the outcome. Having put so much store on his ability to secure a fundamental change in the UK's relationship with the EU, it was inevitable that the concessions he came back with following nine months of negotiations would be dismissed as a damp squib by Eurosceptics in his party. But this summed up a deeper problem. Having constantly stated that he would "not rule anything out" if he didn't get what he wanted, trying to enthuse the UK to stay in on the basis of reforms most believed were modest at best was always going to be a difficult sell. Throughout the process, he found himself at odds with many Conservatives who have never quite reconciled themselves to his decision to go into coalition after the 2010 election and the compromises that brought. Unsuited to winning over Labour supporters, the prime minister was not able to persuade enough floating voters to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was his failure to get the outcome he wanted, coupled with his desire to try and unify the country after the bruising campaign, that prompted him to say he would stand down as PM by October. 5. Labour fail to connect with voters The Remain campaign always needed Labour voters to win the referendum and the fact that they did not play ball will be the subject of a long and acrimonious post-mortem within the opposition. Not only did Labour - 90% of whose MPs backed staying in the EU - badly misjudge the mood of its supporters, when it realised something was wrong during the campaign, it was unable to do much about it. Despite sending in big beasts such as Gordon Brown and Sadiq Khan to talk up the benefits of the EU, and hinting that further controls on immigration would be needed, it was unable to shift the impression of a growing schism between those running the party and its base. Although Alan Johnson, the head of Labour In, has been singled out for criticism, it is likely that Jeremy Corbyn - who declined to share a platform with pro-EU politicians of other parties - will take most of the blame. Critics have said his lukewarm support for the EU - which he summed up as 7 out of ten in one appearance - filtered through to the entire campaign and his emphasis on the need for a "social Europe" simply did not resonate with enough people. 6. Big beasts - Boris Johnson and Michael Gove We always knew a handful of cabinet ministers would support Brexit but it was Michael Gove and Boris Johnson's declaration of support which really put rocket boosters under the campaign. The justice secretary brought intellectual heft and strategic nous to the table while the former mayor of London, after a bout of soul-searching, brought star appeal and ability to appeal across the party divide. The two men were deployed deftly, Boris Johnson cast in the role of foot soldier as he criss-crossed the country on the Vote Leave bus, pulling pints and brandishing cornish pasties in his wake. Meanwhile, Mr Gove did much of the heavy lifting, helping to put together Leave's post-Brexit manifesto as well as facing the public in TV referendum specials on Sky News and the BBC. Then there was Nigel Farage, the face of Euroscepticism in the UK but also a potential loose cannon for the Conservative dominated official campaign? The UKIP leader, as is his forte, did his own thing and occasionally provoked controversy but also played a vital role on the ground in motivating his party's supporters and numerous others to go to the polls. 7. Older voters flock to polls While experts will pore over the finer details of turnout over the coming days and weeks, the cry will inevitably go up that it was older voters which won it for Leave - particularly in the south, south-west, Midlands and the north east. It is a matter of fact that the older you are, the more likely you are to make the effort to vote - 78% of those 65 or over voted in the 2015 election, compared with 43% of 18-24 year olds and 54% of 25-34 year olds. Despite the last minute rush to register - which saw 2.6 million people sign up, many of them younger voters, between 15 May and the extended deadline of 9 June - the breakdown may not be radically different this time. Factor in research suggesting that support for Brexit was significantly higher among those aged 55 and over than among younger age groups - three out of every five voters aged 65 or over said they wanted to leave - then you have the foundation for Friday's result. Of course, it is not as simple as that, with many younger voters will also have supported Brexit across England and Wales. But a big inter-generational divide in voting patterns is just one of the many talking points going forward. 8. Europe always slightly alien The UK's relationship with Europe has never been simple nor static. It took the country years to join what was then the European Community and, even then, when it was last put to the vote in 1975 many backed it grudgingly or for narrow economic reasons. Many of those have since changed their minds, with their earlier ambivalence turning into outright hostility. There have been decades of scepticism towards the EU among politicians and in large parts of the UK media. The younger generation were generally seen as pro-EU but it remains to be seen - once the details of the voting is looked into - how the result broke down by age. What appears clear from the campaign is that the vote to Leave was as much a statement about the country's national identity, and all that involves, as it was about its economic and political future. | ब्रिटेन ने अपनी सदस्यता पर जनमत संग्रह के बाद यूरोपीय संघ छोड़ने के लिए मतदान किया है। तो छोड़ अभियान कैसे जीता? |
health-24162508 | https://www.bbc.com/news/health-24162508 | 'Sleep - key to tackling obesity' | The focus in the fight to tackle obesity tends to be diet and exercise. But what about sleep? In this week's Scrubbing Up, Dr Neil Stanley argues getting a good night's rest is just as important. | By Dr Neil StanleyIndependent sleep expert It is an undeniable fact that we have a problem with obesity in the UK. The government and the NHS rightly believe that for the health of the nation, levels of obesity need to be reduced. So we have campaigns based on eating less and more healthily, such as "5-a-day" and exercise - "10,000 steps a day" and the "Change for Life" initiative. However, given recent reports, these efforts, whilst very well-meaning, are seemingly having absolutely no effect on reducing levels of obesity or increasing rates of exercising. The conventional line is that this is because we are all victims of the "aggressive advertising" and "easy availability" of sugary and fatty foods and/or that we are addicted to computer games/TV/Facebook etc. It is possibly true that in the past we did move a bit more than modern children, but I seem to remember that sugary and fatty foods were just as "aggressively" advertised and easily available. 'Hunger hormones' My "bog-standard" comprehensive school had a tuck shop and there were plenty of local shops selling a myriad of sugary and fatty comestibles for our delectation. Perhaps there is some other reason why the "eat less, move more" advice is not working. What if we simply cannot help ourselves? And that, from a physiological point of view, we actually crave junk food and don't want to exercise? So what might be the answer? Numerous studies have shown a significant association between short sleep duration and being overweight or obese in both children and adults. And I believe that it is more than coincidence that, over the last 40 years, as there has been a reduction in our sleep duration, there has also been a rise is the number of people who are overweight or obese. Using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), poor sleep has been shown to affect the brain areas responsible for complex decision-making and response to rewards causing us to favour unhealthy foods. Apple - or cupcake? Poor sleep also causes changes in the levels of our hunger hormones. There is a decrease in the level of leptin - which regulates food intake and signals when we have enough food, while the level of ghrelin - which stimulates appetite, fat production and body growth - rises. Research suggests this causes 24% higher feelings of hunger, a 23% increase in overall appetite but a 33% increased desire for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods making us feel that we have had insufficient food and thus encouraging us to increase food intake. Short sleep has also been shown to increase our urge to snack between meals and causes us to excessively season our food, eat fewer vegetables, buy more junk food and buy more food overall. So the availability and advertising of junk food is seen as the problem. However, the simple fact is that because of poor sleep, you may actually physiologically want to eat these foods regardless of the efforts of the multi-national purveyors of junk food - though this is in no way trying to absolve them of their responsibilities. But be honest - when you are sleepy, which would you prefer: an apple or a cupcake? The "eat less, move more" message, no matter how it is presented and how much money is spent on its promotion, is obviously not working - and I would contend that, in isolation, it cannot work. Up until now, there has been no serious government or NHS advice or guidance about sleep, no multi-million pound campaigns - they haven't even appointed a scientist off the telly as a "Sleep Tsar". I believe that if we are serious about reducing the weight of the nation and increasing rates of exercise, we need to address the issue of poor sleep. Isn't it is time for a new approach - "eat less, move more, sleep well"? | मोटापे से निपटने की लड़ाई में ध्यान आहार और व्यायाम पर केंद्रित होता है। लेकिन नींद के बारे में क्या? इस सप्ताह के स्क्रबिंग अप में, डॉ नील स्टेनली का तर्क है कि रात का अच्छा आराम करना भी उतना ही महत्वपूर्ण है। |
blogs-trending-37929982 | https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-37929982 | US Election 2016: Michelle Obama in 2020? | Are you glad that the US election is finally over? | By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why Well don't look now, because the next one is just around the corner. The potential first shots of the next campaign were fired online in the hours after Donald Trump's victory became clear when hundreds of thousands took to social media to urge the current first lady to run for President in 2020. "Perfect conditions for Michelle Obama to win 2020 elections," read one comment. Another said simply: "Michelle Obama 2020 please Michelle Obama 2020 please Michelle Obama 2020 please". Mrs Obama is that extreme rarity, a popular figure in America's political landscape. Her favourability rating, pegged by Gallup at 64 percent, is significantly higher than that of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or even her husband. There's one small problem for the first lady's supporters, however. In March, she said she had no interest in the top job. On the other hand, a few things have changed since then. Blog by Mike Wendling More US election coverage from BBC Trending: The American Brexit In the final days of his campaign, Donald Trump promised a victory that would be "Brexit plus plus plus" - after his win at the polls it didn't take long for Americans and Brits to pick up the theme.READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | क्या आप खुश हैं कि अमेरिकी चुनाव आखिरकार समाप्त हो गया है? |
science-environment-42362334 | https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42362334 | Rocket rumbles give volcanic insights | What do volcanoes and rockets have in common? | By Jonathan AmosBBC Science Correspondent, New Orleans "Volcanoes have a nozzle aimed at the sky, and rockets have a nozzle aimed at the ground," explains Steve McNutt, a geosciences professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. It explains why he and colleague Dr Glenn Thompson have installed the tools normally used to study eruptions at the famous Kennedy Space Center. Comparing the different types of rumblings could yield new insights. In the case of rockets, the team thinks their seismometers and infrasound (low-frequency acoustic waves) detectors might potentially be used by the space companies as a different type of diagnostic tool, to better understand the performance of their vehicles; or perhaps as a way to identify missiles in flight. In the case of volcanoes, the idea is to take the lessons learned at Kennedy and fine-tune the algorithms used to interpret what is happening in an eruption. It might even be possible to develop systems that give early warnings of some of the dangerous debris flows associated with volcanoes. "It all started really as a way to test and calibrate our equipment," says Glenn. "We don't have any volcanoes in South Florida - obviously. But Kennedy provided some strong sources, and it also gave our students the opportunity to learn how to deploy stations and work with the data." The team has now recorded the seismic and acoustic signals emanating from about a dozen rockets. Most have been associated with launches; a few have been related to what are called static fire tests, in which the engines on a clamped vehicle are briefly ignited to check they are flight-ready. But perhaps the most fascinating event captured so far was the SpaceX pad explosion in September 2016. This saw a Falcon 9 rocket suffer a catastrophic failure as it was being fuelled. Many people will have seen the video of the spectacular fireball. But Glenn's and Steve's equipment caught information not apparent in that film. For example, they detected more than 150 separate sub-events in the infrasound over the course of 26 minutes. These were likely individual tanks, pipes or other components bursting into flames. Of course, the SpaceX explosion was an unusual occurrence, and it is the more routine activity that most interests the team. And some clear patterns are starting to emerge in their study of "upside down volcanoes". "As the rocket gets higher and higher and accelerates, we see a decrease in the frequency in the infrasound - that's basically a Doppler shift because the source is moving away from us," says Steve. "And then you get a coupling of the signal in the air into the ground and this produces seismic waves recorded on the seismometer. "So, we get some common features between the infrasound and the seismometer, but then there's a little separation of the energy between the two." There is a lot still to learn, but the pair think they can distinguish the different types of rockets - to tell a Falcon from an Atlas from a Delta. There are subtle but significant divergences in their spectral signatures, which almost certainly reflect their distinct designs and modes of operation. Where in particular the rockets could have instruction for volcano monitoring is in describing moving sources. A rocket is a very well understood physical process. Its properties and parameters - such as the size of the nozzle orifice, the thrust, the trajectory and the distance - are all precisely known. The related seismic and acoustic signals should therefore serve as templates to help decipher some of the features of eruptions that share similar behaviours. Good examples of rapid movement in the volcano setting are the big mass surges like pyroclastic flows (descending clouds of hot ash/rock) and lahars (mud/ash avalanches). An objective of the team is to improve seismometer and infrasound systems' characterisation of these dangerous phenomena. This could lead to useful alerts being sent to people who live around volcanoes. "Assuming you can find a few safe places to put your instruments that are reasonably close, you'd get your advance warning," said Steve. "What you'd be doing then is getting the time and the strength of the signal and then watching it evolve to figure out which direction it's going. "If you can do that successfully then you can forecast with a couple of minutes in advance things like lahars and pyroclastic flows downstream." Glenn added: "I worked on [the Caribbean island of] Montserrat during the crisis from 1995 to 2011, and we did have a rudimentary system even then for tracking the pyroclastic density currents coming down the slopes of the volcano. "It wasn't quite a real-time application, but we hope with this kind of work that we can improve those algorithms and make them more of an automated alarm system." The equipment at Kennedy has been temporary, but the team is looking for a permanent installation. Like everyone, Glenn and Steve are particularly looking forward to the launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy vehicle in the New Year. The Heavy should produce nearly 23 meganewtons of thrust at lift-off, more than any rocket in operation today. It is sure to make for some interesting seismic and infrasound signals. Glenn Thompson and Steve McNutt detailed their work here at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. [email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | ज्वालामुखी और रॉकेट में क्या समानता है? |
world-africa-47585732 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47585732 | Algeria's President Bouteflika is going - but that's not enough for protesters | Weeks of protests in Algeria have pushed long-time leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika to drop his plans of running for a fifth term as president. However, he remains in office and protests have continued, with calls for him to resign immediately. The BBC's Ahmed Rouaba looks at what might happens next in the country. | The significance of Mr Bouteflika's resignation cannot be understated. He has been in power since 1999, so almost half of the country's young population have only known him as president. So is this a defeat for the regime? There is no doubt that this is the end of Mr Bouteflika. A senior party figure in the ruling party, Hocine Kheldoun, said in a TV interview on Thursday that the long-serving leader was "history now". But many Algerians believe that the octogenarian's health has declined to such an extent that he is just being used as a front by the murky group of businessmen, politicians and military officials, known as "le pouvoir" (the power) who don't want to give up their influence. This group dominates the National Liberation Front (FLN), which has governed Algeria since independence from France in 1962. So the protesters see the concessions as a ruse to avoid far-reaching reform. The new Prime Minister Nouredine Bedoui, a close ally of Mr Bouteflika, has been tasked with bringing about political reforms until new presidential elections are held. His government is also expected to organise a national conference, but no dates have been given for either the elections or the conference. And for the moment, Mr Bouteflika remains in office. One of the protesters' new slogans is: "We wanted elections without Bouteflika, we were given Bouteflika without elections." Is Bouteflika still in charge? His supporters say the 82-year-old leader is "mentally and intellectually" capable of running the country. However, since suffering a stroke in 2013 he has rarely been seen in public and does not travel around the country or abroad, except for medical treatment. His aides represent him at events and read his messages to the public. He was not physically present at the constitutional council to submit his paperwork run for his fifth term as required by the law. And the announcement that he was not standing was read on his behalf by a newsreader on national TV. Some say his brother Saeed is making key decisions for him, although the reality is much more complicated. Saeed is at the head of one of the groups which make up "le pouvoir". Why is it so hard to find another candidate? A veteran of Algeria's war of independence, Mr Bouteflika's upper-class, Westernised style led him to be called "the dandy diplomat" in some quarters. He came into office, backed by the army, after the 1990s civil war and was largely viewed as a unifier of the many factions underpinning Algerian politics. Unlike some leaders in the region, his presidency survived the protests of the Arab Spring in 2011 - until now. Mr Bouteflika has been the pivot, or the balance, in the patronage created by "le pouvoir" - a system of rule which gives power to a small privileged group. He has been key to making this complicated and conflicted system work. It is unclear what would happen in the country if the cog for the past 20 years is removed. And this is why it has been so hard to find an alternative. Bouteflika's key dates: So why did the government back down? One thing that is clear is that the government was taken by surprise by the sheer number of protesters that have been pouring onto the streets for weeks and also their unrelenting push to achieve their goals. It seems that the government had underestimated how unpopular it had become after years of corrupt and repressive rule. The protests, which were initially led by young people, were later joined by lawyers, judges and teachers, making it an intergenerational push for change. Some parents have also taken their young children to the marches. Public broadcasters which had ignored the demonstrations in the beginning were later allowed to cover them. The demonstrators have also been largely peaceful, and adhered to a code of conduct which has been widely shared on social media, to reduce confrontation with security forces. In fact, the peaceful nature of the protests earned praise from former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, who resigned this week after President Bouteflika dropped his fifth-term plans. The security services have also showed an unusual self-restraint towards protesters which could suggest that they are not prepared to use force against them. The government, and all Algerians, are also aware than any violent clashes are likely to escalate and get out of hand in a country which was torn apart by a decade-long civil war in the 1990s. It was not hyperbole when Mr Ouyahia warned that "the situation in Syria also started with roses". What does the opposition want? The main opposition parties have rejected the decisions of the government to delay the elections and hold the national conference. A constitutional law expert at the University of Algiers, Fatiha Benabou, told the AFP news agency that there was no legal basis in the Algerian constitution for postponing the elections and that Mr Bouteflika's announcement did not refer to any legislation. The leader of the opposition Adala (Justice and Development) party, Abdallah Djaballah, is currently co-ordinating talks that include the HMS (Society of Peace) party and political personalities, including former prime ministers Ali Benflis and Ahmed Benbitour, as well as prominent human rights lawyer Mustafa Bouchachi. Other political parties are expected to join the group, including the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), a social democratic and secularist political party which has boycotted previous elections because of alleged fraud. Kamel Guemazi and Ali Djeddi, members of the banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), were also seen at the opposition talks. The FIS won the first multi-party legislative elections in 1991, which were later cancelled by the military, leading to the civil war. The opposition says the current regime cannot continue to run the country against the will of the people and beyond the scope of the constitution. Adala party MP Ben Khallaf told the BBC the opposition was preparing for its own national conference to set up a roadmap for reforms. He added that protests would continue until the will of the people was respected by the regime. How strong is the opposition? There is no indication that opposition political parties have influence on the protests which were led by waves of youths not involved in party politics. Opposition parties - which range from socialists to Islamists - are known to be deeply divided and have failed on several occasions to come together and find common ground to stand up to the regime. However, the alternative national conference proposed by the opposition does present a robust challenge to the government. They, however, have to take into consideration that the people went to the streets to end politics as usual - and this might include the traditional opposition parties. Mustapha Bouchach, a prominent figure in the opposition has refused to speak for the protesters as suggested to him on social media. He said on a local TV programme: "These protests are led by the youths who are in the streets. They speak for themselves and no-one has the right to spoil their successes." He urged the political parties and personalities in opposition to support the protesters and not try to take the lead form them. "That would be a big mistake," he added. | अल्जीरिया में हफ्तों से हो रहे विरोध प्रदर्शनों ने लंबे समय से नेता रहे अब्देलअजीज बुतेफ्लिका को राष्ट्रपति के रूप में पांचवें कार्यकाल के लिए चुनाव लड़ने की अपनी योजना को छोड़ने के लिए मजबूर कर दिया है। हालाँकि, वह पद पर बने हुए हैं और विरोध प्रदर्शन जारी हैं, जिसमें उनसे तुरंत इस्तीफा देने की मांग की गई है। बीबीसी के अहमद रुआबा देखते हैं कि देश में आगे क्या हो सकता है। |
uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-56313125 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-56313125 | Elmete Wood: Firefighters tackle overnight school blaze | Forty firefighters have been tackling a fire overnight at a derelict school in North Leeds. | It took hold at about 18:00 GMT on Saturday night at the former Elmete Wood school on Elmete Lane in Roundhay. Residents in the area surrounding the old school were advised by police to stay inside their homes and close windows and doors. The school, which catered for children with educational and behavioural issues, closed in 2016. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or send video here. Related Internet Links West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service | उत्तरी लीड्स में एक परित्यक्त स्कूल में रात भर लगी आग पर चालीस अग्निशामक काबू पा रहे हैं। |
uk-16590500 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-16590500 | London 2012: Olympic ticket resale website reopens | The website for people to sell Olympic tickets has reopened. | Rather than members of the public being able to buy the tickets immediately, Games organiser Locog will initially purchase them "at face value". The unwanted tickets can be sold until 18:00 GMT on 3 February, and the public can buy them from April. The website crashed on the day it opened and Locog commercial director Chris Townsend said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience caused." The resale window had opened on 6 January but problems developed as the site, run by Ticketmaster, was slow to update sessions which had sold out. This resulted in the system closing that day. Mr Townsend added: "We made a commitment to our customers to give them a safe, secure and legal way of selling Olympic and Paralympic tickets which they are no longer able to use. We are delivering on that commitment, and will buy any tickets that customers are no longer able to use. "We believe this system - purchasing the tickets back from customers now, and offering them again from April, will result in a better customer experience for everyone." The move follows a series of ticketing problems for Locog. The first sales period had to be extended after the site slowed down. In the second round of sales, thousands of people thought that they had bought tickets. They were told the following day that they would not be charged, as they had not actually got any tickets at all. Ten thousand tickets to watch synchronised swimming were put up for sale, yet they did not exist and customers have been offered a swap with seats at some of the Games' most sought after events like the men's 100m final. However on 9 January, Locog partially reopened the site to sell Football and Paralympic tickets. Police have warned it is a criminal offence to resell London 2012 tickets on the open market without the permission of Locog. | ओलंपिक टिकट बेचने के लिए लोगों के लिए वेबसाइट फिर से खोल दी गई है। |
uk-england-leicestershire-41737483 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-41737483 | What is stopping women from cycling? | The bicycle was once a symbol of women's emancipation, with suffragettes taking to two wheels to spread their message of equal rights. But the latest figures show a big gender divide when it comes to cycling. Why? | By Anna AllattBBC News About 50% fewer women than men cycle twice a week or more, according to walking and cycling charity Sustrans, and when it comes to cycling on the roads, the number drops again. Commonly cited reasons for shunning the benefits of getting into the saddle include sexual harassment, fears about appearance and concerns about safety. So what can be done to get more women on their bikes and out on the road? Tackling sexist attitudes among male road users would be a first step, says Leigh Campbell, who leads all-women cycling rides in Nottingham. "Sometimes, when I've been out cycling on my own, I've had male drivers shout at me as they're overtaking," said the 45-year-old British Cycling Breeze Champion. "I've been told to 'read the Highway Code' and 'get off the road'. I've also been sworn at. "I've even had 'keep pedalling, nearly there' - from a male cyclist. They wouldn't have said it to another man, it's so patronising and uncalled for. "All I want to do is ride my bike and I don't think I should have to put up with abuse from other - mainly male - road users, just because I'm a woman." What some men may see as harmless fun can be unnerving, frightening and confidence-draining. Helen Pidd, a journalist who has written a book aimed at women cyclists and rides with an all-female club called Team Glow, has had her fair share of comments. "We get a lot - some of it's general, anti-cyclist stuff but sometimes it's really mean. Stuff like 'thunder thighs'. Cycling gear is not kind to people's sizes - I'm a size 10 and sometimes I have to wear a large in tops. "I was riding through the Peak District in Derbyshire one time and a motorbiker slapped me on the bum. It was frightening and dangerous. I reported it to Derbyshire Police who said I'd been sexually assaulted." Another primary concern for many female cyclists is safety, according to a report on cycling by Sustrans in 2013. "Women tend to be more concerned about safety than men," said Ms Pidd. "And those fears are perfectly rational. Roads aren't safe for cyclists - you need to be confident to go on the roads." Throw sexual harassment into the mix and is it any wonder many women are reluctant to get on their bikes? For some though, overcoming their inhibitions can be life-changing. Maryam Amatullah, a 46-year-old from Leicester, had a passion for cycling as a child but quit in her teens. Then in 2010, while recovering from chronic fatigue, she realised she wanted to get back on the road again. "My youngest was playing on the PlayStation and I thought 'I want to get out in the fresh air', so I went out and bought myself a bike," she said. "I got a lot of stares at first in my hijab, particularly from my community and I didn't like it. "I got tearful and felt self-conscious but I contacted the council to see if there were any clubs I could join. They told me the only thing to do was to set something up myself or train as an instructor. "So that's what I did and started volunteering for cycle organisations and delivered training in schools. In 2011 I trained as a Breeze Champion and now my life has changed forever." Breeze Champions are volunteers who lead women-only rides as part of British Cycling's goal of getting one million more women cycling regularly by 2020. Zero to 1,500 miles in a year - Anna Allatt, former non-cyclist I have been a cycling widow for several years but in the new year of 2017, I decided I wanted to cycle the 20-mile round trip from home to work a couple of times a week. As a full-time working mother-of-two, it was almost impossible to factor in exercise but this way I'd be able to make it part of my daily routine. I would also have to overcome the fear of the work shower room (singular). And figure out how to dry my hair and do my make-up to make myself presentable for work - all in the confines of one slightly grotty space. My husband suggested signing up to a Breeze ride and I haven't looked back. Weather permitting, I commute a couple of times a week. I have also joined a club, completed my first sportive and racked up a total of 1,541 miles on my bike in 2017. I feel better physically and mentally and have made some really good friends. And this year's goals? To get a road bike and complete a 100-mile ride. Mrs Amatullah's fellow coach, Lindsey Ball, 54, says she feels equally strongly. "Mentally, I know when I've not been cycling. If you've got a family, a job, you can get bogged down, you get so busy but on the bike you have some 'me' time, you're taking control and you get to exercise," she said. "The friends I've met through cycling are my best friends now. When we do our cycling holidays, we're tired and exhausted; you don't want to see another hill but we all encourage each other and it really builds your self-esteem." Offering women a "safe and comfortable" environment such as a female-only group can encourage them to take up cycling, according to Kate Dale, head of Sport England's This Girl Can (TGC) campaign, which aims to get women active and involved in sport. "Groups of men aren't necessarily intimidating but can be cliquey and if you think they all know what they're doing it can be off-putting," she said. "They may not be doing it on purpose but it may be an environment you're not comfortable in." TGC research also found appearance was an important issue for women while there were worries among some about ability. "Women who've had bad experiences of sport at school or feel they're "too fat to get fit", or aren't sure how to change a tyre or work out their gears on a bike, can feel intimidated," Ms Dale said. "And then there are priorities. We feel guilty if we do exercise, for taking some 'me' time, and guilty if we don't as we're not setting a good example. It's all too much to overcome, or can certainly seem that way." As 2018 begins, the year that marks the centenary of women being given the vote in the UK, the words of Susan B Anthony, the US suffragist and abolitionist, seem fitting. "I'll tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world. "I rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of untrammelled womanhood." She may have made that comment in 1896 but Maryam Amatullah feels much the same way more than 120 years later. "I grew up shy and I lacked self-esteem but when I'm on the bike, I feel like a superhero. "I feel as if I'm in control." The changing face of cycling - advice for the female rider of 1895 Source: New York World 1895 | साइकिल कभी महिलाओं की मुक्ति का प्रतीक था, जिसमें मताधिकार प्राप्त करने वाले समान अधिकारों के अपने संदेश को फैलाने के लिए दो पहियों पर चलते थे। लेकिन नवीनतम आंकड़े साइकिल चलाने के मामले में एक बड़े लिंग विभाजन को दर्शाते हैं। क्यों? |
uk-england-birmingham-45849084 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-45849084 | Aston factory unit fire: Five fire crews sent to scene | A fire broke out at a large derelict factory unit close to scene of a similar blaze. | People reported seeing smoke coming from the building on Priory Road in Aston, Birmingham, at about 10:25 BST, the fire service said. Five crews tackled the blaze, bringing it under control by 13:30 BST, West Midlands Fire Service said. It is not yet known who owns the building, on the same road as another unit which caught fire in August. An investigation is under way. | इसी तरह की आग लगने के स्थान के पास एक बड़ी परित्यक्त फैक्ट्री इकाई में आग लग गई। |
uk-england-suffolk-54784843 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-54784843 | Covid-19 alert: Moreton Hall adjusts to life after virus warning | People on a housing estate once hailed as having the highest life expectancy in the UK were shocked when it was issued with a Covid-19 warning. So what do they think caused the spike in infections - and how do they feel about the prospect of a second lockdown? | By Rachael McMenemy and Laurence CawleyBBC News Moreton Hall feels like a small town in its own right. A neighbourhood of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, it is home to 8,000 people and separated from the main town by the busy A14. It has a mix of housing dating from the 1970s to the present day and at its centre is a hub of shops and amenities, including a butcher, GP's surgery, post office, community centre, coffee shop and small supermarket. A lot of residents like the sense of community and it is a place where most people stop to chat to their neighbours. And at the moment, there is one major topic of conversation: Covid-19. Last week, a coronavirus alert was issued for the estate, with West Suffolk Council warning of a large rise in cases and telling residents to "take action now" to avoid a further spike. The authority said the increase involved household transmissions, linked to visits to friends and family. Although no further restrictions were imposed, the council reminded people of the need to adhere to those already in place, including the Rule of Six. Figures show there were 21 new cases in the week to 27 October for the Moreton Hall area, taking the rate to 262.7 cases per 100,000 people. 'It felt like we were all tarred with the same brush' Nicola Moody, who has lived in Moreton Hall since the age of two, helps run a Facebook group for residents. On hearing about the local alert she, like many others, was shocked, having seen little or no evidence of people flouting the rules. "It sounded incredibly official and serious, and sounded like it condemned the whole of Moreton Hall, and [it] felt like we were all tarred with the same brush," she says. She said people had believed cases were localised to Abbots Green Academy, which has remained shut this week following the half- term break due to the number of positive cases, and the need for many other staff and pupils to self-isolate. "The vast majority of people here are following the rules. It is a very small number of cases in a very large estate. Moreton Hall is like a small town, really," she says. With a second England-wide lockdown looming, Ms Moody, who is seven months pregnant with her second child, is particularly anxious at the prospect of giving birth, since the West Suffolk Hospital, like many others, is only allowing partners to attend once a woman is in active labour. "It is a very scary experience," she says. Many on the estate fear Thursday's lockdown will extend well beyond the four weeks the government has initially stipulated. "People are very disappointed and worried... because if it gets extended it will be very near Christmastime," she says. "If you've been following the rules it is very frustrating to know you're going into lockdown again." 'It's been so quiet' Lucy Newell, co-owner of The Coffee House on the estate, says there has been a marked downturn in customers since news of the local warning broke. "It has been so quiet," she says. "The cases in this whole area have been so low, everyone has been doing what was asked... people have been obeying the rules, so it is really hard to believe about the cases." On Thursday the shop will be closed while a sister site nearby will stay open. "We'll keep Fornham All Saints open for takeaway but we're going to close this one as it's been so quiet," she says. She also feels "a duty of care" to shut the shop while cases remain high. 'We'll really miss this place' Friends Denise Brown and Vicky Heighes are regulars at the coffee shop, often popping in after a workout. They, too, were shocked at news of the higher rates on Moreton Hall, and say at first it sounded quite scary. Ms Brown, whose family run the company Vacs R Us on the estate, also noticed a downturn in business in the days immediately after the alert was issued. "We had less people coming in and I know that happened here [the coffee shop] too. But it's started to pick back up again." Ms Heighes says the pair are both "really going to miss" the coffee shop and its friendly atmosphere once lockdown starts again. 'Everyone pulls together' Peter Thompson is a concerned resident, a Conservative district councillor and mayor of Bury St Edmunds. Living on Moreton Hall, he says he understands the frustrations of local people, but has no worries that the estate will not pull through and drive down case numbers again. "We have got really strong community in Moreton Hall; everyone pulls together, there is a really good community spirit," he says. As a councillor, he says adult-to-adult household transmission was the "red flag" leading to the alert, rather than the school outbreak as some believe. "We've got a very mixed community in terms of demographic," he says. "This used to be the place in the country where people had the highest life expectancy... so we do have an elderly population. We've also got two good primary schools and a high school. So you've you a mix of the very young and very old." The "worrying bit", he says, was transmission between households with no children, or between people in their 40s. Mr Thompson says residents seemed split in terms of the actions they wanted to see. "The reaction was 50/50, really, with people saying they wanted lockdown of schools, but also saying they need a living and people being scared of losing a job if things shut down again. "People are not intentionally going out there to be reckless... but if you do anything for seven to eight months some people will make some mistakes. "It's a bit like when you're on a diet, you need to consciously think about what you're eating, and with this you have got to make a conscious, mindful effort and not get complacent." 'A frustrating time' Suffolk County Council said it was too soon to comment on case numbers on the estate, but confirmed Abbots Green Academy would remain closed this week. It said two new pupil cases were identified at the weekend and that some staff who tested positive for Covid-19 were not well enough to return. In a statement, it said: "We would like to thank the Moreton Hall Community for following the guidance. We understand that this is a frustrating time but if we stick with it we should start to see cases reducing." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected] | एक हाउसिंग एस्टेट पर लोग जिन्हें कभी यूके में सबसे अधिक जीवन प्रत्याशा के रूप में जाना जाता था, वे तब हैरान रह गए जब इसे कोविड-19 चेतावनी के साथ जारी किया गया था। तो उन्हें क्या लगता है कि संक्रमण में वृद्धि हुई-और वे दूसरे लॉकडाउन की संभावना के बारे में कैसा महसूस करते हैं? |
uk-scotland-scotland-politics-46372153 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-46372153 | Brexit: Why is everyone talking about fishing? | The fishing industry has found itself at the heart of the debate over Brexit and the prime minister's draft deal. But how did a sector which accounts for about 0.1% of the UK's economy become such a big issue? | By Philip SimBBC Scotland political reporter Whale or minnow? A Commons research library briefing reckons the UK's fishing and fish processing industries employ a total of 24,000 people, and contribute £1.4bn to the UK economy. Yes, that's a lot of jobs and a lot of money. But it's a drop in the ocean when you consider that it's 0.12% of the overall economy, and less than 0.1% of the 33 million strong national workforce. In terms of economic impact (measured by gross value added, or GVA), the timber industry has similar heft. Indeed, looking at the latest statistics for GVA by industry, almost all of them are bigger than fishing. The leather goods industry is slightly larger - and given its reliance on European markets, could be as significantly affected by Brexit as fishing. Equally the travel agency industry is also watching political proceedings with interest, and is worth significantly more in GVA. And yet, we don't hear backbench MPs fretting about the future of woodworking, or writing to the prime minister to demand a good deal for tanners. We don't even hear as regularly about the financial services industry, which is worth £119bn(or 6.5% of economic output). So why does fishing have so much pull? Local significance The difference between fishing and industries like wood processing can be found in their histories and its geographical concentrations. By and large, if you're going to go fishing, you need access to the sea. So the actual fish-catching infrastructure is packed into a few small areas - particularly in Scotland, which has 53% of the entire UK industry. While it might make up a small sliver of the national workforce, the industry dominates some coastal communities in places like Peterhead. This means any changes in its fortunes have a very noticeable impact - similar to the way the downturn in the oil industry was particularly stark in Aberdeen. The history of the fishing industry also gives it a firm hold on the heartstrings of a nation which up until quite recently claimed with some justification to "rule the waves". On top of this, the industry has a powerful lobbying presence - Scottish Fishing Federation chief Bertie Armstrong has a keen eye for a media opportunity, and has become a more prominent figure in the current political debate than quite a few cabinet ministers. Where does Brexit come in? The fishing industry played a fairly major role in the Brexit campaign - and was central to one of the weirdest moments in the build up to the referendum, when Nigel Farage and Bob Geldof engaged in a sort of nautical battle on the Thames. The industry became a symbol of dissatisfaction with the EU, an illustration of the "take back control" narrative of the Leave campaign. It was a tangible example that people could point to - the UK would literally be reasserting control over its waters by exiting the unpopular Common Fisheries Policy. The 2017 election had an impact too, when the Scottish Conservatives swiped a series of coastal seats from the SNP - prising Moray away from the SNP's then deputy leader Angus Robertson, and overturning an enormous majority in Banff and Buchan. The 13 Scottish Conservative seats won at Westminster election helped keep Theresa May in Downing Street (albeit with a crutch in the form of the DUP). But this has become a double-edged sword for Mrs May when it comes to selling her Brexit deal, as it has magnified the influence of members who represent fish-heavy constituencies. The Scottish Conservative MPs wrote to Mrs May making clear that they could only support her deal if it protects the fishing industry and guarantees a speedy exit from the CFP, and Mr Mundell has threatened to quit (although it's fair to say that opponents have questioned his sincerity). Mrs May has managed to keep these concerns largely at bay, for now, by kicking the can down the road to future negotiations. But the topic continues to rear its head constantly. During her latest Brexit statement in the Commons, the prime minister discussed fishing with 11 different MPs. Only the Northern Irish backstop rears its heads as often when it comes to gripes about her draft deal. Do we eat the fish we catch? The symbolic value of fishing in the Brexit debate is chiefly about the catching of fish, given the ongoing row over whose boats will get to go where (and how much they'll be allowed to catch). But just as important as the catching of fish is the selling of it. For an example, let's look at the battered (or breaded) heart of the iconic British fish supper, cod and haddock. These fish only make up a small slice of the UK catch - 5% is cod, 7% is haddock. And the majority of the stuff actually eaten here is actually imported - 83% of the cod consumed in the UK is shipped in from abroad, alongside 58% of the haddock. What the UK fleet actually catches a lot of is herring - and 93% of it is exported, mostly to Norway and the Netherlands, where people have much more of a taste for it. So, while the most regularly-cited issues are quotas and access, future trading arrangements are also going to be a big deal when it comes to fish. Basically, even if Mrs May's deal makes it through the Commons, we won't have heard the last of fishing. | मत्स्य उद्योग ने खुद को ब्रेक्सिट और प्रधान मंत्री के मसौदा सौदे पर बहस के केंद्र में पाया है। लेकिन एक क्षेत्र जो यूके की अर्थव्यवस्था का लगभग 0.1% हिस्सा है, वह इतना बड़ा मुद्दा कैसे बन गया? |
uk-england-52823196 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52823196 | Coronavirus: How will launderettes come out in the wash? | Launderettes have been at the heart of communities for decades but despite being deemed an essential service during the coronavirus lockdown, many owners say their businesses are suffering. What does the future hold for them? | By Samantha JaggerBBC News From the outside, they look a bit like a waiting room - the occupants gazing quietly at the machines as their clothes whirl round. Photographer James Wise has always been drawn to the charm of their interiors and facades, photographing the people who own them and the people who use them in towns across Lancashire. When the lockdown was announced, the 33-year-old continued to document those near his home in Chorley. "I find launderettes fascinating. They are preserved anomalies - a time capsule. High street shops are so sterile and are geared towards not offending anyone, whereas launderettes are full of character. "I still use the machines and feel nostalgic about my childhood, as I have so many memories from them. Pre-coronavirus, I remember them being bustling with people. "Now there is a nervous apprehension from people not wanting to get close to each other. It's a solemn mood - there is just a hum of the machines." The Washtub on Moor Road features heavily in James' photographic series, which he posts on his Instagram account. Owner Imtiaz Master, who has been in the business for 12 years, said his shop has been "significantly impacted" due to the outbreak. The 32-year-old said he is worried about the future of his business. "We've seen a 90% reduction in a lot of the elderly customers who come in on a weekly basis. If this continues with the amount of customers I'm receiving, I may have to shut as I won't be able to afford my bills for electric, gas and water." The Washbowl Launderette on Pall Mall has been in operation since 1960 and its owners span three generations of the same family. Taryn Baker left a job in London to take over the business last year. "I grew up with the business being part of family life," said the 31-year-old. "During school holidays, it was a treat to travel around Lancashire with my grandparents to check on the machines and staff." Taryn said she "remains hopeful" about the future and is working on updating her business strategy to move forward. "There is no doubt that Covid-19 has financially impacted our business with our turnover dropping substantially." The landscape is similar at launderettes across England. Derek Read inherited Swift Launderette from his father, who opened in Kings Heath, Birmingham, in 1950. "I grew up in launderettes and I remember when it was normal to have to queue to use a machine. For many years, they were the social hub of many communities, with much gossip and many scandals being discussed. "We chat to our regular elderly customers as much as possible as many are lonely due to the social isolation," the 63-year-old added. Derek has seen dry cleaning turnover drop to "almost zero" and is unsure what the future holds. "I suspect many in this industry will find it impossible to continue if the lockdown continues much longer." You might also be interested in: How are coastal resorts faring during lockdown? 'They were fighting for a pack of chicken breasts' The effect of lockdown on Little America Mark Gillows quit his job at a rugby club to open four shops in Wiltshire and Bath in 2004. "My first memory of launderettes was the warmth from the big old tumble driers hitting me - like when you step out of an aeroplane in Barbados," said the 48-year-old. "It has become quite trendy to want to own one. They are community-based and this can be a lifeline to people who use the launderette facility to not only do their laundry, but to socialise too." The impact on the Bath branches have been "dramatic", but "not by all means grave". In fact, Mark remains "hugely optimistic" for the industry. "The word cleaning has taken on even greater meaning now, as people come to terms with living in a society where it has become even more essential." James, who has struck up friendships with some of the launderette owners, hopes to show his photographs at an exhibition in July at The Tap in Manchester. "I would be so upset if [the launderettes] had to close. The owners are in a precarious position and their livelihoods are at stake. "Launderettes are some of the last shops left in the world with personality." Photographs by James Wise and Lauren Potts. | लॉन्डेरेट्स दशकों से समुदायों के दिल में रहे हैं, लेकिन कोरोनावायरस लॉकडाउन के दौरान एक आवश्यक सेवा माने जाने के बावजूद, कई मालिकों का कहना है कि उनके व्यवसायों को नुकसान हो रहा है। उनके लिए भविष्य क्या है? |
health-22607986 | https://www.bbc.com/news/health-22607986 | Is the NHS going to blow a gasket? | Too often we think of NHS services in isolation. | Nick TriggleHealth correspondent Take the current debate over A&E. The focus has been on what is happening in these units rather than how it fits in with the entire system. But in many ways the NHS is like an engine. It is made up of many different parts. If a problem develops in one area, it is likely to have an impact on the whole. Each part either has to work harder to keep the car moving or if the strain becomes to much it breaks down. The problems being encountered in A&E are proof of that. Visits have risen by 50% in England in a decade and this winter A&E departments have started spluttering. But to get a full picture of what is happening you need to look at the whole system. Rises in demand are being seen everywhere in England. GP consultations are up by a third since the mid 1990s. Some of this workload has been passed on to hospitals with referrals for non-emergency care at one point during the 2000s rising by 15% a year. This in turn has prompted increasing restrictions being placed on referral processes in recent years. Nonetheless, the number of routine operations carried out by hospitals, such as knee and hip replacements, has still jumped by 60% since the mid 1990s. Rationing There are signs the GP workload has had an effect on A&E too. Amid complaints that doctors could no longer cope, they were allowed to relinquish responsibility for providing out-of-hours care in 2004. This has been taken on by agencies, but with confidence in the system low there are large numbers of patients now attending A&E who do not need emergency care. The College of Emergency Medicine estimates up to a third could be treated elsewhere. But what is causing this? The overall population has been rising, but not at such a rapid rate to explain these figures. Instead, it is the complexity of the cases that has resulted in people needing more frequent help. The ageing population has meant there are more people with multiple conditions, such as heart disease, dementia and respiratory problems. These patients need careful managing and more help. Take GP consultations. The average patient is now seen 5.5 times a year compared to less than four times in 1995. A similar pattern has emerged in hospitals. Two thirds of patients are now over the age of 65. A quarter of beds are taken up by those aged over 85 - and they spend much longer in hospital than younger patients (11 days on average compared to three for the under 65s). The rises in demand have happened at a time when the number of hospital beds has been reduced too. There are now 107,000 beds - down a third in the past 25 years. But as well as seeing demand at the front-door rise, the NHS is finding it difficult to get patients out the other end. Cuts to council budgets have meant they have had to ration social care, which affects the ability of hospitals to discharge frail and elderly patients as quickly as they should. Luxury Unsurprisingly, all this has resulted in hospitals becoming over worked. According to recommendations, hospitals should only be 85% full to allow them to cope with surges in demand and provide the flexibility to allow patients to be moved around to the most appropriate areas. An analysis last year by Dr Foster found once quiet periods, such as bank holidays and Christmas are stripped out, hospitals are running at 90% capacity. In other words, they are too full. This, of course, has an impact on the ability of A&E units to admit patients and get their treatment under way - hence the long waits that were experienced in many parts of the county this winter. It may also ultimately drive up waiting times for non-emergency operations as hospitals struggle to fit in their routine patients around the emergency cases - a point made by NHS Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar when he appeared before MPs on the Health Select Committee this week. However, the irony is that as soon as this problem has hit the headlines, the official figures have started suggesting the pressure is easing. A&E data has been improving as the weather gets milder and within the next few weeks the major units should start hitting the waiting time target again. But no-one should be fooled into thinking the issues have gone away. Whereas in recent years there has been extra money to throw at problems, that luxury is no longer available. The engine of the NHS may still be running, but under the bonnet all is not well. | अक्सर हम एन. एच. एस. सेवाओं के बारे में अलग-थलग सोचते हैं। |
uk-england-45717409 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-45717409 | What are people's experiences of living in a shared home? | Landlords have warned tenants in shared houses could face eviction or rent increases because of a change to government rules. But what is it like to live with strangers? We asked three people to tell us about their experiences. | By Ian MurphyBBC news Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are homes where people, who are not related, sleep in separate rooms but share facilities such as kitchens or bathrooms. Previously only houses of more than three storeys and with five or more people forming at least two households had to be licensed. A new rule has been introduced that removes the three-storey threshold and applies to smaller homes. 'They cram as many people into one space' Shanice Ireland, 25, moved into her first shared house after leaving her mum's home in May. She says her landlord has "crammed" four people on to the ground floor of the end-terraced house in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. "The upstairs is then rented out as a flat where people come and go, it is almost like a hotel," she said. "We've had builders, a family of four and tourists going to the Harry Potter experience, so you often have people getting drunk and being loud. "It has no soundproofing so when they are walking around and talking I can hear everything." Shanice says she hates living in an HMO, which costs her £800 a month, and wants to get out as soon as possible. "I haven't cooked in this place once. It's such a small kitchen with four people trying to cook, I just go to my mum's to cook. "I literally just use it to sleep in. It is a bit of a rip-off." Shanice, who works in Watford as an IT reseller, says she would leave if her landlord increased her rent. "If they were going to rent it normally as a house they would never make as much money as they do by splitting it up. "They just try and cram as many people into one space." 'Landlords forget we call these places our home' Anna Mäkinen has lived in five shared homes since she moved to England from Finland in 2013. The 26-year-old says at the worst place she stayed in Whitechapel, east London, there were seven people living in a three-bedroom house. "I was living in the living room. We had one girl living on a balcony. It had a roof and was sealed but the wind would come in. "When I moved into where I live with my boyfriend now there was still painting to be done and the floors needed to be finished. "We had to put our stuff on the balcony and it got wet." Anna, who works in HR, now lives in an HMO in east London with her boyfriend and two other women. She hopes the new legislation will mean people in shared houses have a better standard of living. "Our landlord has been overpromising for seven months to fix things that aren't working. "We had mice in the house and had to get rid of the problem on our own and with our own money. "I have tried to contact the council but we never get any help. They said it was the landlord who needed to fix it. "I understand the market is competitive but I feel like landlords have completely forgotten that we call these places our home." 'You've got these people who are almost forgotten' Liam Moyna lived in about 20 different shared houses over a 20-year period after leaving university. He says he rarely had a problem with landlords but that people he lived with could often have issues because of marriage or relationship breakdowns. "I found it was a bit of a mixed bag with anything from PHD students to people who are just out of prison," the 43-year-old added. "One person who had taken something out of context waived a hammer around during a scuffle. I decided to move out the next day. "The houses have generally all been nice and the landlords have been brilliant." Liam thinks there should be legislation to stop landlords being able to put too many people in houses. "Young single men on a low wage make up a lot of the people I found in shared houses," the IT worker says. "You've got these people who are almost forgotten, they coast along and are stuck there. "The problems come from having too many people in a house. I think they should legislate against that. The houses are just not designed for it." Liam, who bought his own house in Southampton this year, adds: "Most of the time you move because the landlord sells up. "I certainly didn't have enough money to save up for a mortgage and that is what I found with a lot of housemates. People are so often sorely missed by the system "I am one of the lucky ones." | मकान मालिकों ने चेतावनी दी है कि सरकारी नियमों में बदलाव के कारण साझा घरों में किरायेदारों को बेदखल या किराए में वृद्धि का सामना करना पड़ सकता है। लेकिन अजनबियों के साथ रहना कैसा लगता है? हमने तीन लोगों से अपने अनुभवों के बारे में बताने के लिए कहा। |
uk-england-cornwall-36296370 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-36296370 | Boat crash off Isles of Scilly prompts rescue of 48 | Forty-eight people have been rescued from a passenger boat after it struck an object and started taking on water. | The boat, which also had two crew on board, had been on a wildlife trip when it got into trouble south of the Isles of Scilly, just after 11:30 BST. No one was injured, and all passengers were taken by RNLI lifeboat to safety on St Mary's island, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said. The crew members remained on board to pump out the vessel. The boat has been returned to the harbour while investigations are carried out. | एक यात्री नाव के एक वस्तु से टकराने और पानी पर चढ़ने के बाद अड़तालीस लोगों को बचा लिया गया है। |
world-latin-america-21942617 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-21942617 | Venezuela readies for key post-Chavez election | As Venezuela prepares for 14 April elections - the first presidential poll without Hugo Chavez's name on the ballot in almost two decades - the choice for voters appears as stark and as divisive as ever, the BBC's Will Grant in Caracas reports. | While he was alive, very few committed supporters of late President Hugo Chavez would ever openly criticise him. They had no time for opposition arguments about the government's control of the media and the judiciary, and rejected the idea that Venezuela was living under a dictatorship. Rather, when there were complaints they tended to be over more immediate quality-of-life issues: infrequent rubbish collections or a lack of local sporting facilities. In pro-Chavez neighbourhoods - like 23 de Enero in the capital, Caracas - such problems were easily solved with oil money. Shouting over the noise of a gleaming-new government rubbish truck as it crushes the mountains of waste outside her building, local co-operative leader Judith Vegas explains how she has enjoyed a direct line to the Chavez government for years. She shows us around a brand new baseball ground and takes us on the shiny lifts which the socialist administration installed in the crumbling 1950s housing blocs. In her state-owned apartment, Judith cannot hold back her tears when talking about Hugo Chavez. "It hurts me what's happening," she says between sobs. "I loved him and everything he did for us." For Judith, the most fitting tribute to the late socialist leader is a vote for his chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro, in next month's election. "We'll love Maduro, too. The absence of Chavez won't mean that things will stop here. No. Chavez is inside all of us." But her support for Mr Maduro isn't completely unconditional. "It's not that we don't trust him but he must follow the lines which Chavez left down to the letter so that this revolution can continue. "If he fails to do so, he will come up against the people on 14 April," she warns, before adding brightly: "But I'm sure he won't." 'Commando Hugo Chavez' Millions of like-minded Chavistas agree. Although campaigning doesn't officially get underway until 2 April, tens of thousands turned out to the National Electoral Council earlier this month to see Mr Maduro hand in his credentials as presidential candidate. The rally outside was, in all but name, an election campaign event. Unsurprisingly, Mr Chavez's image is emblazoned across all of the United Socialist Party's election propaganda. "We are trying to choose between two names for the campaign team," Nicolas Maduro told the assembled crowd. "It's between 'Commando Battle of Carabobo,'" he said to muted murmurs, "or 'Commando Hugo Chavez'!" he cried - to rapturous applause. "Approved! My election team will be called Commando Hugo Chavez!" the acting president declared. One of the Commando's main leaders is Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez. He opened the doors of his office to BBCMundo - in a rare at-length interview in the days immediately after Mr Chavez's death. He was still wearing the armband in the colours of the Venezuelan flag which all of Mr Chavez's inner circle had worn at his funeral. "Without doubt we have lost the most important leader of the 20th and 21st Century," Mr Ramirez opened by saying. "I have been his oil minister for 10 uninterrupted years. President Chavez wasn't just our boss and our leader, he was our friend." When the discussion turned to the election, Mr Ramirez was adamant about what he believed April's vote entailed. "This is a referendum to confirm the political will already expressed by the people last October (in the presidential election which Mr Chavez won by 11%) and then again in December when we won 20 of the 23 governorships in the country." And he was typically dismissive of the chances of the opposition's candidate, Henrique Capriles. "There is no way that the right wing will again govern this country. And much less, these men." 'Unique opportunity' In opposition circles, they know they face an extremely tough prospect against a man hand-picked by Mr Chavez the day before his final cancer operation. Nevertheless, Mr Capriles is showing a far more aggressive style against Mr Maduro than he did against Mr Chavez last year, resolutely refusing to call him president and referring to him instead as just "Nicolas". There is even an outside possibility of a televised debate between the candidates - something Mr Chavez never countenanced. In an interview earlier this year, before Mr Chavez's death, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spoke of the prospects for the opposition in a post-Chavez Venezuela. "After 14 years of control of the media, resources and all the public powers, in our last electoral processes, which were not clear and fair processes, almost half the population voted against (Hugo Chavez)." "That shows that Venezuelans understand the true nature of the regime which tries to be imposed on us: a regime in which citizens are dependent on the government and are not allowed the right to disagree or dissent." This was "a wonderful, unique opportunity to produce a true transformation of our society", she added. In the country's first presidential election without Hugo Chavez's name on the ballot in almost 20 years, it seems the choice in front of Venezuelans remains as stark and as divisive as ever. | जैसा कि वेनेजुएला 14 अप्रैल के चुनावों की तैयारी कर रहा है-लगभग दो दशकों में मतपत्र पर ह्यूगो शावेज़ के नाम के बिना पहला राष्ट्रपति चुनाव-मतदाताओं के लिए पसंद हमेशा की तरह कठोर और विभाजनकारी दिखाई देता है, बीबीसी के विल ग्रांट इन कराकस की रिपोर्ट। |
uk-wales-40391861 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-40391861 | Type 1 diabetes: 'A simple test could have saved my son' | Peter Baldwin was 13 when he died. | By Gemma RyallBBC News He had become critically ill with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes and his body was shutting down. Six days later he lost his fight. His mother Beth believes four simple questions asked by GPs could help prevent similar deaths in future. In her own words, Beth explains why she hopes Peter's story will lead to change. I'd been watching Peter in his hospital bed all night. He was semi-awake - I was talking to him but he wasn't really responding. He kept trying to move the oxygen mask and he was just so tried. About 6am one of the nurses walked past his room and she said to me "get your head down". I said "I'm ok" but she insisted: "He's ok, get your head down." I was sat next to him and put my head down on a little pillow. I don't know what woke me up about 10 minutes later... I got a feeling. I woke with a start, looked up and he didn't look right - he looked grey. I called the nurse and said "what's going on? This doesn't look right". She came over, lifted his eyes... I don't know if she pushed the buzzer but within 30 seconds all hell broke loose. Someone said "he's really not well, talk to him" and I just started screaming "come on Peter, I'm here, mummy's here". Nurses came from everywhere, alarms were going off, doctors came in shouting for a crash team. One was doing chest compressions. They were trying to save him because he'd had a cardiac arrest. I was shouting at him all the time to wake up and telling him "mummy is here". A nurse said she would call my husband Stuart. He came as our house is only two minutes around the corner. We just watched in disbelief as a team of goodness knows how many doctors and nurses managed to restart his heart. They took him to surgery, off to try to stabilise him. We went up to the surgical department, just waiting, waiting, waiting. Just 24 hours earlier, on New Year's Day 2015, my son Peter - fun-loving, everyone's friend and so clever - had been at our home in Whitchurch, Cardiff. He had been ill with a chest infection. We'd been to see a GP and given antibiotics. But I was so worried about how ill he was that I called my parents to come over - more for reassurance, I suppose. I wanted someone to say he was ok. They took one look at him and said I should call an ambulance straight away. I started to panic. He was not breathing properly. I was very scared. A first responder arrived at our house and one of the first things he did after giving Peter oxygen was prick Peter's finger for a blood test. Within 30 seconds of coming he had diagnosed him as having type 1 diabetes - a condition where the body doesn't produce enough insulin. I was told he was in a DKA - diabetic ketoacidosis - which is when your body starts to shut down if you haven't had insulin and it can lead to organ failure. The ambulance journey to the University Hospital of Wales didn't take long from our house and soon Peter was in critical care in the high dependency unit, hooked up to a drip and oxygen. Stuart went home at midnight to be with our eight-year-old daughter Lia. I remember saying: "Peter will be fine, come back in the morning." I had no idea how bad he was. After he had the cardiac arrest, the doctors and nurses saved him but when we were able to see him again we could tell his poor little body had been through the mill and back. He was in the intensive care unit for four days. We sat by his side the whole time but he never really came back. They said the DKA had gone too far and even though he'd been given medication, his body was already in shutdown mode and he couldn't fight it. That led to too much pressure on his organs. They did all sorts of tests and he was put on dialysis. They came to us and said there were signs of damage to the brain and the outlook didn't look good. On the day he died, it's all a bit of a blur... but they said he's not likely to make any recovery. The majority of the brain had been damaged and the machines were keeping him alive. Hearing this broke us. We played music to him and read to him. We held his hands and rubbed his feet and kissed him a million times and told him how much we loved him and that everyone was praying for him. Then at about lunchtime they said it's not really fair on him and we need to start making decisions. I don't remember much about that day other than trying to process that my child was about to die. It's something you never ever consider and to this day I can't accept or comprehend. I have to be grateful we had six days to get our heads around it almost, even though we were hoping and praying for a miracle. We had to switch the machines off and there was a last hope that he would start to breathe. But he didn't. My daughter was eight at the time and she decided she didn't want to see him with all the tubes and machines. Our family all came in - my parents, brother and sister - and said goodbye. Stuart's family all came down from Newcastle. My mum was hysterical and I was trying to say to her "I tried". I felt like I failed him and there was nothing I could do - he'd gone. My dad died when I was four and Peter was named after him. I was praying to my dad "make sure Peter's ok. Save him". Now I know my dad's looking after him. I have to believe that. It's so hard. We had to leave the hospital that night without him. My life turned completely upside down and I was heartbroken. Within 24 hours my house was full of flowers. It's lovely for people to show their support but flowers will wilt and die - I thought the money should go to charity instead. So we decided to raise money - the target was £500 and we reached that in an hour. It reached £10,000 in a week. It showed the impact Peter had had on people's lives. Diabetes UK got in touch to thank us and offered to support us. We have been working with them ever since. They have taken Peter into their hearts and shared his story as a way of helping raise awareness of the dangers of not diagnosing type 1 diabetes. I'm immensely proud and heartbroken at the same time. This is Peter's legacy. I know he would have been a really good ambassador for type 1 diabetes. The fact he's not here means we have to continue in his spirit and on his behalf. Since we started campaigning, many people and children have been in touch to say they were only diagnosed as type 1 diabetes as an emergency. That should not be happening as four simple questions can raise the alarm for GPs examining a sick child. They call it the Four Ts test: We want those questions to be mandatory for all GPs in Wales - they don't cost anything and take 30 seconds to ask. If the answers are yes to these, there's a simple and accurate test available which GPs can carry out - a finger prick test, like you have if you go to give blood. It takes less than one minute and has instant results. All GPs have finger prick monitors but not all have them on their desk. So we want working equipment they know how to use. If Peter had had that test, we would have had a head start in helping him. Peter wasn't a sickly child and the GP was correct to diagnose him as having a chest infection. But the examination stopped there without exploring if anything else was wrong, even though he was very ill. That's why Stuart and I are leading Diabetes UK's national campaign called 'Know Type 1' to raise awareness of the symptoms. We are also petitioning the Welsh assembly to ensure effective diagnosis and gave evidence to the petitions committee on Tuesday along with Diabetes UK Cymru. Just a few weeks before he died, Peter had gone on a school trip to Germany to see the Christmas markets and he'd just started going into town with his friends - he was getting his first taste of independence. He had an amazing group of friends and he used to play with them all the time, out on his bike and computer games. When he moved to Whitchurch High School he was in the school council and he used to volunteer for stuff like the anti-bullying group. He did well at school and was active in all parts of school life and really took pride in what he did. I'm angry, heartbroken, devastated and distraught that Peter's life could have been saved. It's such a small test that is readily available. That's why it's so wrong. That's why we are determined changes must be made. | पीटर बाल्डविन 13 वर्ष के थे जब उनकी मृत्यु हो गई। |
uk-england-lincolnshire-51652274 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-51652274 | Murder arrests after body found in house in Lincoln | Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found at a house in Lincoln. | Police were called to a property on Albany Street, off Burton Road, at about 13:00 GMT and discovered the body of a man. A cordon is in place while forensic teams work at the scene, the Lincolnshire force said. It has not released any further details and has appealed for anyone with information to contact them. More news from across Lincolnshire Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. | लिंकन में एक घर में एक शव मिलने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में तीन लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है। |
science-environment-30716664 | https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30716664 | Fossil fuels: The 'untouchable reserves' | Is the "carbon bubble" wobbling in the face of a new assault? A paper in the journal Nature has lent support to the notion that combating climate change and developing more fossil fuels are mutually contradictory. | By Roger HarrabinBBC environment analyst Its key message is that keeping global temperature rise within 2C means leaving in the ground 80% of known coal reserves, 50% of gas and 30% of oil. The University College London authors invite investors to ponder whether $670bn, the amount they say was spent last year on seeking and developing fossil fuels, is a wise use of money if we can’t burn all the fuel we’ve already found. The movement to divest from fossil fuel companies is being prompted by the small but increasingly influential NGO Carbon Tracker, which argues that investment has created a carbon bubble of fossil fuel assets that will be worthless if climate change is taken seriously. The managers of the Rockefeller fortune have heard its message and already divested from coal. The University of Glasgow’s investment fund will avoid fossil fuels altogether. NGO 350.org is gathering support for a similar campaign in the US, and Norway’s vast government pension fund is seeking to pressure companies to take their climate responsibilities more seriously. Surprisingly, the Bank of England has also chipped in. It is conducting an enquiry into the risk of an economic crash if future climate change rules render coal, oil and gas assets worthless. The findings will be interesting; even if the enquiry team are alarmed by the potential extent of stranded assets, they can hardly make their case bluntly for fear of creating a stampede. To heap on the pressure, the talks leading to the prospective climate deal in Paris in December will debate whether fossil fuels can be completely phased out by 2050. Oil firms like Shell have stated their confidence in the energy status quo that has formed the economic bedrock of modern society and helped billions out of poverty. They say they see no risk to their business model (because executives privately do not believe that politicians will keep their promises on carbon limits). And they have hopes that technology to capture and store carbon will give their products a new lease of life. But the UCL team has more bad news: carbon capture technology, they say, is too late, too expensive and too inefficient. Some commentators argue that the world should continue to develop cheap energy and take a chance that we can adapt to whatever climate change brings. And leaders of the fossil fuel asset class, worth over $4 trillion, may be currently more worried by the plummeting oil price than the embryonic divestment movement. But campaigners believe tiny pinpricks like the one from UCL can ultimately deflate what they think is a great carbon bubble. Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin | क्या "कार्बन बुलबुला" एक नए हमले के सामने हिल रहा है? नेचर पत्रिका में एक पेपर ने इस धारणा का समर्थन किया है कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुकाबला करना और अधिक जीवाश्म ईंधन विकसित करना पारस्परिक रूप से विरोधाभासी है। |
blogs-trending-38173842 | https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38173842 | Trolls and triumph: a digital battle in the Philippines | This year, an authoritarian, anti-establishment firebrand, famed for his controversial statements and uncompromising stance on law and order, won a presidential election with the help of a divisive, innovative social media campaign. | By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why No, not Donald Trump, but President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. During his campaign Duterte, nicknamed "The Punisher", promised harsh punishment for those suspected of using and selling illegal drugs. Dealers, he said, would be "fed to the fish in Manila Bay." (And that was not his only threat - here's a few of his most notable quotes). Many attributed his popularity to his straight talk, but something else also helped Duterte secure the presidency - social media. Maria Ressa, founder of the Filipino social news site Rappler, has investigated the machine built by the Duterte campaign. "Duterte was the only candidate who took it seriously," she says of the power of social networking. "They (his campaign) claimed it was because they had no money and social media is essentially free." That idea is backed up by the man who steered the president's strategy, former advertising executive Nic Gabunada. "When we realised we didn't have money for TV, radio, print, billboards etc, we made the decision to tap up the social media groups," Gabunada says, "How did we organise them? We reached out to them, we assigned co-ordinators." Those co-ordinators were in charge of particular geographic regions of the country and one group was devoted to Filipino workers overseas. Each group received targeted, bespoke messages, relevant to their own immediate experience. "During the campaign we had a 'message for the week'. It was really up to each group to amplify that message to their own circles and to craft how that message is best framed in their own networks," Gabunada says. With the help of those overseas workers, Gabunada was able to make the Duterte machine work 24 hours a day. "Late at night the people from abroad, the (workers) in a different time zone took over, people from Europe, people from down under, or the Middle East," he says, The campaign also rallied the help of high profile digital influencers, and using the hashtag #Du30 (a hashtag that rhymes with the president's name). The influencers were chosen for their connections to messages central to the Duterte campaign. "Some of them have very real experience of how crime has affected or destroyed their lives," says Gabunada, "like Mocha, whose father was murdered." The "Mocha" he's talking about is Mocha Uson, one of the biggest and most controversial faces in the Duterte volunteer network. She's a Filipino singer with more than four million Facebook followers. She released songs supporting the president during the campaign and her group played at Duterte rallies. "I uploaded the videos of his rallies," she tells BBC Trending. "And it is only through social media that Filipinos saw how many people actually supported him, because they didn't show that on the mainstream media." Uson put up 20 to 30 political posts a day. One photo she shared claimed to be of a Filipina who was raped and murdered - but the picture was actually taken in Brazil. She later took it down. More reporting on the Philippines from the BBC Trending team Listen to Trolls, 'the Devil', and Death on the BBC World Service Watch Manila's brutal nightshift: the photographer on the front line of Duterte's war on drugs Read No country for poor men: the human cost of the anti-drugs campaign Mocha tells BBC Trending that she's also willing to hold the government to account, but it's not totally clear Nic Gabunada sees her in the same way. "Filipinos are like that actually, as long they are able to get your message, they will work for you," he says, "I have a term for that. Arouse, organise, mobilise. That's the secret." Rappler founder Maria Ressa agrees, but says that one intriguing aspect of the Duterte campaign is that it didn't end with his election victory. "Most of the time you'd think when you win, you retire your campaign machinery, but not in this case. The campaign helped change values and perceptions in our society and we're watching it unfold in the first months of his presidency." Rappler investigated online networks of Duterte supporters and discovered that they seem to include fake news, fake accounts, bots and trolls, which Ressa thinks are being used to silence dissent. Follow BBC Trending on Facebook Join the conversation on this and other stories here. "What we're seeing on social media again is manufactured reality... They also create a very real chilling effect against normal people, against journalists (who) are the first targets," she says, "and they attack in very personal ways with death threats and rape threats. "The weaponisation of hatred I think is what you're seeing." Indeed, journalists in the Philippines critical of the Duterte campaign were subject to online intimidation. "Even at press conferences, which are televised live... journalists get immediate responses if they ask any question that challenges him," says Ressa, "and the responses are 'you should die', 'you should get raped'." Ressa says that the messages often appear to originate from pro-Duterte accounts and are then amplified through the Duterte support network in order to create a powerful wave of dissent against those that challenge the president. But the notion that fake or troll accounts are driving the president's social media machine is denied by Mocha Uson. She points to her huge numbers of fans as proof that Duterte's support is real. "On my Facebook I have 4.4 million followers and the engagement is as high as 3.6 or 3.7 million. Maybe (critics) are the ones who have these trolls or bots or fake accounts." Nic Gabunada points out that dirty tricks were not exclusive to some of the president's supporters. "It happened not just from Duterte but from other camps," he says. "You cannot expect to control all people in the social media sphere, people have been given a weapon and a medium where they can express themselves, so you should understand this is a whole volunteer movement, you cannot control everybody." Blog by Kate Lamble and Megha Mohan You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. Next story: The dad who asked for donations - even though he's well-off A row has erupted on social media in China over a father who raised money for his sick child without disclosing what some people argued were substantial assets of his own.READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | इस साल, अपने विवादास्पद बयानों और कानून और व्यवस्था पर असम्बद्ध रुख के लिए प्रसिद्ध एक सत्तावादी, सत्ता विरोधी फायरब्रांड ने एक विभाजनकारी, अभिनव सोशल मीडिया अभियान की मदद से राष्ट्रपति चुनाव जीता। |
business-10636368 | https://www.bbc.com/news/business-10636368 | Death becomes you: Picking the perfect coffin | Dying is the one thing we all have in common. | By Fiona GrahamBusiness reporter, BBC News, Beaconsfield The novelist Maria Edgeworth remarked, "I've a great fancy to see my own funeral afore I die". While you may not be able to take a seat in the pews, you can still have a say in your final send-off. As anyone who has had to arrange a funeral will know, it can be a heart-wrenching process. Many bereavement counsellors believe that pre-planning your funeral can be one of the greatest gifts you can give to those that survive you And, perhaps as people act on such advice, in recent years there has been a steady rise in the numbers of personalised funerals. Fran Hall is a former funeral director who now manages the Chiltern Woodland Burial Centre, and she is hosting this year's National Coffin Exhibition. The event, "Handled with Care", organised by the British Institute of Funeral Directors, hopes to encourage people to have that difficult conversation. "We really want people to start thinking about and actually talking about their own future funeral. It's a subject we don't like to talk about in British society." Going green Although the majority of funerals are still fairly traditional, humanist and civil celebrants are becoming increasingly common. There are more than 200 natural burial grounds across the UK, and organisations such as the Natural Death Centre provide information on alternative arrangements, even DIY funerals. Environmentalism is one driving factor. Actresses Lynn Redgrave and Wendy Richards, chef Keith Floyd and Body Shop founder Anita Roddick have all chosen eco-friendly coffins. "Ten years ago it was all your stereotypical wooden coffins - now there's a whole range," says Julian Atkinson, managing director of coffin makers and distributors JC Atkinson They include a hand-made woollen coffin made by Hainsworth. Sales have been brisk, according to Mr Atkinson. "People like it because it's touchy-feely, it's warm," he says. Craig Wensley of Daisy Coffins feels the use of the term "alternative" is misleading. His company produces caskets made from banana leaf and water hyacinth. "For me, it was about offering modern products that aren't sombre, but look nice," he says. "With willow, sometimes you can see through. We wanted to be green, but we also wanted it to look nice." Newcomer Sunset Coffins has not looked back since launching last year. "Business is good," says managing director Steve Ancrum. "We've been genuinely surprised at how the public have received the product. "We think it's partly because it's British-made, but it's also because it's 100% recycled newspapers." Coffins are not the only choice. Bellacouche is a company that makes soft felt shrouds from locally sourced wool. The base is reinforced to make it rigid, so the body can be carried. "It captured the essence of her" Pamela Barton loved to paint, and made cards for family and friends. Before she passed away a few months ago after a long illness, she talked to her daughter about what she wanted. Her daughter, Anne Barber, works for Civil Ceremonies, training civil funeral celebrants. She contacted picture specialists Colourful Coffins. A few days later Pamela's granddaughter Gemma visited their offices, armed with a painting of her grandmother's of snowdrops. "We looked at it and thought 'gosh, yes, it's exactly it'. The coffin was beautiful, really. It was exactly what she wanted," says Anne Barber. "What I didn't expect was the difference it made to the funeral. What happened when the coffin turned up, the only thing I could say was it was perfect. And it really was. People would touch the coffin, they couldn't believe it wasn't wood. It captured the essence of her." "I call it my own carriage" For some people, simply decorating the coffin isn't enough. When Brian Holden takes that final trip it will be aboard the Alnwick coach of the Orient Express Northern Belle. He and his wife first travelled on the the real-life Northern Belle eight years ago, as an anniversary treat. They liked it so much they became regulars, always travelling in the same carriage. Three years ago, his wife Jean passed away. After 50 years of marriage he found himself alone. "I decided I was not going to scurry into a little hole," he says. "It was a good part of my life, we'd been married for 50 years when we first went on the journey. "I found I could still carry on and make the journey on my own." After spotting an newspaper article about a company called Crazy Coffins that makes unusual caskets, he contacted Orient Express, which agreed to provide plans for the coffin makers to work from. "The older you get, the less years you have ahead of you, and it was nice there. I thought, 'why not get to go out in an environment where you've been happy'. "I'll go out in comfort, and disappear into the fiery furnace in the Alnwick Northern Belle carriage." The company is currently building a Viking longboat and a Tardis. Complicated orders such as Mr Holden's need to be ordered in advance, but simpler designs, such as a skateboard they built for a 9-year-old boy, can be done in a few days. Plan ahead The funeral industry has been criticised for having pushed up prices in recent years The president of the British Institute of Funeral Directors, Ken Satterly, says he would always advise people to shop around. He blames the increases on rising fees. "Over the last five years there's been tremendous increases in charges for cremations, fees for minister and church, fees for doctors, fees for issuing of cremation forms ... and the cost of fuel has risen steeply." Given the expense involved, it makes sense to make provision before you go, or you could risk leaving your family struggling to pay, funeral directors say. It does not have to cost the earth - the Natural Death Centre publishes a 14-point checklist of money-saving tips. You do not need to use a funeral director, and you can even be buried in your back garden. And if you still want a bespoke coffin - do not despair. Greenfield Creations has been selling cardboard coffins direct to the public for 20 years. Will Hunnybel, whose father started the company, says he gets 50 - 60 internet enquiries a week. A plain cardboard coffin will set you back around £130, or for a few hundred pounds more you can have the design of your choice printed on it, and have it delivered to your front door. | मरना एक ऐसी चीज है जो हम सभी में समान है। |
magazine-17486930 | https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17486930 | Viewpoint: What's it like to be a disabled dad? | Laurence Clark is a stand-up comedian who has cerebral palsy. He lives with his wife Adele and his two sons Tom, seven, and Jamie, nine months. Here he describes both the challenges and the attitudes people have towards families like his. | I guess my family does not fit with the typical image of 2.4 children. But wouldn't it be boring if all families were identical? One bizarre reaction I often get is people thinking that I'm somehow depriving my children of physical activity because their dad is a wheelchair user. I typically get comments like: "Isn't it a shame the boys will never get to play football with their dad?" But there are lots of other different types of play which are accessible that I can do with the boys, such as reading, jigsaws or going to the cinema, and if they desperately wanted to play football then they have a footie-obsessed granddad who is more than happy to oblige. And we do live in Liverpool after all. Over the years I've also found there seems to be this general misunderstanding that disabled people have kids in order to provide them with a free source of "care" or support. Whenever issues around disabled parents make it into the media, it's typically around the lack of support for young carers. Indeed sometimes I can't help but feel that society seems more comfortable with the notion of my children looking after me - rather than supporting me to look after my children. Of course, no child should be put in a position where they are being relied upon by their parents for basic day-to-day support. One thing about my family which surprises people is that we manage our own support and don't expect our kids to "look after" us. We have a personal budget from our local authority which we use to employ personal assistants to support us with day-to-day living, including our roles as parents. This can involve helping us do tasks like getting our kids to nursery or school in the mornings, washing their clothes and preparing meals. However more and more government cuts to local authority funding are, in turn, having a huge effect on local social care provision for people like us. Only this week Chancellor George Osborne announced in the Budget a further £10bn cut in welfare spending in 2016-17 from the forecast bill. To me, giving disabled parents adequate support makes good sense, as the knock-on effect is fewer children being placed in the position of having to provide support for their parents. Instead disabled parents would be able to fulfil their roles as parents, thus freeing their children to get on with simply being kids. There's also a misconception that disabled people with my degree of impairment are incapable of being parents at all. When we'd tell people we were expecting we'd get one of two reactions. They either assumed we must have had IVF because we couldn't possibly have done it the old-fashioned way. Or they would shake my hand firmly and say "Congratulations" while I could see them thinking: "How the hell did he manage that then?" It is often said that a defining point in any child's development is the moment when they realise they are better than their parents at doing a particular thing. To the best of my knowledge, this moment arrived for my older son Tom on his fifth birthday when he asked me to help him play a game on his new games console. It was then I discovered that most video games are not really designed for the co-ordination skills of someone with cerebral palsy. Of course, another common reaction I get when I tell people that I'm a dad is that I'm apparently "inspirational". These sorts of reactions really get on my nerves as they assume that I'm some sort of special case, when in fact there are thousands upon thousands of disabled people who choose to take the parenting plunge. That said, as a child I can't remember ever seeing any adults with cerebral palsy who had become parents. This in turn had a knock-on effect on expectations for my later life, since if you are not used to seeing people like yourself taking on responsibility and living full lives then it becomes harder to envisage yourself doing these sorts of things in the future. It was only as an adult that I finally met some disabled parents and realised this was not some impossible dream. I guess Adele and I didn't decide to have children to have them "look after" us or to prove a point, but for probably the exact same reasons as everyone else who decides to start a family. My kids are used to having a dad who uses a wheelchair because they've never known any different. It's only when other people comment or make an issue of it that it ever becomes a problem for us. | लॉरेंस क्लार्क एक स्टैंड-अप कॉमेडियन है जिसे सेरेब्रल पाल्सी है। वह अपनी पत्नी एडेले और अपने दो बेटों टॉम, सात और जेमी, नौ महीने के साथ रहता है। यहाँ वह अपने जैसे परिवारों के प्रति लोगों की चुनौतियों और दृष्टिकोण दोनों का वर्णन करता है। |
world-us-canada-22953194 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22953194 | Aerial images: Destruction at Lac-Megantic | Canadian investigators have begun searching the cause of the runaway oil train that derailed in Quebec on Saturday morning. | The carriages of the train exploded in the centre of the small town of Lac-Megantic, destroying at around 30 buildings and killing at least 15 people. Scattered oil tank wagon wheelsets Wrecked oil tank wagons Burnt-out cars Houses destroyed Shops burnt to the ground Satellite images captured by US space agency Nasa two days apart show the scale of the inferno in comparison to major urban centres close to Lac-Megantic. | कनाडाई जांचकर्ताओं ने शनिवार सुबह क्यूबेक में पटरी से उतरने वाली तेल ट्रेन के कारण की खोज शुरू कर दी है। |
entertainment-arts-38385697 | https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38385697 | Art in 2017: A look ahead | 2017 is going to be a Hull of a year. Really. Humble old Hull - a city once voted among the worst to live in Britain - has had a multi-million pound facelift, cleaned up its act, and is playing open house to the world as UK City of Culture 2017 . | By Will GompertzArts editor Do go. It's a fabulous place. And not a bit like some other cities one could mention, where a stranger saying "hello" either means you've been set-upon by a chugger or a performance artist. They're a friendly lot over on the blowy east coast of Yorkshire, and have put together a decent and diverse 12-month programme. The year starts with the city's buildings being used as vast canvasses on to which images are projected telling the story of Hull, and ends with the Turner Prize exhibition and award. In between, like the sandwiches at Kingston's Deli on Savile Street, they have packed multiple delights. David Hockney's beloved Bridlington is just up the road. Maybe he'll pop in when he's on his way down to Tate Britain for the opening dinner celebrating his retrospective show at the Pimlico gallery in February. If so, he might pass fellow artist Tony Cragg on the M1, as he makes his way to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for his March show. Can't wait. I like Cragg. And love Richard Long, another senior British artist exhibiting in 2017. He's on at Houghton Hall, once Robert Walpole's showy country pad in Norfolk, now home to a smattering of contemporary exhibits and the Cholmondeley family. If only our inaugural Prime Minister had had the financial acumen to match his impeccable taste in art, we could also have seen the masterpieces he collected by Velazquez, Van Dyke, Rubens and Rembrandt, but he didn't and Catherine the Great snaffled the lot in a fire sale in 1779. The Russians will be back in 2017, and in some style. This time at the Royal Academy in London, with an exhibition marking the centenary of the Russian Revolution. That's its spring show; in the autumn it will present a sure-fire hit with a major Jasper Johns retrospective (his work will also be present in the British Museum's The American Dream). Don't expect the retiring 86-year old artist to appear on Graham Norton's couch (or anybody else's), but do expect a classic to match Tate Modern's current monographic of Johns' old mate Robert Rauschenberg. The Bankside behemoth will be pulling in more punters in February with its Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition, an artist who rarely disappoints. If I had to pick out the odds-on blockbuster of 2017, it would be Cezanne Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in October. My advice: book early. If you fancy clocking up a few air miles, the art world has laid on a feast of entertainments. There's the Venice Biennale running from May till September, with the wonderful sculptor Phyllida Barlow setting up shop in the British Pavilion. Documenta, the cognoscenti's favourite once-every-five-years international art event, is back. This time it's a bi-nation affair: part one takes place in Athens from April, part two kicks off in June at its regular home in Kassel, Germany. We're living in an age where museums have joined temples and churches as places to congregate and contemplate. Vast sums of money are being poured into the creation of ever bigger and better art shrines by wealthy folk looking for eternal fame, and city bureaucrats intent on setting a tourist trap. There are far too many to mention opening in 2017, but highlights include Louvre Abu Dhabi (probably December), and Zeitz MOCAA Cape Town (September). And finally, for the truly intrepid, 2017 offers a novelty not to be missed: the first ever Antarctic Bienniale. Wrap up warm, put a line through your diary for twelve days (27 March to 6 April), and submerge yourself in art. Happy New Year. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | 2017 एक साल का हल होने जा रहा है। वास्तव में। विनम्र पुराना हल-एक शहर जिसे कभी ब्रिटेन में रहने के लिए सबसे खराब लोगों में से एक माना जाता था-ने कई मिलियन पाउंड का नया रूप दिया है, अपने कार्य को साफ किया है, और दुनिया के लिए यूके सिटी ऑफ कल्चर 2017 के रूप में खुला घर खेल रहा है। |
health-52145140 | https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52145140 | Coronavirus: The NHS workers wearing bin bags as protection | As the death toll from coronavirus continues to climb, hospitals across the UK are working flat out to create more intensive care beds for those who are critically ill. Speaking to the BBC, one intensive care doctor describes the crippling reality of a lack of support and equipment faced by some health-care workers in England. | By Claire PressBBC News Several healthcare workers in England have told the BBC of a lack of equipment in their hospitals. Warned against speaking to the media, they were unwilling to talk publicly. However, one intensive care doctor from the Midlands wanted to go on record. The BBC agreed to change her name in order to protect her identity. Dr Roberts describes a hospital on the brink. Intensive care is already full of coronavirus (Covid-19) patients. All operations deemed non-urgent, even the cancer clinics, have been cancelled. There is a lack of staff, a lack of critical care beds, a shortage of basic antibiotics and ventilators. All this, combined with the looming uncertainty of what will be the expected peak, estimated to hit the UK around 14-15 April, means hospital staff are already feeling the strain. However, nothing Dr Roberts describes is quite as alarming as the fact that these medical professionals, who continue to care for critically ill patients for 13 hours every day, are having to resort to fashioning personal protective equipment (PPE) out of clinical waste bags, plastic aprons and borrowed skiing goggles. While the public attempts to keep to a social distance of two metres, many NHS staff are being asked to examine patients suspected of coronavirus at a distance of 20cm - without the proper protection. With potentially fatal implications, Dr Roberts says several departments within her hospital are now so fearful of what's coming next, they have begun to hoard PPE for themselves. "It's about being pragmatic. The nurses on ITU (Intensive Treatment Unit) need it now. They are doing procedures which risk aerosol spread of the virus. But they've been told to wear normal theatre hats, which have holes in them and don't provide any protection. "It's wrong. And that's why we're having to put bin bags and aprons on our heads." The government has acknowledged distribution problems, but says a national supply team, supported by the armed forces, is now "working around the clock" to deliver equipment. NHS England also said more than one million respiratory face masks were delivered on 1 April, but with no mention of much-needed head protection and long-sleeved gowns. Dr Roberts says her hospital has not received anything from the government, and what they do have is causing concern. "The respiratory protection face masks we're using at the moment, they've all been relabelled with new best-before end dates. Yesterday I found one with three stickers on. The first said, expiry 2009. The second sticker, expiry 2013. And the third sticker on the very top said 2021." Public Health England has said all stockpiled pieces of PPE [personal protective equipment] labelled with new expiry dates have "passed stringent tests" and are "safe for use by NHS staff". But Dr Roberts says she is not convinced. The Department of Health and Social Care also said it was "working closely with industry, the NHS, social care providers and the Army… If staff need to order more PPE there is a hotline in place". It said its new guidance on PPE was in line with World Health Organization advice to "make sure all clinicians are aware of what they should be wearing". Currently ventilated and under Dr Roberts' care are three of her colleagues, all of whom have tested positive for coronavirus. One is an intensive care doctor working on a Covid ward, who, like Dr Roberts, only had access to inadequate protection. The other two were both working on non-Covid wards and therefore were wearing no PPE. However, given their symptoms, Dr Roberts believes both of them contracted the virus while at work. Although colleagues continue to visit, as with all other patients, no relatives are allowed anywhere within the hospital. "The hardest thing at the moment is having to tell families you are withdrawing care, over the phone. Telling them their relatives are dying or have died but we can't let you come and see them," says Dr Roberts. "Normally you can say to their relative who's at the bedside, 'We're going to do everything we can', but I haven't felt able to say that, because at the moment, I can't. "I can't necessarily give them the best care on a ventilator, I can't guarantee the best nursing care, because the best nurses are being stretched four ways. We're running out of antibiotics, and I can't guarantee all the treatments that I know would help them." NHS England says it has no record of how many medical professionals have been admitted to hospital after contracting coronavirus at work. However, the two hardest-hit countries in Europe are counting. Spain's emergency health minister announced on 27 March that more than 9,400 health-care workers had tested positive, and in Italy, as of 30 March, more than 6,414 medical professionals were reported to have been infected. In the UK, several health workers are known to have died from coronavirus, including Areema Nasreen, a staff nurse in the West Midlands, Thomas Harvey, a health-care assistant in east London, Prof Mohamed Sami Shousha in central London, Dr Alfa Saadu in north London, Dr Habib Zaidi in Southend, Dr Adil El Tayar in west London and Dr Amged El-Hawrani in Leicester. Breaking point Based on projections from Italy and Spain, Dr Roberts says health-care workers are bracing for the peak to hit in less than two weeks. "If cases rise as quickly as they did in Spain and Italy, then quite frankly, we are screwed. All of our overspill areas will soon be full. "The anaesthetic machines we have, which are designed to work for two to three hours at most, have been running for four to five days straight. We're already getting leaks and failures." Extra intensive care beds, set up in several operating theatres and wards, have nearly doubled the hospital's capacity to support critically ill patients, particularly those who can't breathe for themselves and need to be put on a ventilator. However, by expanding intensive care, Dr Roberts says it's the nursing staff who are disproportionately affected. "Intensive care nurses are highly trained and normally deliver care one-to-one to those critically ill. Their patients may be asleep, but they have such a close relationship, they can describe every hair on a patient's head. "But now, with these extra beds, nurses are under pressure to look after up to four patients, while delivering the same level of critical care. They are in tears and really struggling. They are the most important part of the system, but that's where it's going to fall down". Stay at home Outside in the hospital car park, Dr Roberts describes how a new temporary building has appeared in the ambulance bay with just one purpose - to vet all patients for symptoms of coronavirus before they are admitted. It is run by a clinician, who, Dr Roberts points out, could otherwise be looking after patients. She describes the unit as a "lie detector". "It's really common for people to lie about their symptoms just to get seen. People who should have stayed at home, but they come to A&E. "So now every single patient gets vetted in the car park, to make sure those with Covid symptoms go to the right part of the hospital and don't infect everyone else, like those who've come in with a broken arm." But for Dr Roberts, it's not just about those turning up at A&E, it's everyone. "Most hospital staff, we are isolating ourselves when we are not at work, so as not to put other people at risk. "But the most frustrating thing for us is to see the parks full, or Tescos even busier than usual. Please stay at home." Illustrations by Charlie Newland | जैसे-जैसे कोरोना वायरस से मरने वालों की संख्या बढ़ती जा रही है, पूरे ब्रिटेन के अस्पताल गंभीर रूप से बीमार लोगों के लिए अधिक गहन देखभाल बिस्तर बनाने के लिए काम कर रहे हैं। बीबीसी से बात करते हुए, एक गहन देखभाल चिकित्सक इंग्लैंड में कुछ स्वास्थ्य देखभाल कर्मचारियों द्वारा सामना किए जाने वाले समर्थन और उपकरणों की कमी की अपंग वास्तविकता का वर्णन करता है। |
uk-44847404 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44847404 | Brexit: How would a second EU referendum be held? | A former Conservative cabinet minister has called for a second Brexit referendum . Writing in the Times, Justine Greening, who used to be education secretary, argued that another vote would be "the only way to end deadlock". | By Tom EdgingtonBBC Reality Check But how, in practice, could a second vote happen? Parliamentary approval The government has ruled out a new Brexit referendum and the Labour party says it's unlikely - although its Shadow Brexit Secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, says it is sensible to keep "all our options on the table" - in the event of Parliament voting down a Brexit deal or in the case of a "no deal" scenario. Downing Street said, in response to Ms Greening, that a referendum will not happen "in any circumstances". So unless there is a dramatic change in party policy, it's highly unlikely a referendum would be called in the first place. That's because a referendum requires an Act of Parliament, which needs to be voted through by the majority of MPs. And while there are vocal supporters on all sides, currently there are not enough MPs who support the idea of a second referendum. Timing Even if MPs and peers agreed in principle to hold a second referendum, the legislative process can be drawn out. Parliament would need to pass detailed rules for the conduct of the poll and the regulation of campaigners. It took seven months before Parliament signed off the previous referendum legislation in 2015. Further time was also needed to pass secondary legislation on areas such as voting registration. In theory, Parliament could copy over some of the legislation from the 2015 Act in order to try to speed the process up. But according to David Jeffery, a politics lecturer at Liverpool University, this might not save a lot of time because issues would still need to be debated and scrutinised by MPs and Lords. Aside from the time to pass the legislation, there's also the length of the campaign to consider. Last time around there was a four-month period between the then Prime Minister David Cameron announcing the referendum in February 2016, and the vote taking place on 23 June. Furthermore, the Electoral Commission has recommended that in future there should be at least a six-month gap between legislation being passed and a referendum being held. That's to allow enough time to register campaigns, put counting officers in place and give people information on how to vote. So combining the time to pass the legislation and allowing for a campaign, it might not be possible to hold a second referendum before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU in March 2019 (i.e. when the Article 50 process is due to expire). And holding a referendum after the Article 50 process could cause a number of practical problems. For one, what if the country voted to remain in the EU, but had already left by the time the vote was held? This could be avoided if the EU agreed to extend the Article 50 deadline - but this would need to be unanimously agreed by all EU member states. The question There's also the referendum question itself and the options on the ballot paper to consider. These need to be presented "clearly, simply and neutrally", according to the Electoral Commission. Justine Greening argues for three options: accept a negotiated Brexit deal, stay in the EU, or leave with no deal. David Jeffery says having more than a yes/no option could complicate the process: "With three options you could have a situation where just 34% decide the winning option. "And that leads to questions about the type of voting system you want - like choosing the options by preference order," he says. "But then you need to ask 'do the public understand the system and how might it work in such a short period of time?'" In the end it would be up to the Electoral Commission to assess that question. What do you want BBC Reality Check to investigate? Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter | एक पूर्व रूढ़िवादी कैबिनेट मंत्री ने दूसरे ब्रेक्सिट जनमत संग्रह का आह्वान किया है। टाइम्स में लिखते हुए, जस्टिन ग्रीनिंग, जो शिक्षा सचिव हुआ करते थे, ने तर्क दिया कि एक और वोट "गतिरोध को समाप्त करने का एकमात्र तरीका" होगा। |
world-europe-jersey-26628337 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-26628337 | Jersey minister wants compulsory bike helmets for children | Cycle helmets could be made compulsory for anyone under the age of 14, if Jersey's politicians agree. | Transport Minister, Deputy Kevin Lewis, has proposed a legal move that would require children to wear them while cycling on roads. In 2010, politicians agreed to support a move to "ensure cyclists were required to wear suitable safety helmets whilst cycling". States members will debate the proposals on 29 April. | अगर जर्सी के राजनेता सहमत हों तो 14 साल से कम उम्र के किसी भी व्यक्ति के लिए साइकिल हेलमेट अनिवार्य किया जा सकता है। |
world-africa-56870999 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56870999 | Zanzibar halts fishing as storm Jobo approaches Tanzania | Zanzibar's authorities have halted all sea activities, including fishing and transport, until further notice as a tropical storm approaches the Tanzanian islands. | Jobo has been downgraded from a cyclone to a depression but is still forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds. It is due to hit the coast of Tanzania, including the biggest city, Dar es Salaam, on Sunday. Residents of coastal areas have been warned to avoid all travel. People in low-lying areas have been asked to move to higher ground. Zanzibar, a popular tourist destination, is a semi-autonomous archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about 80 km (50 miles) north-east of Dar es Salaam. It is normally reached by ferry. The cyclone hit the Seychelle Islands on Thursday, moving at a speed of 130km/h (80mph). Some buildings were damaged but there were no reports of casualties. | ज़ांज़ीबार के अधिकारियों ने मछली पकड़ने और परिवहन सहित सभी समुद्री गतिविधियों को अगली सूचना तक रोक दिया है, क्योंकि एक उष्णकटिबंधीय तूफान तंजानिया के द्वीपों के पास आ रहा है। |
uk-england-devon-47283202 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-47283202 | Woman arrested over Gwithian cliff death body | A 73-year-old woman has been arrested after a body was found at the bottom of the cliffs in Cornwall. | Officers were called by a member of the public who had spotted a woman's body near Gwithian on Friday afternoon. The dead woman was believed to be a 74-year-old from Wiltshire, officers said. Her next-of-kin have been informed. Devon and Cornwall Police said the arrested woman, from Westbury, Wiltshire, was held on suspicion of aiding or abetting a suicide. She was later released while inquiries continue. Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious and a file was being prepared for the coroner. | कॉर्नवाल में चट्टानों के नीचे एक शव मिलने के बाद एक 73 वर्षीय महिला को गिरफ्तार किया गया है। |
entertainment-arts-19276047 | https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-19276047 | Ellie Goulding on sad songs and moving on | After winning the BBC's Sound of 2010, Ellie Goulding delivered a UK number one album and turned Royal Wedding singer. Now she's back with an "experimental break-up album" and an unexpected US chart hit. | By Sarah Jane GriffithsEntertainment reporter, BBC News Dressed all in black on a rare sweltering summer's day in London, the singer is feeling reassured about the release of her second album, Halcyon, in October. New single Anything Could Happen got what she calls "a good reaction" after its first play on Radio 1 - the 25-year-old's name trended worldwide on Twitter. "I was nervous, understandably, because it's been such a long time here since anyone's heard anything original," she explains. Goulding has just jetted in from the US where she's been spending "a lot" of time. "Pretty much on and off for a year and a half," she says. "People think I've moved there!" It seems her home from home is pretty keen too, with the title track from her 2010 debut Lights currently at number two in the US Billboard chart. "It's going really well out there. Nobody expected Lights to be anywhere near number one. It's really old, I wrote it way before my first album came out in a hotel in Brighton. It's been on a really crazy journey." Released as the album's sixth single here, it failed to reach the top 40, peaking at number 49 last March. but it has been rising up the US charts for several months. "Maybe there's something to do with the lyrics or the melody that has appealed more to an American audience?" suggests Goulding. "It didn't do anything here. If I had made it and thought 'this is quite a strong song, it might do well in some commercial capacity'... but I didn't. "I mean I love it, obviously, I wrote it. You've got to love your own songs otherwise it defeats the object, but I can't explain it." A support slot on Katy Perry's tour and the 'Royal Wedding effect' - she sang her cover of Elton John's Your Song for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first dance - have no doubt helped boost her US profile. But now she must focus on her new album. Goulding swapped the Bromley bedroom where she recorded her debut for the English countryside and the home studio of producer Jim Elliot, who has previously worked with Kylie and Ladyhawke. She reckons the more experimental and "darker record" is a big risk, but it seems there is no getting away from a certain subject. "I was determined to make it not about love, because the last one was so much about that," she explains. "But when I did start writing it, I went through a break up and it was really difficult, and so the record ended up being about that. "I couldn't help it. Every time I went to the studio I ended up writing quite sad songs. But even when I'm in quite a happy state of mind, I like writing really sad songs. I think a lot of people do," says Goulding. After splitting from Radio 1 DJ Greg James, she is now dating US dubstep producer Skrillex - a "good person" who was himself tipped in this year's Sound of 2012. Clearly he has also had an influence on the record's glitching, electronic sounds (the couple also happen to have cute matching haircuts). "Yeah, it's something that I can't explain very well," admits Goulding. "But I guess Anything Could Happen is about that, because I didn't know what was around the corner". Goulding says Anything Could Happen is probably the happiest song she has ever written in her life. "I think being close to someone who is also a musician, and one I really respect and I'm a big fan of, all it does is motivate me and makes me want to work harder and be better," she says. Despite being championed by the BBC and the Brits before even releasing an album, Goulding still feels she has done things "the hard way". "It took time to really build myself a reputation as a good live performer, a musician and an artist," she reveals. "I think around the time I played Glastonbury was a turning point. Then I started getting quite a lot of respect as a musician as opposed to just someone who'd had lots of hype and won things." Goulding has made no secret of her initial struggles with fame and success, which caused her to suffer panic attacks that felt "like having a heart attack". "It's a really scary, solitary, lonely thing. So I just want other people in that to know they're not alone," she says. But Goulding agrees she is not exactly the "no personal questions" type of artist. "I just don't like going, 'I don't want to answer that'. I think I'm just too nice," she explains. "I find it hard not to be honest. I can't imagine making a record and people not knowing the back story. "Maybe one day I'll make a record that's really mysterious and no one knows where it came from or what I wrote it about. But thus far, I've just wanted to explain everything properly." With the back story to Halcyon explained, Goulding's now preparing for what her manager tells her will be "the busiest couple of years of my life". But unlike last time, she is ready. "I used to make my manager Jamie not tell me where I was going to be the next day, because I was so afraid of flying and of anything," she says. "But now I love flying, I love working hard, I love being around the world. So much has changed, I think it's going to make a big difference." However, she is glad to be stationed back in London before touring starts in December. "Rehearsals are the most important thing in my world at the moment. The live show is going to be bigger, crazier, so we've got a lot of work to do. "I'm just thinking about it now and suddenly I'm really stressed out!" It is just as well she has put her old training regime, running and working out for two hours a day, on the back burner. "It's not as crazy. I used to train a lot, really hard," she admits, before an injury forced her to slow down. "I feel like maybe I went too hard too soon and now I need to chill out a bit? "But I was on the treadmill watching the Olympics the other night and it couldn't be a bigger motivation for me. I saw Bolt win and just suddenly upped my speed!" Anything Can Happen is out on 30 September. Halcyon follows on 8 October. | 2010 का बी. बी. सी. का साउंड जीतने के बाद, एली गोल्डिंग ने यू. के. का नंबर एक एल्बम दिया और रॉयल वेडिंग गायिका बन गईं। अब वह एक "प्रयोगात्मक ब्रेक-अप एल्बम" और एक अप्रत्याशित यू. एस. चार्ट हिट के साथ वापस आ गई हैं। |
uk-england-cumbria-14202142 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-14202142 | Fire alarm 'saved' Flimby fire family | A family of four rescued from their smoke-filled house in Cumbria was saved by a fire alarm. | A neighbour called the fire brigade after hearing the alarm go off at the house in Brook Street, Flimby, in the early hours of Tuesday. Firefighters said they had to force their way into the house using breathing apparatus to wake the two adults and two children. Cumbria Fire Service said the blaze was caused by a grill pan being left on. Cumbria fire station manager Kevin Bethwaite said: "Another five or 10 minutes and the family could have been in real trouble. The alarm saved their lives." | कंब्रिया में अपने धुएँ से भरे घर से बचाए गए चार लोगों के परिवार को आग के अलार्म से बचाया गया। |
business-25375180 | https://www.bbc.com/news/business-25375180 | US judge approves $5.7bn Visa and Mastercard settlement | A US judge has approved a $5.7bn (£3.5bn) class action settlement against credit card firms Visa and MasterCard. | The two firms were accused of fixing the credit card fees charged to merchants each time a credit or debit card was used. It is believed to be the largest settlement of an antitrust class action suit ever. Some retailers objected, claiming the terms weren't satisfactory. Merchants first sued Visa and MasterCard in 2005. An initial settlement of $7.2bn was agreed on, but the amount was lowered after around 8000 retailers, including Amazon and Target, opted out of the agreement. Many of those retailers have subsequently filed their own lawsuits. | एक अमेरिकी न्यायाधीश ने क्रेडिट कार्ड फर्मों वीजा और मास्टरकार्ड के खिलाफ $5.7bn (£ 3.5bn) वर्ग कार्रवाई समझौते को मंजूरी दी है। |
world-asia-28122791 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28122791 | What Japan's military shift means | The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced a major new interpretation of the security provisions of the country's 1947 constitution, permitting its Self Defence Forces (SDF) to participate for the first time in collective self-defence related activities. | By Dr John Swenson-WrightChatham House In future, the SDF will, in principle, be able to assist the forces of a foreign country in situations where either the survival and security of Japan or that of its citizens is at risk. The new interpretation is highly controversial since it represents a sharp departure from the post-war political consensus, codified in Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, that explicitly limits Japan's use of military force exclusively to the defence of its sovereign territory and its people. Such has been the strength of post-war Japanese pacifist sentiment, and notwithstanding the long-term alliance with the United States, that Japan's defence forces have been unable to extend their military collaboration with their US allies beyond this narrowly circumscribed role. Under the new provisions, there are now a range of scenarios in which this type of joint defence activity might be expanded. Examples include providing defensive support to US forces under attack in the vicinity of Japan, co-operating militarily with US forces to safeguard Japanese citizens at risk overseas, participating in minesweeping activities during a time of war, or deploying Japanese forces to protect access to energy supplies or critically important sea-lanes of communication vital to Japan's survival. Indeed, in theory, the new interpretation will allow Japan to co-operate with any foreign country with which it has "close ties", thereby substantially expanding the scope for military co-operation with different countries and beyond the narrow remit of the defence of Japanese territory. Carte blanche? Opinion in Japan is divided on the merits of this change, with 50%, according to a recent Nikkei poll, opposing the new interpretation and 34% supporting it. The motives for opposition are mixed, in part reflecting the unresolved debate about Japan's post-war political identity, but also prompted by uncertainty regarding the long-term security objectives of the Abe administration. Progressive thinkers argue that the changes overturn the pacifist legal and interpretative conventions, established in the aftermath of World War Two, guaranteeing that Japan will never again become embroiled in foreign conflicts. Given the sensitivity and importance of these political norms, critics argue they should only be changed via constitutional amendment. While the Abe administration dominates both houses of the Japanese parliament, it is uncertain of its ability to revise the constitution rapidly and critics view the new interpretation as one of dubious political legitimacy. There is also some fear, both within Japan and amongst its closest neighbours, most notably China and South Korea, that the new interpretation is intended to allow the government to deploy troops freely in a wide-range of conflict situations. However, the Abe administration has explicitly ruled out such options and has been careful to distinguish between collective self-defence (intended to safeguard Japanese national interests and assets) and collective security - where states co-operate to protect their mutual interests in the face of foreign aggression. Mr Abe himself has made it clear that Japan's forces will not "participate in combat in wars such as the Gulf War and the Iraq War". Strategic risk Mr Abe appears to have a number of motives for introducing the new interpretation. It will provide Japan with much greater latitude to strengthen its military co-operation with the United States - something that Washington is keen to encourage as part of the current revision of the Joint US-Japan Defence Guidelines, unchanged since 1997. It will also open the door potentially to more active defence co-operation with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Australia and the Philippines - both of which have welcomed these changes, as they look anxiously at China's increasingly assertive maritime posture in the South and East China seas. More generally, the new interpretation is likely to strengthen the perception that Japan has become a more "normal" state, in terms of its ability constructively to contribute to global and regional security. The political and diplomatic dividends from such a change in attitudes are likely to be considerable, potentially strengthening Japan's long-standing bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and adding weight to Mr Abe's recently articulated strategy of making a "proactive contribution to peace". The new approach is not without risk. While Japan's mainstream political parties remain weak and divided, citizen activism in opposition to these changes may be energised, particularly at the level of local politics. Prefectural, city, town and village-based criticism of the government's approach has been vocal and may cost the government support in the spring elections of 2015. Abroad, the new measures look set to further undermine an already frayed relationship with South Korea and to heighten territorial and political tensions with China. Finally, the intentional ambiguity surrounding the details of the new interpretation provides the government with useful flexibility in deploying its forces overseas, but it also magnifies the potential for increased tactical and strategic risk at a time when regional security tensions are intensifying. For a Japanese government that has limited experience of the high-pressure challenge of national security decision-making and crisis management, this may not be an entirely positive development. John Swenson-Wright is head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House. | जापानी प्रधान मंत्री शिंजो आबे के प्रशासन ने देश के 1947 के संविधान के सुरक्षा प्रावधानों की एक बड़ी नई व्याख्या की घोषणा की है, जिससे इसके आत्मरक्षा बलों (एस. डी. एफ.) को पहली बार सामूहिक आत्मरक्षा संबंधी गतिविधियों में भाग लेने की अनुमति मिली है। |
uk-england-birmingham-44850944 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-44850944 | Six plead not guilty to Jaskaran Kang murder | Five men and a boy have denied the murder and manslaughter of a 24-year-old who was fatally stabbed. | The body of Jaskaran Kang, from Handsworth, Birmingham, was discovered at a property in Stourbridge Road, Dudley, on 6 January. The accused appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday and are set to face trial on 14 January. All six faced an additional charge of conspiracy to commit robbery - four men denied it. Two others who cannot be named - an 18-year-old who was 17 when arrested, and a 17 year old boy - admitted the charge. The accused are: | पाँच पुरुषों और एक लड़के ने एक 24 वर्षीय युवक की हत्या और हत्या से इनकार किया है, जिसे घातक रूप से चाकू मार दिया गया था। |
world-europe-jersey-17101725 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-17101725 | St Helier lifeboat called to help fisherman | The St Helier Lifeboat crew had to rescue eight people from a fishing boat off Jersey on Sunday after the vessel became caught in discarded fishing nets. | The lifeboat was launched just after 04:30 GMT to help the 33ft boat. The charter vessel was several miles south-west of Corbiere lighthouse when it ran into problems. Andy Hibbs, St Helier RNLI Coxswain, said it was just one of those things that happened a lot. He said: "He was on his way back to Jersey, he got both propellers tangled up with a load of trawl netting. "There is nothing you can do but get somebody to give you a hand, unfortunately there was nobody around so he had to call us." | सेंट हेलियर लाइफबोट के चालक दल को रविवार को जर्सी के पास एक मछली पकड़ने वाली नाव से आठ लोगों को बचाना पड़ा, जब जहाज मछली पकड़ने के फेंके गए जाल में फंस गया। |
technology-36045577 | https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36045577 | Drone racing - sport of the future? | At Wembley last night I experienced what could be the sport of the future. Tiny drones raced out of the players' tunnel and did three laps of the stadium, weaving their way through a slalom course. | Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter The races were hard fought and - according to the commentators - full of thrills and spills. The stadium was empty, apart from a box full of journalists protected by a net, but perhaps in a few years' time huge crowds will gather to watch drone racing. We've heard today how ESPN plans to turn drone racing into a major TV sport - but before it's ready for live spectators, a few issues will need to be sorted out. Such as how can you actually see what is going on. As the tiny drones whizzed past me last night it was almost impossible to spot them, let along work out who was winning. But the organisers of the event, the mobile network EE, the chip maker Qualcomm and this new sport's organising body the European Rotor Sports Association believe that together they can create an absorbing live experience. We were shown two other views of the races. First, via the FPV (first person view) headsets the racers themselves wear to guide their drones with amazing skill around the course. Then on tablets showing the view from an EE action camera mounted on the front of each drone, all streamed live over the 4G network. To wear the FPV headset - where the signal often breaks up and the screen blurs - is to realise the immense skill of the pilots and the speed of their reactions. But it was the tablets which gave the best view of the action. Perhaps in the future, crowds will sit in a stadium gazing down at their tablets or smartphones at a chosen racer's progress and then up at the real thing whizzing past. But that will need a huge amount of bandwidth and may have to wait until 5G networks come along. In the meantime, though, plenty of people are coming into the sport. A racing drone isn't that expensive, and many of the racers build their own for a few hundred pounds. Already stars are emerging, including 15-year-old Luke Bannister who was racing at Wembley last night. In March he won the biggest contest so far, the World Drone Prix in Dubai, and a prize of $250,000 (£177,000). Luke didn't win last night, but seems a very confident young man, focused on getting better at a sport he obviously loves. Who knows, maybe he or someone like him will be battling Formula 1 champions and football stars to be the Sports Personality of 2026. | वेम्बली में कल रात मैंने अनुभव किया कि भविष्य का खेल क्या हो सकता है। छोटे ड्रोन खिलाड़ियों की सुरंग से बाहर निकले और एक स्लैलम कोर्स के माध्यम से अपना रास्ता बनाते हुए स्टेडियम के तीन चक्कर लगाए। |
uk-england-39849272 | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-39849272 | Tour de Yorkshire Sportive crash: Killed cyclist identified | A cyclist who died six days after colliding with a coach while taking part in the Tour De Yorkshire Sportive has been identified. | David Worthington, 51, from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, was badly injured in the crash near Wortley on 30 April and died on 6 May. South Yorkshire Police said Mr Worthington had been taking part in the amateur cycling event when the collision happened in Finkle Street Lane. The force has appealed for witnesses to come forward. More stories from across Yorkshire Related Internet Links South Yorkshire Police | टूर डी यॉर्कशायर स्पोर्टिव में भाग लेने के दौरान एक कोच से टकराने के छह दिन बाद मरने वाले एक साइकिल चालक की पहचान की गई है। |
world-asia-india-43945959 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43945959 | A wedding bomb, a letter and an unlikely suspect | After a massive search, police in India have arrested a college teacher in connection with a "wedding bomb" that killed a newly-married man and injured his wife. Soutik Biswas reports on how the investigation into a killing which shocked India took an unexpected turn. | The letter arrived in a stamped envelope on a hot summer morning in early April. The sender had printed "Important Letter" on a piece of paper and addressed it to the police chief of Balangir, a rural district in Orissa state studded with temples and farms. It was an anonymous and rather strangely-written letter containing 130 words printed in English on white foolscap. And it related to the recent wedding gift bomb murder in the district. Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, had been killed and his 22-year-old wife Reema seriously injured when he opened a parcel addressed to him, five days after their marriage in February. Sahu's 85-year-old great aunt was also killed in the explosion at the family home in the sleepy town of Patnagarh. Police said the parcel had been sent by someone called SK Sharma from Raipur, some 230km (142 miles) away in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state. Both the name and address were found to be fake, police say. The letter they say was sent to the Balangir police chief began with the disclaimer that a "special messenger" had been sent by the writer to "drop this letter". And then, it came to the point quickly. The parcel with the bomb had been sent in the name of SK Sinha, not RK Sharma, it said. Three men, it said, had "undertaken the project" and they "were far away now where police cannot reach". The reasons for the blast, the sender wrote with an awkward flourish, were the groom's "betrayal" and money. The first reason possibly alluded to a scorned lover, and the second to a property dispute. "Even the killing of the whole family cannot compensate our loss," the sender wrote. In the end, the tone turned forceful. The police, wrote the sender, should "remain silent" and "not harass innocent people, doubting and asking them unnecessary questions". For more than a month, two dozen investigators questioned more than 100 people - friends and relatives of the couple mainly - in four cities in connection with the killing. They had scoured thousands of mobile phone records, and scanned laptops and phones belonging to the couple. Investigators had looked into a threatening call the victim received last year after his engagement, and found out it was from a young man known to his then fiancée who had blamed her for "ditching him and getting engaged to a richer boy". Encouraged by the lead, they had picked up the man and questioned him. They let him go after they found nothing amiss beyond a "silly threat" on the phone. Detectives had also drawn up a list of more than a dozen possible suspects, but had no firm leads on any of them. The case was going cold. As public and media pressure grew, the government handed the case over to the elite crime branch. More than 300km (186 miles) away in the state capital, Bhubaneshwar, crime branch chief Arun Bothra received a scan of the letter on WhatsApp. Mr Bothra, a 50-year-old journalist-turned-policeman, was taking over the investigation. "I read the letter the whole day and night. I must have read it a hundred times. It revealed a lot of things," he told me. "It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made," Mr Bothra said. Mr Bothra sought records of the case. He found that the police had bungled while deciphering the parcel booking receipt - the untidy and hurried scrawl of the sender's name did not appear to resemble SK Sharma. "If you observe the writing closely, the name is more akin to SK Sinha or SK Singh - look at the loop in the end. And the police, the media, the survivors all kept repeating the sender was SK Sharma. And since we knew he had used a fake name, we did not bother about it." "I kind of instantly sensed the killer had himself sent the letter. How did he know that SK Sinha had sent the parcel? He had made a big mistake. The letter was the turning point in our investigation." Forensic scientists say they found a number of faint, unhelpful fingerprints on the letter. They sent the envelope to extract a genetic profile from the saliva the sender may have used on the glue seam, but none was found. Investigators sent a copy of the letter to the parents of the victim. They were asked whether they suspected anyone. The victim's mother, a teacher in a local college, went over the letter again and again. "It was then the mother said this letter could have been written by a colleague of hers who taught English at the college. She said he had a similar writing style and choice of words. Then she said something interesting. She said the teacher would often use the phrase 'completing the project'," said Mr Bothra. Workplace rivalry Punji Lal Meher, 49, had been called in for questioning a week after the fatal blast. The victim's mother had told police that he harassed her after she replaced him as principal of the college last year. The two had reportedly humiliated each other in public, but in the end Mr Meher appeared to have swallowed his pride. "We had really found nothing to pursue Mr Meher. There was never a lead really. We thought it was a case of usual workplace politics," one investigator told me. In his Facebook posts, Mr Meher is usually dressed in formal suits and blazers, a mark of an upwardly mobile man. He wears a gold-coloured watch, a prominent gold ring, and shiny ties, belts and shoes. In one picture, he sits astride a motorcycle, wearing an orange shirt and sunglasses. In other pictures, he is giving away medals at college functions, addressing an Aids awareness meeting, attending a yoga conference. His personal information details say he joined the college in 1996, became the principal in 2014. He's less prolific on Twitter. "There should be only one religion - the religion of humanity," he tweeted in February 2016. It was time to rethink the case and bring in Mr Meher for questioning, Mr Bothra told investigators. So they did. Mr Meher is alleged to have told police that he was out on his evening walk, when a man stopped him, gave him a letter and threatened to harm him if he didn't travel to Balangir town and deliver the letter. "It was the most incredible story that we've heard from a suspect," says Mr Bothra. According to police, Mr Meher said he began buying and hoarding firecrackers in October, when India celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights. He is alleged to have hoarded gunpowder from the crackers, from which they say he made the bomb. In a couple of months, it was ready, police say. They believe he then put it in a cardboard box and gift-wrapped it. On a balmy morning in February, he was ready to send the bomb to its destination, investigators say. He attended college in the morning, took a class, returned home, picked up the gift-wrapped parcel and went to the nearest railway station on his bike, leaving his Datsun sedan at home, it is alleged. He kept his phone at home in what police believe was an attempt to create an alibi that he never left his house. He then took the two-and-half-hour train journey to Raipur without a ticket to avoid being captured by CCTV cameras at the station ticket counter, police say. The police theory is that in Raipur, he took a cycle rickshaw and then a tuk-tuk to visit two courier services before deciding on one located in a basement. According to reports, at the first shop a woman employee asked the rickshaw puller about the contents of the parcel. Mr Meher is alleged to have panicked, walked into the shop and took back the parcel. (The police are seeking to retrieve CCTV footage from the shop.) After booking in the lethal parcel - with the contents given as "gift articles, sweets" - police say Mr Meher told them he took the evening train back and was in bed at home by midnight. In less than a week the parcel then made a 650km journey on three buses and passed through four pairs of hands before reaching Patnagarh on 20 February. Three days later, the bomb exploded in the Sahu house. Mr Meher attended the marriage - and funeral of the victim. "I was consumed by rage and hatred. I could not swallow the humiliation," Mr Meher is alleged to have told the police last week. Mr Meher is currently in police custody while the investigation continues, and is yet to enter a plea. | एक बड़े पैमाने पर खोज के बाद, भारत में पुलिस ने एक "शादी के बम" के संबंध में एक कॉलेज शिक्षक को गिरफ्तार किया है, जिसमें एक नवविवाहित व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई और उसकी पत्नी घायल हो गई। सौतिक बिस्वास ने बताया कि कैसे एक हत्या की जांच ने एक अप्रत्याशित मोड़ ले लिया जिसने भारत को चौंका दिया। |
disability-37560841 | https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-37560841 | Jamie and his Lion: The adults who take their soft toys to work | Most of us have a favourite soft toy from childhood. A silent ally who over time becomes sidelined and left on a shelf. But for some adults they remain an essential presence never leaving the side of their owner. | By Beth RoseBBC News "Most people know me as Jamie + Lion. It's really not a big deal," says Jamie Knight, a 27-year-old developer for the BBC who lives in London with Lion, a 4ft-long soft toy - sometimes known as a plushie - which never leaves his side. "I'm autistic, which is a posh way of saying I have a different way of thinking and perceiving the world. For me the typical environment is pretty chaotic. A sudden loud announcement in a supermarket is pretty similar in effect to a flash-bang grenade used to confuse people during wars. "My brain needs more structure than most. The more predictable the world is, the better chance I have of being able to process it." Jamie's coping strategies include eating the same meal every night - filled pasta with sauce - and having Lion at his side, no matter where he goes. "He is a toy, I'm not deluded into thinking he is alive," he says. Carrying an object around brings some structure and consistency to his environment. The toy lion has a familiar texture and smell which helps in those moments when he feels "overloaded". What is autism? Source: The National Autistic Society "Another way he helps is with deep pressure. My sense of shape is sometimes a bit floaty. I can lose the edge of my body and feel as though I am floating apart. Hugging Lion - I pull him into my chest - provides the input my body needs to stop the floating feeling." Prof Bruce Hood from the University of Bristol says the common childhood trait of needing a soft toy for comfort may be carried into adulthood, as Jamie has suggested, by those particularly attracted to routine. "The reason children develop these relationships is still uncertain, but could arise from self-soothing or habitual routine formation with familiar objects. For example they have been shown to be useful to reduce the stress of attending the dentist." Most people "grow out of strong attachment" but "individuals with autism generally prefer structure and routines which may explain it," he says. Lion wasn't always so visible. In the past Jamie tried to conform to some kind of "normal". This wasn't so successful so, instead of attempting to "defeat" his autism, he decided to work with it. Lion mostly remained at home while Jamie was at secondary school but as he got older and demands changed, he needed more consistency. "During my college years he was always with me," he says. "He was pretty popular." Jamie's autism means at times he is non-verbal - unable to talk - although he can communicate using messaging services and apps which is how he spoke to me, with Lion sitting on his lap. He also knows enough sign language to "get by" which his friends have also learned so they can communicate together. It means he will generally work from home, but when he does go out he says reaction to Lion is "minimal to nothing". "I think to everyone else it's a much bigger deal than it is to me. In fact Lion has been really cool for my career rather accidentally. He's really memorable, and that has helped people remember me." Pigs and the Asylum Listen to the latest Ouch podcast with comedian and performer Tilley Milburn and her pig Del and the artist James Leadbitter also known as The Vacuum Cleaner. They talk about their latest works and the different experiences they had of staying in residential care facilities and experiencing face-down restraint. Follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast. Lion also acts as a prop in situations Jamie finds uncomfortable, such as giving someone a hug, Lion can step in and hug them instead. He says the toy has become part of his identity and that he'd lose something valuable if it weren't there. For actress and comedian Tilley Milburn her "lady pig" Del is someone she can rely on. Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 20 she was living in a residential care home when she spotted the patchwork pig in a shop. It would become her best friend and collaborator, a character with its own voice who even pipes up in business meetings. "Del is a soft toy, but she's more than that to me. I've had toys that have come and gone. Del is the first soft toy that I've really given a personality and voice to." Growing up she had no more attachment to soft toys than most, but moving to a residential care home as a young adult left her isolated. "I was quite withdrawn at the time, I was living in a care home and I was struggling to adjust in that environment, mainly because I just couldn't go about freely - go for a walk. "Del started off being a source of comfort and a way of communicating at times with the carers and even my mum. "My mum always says that Del's more reasonable than me, so she'll ask to talk to Del." The duo work together visiting community groups, performing comedy shows, singing and collaborating on a comic strip, but Del doesn't always talk. "It's not an addiction. I wouldn't say it's an obsession. Sometimes we can go through a whole meeting where Dell will hardly get a word in edgeways." Tilley says she has always felt slightly different to others and is aware of stares when she's out, but sometimes having Del on her side helps her gain control of the situation. "I'm a bit naughty because I complain about people staring at me and I get fed up with people pointing at me, sniggering. I think sometimes, 'I'm going to give them something to look at,' and get Del out." Using a soft toy as a proxy can be a way to navigate the sometimes alien world, but like their owners the toys' personalities may develop or alter. For Jamie, having Lion by his side is not necessarily a long-term fixture, but it works for now. "Lion is changing over time, as am I. Maybe one day he might be with me less, maybe one day he won't." | हम में से अधिकांश के पास बचपन से ही एक पसंदीदा नरम खिलौना है। एक मूक सहयोगी जो समय के साथ किनारे हो जाता है और एक शेल्फ पर छोड़ दिया जाता है। लेकिन कुछ वयस्कों के लिए वे एक आवश्यक उपस्थिति बने रहते हैं जो कभी भी अपने मालिक का पक्ष नहीं छोड़ते हैं। |
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