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The Welsh assembly's standards commissioner is to review AMs' dealings with political lobbyists. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The request was made by assembly Presiding Officer Rosemary Butler. It comes after the UK government began a consultation on whether to set up a statutory register of lobbyists who have dealings with politicians. It follows Prime Minister David Cameron's 2010 prediction that lobbying was the "next big scandal waiting to happen". The assembly's commissioner for standards, Gerard Elias QC, is expected to complete the review by the autumn. |
Florence & The Machine and N-Dubz are among the artists confirmed to play open air gigs at this year's Somerset House summer series. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Mystery Jets, Air, Noah & The Whale, The Temper Trap, The XX, Corinne Bailey Rae and Soul II Soul have also been confirmed to play in the courtyard of the central London landmark. The series begins on 8 July and runs throughout the month. Tickets for the gigs go on sale on 26 March. The full dates are: Mystery Jets - 8 July Air - 9 Noah & The Whale - 10 N-Dubz - 11 The Temper Trap - 12 The XX - 13 Florence & The Machine - 15 Corinne Bailey Rae - 16 Soul II Soul - 18 |
A teenager has been killed after the car in which he was a passenger crashed near a railway bridge in Cumbria. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Gavin Helps, 17, from Carlisle, was in a VW Polo that crashed in the village of Rockcliffe, on the outskirts of the city, at about 17:10 BST on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His family said he was "taken from us too soon, in tragic circumstances". Cumbria Police said the 17-year-old driver, who was also hurt, was helping officers with their inquiries. Two other passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated in hospital. Any witnesses have been asked to come forward. |
Calls have been made for a £2m centre to tackle substance misuse in Wrexham. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Health officials want the Welsh Government to fund the work for the centre in Rhosddu Road as current facilities are "sub-standard". Geoff Lang, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's executive director of strategy, said new facilities would help "improve the physical health of our entire service user group". Officials hope the centre would open within two years. |
Spain and Britain are still talking tough on the issue of Gibraltar as the dispute over Spanish checks at the border continues. The BBC's Tom Burridge talks to people on the Spanish side and looks at the arguments dividing the two countries. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Basic realpolitik tells you that the dispute over the British territory of Gibraltar should cool down at some point soon. Britain and Spain are NATO and EU allies. Hundreds of thousands of Brits live in Spain and many more spend their sun-baked holidays here. Despite the awkward timing of a long-planned deployment of a fleet of British warships and other vessels, it is striking that their first port of call, before Gibraltar, will be mainland Spain. But over the past two weeks, private phone calls followed by public statements on all sides that Britain and Spain are ready to negotiate have only ended in more threats, tougher language and continued long queues for people of all nationalities at the border. Now both Britain and Spain seem resigned to the idea that the European Commission could be the way to reach some form of consensus. 'Hell would freeze' In the wake of a legal threat by Britain over what London deems to be excessive border controls, Spain has denied the checks are a product of the dispute. But the queues only grew, sometimes surpassing five or even six hours, after Gibraltarian authorities put a concrete reef into disputed waters. The Gibraltarian government said the reef was designed to regenerate marine life. Spain said it was a unilateral act designed to stop Spanish boats fishing there. For the dispute to be resolved, Spain's director of foreign policy Ignacio Ibañez told us the reef would have to be removed. Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo told us "hell will freeze over before the government of Gibraltar moves any of those blocks". Spain and Gibraltar's uncompromising red lines over 70 blocks of concrete are part of the dispute, but it has escalated into something bigger. Not a day goes by without the Spanish government talking publicly about the issue of tobacco smuggling across the border. Now the Spanish interior minister has claimed Gibraltar "imported 140 million packets of cigarettes" last year. Jorge Fernandez Díaz said it was "obvious that they were not all smoked by the residents of the British colony, nor its visitors or tourists". He said 725,000 packets were seized by Spanish police at the border last year, 80% of which were hidden under "double-floors" in vehicles. 'Manufactured in Madrid' But Mr Picardo said authorities in the British territory arrested nearly 300 people last year for possessing more than the legal limit of 100 packets of cigarettes - a crackdown he said was not matched on the Spanish side. He said the Spanish government was simply using the issue of smuggling to engineer a dispute which did not exist just a few weeks ago. "This has nothing to do with tobacco smuggling," Mr Picardo said. "This dispute was manufactured in Madrid." Gibraltar believes Spain's right-wing Popular Party government wants to widen the row to distract attention from its domestic problems and focus on the issue of the sovereignty of the British territory. But what do Spaniards think? A 40-minute drive up the coast from the Gibraltar-Spain border is the Andalusian town of Tarifa, which lies just outside the Campo area. "I don't have anything against the people of Gibraltar, but I do have a problem with their government," says fishmonger Salvador Blanco. "We have sympathy with the fishermen as our livelihood depends on them," he adds. But on the issue of Gibraltar's sovereignty, he says he does not care. "We have the territories of Ceuta and Melilla (Spanish enclaves in northern Africa)," he says. "It doesn't make any difference to me that Gibraltar is British." Then we meet 33-year-old Jose María Rico from Madrid, who, like many others at this time of year is on holiday in Tarifa. 'What the heck?' "We always say that Gibraltar is Spanish," he says. "It's like someone telling you that part of your body belongs to someone else." Then, on Tarifa's long and windy beach, from which you can almost touch Africa, we bump into Luis Fernandez, who is spending his holiday with friends from England. "I love the English, but what the heck are they doing here (Gibraltar)?" he asks. But, he believes the Spanish government is using the dispute as a "smokescreen" to divert attention from a damaging corruption scandal. "Rather than this [scandal], we have Gibraltar top of the news," he says. Ironically most of the people we have met in long queues at the border are Spanish. Between 6,000 and 7,000 people live in the part of Spain known as the "Campo de Gibraltar" just over the border but work in the British territory. So sovereignty aside, Spaniards, Britons and Gibraltarians who need to cross the border all want the dispute to end. |
Plans for a new law banning wild animals in circuses in Wales have passed their final vote in the Senedd and now await royal assent. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
It follows moves to outlaw the practice in Scotland and England. Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths said the ban was "overdue" and the legislation represented a "significant step forwards for wild animals in Wales and beyond". The law is due to come into force on 1 December. The proposals have been welcomed by the RSPCA but a man described as Britain's last lion tamer, Thomas Chipperfield, has called them "illiberal". |
Aberdeen FC's move to a new stadium has moved a step closer with the announcement that several offers have been received for Pittodrie. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The ground was put on the market after outline planning permission for 350 homes on the site was secured. The club says the sale of the 13.7-acre Pittodrie site is key to securing the £38m needed to build a new stadium, capable of holding about 21,000 fans. Consultants CBRE say they are now in discussions with several bidders. The new stadium would be at Loirston Loch on the southern outskirts of the city. It is hoped the stadium - which is planned to be an iconic landmark - could be ready for the 2013/14 season. |
Earlier this week, scenes of schoolchildren running away from tear gas fired by police in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, sparked condemnation and even a hashtag, #OccupyPlayGround. Pupils at Lang'ata school were protesting at the loss of their playground. They had returned after a two-week teachers' strike to find it fenced off by a private developer. Agence France Press photographer Tony Karumba was on hand to record the demonstration and here he recalls the event. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Phil CoomesPicture editor "My experience is that land disputes even with the potential of bloodshed and worse will generally not draw such zealous responses from police. I expected there would be some drama being that Kenya's now renowned activist and journalist, Boniface Mwangi was expected at the protest. "When the kids forced their way past a police cordon at the main entrance to their school I thought to myself that any kind of confrontation would obviously have to be played down in the children's presence. "I was rudely shocked when the first tear-gas canister was lobbed into the midst of a group of them. "At first I was unable to react as a photographer and I stared aghast for some seconds at screaming, terrified kids scrambling over each other on to a nearby motorway and a ditch. I raised my camera just in time to get a group of them trying to race up a foot-bridge looking back wide-eyed at a cloud of tear gas. "At that moment, I had no major concern for my safety, as it's a situation I've been through countless times before. The real challenge here to my profession was to watch hapless, shell-shocked kids, the older ones suddenly angry at what I imagine was the betrayal by the officers who, their elementary schooling has taught them, are there to protect them." The story does not end there though as the BBC's Ed Thomas reports. Here are some more of Tony Karumba's pictures from the day. |
In late March, India's cities went still as the country locked down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Workplaces shut, public transport stopped and people stayed home. But photographer Parul Sharma ventured out to document the deserted capital, Delhi. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Aparna AlluriBBC News, Delhi "The lockdown was too much for a restless person like me," Sharma told the BBC in a phone interview. "I usually don't like to be in the confines of home. So I decided to go out." Her family needed some convincing, but they finally came around. So on 3 April, about a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown on TV, Sharma stepped out in the late afternoon to chase the best light. For the next few months, she drove around the city, armed with a camera and the necessary passes, which allowed journalists, officials and essential workers such as doctors and nurses to move around. "I could see the clouds and birds, but no trace of humans," she said. "It was magical, like getting into la la land. Still and motionless but also beautiful." The result: about 10,000 striking photographs of an unusual moment in Delhi's history. A collection of these stark photographs are now part of her new book Dialects Of Silence, published by Roli Books. Her first stop, she recalled, was one of her favourite spots in Delhi, and not too far from home. Connaught place, a Georgian-style circular colonnade, lies at the heart of Delhi. The colonial-era construction was a business district for decades before it became a popular hub for shops, restaurants and bars. But some businesses have stayed on, like the iconic Regal theatre, one of Delhi's oldest and best-known cinema halls. "I didn't go to landmarks, I went to places that brought back memories of my childhood," Sharma said. Connaught Place is usually teeming with people - street vendors, shoppers, office goers grabbing a quick lunch or after-work drinks. But on that day, Sharma said, all she encountered was "emptiness and solitude". "That has its own beauty. And it spoke volumes, as did this aura of absence that was prevalent everywhere," she said. But the places Sharma sought through her memories were veritable landmarks, including Khan Market, a partition-era business complex that is now a posh, often buzzing, shopping enclave in central Delhi. Its facade is occupied by the famous Bahrisons bookstore, which closed its doors indefinitely for the first time. The writer William Dalrymple said Sharma had produced a "startling portfolio of a locked-down, masked, visored, sanitised, padlocked and disinfected Delhi, almost empty of its people and taken over by bored jawans and preening monkeys". Never had the Indian capital, he said, looked "so unfamiliar, or so surreal". But no part of locked down Delhi stood in starker contrast to its usual state than Old Delhi, the nearly 400-year-old neighbourhood that was once the seat of the Mughal empire. "It was like a ghost town. It was most astonishing to see," Sharma said. The narrow lanes, flanked by crumbling buildings that hint at past splendour, are always packed with people and vehicles of all sorts, from cycles to carts to cars. Even the Jama Masjid, Delhi's most famous mosque, had gone quiet. Driving through Old Delhi in the night, Sharma said, felt both "eerie and beautiful". "My quest was to seek beauty," she said. But then things changed as the lockdown progressed, Covid-19 case numbers gradually climbed and she continued to shoot. For the people of Delhi, the novelty of the lockdown - and the desolate charm it brought to Indian cities - was soon punctured by uncertainty and challenges. Sharma often drove past AIIMS, one of India's biggest public hospitals, on her way to and from shoots. One day, she decided to stop and talk to the people who were camped outside because the hospital had shut down its outpatient wing to focus on Covid-19 care. It was there she decided to turn her lens on those suffering amid the pandemic. Sharma visited the AIIMS' Covid-19 wing, where she photographed doctors as they put on the now-familiar PPE suit. She also visited a Covid-19 care centre, where she photographed residents, including a young girl. "She was having a good time. She asked the PPE doctors to braid her hair," Sharma recalled, laughing. Her shoots took a different turn as she began to document the human toll of the pandemic - the prostitutes in Delhi who were running out of money, the hungry homeless and poor, who were suddenly jobless. It was then that she began to encounter some resistance. "I was dissuaded as a woman. I faced a lot of questions," she said. But she continued, going wherever her curiosity took her. "I don't like to be a distant spectator," she said. Her work took her to Muslim cemeteries, Hindu crematoriums and to a Christian coffin-maker, who said he had never had to make so many coffins in such a short period of time. "Death was the most frightening and most tragic," Sharma said. "There were no flowers, no goodbyes, no relatives. It was lonely for the dead." By June, the lockdown began to ease and the "new normal" emerged. Sharma chronicled that too, including sparsely staffed, indoor shoots as advertising and films gingerly resumed activity. Sharma's book, which was released at the end of August, won praise for its haunting and intimate portrayal of one of the world's busiest cities rendered still. It was a "first-hand document of what Delhi went through", she said. All images are copyrighted. |
Kele Okereke has revealed details of his debut solo album. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Going it alone with his band Bloc Party currently on hiatus, the singer will release The Boxer on 21 June, preceded by single Tenderoni on 14 June. On announcing the news Okereke said: "The key for the sound of the record was to make things as harsh and as physical as I could make it." He has already revealed details of a number of UK live appearances including Manchester's Warehouse Project (12 June) and August's Reading and Leeds festivals. The album was recorded with producer XXXchange in New York. Speaking to the BBC last October on the immediate future of Bloc Party, drummer Matt Tong said: "Unfortunately that is going to be it for the time being." |
Lost in the most consistently astonishing US presidential campaign since the 1864 Democrats ran on a platform of conceding the Civil War, is a disturbing question that seems to bring into doubt the very premise of the American experiment. Exactly how would Donald Trump deport 11 million undocumented migrants from the US? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Keith OlbermannNew York Who does and doesn't fit his perception of who belongs here was the ground zero of his campaign. The demonisation of Mexicans, the wall, the asset freeze, the elimination of birthright citizenship, much of the white-power undertone to his rhetoric - all of it mainlines back to this one premise. And the premise came to the fore again on Thursday when, on national television, Trump told a self-declared supporter that it didn't matter if her undocumented relatives had been here for a quarter of a century, they would be deported. "I'm sure these are very, very fine people. They're going to go, and we're going to create a path where we can get them into this country legally, OK? But it has to be done legally." A President Trump would take about 3.5% of everybody here and round them up. Move 'em on, head 'em up, cut 'em out, ride 'em in. Sure. For the moment, let's brush past the morality and the ethics and the economic impact, and the resultant $20 tomato and the nationwide repetition of the year Georgia expelled all its "illegals" and had nobody to harvest the crop, and $140m (£98m) of it rotted in the fields, and the sheer Sisyphean nature of the thing (so - you get them all out of here and none of them ever come back because wall, even though they might think of coming back because tunnel). The obvious but largely unexplored question is: What if they don't want to go? I'm suggesting - and please tread carefully as you go out on this limb with me - that 11 million people who beat extraordinary odds to come to this country because they saw a chance for a life here, might hesitate to just go back. You know, just like my great-great-grandfather Frederick stayed (sorry, I don't know where his papers are, he died in 1860) and Donald Trump's grandfather stayed (I bet you Trump doesn't have his papers either). I know I'm positing something outlandish, almost to the point of being science fiction, but I truly believe that those who live here under constant threat of exposure and removal, doing the worst jobs, for the lowest pay, almost always outside the most minimal protections of the law and the lawmen, would not respond to a Trump administration "deportation force" like kids caught in a game of hide-and-seek. They might, you know, resist. But let's say I'm wrong. Let's say 11 million people here do choose - in Mitt Romney's gloriously naive phrase - "self-deportation". No hesitation, no resistance, no struggle, no relatives hiding them, no documented immigrants or birthright citizens standing up for them. Just "Exit, stage right." How is Trump going to pull even that trick off? During a debate, Governor John Kasich of Ohio expressed disbelief at the logistics and Trump replied: "I built an unbelievable company worth billions and billions of dollars. I don't have to hear from this man, believe me. I don't have to hear from him." To date Trump has offered only two details: That's a ratio of 37 immigrants per agent. If the entire expulsion process from round-up to judicial acquiescence and appeal was somehow sped up to an average of six months, and it somehow required a ratio of just one agent per immigrant, Trump's "Deportation Force" would be on pace to be able to clear them all out some time in the year 2035. If for some reason it took longer, or you kept the speed but found you needed say, three agents to give these people their parting gifts, including a home version of The Trump Entertainment Resorts Collector's Edition Monopoly Game, the process wouldn't be over until around the election of 2072. Even if these wildly optimistic numbers turned out to wildly underestimate the American spirit to throw out the newest arrivals in fear that they somehow endanger the penultimate arrivals, the absolute best-case scenario still stretches out over a decade. ICE (an acronym for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement - a name almost as bad as Homeland Security) claims it could deport 400,000 undocumented immigrants a year. Apply Trump's triple formula not just to the staffing but to the results and it's still 2027 before the last of them is gone, and again this presumes nobody puts up a fight, nobody tries to come back, and nobody new tries to get in. So what do you do with all of them between now and 2027, 2035, or 2072? You'd need to keep them somewhere. I mean, physically, you can't throw 11 million people out of the country at the same time. Especially if there's a wall there. 11 million is a little less than the population of Ohio. "OK, Ohio, everybody out of the pool!" doesn't work. You'd need to keep them somewhere. Camps. Detention camps. Processing camps. Perhaps 10 huge camps, each big enough to house the population of Dallas. Or 20 smaller camps, including one for the estimated 500,000 undocumented workers in New York City alone - a population larger than that of the New York borough of Staten Island. And around the beds, hurricane fences, barbed wire, guard towers, detainees arriving via train in some empty corner of Wyoming - all the dystopian details we've seen unfolding at the refugee/migrant camps in Calais and Greece and throughout Europe - would be a particularly American touch: a lovely redux of the imagery of World War Two Japanese internment - or worse. To a lot of Trump's fans these would be positive boons but a year ago, analysing the insanity of trying to throw out 11 million people and concluding it would cost $400-$600bn (£280-£420bn) and shave $1.6 trillion (£1.1tn) off real GDP, the president of a conservative think tank called American Action Forum underscored the optics to the magazine The Atlantic: "It still would be, I think, a shocking sight to the American people, to have the detentions, the deportations, the detention centres, the need for the administrative end of this," said its president Douglas Holtz-Eakin. "If you were to do it faster and have vans sweeping in, I think that would have the untenable feel of the police state to the American people." And that's with at least some cooperation from the people Trump would be expelling. We aren't even looking at the answers here that involve prosecuting Americans "guilty" of hiding their friends, lovers, relatives, neighbours, and strangers in their attics, or the raids by Trump deportation squads, or documented residents swept up in the madness, or suicides at detention camps the size of army bases, or the bodies of the undocumented dead in the street because a lot of people would rather die than go back, or what happens when somebody fights back. So, that's how Donald Trump would deport 11 million people from this country. But don't worry, he promises, "You would do it humanely." If you have any other questions about the details, ask Trump himself. I'll wager he'll tell you he has the right to ignore you because he makes more money than you do. Keith Olbermann is an American political and sports commentator and host, most notably of Countdown and election night coverage on MSNBC, 1997-98 and 2003-2011. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. |
Ten sheep, some of which were pregnant, have died and others were left injured after a dog attack. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Some sheep were killed in the incident and others had to be put down by a vet, Dyfed-Powys Police said. Two black lurcher-type dogs were seen near the sheep at Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion, on New Year's Eve. "These incidents can and should be avoided," said the force. "It is vital that all dog owners keep their dogs under control and on a lead." The force's Ceredigion Rural Crime Team is investigating the attack. Related Internet Links Dyfed-Powys Police |
The leader of Tibetan Buddhism sees reasons for optimism even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. People are helping one another, he tells the BBC's Justin Rowlatt, and if seven billion people on Earth develop "a sense of oneness" they may yet unite to solve the problem of climate change. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The first time I met the Dalai Lama he tweaked my cheek. It is pretty unusual to have your cheek tweaked by anyone, let alone by a man regarded as a living god by many of his followers. But the Dalai Lama is a playful man who likes to tease his interviewers. Now, of course, such a gesture would be unthinkable - our latest encounter comes via the sterile interface of a video conferencing app. The Dalai Lama appears promptly and sits in front of the camera, smiling and adjusting his burgundy robes. "Half-five," he says with a grin. His eyes sparkle: "Too early!" We both laugh. He is teasing me again. I had been delighted when the leader of Tibetan Buddhism had agreed to an interview but a little downcast when his secretary told me it would be at 09:00 Indian Time. That's 04:30 UK time. It would mean getting into the office at 03:30. James Bryant, who produced the interview, took the matter in hand. "Although nothing is impossible for us, that would be exceptional," he wrote. His Holiness's secretary graciously agreed to move it to 10:00 Indian time. So, at 05:00 on Wednesday last week I found myself in a BBC office in London watching a video feed from Dharamshala in northern India. The contrast could hardly have been greater. I sit among rows of empty desks in the grey half-light while in a palace atop a mountain redoubt in the foothills of the Himalayas, monks in saffron and purple robes sweep by, tweaking cables and adjusting cameras in a gilded room. Clear mountain light streams in through the windows. There are worse places to endure lockdown than a palace with sweeping views of icy mountain peaks, and the Dalai Lama acknowledges as much. "Here we have very pure fresh water and fresh air. I stay here peacefully," he tells me with another of his signature explosive laughs. His thoughts are with those who are suffering and afraid during this terrible pandemic but he says there has been much to inspire and to celebrate. "Many people don't care about their own safety but are helping, it is wonderful." The Dalai Lama smiles. "When we face some tragic situation, it reveals the deeper human values of compassion," he continues. "Usually people don't think about these deeper human values, but when they see their human brothers and sisters suffering the response comes automatically." I ask what advice he has for people who are anxious or frightened. The important thing is to try not to worry too much, he suggests. "If there is a way to overcome your situation then make effort, no need to worry," he explains. "If truly there is no way to overcome then it is no use to worry, you can't do anything. You have to accept it, like old age." The Dalai Lama will be 85 in a few weeks. "It is no use me thinking I am too old, no use as an old person," he continues. "Young people are physical, their minds are fresh, they can make a contribution for a better world but they are too much excited." He chuckles. "Older people have more experience they can help by teaching the young. We can tell them to be calm," he says with another explosive laugh. He believes the young will be at the forefront of tackling what is now one of his most pressing concerns: the need to tackle environmental challenges. He says he has seen the effects of climate change in his own lifetime. He seems quite emotional as he remembers his youth. The 14th Dalai Lama was born in a remote village on the high plains of Tibet in 1935. He was identified as the tulku, the reincarnation, of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937. "When I was in Tibet," he tells me, "I had no knowledge about the environment. We took it for granted. We could drink water from any of the streams." It was only when he arrived in India and later began to travel the world that he realised just how much damage was being done. "I came here to Dharamshala in 1960. That winter lots of snow, then each year less and less and less. "We must take very seriously global warming," says the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. He urges the world to invest more in wind and solar energy and to move away from dependence on fossil fuels. The important thing, he tells me, is for us to recognise that we are not individuals alone, we depend on the community we are a part of. "No matter how rich your family is, without the community you cannot survive," he says. "In the past there was too much emphasis on my continent, my nation, my religion. Now that thinking is out of date. Now we really need a sense of oneness of seven billion human beings." This, he says, could be one of the positive things to come out of the coronavirus crisis. But while the world woke up quickly to the threat from this virus, global warming is a more insidious threat, he points out, coming "decade by decade". This may make it seem less urgent, and he worries that soon we may find it is beyond our control. The challenge ties in to another of the Dalai Lama's great preoccupations: education. "The whole world should pay more attention to how to transform our emotions," he tells me. "It should be part of education not religion. Education about peace of mind and how to develop peace of mind. That is very important." Now comes the most difficult part of the interview. I want to discuss the Dalai Lama's own death - or more accurately, the question of his rebirth. This is not just an issue for him. What happens when he dies will be key for the future of Tibetan Buddhism and of the Tibetan freedom movement. China sent troops into Tibet in 1950 to enforce its claim on the region. Many Tibetans fiercely oppose what they see as an illegal occupation. As the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama has been the figurehead for this opposition. He reminds me that he has said before that his death may well mark the end of the great tradition of Dalai Lamas - the words mean "great leader" in Tibetan. "It may end with this great Lama," he tells me, laughing and pointing to his chest. He says the Himalayan Buddhists of Tibet and Mongolia will decide what happens next. They will determine whether the 14th Dalai Lama has been reincarnated in another tulku. It could be a fraught process. The boy who the current Dalai Lama identified as the reincarnation of the second most powerful figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama, was abducted in 1995. It is the Panchen Lama who would normally lead the search for the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama says what his followers decide is not an issue for him. "I myself have no interest," he says, laughing. His hope is that when his last day comes he will still have his good name and can feel that he has made a contribution to humanity. "Then finish," he says with another laugh. And with that, our interview is over. You may also be interested in: |
Nominations for potential candidates in a Moray Council by-election have opened after a new councillor resigned just five days after being elected. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Sandy Cooper, 72, was one of three people chosen to represent Elgin City North ward. He stood as an independent. He tendered his resignation in a letter to the council's chief executive. Completed forms for new nominees must be lodged by 12 June. The by-election will be held on 13 July, with the count the following day. |
A hot air balloon which strayed into the airspace of Gatwick Airport led to the suspension of flights for ten minutes while it drifted away. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Five planes were held on the runway just after 09:00 BST until the balloon had cleared the West Sussex airport's airspace. A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said it was unusual but the flights were delayed for only ten minutes. Arrivals were unaffected and running on time, she added. |
The recent killing of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani and two others has once again put the Kenyan police in the spotlight. The police have been accused of running death squads, a claim they deny. The BBC's Tomi Oladipo investigates the growing public mistrust of the police, especially among young men. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
"My friend had gone to bathe in the river when he discovered there was a body in the river so he called me". Jackson (not his real name) looks out across the Ol Donyo Sabuk River about an hour-and-a-half outside the centre of Nairobi. He and his friends quickly called the police. It was not the first time they had come across corpses in the river. This time, however it was a more high-profile case. "Shortly after, we saw a sack floating in the water," he continues. "We went to look at it and I noticed the outline of a head so we opened the sack." Days later they found a third body - the three turned to be a missing lawyer, Willie Kimani, his client, Josephat Mwendwa and their taxi driver, Joseph Muiruri. Post-mortem reports have revealed signs that the men suffered severe torture. The case sparked nationwide demonstrations, with protestors accusing the police of being behind the killings because Mr Mwendwa had brought a case against an officer. Campaigners say this highlights a wider trend of unlawful executions by the police. The force has distanced itself from the case of the dead lawyer, describing it as an isolated incident relating to a rogue policeman. Four officers have been arrested but not charged. 'Crime to be a young man' In Nairobi's Mathare valley, brown tin roofs are interspersed with electricity and light poles - the lights were set up to help improve security in this notorious slum. Crime is rife here, fuelled by high unemployment but residents say the police are too heavy-handed in their attempts to maintain order. "It's like it's a crime to be a young man here," says Juliet Wanjira. "Stop Police Executions" says the slogan on her T-shirt. "We are losing our young men," she continues. "We're left with so many wives and mothers looking for their men." Ms Wanjira is a campaigner with the Mathare Social Justice Centre (MSJC) which has been documenting the cases of young men shot by the police, they say unlawfully. Anthony Mburu, another campaigner with MSCJ says he once witnessed four teenagers being shot by police officers. "They were chased by about six policemen. The youths split and ran in different directions but they were each followed by the police," he says. "One ran to a kiosk and he was shot before he could enter. Another one pleaded for mercy but the police shot him in the stomach. He did not die immediately. As he was struggling for life, the policeman shot him twice." 'Fighting terror with terror' One mother lost her son also in Mathare last August. She sent her son to check on his brother who was in police custody but she never heard from him again. After searching for three days, she found his body in a mortuary. Witnesses told her that the police had shot him. "He was shot in both eyes, in his cheek and the left side of his chest," she told me. "We reported it to the police and to the different agencies but I've not got any help. They tell me they'll get back to me but they don't." While she has sought justice, others think they will never find it. Another mother who has lost her son in similar circumstances says she did not bother to report her case. "Here in Kenya, who am I to take the case forward?" she asked. "Look at me. I live in Mathare slum. If big people are killed and their cases just disappear, then what about me? If I speak I'll be killed like a chicken. I've left it all to God." There have been similar cases reported across the country. The non-governmental watchdog Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) says the police killed 97 people in 2015 alone. More recently the group says eight suspected robbers, aged between 15 and 26, were shot at close range in April, either while kneeling or lying on the ground. Police crackdowns in the fight against Islamist militants have targeted predominantly Muslim communities around the country in the aftermath of major attacks. Last year, a report by the Kenya's official rights body described it as "fighting terror with terror" and reported 25 killings. Between 2012 and 2014, three prominent clerics believed to have had links to al-Shabab were killed in the coastal city of Mombasa. Their supporters say police "death squads" killed them. High-profile extrajudicial killings in Kenya: The spokesman for Kenya's Interior Ministry, Mwenda Njoka, told the BBC that the Kenyan government is against extrajudicial killings. "It is against the law and that's a point we don't need to belabour," he said. "We have a legal mechanism through the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and other legal forums to address legal measures employed by security agents." The Mathare campaigners say that of the 40 cases reported to IPOA this year, only one has been dealt with. That adds to the dozens more they say have been unresolved. Kenya's police spokesman Charles Owino dismisses the activists' claims, saying they ignore important facts. "The police are there to protect the common man. So we cannot allow a situation where a group of criminals move around with arms. "These are the people you want to move around with arms and shoot innocent citizens? And then we say there's no law and order?" He says there might be rogue elements within the police, who are then charged and punished, but insists that the force generally abides by the rule of law. Police reforms have been ongoing but even President Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed concerns that the process has been slow. The perceived culture of police impunity has many worried ahead of next year's elections, often a time of increased violence. |
Aaron Sorkin is not someone who does things by halves. He is the man who turned a decade-long cocaine addiction into an eight-showers-a-day habit; who smashed his nose headbutting a mirror when rehearsing dialogue; who never uses one word when a fully-formed exposition consisting of a torrent of beautiful-crafted phrases is an option; and who, on the occasion of the second movie he has written and directed, didn't hire one star but an entire galaxy's worth. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Will GompertzArts editor@WillGompertzBBCon Twitter The Trial of the Chicago 7 features a super-group of actors (Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne, Frank Langella, Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Keaton) who Sorkin has moulded into a finely-tuned ensemble, each complementing the other like members of a chamber orchestra. It's an impressive feat. Not because he has them all playing nicely together, which would be to suggest moderation for the greater good, but the opposite: he has elicited stand-out performances from each and every one. All his stars get a chance to shine in a retelling of the notorious trial of a largely unrelated assortment of political activists who were collectively accused of inciting a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Mark Rylance is William Kunstler, their defence attorney, who was, from the little I know of his past, a larger-than-life courtroom presence. That's not how Rylance plays the lawyer, opting instead to characterise him as a wily intellectual feigning a low-status persona to generate sympathy and subvert authority in equal measure. The authority in this instance is Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella), a pompous, arrogant bully who uses his elevated position to enforce his bigoted views and dish out Contempt of Court orders as if they were freesheets on the subway. He makes it crystal clear from the get-go that from his seat of impartiality he fully intends to oversee the incarceration of the accused and exoneration of the prosecution for justly pursuing a malicious conviction on behalf of President Nixon's government. The trial is taking place at a troubled moment in America's history when the deeply divisive Vietnam War was raging, political assassinations were proliferating, racism was rife, and the country was being pulled apart by the profound philosophical differences between the left and the right. All of this Sorkin gets across in a packed opening that gives us the historical context, introduces protagonists, and sets the scene. It would be a lot to get your head around if it wasn't a Sorkin movie, but it is, which means there's also his intense dialogue and constant movement to contend with - show and tell being his style. It settles down when we enter the courtroom, allowing for a basic chronological structure to be imposed in which we discover what happened and why through a series of flashbacks. Characters and motivations are established, relationships are developed, and tension builds towards a bloody confrontation between police and protesters. Meanwhile, back in court, the antagonistic dynamic between the accused on the liberal left, and the judge on the conservative right, evolves into a not-too-subtle reflection on the state of American politics today. It's not a case of unconscious bias. One of Sorkin's motivations for making the movie, having written a first draft of the script in 2006 for Steven Spielberg, was his dismay at Donald Trump winning the presidency in 2016. That sense of a period piece speaking to our contemporary world can also be found in the presence of Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) among the accused. The Black Panther Party co-founder, against whom there is scant evidence, had no legal representation and is treated dismissively throughout. The scene in which he decides enough is enough doesn't so much resonate as chillingly demonstrate the ill-treatment young black men continue to endure simply because of the colour of their skin. We all know Sorkin is one of the finest scriptwriters wielding a pen in Hollywood today (A Few Good Men, The West Wing, Moneyball, The Social Network), but his emergence as a director with a gift for handling actors is a revelation. He did a good job in Molly's Game, which he also wrote, but has taken a noticeable step forward with The Trial of the Chicago 7. The wonderfully paced way in which he lets the relationship develop between Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), a straight-laced political campaigner, and Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) a radical left-wing activist, is a masterclass in letting actors act. There's an ease, a naturalism to both performances, which allows them to find those tiny details that flesh out a character beyond a pen-portrait or recognisable impersonation. They are very good. As is the film, by and large. There are moments of information overload, and others where it teeters on the brink of overbalancing - particularly in the latter stages - but as courtroom dramas go, it has reason to appeal. Recent reviews by Will Gompertz: Follow Will Gompertz on Twitter |
President Trump sees Europe as a place filled with cheaters and bedlam - and as a place populated by lovely people. Soon he'll be meeting with European leaders and will try to explain his contrasting views. What could go wrong? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Tara McKelveyBBC News, Rome On Wednesday, Trump will spend his first full day in Europe as the US president. He's said so many different things about the place - sometimes he says he loves the continent and other times calls it a hellhole - that it's hard to know how things will go. One thing is certain: his schedule is packed. He'll visit Rome, the Vatican and Brussels on Wednesday, speaking on that day with Pope Francis and later in the evening with King Philippe of the Belgians. On Thursday he'll spend the day in Brussels, having lunch with President Emmanuel Macron of France and talking with European Union officials, then he heads to Sicily for a Group of Seven meeting. During his whirlwind tour of the continent, he'll speak with the Europeans about Nato and defence spending of various countries (he thinks they should make a bigger financial commitment to the alliance). He'll also talk about US foreign policy and his vision for the nation's role on the global stage. Over the course of the trip he's likely to be preoccupied, however, with the recent controversies in Washington, including the sacking of the FBI director James Comey and his own relationship with Russian officials. His meetings in Europe could go well, or they could go very badly. So much depends upon his mood, say those who are close to him, and on the temperament of those who meet with him. Trump is a "salesman", said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of Italian studies and history at NYU, and for that reason he's likely to adjust his remarks to make the people around him happy - at least for the moment. Why has Trump been so harsh on Iran? Saudi deals kick off Trump foreign tour How will homebody Trump cope abroad? Trump-Russia scandal: How did we get here? His aides believe that one of the president's strengths is his ability to deal with people in the moment and adapt on the fly. They cast him as a dealmaker par excellence, closing a sale when the time is right (or abruptly upping the ante), and in this way justify the way that he's expressed so many, conflicting views of the continent. Michael S Smith, a terrorism analyst who has advised the US government, said: "The biggest challenge he's going to face is managing relationships after sending so many mixed signals." He's offered up odd, disjointed praise: "Belgium is a beautiful city," he once said (he's also called Brussels "a hellhole"). He seems to be fond of Scotland, the place where his mother was born. Still he's not exactly embraced local customs. Last year he visited a Scottish town with pubs where, as one of his travelling companions told me, "They served rabbit." So they drove to a town about 25 miles away with a McDonald's. It was another sign that he doesn't embrace European traditions and - sometimes at least - views them with distaste. On a more serious level he's said Nato is "obsolete" and then seemed to change his mind. He once described Germany as a "total mess", tweeting that the country "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" In his reckoning, the Europeans exploit trade deals. He's said the trade agreements are "very unfair to the United States." He's said he doesn't think the EU "matters very much for the United States", and he's described it as "basically a vehicle for Germany". He was elected in part because of his outspoken manner and his tough, uncompromising positions: he made it clear that America wasn't going to get pushed around - by the Europeans or anybody else - and that he'd focus on American interests. It's harder to act like a pit bull about American interests when you're talking to people who don't see them as their priority. Since taking office, he's tried to make amends with the Germans and the other Europeans who've visited the White House. More recently he's been advised to soften his tone while he's in Belgium and Italy, and to downplay his views about trade. Still he's not going to soft-pedal all of his views. George Mason University's Francis Buckley, who worked on a foreign-policy speech for Trump during the campaign, said Trump has made it clear Europeans must contribute more to Nato and believes, Buckley explained, "that would have to be corrected". Critics of the administration believe that the president has a dark view of Europe and has aligned himself with nationalist forces - and point to his generous assessment of authoritarian leaders in Russia and Turkey. In this way the president's views are, said Ben-Ghiat, "destabilising". Smith adds: "The president has been posturing his intention to align the US with Russia in a manner that most people would consider stunning." Smith said he hoped the president's travels through Europe would help to clarify his positions towards Nato, the EU and other institutions and dispel concerns about his intentions. Up to this point, Smith said: "It's all been a fog of known unknowns." |
The passing of Jayaram Jayalalitha, one of India's most flamboyant and controversial politicians, leaves a void that will be felt for a long time in both her home state, Tamil Nadu, and in the Indian political scene. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Sudha G Tilak Delhi The leader of Tamil Nadu state and former actress who played a powerful goddess on screen was all too human and yet her followers deified her as a divine being. She inspired a cult following, and adoring followers often called her "Adi parashakti" - which means the ultimate powerful goddess in Tamil. She was one of India's most charismatic and enigmatic personalities, single-handedly holding her own in the masculine world of Tamil politics and effectively breaking a more than 30-year-old culture of male dominance. Successful actress While there have been several female leaders across Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, Jayalalitha came from a different background. Other female premiers, like Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, all came from political families. Jayalalitha, on the other hand, came from a middle-class family, where her mother was a small-time actress. On various occasions she described herself as a prim, convent-bred girl who had dreamt of a world of academic and legal studies with an interest in English theatre. She topped her state in her school-leaving exams and was awarded a scholarship to college studies. However, to tide over her family's financial crisis, she began to act instead. Actor and late Tamil Nadu chief minister MG Ramachandran was Jayalalitha's mentor, and inducted her into the movies. She acted in more than 140 films from the 1960s. She was a successful actress of her time, paired with the top heroes of all south Indian languages. Challenging norms Her ability to speak English, considered a social marker, and ability to sing marked her skills in the movie business. And, even in her acting career, Jayalalitha was not afraid to challenge established norms. A common trope in films of the time was that of the "spoilt shrew tamed by the hero". But Jayalalitha soon tired of that stereotype - and eventually started playing independent women who resisted traditional roles for women. Fame and success came at a cost, though - there was intense tabloid interest in her private life, while her heartbreaks were fodder for local Tamil magazines. She came under similar scrutiny when she became a politician. After a lull in her career she was inducted into the regional AIADMK party as its propaganda secretary. Her maiden public address in 1982 on the power of women struck a chord with many. Earning enemies Jayalalitha's estrangement with her brother and family, and the fact that a companion, the wife of a small time video shop businessman, was arrested for alleged involvement in corruption scandals, added more fodder to the media and rivals hungry for her downfall. Her loneliness and lack of family were often held up as a personality flaws by her rivals. Critics also accused her of corruption, suppressing political rivals ruthlessly, and establishing a corrupt inner circle. The midnight arrest of her political rivals, and her withdrawal of support to the ruling federal BJP government led by Prime Minister Vajpayee in 1999, earned her enemies among political parties across India, including her own party leaders, and the media. Jayalalitha even earned the nickname "Imelda Marcos of India" thanks to her cult of personality and the excesses she exhibited in her first term of office as chief minister of Tamil Nadu in the 1990s. And eyebrows were raised when she arranged a controversial wedding for her foster son, featuring 10 dining halls and extravagant decorations, in 1995 while she was chief minister. She disowned her foster son a year later. Her supporters defended her from corruption allegations, saying she was no more corrupt than the male politicians of her time and was only playing a game they were all too familiar with. Outspoken While her rivals showcased their party's ideologies and fostered their dynastic brand of politics, Jayalalitha's lone persona as a single woman was held up for ridicule. Jayalalitha was outspoken, saying she was proud to be a woman, an upper-caste Brahmin and a Hindu - in a state where politicians espoused the rationalistic credo of their parties and decried Brahminism and religion. But the last decade of her tenure as chief minister was marked by efforts to reshape her image into that of a benign and benevolent mother figure. Gone were the personal excesses of silks and diamonds. They were replaced with a sober dress code: given to belief in astrology too she began to wear dark colours, especially plain green and blue and maroon. Uncertain future She successfully built up a near-indelible personality cult through welfare schemes - and the inexpensive food and water products, branded "Amma" after her nickname, mother, that were provided to the poor. Subsidies made up more than a third of Tamil Nadu's revenue spending, and the policies endeared her to women and children. Tamil Nadu also became the first state in India to allow government hospitals to perform medical procedures on transgender people to help them fight infections. Jayaalalitha spent a lot of time in court, facing multiple corruption allegations. But, following each arrest, she eventually emerged unscathed. Jayalalitha's passing leaves her party, one of the oldest regional parties in India, in a shambles. But she will also be remembered as a woman who stood up and created her own narrative - both in the film world, and in politics. Sudha G Tilak is an independent Delhi-based journalist |
An EasyJet flight from Glasgow to Berlin issued an emergency alert and landed early after reports of a smoke smell in the flight deck. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The firm said flight EZY6819, which left Glasgow Airport at 11:20, requested a priority landing at Berlin Schoenefeld Airport. Flight Info and Alerts' Twitter account noted it was descending at high speed. An EasyJet spokeswoman said the the aircraft was met by emergency services and passengers disembarked normally. She said engineers in Berlin were working to identify and resolve the issue. "The safety of its passengers and crew is easyjet's highest priority," she said. "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced due to delays." |
The film Legend, telling the story of the Kray twins, has broken box office records since its release earlier this month. Johnny Depp has played notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. But what is it about gangsters' life stories that continues to fascinate audiences? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Justin ParkinsonBBC News Magazine Warning: This piece contains spoilers "I am not going to waste words on you," said Justice Melford Stevenson as he sentenced Ronnie and Reggie Kray to life imprisonment. "In my view society has earned a rest from your activities." The judge's disdain at the end of their murder trial in 1969 reflects an official view of gangsters. They hurt and kill for money. They torture rivals. They steal. They sell drugs. They traffic people for sex. They terrorise neighbourhoods. But, contrary to the judge's wishes, leaders of organised crime need not fear obscurity. Hundreds of films and books have been made and written about their exploits. The hunger for information shows no sign of letting up with Legend, a Krays biopic starring Tom Hardy as both brothers, taking more than £5m in its opening weekend. This is the biggest figure for a September opening and the biggest for a British production with an 18 certificate. Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp as the Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, has opened in the US and is out soon in the UK. Classics like the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Angels With Dirty Faces, Scarface (two versions) and the Untouchables continue to fascinate, despite showing violence, intimidation and abuse. What is it that makes gangsters at once so appalling and appealing? "There's something immensely aspirational about it - this sense that they can do anything," says David Wilson, professor of criminology at Birmingham City University. "They take risks that we would never take in real life. Often there's a good-looking actor playing the lead. They look cool. They wear clothes that are fashionable." There's also nostalgia - the Krays' trial and imprisonment came at the end of the 1960s, London's "swinging" decade. They mixed with celebrities, politicians and society figures before their downfall. Most of those involved or affected by the Krays' reign are no longer active or alive, so a sheen of legend attaches itself more easily. The Krays Films about criminals have been popular for more than a century. DW Griffith's The Musketeers of Pig Alley, released in 1912, is regarded by many critics as the world's first gangster movie. Without revealing the plot, it's fair to say its main villain doesn't really get his comeuppance. US academics Robert Bieber and Robert Kelly have written of gangsterism in popular culture in this era as a parallel of the American Dream - the poor managing to establish an exalted position in society and great wealth by illegal means. For those denied opportunities, they become criminal class warriors. Wilson is sceptical of this idea, though, arguing that an interest in gangsters is less about their origins than their destination in life. "You could get a film about [Metropolitan Police Commissioner] Bernard Hogan-Howe, who came from quite a poor background, but no-one would want to make that. There's something about good guys that doesn't resonate with a cinema-going audience. They won't take the same level of risk or behave outside any moral compass." The films of the 1910s and 1920s were seen by many to glamorise crime. So the Hays Code, setting out moral guidelines for Hollywood in 1930, stipulated that the "sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin". Directors used their ingenuity to include some ambiguity while ostensibly following the code. The 1932 film Scarface, at the time seen as highly violent, had the subtitle The Shame of the Nation. With its whiff of excitement, it's debatable whether this discouraged or encouraged people to watch. In 1938's Angels With Dirty Faces, James Cagney goes to the electric chair, although there is no sense of remorse. Simple morality and gangster films had an uneasy relationship even before the code's demise in the mid-1960s. "Although movie viewers expect criminals to fail which means prison or death," say Bieber and Kelly, "the bad guys are seen somewhat sympathetically as victims of circumstances as much as they are perceived as psychopaths or social misfits." This theme continues in Michael Corleone, the main character in the Godfather Trilogy, released from 1972 to 1990, pulled into running his Mafia family's operations and becoming gradually more brutal. "I didn't see him as a gangster," Al Pacino, who played Corleone, has said. "I felt his power was his enigmatic quality." Legend's director, Brian Helgeland, has spoken of the need to humanise Reggie Kray, in contrast to his brother, who was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 1979. The film, narrated from the point of view of Reggie's wife Frances, shows his decline after her suicide. But films struggle against time constraints when showing people's lives, often restricted to their most exciting events. "You see these people at a distance," says writer and broadcaster Antony Earnshaw. "A lot of audiences don't want to see the truth of what these people did. If you put that on screen, they are repulsed by it. They want to believe in the legend and not the truth. Unless you grew up in 1960s Bethnal Green, how can you ever know what the Krays were like?" "Extreme acts" of good and evil are what attract people, Earnshaw argues. The Krays were known for generosity towards their friends, while their enemies experienced violence. There are broadly two types of gangster films - the fictional and those based on real stories. The Krays and Black Mass are both among the latter. These involve a "fine balance" between entertaining audiences and showing the reality, says Earnshaw. This is particularly so as many people who knew Bulger's victims, and to a lesser extent those of the Krays, will still be around. The Krays were themselves fans of classic US gangster movies and were said to base some of their mannerisms on those of actors like Cagney, Spencer Tracey and Humphrey Bogart. They seem to inhabit a more glamorous world than most. Money, fast cars, sex: films continue to show a lot of the upside. "There's still a romanticisation of the gangster," says Earnshaw. Gangsters are often shown as colourful characters, from Robert De Niro's portrayal of Chicago bootlegger Al Capone in The Untouchables to the assortment of East End villains to be found in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. There is a sense of honour among many screen gangsters, particularly "omerta" - the mafia's understanding that all members of an organisation maintain silence about its activities, especially when the police are involved. Whitey Bulger, a prominent figure in Boston's organised crime scene from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, was found guilty in 2013 of 11 murders. He was sentenced two two life terms, plus five years. Ronnie Kray died in 1995 and Reggie Kray in 2000. Where the ugly reality of gangsters' violence intrudes it can still be shocking, even in the context of a film about them. In Goodfellas, released almost exactly 25 years ago, Joe Pesci's Tommy glasses a restaurateur who asks him to pay the bill. Tommy kills another man, after he mocks his previous career as a shoe-shine boy while standing in the same bar. He punches him repeatedly, while an associate kicks him. Tommy blames the death on "disrespect". "It's that mentality that frightens me, the way they can act so suddenly in this way," says Earnshaw. "You must never believe that these people are your friends." More from the Magazine The Manson case involved drugs, orgies and cults, three concerns shared by parents of children growing up in the "free love" atmosphere of the 1960s. It also came at a time of intense divisions in the US over civil rights, race and the Vietnam War. What explains the continuing fascination with Charles Manson? (November 2014) Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. |
Parents know all too well how much a youngster can cost. Alongside the nappies, pocket money and school trips there are longer term costs like funding a university course, buying a first car or helping to pay for a wedding that can all seem quite intimidating. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Money Talk by Tom StevensonInvestment director, Fidelity International These expenses can be more manageable with careful planning but with the new government announcing that Child Trust Funds are to be scrapped, many parents will be wondering how best to start saving for their children now. One option is child savings accounts. Many banks and building societies offer savings accounts for children. The rate of interest can vary quite significantly, though some also offer special gifts. A second is children's Bonus Bonds. These are offered by National Savings & Investments (NS&I), which means they are backed by the government. They provide tax-free interest for children under 16 and there is an additional bonus if the money remains untouched for five years. 'Big win' Another option is Premium Bonds. These are also provided by NS&I and are often bought for children. They offer the potential of a big win as well as many smaller prizes, but they do not pay any interest. This means that you may not see any growth on your investment at all. Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) are a flexible, tax-efficient way to save for your child's future. Isas are not available for children, but you could use your own allowance to save for them and any income or capital gains you receive will be tax-free. A child can open a cash Isa once they are aged 16 or a stocks and shares Isa once they are aged 18. With an Isa, you have complete control over where the money is invested, so you have access to it at any time. You can invest up to £10,200 in a stocks and shares Isa this year or up to £5,100 in a cash Isa. The value of tax savings and eligibility to invest in an Isa will depend on individual circumstances. Another option is Investment Funds (Unit trusts/OEICS). There are thousands of funds available providing access to a wide range of differing types of investment, such as stocks and shares and corporate bonds. Children under 18 cannot apply themselves but parents, or grandparents, can set up the investment and designate it as being for the child on the application form. And then there are pensions. Setting up pensions for your children may sound extreme, but it could be an excellent way to save for the long term. With this option they will also receive tax relief, even though they probably do not pay income tax. This means that if you pay £240 a month into a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), it will be made up to £300 with tax relief, assuming a basic rate of income tax of 20%. As with all pension products your child can not access your money until they are aged 55. When contributing to a pension for your child, then you can only put in a maximum of £2,880 - which, with tax relief - takes the amount up to the annual limit of £3,600. Burden Whichever route you choose to take, there are four principles that you should follow in order to maximise your child's investment and lessen the financial burden of life's milestones. The best time to start investing is now. Investing for children is all about the long term, so to give your investment as much time as possible to grow, you need to start investing as soon as possible. Secondly, invest as much as you can afford. Many people find it hard to work out how much money they will need to save to help their children. This is why we believe the best strategy is to put aside as much as you can afford. Thirdly, think about saving each month. Unless you have a large sum to invest, a good way to build up significant savings for your children over the years is to start a monthly savings plan. This can help you maintain a long-term investment strategy and it is a useful way of being disciplined about saving for your children's future - you will soon start thinking of your regular payment as an essential part of your budget. If you were to put £50 a month from birth into the average UK stock market fund, it could give your child a pot worth £23,937 (based on a hypothetical investment that grows 6% a year and has an annual management charge of 1.5%, bid to bid, with net income reinvested) at the age of 21. Of course, past performance is not a guide to what might happen in the future and the value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Lastly, keep an eye on tax and take care if you are a parent. There is no limit on how much you can give or invest for children and they are entitled to tax-free allowances in the same way as adults. If their total taxable income is less than the tax-free allowance they are due, a form R85 can be completed so they receive their interest without tax taken off. However, there are some special rules if a parent or step-parent has given savings to their child. For more information contact a financial adviser or visit the HM Revenue and Customs website. The opinions expressed are those of the author and are not held by the BBC unless specifically stated. The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Links to external sites are for information only and do not constitute endorsement. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation. |
The ban on the sale and transportation of alcohol during the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa has emptied hospital beds, ruined businesses, provoked violence and political disputes, and has led to a surge of interest in pineapples, writes the BBC's Andrew Harding from Johannesburg. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The idea was simple. Ban all booze, and you'll prevent drunken fights, reduce domestic violence, stop drunk driving, and eliminate the weekend binge-drinking so prevalent across South Africa. Police, medics and analysts estimate - conservatively - that alcohol is involved in, or responsible for, at least 40% of all emergency hospital admissions. In normal times some 34,000 trauma cases arrive at emergency departments in South Africa every week. But since the nationwide lockdown came into force last month to prevent the spread of coronavirus, that figure has plummeted, dramatically, by roughly two thirds, to about 12,000 admissions. "It's a significant impact," said Professor Charles Parry, with some understatement. He has been modelling the extent to which the alcohol ban has been responsible for the decline in those numbers for South Africa's Medical Research Council. "If we end the prohibition on alcohol sales, we're going to see about 5,000 alcohol admissions in trauma units coming back into the system [each week]," he predicted. Police minister 'gone rogue' The fact that those 5,000 extra hospital beds now stand empty could soon prove invaluable if the pandemic - which has been held, impressively, in check here for several weeks - begins to spread again exponentially, as government advisors predict it may. But medical experts, while urging the government to keep the alcohol ban in place, also point out that heavy drinking weakens the immune system and may have a particular effect on respiratory conditions. "Covid-19 is going to have a more severe impact on heavy drinkers… and in South Africa many people live in crowded conditions. "So, alcohol sales… may increase community transmission [as people often drink socially]… and we're likely to see an increase in gender-based violence and harm towards children," warned Professor Parry. World Health Organization's advice Avoid alcohol altogether Ifyou drink keep it to a minimum Immunesystem weakened by alcohol, especially if you drink heavily Reducesability to cope with infectious diseases Can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome Drinkingalso increases risk of domestic violence But how to enforce such a draconian and unprecedented clampdown for five weeks, or possibly more if South Africa's lockdown, due to end on 30 April, is extended once again? The man responsible for policing the new prohibition has provoked anger in some quarters by appearing to encourage the security forces to take heavy-handed, and potentially illegal, action against those caught breaking the rules. There have already been numerous worrying examples, including the alleged beating to death of a man caught drinking in his own yard. You may also be interested in: Police Minister Bheki Cele, well-known for his abrasive language and his swaggering enthusiasm for the alcohol ban, recently warned that his forces would "destroy the infrastructure where the liquor is sold". "It's deeply concerning when you have senior political leaders encouraging police officers to use violence or force, or to break the law. It seems as if the police minister has gone rogue," said Gareth Newham, a crime expert at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies. South Africa's alcohol industry initially sought to challenge the ban in court, arguing that it was unconstitutional and introduced without consultation. It has since backed down. But while many in the industry acknowledge the importance of supporting national efforts to fight the virus, there is frustration about a "one-size-fits-all" approach that is causing significant damage to many businesses. 'It could be game over' "It's not looking good at all," said Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, the country's first black female brewery owner and chair of South Africa's Beer Association, who fears her small business may go under if the ban continues for much longer. "The arguments against lifting the ban do make sense. A lot of people are unemployed and use alcohol as a get-away drug," she acknowledged, but she said a more sophisticated approach - perhaps allowing limited alcohol sales - could save her industry from collapse. "It could be game over for us," agreed Nick Smith, an American who owns a craft brewery outside Cape Town. "This one-size-fits-all rule is having a major impact on smaller businesses like ours," added Mr Smith. Rise in home brewing That argument is echoed by South Africa's official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is in favour of a "smart lockdown model" that would allow people to buy alcohol for a few hours each day. But another party, the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has called the DA's proposal "murderous" and "racist" since the current ban appears to be having the most positive impact on health in poorer, largely black, communities. You may want to watch: Many people have compared South Africa's prohibition to the US's famous, decade-long crackdown which began in 1920 in response to campaigning by religious and moral groups, and was immortalised by Hollywood in films like Some Like It Hot and The Untouchables. As with Chicago's notorious gangster, Al Capone, there are concerns that the alcohol ban could push the sector here into the hands of criminals who already control a lucrative chunk of South Africa's cigarette industry. "The longer the lockdown goes on, the more criminal networks will be able to entrench their ability to sell and distribute alcohol," confirmed Gareth Newham, warning that the government was already losing a fortune in taxation because of the ban. 31% of people aged 15 and above drink 59%of them are heavy or binge drinkers 26% of alcohol is homemade or illegally produced Up to 60,000of sale and distribution outlets are licensed About 120,000are not The ban has certainly tapped into deep undercurrents here in South Africa - a country with a history of apartheid where black citizens were once banned from drinking in public, and some workers were even paid in alcohol, causing huge social problems. "We, South Africans, don't have a good relationship with alcohol. Over the years, it's something that has to a certain extent got out of control," said Ms Nxusani-Mawela. But as things stand, one aspect of the ban does appear to be uniting people from different walks of life. It has created a new enthusiasm for home brewing, which has always been a firm fixture in rural communities. Videos and recipes for pineapple beer and the more traditional corn and sorghum known as "umqombothi", are now being widely touted on social media, alongside warnings that such drinks, if wrongly prepared, could prove dangerous. |
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has reported a 58% fall in net profit to 7.4bn Taiwanese dollars (US$248m) in the three months ending in June. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
In June, the group cut its forecast by revenue by 13% and warned it would make lower profits for each handset it sold. Second quarter revenue of 91bn Taiwanese dollars was worse-than-expected. HTC sells most of its phones in Asia's developing economies at the lower, less profitable end of the market. The news came on the same day Korean rival Samsung Electronics posted record second-quarter earnings largely due to the success of its Galaxy smartphone. HTC's chief executive, Peter Chou, hopes the planned launch of new models in the second half of this year will help sales and profits to rebound. |
Six years ago, a 12-year-old schoolgirl was abducted from her bedroom in the eastern Indian state of Bihar in the middle of the night. The unusual case prompted the country's top court to order federal detectives to take over the probe, but they have drawn a blank. So why do her parents still believe she is alive? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent He sleepily shuffled to the verandah and looked outside. It was pitch black. Atulya Chakravarty had woken up in the middle of a rainy night to use the toilet. The two energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs that always lit up the courtyard at night to keep out burglars were not burning. That is unusual, he thought to himself. He returned to the bedroom, woke up his wife, Moitri, and asked her whether she had forgotten to switch them on before going to bed. She mumbled she hadn't, pushed off the quilt and climbed out of bed. The couple stepped out onto the verandah which ran alongside two bedrooms on the ground floor of their squat two-storied house in the city of Muzaffarpur. Now, lit by torchlight, what they saw sent chills down their spine. The two doors in the closed verandah that overlooked the courtyard were ajar. Fear woke them up completely. The panicked mother ran into the adjoining bedroom where their 12-year-old daughter Navaruna had gone to sleep. The frail and shy girl had spent the day at home. She had applied henna on her hands, watched cartoons on TV and had bread and milk for dinner before calling it a night. The lights went on. A tidily arranged silk shawl, a crumpled pillow and the mosquito net on the antique bed were in their place. But the bed itself was empty. "She's not here, she's not here!" Mrs Chakravarty screamed into the night. Navaruna Chakravarty disappeared on the night of 18 September 2012, a Tuesday. Or was it in the wee hours of 19 September? The girl 'vanishes' Investigators believe at least one person wriggled into her room after wrenching open the rotting iron bars of her bedroom window - it overlooked a dingy lane that was the main path used to access the house. He had possibly gagged and sedated the sleeping girl. Woken up violently, she had urinated in fright, leaving a wet patch on the sheets. Then he had carried her out to the verandah. Investigators believe the abductor opened the two doors from inside the house to let more people in. They had helped carry the girl out through an opening in the back of the house - the front door was locked from inside. There was a vehicle waiting on the main road, a few yards away. The girl and her abductors vanished into the drizzly night. Navaruna's parents believe she's still alive and her captors are at large. Investigators believe she's dead but concede the captors are still roaming free. A month after the incident, police arrested three men, including a distant, estranged relative of the Chakravartys. The police said the three "seemed that they were hiding something", but found nothing incriminating to implicate them in the crime. They were released after nine months in prison. On 26 November, local people found some skeletal remains in a neatly wrapped plastic bag in a fetid open drain close to the Chakravarty home. The family remembers there was some commotion, as municipal workers came, took out the bag and handed it over to the police. Bone examination Later that day, police told the family that they had found their daughter's bones. The parents refused to believe them and asked: Where's the evidence? The following month, a state hospital carried out a forensic examination of the bones "attached to decomposed muscles and tissues" - a collarbone, a long upper arm long bone, bits of femur and tibia. Doctors took away a molar tooth, a rib, a part of the thoracic vertebrae - a group of a dozen small bones that form the vertebral spine in the upper trunk - and some decomposed thigh muscles for DNA tests. The examiner concluded that the bones "are of human in nature and belong to an individual, of a female, about 13-15 years of age who died 10 to 20 days before the date of receiving" the remains. The cause of death "could not be ascertained". The examiner said clothes found on "the decomposed body are suggestive of [a] teenage female". The forensic doctor had examined a few bones - and certainly not a body - that arrived in a small box. The box also contained a black top, orange-and-white striped underwear and a black skirt, which the "body" was apparently wearing. The Chakravartys have always believed that the bones do not belong to their daughter, and that the bag was "planted" in the drain. They agreed to DNA tests in 2014, but they say the results have not been shared with them. "If the bones are indeed of my daughter, why are investigators not sharing the results of the DNA tests?" wonders Mr Chakravarty. The federal crime fighting agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the probe in 2014, said what had happened was a "blind kidnapping-cum-murder case". And the motive appeared to be a feud over the house in which the family has lived for decades, and from where Navaruna was taken away in the middle of the night. Lawless city Muzaffarpur, a teeming, exhausted city in one of India's poorest states, is known for cheap clothes, lacquered bangles and gangsters. Murders and abductions for ransom are common. Many are over plots which rival "land mafias", as they are called here, try to grab or buy cheap using coercion and fear. The streets are filled with dread for unescorted women who say they are stalked and harassed by men with impunity. The Chakravartys had been long planning to sell their century-old tumbledown house in a congested but prime neighbourhood and move out of the city. Mr Chakravarty, now 66, is a retired pharmaceutical sales representative. A fortnight before the kidnapping, he had signed an agreement to sell his property - the six-room house, a courtyard filled with palm, coconut and guava trees, a disused well and a small outhouse - for some 30 million rupees ($410,000; £320,000) to a local realtor, and accepted an advance of a little more than two million rupees. As word of the impending sale swirled around the town, Mr Chakravarty says he came under pressure to cancel the deal and sell the house to a rival realtor. Even local policemen came home and asked him, he says, to cancel the deal. "It was clear that the local police was in cahoots with a gang that wanted me to cancel the deal and sell it to another party. I was holding out. Then my daughter disappeared." With her abduction, the house effectively became a crime scene, and the process of selling it ground to a halt. Over the next few years, police questioned Navaruna's family, relatives, friends and teachers. They searched the Chakravarty residence, and took away two of her diaries. One, according to the police, had some photographs and stickers, while in another she had apparently "written about the qualities of a Dream Boy" without naming him. (They were clearly pursuing an unsuccessful "elopement" angle at the time.) They even inspected a septic tank in her house to check for any human remains, to rule out an "honour killing". Teams fanned all over India, keeping an eye on crowded bus stands and railway stations. Police even staked out a hostel in Delhi where the couple's eldest daughter lived. 'Police involvement' Mobile phone records of at least 100 people, including the family and the original suspects, were examined. Data from hundreds of thousands of phones from mobile towers of half a dozen telecom providers were examined for chatter in the neighbourhood on the night of the kidnapping. Raids were conducted at various places, including a local red-light district, to rule out trafficking. "We have made sincere efforts to track down Navaruna. We have made intense examinations. We have carried out scientific investigations," the police told the court. The investigation clearly appeared to have hit the buffers. Last month, the CBI told the Supreme Court that it had arrested six more suspects in April, questioned them for eight days and remanded them to judicial custody for 90 days before the court released them on bail. They had searched their homes and offices and found nothing suspicious. But in a significant twist, the sleuth agency said it had questioned three senior police officers who were directly connected with the investigation when the incident happened. In a report submitted to the top court last month, the agency said the first investigating officer and the head of the Muzaffarpur police station "have to go through narco tests and brain mapping test". "Truth drug" test results have never been admissible in Indian courts but police say they have provided leads. In the tests, a suspect is injected with sodium penthanol, a chemical that numbs powers of perception and supposedly makes it difficult for a person to lie during questioning. 'Don't play games' The agency also spoke about the "deceptive response" of the main policemen investigating the case, and pledged to explore the "bureaucrat-mafia nexus" in the crime. Waiting for their daughter has taken a grim toll on the Chakravarty family. A heart patient, Mr Chakravarty nearly overdosed on sleeping pills after spending sleepless nights waiting for his daughter. Every day, for two years after the incident, Mrs Chakravarty would visit the local police station and demand answers from the officer in charge. "Don't play games with me," she would tell the policemen. "Give me my daughter back." Over the years, Mr Chakravarty has turned from a grieving father to an angry, obsessive detective, trying to find clues about Navaruna's disappearance. He has recorded four gigabytes of phone conversations with police officials on his mobile phones and "mysterious calls" he says he received from different parts of India until a month after his daughter's disappearance. "I even heard my daughter's muffled voice in some of them," he says. In his clear handwriting and in finely-vivid detail, he has written five exhaustive diaries, detailing his conversations with investigators. He's begun writing a book on the case, and has already completed 170 pages. He has written letters to politicians, judges, and the prime minister and president of India. He has personally visited the state's chief minister Nitish Kumar and complained about the snail-paced investigation. He reads aloud obsessively from the diaries, almost enacting the scenes and intoning the voice of the detectives, as if to tell the world: "Listen to me. I know who's behind the kidnapping. Why is no one taking me seriously?" More from Soutik All this is triggered, says Mr Chakravarty, by a sense of guilt, grief and vengeance. There's guilt over his failure to protect his daughter; grief at her prolonged disappearance and vengeance "against the system which conspires to delay justice to common people". "How can I go on living here like this," says Moitri Chakravarty. "How long can you live in this house of memories? When she returns home, we will leave the place." The crumbling house is an oppressive museum of memories, carrying the full weight of darkness and tragedy. The Chakravartys seem to have even stopped cleaning the room that Navaruna spent most her time in, lest a speck of memory vanishes with the dust. "Navaruna is everywhere, around us. Just look around and you will feel her presence," says Mrs Chakravarty. Her school uniform - the maroon tie and skirt, the white cap - is packed inside a string basket which hangs on the wall outside. Her maroon cotton towel, now mouldy with age, hangs outside the door, untouched since she disappeared. In a corner stands a pink cycle which her father bought for her 20-minute ride to the convent school. In the room, a glazed-glass cupboard is full of the missing girl's possessions. Plastic dolls gaze eerily through the dust. A small red purse with 200 rupees lies in a corner. The printed school schedule is pasted behind the door. A folded study table lies in a corner. In the room where she went missing, her pink dress hangs on a fraying clothesline; a white vest is strung up near the main door. On the dressing table she shared with her mother, her tube of moisturizer is untouched. On her father's table, which she would sometimes use, there's a faded pink whistle, painting books with drawings of young girls and cartoon characters. And there are strips of medicine tablets that her father takes every day to keep his blood pressure in control and protect his heart. It is a house of suffering and pain. "Navaruna is coming back. So we have kept her things in place", Ms Chakravarty says, welling up. "She's 18 now. I wonder how she looks." |
A Teesside man accused of possessing explosives and extremist magazines and has denied all charges. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Anwar Driouich, 22, of The Avenue, Middlesbrough, is accused of possessing 10kg of explosive substance. He also faces seven counts of possessing a document likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism. He was remanded in custody after a hearing at the Old Bailey, until a further appearance on 12 February. Related Internet Links HM Courts and Tribunals Service |
Jersey's government has delayed the start of the new school term in States amid concerns about a recent spike in Covid cases. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The island has 556 active cases, with new daily cases peaking at 124 on 18 December. The States said the delay to 11 January would allow time to test school staff and students in years 11, 12 and 13. Education Minister, Senator Tracey Vallois, said it was the "safest way forward". She said it "gives parents, young people, and our hard-working staff even greater security around their health and wellbeing". Related Internet Links Government of Jersey |
Nick Hurd has been appointed Minister for London, replacing Jo Johnson who resigned last week. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Mr Hurd will take on the new role in addition to his responsibilities as Home Office Minister for Police and Fire Services, Downing Street said. He is MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner in north London, and the son of former Foreign Secretary Lord Hurd. Mr Johnson stepped down arguing Britain was "on the brink of the greatest crisis" since World War Two. |
A deadly al-Qaeda attack on an Ivory Coast resort town in March reminded the world that the terror network once led by Osama Bin Laden has not gone away. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
But in recent years it has been eclipsed and diminished by the so-called Islamic State group which has attracted global attention, fighters and funds. So how depleted is the group which in 2001 triggered America's "global war on terror"? Four experts talk to the BBC World Service Inquiry programme. Rahimullah Yusufzai: Rise and fall Rahimullah Yusufzai is the editor of an English daily in Peshawar. "Because of his education, his travels, his access to modern education and media, Osama Bin Laden knew about the world, about politics, and that's why he was a very charismatic leader for al-Qaeda. Before him, the others were fighting separately, but he brought them together, and then tried to build a coalition against the US and the Western world. "Al-Qaeda used to say it was the first real jihad - or holy war - after decades, and that's why people flocked to [its training camps in Afghanistan]. "They thought this is the best opportunity to fight jihad and to get trained in modern warfare. They trained thousands. These people eventually became the torch-bearers of jihad in the rest of the world. "In August 1998, the US attacked the same camp where I had met Osama Bin Laden in May 1998 because the US embassies [in Tanzania and Kenya] had been attacked. So the Americans were already trying to kill or capture him. "Then after the 9/11 attacks, the US invaded Afghanistan, with the idea of destroying al-Qaeda, and removing the Taliban from power, because the Taliban had harboured Bin Laden. The Taliban were defeated in a few weeks - they had no answer to the American air power - but did not suffer many casualties. They just retreated, and melted away in the villages. "When the Americans invaded, al-Qaeda decided to go to Tora Bora on the border with Pakistan. The Americans came to know Bin Laden was there in December 2001, and bombed heavily. I was told it was the heaviest bombing since World War Two on one target. "Bin Laden was able to escape with the help of local Afghans, and came to Pakistan. When they attacked Tora Bora, the Americans were pushing Pakistan to block the border, to deploy a force. Pakistan actually co-operated, and for the first time deployed its troops on the borders. "Then they launched bigger military action, because the militants were then everywhere. One of the biggest achievements is that the militants lost their strongholds. They were in control of many areas - Swat, Bajaur, Momon, South Waziristan, North Waziristan. They lost almost all these areas. "But I think the death of Osama Bin Laden was the biggest setback, because he was the founder, the financier, the inspiration. It has never really recovered from that loss, because the new leader Dr Zawahiri is not as important, and does not have that status or authority which Bin Laden had." Professor Fawaz Gerges: The splintering Professor Fawaz Gerges teaches at the London School of Economics and is a prolific writer about Jihadi groups. "Al-Qaeda has always been a top-down elitist movement. Decisions were made from the top and everyone followed. But once al-Qaeda dispersed after the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, al-Qaeda fractured, decentralised. The various elements spread near and far into Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iran and then Northern Iraq. "[In Iraq] Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was obsessed with the Shi'ites as a dagger in the heart of Iraq and the Muslim world, plunging Iraq into all-out civil war between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites, carrying out thousands of suicide bombings against the Shi'ites. "Bin Laden and his second-in-command Zawahiri tried to rein Zarqawi in many times. We have several letters of Bin Laden urging him to stop the bloodshed against the Shi'ites, to keep the focus on the far enemy, the Americans: 'don't lose the fight in Iraq'. "Zarqawi ignored their pleas. He became the central focus of the young men and women who wanted to join al-Qaeda. In many ways, al-Qaeda in Iraq overshadowed al-Qaeda central. He became the real action man who could deliver death and vengeance against the enemies. "Many Sunnis realised - belatedly - that Zarqawi was not their friend. He was their enemy because he had his own agenda. The Americans did not defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq: it was the Sunnis who revolted against him. Many fighters went underground, were killed. "But a core of al-Qaeda in Iraq survived, and bade its time waiting for the right opportunity to strike back. This came in 2010. "2010 was a very critical period because of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He reconstructed both the military and the operational structure of al-Qaeda in Iraq to bring in hundreds of skilled officers of the former army and police of Saddam Hussein. It became the Islamic State of Iraq. "[When Islamic State captured Mosul in 2014 and declared a Caliphate] it was a shattering blow to al-Qaeda central. In many ways the Isis (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) takeover of Mosul was really the takeover of the global jihadist movement. Isis was not just going for the Islamic state. It was also making a bid for the leadership of the global jihadist movement. They have stolen the show." Charles Lister: Under the skin Charles Lister is a fellow at the Middle East Institute, a US think tank, and over the past two years has had regular meetings with the leaders of over 100 Syrian armed opposition groups. "Al-Qaeda has adapted to playing a long game strategy in which the focus has become more on building alliances and socialising local communities into being a long-term and durable base from which it can eventually launch its more trans-national objectives. "It was a reassessment of al-Qaeda's PR strategy, the way it seeks to present itself to local populations from within which it operates, and a lot of lessons were learned from Iraq. "In his guidelines for jihad, Zawahiri was extremely keen to send a message that instead of [killing civilians], we should fight the fight that the civilians themselves want to fight. That means military targets, security targets, not public markets or mosques, which al-Qaeda's affiliates in Iraq had previously been doing. "In the winter of 2012/2013, [al-Qaeda's Syrian branch] Jabhat al-Nusra began to present itself not just as an armed movement, but also a social one. "It took over the management of bakeries, and forced their owners to charge a lower price. Jabhat al-Nusra was directly involved in trucking and delivering gas, bread, water and other staple food supplies to the civilian population at a far cheaper price than had been available before, and it was at that period that we started to see Jabhat al-Nusra actually gain support. "There was a series of interesting letters found in Mali in a building that had been controlled by al-Qaeda and the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). One was from AQIM overall leader Abou Mossab Abdelwadoud in which he instructed his fighters to pull back from the extreme measures they had been trying to impose on the people. "He was essentially describing Mali to his fighters as a baby, saying 'Your focus right now should be on teaching it the basics, raising it to be a true Muslim, and only years from now will you then be able to introduce the more harsh norms because the people will understand what is expected of them.' "We are seeing that replication of the long game model in Yemen with extraordinarily successful consequences so far. It's no surprise that we don't hear about this very much in the news anymore: it has become almost impossible to differentiate who is al-Qaeda and who is a tribal fighter in southern Yemen. "This new strategy makes al-Qaeda more dangerous. It shows that al-Qaeda is willing to be pragmatic, to cut back some of its religious expectations for the sake of building popular support that will gain it strength in the long term. That is something that Isis has essentially refused to do, and that means that we face that much more of a challenge of rooting it out of these societies. "My fear is in the long term, al-Qaeda is going to be that much more durable, and the threat that they will pose will be the same as they posed in the period immediately prior to 9/11." Katherine Zimmerman: A durable threat Katherine Zimmerman is a research fellow at the conservative US think tank the American Enterprise Institute. "Al-Qaeda is much stronger than people realise. "The al-Qaeda donors haven't changed that much over the years - very conservative sheiks, particularly in the Gulf - but when you look at how al-Qaeda makes money and runs day to day as an organisation, it's less based on donations and more based on the fact that it controls terrain on the ground and taxes directly the population or benefits from trade imports, exports, etc. "So it's very hard to isolate al-Qaeda's finances and prevent it from funding itself as long as it controls terrain. "The hierarchy is no longer contained in a single geographical space but dispersed throughout the affiliated groups. The al-Qaeda affiliates are really no less dangerous than the al-Qaeda core group that we think about. They all have that same capability to conduct an attack. "Al-Zawahiri certainly doesn't have the charisma that Osama Bin Laden had and that has been the main critique against him. But we've seen al-Qaeda start to shape and build up new leadership, and these include leaders in Yemen and in Syria in particular. "[Yemen-based Saudi militant Ibrahim al-Asiri] is a bomb expert and he has an incredibly innovative mind. The man has trained other individuals and he's the mind behind the underwear bomb, the bombs disguised as printer cartridges and various other plots where they escaped intelligence agency's detection because of how well these bombs were designed. He's certainly a threat in terms of being able to bring a capability to the table for al-Qaeda. "We are in danger of underestimating and frankly missing the threat. The real risk we face is fighting Isis and ignoring the presence of al-Qaeda. The Islamic State has seized control of vast swathes of land but it controls the population through coercion. "Al-Qaeda doesn't control the population. It has the support of it. That's much, much more difficult to counter." The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 12:05 GMT. Listen online or download the podcast. |
Proponents of 5G say it will offer ultra-fast connections, speedier data downloads, and be able to handle millions more connections than 4G mobile networks can cope with today. One use for 5G is self-driving cars, but will they really need it? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Mary-Ann RussonBusiness reporter The telecoms industry envisions autonomous cars equipped with hundreds of sensors collecting and receiving information all at once over a network. It calls this concept "Vehicle-to-everything" (V2X). To achieve this, the car needs to detect blind spots and avoid collisions with people, animals or other vehicles on the road. As the car drives, its sensors will pick up information about: Once the information is gathered, either an on-board computer will make an instant decision, or the data could be sent into the cloud to be processed, and then a decision would be sent back to the vehicle. Smarter than humans Imagine a scenario where Car A is travelling down a highway at 80mph. Suddenly, Car B pulls out in front of Car A. To avoid an accident, the sensors on both cars would need to talk to each other. As a result, Car A would brake, and Car B would speed up, in order to avoid a collision. "We need to look at how long it takes for the message to be transmitted between sensors and then get to the computer in each car, and then how long it takes for the computer to make a decision, and all of this has to be in less time than a human would take to make a decision - 2 milliseconds," Jane Rygaard, of Finnish tech firm Nokia, tells the BBC. "We need a network supporting this, and 5G is that network." UK national mapping agency Ordnance Survey agrees: "When you switch a light on, it turns on immediately. That's what you need with autonomous cars - if something happens, the car needs to stop immediately. That's why the high frequency 5G signals are required." But it's not just about the car itself - technology firm Ericsson says that in the event of a major disaster, or severe congestion around a football stadium, authorities could send instant alerts to autonomous cars, warning them to use alternative routes instead. Ericsson has conducted tests in Stockholm, Sweden with car manufacturer Volvo and truck maker Scania, using a counter-terrorism scenario whereby police were able to disable a hijacked connected truck or prevent it from entering certain geo-fenced locations. Levels of automation US engineering organisation SAE International has set out six categories of automation for cars: Research firm Gartner expects Level Three and Level Four autonomous vehicles to begin appearing in late 2018 in very small numbers, and by 2025, it expects that there will be more than 600,000 autonomous vehicles on the roads worldwide. Millimetre wave antennas Ordnance Survey says autonomous vehicles are possible with 5G, but initially, they will only be able to run in a well-mapped geographic area, such as a densely populated city. The government agency is building a detailed 3D map of the UK that visualises all permanent fixtures like buildings, street signs and bridges, as well as temporary objects like Christmas decorations, cranes and hanging flower baskets - all of which could affect the strength of the 5G signal a car receives as it drives by. In order for autonomous cars to simultaneously connect to the mobile network, existing 4G mobile antennas on buildings will not be enough - there will need to be lots of smaller millimetre wave antennas, located 200-300m apart from each other. "For every one mobile base station we have today, you'll probably need 60 or 70 millimetre wave transmitters and receivers," explains Richard Woodling, a managing consultant with the Ordnance Survey. It is unlikely that fully-autonomous cars will be possible for a long time to come, but Ford is hoping to launch a Level Four car in 2021. To this end, Ford is mapping the roads and environment in Miami. It has developed simulation software to try to predict all possible situations that a car might find itself in, so that it can eliminate unsafe outcomes. But Mr Woodling is sceptical that an autonomous car in a city will be ready so soon. "I don't see it happening in my lifetime," he says. "There's no way you could put that in London and say we're ready for everyone to have an autonomous vehicle - we're a long way away from that." More 5G stories 5G or Wi-Fi? Some people in the industry argue that self-driving cars don't need 5G. Since the automobile industry is already making connected cars today that use 4G to access weather and road updates, 5G critics say it can continue to use 4G, together with Wi-Fi protocols. "Self-driving cars have to be completely safe and reliable without mobile coverage, and if this is possible, then why do they need mobile coverage at all?" says Prof William Webb, a consultant and author of the book The 5G Myth: When vision decoupled from reality. "I agree car-to-car communications would be sensible and enhance safety, but that communication is available now within Wi-Fi protocols or 4G. "For car-to-car communications you don't need a network - the cars connect directly to each other." Enrico Salvatori, president of Qualcomm Europe, whose chipsets are already being used by 33 automobile makers worldwide, strongly disagrees with Prof Webb. "Wi-Fi can address short-range communications, but V2X includes vehicle to the network, to the city, to the cloud, so you need to have a standard that is including all the possible applications end-to-end," he tells the BBC. "It needs to be able to connect to any distance, near or far." Ford says that it sits somewhere in the middle of these two sides of the argument. "We were previously proponents of the Wi-Fi protocol because it was the only technology available at the time," explains Ford's executive director for connected vehicle platform and product Don Butler. "We do believe that a mobile approach to vehicle-to-vehicle communications is a better alternative than Wi-Fi." Research firm Gartner agrees 5G will have an impact on self-driving cars, but there's a catch. "5G will indeed be essential to the development and use of autonomous vehicles, with two important caveats - the network must truly be 5G, and the vehicle must truly be autonomous," Gartner analyst Will Hahn. "Neither of these appear to be likely in the near term." |
The Queen has issued a statement following talks held between senior members of the Royal Family on Monday. The so-called Sandringham summit was called to discuss a new role for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Here is her statement in full: "Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family. "Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. "It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. "These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days." |
Experts have warned of a post-coronavirus illegal drugs binge as people get back into the habit. We spoke to users, police and policy figures to get an insight on the trade as it emerges from lockdown. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Adam ClarksonReporter, BBC Tees Tom smokes cannabis on a regular basis, and normally he would use Class A drugs with friends on a weekend. But the pandemic has changed that. He has been furloughed, and the 28-year-old from Middlesbrough's drug use has become much more frequent. "Obviously I have a lot more time on my hands. I suppose the weekend is basically all the time now so I'm using more cocaine and ecstasy," he said. Tom spoke to the BBC Sounds podcast Unusual Times as part of an investigation into the effect of coronavirus on UK drug culture. Breaking lockdown rules, and being at an extra risk of catching and spreading Covid-19, has not been a concern for him. "There are people that are breaking the lockdown a lot more that people should be worried about, instead of the odd person picking up a bit of drugs here and there," he said. "I'm probably more likely to die from what's in the bag than what's contaminated on the outside of the bag." According to the latest figures from the Home Office, one in 11 adults in the UK, which would equate to about 3.2 million people, admitted to using illegal drugs in the last year. Liz McCulloch, director of policy at think tank Volteface, said as the government continued to ease the restrictions, there could well be a "post-lockdown drugs binge". She said changes in people's drug use depended largely on personal circumstance, and while it was difficult to establish a national trend, surveys conducted at the start of lockdown suggested the black market had remained largely the same. "There was an example of a dealer pretending to be a Deliveroo driver to evade notice," she said. "We've also heard of dealers being very conscious of hygiene, disinfecting notes, or using online transactions, and trying to keep a hygienic work environment, but this is an illegal and unregulated market, and there will be many others who are not doing this." Despite saying drugs have been accessible throughout lockdown, 25-year-old Harry said he had cut down. He moved back home with his mum in Durham, who did not know about his drug use, and cited this as one of the reasons his use of Class A and B drugs had decreased. "The social scene is dead now. I'd normally do it with the lads on a night out but obviously that's gone," he said. "It's a bit pointless doing it on my own in my room." Despite this, he admitted "the temptation is always there" and, talking about the risk of contracting coronavirus, claimed "it's probably safer picking up a bag of coke, or a bag of weed, than it is going to the supermarket". George Charlton, a drugs and harm prevention campaigner, said: "As the lockdown begins to ease, people will be more inclined to go out and party - but you've got to be careful. "The safest way to use drugs is not to use them at all, but we know people will use drugs. Make sure you you always test your drugs, and never make the assumption that the drugs you're taking are the drugs you've been told you're getting." The return of the night-time economy would be likely to see an influx of drug use and strain the emergency services, according to Lincolnshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin, who is also the National Police Chiefs Council lead on drugs. "There's a real risk as we move into the next phase, as we know the influence that drugs can have on people's behaviour. The levels of violence and aggression can increase. "If people have not been able to access drugs, there's a risk that use goes up. There's a real risk that people overdose. "It's the old bit of 'I've not had anything for a bit, so I'm going to make the most of it' and they take too much, and their bodies can't handle it." The government said it was "closely monitoring the impact of the pandemic and working closely with the police to respond to any changes in the illegal drug supply". There are resources for anyone affected by the issues in this article here. Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. |
A Bristol principal has been recognised as one of the "best of Britain" by a national education group. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
David Carter, who heads the Cabot Learning Federation, has been named one of 18 Education Reformers of the Year. He said the award, from the Education Foundation, was an "huge honour" for both him and his colleagues. Mr Carter's award honoured his "collaboration across structures of schools, innovation in pedagogy and improving achievement". The Cabot Learning Federation now has 10 academies, six secondary schools and four primary schools in Bristol, Bath and Weston-super-Mare. |
A former senior manager for Guinness could sit on Jersey's new electoral commission, according to its chairman. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Colin Storm, who also worked at the top of Burger King, must be approved by all three politicians on the body. The commission will look at types of States member, constituencies, mandates and how long they hold office for. Its chairman, Senator Sir Philip Bailhache, also proposed Professor Ed Sallis from Highlands College and Newsnight producer Dr Jonathan Renouf. If approved by the States, they will join the three political members, Senator Bailhache, Deputy James Baker and Constable Juliette Gallichan. |
The Scots Makar - or national poet - Edwin Morgan has died at the age of 90. Widely regarded as one of the foremost Scottish poets of the 20th Century, his poetry spanned more than 60 years and included celebrated works such as The Second Life (1968) and From Glasgow to Saturn (1973). Here, figures from across Scotland and the UK pay tribute to Mr Morgan's life. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Alex Salmond, first minister of Scotland His passion for observing all aspects of Scottish life shone a spotlight on Scotland for the rest of the world. I vividly recall the poem he wrote for the opening of the Scottish Parliament, when he wrote 'Don't let your work and hope be other than great'. That epithet must surely apply to Edwin Morgan himself. Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate A great, generous, gentle genius has gone. He was poetry's true son and blessed by her. He is quite simply irreplaceable. Iain Gray, Scottish Labour leader Edwin Morgan OBE was widely recognised as one of the foremost and best loved poets of the 20th century, the last of a great generation of Scottish poets. Nick Barley, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival As well as being one of the greatest British poets of the last 50 years, Morgan was also the last link to a great generation of Scottish writers than included Sorley MacLean, Norman MacCaig and Hugh MacDiarmid. His work transcended genres, was constantly challenging and inspiring, and encapsulated all that is great about Scottish poetry and writing. Poet Dr David Kinloch, Co-founder of the Edwin Morgan International Poetry Competition His work remained constantly innovative, from the renowned science fiction, concrete and instamatic poems studied by school pupils across the country to his recent collaboration with the band Idlewild. |
People have been urged to keep an eye out for "unusual and enigmatic" whales off the Welsh coast after scientists were told about a number of sightings. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Long-finned pilot whales typically live in large groups in deep waters beyond the edge of the continental shelf in the Atlantic. But they occasionally come closer to the British Isles for food. Research charity Sea Watch Foundation said there had been four sightings in a week - "a very unusual occurrence". Kathy James, sightings officer for Sea Watch Foundation, said: "We'd love people to get out there to look for these enigmatic whales and report any sightings to us." Dr Peter Evans, director of the research charity, said pilot whales typically live in large groups and feed on oceanic squid or shoaling fish. "It is likely that an abundance of a particular prey species brought them into Welsh coastal waters on this occasion," he added. |
A teenager has been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Coventry. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Jaydon James, known as JJ, was with friends in Deedmore Road, Wood End, last November when he was stabbed. He died later in hospital. A 17-year-old boy appeared before Dudley Magistrates' Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday. The teenager is also charged with two counts of wounding. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. |
Saturday's visit of Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki to Addis Ababa, the capital of its neighbour Ethiopia, is a remarkable turnaround for the 72-year-old independence leader who has been isolated diplomatically and seen as secretive and paranoid. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
A few weeks ago, Ethiopia and Eritrea were enemies, as they had been for the past two decades, yet now they are behaving as if they are the best of friends. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is set to reciprocate the welcome he received in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, last Sunday. There, the two men embraced warmly and declared an end to the state of war. This is a new phase in the president's relationship with Ethiopia, which has largely defined his life. He was born in 1946 in Asmara, which was, at the time, under British administration. In 1962 it was annexed by Ethiopia. In 1965 he went to Addis Ababa to study engineering at Haile Selassie University but left a year later to join the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), which was fighting for independence. Mr Isaias was among the first group of fighters to travel to China in 1967 for military and ideological training. On his return he, along with others, agitated for change within the ELF but then went on to form a new party, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front. 'Renaissance leader' After a decades-long David-and-Goliath struggle, Eritrea held a referendum on independence in 1993, which was approved by 99% of voters. Mr Isaias remains the only president the country has known. In the early years he was hailed as a new type of African president. Then-US President Bill Clinton referred to him as a "renaissance African leader". At an Organisation of African Unity summit in Cairo in 1993, he blasted fellow heads of state for staying in power for too long and rejected a cult of personality. More about Ethiopia and Eritrea: In Ethiopia, there used to be portraits of Marxist military ruler Mengistu Hailemariam on display everywhere and on coming to power, Mr Isaias made a conscious effort to reject this approach. Nevertheless he was greatly revered in Eritrea. He appeared austere, serious and scary from a distance, but some who met him had a different impression. They speak about a helpful and supportive man who had a good sense of humour and made people laugh. His reputation has since undergone a transformation. He has never been elected, has stopped any attempts to hold an election and in a 2009 confidential message from the US ambassador in Eritrea, he was described as an "unhinged dictator". Ambassador Ronald K McMullen wrote, in a document released in a tranche of Wikileaks cables, that President Isaias was "cruel and defiant". In the same year, the African Union urged the United Nations to sanction Eritrea over its alleged support of Islamist militants in Somalia. A charge that Eritrea denied. Some see his 2001 jailing of prominent leaders of the independence movement, who had been critical of his presidency, as a turning point. The detention of journalists and anyone who appeared to be an opponent gathered pace from then on. He also shut down fledgling newspapers which were beginning to find their voice. But he had given indications of this type of behaviour before. He was always charismatic and persuasive but was also "quite merciless and vindictive," says Andebrhan Welde Giorgis, a former Eritrean ambassador and struggle comrade of Mr Isaias, who now lives in exile. During the independence war, the need for solidarity when the rebel fighters were outnumbered and outgunned by Ethiopian government forces meant that criticism of him was kept in check, Mr Andebrhan adds. After independence, the expectation was that a democratic government would be established, but although a new constitution was drawn up in 1997, it was never enacted. The president used the 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia as an excuse to suspend any moves towards democracy and they were never restarted. Then the failure of Ethiopia to agree to a ruling by an independent border commission meant that Eritrea remained on a war footing and led to the indefinite conscription of tens of thousands of people. 'Split personality' Mr Isaias went on to "personalise power and having personalised power he abused it to the maximum", former Eritrean ambassador Mr Andebrhan says. He speaks about the president as if he has a split personality. On the one hand there is the inspirational leader and then there is the "dark and brutal" side. So how is this squared with the jovial scenes when Mr Isaias met the Ethiopian prime minister? "He was acting. Most dictators are good actors and he's able to suck people in," Mr Andebrhan says. While seasoned observers of Eritrea welcome the progress towards peace with Ethiopia, there are those who remain sceptical that he will bring change at home. Many want to know about the thousands imprisoned before they can be optimistic about the future of the country. |
Two men have been charged after police seized about £220,000 worth of drugs at a rural property in East Ayrshire. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
A "significant quantity" of drugs and machinery were taken from the property near Dalmellington on Monday evening by officers with a search warrant. The men, aged 25 and 26, have been charged in relation to the alleged production of controlled drugs. Class C tablets, suspected to be benzodiazepines, and Class B drugs, thought to be cannabis, were recovered. |
A wildlife trust says fly-tipping cases in Gloucestershire woods and nature reserves have doubled in the past year. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) also said it has seen a significant rise in vandalism on its land. A spokesman said people who have camped on its nature reserves have chopped down trees, smashed glass and set tents on fire and left them behind. Forest of Dean District Council says it has seen a 22% rise in fly-tipping since 2011. A spokesman said: "It's a shame that a small number of people decide to spoil the enjoyment of the countryside for others by dumping rubbish." The authority said it is investigating every case that is reported. |
A man has been accused in court of causing the death of a couple by careless driving on the A76. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
John Cooper, 58, and Sharon Cooper, 56, of Gorleston in Norfolk, died in the accident near Sanquhar in May 2017. Terence Dillon, 73, of Dumfries, is alleged to have driven into the path of their Harley Davidson motorbike. He pleaded not guilty to driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for others using the road. The case at Dumfries Sheriff Court was continued for trial in September. |
Birmingham's new £189m library will open on 3 September, 2013. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The new building, in Centenary Square, replaces the Birmingham Central Library in Chamberlain Square. The public is being asked to nominate the first book to be placed on the new Library of Birmingham's shelves, in a competition being run on Twitter. The present library was once described by Prince Charles as looking like "a place where books are incinerated, not kept". The REP theatre will also reopen to the public in Centenary Square in September 2013. 'Tremendous achievement' Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, said the opening of the new "landmark" library would be a "tremendous achievement" for the city. "We are enormously proud of everyone who is helping to deliver the project on time and under budget," he added. Mr Whitby said: "It will be a key hub for the region and, with its many partners, will place Birmingham firmly on the world stage as a major cultural destination." He said they were expecting three million people to visit the new library each year with millions more using online facilities to access the collections. Retired teacher, Gillian Griffiths from Birmingham, said she really liked the look of the new library. "I think probably to me it looks as if it's supposed to be piles of books and I think the metalwork on the side perhaps reflects the Jewellery Quarter," she said. 'Very original' Twenty-two-year-old Monica Leon, who is from Spain and studying in Birmingham, thought the building was "very original". Mark Walkem, 23, said he had seen the plans for the interior of the library and "with the atrium in the middle, that looks really nice". "To be investing in intellectual resources is a good thing, particularly as students I think we appreciate that," he added. The project has also included a refurbishment and extension to the REP theatre which will be linked to the library and will reopen in September 2013. The theatre's executive director Stuart Rogers said they were producing work at other venues in the city whilst the theatre was closed. He said: "That's all going fine and we like that but we're all hugely looking forward to getting back in the building, because there's nothing like having your own building and producing all the work in there." |
Taxi-hailing app Uber has promised an "urgent investigation" into claims of workplace sexual harassment, after a female engineer said misogyny was rife at the firm and women were quitting in droves. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Susan Fowler, a software engineer, wrote a blog post about a "very, very strange year at Uber". In it, she says her manager tried to have sex with her on her first official day at work, sending her messages about his open relationship. It's just the latest blow for a company that has gained a reputation as a bastion of Silicon Valley's macho "bro" culture. But is Uber really any more sexist than other tech giants in the Valley? 'Impacted my job' Ms Fowler's claims have resonated with many women in the tech world, and surveys suggest her experiences are not uncommon. According to a 2016 survey, 60% of women working in Silicon Valley experience unwanted sexual advances. The "Elephant in the Valley" survey found that 87% of the 220 women interviewed had witnessed demeaning comments from their colleagues. Almost 40% of those who said they were harassed at work did not report the situation, fearing it would damage their careers. "I was propositioned by a hiring manager early in my career when I was a job candidate," one contributor to the study wrote. "He clearly indicated that if I slept with him, he would make sure I was promoted as his 'second in command' as he moved up the ladder in the company." Another said she had turned down her CEO's sexual advances the first time they travelled together for work. "After that, I was never asked to travel with him again," she said. "This impacted my ability to do my job." The study followed a high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit in 2015 from former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao - one of those praising Ms Fowler's stand against Uber. On Twitter, Ms Pao said Ms Fowler's blog post shows "the state of tech in one woman's story, also the story of many women, many people at many companies". See also: Sexist van slogans banned in Australia Meet the female gamers challenging sexism Are universities secretly sexist? Discrimination is difficult to quantify - especially when victims are unwilling to speak out. Yet on top of Ms Pao's case, there have been several high-profile lawsuits and sudden exits in the tech world in recent years: How does tech compare to other industries? Comparing results from different studies with different questions can be problematic - but there are some hints that Silicon Valley has a problem. Statistics on sexual harassment vary widely, but an extensive 1992 US national study found that 41% of women had experienced it; and about 40-50% of women in the EU, according to the United Nations. Both estimates are still lower than the Silicon Valley survey's 60%. The 2016 Women in the Workplace study - a major US national survey - found that 19% of the technology sector's top executives are women - broadly in line with sectors like banking, media, or professional services. The same study found that, across all industries, 30% of women who negotiated for a promotion or a better salary were told they were "bossy", "aggressive" or "intimidating". In the Elephant in the Valley survey, that rocketed to 84% of women being told they were aggressive (though that question was not specifically about negotiation). What's being done for gender balance? The world's biggest tech companies know they're dominated by white men, and many are funding schemes to address that. In its annual diversity and inclusion report, Apple said it had closed pay gaps over the past year by analysing salaries, bonuses and stock grants. Facebook has pledged to give $15m (£12m) to Code.org, a non-profit group teaching young women and underrepresented minorities how to write computer code. And in 2015, Google told USA Today it would invest $150m (£120m) in workforce diversity initiatives that year, up from $115m in 2014. At the moment, 23% of Apple's tech employees are women. At Google, it's 19%. And at Facebook, just 17%. Change comes slowly in companies of this size, so the path could be a long one. But by broadening the pool of people qualified to work there, Silicon Valley is hoping to change the status quo. |
Even in refugee camps life must go on, and when a man and a woman decide to marry the rare chance for a big celebration may be seized with both hands. In one camp in northern Iraq, beautician Rozhin Ahmed-Hussein - herself a Syrian Kurdish refugee - finds that she is rarely short of work. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Helen NianiasNorthern Iraq "Most of the people in the camp are poor, and Syrian refugees like me, so when I do a beautiful bride, usually I'll dance out of the door with her because I feel so happy," says Rozhin Ahmed-Hussein. A dusty refugee camp north of Mosul may not be the first place you'd expect to find a beauty salon and gown-hire shop, with frothy white frocks and diamante winking through the windows in the fierce sunlight - and slinky party dresses in vivid fuchsia and turquoise hanging from the rails. In this camp, makeshift homes are separated by vast stretches of light brown gravel paths, which kick up dust in the wind and feel hot even through shoes in the 47C (117F) heat. There are 41,000 Syrian refugees living in two neighbouring camps here. The situations they've fled from are often desperate but that doesn't stop people falling in love. And when that happens, they do what people everywhere do, they get married. Rozhin's salon isn't the only one in the camp, but it may be the most stylish. Small details, such as a coral sink placed next to a coral chair and proper reclining seats, let you know that Rozhin is not new to the business. She herself is immaculate, with no make-up. "I do make-up all day, it's like work for me," she says. Her five daughters aged from one to seven often wear matching outfits. "I like to look glamorous, I'm always like this," she says. Rozhin and her family fled Qamishli, a Kurdish town in Syria in 2012, as the civil war picked up pace. "In Syria I had a normal life, a normal job as a beautician, and then when we came here it was too hard, too tough to adjust to the environment," she says. She cried a lot, she says, because her daughter fell ill and she was homesick. "I kept begging my husband to go back, even though it was dangerous, but he refused. In time, I adapted to the situation and my daughter got better." It helped that she was able to open her business. The shop was initially a grocery run by her husband, but after it failed to make enough money, Rozhin saw her opportunity. She borrowed some money from her uncle and turned it into a salon. After spotting the demand for wedding gowns and party dresses, she started stocking those too. Now the shop has been going for five years. It's named Tulin, after her daughter. Aside from regulars coming in wanting a haircut, an eyebrow shape or a catch-up, Rozhin does up to 30 weddings a year. Many of her customers are Kurdish, and it cannot be overstated how lavish these weddings are. The two suitable halls in the camp host 300-400 guests, which is - everyone in the room jumps in to explain - extremely small by Kurdish standards. One thousand guests would be more typical, they say. At Kurdish weddings, even the guests are made up exquisitely with flicked eyeliner, I'm told, thickly applied pale foundation, bum-length hair extensions or hijabs patterned with designer logos. Because of the heat and sheer quantity of make-up needed, usually Rozhin does the bride's hair first and the make-up is done last to reduce the risk of it melting on the bride's face. Weddings usually take place at 7pm or 8pm when the air has cooled, but in the summer the temperature will still be in the 30s - which you have to factor in when the wedding make-up is as thick as face paint. Each bride takes around two-and-a-half hours to get ready, but it's not just the brides. The whole wedding party may want their hair and makeup done, and sometimes Rozhin has two weddings to do in one day. Fortunately she has friends on hand to help. The International Medical Corps runs a programme training survivors of gender-based violence to do hair and make-up, so she brings them in to lend a hand. "There's a lot of work to do with the bridal party," says Rozhin. "When I call them to come and help they're so happy - we are all sisters and we have confidence in each other. After the job is done we drink tea and coffee together." The majority of Rozhin's brides are very young. "Usually I don't ask how old they are, but from their faces they are 18 or 19 on average. "I don't know why they get married in every case, but when you're 18 years old and you're living here with your family - what else is there to do?" It also means having a big party. This is important for people coming to terms with a difficult past, and everyday refugee camp life - which means 20 people to one latrine, makeshift housing and constant vigilance against disease. "For every single woman this is one special day to have a big glamorous dress and make-up," says Rozhin. "Just one day to feel special. No-one will be hurt by this." While some brides might relish the experience of being made to feel glamorous, a mural showing a bride holding a teddy bear is painted outside the shop. It's a sobering reminder of the problem of young girls being married off to much older men - something which is particularly rampant in refugee camps. But the shop is a place for escapism, even if the women can't forget their problems altogether. "In the salon we try out new techniques with make-up, but we are always thinking about our friends and relatives." Thinking about them, and often worrying about them. Rozhin is the main breadwinner of the family. Her husband, Ahmed, finds work some days, but the next day there be no work to be had, and he stays at home. "I am the one who brings money to the family and my husband does not have any problem with this. Usually the men here don't like that, for a woman to be in charge. But he says, 'If we're getting money that's OK.'" Business has been up and down. Having her twin girls recently meant she had to close up for a few months, allowing her rivals in the camp to pick up some of her regular customers, but now things are getting better. "There are another three that have a lot of customers," Rozhin says. Many of the families in the camp have been living here for at least as long as Rozhin has. Communities build up, neighbours get to know each other, people fall in love. Getting married means having a stake in the future, even when that future is uncertain. If you look carefully at the wedding dresses in Rozhin's shop, you can see the hems are lightly stained the same colour as the gravelly paths of the camp. How many women have worn these dresses, and made the same journey to the same hall, careful not to mess up their hair and make-up, and wondering what comes next? Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. |
After fighting with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) for more than two decades, Luz Marina Giraldo started a career in local politics and ran for a seat on the town council in Mesetas, a rural district in Colombia's eastern plains. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Manuel RuedaBogotá, Colombia But her campaign ended abruptly last year when hooded men burst into her home and killed her partner, Alexander Parra, also a former Farc guerrilla fighter, shooting him five times in the back. Ms Giraldo fled with her children to a nearby city and has not returned to Mesetas. She is one of hundreds of former guerrilla fighters dressed in white T-shirts who marched into Colombia's capital, Bogotá, on Sunday to seek a meeting with President Iván Duque. The protesters, who have been holding demonstrations in front of the presidential palace, say the government is not keeping up with commitments made in a 2016 peace deal that led to the disarmament of 13,000 fighters and transformed Latin America's oldest guerrilla group into a political party. The new party retained the initials Farc but they now stand for Common Alternative Revolutionary Force. While the former fighters may have laid down their arms, their lives are still at risk from other guerrilla and drug-trafficking groups, and one of their key demands is for more protection. "At this moment we face so many threats we don't even know where the bullets are coming from" says Ms Giraldo. Carrying a white banner with a portrait of her late partner wearing a cowboy hat, she is followed everywhere by two bodyguards assigned to her by the Colombian government. More than 230 former fighters have been killed since the peace deal was signed, according to human rights groups. And even though it has now been almost four years since the peace agreement was signed, the rate of killing has not decreased. The UN verification mission in Colombia says 50 former Farc rebels were killed in the first nine months of this year. In October, four more were murdered, according to human rights group Indepaz. Among them was Juan de Jesús Monroy, a well-known ex-Farc commander who - after demobilising - had been leading farming projects in south-eastern Meta province. His murder triggered the march on Bogotá, which was joined by about 700 former Farc rebels from different corners of Colombia. "The international community has to realise things are not going well," says Jesús Chaparro, a 50-year-old ex-rebel who has been working on a cattle-raising project managed by Mr Monroy. He is part of a group that made the 400km-journey on buses to Bogotá and stopped at towns along the way to hold smaller rallies. Juan Carlos Garzón, an analyst of Colombia's armed conflict at the Ideas for Peace Foundation, says the killings have happened mostly in remote rural areas previously controlled by the Farc rebels, where security has been deteriorating since the peace deal was signed. In these areas a smattering of criminal organisations is now fighting for control of drug-trafficking routes, illegal mines and other resources abandoned by the Farc guerrilla after they demobilised. Former Farc fighters who stayed there have been caught in the middle of the violence but now have no weapons to defend themselves. "Some of these groups have old scores to settle" with Farc fighters, Mr Garzón explains. He says that criminal groups are trying to recruit former fighters and get farmers to grow coca, the raw material for cocaine. These groups target Farc party members, or anyone else who is trying to prevent that. Organisations currently fighting over former Farc territory include drug-trafficking groups like the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla and dissident groups made up of ex-Farc fighters who did not want to lay down arms. Colombia's Attorney General estimates that 70% of the murders of former Farc rebels have been committed by these groups but according to the UN, there have so far only been convictions in 31 cases out of more than 230. "Our people are targeted because they are natural leaders" said Manuela Marín, a Farc party organiser based in Bogotá. "We are trying to generate transformations in these rural areas, and that clashes with criminal and political interests." The Colombian government has attempted to protect former Farc fighters by assigning troops to watch over "re-incorporation villages", places where many former guerrillas live and work on farming projects. Former Farc rebel leaders who are thought to be at greater risk are also assigned bodyguards and given bullet-proof vehicles. Currently there are 1,100 bodyguards who work with the National Unit for Protection and are assigned to former Farc rebels. In October, Colombian government officials said that an additional 600 bodyguards would be hired to protect Farc party members. The party has welcomed this help but its members say that for there to be a lasting improvement to their security and that of community leaders in rural areas, the implementation of the peace deal would have to be speeded up. What the former fighters want to see is the dismantling of criminal groups and investment in rural infrastructure, so that people in those areas do not turn to the drug trade to make a living. "Getting bullet-proof cars and bodyguards for 13,000 former fighters is impossible" says Tulio Murillo, a 54-year-old Farc party leader who has received death threats and has four bodyguards to protect him. "What we need is greater commitment to the agreements that were made." You may want to watch: |
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who was stabbed to death. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
A 46-year-old man was stabbed at a property in West Parade in Wisbech at about 21:45 GMT on Sunday. Cambridgeshire Police said the victim was treated by paramedics but died at the scene. A 49-year-old man, from Wisbech, has been arrested and remains in custody. Officers said they were treating the death as an isolated incident. Related Internet Links Cambridgeshire Police |
The number of people who've died with Covid in the UK has passed 100,000. It's a devastating number and it leaves behind many thousands of grieving friends and families. So how can you support someone through the loss of a loved one? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Lindsay BrownNewsbeat reporter "For every person who dies, around eight to ten people are significantly affected," psychotherapist Julia Samuel tells Radio 1 Newsbeat. Restrictions on going to funerals and rules around household mixing mean the normal support networks might not be as easy to reach. Here's what you can do to help someone dealing with grief. Show up consistently "Your friend will need your support for a lifetime," Amber Jeffrey says. Amber set up the Grief Gang podcast and Instagram page after her mum Sue died. She says the idea was to reach out to others like her. The 23-year-old suggests being specific when offering help. "Don't use the phrase 'let me know if you need anything' - instead just do something. "So be like, 'I'm not going to ask you what you need, I'm going to bring round a lasagne and leave it on your doorstep, or pick up your washing'." She says anything that makes life easier for the person grieving is likely to be a big help. Listen more than you speak "The single best thing we can do as a friend is to listen - whether that's on the phone, Zoom or Snapchat," Julia says. "Listen five times more than you talk. As a friend we feel we have to fix it and make it better, but then of course we say all the wrong stuff." Julia says acknowledging a person's loss can be a huge comfort too. "Just by saying sorry your grandfather or father or aunt died, it's an act people will remember forever." It was a combination of speaking and listening to others that helped Lobby Akinnola, who lost his dad Femi to Covid-19 last April. "I started listening to podcasts - 'Griefcast' and 'I'm Terrible Thanks for Asking'. Just hearing other people's stories and hearing that they'd been through this kind of thing and it doesn't have to be the end," he says. Grief counselling also helped. "Just that opportunity to talk. There's always something of an expectation that kids will just bounce back, but it knocked me for six." Grieving isn't like the movies "There's a Hollywood idea of grieving, so you might expect your friend to be sobbing and not able to get out of bed - and that's true for some people," Rosie Rawson says. The 28-year-old's mum, Trish, died after getting Covid-19 in May. Rosie says grief isn't consistent. Some days are OK - you might be laughing and happy. Other times you want to curl up and watch a film. "The best thing to do as a friend is not put your opinion on how someone should be grieving or how they should behave. Let them do what they need to do or say what they want to say." Julia agrees, adding that sometimes a grieving person may want lots of sex or want to dance and have fun. "Let them be whoever they are and let them say funny jokes," she says. "When I first heard dad died, I just fell apart. Completely fell apart. I wasn't doing anything, wasn't getting up in the mornings, I was barely looking after myself," Lobby says. "What I'd say to others going through grief is, you're going to feel what you feel. "There's no right or wrong way to grieve. Don't pressure yourself that you have to be a certain way. The other advice I'd give is just talk about the person that's gone. Not just about their death, there's a whole life of a person before that. " Remember significant dates "We're very bad at talking about death," says Rachel Wilson, who founded The Grief Network. It's an online community for bereaved young people, which she set up after her mum died. The 28-year-old says checking in on dates like anniversaries, religious events or birthdays really helps. "It's not just the first week or month your friend will need support - continue to check in - allow them to remember their lost one. "If it's a parent of your friend for example, even if you don't have many memories, it's really nice to hear about them so share those memories. And don't worry about upsetting them, they already feel sad and it's not your fault." Remind them they're not alone It's lonely grieving in a pandemic, especially at a time when you aren't able to meet up with friends and family and have a hug. Hannah Brady's dad Shaun died in with Covid-19 in May. She says it's really important to stay in touch with your friends. "I would encourage people to private message, drop someone a text, a call, or send a card. It reminds them that although they are alone in grief, that you're there to walk through it with them." Don't always expect a reply Rosie says having to reply to all the WhatsApp messages, texts and letters she received was overwhelming. A simple message followed by the words "don't feel you have to reply" relieved her of that stress. "It takes the pressure off so I could respond when I had the headspace. There's a lot of admin with having to reply - sometimes to people you haven't spoken to in ages." And don't give up on them! "Even dropping a call without checking it's OK allows the grieving person to decide whether they want to chat," Rachel says. "If you've tried a couple of times and there's no answer - don't give up. They may not be feeling up to it now - maybe a few weeks or months down the line they may well be." For more information and help on bereavement, check out the BBC advice pages. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. |
"Lost dispiriting places with the reek of missed opportunities" or "places of innovation, spirit and community"? As the number of libraries in England falls , BBC News looks at some of the experiences of people who love or loathe visiting public libraries. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Sally Ball, Hanham I am a mother of two young boys and regular visitor to Hanham library in South Gloucestershire. I have been personally involved in the campaign to stop the proposed library cuts in our area. I am also a member of award winning Black Sheep Harmony, a female a cappella group from South Gloucestershire. We have produced a song against library cuts. We have chosen the song's lyrics to show libraries as not only places from which to borrow books but, increasingly, hives of community activity, appealing to different areas of society. Michael Johns-Perring, Edinburgh I was one of those cool kids at school that volunteered in the library. When I was a sixth former, some of the teachers thought I was a member of staff - something that granted me staff room privileges. I was even a fan of libraries before I was a fan of reading. Typically, as a boy, I wasn't much into books. Maybe it is the calming atmosphere of a library that has always appealed to me; after all, a library is also a public study. I have also always liked order. I was fascinated by the Dewey Decimal system [of categorising books]. I still remember, with fondness, skipping a class in order to put the school library's National Geographic collection in chronological order. Ah, those halcyon days. Sally Newton, Hemel Hempstead I grew up in Hertfordshire and on Saturdays when I was little my Dad would either take me swimming or to the Hemel Hempstead library. Both pursuits were equally brilliant as far as I was concerned. I could borrow up to six books a week, and I frequently did. History, biology, fiction, mythology - anything I liked. I read far more books than I would have had a chance to purchase alone. Dad still lives in the area and said the library we used to go to isn't even there any more. I am sad that the service libraries provide is being eroded. Mark, Cheltenham It pains me to have to say it, but public libraries have had their day. They have less life in them than the zombies in the Night of the Living Dead. Decades of under-investment, poor leadership and fundamental professional disagreements about what libraries are for has wrecked libraries as much as the internet and Amazon. Too many libraries are beyond redemption. They are lost dispiriting places with the reek of missed opportunities. They have also not been best served by some of their main public supporters. Having authors leading campaigns makes those campaigns look self-serving and they ignore the role modern libraries were supposed to fulfil. The key test is this: would anyone today be proposing to establish public libraries if they didn't exist? The simple answer is "no". Claire Warren, Nottingham I am a qualified and chartered librarian. I find it utterly horrifying that councils have cut services to libraries so fiercely over the past few years, having to rely on volunteers and very little money. Libraries are so much more than the stagnant, dull and lifeless places that they are sometimes perceived - they are a place of innovation, spirit and community. I work in schools and see the instrumental impact of a lack of books around children through low literacy levels and children struggling to read. Libraries need to be protected now, not struggling for survival. Charlotte Thomas-Collins, Crediton I went in to register my daughter and that was it. They register them at birth now. The books were filthy and had bits missing, looked chewed and I didn't want them in the house. The staff were very friendly, though. Another problem we had is that kids get obsessed with a favourite book and would have a fit if you returned it. They're so cheap on Amazon anyway. Less risky. Adam, London I became a librarian to help people but left the profession because I was tired of making excuses for why we couldn't any more. Mistakenly, I thought my voice would be heard as a campaigner outside the service, but the local council seems only marginally less disdainful of public voices. The service was being run down long before they started planning closures in the local authority I worked for. It wasn't just in libraries but across the council, as every service councillors are elected and paid to run are viewed as burdens if they aren't generating income. Sue Bentley, Northamptonshire Libraries introduced me to the world of books at a young age. They shaped my life, broadened my view of the world, and became the spur to a career - I am a successful writer of multi-million selling children's series Magic Kitten. Literacy is so important in all areas of life. Research shows that children who are read to at an early age do better at school that those who are not. We need our libraries and must fight for them. |
Is India's politics becoming less dynastic? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent Serving up some revealing data on the stranglehold of family and lineage on Indian politics, historian Patrick French wrote in his 2011 book India: A Portrait that if the trend continued, India could slide back to the days when it was ruled by a "hereditary monarch and assorted Indian princelings". He also expressed concern that the next Lok Sabha - the lower house of parliament to which 543 MPs are directly elected - would be a "house of dynasts". New research by political scientist Kanchan Chandra of New York University actually points to a fall in the number of dynastic MPs in the new parliament, formed after May's general election. Professor Chandra found that 21% of the MPs in the new parliament have a dynastic background, down from 29% in the last parliament. (A survey by The Hindu newspaper, however, found a quarter of MPs - 130 - in the current parliament have a dynastic background.) Also, 24% of India's new cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is dynastic in nature, down from 36% in the previous Congress-led government. The fall in numbers of dynastic MPs in the parliament may have something to do with the massive victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is considered to be less dynastic than the Congress party it replaced in government. (The BJP alone has 282 of the 336 MPs in the ruling coalition.) "For me the decline in numbers of dynastic MPs is significant," Baijayant Jay Panda, a prominent MP from the regional Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party, told me. "I think we will see a further fall in numbers in future parliaments." Professor Chandra is not so sure. Favourable to dynasty She says most parties, including the ruling BJP, are favourable to dynastic politicians: 15% of the BJP's MPs and 26% of its cabinet are dynastic, and a number of its chief ministers have had their family members follow them in political positions. Of the 36 political parties that have now at least one seat in the parliament, the leaders of at least 13 (36%) were preceded by family members who were MPs. Also, as Professor Chandra says, the rise of "young, aspirational voters does not quite represent a deterrent to dynastic politics". This appears to be borne out somewhat by a survey of young voters by the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in 2011 that found that although the majority of young voters - 18-30 years of age - opposed dynastic politics in general, they preferred voting for a dynastic candidate when a dynasty was associated with youth. More interestingly, another study by Milan Vaishnav, Devesh Kapur and Neelanjan Sircar earlier this year found that 46% of Indians had no problems supporting dynastic politicians. "What we found was kind of shocking," said Mr Vaishnav. "Nearly one in two Indians say, if I had a choice, I would prefer to vote for a candidate who has a family background." Regional dynasts Also, India's Nehru-Gandhi family which leads the Congress is no longer the only dynastic party. The fragmentation of Indian politics has led to a sharp rise in parties led by regional dynasts - at least 15 of them remain politically significant despite many having fared badly in the recent elections. No wonder, as Professor Chandra points out, dynastic politics is alive and well in the states: 28% of the state governments are led by a dynastic chief minister. To be sure, politics is not the only sphere where India tolerates dynasties - they dominate businesses, Bollywood and many other spheres of life. In politics, dynasties offer readymade kinship networks that substitute for party organisations. Dynastic politics, Professor Chandra argues, is also linked to "increasing returns from state power" - public officials continue to yield enormous discretion in the exercise of power and patronage from what remains a large and powerful state. But things, Mr Panda insists, are changing. He believes that more first-generation politicians with no dynastic links are coming up than ever before and predicts that regional dynasties will splinter further and wither away. Most importantly, he says, social media is making it easier for politicians to organise networks without depending on families. "When you are a dynastic politician you easily inherit the network that helps you win election. But the advent of the social media shows that this advantage is breaking down and politics is becoming a more level playing field," Mr Panda says. For evidence, he points out the way the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) used social media successfully in Delhi's state elections last year to mobilise supporters. "I am not saying," Mr Panda cautions, "that dynasties will vanish overnight. "But as more and more young Indians get connected to the world, there will be a breaking down of established modes of feudalism. That includes dynastic politics." |
Paramedics are only ever a 999 call away from an experience that could change their lives forever. While some might have the good fortune never to have to respond to an emergency like the Grenfell Tower fire or the Manchester Arena bombing, others will have to live with the consequent mental scarring. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Sophie MaddenBBC News According to the mental health charity Mind, ambulance workers are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems than the general public - but they are also much less likely to reach out for support. So who is there to help the people who help us at our times of greatest need? 'I thought it would never affect me' Father-of-four Dan Farnworth says a 999 call he attended in 2015 completely changed his life. He had been with North West Ambulance Service since 2004 as an emergency medical technician, but a callout to the scene of a murder of a child hit him hard. "Before this happened, I thought I was immune to mental health issues - it would never affect me," the 32-year-old said. At first he just felt low, but after about 24 hours he realised he was still struggling. "I couldn't shake the image of the child." Dan found it changed the way he behaved, both at work and with his family, and he suffered nightmares. He eventually reached out to friend and fellow paramedic Rich Morton - something he says saved his life because it spurred him to get help. Dan was signed off work for five months with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You might also be interested in: The Tube station serving up food for thought 'I was stalked by a polar bear' Miscarriage: 'I just felt like it was my fault' The friends eventually went on to set up their own charity called Our Blue Light, of which Dan says he is "immensely proud". They work to open up discussions about mental health in the emergency services and to make sure people know what to do when a colleague is in mental health crisis. "It isn't something you're taught; we may learn CPR but not what to do when it is a mental health problem - and it is so important." He has also worked with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry as part of their Heads Together campaign. Dan has recently been awarded a Churchill Fellowship, which will fund a trip to the United States and Canada to research a report for Parliament about how their emergency services tackle the issue of mental health. He said: "I feel quite good at the moment, I have taken a lot of comfort from being able to help other people. "I've also built up my own resilience and have been able to accept that it isn't always going to be OK. I'm more self-aware, which is a great thing." 'We are not superhuman' "There is this picture I've seen of Superman and he's in the supermarket and he is crying his eyes out," said 52-year-old Esmail Rifai, a veteran of 27 years with North West Ambulance Service. "That is how I felt at the time. People see us as superheroes, that we can do anything, but in reality we can go home and, quite often, can have a massive breakdown." Two years ago, he had a mental breakdown and spent time off work from his role as a paramedic to receive one-to-one counselling. He said: "I remember all the horrible jobs to this day. Not just visually; the smell, the taste in my mouth. I think [this is] something everyone from the emergency services will find. "For me, my breakdown was a combination of lots of different things: the pressures of work, that knock-on effect on your personal life - you can't help but take things home." But shortly after Esmail came back to work, a colleague killed himself. He said he felt "personally at fault". "I could have spoken to him, could have helped him. I was upset that he didn't open up to anybody, or felt he could not open up to anybody. "I thought, 'I need to think, I need to do something, to avoid them getting to that stage in life where they feel they have nothing to live for'. It helped me to focus on something." Esmail now works for the ambulance service as a clinical safety practitioner and with the charity Mind as one of its Blue Light Champions, promoting its project. He said: "Being involved has also given me some solace. Knowing that I'm helping others in itself makes me feel good, gives me a sense of achievement. "There is no shame or stigma attached to experiencing mental health problems - it's just the same as breaking a bone, except no-one can see that you are suffering. "We are not superhuman and we are just as prone to illness as anyone else, if not more." 'Some calls always remain with you' As Jules Lockett points out, it's not just paramedics who can experience extreme pressure. Though she doesn't work on the front line like some of her colleagues, there is extreme pressure on her in her role at the London Ambulance Service, where she has been employed for 18 years. "I think there is always a call, or a handful of calls in your career which always remain with you," said the 48-year-old, who started out as a call-handler in the emergency control room. "You get a response when you can relate it to your nan, your aunty or your uncle. Some of the calls are really distressing: people hanging, or in cardiac arrest. Those calls still stay with me. "But they also really make you feel that's what you are there to do; it isn't just about giving instructions." The service's current head of training says she has seen greater pressures on its workers, with the average number of calls reaching 5,000 in a 24-hour period. "It is sometimes quite difficult to try and convey the sentiment you want to someone when you are on the phone. You want to put your arm around them and give them a hug and make them better." For Jules, her mental health problems weren't directly related to her work, but she said it was the support of her ambulance "family" that helped her through it. She underwent surgery on her back before joining the service, which brought on a period of depression, and, when she found she needed more surgery about five years ago, she talked it through with her workmates. "I think it is important to ask people for support, and sometimes your colleagues will be critical to help get you through the tough times." She said London Ambulance Service has promoted discussion about mental health and provides support in the workplace. It offers resilience training, counselling services, a peer support network and has recently set up two quiet zones near the control rooms in Waterloo and Bow, where staff can go when they need time to reflect. 'The nightmares would be horrendous' Peter Morgan says his problems came years after he stopped working in the ambulance service. He was a paramedic for 10 years, covering Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, before leaving the service in 2003. But when a friend was killed in a road traffic accident about five years later, his mental health went into decline. "It would be flashbacks, the nightmares would be horrendous, I would wake up pool of sweat - it was awful," said Peter, 51, who would go on to be diagnosed with PTSD. "The nightmares would start off being memories from the past, jobs I'd been to, then they started to change, almost like something from a horrendous fiction-horror where I would be surrounded by body parts. "Totally away from reality, but for me it was extremely real." Peter's wife Tina was instrumental in realising he needed to get help and approached the Ambulance Staff Charity, which is based in Coventry, not far from their home in Rugby. He started therapy and this helped him understand the triggers for his episodes, such as the sound of helicopters or sirens. "With the ambulance service, you've got anything from a cot death to a road traffic accident; you spend your day going from picking little old Mrs Jones off the floor because she fell over to five people dead in a car crash. "It is going from one extreme to another within the space of, like, five hours. For some, it gets to a point where you can't take it. "Nowadays, the emergency services understand what PTSD is. I don't think anyone did before, and that was a problem. "Now there is more awareness and a realisation that every job is loading on a little bit more." Addressing mental health problems within the emergency services is not simply a matter of offering support to those in need, according to Mind's Blue Light Programme manager Faye McGuinness. Part of its work also involves training people to be more aware of the issues colleagues might face. "People think it is all trauma-related, but what people have what told us is that organisational factors are impacting more negatively: things like long working hours, shift patterns and the stigma surrounding mental health. "We have most definitely have seen a change - we have been quite overwhelmed with the reaction within a group we thought would be difficult to reach. "There is definitely still work to do - you don't see things change overnight - but we are starting to see organisations change the way they view mental health wellbeing. "It is a long-term commitment." |
The family of the late Jane Tomlinson is set to embark on another fundraising trip - 10 years after a mother-of-three from Leeds decided to put on her trainers and raise millions of pounds for charity. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Jane Tomlinson hit the headlines for defying doctors after being told she had only a matter of months to live. What started as a 5k run around Roundhay Park in her home city turned into a series of mammoth sporting challenges. She tackled marathons and triathlons and cycled across the UK and America, all while battling against terminal cancer. Now her family are to embark on their latest challenge to raise money - her husband Mike and daughter Becky will complete the Paris Marathon, cycle through France and arrive in Hull via the ferry. The father and daughter duo will then cycle to London, with the aim of completing the London Marathon on 22 April - 10 years after Jane completed her first London Marathon. Mr Tomlinson said: "I think the poignant moment for us is when me and Becky do the London Marathon 10 years on. "I don't think we'll be able to keep a dry eye to be perfectly honest." Mr Tomlinson added: "I think you have to accept that this is the path we chose. It's a path I'm choosing to stay on. "I could walk away but I would feel like I wasn't doing the right thing in terms of Jane." Mrs Tomlinson was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991 and underwent a mastectomy, but nine years later she was told the disease had spread to her bones and lungs. In 2002 Mrs Tomlinson started a series of astonishing sporting triumphs, including completing the London Marathon and then four months later a triathlon, as well as the Great North Run. The 38-year-old spent almost three months training six times a day in preparation for the events. Mrs Tomlinson's determination to carry out some of the country's biggest sporting challenges led to her receiving many accolades including a CBE from the Queen in 2007. She was also voted the UK's most inspirational woman in 2003 and handed the BBC Sports Personality of the Year's Helen Rollason Award. "Death doesn't arrive with the prognosis" the Yorkshire woman once exclaimed. |
Google says reports of its pulling back from China have been 'greatly exaggerated', as a deadline looms for its mapping service to continue in the country. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
"Stories of Google's withdrawal from China are greatly exaggerated," said Andrew McGlinchey, Head of Product Management for South East Asia. He added that Google was actually expanding its offices in the country. Google has previously faced censorship issues and cyber attacks in China. In May, the Chinese government introduced a licence system for internet mapping. Officials said they had not yet received an application from Google, the deadline is 31 March. Cyber attacks Last year, Google said it had seen cyber-attacks from organisations based in China. It said Gmail accounts of Chinese rights activists had been hacked. The incident caused Google to reduce its presence in the Chinese market. Beijing has denied that it was involved in any way with the cyber-attacks. |
A man has appeared in court charged with manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving following the death of a three-year-old boy in Bristol. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Freddie Hussey died in hospital after being hit by a Land Rover pulling a trailer, on Hastings Road, Bedminster, on 27 January. Tony Davies, 37, of Hallen, appeared at Bristol magistrates and is due before the city's crown court, next month. He was granted unconditional bail until the hearing on 4 September. Mr Davies is also charged with using a motor vehicle or trailer in a condition likely to cause danger of injury. |
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a man who divided global public opinion like few others. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Joseph WinterAfrica Editor, BBC News website To some, he was an evil dictator who should have ended his days in jail for crimes against humanity. To others, he was a revolutionary hero, who fought racial oppression and stood up to Western imperialism and neo-colonialism. On his own terms, he was an undoubted success. First, he delivered independence for Zimbabwe after decades of white-minority rule. He then remained in power for 37 years - outlasting his greatest enemies and rivals such as Tony Blair, George W Bush, Joshua Nkomo, Morgan Tsvangirai and Nelson Mandela. And he destroyed the economic power of Zimbabwe's white community, which was based on their hold over the country's most fertile land. However, his compatriots - except for a small, well-connected elite - paid the price, with the destruction of what had once been one of Africa's most diversified economies. In the end, this came back to haunt him. The outpouring of joy on the streets of Harare which greeted his forced resignation in November 2017 echoed the jubilation in the same city 37 years earlier when it was announced he was the new leader of independent Zimbabwe. Although he was allowed to see out his days in peace in his Harare mansion, it was not the end he wanted, having famously boasted: "Only God, who appointed me, will remove me." Many Zimbabweans trace the reversal of his - and their - fortunes to his 1996 wedding to his secretary Grace Marufu, 41 years his junior, following the death of his widely respected first wife, Sally, in 1992. "He changed the moment Sally died, when he married a young gold-digger," according to Wilf Mbanga, editor of The Zimbabwean newspaper, who used to be close personal friends with Mr Mugabe. That sentiment was common long before anyone dreamed she might one day harbour presidential ambitions, which were the trigger for his close allies in the military and the ruling Zanu-PF party to oust Mr Mugabe from power. Mugabe the man While he was sometimes portrayed as a madman, this was far from the truth. He was extremely intelligent and those who underestimated him usually discovered this to their cost. Stephen Chan, a professor at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, noted Mr Mugabe had repeatedly embarrassed the West with his "adroit diplomacy". Mugabe in his own words: "Cricket civilises people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket in Zimbabwe; I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen" - undated "Let the MDC and its leadership be warned that those who play with fire will not only be burnt, but consumed by that fire" - 2003 election rally "We are not hungry... Why foist this food upon us? We don't want to be choked. We have enough" - interview with Sky TV in 2004, amid widespread food shortages "Don't drink at all, don't smoke, you must exercise and eat vegetables and fruit" - interview on his 88th birthday in 2012 "[Nelson] Mandela [South Africa's first black president] has gone a bit too far in doing good to the non-black communities, really in some cases at the expense of [blacks]... That's being too saintly, too good, too much of a saint" - 2013 state TV interview As a former political rival of Mr Mugabe, who went on to serve as his home affairs minister, Dumiso Dabengwa witnessed the different sides of Zimbabwe's founding father. "Under normal circumstances, he would be very charming but when he got angry, he was something else - if you crossed him, he could certainly be ruthless," he told the BBC before his death in May 2019. Mr Dabengwa said the president would often let him win an argument over policy during the decade they worked together, or they would agree to compromise - not the behaviour of a dictator. But something, he added, changed after 2000 and Mr Mugabe resorted to threats to ensure he got his way. "He held compromising material over several of his colleagues and they knew they would face criminal charges if they opposed him." This is not a picture recognised by Chen Chimutengwende, who worked alongside Mr Mugabe in both the Zanu-PF party and government for 30 years. "In all the time I have worked with him, I have never seen him be vindictive or ill-treat anyone," he said. Wilf Mbanga, editor, The Zimbabwean: "He went from trying to convince you with his arguments to a man who would send his thugs to beat you up if you disagreed with him" Watch: Wilf Mbanga on his friend Robert Mugabe Mr Chimutengwende felt Zimbabwe's leader had been unfairly demonised in the Western media because of his policy of seizing land from white farmers whom he suspects of having influential supporters, especially in the UK, where many trace their roots. Mugabe the teacher The year 2000 marked a watershed both in the history of Zimbabwe and the career of Mr Mugabe. Until then, he was generally feted for reaching out towards the white community following independence, while Zimbabwe's economy was still faring pretty well. After coming to power in 1980, Mr Mugabe greatly expanded education and healthcare for black Zimbabweans and the country enjoyed living standards far higher than its neighbours. In 1995, a World Bank report praised Zimbabwe's rapid progress in the fields of health and literacy. Run by a former teacher, the country had the highest literacy rates in Africa. In her book, Dinner With Mugabe, Heidi Hollande said Mr Mugabe used to personally coach illiterate State House workers to help them pass exams. Mr Mbanga recalls listening to the songs of US country singer Jim Reeves together. "He could be very affectionate, he was an intellectual. He liked explaining things, like a teacher," said Mr Mbanga, but then saw a huge change in his former friend. "He went from trying to convince you with his arguments to a man who would send his thugs to beat you up if you disagreed with him." In fact, the warning signs were already there - the massacre of thousands of ethnic Ndebeles seen as supporters of Mr Mugabe's rival, Joshua Nkomo, in the 1980s and the start of the economic decline - but these were usually overlooked. "Some say he had us all fooled, I am convinced he himself changed," Mr Mbanga said. The journalist says that in his early years as president, Mr Mugabe genuinely believed in trying to improve the lives of his people, and introduced a "leadership code" which barred ministers from owning too much property. "Look at him today, he is fabulously wealthy. He is not the person I knew," Mr Mbanga said in May 2014. 'Political calculator' In February 2000, the government lost a referendum on a draft constitution. With parliamentary elections looming four months later and a newly formed opposition party with close links to the "No" campaign posing a serious threat, Mr Mugabe unleashed his personal militia. Some were genuine veterans of the 1970s war of independence but others were far younger. TV footage of white farmers queuing up to make donations to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) meant Mr Mugabe was able to portray the opposition as stooges of the white community, and by extension the UK. The invasion of white-owned farms achieved several goals for Mr Mugabe and his allies: There was certainly a strong moral argument that land reform was needed in Zimbabwe but the way it was carried out was undoubtedly with political motivations uppermost. Despite the widespread violence, intimidation and electoral fraud, the MDC gained almost as many elected seats as Zanu-PF in 2000. Had it not been for the intimidation in rural areas, Zanu-PF may well have lost its majority. Lovemore Madhuku, one of the leaders of the "No" campaign in 2000, described Mr Mugabe as an "an excellent political calculator", who adapted his tactics to the situation. "There are moments when he chooses to be ruthless, others when he chooses to be magnanimous… He considers what is best - for him - in every situation and reacts accordingly," Mr Madhuku told the BBC. He said Mr Mugabe might not have realised the damage the seizure of white-owned land would do to Zimbabwe's economy but in any case, he would not have cared, as long as he remained president. Mr Chan agreed that, "in terms of Mr Mugabe's value-set, the ownership of the land is more important than the smooth running of the economy". And the economy continued to decline until 2008. After 28 years of Mr Mugabe's rule, the resourceful, largely self-sufficient country lay in ruins. The inflation rate had reached an unfathomable 231 million per cent and young Zimbabweans were voting with their feet, fleeing the country he had fought to liberate. And yet, from this low point, he once more managed to outmanoeuvre his rivals and remain in power for another nine years. 'Mummy's Boy' to African liberator The key to understanding Robert Mugabe is the fight against white-minority rule. In the Rhodesia where he grew up, power was reserved for some 270,000 white people at the expense of about six millions Africans. A host of other laws discriminated against the black majority, largely subsistence farmers. They were forced to leave their ancestral land and pushed into the country's peripheral regions, with dry soil and low rainfall, while the most fertile areas were reserved for white farmers. Reclaiming the land was one of the main drivers behind the 1970s war which brought Mr Mugabe to power. The son of a carpenter who abandoned his family, as a child Mr Mugabe was said to have been a loner, who spent much of his time reading. Ms Hollande wrote that after his elder brother died of poisoning when Mr Mugabe was just 10, his mother became depressed and the young Mugabe would do everything he could for her, to the extent he was teased as a "mummy's boy" at school. He eventually qualified as a teacher and in 1958 went to work in Ghana, which had just become the first African country south of the Sahara to end colonial rule. Encouraged by his Ghanaian wife, Sally, and the pan-Africanist speeches of Ghana's leader Kwame Nkrumah, Mr Mugabe became determined to achieve the same back home. On his return in 1960, he started to campaign for an end to discrimination and was jailed for a decade after being convicted of sedition. While in prison, his supporters wrested control of Zanu, the biggest party fighting white rule, and installed him as leader. On his release, he was supposed to remain in the country but with the help of a white nun, he was smuggled over the border into Mozambique and the Zanu guerrilla camps. 'He loves power' After Mr Mugabe won the 1980 elections which led to independence, he pursued a policy of reconciliation with the white community despite the bitterness built up during the war. In a national address after becoming prime minister, he declared: "If you were my enemy, you are now my friend. If you hated me, you cannot avoid the love that binds me to you and you to me." Four faces of Mugabe: Before independence: "He was a very nice guy. At that stage, he was not too sure of himself. There were very strong people in Zanu who were not afraid to oppose him. He would never take a decision on his own" - Dumiso Dabengwa 1980-90: "He did everything he could to improve the lives of his people. He wanted education for all. He wanted health for all. He introduced a leadership code limiting Zanu-PF cadres to 50 acres of land" - Wilf Mbanga 1990-2000: "I worked very harmoniously with him and discussed issues. He would let me have my way or we would reach a compromise" - Dumiso Dabengwa 2000 - 2017: "After 2000, he started flexing his muscles. He brought in people who he could influence. Several people were compromised - he held something over them" - Dumiso Dabengwa. "He has become fabulously wealthy. He is not the person I knew. He changed the moment Sally died [in 1992], when he married a young gold-digger [Grace Mugabe]" - Wilf Mbanga He allowed Ian Smith, the Rhodesian prime minister who had once declared that black people would not rule the country for 1,000 years and who reportedly personally refused to let Mr Mugabe leave prison for the funeral of his then only son, to remain both an MP and on his farm. At this point, according to Mr Madhuku, Mr Mugabe's hold on power was relatively weak, so he realised he had to reach out to his former enemies. Former home affairs minister Mr Dabengwa said Mr Mugabe was even less self-confident earlier on in his political career. "When I first met him in the 1960s, he was not sure of himself, of his position in Zanu," Mr Dabengwa recalled. "There were very strong people in Zanu who were not afraid to oppose him. He would never take a decision on his own but would always check with them first." But slowly, he consolidated control - first over the party which led the war against white-minority rule and later the country as a whole - until the point where his was the only voice that counted. "He loves power, it's in his DNA," said Mr Madhuku. Bonds forged in war Throughout his time as president, his closest allies were always those with whom he had endured the hardships of life during the guerrilla war of independence. When they felt their grip on power, and its trappings, were threatened, they reverted wholeheartedly to the conflict mentality. "We are in a war to defend our rights and the interests of our people. The British have decided to take us on through the MDC," he told a 2002 election rally. This meant opposition supporters were denounced as traitors - a label which could mean an immediate death sentence. Mr Chimutengwende argued that the scale of the violence was exaggerated and in any case sought to distance it from Mr Mugabe: "It is not the leader who throws a stone, or asks his followers to throw a stone." But Mr Dabengwa, the minister in charge of the police in 2000, said Mr Mugabe's Zanu party had been using such methods since the 1980 election. He said that fighters from Zanu's armed wing had been sent out into rural areas to ensure villagers voted the "right" way, partly through all-night indoctrination sessions, known as "pungwes". "People were told there were magic binoculars which could tell which way they voted and there were no-go areas for other parties," said Mr Dabengwa, whose Zapu party came a distant second in 1980. "But the British declared those elections free and fair and so Zanu learnt that that was how to win an election." Although he won those elections in 1980, and formed a coalition government with Zapu, the underlying tensions burst into open violence just two years later. Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo was accused of plotting a coup and the army's North Korea-trained Fifth Brigade was sent to his home region of Matabeleland. More than 20,000 people were killed in Operation Gukurahundi, which means "the early rain which washes away the chaff". At the time, South African double-agent Kevin Woods was making daily reports in person to then Prime Minister Mugabe for the internal security force, the Central Intelligence Organisation. "He obviously wanted to know exactly what Fifth Brigade was doing," he wrote in his autobiography. In the end, a subdued Mr Nkomo once more agreed to share power with his enemy in order to end the violence in his home region - a forerunner of what later happened to the MDC. Mugabe timeline 21 February 1924: Born 1964: Jailed after being convicted of sedition 1973: Becomes Zanu leader 1980: Becomes prime minister of Zimbabwe 1987: Becomes president under new constitution agreed under deal to end Matabeleland massacres 1992: Wife Sally dies 1996: Marries Grace Marufu 2000: Loses referendum, land invasions begin 2002: Wins presidential election amid widespread violence and fraud allegations 2005: Launches Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Rubbish), which forces 700,000 urban residents from their homes - seen as punishment for opposition supporters 2008: Comes second in election, violence leads his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw from run-off 2009: Forms coalition government 2013: Resoundingly re-elected, Tsvangirai returns to opposition 2017: Forced to resign after army seizes power 6 September 2019: Dies in Singapore, which he visits for hospital treatment Before he was finally ousted, his political low point was in 2008, when MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat him in a presidential election, although not by enough for outright victory, according to the official results. There were numerous reports Mr Mugabe was on the verge of resigning, although Mr Madhuku said he did not believe them, as the president subsequently demonstrated his determination to remain in power. Again, a setback led to a sustained campaign of violence against his "enemies". The army and Zanu-PF militias attacked MDC supporters around the country, killing more than 100 and forcing thousands from their homes. It became obvious that Zanu-PF would not relinquish its grip on power and Mr Tsvangirai withdrew from the second round, saying it was the only way to save lives. Zimbabwe's economy continued its freefall, reaching its nadir when people were dying from cholera in Harare because the country did not have the foreign currency to import the necessary chemicals to treat the water. Under intense pressure, Mr Mugabe agreed to a coalition government with his long-time rival and, under MDC stewardship, the economy recovered. But Prime Minister Tsvangirai was severely tarnished by working with Mr Mugabe - the president always managed to keep real power for himself and his allies. By the time of the 2013 election, Mr Mugabe did not need to resort to extreme violence to win easily. He had once more demonstrated his remarkable skills of political survival and he remained in power until he was forced out in 2017. Love-hate relationship with the UK Mr Mugabe justified the 2000 land invasions by saying the UK's Labour government, in power since 1997, had reneged on a British promise to fund peaceful land reform. While it might be expected that an avowedly Marxist liberation fighter would have more in common with the Labour Party than the Conservatives, the opposite turned out to be true. Robert Mugabe: "Mrs Thatcher, you could trust her. But of course what happened later was a different story with the Labour Party and Blair, who you could never trust" Under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the UK accepted that as the former colonial power, it had the moral duty to help finance the process of buying white-owned land and redistributing it to black farmers. But after a report found the process had been tainted by cronyism, British funding was put on hold. The new Labour government took matters further and declared: "We do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe." In 2013, Mr Mugabe observed: "Mrs Thatcher, you could trust her. But of course what happened later was a different story with the Labour Party and [former Prime Minister Tony] Blair, who you could never trust. "Who can ever believe what Mr Blair says? Here we call him Bliar." Despite the vitriol directed at the UK from 2000 onwards, Mr Mugabe was in some ways the epitome of an English gentleman. He was usually turned out in immaculate, dark, three-piece suits and ties - until he was given a makeover in 2000 and advised to campaign in brightly coloured cloth emblazoned with his own face, like many other African leaders. Visitors to State House were always offered tea to drink and he was a huge fan of cricket. "Cricket civilises people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket in Zimbabwe; I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen," he once said. 'Beaten Christ' He was educated by Jesuits in the Katuma mission near his birthplace in Zvimba, north-west of Salisbury (now Harare), where he was taken under the wing of an Irish priest, Jerome O'Hea. This is presumably where he developed his abstemious nature - he did not drink alcohol or coffee and was largely vegetarian. Wilf Mbanga: "If he had died after 10 years in power, he would have been my hero forever" His second wife Grace said he used to wake up at 05:00 for his exercises, including yoga. This healthy lifestyle was no doubt one reason why he lived until the age of 95. For many years, his health was a constant source of speculation. A 2008 US cable quoted in Wikileaks suggested Mr Mugabe had been diagnosed with cancer, giving him between three and five years to live. This prognosis turned out to be false, and on his 88th birthday Mr Mugabe joked he had "beaten Christ" because he had died and been resurrected so many times. 'Spoilt legacy' While he was vilified in the West, his anti-colonial rhetoric did strike a chord across Africa, even among many who condemned his human rights record. At the 2013 memorial service in Soweto for Nelson Mandela - who replaced Mr Mugabe as Africa's most admired anti-colonial fighter - Zimbabwe's president was wildly cheered by the young South African crowd, even as they booed their own then leader, Jacob Zuma. "A lot of people think that pan-Africanism is a thing of the past but that is not true," said Mr Mugabe's staunch ally, Chen Chimutengwende. "While imperialism and racism exist, pan-Africanism is still needed," he told the BBC. But Zimbabwean journalist Wilf Mbanga said that in his latter years, Mr Mugabe had far more support outside his home country than within. "Those young South Africans who praise him do not have to live under his rule," he said, pointing out that many Ghanaians had less than fond memories of life under pan-African hero Kwame Nkrumah, who had inspired Mr Mugabe. So how will Mr Mugabe be remembered? Mr Chan said that until 2000, Mr Mugabe had a "good report card", although the verdict later turned to "disastrous". "If he had died after 10 years in power, he would have been my hero forever," said Mr Mbanga. "But look at the schools and hospitals now. "He has spoilt his legacy. Now, people will remember him for driving people out of Harare, Gukurahundi, election violence and everything else." Joseph Winter was the BBC's Zimbabwe correspondent from 1997 until he was expelled in 2001 |
Two Frenchmen that have been spotted in Islamic State's latest execution video are reported to be recent converts to Islam, sparking fresh debate in France about what's driving the appeal of Islamic State, and how to tackle it. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Lucy WilliamsonBBC News, Paris With delicate features and an unkempt beard, Maxime Hauchard, 22, helped to carry out executions in the arid Syrian landscape. He was once, according to his uncle, a calm and happy little boy. "He was never even naughty as a child," Pascal Hauchard said. But this week, Maxime became the latest name in the roll-call of Western recruits fighting alongside Islamic State. He had already given a Skype interview to French television, describing life in Syria and his desire to become a martyr. It's an odd kind of celebrity for a French boy from rural Normandy who, according to local reports, converted to Islam at the age of 17. But converts appear to make up a striking number of the French citizens attracted to the militants' cause, and generate a huge amount of interest back home, as shown by the case of the British militant nicknamed "Jihadi John". The second Frenchman has been named by prosecutors as Mickael Dos Santos, 22, from a small town just south-east of Paris. Propaganda value "They do it on purpose, of course they do," says Professor Jean-Pierre Filiu, from the School of International Affairs at Sciences-Po. "Western recruits have no military value [to militant groups] at the moment; they have no training or expertise. Their value is in propaganda and recruitment. Militant leaders want to use European Muslims as hostages for their own propaganda, to generate fear of a fifth column back home. And it's working." Responding to the latest video, President Francois Hollande said that more must be done to warn French families of the dangers of militant recruitment campaigns, which he said could touch people from every background, including converts. Converts do appear to make up a substantial portion of those attracted to IS from France. One recent survey by the French Institute, CPDSI, found that 90% of those who adopted radical Islamic beliefs had French grandparents, and that 80% came from atheist families. Over half of all phone calls to a government helpline, set up to combat jihadist recruitment, concerned teenagers without any Muslim or Arab background. Those figures may not be representative of all French recruits in Syria, but they give some context to stories like Hauchard's. Attraction of the cult Pierre N'Gahane, who is a member of a government de-radicalisation team working on the issue, says the profiles of those attracted to IS ideology are hugely varied. "You have the young girl who got high grades at school, and went to dance lessons, who in the course of a single day rejected her friends, and changed her dress and diet," he explained. "Or the serial delinquent, always in trouble with the law, who dropped out of the army. Or the young student who was already isolated, and tips into radicalism during one moment of fragility." Prof Filiu believes that the reason these young people have such hugely diverse profiles is partly a reflection of the tactics used by IS. "Any recruits that arrive are brutalised in a kind of initiation ceremony," he told the BBC, "and then they are forced to recruit four or five of their buddies through Facebook. That's why you have profiles that are so unpredictable, and why converts bring in more converts." But, he says, it's also precisely because most of them don't come from a Muslim religious culture and aren't looking for religion at all. Instead they are isolated teenagers, "fast-tracked" into an extreme ideology, "a cult", whose appeal is very different to the piety and purity promised by organised religion, Mr Filiu adds. "If you look at the images sent home," he told me, " it's all pizza and guns and sunsets over the Euphrates. It's an offer to join 'the winners'. Anybody who wants to become famous knows that if he goes and kills a hostage, he'll become a star, and be splashed across the front page of the newspaper back home." 'Victim narrative' Pierre N'Gahane agrees. "Converts to radical Islam are very different to those converting to Islam," he says. "They don't go through the mosque. They're fragile people who are drawn to a sectarian version of Islam, and really any other kind of sect would have done just as well. The attraction is a narrative that gives them an identity as victims of Western society, and as somehow special and chosen by God." That has clear implications for how the government here should be tackling the problem. Imams and mosques have little influence on recruitment drives which happen almost entirely on Facebook or via other internet sites. And there are few easy ways to tackle a network with such intimate connections and such disparate appeal. Some have blamed France's social inequality or lack of integration, but surveys have suggested that many converts are from well-integrated, middle-class families. But with more than 1,000 French citizens now either fighting with groups like IS, en route to join them, planning to do so, or returning to France, the government is under pressure to curb the flow of recruits. It has launched several programmes designed to target those at risk. One of the most recent, says Mr N'Gahane, focuses on offering psychological support to those wanting to leave France to join the group. The police now also have the power to confiscate the passports of anyone believed to be about to flee. Prof Filiu says societies may always harbour a radical fringe, ripe for cults to tap into. What makes this recruitment drive so effective, he believes, is the way it harnesses the internet for a simple but effective propaganda campaign. The only way to counter it, he says, is to ignore the European faces in its execution videos, and its use of Islamic symbols, and focus on the victims. But so far, he says, "they're winning. And we're just following each red herring they throw at us". |
The Prince of Wales has personally given keys to a family who bought the 250th home in an experimental Dorset town he set up in the 1990s. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The prince met Nathan and Sarah Dunford and their four children outside 54 Peverell Avenue East, in Poundbury. The prince also officially opened the Poundbury Cancer Institute in the town and met staff. The institute's aim is to help identify the most effective treatment for individual cancer patients. Poundbury is an urban extension to the Dorset county town of Dorchester and is based on the prince's planning ideals. The development aims to combine social and private housing with work and leisure facilities to create a "walkable community". |
Slough has often been given a rough old time in popular culture - famously drawing the ire of poet John Betjeman and providing the drab, grey and soulless setting for Ricky Gervais's BBC sitcom The Office. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Adam WhittyBBC News But it has done more for the nation - and indeed the world - than might first be apparent. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of this much maligned Berkshire town receiving its Royal Charter, BBC News has examined the debt of gratitude we all owe Slough. The Mars Bar Ah, I hear you say, but Mars is an American company. You would be right, but the bar that bears the name of its owner and a confectionery empire was actually born in Berkshire. Founder Frank Mars gave his son Forrest the money to set up his own chocolate business in the UK in 1932, and the younger Mars ended up in Slough, where he came up with the nougat and caramel-filled treat. That started the Mars company as we know it. The firm is still in Slough to this day, and developed the Twix, Maltesers, Topic and Starburst (formerly Opal Fruits) brands here. Snooker You might already know that the game of snooker was invented by a young officer in the British army posted to India more than 140 years ago. But did you realise the man behind the sport was a Slough native? Neville Chamberlain (not that one) was born in Upton Park in 1856, and created snooker by combining two forms of pocket billiards games. The name is thought to be derived from army slang for a new cadet - a "snooker" - perhaps in reference to the rawness of play by one of Chamberlain's fellow officers. The zebra crossing The Road Research Laboratory was set up in the Langley area of the town in 1946, and was tasked with creating a pedestrian crossing with road markings that were visible in all conditions. The "Slough Experiment" began, during which all kinds of ways of getting from one side of the road to the other were tested across the town, with laboratory boffins eventually settling on the zebra crossing. The sad news for any road-crossing spotters out there is that the original, created in 1951, is no longer in existence as the area has since been pedestrianised. Thunderbirds While the tropical island setting for Thunderbirds, boasting palm trees and blue seas, was clearly not inspired by the Berkshire town, the popular 1960s puppet programme was made on Slough Trading Estate. Co-creator of the show, the television and film producer Gerry Anderson, moved to Slough in 1959, and his AP films company went on to make a series of other puppet-based children's programmes, including Captain Scarlet, Stingray, Supercar and Joe 90. The wheelie bin According to Biffa, the UK's leading waste management company, the wheelie bin was invented in Slough by a moulding company in 1968 to move waste around its factory. The story goes that a health inspector from Slough Borough Council spotted the bins and recognised that one of the features of their design was the ability to prevent back injury. He supposedly passed the idea on, but it sat in a filing cabinet for 20 years until wheelie bins - ahem - started being rolled out across the country in the 1980s. The first female scientist to be paid The pioneering astronomer Caroline Herschel moved to Slough in 1786, having been born in Germany 36 years previously. In a distinguished career, Herschel discovered eight comets, rediscovered another and assembled a catalogue of 560 previously unrecorded stars. She was also the first woman to be paid for her contribution to science. Herschel was awarded an annual salary of £50 by King George III in 1796 for her role as assistant to her brother, who by then had become Sir William Herschel. The Ford GT40 Famous for winning the Le Mans 24-hour race four times in a row between 1966 and 1969, the Ford GT40 is one of the most iconic racing cars. The GT40 was developed and assembled in humble Slough, on the town's trading estate, on its way to motorsport immortality. Slough was also the base for the McLaren racing team from 1965, and Sir Stirling Moss started his racing career here, driving (completely illegally) around the town's housing estates. Pioneering politicians Slough has the honour of having had both the first black female mayor in the country, and the first turban-wearing Sikh MP. Lydia Simmons moved to Slough at the age of 17 from Montserrat in the Caribbean, and served as a councillor before becoming mayor in 1984. Tanmanjeet Singh "Tan" Dhesi broke similar political ground, having been elected at the 2017 general election as the Labour MP for Slough. You might also be interested in: Correction, 14 September 2018: This story originally stated, erroneously, that Torvill and Dean created their famous ice dance routine, the Bolero, at Slough Ice Arena. |
The Big Issue is marking 200 million sales since its launch in 1991. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Launched by John Bird in 1991, the magazine has become a leading campaigner on issues surrounding poverty and homelessness. It has partnered with street artist Ben Eine to celebrate the milestone with three collectors' edition covers. Editor Paul McNamee said the Big Issue was "a print title that is putting on sales as others decline." Official vendors buy the magazine for £1 and sell it for £2.50 - using the revenue as a means to earn a living. It was formed in London and is a leading campaigner for the homeless as well as people in vulnerable and insecure housing situations who make up the army of sellers around the country and internationally. To mark its milestone, Mr McNamee also selected some of the magazine's most memorable covers. After David Bowie's death, the magazine ran an archive interview Jarvis Cocker had conducted with him as a tribute to the late star(man). Mr McNamee said photographer Louise Haywood-Schiefer had "just minutes" to grab this portrait of the Dalai Lama. "Brilliantly she caught both his massive personality and the fame that comes with that and a rarely seen impishness. It's a great photo," he said. The Street Cat named Bob found fame alongside his owner, busker and Big Issue seller James Bowen. Bob became the subject of several best-selling books and Mr Bowen went on to become a charity advocate "We were joined for this edition by Trudie Styler as guest editor," Mr McNamee said. "She asked if we'd like to see Robert Downey Jnr in a tabard posing as a Big Issue vendor. We said, yes please! And Trudie sorted it. It's a great, strange collection of people in that edition." The magazine has a number of international editions. This cover, from Japan, features renowned artist Yayoi Kusama. The first edition resembled a newspaper, and had a cover price of 50p. This photo of Sgt Rick Clements was taken by rock star Bryan Adams, and used by the magazine to mark the centenary of the outbreak of WW1. "It was a very proud moment when it was named Magazine Cover of The Year by PPA - the Oscars of the British magazine industry," Mr McNamee said. Artist Ben Eine has created three special "celebration" covers to mark 200 million sales. |
People in Northern Ireland can now register online to vote. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Those not currently on the electoral roll will be able to input their details in a process which takes a few minutes, the chief electoral officer has said. Electronic voter registration was introduced in all other parts of the UK in 2014. Up to now in Northern Ireland, paper forms had to be filled out and returned to a local election office. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's morning show, Northern Ireland's chief electoral officer Virginia McVea said: "You can go online on any device and in just a few minutes you can be registered. "The paper version is still there so people don't need to worry, they can do that way if they choose. But now you don't have to download or collect a form." 'Turnout envy' In 2016, the Electoral Office said so-called e-registration would be in place by the end of the year. However, there were repeated delays in implementing the system, and it was not ready for either the Northern Ireland Assembly or Westminster elections which took place in 2017. Ms McVea said Northern Ireland's voter registration and turnout remained generally high. "We have over 1.2 million (registered) out of a population of about 1.8 million. The turnout is over 800,000," she said. "We had the US consul general with us recently and they look at places like Northern Ireland with envy in terms of our turnout and registration. We are really keen to move that up and up." In Great Britain, 90% of voter registrations are now made online. |
With people stuck at home, you might think the traditional notion of a protest is impossible. But campaigners and supporters are still eager to further their causes and fight for what they believe in during lockdown. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Charley AdamsBBC News 'Starting a campaign from my bedroom' During lockdown we have had time to "fight for our rights", said Sioned Freer, who started a student rent strike from her bedroom. The campaign, against students having to pay full rent if they left their accommodation in Plymouth, began as a 20-member Facebook page and has amassed 750 supporters. Despite the campaign being "frustrating at times", the masters student said: "I've had so much time to dedicate to the campaign that I wouldn't have had otherwise - and other people have had more time to interact with it. "Now that people aren't exhausted from working all day we have the time to actually get involved with these causes. "Sometimes it's difficult to gauge how much difference we're making from my bedroom - despite that, I think it's been a mainly positive experience." The students have worked with unions and local organisations, met national rent strikers from other universities to discuss tactics and campaign strategies, and contacted MPs for support. "We have activists, legal students, media students and people who've never been involved in a campaign like this before all working together to make this thing work," added the 26-year-old. As a result of the campaign, university-owned halls have cancelled rent, along with a few of the purpose-built student accommodation blocks. "Sometimes when I have a bad day engaging with the campaign, I think about the 750 people who are behind me on this and it's really empowering." 'This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for lockdown' "Lockdown has enabled us to take the project even further," said Dan Webb from Everyday Plastic, who has been running Zoom project workshops to highlight the plastic problem. Before the coronavirus pandemic, he had been taking the project into schools and organisations in Kent, but since lockdown his project has reached a worldwide following. Members collect all the plastic they use in a week, categorise and record it and then Dan calculates their plastic footprint, and the lockdown version has seen double the number of people participating. "This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for lockdown - we would never have thought to do it with 100 people at once," he said. "The coronavirus [pandemic] has helped develop it as a new model as well, I've done a lot of work to adapt it for this situation so it's easy for people to do. "I want to ensure the plastic problem remains on the agenda during the lockdown period and beyond it." Andy Roberts and his family, including six-year-old daughter Ava, said the experience of getting involved in the project had been an "eye-opener". "I think the lockdown presented an opportunity for Dan as a way that we could all be online together - it probably wouldn't have happened if everyone hadn't been at home." Decorating streets 'sparks imagination' Extinction Rebellion supporters have been getting involved in a Paint the Streets campaign during lockdown by adorning pavements, roads, houses and their gardens. Decorating the streets "is an easy, accessible and beautiful way" to spread messages and "spark imagination", said activist Lucia Whittaker. The climate campaigner from Derby decorated her garden with colourful origami boats to mark the anniversary of Extinction Rebellion's protest in April 2019, when rebels parked a pink boat in Oxford Circus. You might also be interested in: Photographing the neighbours during lockdown Private gardens open virtually amid lockdown How have independent shopkeepers been faring? She also chalked a thought-provoking quote by Richard Powers outside her local park which she hoped made "people look at the trees a little differently on their daily walk". Edward Pickering-Symes, from Extinction Rebellion Derby, said: "The protest is a loving and uplifting way of showing another world is possible and for people to call out this message visually to their neighbours." Mair Perkins, who painted bees and vines along her fence, said the campaign was "all about creativity, community spirit and envisaging a better, more nature-filled future all while staying within the social distancing guidelines". She plans to paint more of her fence as the flowers in her garden grow and document the re-wilding process. Similarly, fellow Extinction Rebellion volunteers are making wind turbines and wind spinners and hanging them outside their homes as part of the Winds of Change campaign. Community activist Shelley Castle said she hoped the activity "will bring an uplifting message of hope for positive changes post Covid-19". 'A sense of cohesion even though we are cut off' "Although we are all separated from each other at this time, we really wanted to come together to do something positive in the crisis," said London City Voices director Richard Swan. The community choir got together online to sing You've Got a Friend by Carole King to support survivors of domestic abuse and raise funds for Women's Aid. The 276 members of the London-based choir recorded the performance and raised more than £70,000 for the charity's live chat service, which has seen a 41% increase in demand since lockdown began. Choir member Dinah Tobias said: "It has given the choir a sense of cohesion even though we are so cut off physically, to know that we are doing something to help others whilst being so proud of the sound we make as a virtual choir." Women's Aid also created a video showing the empty streets in lockdown and how dangerous home can be for some people. Beating the plastic polluters Surfers Against Sewage has been exposing plastic polluters with their #ReturnToOffender campaign during lockdown. Activists have been taking pictures of plastic litter during their daily exercise and sharing it on social media to challenge companies on what they are doing to combat their waste. "We can't meet up with all of our volunteers, but we can empower our volunteers in other ways," said the charity's chief executive Hugo Tagholm. "People at home might be disconnected, but this is an optimistic way to bring people together to campaign." He emphasised the importance of digital activism in modern protesting and said sharing the campaign on social media had been "very effective". The marine conservation charity has also been finding ways for children to get involved during lockdown such as the #WavesOfOptimism campaign. Children have been drawing waves and filling them with colours and marine wildlife, explained education manager Emily Van De Geer, and she hopes the launch of their online lessons will help young people "discover the power of their voice". 'A symbol of resilience and hope' On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, on 22 April, green hearts appeared in windows across the country. The Climate Coalition asked supporters to make a green heart to show that they believe in a cleaner, greener future. "The heart is a symbol of resilience and hope that we can build back better," said campaigns executive Leila Bousbaa. The organisation dedicated to action against climate change has also been running a "Vitamin N" campaign to help people get their daily dose of nature during lockdown. Activities have included building a bug hotel on the doorstep, bird-watching and learning nature-themed yoga. |
A disturbing, decades-old letter sent to Martin Luther King Jr by the FBI is serving, for many, as a reminder of the scope and history of US governmental surveillance programmes - and their potential for abuse. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Echo ChambersOpinion and analysis from around the world Heavily redacted versions of the 1964 letter have been available for years, but an uncensored copy was recently discovered by Yale historian Beverly Gage. Now revealed are brazen threats to smear King by making details of his numerous extramarital affairs public and hints at an audiotape that may have accompanied the letter. While the letter is unsigned, a Senate Committee confirmed a decade after it was sent that it had come from the FBI during then-Director J. Edgar Hoover's five-decade-long leadership of the bureau. In a piece for the New York Times, Gage writes that the FBI had originally started monitoring King because of suspected ties to the US Communist Party. But after King began criticising the government for failing to enforce civil rights in the American South and his participation in the 1963 March on Washington, Gage says the range of the FBI's surveillance spread. While they failed to link King to communism, the wiretaps and bugs in his home, office and hotel rooms did discover a number of extramarital affairs, which many civil rights leaders already knew about. When FBI officials brought information about King's personal life to journalists, though, the story was largely ignored. In 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, and King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. That year, Hoover condemned King, calling him "the most notorious liar in the country". A few days later, William Sullivan, a deputy to Hoover at the FBI, sent the letter. "King, like all frauds your end is approaching," the letter, crafted as a message from a disillusioned supporter, reads. "You could have been our greatest leader. You, even at an early age, have turned out to be not a leader but a dissolute, abnormal moral imbecile." The correspondence ends with a vague threat. "King, there is only one thing left for you to do," it reads. "You know what it is." Many, including King at the time he received it, see this as a suggestion that King should kill himself. Gage writes in her piece that the odd thing about this time period is that the FBI's campaign against King was a spectacular flop. While today King is looked at as a moral ideal, Hoover is wildly unpopular. "In this context, perhaps the most surprising aspect of their story is not what the FBI attempted, but what it failed to do," she writes. Although the FBI's attempts to discredit King were unsuccessful, that doesn't mean modern intelligence agencies have given up on similar tactics. Nadia Kayyali, writing for the Electronic Frontier Foundation's blog, Deeplinks, says the King letter could be a page out of the handbook of the British online intelligence unit dubbed the Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group - a group whose mission is to "destroy, deny, degrade [and] disrupt enemies by discrediting them". Today, she writes, that translates into rummaging through Facebook chats, embarrassing internet browsing history and emails in order to discredit any leader who threatens the status quo or to blackmail someone into becoming an informant. "These are not far-fetched ideas," she says. "They are the reality of what happens when the surveillance state is allowed to grow out of control, and the full King letter, as well as current intelligence community practices, illustrate that reality richly." Salon's Marcy Wheeler writes that there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the intelligence community - including who today's targets are, if they are at the same level of importance as King or how exactly the National Security Agency or the FBI is getting information about them. But, she writes, we do know that today's spies are more powerful than ever because of technology, and they have more access because so much of our lives are spent online. "It may take a half-century, as it has with King, to see the fruits of the surveillance the NSA and FBI direct at leaders of groups perceived to be a threat, whether it be Muslims fighting to defend their legal rights or overseas preachers criticising American expansion," she writes. "But we should still be vigilant in insisting that the tactics used with King have no place in this day and age." And when it comes to what Americans do and don't know, Nick Gillespie says that it's important to consider a wider scope. "The more we learn about the government these days, the less we can trust it," he writes for the Daily Beast. He adds that it's fitting that the full details of the government's surveillance of King are coming to light in the age of Wikileaks, NSA leaker Edward Snowden and a White House that promised to be the most transparent administration in US history. "There's a real opportunity for the politicians, the parties and the causes that dare to embrace real transparency - about how legislation is being crafted, about our surveillance programs at home and abroad - as a core value and something other than a throwaway slogan," Gillespie writes. "But as an unbroken thread of mendacity and mischief binds the present to the past, a future in which the government can be trusted seems farther off than ever." Gage closes her piece by noting that James Comey, the current director of the FBI, keeps a copy of the agency's King wiretap request on his desk "as a reminder of the bureau's capacity to do wrong". On Tuesday night, the US Senate narrowly voted down a measure that would have curtailed the government's ability to search through private phone records. The King request may be a potent symbol of government intrusion, but campaigners today would say it is dwarfed by the thousands of similar orders and warrants being issued by the FBI each year. (By Kierran Petersen) |
When a leading medical expert urged people to prepare for a "digital Christmas" last week, the response was mixed. But amid the frustration and "mistletoe and Zoom" jokes, some people were already rearranging their plans. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
"I imagine the iPad and FaceTime will be on pretty much the whole day on Christmas Day," says Gail Buckie, from Edinburgh. Gail's family live about 150 miles away on the Isle of Mull and she says "there's no way we'll be able to see them over Christmas" - especially with her mother considered vulnerable. But she says she's already putting "a lot more effort" into this year's festivities - and has even booked Santa to visit her children at her doorstep because they won't be able to go to a grotto like usual. "We've already started to stock up on extra Christmas lights," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I think I've probably, in the past, been a bit more 'less is more' type thing, but with the children spending so much time inside, we're going to decorate their bedroom. "It will be just a wee small thing for us," she says. "But we'll make it extra special trying to keep connected." It's still too early to say what Christmas will be like for everyone. But current restrictions in Scotland ban people from visiting other households indoors, while in England, millions of people are living under tier two or three restrictions, which also ban visiting others at home. In Wales, there is currently a national lockdown requiring people to stay indoors, while in Northern Ireland indoor visits to other people's homes are also not allowed. That means Gail isn't alone in planning a digital Christmas Day. Mhairi Hamilton, from Larkhall, in South Lanarkshire, says she is "ahead of the curve" and has already cancelled her big family Christmas to avoid months of uncertainty. "So I called it about six weeks ago and put a message round the family saying that I was not going to host in the house but I would host a Zoom Christmas," she tells BBC Radio Scotland. "I would preserve what we could of the family traditions and we would take it from there. And the response I got from the extended family was nothing but positive. You know, things like, 'you mean we can do this in our jammies? You mean we don't have to drive?'. I'm going, yes, yes, yes." Mhairi is currently in the process of making gift bags for her relatives, which will be filled with drinks and nibbles, and the whole family will open their Secret Santa presents on a video call. "I'm ahead of the game and I'm loving it," she says. "I'm having a great time preparing. There are undoubtedly many, many positives to be taken from it." Becky Goddard-Hill, a parenting blogger from Nottingham, is equally positive. "I think we can still have that family gathering but just in a different way," she says. 'It will probably be chaos' She's planning a carol concert with members of her family over video call, and a cook-a-long with her mother-in-law to bake a Christmas cake. "I'll get my kids to open their advent calendar with their grandparents online each morning just so they're still very, very much a part of our Christmas and there's still a lot of fun and togetherness at the heart of it," she says. "It will probably be absolute chaos but I think that's part of the fun, isn't it? It's that being together, throwing your enthusiasm behind it." She also suggests watching a film together at the same time as relatives living elsewhere, or sending handmade cards and long handwritten letters. But for some, the prospect of a virtual Christmas is nothing but unappealing - especially if they will be on their own. "This Christmas my husband, a serving soldier, will be at work on Christmas Day, and my brother, who I would normally spend Christmas Day with, died in August," says Helen Kemp, 56, who lives in the Yorkshire Dales. "I don't have children and other than my cousin, who has invited me for Christmas Day to her house, I don't have any close relatives nearby anymore." Helen says she will spend Christmas morning at work - at a charity that gives discounted holidays to vulnerable people, including the homeless. "But after that, I really didn't want to have to spend the rest of the day, until my husband comes home at half six at night, on my own." Her area is currently in tier one - medium alert - where household mixing is still allowed in groups of up to six. But "who knows what we will be by Christmas", she adds. "It has been a tough year for all of us and we need to have some normality back into our lives. "Spending Christmas Day with family, rather than alone, is a way of normalising our lives again. "I don't think anyone wants to be alone on Christmas Day, let alone after the year we have all had." So what has the government said? Earlier this week, No 10 said it was Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "ambition" for people to celebrate Christmas with their families. But many scientists and politicians have taken a different view. Scotland's national clinical director Jason Leitch said it was "honestly too early to say" what would happen at Christmas - but it was "not going to be normal". "People should get their digital Christmas ready," he said. Prof John Edmunds, who sits on Sage, said the idea that people could "carry on as we are" and then have a normal Christmas with friends and family was "wishful thinking in the extreme". And another Sage scientist said last week that Christmas was unlikely to be the "usual celebration" of "families coming together". |
"You don't get to say goodbye to anyone, you don't get to phone them up and say 'oh by the way I'm going into witness protection, I'm not going to speak to you'." | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Tomos MorganBBC Wales News Self-isolation and reduced contact with friends and family has been a necessity during the pandemic, but for some people it's a never-ending reality. The BBC was given extremely rare access to someone in the closely-guarded and secretive UK Protected Persons Service (UKPPS). For more than 20 years, Sian (not her real name) says she was a victim of horrendous, sustained, physical and sexual domestic violence. As a result, she and her children now live in "witness protection" conditions in a state of enforced separation and anonymity. Having grown up with abuse throughout her childhood, Sian was a teenager when she met the man she would later marry. But things quickly took a dark turn. "At first it was sexual violence," she said, pausing briefly after every few words. "But then physical violence crept in. Within three weeks he was raping me. That led to two decades of domestic violence." Things got worse after Sian had children. But - after a particularly traumatic experience - she sought medical help and that led to wider involvement from the authorities - the police deemed the risk to her life was so severe, she had to enter the protected persons service right away. Life changed immediately. She and her children were moved to another part of the UK and, to all intents and purposes, dropped off the face of the earth to many people they knew. They were given new identities and asked to start over. "There's always this constant reminder of what has happened and where we are, so that will never leave us," she told me, hesitating. "Your old life stopped and your new life has started. You live 'normal', which is normal for us, but not for anybody else." It's not just witnesses of serious crime that are part of the UKPPS. It is also for people like Sian, where the threat on their life is so severe, there is no other option. What is the UK Protected Persons Service? It is a network of regional police units, led by the National Crime Agency, which deals with safeguarding at-risk people and witness protection. It provides protection to people judged to be at risk of serious harm, including: Source: National Crime Agency In this life, trust counts. Sian told me there were very few people who knew the secret she has had to keep to ensure her family's safety. "Apart from the people involved in my case, it's probably less than 10. But I can't honestly say that there is anybody out there that I trust completely." Sian only agreed to speak to me with her children's blessing. They have learned to value their isolation and be wary of certain risks, especially in a media-driven society, where something as innocuous as a social media post could give away too much information about their location. "It's very scary just walking down the street, you know what it's like - people take Instagram videos or Snapchat videos. There have been plenty of times where my children have shoved me out of the way because someone has their camera out. "It's a daily part of life for us. You're constantly on alert so that you're not caught up in that, and obviously it's [meant] the children can't go to prom, they can't do everyday things that children would normally assume would be a passage of life. "They can't go to award ceremonies at school, they can't even join sports clubs, because parents will take videos. "The children are not allowed to be on social media and that's difficult for them because it makes them stand out - every child at school, all their friends - are on social media and the minute a child isn't, you're different. "We've had a few instances, where children have just taken out their phone in school and taken a photo and they had to delete them." When I asked whether she had friendships with other children's parents, she took a long pause. "No." For safety reasons and not wanting to explain their situation and extend the circle of trust, she felt it was best avoided. Emergency protocols are in place if the worst-case scenario were to happen, but living a hugely sheltered life has been hard. Sian said Christmas was when her children felt the isolation the most. "Their friends are getting together with family and with extended family and we have nobody, it's just us. "Apart from the food that we eat, it's just a normal day. There's nothing really different. It can be a difficult time for us." With the curbs on life for many people brought on by the pandemic, Sian said she had seen parallels with the restrictions in her life - and her situation had left her well prepared. "For once I was rather grateful that life didn't feel so drastically different for us, and we didn't struggle with having to get used to the new way of life as we were already used to it. "Living in witness protection is similar in ways to the total isolation everyone had to endure during lockdown." Most of her physical scars have healed, but the mental scars of the years of abuse are still very real. Sian was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression as a result of her ordeal. She doesn't work and doesn't foresee a time when she'll be able to. "I have flashbacks all the time, nightmares all the time, I don't sleep well. I am woken up, still, years later with panic attacks, so you know, different things can set off different triggers that I have. "So for me, the best way that I can do that is obviously to keep myself safe is to stay at home, primarily." She is also open with me about the toll the years of abuse has had on her. At her lowest ebb, she was driven to attempting suicide. "I regret not being able to give my children a normal life. I do feel sorry for them, they never asked for this and I think there is definitely some guilt there, but I think any parent would feel that. "Looking back now yeah, I can look back and say 'I wish I had got out sooner'. I didn't think there was any option to get out any sooner - he had always threatened me, as in most domestic violence cases." This wasn't the life Sian chose for her family and living under police protection is not something you can easily opt in and out of safely. "I genuinely focus so much on my kids, and just trying to make a better life for them," she said. "They're hugely supportive, they are very supportive in whatever I choose to do. " But there is only one way the family will ever escape their isolation. "When my husband dies. Until that day, we'll be doing this." |
Officers investigating a double stabbing are trying to trace a third man who may also be injured. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Two men were taken to hospital after being found with stab wounds in Copenhagen Street, Worcester, at about 19:15 GMT on Saturday. Officers believe the stabbings happened near the fountains in the city centre street. West Mercia Police urged anyone who could help find the man to contact the force or Crimestoppers. Det Ch Insp Ian Wall said: "Our priority at the moment is to check on the welfare of another man we believe was injured in this incident." |
The former owner of Colwyn Bay's 112-year-old pier has failed in his attempt to regain control from Conwy council, which wants to develop it. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Steve Hunt, who was made bankrupt in 2008 in a dispute over unpaid council tax, claimed that ownership should revert to him after three years. But a judge at Cardiff County Court rejected the claim. Conwy council announced in March that it had taken over the rundown, Grade II-listed Victorian pier. In April the Heritage Lottery Fund turned down the authority's application for a £4.9m grant to restore the pier. The council claimed ownership of the landmark after the Welsh government acquired it from the Crown Estate. A separate hearing, involving a claim on the pier by Mr Hunt's mother, is due to be held later in the year. Conwy council said it would be inappropriate to comment before the matter is concluded. |
Work is under way to demolish a Shrewsbury building which was badly damaged by a suspected gas explosion. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The blast at the corner of Bridge Street and Smithfield Road on 3 January injured 12 people and closed parts of the town centre for more than a month. Work by Bristol company Bensons will take about four weeks to complete and road closures have not been planned. The Health and Safety Executive is trying to find out the cause of the explosion. One woman was airlifted to hospital with burns to her head, neck and chest, and a man suffered spinal injuries in the explosion. Five people were trapped in a car beneath rubble but were pulled free by bystanders and emergency crews. |
Urban rap videos should be closely monitored and even removed from online platforms such as YouTube to save lives, officials say. The BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme met the rappers and directors who say they are just describing their lives. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Andy JonesVictoria Derbyshire programme A rapper performs in front of a Lamborghini for a music video, not in a swanky studio but in the car park of some flats in east London. As the engine revs, concerned residents peek out of the windows. Others get closer to the action. S-Rose, who changed his name from Scumz, used to be involved in gangs and has spent time in prison. The car and location are intended to reflect his transformation. "I can't rap about anything positive because I haven't seen more of that life yet, but I'm going to rap about what I've been through and actually let it change other people. That's the only way I can express myself really," he says. Filming the video is Pacman, who as well as producing online music videos runs his own YouTube platform, which profiles up-and-coming rappers. He has previously worked with gangs, but he wanted to show another side of his work, the young music stars who want to make an impact online. Some of his videos have as many as 2.8 million views. 'Bring to the table' He started off filming some videos for friends, but his services are now in demand across London. This is about more than just filming each other with camera phones. Pacman uses drone cameras, top of the range visuals and hires all sorts of gadgets to make each video look as good as possible. "It's about them broadcasting themselves showing what they've got to offer and what they bring to the table. Everyone wants good exposure at a high standard and that's what I'm offering to them." Although he says he is careful to stay out of any rivalries, his video shoots are not always drama-free. "I've been filming people and seen people pull out some serious weapons. I've seen guys get shot but that's always a personal issue, it's never to do with me so I'm not particularly scared but obviously to a normal civilian or bystander it is going to be a serious situation," he says. 'Causing tensions' Without mentioning any specific content, the mayor of London's office says it is not targeting general rap and music videos but wants online outlets to do more to remove quickly those that include extreme graphic content. Sophie Linden, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said: "Gangs are using YouTube to make very specific threats and intimidation and harassment and sometimes incite violence." She said some videos could look "fairly innocuous" to people who were not in gangs but the police were experts at spotting things in films that were causing tensions. YouTube rap videos were cited in the murder of Marcel Addai, 18, who was killed after a chain of video exchanges between gangs in London erupted into violence. His four murderers were sentenced to a combined 97 years in prison. The Met Police says there has been an increase in videos glamorising gang violence and since the beginning of the year, seven of the 16 videos it has flagged have been removed. Harsh reality Although they might rap about it in their videos, none of the people the BBC spoke to condones violence and they all say they are not members of any gangs. Pacman says he knows where to draw the line in his videos. "If you film anything that is too graphic or seriously targets an individual or community or anything that is seriously controversial, YouTube just take it down," he says. "If it is within reason, then fair enough - but if someone is just rapping and it isn't violent or doesn't attack anyone, it is unfair for that person to try to have their content removed." Pacman says people make assumptions and need to be shown that the videos he shoots represent people doing something constructive and trying to build a business. We also watch him film a video for a rapper called J Gang, in Brixton. Pacman lets off a purple smoke bomb behind the artist, who is busy delivering his new track, Choices, all about avoiding bad decisions in life, and suddenly curious locals are gathered around to watch the impromptu music scene. "I've got a lot of music talking about the streets. People like to see the negative side of everything. I help the homeless, I help youths that are doing crime, in a way that telling them it is not good to do the crime, try to get them into football. There are all types of things that can get them into legitimate things," J Gang says. He says rapping about drugs and guns does not glamorise the lifestyle but reflects the "harsh reality of living an illegal life". "It's not a good way to live. Obviously people die, people doing drugs - a lot of things come of it. So you can see the light to it but there's also a dark to it. It's me trying to talk to the people and make them understand it's not all glamorous it's not all nice," he says. Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel. |
As a European Union member, the UK is part of about 40 trade agreements which the union has with more than 70 countries. If the UK leaves the EU in a no-deal Brexit on 29 March, it will immediately lose these deals. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Tom EdgingtonBBC Reality Check Last year, the UK government said it wanted to replicate the EU's trade agreements "as far as possible" and have them ready to go immediately in the event of a no-deal Brexit. So how much progress has the government made? 'No deals yet' Being a part of the EU means the UK (or any other EU member) cannot implement its own trade deals. Trade negotiations are instead handled by the EU on behalf of its members. These existing arrangements are designed to make trade easier between the EU and the rest of the world. This could include: relaxing certain rules, reducing taxes (tariffs) on imports and exports, or granting easier market access. The government estimates that about 11% of UK's trade relies on the EU's agreements with other countries. But on Thursday, International Trade Minister George Hollingbery told the Commons: "There are no deals yet that have been actually signed." However, the minister added that he was confident "the majority of those will be in place by 29 March". Switzerland So if no trade deals have been signed, what progress has been made? In December, the Department for International Trade revealed that it had approved a trade agreement with Switzerland - although it has not been officially signed. At the moment more than 100 agreements exist between the EU and Switzerland. These cover areas such as taxation on savings and agriculture. The government said the Swiss arrangement will replicate these existing arrangements "as far as possible" and allow "businesses to continue trading freely". Reality Check asked the Department for International Trade what "as far as possible" meant, but it was unable to offer us any further clarity. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, announced on Twitter that the UK had "agreed in principle" a free trade agreement with Israel. A trade conference between the two countries will be held in London in the "coming months", added Dr. Fox. However the Department for International Trade has not published further details on what the exact nature of the Israel agreement will be. South Africa has said it is close to signing a trade deal, but nothing has so far been formally agreed. The UK has already signed deals with Australia and New Zealand, but these are in areas known as mutual recognition agreements and not free trade agreements. The deal replicates all aspects of the current EU agreements and allows for a continuing acceptance of product standards, such as the labelling and certifying of wine. 'Challenging' In his update to MPs, Mr Hollingbery conceded that rolling over some EU trade agreements would be "challenging", adding that "one or two" would be "close to impossible". The current lack of signed trade agreements is not a surprise to Alan Winters, director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory at Sussex University. "You can't simply roll over everything, these existing agreements will have references to EU law, so you cannot avoid some negotiation," he says. Some countries may also be apprehensive in signing deals right now given that it is so unclear what Brexit will ultimately look like, adds Prof Winters. Consequences So what could the consequences be if trade arrangements are not fully in place by 29 March and the UK leaves with no deal? In the countries where the UK had no formal trade agreement, both would have to trade under the rules overseen by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Under this system, every WTO member is free to negotiate its own tariffs - or taxes - on different goods. But under the rules, members have to offer the same tariff to every other WTO country. Trade will not stop if this were to happen but some barriers will go up, says Alex Stojanovic, from the Institute for Government think tank. "There is a reason you have trade agreements, it's that they give you better trade preferences than WTO terms. "So some businesses will be harmed by tariffs coming into play," he says. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter |
Guernsey's government-owned airline, Aurigny, is to fly between the island and London City Airport. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Aurigny CEO Mark Darby said he would make sure the service was "slick and on time". The airline is the only that offers flights to London, currently into Gatwick airport only. The London City flights will start in September and Mr Darby said the route would be designed around business commuters. He said they would be leasing a Focker 50 aircraft for a month while they make alterations to their existing planes to deal with the new route. |
A bitter political row over a planned peace centre at the former site of the Maze prison has led to the withdrawal of £18m in EU funding for the controversial project. BBC News looks back at the tangled tale of the Maze. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
1971 - The government begins to house paramilitary prisoners at HMP Maze, a purpose-built jail constructed on the disused Long Kesh RAF base, south-west of Belfast. Over the next 29 years, it held some of the most notorious paramilitary killers in Northern Ireland. 1981 - Ten republican inmates, including Bobby Sands, die during an IRA hunger strike over a dispute about political prisoner status. 1983 - Thirty-eight republican prisoners break out of the Maze in the biggest prison escape in British history. Several prison officers are stabbed and one later dies from a heart attack. 1997 - Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright is shot dead inside the Maze by republican prisoners 1998 - The phased early release of paramilitary prisoners begins at the Maze on 11 September, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. 2000 - More than 1,000 prisoner officers leave their jobs in preparation for the closure of the Maze as a working jail on 30 September. The last four inmates are transferred to another jail. 2005 - Direct rule minister Ian Pearson approves a plan to build a new £55m sports stadium on the 360-acre former prison site, saying it is the only viable location for the project. 2006 - Demolition work begins to transform 360-acre former jail site into a proposed 42,000 seat multi-sports arena and "centre for conflict transformation". It is envisaged that soccer, rugby and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) sports will be played at the new development. 2009 - Sports Minister Gregory Campbell rules out the plan for a multi-sports stadium which had divided political and sporting opinion, opting instead to explore alternatives with the soccer, rugby and GAA authorities. 2010 - NI first and deputy first ministers, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, announce an agreement has been reached on building a peace and conflict resolution facility at the Maze site. It will also host the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society's annual show 2012 - (2 February) European funding of £18m is approved for building the contentious conflict resolution centre, as part of a £300m redevelopment of the former prison estate. 2012 - (24 August) - It is revealed that Daniel Libeskind, one of the world's leading architects, is to join the design team for the planned peace centre. 2013 (18 April) - Planning permission for the peace centre on the site of the former prison is granted. 2013 - (13 June) - The Orange Order calls on unionist politicians to halt the peace centre plan, objecting to its location on the former prison site. 2013 - (15 August) Peter Robinson calls a halt to the peace centre plan. In a letter to DUP members, he said it would be wrong to proceed without a consensus about how it will operate. 2013 - (4 October) A European Union funding programme withdraws its offer of £18m in financial support for the Maze peace centre, after talks with the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister. |
In India, people with disabilities are often invisible in day-to-day life, despite numbering tens of millions. Here, the BBC's Ayeshea Perera meets the makers of Inclov, an app that is seeking to give people with disabilities more opportunities to socialise. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
"How many of you need alcohol to tell the truth?" The assembled crowd at Kitty Su, an upmarket nightclub in the capital Delhi, giggles nervously. But apprehensions soon vanish, and a spirited game of Truth or Dare begins, where nothing seems off the table - from confessions about browser histories to speaking in "animal sounds". Not too long after, the DJ wheels himself to his console and a mix of Bollywood and English pop music begins pumping out. Wheelchairs and crutches notwithstanding, people begin making their way to the dance floor. This is the latest instalment of "social spaces", an initiative by Inclov - standing for inclusive love - a matchmaking app created for people with disabilities, although it also has a number of people without any disabilities on its platform. For many of those assembled at Kitty Su this is their first visit to a nightclub. "Once I was trying to go out with my friends to a pub in Kolkata to celebrate friendship day, but they didn't let me in saying that my wheelchair would make the other guests feel uncomfortable," says Manish Raj, 34, who is by his own estimation at his "seventh or eighth" social spaces event, which he says is a much more comfortable setting. "Many Indians with disabilities have restricted social lives from the time they are kids. It's not that they don't want to go out and do things, it's just that even something as simple as getting a cup of coffee is hard for them," says Shankar Srinivasan, who co-founded Inclov with his college friend Kalyani Khona. India is notoriously disability-unfriendly, in terms of infrastructure, attitudes and policy. Many families who have children with disabilities rarely take them out in public, as it is seen as a source of stigma and shame. This "invisibility" means that they are not automatically considered a part of public life, and people often to struggle to interact with or accommodate them, meaning that many times they end up being shunned instead. The idea for Inclov was born after Shankar and Kalyani decided they wanted to "do something in the matchmaking space" and realised very quickly that no-one was thinking about people with disabilities. They began with an "offline" agency called Wanted Umbrella which evolved into a static site and then a mobile app. "With almost 80 million people with disabilities just in India, we knew the only way to upscale was through tech," Mr Srinivasan says. But with no technical expertise or money, the two of them raised money through a crowdfunding campaign where they were able to raise 615,000 rupees (£6,976; $8,998) to hire an app developer. They then conducted extensive interviews with a number of people with disabilities, trying to understand exactly what it was that they wanted from an app like this. When it launched in January 2016, it began with some 100 verified profiles of people and the community began growing. But soon Mr Srinivasan said they noticed something strange. While people were connecting with each other online and conducting conversations on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, nothing was translating into face-to-face meetings. "We realised too many external factors were at play. Safety is obviously an issue. And there are other considerations like infrastructure, interpreters, stigma and so on." That was when Inclov also decided to create spaces where the people registered on its app could actually interact with each other. They had their first meet-up at a cafe in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, with about five people. Since then they have carried out about 50 other events in cities across India, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur. The last event at Kitty Su had almost 50 people in attendance. "We try to create experiences for people, and also through these events, give them some level of access. So the next time they want to go out, they know that these places are available. They won't always need an Inclov," Mr Srinivasan says. The events all differ. They have taken place in varied venues, including hotels, cafes, beaches and even comedy clubs and karaoke bars. This has, according to the team, also helped convince establishments about the need to think about people with disabilities. The owners of the Kitty Su nightclub - at the Lalit hotel - for instance, have made sure that all their properties across India are wheelchair accessible and have provided their staff with sensitisation training. For the most part, the members of the community say Inclov has made a difference to their lives. Kritika Bali, 27, says that although she has always been a "daredevil", she has made a lot of close friends through the app and looks forwards to the social spaces meetings. But others feel that it could do more. Shrey Marwah, 26, says he feels that while the socialising is "fine", the community could be mobilised into doing more about addressing issues faced by disabled people. He also said he felt that the app did not accommodate disabled people from lower income communities. "Inclov in its current form is quite limited. It should also do more to connect disabled people like us with normal people. When I walk for instance, people look at me like I'm something alien. We need to use this platform to do more for acceptance. Also we should use our collective contacts to do more at a policy level to improve things for disabled people." But Mr Srinivasan says he is quite clear that he does not want Inclov to be a space for activism. "We are more about being problem solvers rather than going against the government. It is finally the mindset of people that matters, and through our events and so on, we open up perspectives and help change mindsets," he says. Disability rights activist Nipun Malhotra says he agrees with this perspective. "This is what is disappointing about India. Why does every disabled person in this country have to be an activist? The problem with any minority in this country is that you end up being an activist because no-one else does it for you. That is what needs to change. And sometimes all we want is just to be able to meet someone for a cup of coffee." |
Babies born prematurely in the 23rd week of pregnancy exist on the very edge of life. A few go on to become "miracle babies", but most die. The figures are stark, only nine out of 100 will survive, and of that number most are disabled. Is it always right to keep them alive? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Adam WishartDocumentary Maker, 23 Week Babies: The Price of Life "I can't really get my head round how they've managed to keep her alive." Lucy's daughter Matilda was born four months early at Birmingham Women's Hospital, weighing one pound one ounce. Within 20 seconds of her birth, her tiny body was placed into a plastic bag to prevent her losing too much heat or moisture. She was carefully transferred into an incubator and hooked up to tubes and gadgets. Cutting-edge technology has been keeping her alive for four weeks. Had Matilda been born one week earlier at 22 weeks - she would usually have been considered a miscarriage. Only one out of a hundred babies born at 23 weeks will live a fully able-bodied life One week later at 24 weeks, her chances of survival would be much higher. Thanks to decades of improving medical science 23 weeks is now considered the "edge of viability". It is one week less than the limit for abortion at 24 weeks. Senior nurse Katherine Rutherford looked after Matilda immediately after birth - and knows what parents like Lucy go through. She gave birth prematurely to her daughter Heather, who weighed three pounds having been born at 26 weeks. In the first few weeks of her life a haemorrhage left Heather permanently quadriplegic. "I try and explain what the problems are and what the outcomes are liable to be," said Katherine. "But being a parent you generally hear what you want to hear. You just see a baby in front of you and you want that child to survive." Heather was born at 26 weeks, which was the very edge of viability in 1990. Now 21, she struggles with her disabilities. "All I can use of my four limbs is my left arm," said Heather. "Without carers to lift me into my wheelchair, I'm not able to get myself anything to eat." Carers arrive at Heather's home every morning and hoist her out of bed using special lifting machinery. "Basically if my mother or the carers don't come, I'm stuck in bed all day," she said. Heather had a happy childhood but has found the transition into adulthood hard, and has suffered from depression. "I had six months of counselling. I was crying every single night. "I just didn't know where to turn. Horrible things were going through my head. "I just wished I could end my life. There is obviously nothing else for me in my life, so what is the point of carrying on?" Resuscitating babies at 23 weeks is not universal. In Holland the policy is to not intervene with babies born at this time, and to allow them to die a dignified death. "That is how nature works there is no way you can help these babies," said Professor Arend Bos from the Dutch Society of Neonatologists. "I think we are doing more harm to treat them and after two or three hours or days or six weeks the infant will die anyway, having had a lot of suffering and pain that doesn't have any purpose to it." So should we be doing the same in the UK? Is saving babies at the edge of "viability", medicine at its most pioneering and brilliant? Or is science pushing the edge of nature too far? Over the last 15 years tremendous progress in medicine has meant the survival rate of babies born in the 24th week or later has almost doubled. But Imogen Morgan, clinical director at the neonatal unit said: "Outcomes for babies at 23 weeks are not changing dramatically and that suggests you are near a biological limit of nature." Anne Aukett, a consultant paediatrician said medicine was keeping alive babies born at 23 weeks for longer, although survival rates have not increased. "Overall survival rates have not improved. We are keeping them alive longer before they die. You spend all that money for weeks and then the baby doesn't survive. It does not seem like a good use of public money." Indeed, we are spending increasingly more on neonatal intensive care, but those who survive it, like Heather, are left to fend for themselves when they reach 18. With few prospects, Heather feels abandoned by the very society that was so keen for her to live. "If you are willing to support someone at the beginning of life you should be willing to support them to the end," Anne Aukett said. Matilda survived open heart surgery and was allowed home after five months in hospital. "She's gone from one pound one to seven pounds in five months - she's come a long way," said her mother Lucy. Lucy said she was aware it would be a while before she knew if being born so prematurely would have any lasting consequences for Matilda. "Fingers crossed we won't have to spend very much more time in hospital, but we are prepared for coming back. Hopefully she'll be OK." In the six months I spent at Birmingham Women's Hospital making this documentary for BBC Two, Matilda was the only 23-week baby to survive. My feeling is that resuscitation should be the exception rather than the rule. Only those babies with a decent chance of survival should be resuscitated. And that the real priority for the NHS - especially in these straitened times - should be in finding ways of preventing Britain from having one of the worst premature birth rates in Europe. Whatever we decide, there is no question in my mind that we must start providing lifelong care to any baby which is kept alive but then has to live with disabilities, like Heather. 23 Week Babies: The Price of Life is on BBC Two, 9 March 2100 GMT. |
When Carly Clarke was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, she set out to photograph how she changed during what could have been the last days of her life. Seven years on, by cruel coincidence, she is at her brother's side, photographing him going through the same ordeal. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Oliver JarvisBBC Stories "I have my own hair on my hands, on my clothes and down in the bath below me. As I wash, then brush, more continues to fall out. "In the mirror I can see my appearance change, strand-by-strand." Carly Clarke is reliving her experience as a cancer patient, showing me one of the many self-portraits she took during six painful months of treatment. Eventually, she would ask her dad to shave the last hairs from her head. She was just 26. "I used to have a lot of hair. Now I look like a cancer patient," she notes. Six months before these photographs were taken, Carly had been living out a dream in Canada - shooting a final-year university photography project in Vancouver's poverty-stricken downtown eastside. She had been sick for months, with a violent cough, appetite loss and pain in her chest and back. Doctors had diagnosed her with illnesses ranging from pneumonia to asthma and warned her she could suffer a collapsed lung on the flight. But she had ignored them. "I wasn't going to let this illness - whatever it was - get in the way of living my life," she says. "In Vancouver, I could empathise with those with illnesses and addiction. My concern for my own life made me compassionate during the shoot." Many of those she spoke to on the near-freezing streets had become hooked after taking strong opiates in hospital, as they were treated for serious conditions, such as cancer. Three months later, Carly would need morphine herself to alleviate the pain in her chest and back, so she could sleep. Persuaded by Canadian doctors to go home for specialist attention, she was finally diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma - a rare and quite aggressive form of cancer - in March 2012. A tumour the size of a grapefruit had already grown in her right lung and chest wall. "I burst into tears at Guy's Hospital in London," she says. "I didn't know if I would survive the chemotherapy treatment, being diagnosed at such a late stage. I was terrified." It was hard for her family to take. "My parents felt like their stomachs fell out. There hadn't been a lot of cancer in the family," she says. "My boyfriend was also devastated and he flew out from California to England to be with me." Back at home in Eastbourne, Carly scrawled hospital appointments and medication timetables on to a calendar that not long before had been packed with coursework deadlines and photoshoots. "My life slowed down to concentrating on getting through each moment, drug to drug, endless examinations, giant needles, biopsies drilling deep into bone, tubes down my throat, and hoping for some day, the pain to end," she says. Pain from her chest was now radiating down her arm, fluid on her lungs made breathing difficult, and she could not shake an "awful, non-stop cough". "A plastic line through my arm fed sickening but healing medicine into my heart, trying to kill the cancer but taking my strength with it," she says. "My skeleton became more visible by the day, a reminder of each precious pound lost. Out of nowhere my life was on the line." Her view of the world - and herself - was changing. So she decided to photograph it. "I thought that having a creative outlet would allow me to step out of some of that reality for a moment or two and think about my current trauma from another perspective," Carly says. Reality Trauma was to be a series of self-portraits documenting her changing appearance, her life in and out of hospital, and her resilience. During day visits, or short stays, the hospital gave her the freedom to use a tripod and cable release as often as she could. Doctors and nurses sometimes pushed the shutter for her. "I thought about how others might view these images further down the line and whether or not I would even be around to tell my story," she says. Carly wanted her work to inspire others to "have the courage to stare cancer in the face" and not let it take over their identity entirely. Image-by-image, Carly noticed her skin was becoming paler and tighter around her bones, giving her an "unfamiliar, almost alien" appearance. She lost around 12kg (26lb) in the space of two months and needed regular blood transfusions to make up for circulatory problems that were starving her body of oxygen and turning her blue. "People were afraid to look at me. Especially, I think, parents with children also going through cancer - because they saw me and probably feared the worst for their own," she says. "Seeing myself that way made me feel uneasy and frightened." Soon afterwards, she found herself attending hospital so frequently she was admitted full-time. At her lowest, constantly nauseous or asleep, she would reject all food from the hospital trolley. She was unable to study and, some days, too tired to photograph herself or phone her boyfriend. By now she was also coughing so hard she would bring up blood. And sometimes she would wake after a night of cold sweats, itching and drenched as if she had showered in her hospital bed. But then one day, after about three months of chemotherapy, the coughing stopped. Her other symptoms also began to ease. The treatment was working, she thought. Biopsies confirmed it: the cancer was losing. Her perception of life changed again. "Helplessness turned into hopefulness - and then euphoria. When you come so close to death, suddenly you want to live your life to the fullest." The hospital ward went from being a place of pain to home. Staff became friends, and some patients even closer. Now Carly would venture outside her room. The fish tank in the communal area of the ward attracted patients of all ages. An elderly couple, being treated for different types of terminal leukaemia, would often undergo chemotherapy on the same day as Carly. One day, the husband said his wife had been told she would not make it to Christmas. "I remember hugging her and wishing her well - that couple would never leave my mind." As Carly began to feel better, she also started to connect more with the world outside. Her boyfriend and friends would take her for lunch, sometimes driving to Beachy Head - where white cliffs meet the sea - and Carly would talk about the future while watching boats move slowly across the horizon. From course mates and tutors, she began to realise that her photographs were affecting other people. Not only were they capturing the physical and emotional effects of cancer treatment but demonstrating that it didn't always have to be scary - it could be positive, Carly says. "Looking back at the images I had taken, it made me feel stronger because in those photos I was faced with an end-of-life situation but a part of me still believed I could get through it." Carly began showing her work to other cancer patients and took portraits of some of them in the ward. It became a way of starting a conversation or putting a smile on their faces. "If it's true that a simple smile, small gesture of help or kind word can change how a person feels and brighten their day, and have a positive effect on every cell in one's body, then a positive photographic story can help change someone's life," says Carly. "It can be the defining factor in someone's mental strength and affect their willpower enough to keep them going through the suffering in hope that it will soon end and that, in my opinion, is what helps to keep you alive against all odds." As Carly's treatment came to an end, in September 2012, she could look back through each phase of her journey, in 15 rolls of film and 150 photographs, and say she survived cancer. It was a moment for celebration, but returning to the family home - to "piece her life back together" - was not easy. When she took back her boxes of unused medicine, she felt sad she was no longer in hospital. "The hospital staff and some of the patients felt like family to me because we had built a very close relationship over many months." A few months later, Carly flew to California and stayed with her boyfriend for most of the following year. She returned home several times, and visited the hospital ward for the first of her twice-yearly check-ups. Every time she went back, she looked around for old faces: nurses who had treated her, patients she had shared moments with. On one occasion, a few years after finishing treatment, she arrived early for a consultation and sat alongside a woman in the waiting area. "We casually glanced at each other and suddenly tears came to my eyes." It was the woman whose husband had told Carly she would not live to see Christmas back in 2012. "I couldn't believe it was her," Carly recalls. "Moments like this are beautiful." Carly quickly rediscovered her hunger to document the lives of people around the world. In 2014, she spent four months in India. Her work on that trip would garner honourable mentions in the International Photo Awards in 2018. That same year her "Last Day of Chemotherapy" photograph from Reality Trauma was shortlisted in the Portrait of Britain Awards. She got work assisting photographer Michael Wharley, producing promotional images for Summerland, a forthcoming film starring Gemma Arterton. As her inbox filled with awards invitations and her calendar with shoot schedules, she began drawing up a project concept with her local hospice, St Wilfred's, to take portraits of cancer patients in their last stages of life. She wanted to document how terminal illnesses affect people's psychological state, and the ways patients spend their remaining moments, trying new hobbies or saying last goodbyes. But that plan was halted abruptly in September last year by a phone call from her older brother, Lee. He told her their younger brother, Joe, had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma - the very same cancer Carly had beaten six years earlier. "We both shed tears on the phone," says Carly. Joe was just 16 and starting college. His cancer was less advanced than Carly's had been but - just like his sister - he had also been ill for months before being diagnosed. Doctors had initially put his severe itching down to "dry skin", or imagination. "He wasn't prepared for his diagnosis. None us of were," says Carly. Hodgkin lymphoma The NHS says Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in a network of vessels and glands called the lymphatic system. It can quickly spread throughout the body but is also one of the most easily treated types of cancer. Joe tried to live as normally as he could, spending time with his girlfriend, learning to drive and making career plans. But as he spent more and more time travelling to hospital and back, his grades took a hit and he began to lose touch with some of his friends. Wanting to spend more time with him, earlier this year Carly asked if she could photograph his cancer journey. He agreed. Sixteen years older than Joe, Carly had left home when he was still young. But, as his only sister, she had always felt a responsibility towards him, teaching him how to draw and paint when he was a toddler. Later, when Carly moved to London for university, they saw each other only occasionally. With each visit, she noticed him stand a little taller, his voice slightly deepen. But now she stood behind the camera in his hospital ward, she captured a rapid change with every photograph. The hair he'd dyed blonde and then coloured flamboyantly, knowing it would fall out, came out in chunks until he shaved it off, as Carly had done, to stop it getting all over his clothes and bedroom floor. He began covering his head in the photos, and talked about wearing a wig. The steroids he took in preparation for the next stage of chemotherapy aged him, and had another dramatic effect. "Joe put on weight to the point where he was unrecognisable. The pictures also showed his stretch marks from the severe weight gain," Carly says. More and more, Joe reached out to Carly for support and advice. As a young boy he'd seen her go through cancer; he knew what the illness had done to his sister, but he also saw her defeat it. "Even when he had doubts and misgivings, the fact that I recovered meant I could provide him with the hope and positivity to continue his treatment," she says. Because Joe's cancer was less advanced, she thought his treatment would be quicker and her photographic series shorter. The collection would represent the journey of a young man overcoming cancer. But Joe's first round of chemotherapy was unsuccessful. "The news shook everybody up a lot. Our relationship changed, it became a little more unstable," Carly says. Having suffered a relapse, Joe would have to endure four more months of chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplants. His hair, which had begun to grow back, fell out again. Joe said he no longer wanted to be photographed - a decision Carly says she understood and respected - but with time came greater determination and fresh positivity. A month or so later, he changed his mind again. "The image I liked most was him turning away in a contemplative manner. There, he knew what was to come, and his eyes glared into the distance," Carly says. "It showed how he had changed and how he had adapted to this role of being a young cancer patient." Against his consultant's advice Joe stopped stem-cell treatment. He feared the side-effects - the breathing trouble, skin problems, jaundice and diarrhoea that can occur if donor cells attack the host - would blight his life. And shortly after taking that decision, in May, his scans came back clear. It meant that he was put into remission and able to join his family on holiday in Menorca, and then at Lee's wedding. He will have regular appointments over the next few months to monitor his condition, but he has lost the weight he gained and his hair is finally growing back again. Carly says her images offer stark evidence of how reality changed for the family during a time in which both her and Joe's "body, mind and soul were tested to the ultimate ends". "These photographs I have captured, of both Joe and I, evoke some painful memories for me; however, they also remind me of the huge capacity of the human body to endure through such hellish times. "This collection of images may give only a glimpse into those times but my hope is that an audience can see not just the horrifying aspects, but also the promise that being a survivor of cancer gives and the tremendous hope for others facing a similar condition." Photographs: Carly Clarke |
Weeks of heavy rain have brought flooding to Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated, residents have been left without power and there has been widespread travel disruption. BBC News looks at how events unfolded. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
And so it begins (23 December) Power cuts, road closures and flooding are beginning to cause problems across Berkshire and Oxfordshire after heavy rain and gale-force winds. About 60 residents at sheltered accommodation in Bicester in Oxfordshire are moved out overnight due to flooding. The night before Christmas (24 December) The bad weather means hundreds of homes across Oxfordshire lose electricity supplies on Christmas Eve. Scottish and Southern Energy say a total of 1,400 homes are without power. High winds bring down dozens of trees, blocking a number of roads. In Berkshire, some 3,700 homes are without power in Reading and Newbury after high winds bring down lines. Newbury Station closes because of flooding and flood warnings are issued for the Loddon, Kennet and Enborne rivers. Abbey Street in Reading closes after a panel on The Blade, Reading's tallest building, comes loose. Building repairs (2 January) Workmen start repairs to The Blade in Reading after a panel on its roof was damaged. The damage to the office block caused Abbey Street to be closed due to fears of falling debris. Dramatic rescue (7 February) Heavy rain results in roads being closed around Oxfordshire. Near Faringdon, children from King Alfred Academy, Wantage, are rescued from a bus trapped in flood waters. Elsewhere in the county, more than 20 properties in Chalgrove, Grove, and Thames are flooded. Residents in the Berkshire village of Waltham St Lawrence, near Maidenhead, call for a tanker to pump away water from overflowing sewers. Nicola Goodman, who lives in The Street, describes the water as "bubbling like a jacuzzi". Military might (8 February) Soldiers help to lay down sandbags outside the Pingewood substation a few miles from their barracks in Reading in an attempt to halt the relentless progress of flood water. More soldiers fill up bags from a supply of sand at Chieveley. Sandbag saviours (9 February) As the bad weather continues, so does the military might. The reservists continue to help laying sandbags in a bid to hold back flood waters threatening the Pingewood electricity substation. About 50 soldiers from the 7th Battalion The Rifles join firefighters to build a dam with hundreds of sandbags. The substation supplies power for about 40,000 homes and businesses in Berkshire. It comes as a number of severe flood warnings are issued along the Thames between Old Windsor and Datchet. Parts of Caversham are also flooded by rising waters. Meanwhile 20 residents from a flooded caravan park next to the River Thames in Oxfordshire, are rescued for the second time in five weeks. Moving out (10 February) There is no sign of the weather easing up, with 14 severe flood warnings issued along the River Thames in Berkshire and Surrey by the Environment Agency. The village of Datchet, in the shadow of Windsor Castle, is hit by flooding, and some residents are evacuated from their homes by emergency services. Rising waters at the village's railway station disrupt rail travel while the main road through Datchet becomes impassable. Elsewhere in the county, councillor Colin Rayner speaks to the BBC about the flood situation in Wraysbury, Berkshire, and says "we need help here". Call for action (11 February) With the flooding showing no sings of easing, residents in Wraysbury, Berkshire, say not enough has been done to help those affected. Later that day, the army arrives to help. During a visit to the village, Labour leader Ed Miliband says more money needs to be spent on flood defences. Meanwhile, the prime minister, David Cameron, says money will be no object as flood relief efforts continue in Berkshire. Volunteers, including the RSPCA, are working to help those affected by the floods. Despite hundreds of people being evacuated from their homes along the River Thames, some residents refuse to leave. Elsewhere, water flowing out of the swollen Thames floods the railway on the Windsor line into London, where it passes through Datchet in Berkshire. While flooding at Maidenhead causes problems on the railway line between London Paddington and Reading. First Great Western advises passengers not to travel. Transport links in Oxfordshire are faring no better, with one of Oxford's main routes remaining closed because of flooding for the second time in a month. Elsewhere, an Oxfordshire farmer tells the BBC he has lost tens of thousands of pounds because 400 acres (160 hectares) of his land have been under water since mid-December. Another day, same story (12 February) Fourteen severe flood warnings are put in place by the Environment Agency in Berkshire and Surrey, while two remain in Somerset. More than 1,000 homes have been evacuated in Berkshire. Of those that did stay, hundreds of residents spend hours without power, whilst many roads remain closed and train services disrupted as the flooding continues. Residents in Wraysbury demand the military be called in, and it comes as a huge relief when about 100 troops help flood victims. In Oxfordshire, flood barriers are raised and roads remain closed as the flooding continues. Letters are also been sent to some residents in west Oxford, including in Earl Street and Botley Road, warning of potential flooding to their homes. Flood sightseeing (13 February) Tens of thousands of homes across the UK start the day without power, and there is renewed travel disruption after hurricane-force winds batter the UK on Wednesday. Wraysbury resident, Ham Sandhu tells the BBC what it is like living with contaminated flood water, which runs thigh deep through his house. Microbiologist Lance Weaver tests the water and tells Mr Sandhu that the flood water is full of faecal matter. "It's worrying," Mr Sandhu says. Meanwhile, motorists in Berkshire are urged not to go "flood sightseeing" by police. Drivers trying to see deluged communities are causing extra damage by creating waves of water which then hit flood-affected properties, the force said. It is not all doom and gloom in Datchet thought. A couple are spotted paddling in a gondola through the flooded central square in the village. A moment of light relief. The clean-up begins (15 February) Over the next two days, the waters recede in Datchet and the village green returns to a more familiar condition. Rail services between Windsor and London Waterloo resume at the village's station. Residents and businesses begin planning for the clean-up, but businesswoman Julie West remained cautious. "The water may return, so not everything can return to normal immediately," she said. "It's a case of looking out for each other and helping who we can as the community comes together." |
A million people in the UK are expected to be living with dementia by 2025. While there is no cure, there's growing evidence that music can help ameliorate symptoms such as depression and agitation, writes Kelly Oakes - and also bring these people and their families some much-needed moments of joy. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
When he was just 30 years old, Daniel received a diagnosis nobody was expecting. The former drummer and engineer had to give up work after developing problems with his speech, memory, and motor skills. The culprit was a rare form of Alzheimer's disease, a condition most common in over-65s, but which can affect much younger people too. See also: "Certain things happen every day, me forgetting what I've done, and also what I have to do," Daniel says. "It gets a bit overwhelming. Generally it's quite hard to be in social environments." It was only when Daniel was diagnosed that he realised his father, who died at the age of 36, must have had the same condition. The news came just after the first birthdays of his own children, twins Lola and Jasper. There's a 50:50 chance, doctors say, that the faulty gene Daniel inherited will have been passed on to them too. Now 31, Daniel's big hope is to live long enough to see his twins start school. Find out more Watch part two of Our Dementia Choir, with Vicky McClure, on BBC One at 20:00 on Thursday 9 May Or catch up with part one online (UK viewers only) "For someone of Dan's age, their lifespan is about four years from diagnosis. It's pretty scary to hear that, you just feel hopeless," says his partner Jordan. "It's hard to watch somebody so young, fit and healthy have all these symptoms." Daniel has joined a choir of people with dementia, put together by actress Vicky McClure in memory of her grandmother who lived with the condition and died in 2015. While caring for her nonna, McClure noticed that music, in particular singing together, brought a smile to her face. "When we sang we were all on the same page," she says. The 18-strong choir is made up of people living in and around Nottingham, where McClure grew up, all of whom are living with dementia in one form or another. Dementia is an umbrella term, covering any progressive change in someone's thinking abilities. It can manifest in different ways, affecting memory, language, emotion, and behaviour, depending on what is causing it and which parts of the brain are damaged. Types of dementia Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60% of people with dementia mostly affecting people over 65, though 5% of people with Alzheimer's are younger Vascular dementia, which occurs when blood vessels in the brain are damaged, reducing blood flow to brain cells, affects 20% of people with dementia Dementia with Lewy bodies affects 10-15% of people with dementia - Lewy bodies are small round clumps of protein that build up inside nerve cells Frontotemporal dementia, which primarily affects people aged between 45 and 64, accounts for fewer than 5% of dementia cases - symptoms may include changes in personality, memory loss, confusion and difficulty with day-to-day tasks Source: Alzheimer's Research For most people dementia progresses slowly, meaning they live with it for many years. There is no cure, though doctors can try to prevent further damage and slow the progress of the disease in patients with some types of dementia, vascular dementia for example. In other cases, treatments focus on alleviating symptoms and helping patients to live well with the illness. That's where music comes in. There is growing evidence that music can play a part in helping people with dementia live happy and fulfilled lives after they are diagnosed. To help investigate this idea, Vicky McClure's choir took part in a study run by Sebastian Crutch, a professor of neuropsychology at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London, into how music and visual arts affect people with dementia. Crutch's work looks not only at what people say they feel during and after these activities like singing or viewing an exhibition, but also how their bodies react. The choir's singers wore a wristband that measured heart rate, temperature, movement, and "electrodermal activity" - sweat levels on the skin. The results showed that movement and heart rate decreased during the choir rehearsals. People living with dementia can often feel agitated and restless, so these scores probably indicate that they're feeling calmer as they sing. That was also the message from the survey asking the singers how they felt - which showed a positive effect on their wellbeing. The two results backed each other up, Crutch notes. "I think for us that's quite an important signal, because usually people had looked at these things in isolation," he says. Previous studies tend to have relied only on self-reported effects, or on external measures, but not both. Most of the evidence concerning music and dementia relates to courses of music therapy. A research review published in 2018, looking at music therapy trials in nursing homes or hospitals, found that the sessions improved symptoms of depression and behavioural problems in people with dementia, but said more research was needed to determine the duration and other effects. Other reviews have found evidence that music therapy can help decrease agitation, and that music therapy is effective for reducing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. And music does seem to have more benefits than activities such as painting, going for a walk, or visiting friends, says Crutch. The right song can instantly transport you back in time, eliciting strong emotions even if you haven't heard it for years. This ability music has to reach right inside of our brains and pull out old memories we thought were long gone applies to people with dementia too, not only to those without without it. Rae, a former music teacher, gave up playing piano after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. But during the first choir rehearsal it all comes flooding back as she sits down to play for the first time in 10 years. "I didn't think I'd remember how to play," she says. A little later she finds herself accompanying members of the choir singing Ben E King's Stand By Me. "I was saying, 'I hope my fingers know what they are doing, because I don't.' And they did, they did know what to do, and I am thinking, 'Ya-hay!'" Similarly, relatives of someone with Alzheimer's can be surprised to discover that they can remember every word to a song they knew when they were 17, says Crutch, despite struggling to remember what they did yesterday. This is because dementia causes particular problems with short-term memory - making someone forget if they've eaten breakfast or showered, for example - while long-term memories may remain intact, at least in the early stages of the illness. Part of your long-term memory, called procedural memory, stores information on how to do everyday things, like brushing your teeth, or, in the case of a former musician like Daniel or Rae, how to play your instrument. When damage to the brain makes accessing those memories harder, music seems to be able to flip a switch to bring at least some of them back. "It's a sort of emotional and physiological physical memory, that music is very powerfully able to trigger," says Helen Odell-Miller, professor of music therapy at Anglia Ruskin University. "It can trigger the [memory of] rhythmic patterns, for example, that the person knows." On top of this, listening to music involves several different parts of our brain, including those involved in language and emotion. So even if one part related to music is damaged, other parts may still work just fine. "Music taps into our emotion circuits, which are actually often damaged much, much later in diseases like Alzheimer's than the circuits that support memory for day-to-day activities," says Crutch. Scientists don't yet fully understand how music helps people with dementia. Daniel is taking part in a five-year study at Anglia Ruskin University, in Cambridge, looking into what actually happens in someone's brain during a session with a music therapist. Jörg Fachner, professor of music, health and the brain at the university, says music can be especially important as it provides a communication channel that doesn't rely on speech or language skills, which may be impaired by dementia. But there's also something special going on inside Daniel's brain as he plays in time with the therapist. Both participant and therapist wear caps that measure their brain activity as they sing together and play instruments. At certain moments as people play music together, their brains appear to synchronise, showing the same patterns of brainwaves. "How in particular that works, when you're doing music therapy with a patient, this is something that we are still trying to find out," Fachner says. And Daniel illustrates the effect mentioned by Helen Odell-Miller - as the session progresses, his ability to play in time improves. In the past few years plenty of music-based initiatives have sprung up for people with dementia. The Alzheimer's Society runs Singing for the Brain groups, which involve getting together with others to do vocal warm ups and sing familiar songs, while charity Playlist for Life advocates for prescribing personal playlists. A national campaign called Music for Dementia 2020 hopes to make some form of music available for everyone with dementia by the year 2020. But while these activities are now common, it's clear more research is needed to understand how to help people get the most out of it. Helen Odell-Miller is investigating the impact of carer-led musical activities that people with dementia and their loved ones can do at home. She's just started work on a study involving hundreds of couples from five different countries - the UK, Australia, Poland, Germany, and Norway - where one person has dementia and is still living at home. Each couple will spend half an hour each day making music, supported by music therapists. "It will be about embedding this in daily life," she says. The musical intervention will be compared to reading or listening to stories, and Odell-Miller will look not just at how it affects the well-being of the person with dementia, but also how it affects their carer. Music could be especially potent for those with severe dementia, because the present moment may be all they have, she points out. "To that person, the now is the most important moment, because they don't have the capacity to remember what happened the minute before." One thing music cannot do for people with dementia is to reverse damage done to the brain, or change someone's prognosis. "I would definitely say that singing in a choir is not going to extend someone's life," says Sebastian Crutch. "We wouldn't expect it to have any impact on the rates at which the proteins which characterise these different diseases are forming in the brain, or slow down the killing of brain cells." Where to get help Alzheimer's Society Age UK Carers UK But while the long-term benefits of music are still uncertain, it's clear that music can provide shared, in-the-moment experiences that both people with dementia and their loved ones benefit from. One enthusiastic member of Vicky McClure's choir, 67-year-old former woodwork teacher Chris, first realised something wasn't quite right when he got lost on the way to work. "I took a left turn at a village where I'd never turned left before, and found myself in the middle of this countryside I didn't recognise," he says. He has frontotemporal dementia, which makes him uninhibited and unpredictable. Sometimes he says inappropriate things. "He's still here in body but he's not the person I married," says his wife, Jane. "I just find the whole thing so, so sad. There'll be moments which we treasure dearly, where we have flickers of the old Chris." One treasured moment came while he was practising at home between choir rehearsals. He began crying at the emotion of the song he was singing, and then so did Jane. "That was really strange, us both standing just there, both in tears," Chris says. "It was sad because we were both sad - but we were sad for the same reason… we were both able to say we're going to miss each other," Jane adds. As Chris's frontotemporal dementia affects his emotions, moments of connection like this hold importance for both of them. Through participating in a shared creative experience, family members or professional carers can come to see people with dementia in a different light, says Crutch. "In that sense, I think, there can be some really pretty long-term social benefits to participating." You may also be interested in: Peter lost his ability to speak after a stroke at the age of 73. But four years later he woke up one morning and suddenly he could speak again. Soon afterwards he discovered that he'd had another stroke. Could the second stroke have returned his speech? Read: 'One stroke took my speech away - I think another brought it back' |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is about to attend his second summit with US President Donald Trump. But as the North inches its way out of near-total isolation and tentatively engages with the world, the question of what to do about high-profile North Korean diplomatic defectors becomes that much thornier. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Laura BickerBBC News, Seoul It can't be easy. Deciding to defect from North Korea can put your life and those you love in danger. For Pyongyang's diplomats, who have enjoyed a life of prestige and power, the danger in defecting is that much more real. These men and women are the Juche ideology foreign front line. Their main role is to raise capital for the regime, but although they are the elite in their home country, they are unlikely to receive such a privileged position anywhere else. Ambassadors and their staff are told to promote Pyongyang's point of view around the world, and will often seek out pro-North Korean groups in their respective countries. They also monitor local news, screening TV networks and newspapers for any mention of the Kim family. The latest development comes from Italy, where the government has expressed concern about the fate of the school-age daughter of Jo Song-gil, the North Korean ambassador to Italy who fled his home in Rome last year. Another high-profile diplomatic defector, Thae Yong-ho, had told reporters he understood she was forcefully repatriated back to Pyongyang. The ultimate traitors It's almost impossible to verify such claims but it does set out just how high the stakes are, particularly for defectors who come from an elite so privileged they are trusted enough to represent the country abroad. The higher your prestige, the higher the risk in leaving. Such a move is unlikely to be forgiven by the Kim regime - some elite defectors say they discovered that their families back in North Korea were punished, sent to prison or, in some cases, they believe members of their families were shot. They are global ambassadors for the Kim family, the figures who hold up the interests of the dynasty, in the face of an often hostile world. So it stands to reason - by Pyongyang logic - that dissent while working as a diplomat cannot be tolerated or even be seen to be tolerated. North Korea views diplomatic defectors as the ultimate traitors - because the humiliation is that much starker for the Kims. And yet it happens. Han Jin Myung was a second secretary in Vietnam and told NK News that he defected after failing to share with ministry officials the money he made from selling some items. He said diplomats were not paid well, and he received around $400 (£348) a month. His seniors reported him to Pyongyang and he felt he was in danger. He said he was certain he would be severely punished and quickly made the decision to leave. 'South Korea must embrace North Koreans' Diplomats who spend time abroad have been allowed to see how other countries live and work. They have gained a taste of another life; their children may have spent time at international schools. This glimpse of freedom may give them a taste for more. Despite the latest claims about the fate of his daughter, information is still scarce about the 48-year-old Jo Song-gil and his family. They were last seen in late November and are thought to be seeking asylum in a third country - some believe he's on his way to the United States. The details of this case remain murky and we may yet find out more about what has really happened. But these high-profile defectors also raise something of a dilemma for South Korea, particularly at a time it is forging a cautious camaraderie with the North. Here in South Korea, such defectors have historically been given protection and for good reason. Yi Han-yong, a nephew of Kim Jong-un's half-brother, was shot dead outside his home in a suburb of Seoul in 1997 after publishing a book about the Kim regime. His attackers were never caught. The former deputy ambassador to London, Thae Yong-ho, who defected in 2016, told reporters that he felt the South Korean government should be more proactive - but he no longer believed Mr Jo should seek shelter in the South. "South Korea needs to show that it is willing to embrace North Koreans," he said in a press conference. "But the current situation doesn't seem to do that. Neither the South Korean government nor its citizens express their intention to rescue Jo and his family after their defection, and I'm saddened by the current situation." "We need to tell North Korean citizens that the Republic of Korea is their motherland. And Korea would welcome any North Korean citizens who would want to come to this country." But the warmth of the welcome in the South is not guaranteed. Conservative governments have often used defectors to tarnish the North's image and highlight its human rights abuses. But in contrast, the liberal President Moon Jae-in is pursuing a policy of engaging with the North and his administration may be wondering what line to take. The South has long held the ideal that all Koreans are entitled to political and economic freedom. But the North often accuses Seoul of orchestrating these defections to undermine and embarrass them. This is not the kind of argument Mr Moon's government wants to have right now. Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry does not hide its outrage and disgust at those who speak out, such as Thae Yong-ho. Although not specifically naming him, they described him as "human scum" and were critical of the South Korean government for allowing him to speak at the National Assembly. We asked Seoul's Ministry of Unification and the Foreign Ministry about concerns that North Koreans were not being embraced. The Ministry of Unification spokesperson was very careful about the wording of the statement and said its position was that it "will accept all North Korean defectors who wish to come to the South of their own free will". Seoul does provide material assistance to North Korean refugees. There are now nearly 32,000 who have made the perilous journey to South Korea. They are aided in their new lives, offered a place to live and and education. But the Ministry of Unification seems to be concerned about how defectors' actions are perceived in the North. Last year, just days after the first meeting between President Moon and Kim Jong-un, one politically active defector was preparing to launch balloons into the North with brochures and flash drives. He has done this for 15 years. But he said he received a call asking him not to. When the group decided to go ahead with the balloon launch, they were surrounded by police. Kim Myong Song, a North Korean defector who is a journalist for one of South Korea's biggest daily newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo, was barred from covering an event at the truce village of Panmunjom. It has been his job since 2013 to cover North-South affairs, but the Unification Ministry said it had to take "necessary steps" because of the "special circumstance" of this meeting. "It hurts me," he told the BBC. "Defectors are South Korean citizens. We left an oppressive dictatorship and came to South Korea, placing all our trust on the democratic South Korean government. However, this government decided to exclude a defector journalist even when the North Korean government did not make a request. "It makes me feel vulnerable and fear that South Korean government may disown us if it is necessary and they will not come to protect us." Potential mine of information And yet there are benefits to welcoming North Korean defectors, particularly those that come with links to the rulers of the country. Kim Jeong-bong, the former chief director of Seoul's Institute for National Security and Strategy, told us that right now, Jo Song-gil would be a mine of information. "We can learn from Jo about the explanation North Korea has given for its recent diplomatic strategy and what kind of orders it has given to elite diplomats in regards to the last three South-North summits, and the US-North summit," he said. "It is possible that Kim Jong-un told his diplomats that he is trying to work with South Korea to gain economic support, or he may have said that he will never give up nuclear weapons even if he is are engaging with US. "Especially with Jo. His father and father-in-law were both high level diplomats. His father-in-law was a foreign ministry ceremonial secretary, which means he was sitting next to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il when they were meeting international leaders. It is possible if Jo comes to South Korea, we can fit the pieces of the puzzle together and fill in the gaps of 70 years of North Korean diplomatic history." Mr Kim believes Mr Jo has gone to the United States and we are unlikely to hear more about his case for some time while Washington and Seoul are in talks with Pyongyang. "It is very possible that US won't make any statement about it. When Chang Sung Gil, the Egypt ambassador, and his brother Chang Sung Ho, at the North Korean trade mission in France, went to the US, it kept its silence. "It is highly likely Jo's case becomes like that." With a second summit between the North and the US just days away, many will consider that a prudent approach. |
Tunisians vote on 26 October in a parliamentary election, which they hope will see the end of a nearly-four year transition period which followed the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
The "cradle of the Arab Spring" will this time see officials of the former government taking part in the election, prompting interim President Moncef Marzouki to call it a contest between "supporters of the revolution and supporters of the counter-revolution". How does the electoral system work? The system is based on proportional representation, with each of the country's regions having a fixed number of seats based on population. Lists of candidates are drawn up by parties, coalitions and independents and endorsed by the overseeing body, the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE). Some five million Tunisians have registered to vote. Candidates must be aged 23 or over and have held Tunisian nationality for at least 10 years. Are women's rights being respected? According to ISIE, 49% of newly-registered voters are women. And the 26 January 2014 constitution introduced - for the first time in the Arab world - parity between men and women in elections. The law stipulates that women should comprise 50% of all electoral lists and there must be an equal number of lists headed by women and men. Tunisian women take a 'step backwards' Who is likely to win? Tunisia's election process means that no party is likely to win a majority of seats in the renamed National Assembly. However, political observers agree - in the absence of opinion polls, which are banned during the campaign - that the favourites are the Islamist Ennahda Movement and their secular opponents, the liberal Nidaa Tounes (Tunisia's Call). A number of other parties are in contention, including the centre-ground secular Congress for the Republic (CPR) and secular Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberty (FDTL or Ettakatol) and those led by former officials of Ben Ali's regime. Most candidates claim to have the economy at the heart of their campaign, realising that poverty and unemployment were the main factors that triggered the 14 January revolution in 2011. Which are the main parties, groups? Ennahda won 89 of 217 seats in 2011 and led a coalition government with CPR and FDTL. It lost power in January following street protests but hopes to make a comeback. It has said it is willing to form a coalition with any other party. Nidaa Tounes wants to rally nationalist and liberal supporters to weaken the position of Ennahda. It was founded by Beji Caid Essebsi, a former transitional prime minister, and enjoys the support of the Tunisian General Labour Union and some business groups. Nidaa says it will not contemplate any coalition with Ennahda until that groups "clarifies" its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East and North Africa. Congress for the Republic (CPR) is led by interim President Marzouki and won 29 seats in 2011. Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties was founded in 1994 by National Constituent Assembly Speaker Mustapha Ben Djaafar. It won 20 seats in 2011. Popular Front is a coalition of five left-wing and Baathist parties led by Hamma Hammami. It played an important role in mobilising street protests to bring down two Ennahda-led governments. The Front parties, however, do not seem to have significant electoral support. Will armed Islamists disrupt election? The al-Qaeda-affiliated Okba Ibn Nafaa battalion, active on Tunisia's border with Algeria, has threatened to disrupt the election. Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou has said his ministry has plans in hand to deal with the "terrorist" threat, which he described as "serious". Tunisia is to mobilize 50,000 security officers and nearly 20,000 soldiers to secure the election. How did the campaigning go? Tunisians have shown only "lukewarm interest", according to al-Jazeera TV on 20 October. Tunisian academic Abdellatif Hanachi told al-Jazeera that this is partly because of the difficult economic and social conditions in the country. He added that voter apathy was due to a "sense of frustration" among a broad section of people at the failure to fulfil revolutionary promises. However, he concluded that this could all change on polling day, as it did in 2011. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. |
In his speech on the planned economic recovery, the prime minister said hydrogen technology is an area where the UK leads the world. He hopes it’ll create clean jobs in the future. But is the hydrogen revolution hope or hype? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Roger HarrabinBBC environment analyst The digger with the long-toothed bucket bites into a pile of stones, tilts up and flexes its sturdy mechanical arm. It swivels, extends the arm and dumps its load on the harsh ground of a Staffordshire quarry. It’s a beast of a machine and from the front it looks like a normal excavator. But from the back you can see its tank full of dirty diesel has been replaced with a hydrogen fuel cell. The excavator is the latest in a generation of vehicles powered by the lightest element on Earth. The compendium of vehicles powered by hydrogen now stretches from diggers to micro-taxis, trucks, boats, vans, single-deck and now double-decker buses – and even small planes. It works by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell to generate electricity. The only direct emission is water. Talking about a revolution So at last, the long-awaited hydrogen revolution is here. Or is it? Back in the early 2000s, backers of hydrogen thought it would dominate the clean automobile market. But the promised “hydrogen highway” never materialised, for a couple of crucial reasons. Firstly, hydrogen power needed a new infrastructure, whereas rival battery cars could be charged off the near-ubiquitous electricity grid. Secondly, high-powered batteries at that time were already well-advanced for other uses such as computers, but hydrogen was not. So hydrogen lost the head-on battle for the motor car. But now it’s back in the frame for the sort of transport, industry and heating tasks that batteries are struggling to fulfil. Take our large mechanical digger, a prototype from JCB. It has a little battery-powered cousin – small enough to squeeze through a doorway and work in a building. But JCB say the big digger would need a battery weighing five tonnes, and take hours to refuel. Hydrogen on the other hand, is lighter than air and takes minutes to fill a tank. Lorries fall into the same category as diggers – sometimes the battery would be as heavy as the payload. Double deckers The same applies to buses, and the Bamford family, which owns JCB, says it has orders for 80 double-deck buses from its Wrightbus factory at Ballymena in Northern Ireland. That still leaves the issue of charging infrastructure – but that can be solved by providing hydrogen pumps on motorways for long-distance truckers. The same network could fuel hybrid battery and hydrogen cars of the future and dispense with the need for ever-heavier batteries in plug-in cars. Buses could use hydrogen stored at depots in Kevlar-lined tanks for safety. Past fears of hydrogen tanks exploding have been addressed by the advent of tanks lined with Kevlar and hydrogen release mechanisms in case the tank is struck. Taking off Airports could also store hydrogen, and the first test flight of an electric plane in the UK at Cranfield University recently was powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. There is – forgive the pun – a head of steam building over hydrogen. Germany is racing ahead with a network of filling stations and a hydrogen train. It’s investing €7bn in a bid to dominate the hydrogen market. The EU Commission wants a slice of the action, too. The website Euractiv reported that it plans to publish a hydrogen strategy soon. A leaked draft floated the idea of making the Euro the currency for international hydrogen trades, as the US Dollar is for oil. The UK government also intends to announce a hydrogen strategy before the Parliament closes for the summer, as part of its economic recovery package. It’s being spurred on by rebukes that the UK lost the battle for battery technology to China – so it mustn't let the hydrogen bandwagon escape. The government is advised by its Committee on Climate Change to start large-scale trials in the early 2020s. Indeed, within weeks from now, Britain’s first hydrogen train – developed by Birmingham University - will be tested on regular tracks. So it looks as though hydrogen has finally made it. But not so fast… because it’s by no means trouble-free. Currently almost all the hydrogen sold in the UK is produced by splitting it from natural gas. But that’s costly and emits lots of planet-heating carbon dioxide. The problem can be tackled by capturing the CO2 at a hydrogen production hub, then burying it with carbon capture and storage. But that will drive the cost up further. The alternative is inherently clean – but very expensive. It entails using surplus renewable electricity, like when the wind blows at night, to split hydrogen from water using a fuel cell. Fool cells? The process is wasteful because it involves turning electricity into a gas, then back into electricity – a two-step shuffle dismissed by Tesla car chief Elon Musk as “staggeringly dumb”. “Fool cells”, he calls them. But hydrogen-lovers believe the future electricity grid will produce so much cheap off-peak power that we’ll need to find other uses for it. And they hope to see the cost of fuel cells plummet following the example of offshore wind. Certainly, recent events have favoured the advance of hydrogen. When the UK had a target of 80% carbon cuts by 2050, that left leeway for polluting forms of fuel to take up the remaining 20% of the carbon “budget”. Now it’s widely accepted that homes with low-carbon heating systems such as heat exchangers will need a boost in a cold snap from another source – and that’s looking increasingly like hydrogen. Trials are already underway using hydrogen blended into natural gas at Keele University. And, depending on how much support it gets from the government - it looks as though a technology that lost its key battle against battery cars two decades ago will still find a place in the zero-carbon economy of tomorrow. Follow Roger on Twitter. |
There is growing awareness about the importance of the "sunshine vitamin" - vitamin D - for health. But Professor Mitch Blair, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, says more action is needed - potentially including fortifying more foods and even cutting the cost of the vitamin to make it more easily available, | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Professor Mitch BlairRoyal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that contributes to healthy, strong bones and helps to control the amount of calcium in the blood. Unlike many other vitamins, getting your recommended daily amount of vitamin D is not that easy. The main source is sunlight; but with short days, long nights and limited sunlight even during the summer, it's not easy to get your fix that way. Vitamin D can be found in some foods such as oily fish, eggs and mushrooms - but only 10% of a person's recommended daily amount is found naturally in food. Put bluntly, eating more fish and getting out in the sun a bit more won't make much of a difference to your vitamin D levels. Unfortunately, there is limited national research on the true extent of vitamin D deficiency in the UK population. But we do know that there has been a four-fold increase in admissions to hospital with rickets in the last 15 years and that some groups are more 'at risk' than others - namely children, pregnant women and certain ethnic minority groups. Broken bones Pilot studies and regional monitoring suggests that vitamin D deficiency is likely to affect at least half the UK's white population, up to 90% of the multi-ethnic population and a quarter of all children living in Britain. A recent study in Australia revealed that a third of under-25s are vitamin D deficient - perhaps surprising in a country blessed with plenty of sunshine. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a range of debilitating diseases in children and adults - including diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis and rickets, a bone disease associated with poor children in Victorian England. Lack of vitamin D is often cited as a contributory factor in broken bones and fractures, with obvious implications for some child protection cases. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends supplements for pregnant or breastfeeding women and their children from six months to four years. The Chief Medical Officer recommends supplements for children up to the age of five and the government's Healthy Start programme provides vitamins free for people on income support. 'Out of the shadows' But we believe more needs to be done. Firstly, Vitamin D supplementation should be widely available at low-cost. In some countries, supplements are free for all. Whilst the Healthy Start programme of free supplements for low income families is a positive step, evidence suggest the vitamins are in short supply and uptake is low - with many eligible people unaware that they are available or of the need to take them. Secondly, we need to look at fortifying more foods with vitamin D. Currently, many brands of cereal and orange juice contain added vitamin D which helps boost daily intake. In the USA most milk is supplemented with vitamin D, which has helped reduce deficiency, particularly in children. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently looking into this. We also need to make sure healthcare professionals - including GPs, paediatricians, doctors and nurses - know the signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, but more importantly give appropriate advice to patients who are 'at risk' to prevent problems developing. And it's important that the public are aware of the implications of vitamin D deficiency, where they can get supplements and how they can boost their intake. In addition, we need more research into the links between vitamin D deficiency and bone disease - and there must be better surveillance to monitor the prevalence and incidence of vitamin D deficiency across the population. Only by knowing the true extent of the problem can we develop the most appropriate preventions - and ensure that vitamin D is brought out of the shadows and into the sun. |
Farmers are on the boil again in India. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent In western Maharashtra state, they have been on strike for a week in some seven districts now, spilling milk on the streets, shutting down markets, protesting on the roads and attacking vegetable trucks. In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, curfew has been imposed after five farmers were killed in clashes with police on Tuesday. Last month, farmers in southern Telangana and Andhra Pradesh staged protests and burnt their red chilli crop. The farmers are demanding waivers on farm loans and higher prices for their crops. For decades now, farming in India has been blighted by drought, small plot sizes, a depleting water table, declining productivity and lack of modernisation. Half of its people work in farms, but farming contributes only 15% to India's GDP. Put simply, farms employ a lot of people but produce too little. Crop failures trigger farm suicides with alarming frequency. The present unrest is, however, rooted in a problem of plenty. In Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the farmers are on the streets because a bumper harvest fuelled by a robust monsoon has led to a crop glut. Prices of onions, grapes, soya-bean, fenugreek and red chilli, for example, have nosedived. In most places, the governments have been less than swift in paying the farmer more for the crops - the government sets prices for farming in India and procures crops from farmers to incentivise production and ensure income support. So why has a bumper crop led to a crisis in farming? Some believe that the price crash is the result of India's controversial withdrawal of high value banknotes - popularly called demonetisation - late last year. The ban, surprisingly, did not hurt planting as farmers "begged and borrowed" from their kin and social networks to pay for fertilisers, pesticides and labour, Harish Damodaran, rural affairs and agriculture editor at The Indian Express newspaper told me. So more land was actually cropped, and bountiful rains led to a bumper crop. But traders, Mr Damodaran believes, possibly did not have enough cash to pick up the surplus crop. "Although the chronic cash shortage has passed, there is still a liquidity problem. I have been talking to traders who say there's not enough cash, which remains the main medium of credit in villages. I suspect the price crash has been caused by a lack of cash." 'Exaggerated fears' A prominent trader in Lasangaon, Asia's biggest onion market in Maharashtra, a state which accounts for a third of India's annual production, told me that concerns over shortage of cash leading to crop price crashes were "exaggerated". "There has been a good crop for sure, but a lot of traders have picked up crop, paying cash, issuing cheques and using net banking. Some of the glut and wastage has been due to the ongoing strike, when trucks of vegetables have been attacked on the highways," Manoj Kumar Jain said. Still others believe the main reason for the ongoing crises actually rooted in India's chronic failure of coping with surplus harvests because of lack of adequate food storage and processing capacity. "If the rains are good, you end up with a glut of crops and prices crash. The glut only highlights the inefficiencies of the farming value chain and hits farmers," Ashok Gulati, an agriculture specialist at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, told me. Take onions, for example. The vegetable is 85% water and loses weight quickly. In Lasangaon, traders buy the crop from farmers and store the onions on concrete in tarpaulin-covered sheds. If the weather stays right, 3-5% of the stored crop is wasted in storage. But if the mercury soars, more onions dry up, lose weight and 25-30% of the stored crop could be wasted. In a modern cold storage, however, onions can be stored in wooden boxes at 4C. Crop wastage is less than 5%. Storage costs about a rupee (less than a US cent) for every kilogram of onion a month. So the government needs to make sure - or even subsidise - to keep the vegetable affordable to consumers once it reaches the retail market. "We need to make the supply storage chain so efficient that the customer, farmer and the storage owner are happy. Unfortunately India hasn't been able to make that happen," Dr Gulati said. Poor storage For one, India just doesn't have enough cold storages. There are some 7,000 of them, mostly stocking potatoes in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Resultantly, fruits and vegetables perish very quickly. Unless India hoards food effectively, a bumper crop can easily spell doom for farmers. Secondly, there's not enough processing of food happening to ensure that crops don't perish or go waste. Take onions, again. One way to dampen volatility in onion prices is to dehydrate the bulb and make these processed onions more widely available. Currently, less than 5% of India's fruit and vegetables is processed. Thirdly, farmers in India plant for new harvest looking back at crop prices in the previous year. If the crop prices were healthy, they sow more of the same, hoping for still better prices. If the rains are good, a crop glut can happen easily, and lead to extraordinary fall in prices. Farmers hold on to the crops for a while, and then begin distress sales. "You need to allow future prices through contract farming, not cropping based on last year's prices," says Dr Gulati. Radical measures Clearly, farming policies in India need a radical overhaul. Punjab, India's "granary", is a perfect example. At a time when India does not suffer food shortages, water-guzzling wheat and rice comprise 80% of its cropped area and deplete groundwater. Rising production of cereals has meant that government has been giving paltry rises to the farmers while buying paddy and wheat, eroding their profitability. "They [the policies] are distorting the choices that farmers make - those who should be finding ways to grow vegetables, which grow more expensive every year, are instead growing wheat we no longer need," says Mihir Sharma, author of Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy. But the best that the governments here do is to quickly raise crop buying prices and alleviate the farmers' suffering. Faced with a crop glut at home, the newly appointed BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was smart enough to promptly raise the procurement price of potatoes - and announce a controversial farm loan waiver - and quell a simmering farmers' revolt . The government in Madhya Pradesh, ruled by the same party, failed to act in time. Now it says it will pay more to buy off the surplus onions. The more things change, the more they remain the same. |
More than 60,000 Americans were sterilised, many against their will, as part of a eugenics movement that finished in 1979, aimed at keeping the poor and mentally ill from having children. Now, decades on, one state is considering compensation. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Daniel NasawBBC News, Washington In 1968, Elaine Riddick was raped by a neighbour who threatened to kill her if she told what happened. She was 13, the daughter of violent and abusive parents in the desperately poor country town of Winfall, in the US state of North Carolina. While she was in hospital giving birth, the state violated her a second time, she says. A social worker who had deemed her "feeble-minded" petitioned the state Eugenics Board to have her sterilised. Officials coerced her illiterate grandmother into signing an "x" on an authorisation form. After performing a Caesarean section, doctors sterilised her "just like cutting a hog", she says. "They killed my kids," Ms Riddick says. "They killed mine before they got to me. They stopped it." Nearly four decades after the last person was sterilised under North Carolina's eugenics programme, a state task force is seeking the 2,900 victims of sterilisation officials estimate are still alive. The group hopes to gather their stories and ultimately to recommend the state award them restitution. But with public coffers under severe pressure amid a flagging recovery, it is not clear the legislature will agree. "I know I can't make it right but at least I can address it," said North Carolina state legislator Larry Womble. He hopes "to let the world know what a horrendous thing the government has perpetrated on these young boys and girls". America's sterilisation movement was part of a broad effort to cleanse the country's population of characteristics and social groups deemed unwanted, an effort that included anti-race mixing and strict immigration quotas aimed at Eastern Europeans, Jews and Italians. Beginning with Indiana in 1907, 32 states eventually passed laws allowing authorities to order the sterilisation of people deemed unfit to breed. The last programme ended in 1979. The victims were criminals and juvenile delinquents, women deemed sexual deviants, homosexual men, poor people on welfare, people who were mentally ill or suffered from epilepsy. African Americans and Hispanic Americans were disproportionately targeted in some states. 'Coerced' "In general it was the dispossessed of society," said Paul Lombardo, a historian and legal scholar at Georgia State University and editor of A Century of Eugenics in America. The laws were plainly coercive, scholars say, though some incorporated a veneer of consent - illiterate farmhands given forms to sign, institutional inmates told they would not be released with their bodies intact, poor parents told they would be denied public assistance if they did not approve the removal of a wayward daughter's fallopian tubes. Motivating the laws, Prof Lombardo said, was indignation at the thought that people who had violated sexual mores would subsequently end up needing public assistance. "We have in this country have always been extremely sensitive to notions of public stories of inappropriate sexuality," he said. "We exercise that most dramatically when it comes to times in which we think we're spending individual tax money to support people who violate those social norms. It's our puritanical background, running up against our sense of individualism." Supreme Court approval The racial context was inescapable as well. "The fewer black babies we have the better, that's what some people said," Prof Lombardo said. "'They're just going to end up on welfare.'" Also implicated in American sterilisation laws was the classical eugenic notion that as with horses, authorities could use genetic principles to improve society through selective breeding. In a 1927 US Supreme Court decision that upheld the laws, storied jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote: "It is better for all the world if, instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind." All told, scholars estimate more than 60,000 Americans were sterilised under eugenics laws in the 20th Century. North Carolina's law stood out for the wide net it cast. Telling their stories Most states would only order sterilisation of institutional inmates or patients, North Carolina's allowed for people within the community - typically social workers - to petition the state to have someone sterilised. Of the 1,110 men and 6,418 women sterilised in North Carolina between 1929 and 1974, state health officials estimate about 2,900 could still be alive. In recent years several states have re-examined their forgotten legacies - prodded in some cases by newspaper investigations - and extended official apologies. North Carolina did so in 2003, but Mr Womble has continued to push for monetary compensation to the victims. This month, a state task force created by his legislation will hold a public session at which surviving victims are expected to tell their stories. The group will eventually make a recommendation for compensation to the governor - $20,000 per person has been suggested. But the state is facing a $2.5bn (£1.5bn) budget shortfall. The conservative Republicans in control of the state legislature are already poised to slash transport, healthcare and education funds, so it seems unlikely lawmakers will authorise as much as $58m in reparations. "My hope is that the state will recognise that there's never going to be a good time for compensation," says Charmaine Cooper, executive director of the Justice for Sterilization Victims Task Force, the state body. Among those expected to testify is Ms Riddick, who now lives in Atlanta. She describes the prospect of a $20,000 payment as an insult. "I am very angry," she says. "God said be fruitful and multiply. They did not only sin against me, they sinned against God." |
On 4 October, the FBI handed over its report on sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The findings are not for public eyes - but here's what we do know about it. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Senators are taking turns reading the single copy of the report - which exists only on paper to prevent any leaks - in a secure room in the Capitol. The full Senate vote on whether Judge Kavanaugh gets a seat on America's top court was delayed while the FBI worked, and is now expected on Saturday. Who did the FBI interview? White House spokesman Raj Shah told CNN the FBI contacted 10 people and "comprehensively interviewed" nine of them. Official sources told US media the review focused on the alleged incidents involving Prof Ford and second accuser Deborah Ramirez. Here's who the FBI has interviewed, according to statements from their lawyers: Republican Senator Bob Corker said the report is 46 pages long, with nine pages focusing on Mark Judge. But Democrats have criticised the narrow scope and time limitation of the FBI's inquiry - especially as neither the judge nor Prof Ford spoke with the FBI. Senator Dianne Feinstein said what she saw of the report, it appeared to be "the product of an incomplete investigation". And who didn't they speak to? Federal agents reportedly did not look into the judge's drinking habits or the claims of his third accuser, Julie Swetnick. A number of Judge Kavanaugh's former classmates have come forward since the hearings, willing to speak with the FBI about his behaviour, but it appears they have not been interviewed. Here are the people who have submitted statements or otherwise tried to contact the FBI: In addition, Ms Ramirez's lawyers say they provided a list of 20 individuals with relevant information who have not been contacted by the FBI. Prof Ford's lawyers also shared a list of people who they said could support her claims. Judge Kavanaugh and Prof Ford were not interviewed. Has the FBI has reached a definitive conclusion? Not exactly. As many have pointed out, the FBI files a report but does not reach any conclusion regarding the credibility or significance of allegations. "They report any corroborating information that they obtain, or any contradicting information," former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told CNN, but added that "they do not make conclusions" in their reports. Former FBI Assistant Director Steve Pomerantz told Fox News: "Hopefully they provide enough information within their reports that allow a reasonable person to reach a conclusion based on the work that they've done." Because it is not a criminal inquiry, witnesses were not compelled to co-operate with the investigation, but lying to an FBI agent does carry the threat of federal charges. Hasn't the FBI checked out Kavanaugh already? Yes. The FBI has completed a traditional background check - provided to any federal appointee - on Judge Kavanaugh, who is currently a District of Columbia appeals court judge. In his confirmation hearing, the judicial nominee himself said he had been through "six separate FBI background investigations over 26 years". This was the seventh. But typical FBI background checks never look back as far as 36 years ago, when Prof Ford says the assault took place. Why did Trump order this FBI investigation? Mr Trump gave the order at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after Arizona Republican Jeff Flake made such an inquiry his condition for backing the judge. The president's party has only a razor-thin 51-49 Senate majority. That means that if all Democrats vote against confirming Judge Kavanaugh, he can only afford for one Republican to join them - since in a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence would get the casting vote. One last thing... Why did this take under a week? The timing matters because Republicans are keen to get their Supreme Court nominee - who would serve for life - confirmed before the US mid-term elections on 6 November. And Democrats would profit from seeing that process delayed - or blocked altogether. The FBI's 1991 investigation into then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas over sexual harassment allegations was open and shut in three days. He was subsequently confirmed by the Senate. |
It's been a long, emotional summer in Rio. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Wyre DaviesRio de Janeiro correspondent The confident, booming country that was awarded the right to host the Games back in 2009 is very different to the troubled, economically challenged Brazil that we see today. For weeks Brazil and the host city of Rio de Janeiro have been engaged in an epic struggle to convince the world that it was the right choice to hold a first ever Games in South America in a country that, arguably, had more important priorities. At times the so-called "marvellous city" has absolutely felt up to the challenge. New sporting venues have, by and large, staged great events and many of the things we thought might be problematic issues before the first opening ceremony on 5 August - like the Zika virus and security for visitors - the organisers took in their stride. At other times, Rio has fallen short. Behind the scenes, Olympic officials talk about too much having been made ready at the last minute, a feeling of "crisis management" and of broken promises. If the constant stench of untreated sewage in the lagoon that surrounds the Olympic Park wasn't enough to embarrass city and state officials over their hollow environmental pledges, then perhaps nothing can. Rio de Janeiro's controversial and sometimes outspoken mayor is Eduardo Paes. In many ways he is the political "face" of Rio 2016 and he certainly feels vindicated when challenged about the rights and wrongs of putting on these mega-events in what is a still developing, socially unequal country. "It's arrogant to say these events don't belong in the developing world," Mr Paes said when we met this week at a new transport interchange in Rio - one of the many Olympic legacies the mayor insists would not have happened, had it not been for the impetus of holding the Games. "We showed in Brazil that these Games have been for everyone with lots of legacies for the city," he said. "We still have a lot of problems here but people's lives are much better because of the Games so let's not be prejudiced about where we hold these events in future." Aspiring Paralympian The Paralympic Games, which finished this weekend, certainly felt more inclusive than their Olympic counterpart. The prospect of swathes of empty venues forced organisers to slash Paralympic ticket prices, allowing thousands of Brazilians who'd been priced out of the Olympics to witness and be inspired by some top quality international sport. If the Olympic and Paralympic Games are all about inspiration and encouragement, then in Davi Texeira they could have a future champion. The 11 year old, from Rio, is sports mad. He is already an accomplished surfer. We met him at a city centre skate park, where he's working on his dream to become a future Paralympian. "Sport is my life because without sport I'm not Davi. I wouldn't be who I am today," he said, brimming with confidence. Davi was born without fully developed limbs but he's not been discouraged, despite the haphazard nature of facilities for children like him in Brazil. "Davi doesn't see any barriers - he does what he wants and has overcome a lot in his life already," said his mother Denise. "He loves the Olympics and knows it's a unique moment in his life." But, she added, "as a mother it's a constant struggle to get improvements. Transport facilities here are pretty bad and getting around isn't easy, but things have improved in the run up to the Games". Davi lives in a country where 40% of disabled children don't go to school, where there's a huge gap in equality of opportunity depending on race or social background. That has to change, say campaigners, if Brazil is to build on Rio 2016. The cost of staging the Games has left the city and state of Rio virtually broke. Providing 80,000 extra security personnel, for example, doesn't come cheap. And while the tourists may leave happy, what happens in the rest of this notoriously violent city when budgets for policing programmes in Rio's favelas are cut? In the past few weeks, Brazilians have found new Olympic and Paralympic heroes - Rafaela Silva, Daniel Diaz and Thiago Braz. But, facing a difficult economic climate, there are tough funding decisions to come which could make or break the sporting ambitions of youngsters, like Davi Texeira, who've been inspired by what they've been part of this summer in their own city. |
People across Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire have been warned of heavy snow, with possible blizzards on higher ground. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
A Met Office amber warning has been issued for Friday evening. More than 10cm (4in) could fall on higher ground in the north, with between 5-10cm (2-4in) in other areas. A yellow warning of heavy rain has been issued for Sunday, which the Met Office said combined with snow melt could lead to localised flooding. BBC weather forecaster Paul Hudson, said: "There is going to be quite a lot of snow coming from the west and it is expected to reach the east coast by the early evening." |
After its first travel ban was indefinitely bogged down by court challenges, the Trump administration has returned with a more detailed, narrowly focused order. That doesn't mean it won't meet the same fate, however. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Anthony ZurcherNorth America reporter@awzurcheron Twitter The action, which suspends new visas to nationals from six majority Muslim nations for 90 days and halts the processing of new refugees for 120 days, is still a marked change of US policy. It will also, undoubtedly, be challenged quickly in US courts. The pressing question is whether those challenges will result in the order being suspended during legal proceedings, or if it will be allowed to take effect while lawyers file their briefs and slog it out in oral arguments. Unlike the first order, the new effort was clearly written with the input of government lawyers and not just policy operatives like White House advisers Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller. The order addresses many of the previous ban's legal vulnerabilities and takes into account the court rulings that scuttled the previous incarnation. Multiple agencies were consulted in its drafting, and the rollout has been much more deliberate. The announcement was delayed twice, for instance, after Mr Trump first indicated that it was coming within days of his 16 February press conference. The Seattle-based federal judge who granted an initial suspension of the original 27 January travel ban said he acted with urgency because the presidential memorandum violated the rights to due process of US citizens and legal immigrants by casting doubt on the validity of green cards issued to permanent US residents and existing travel visas. This was also the reason the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals upheld that injunction. Those concerns have largely been remedied in this latest order, as the language makes clear that all existing immigration documents will be honoured. Unlike the original action, the new directive also delays implementation of the travel restrictions for 10 days, which will give border and customs agents, US diplomats and other government officials time to fully educate the public on the nature of the changes. Both the Seattle court and the Ninth Circuit had cited the confusion surrounding the original action as a reason for putting it on hold. The new order will still have an adverse impact on foreign students and workers from the six nations in question (Iraq has been removed from the list), as they may not be able to re-enter the US if they were to go home to visit family or friends. The situation for them, however, isn't nearly as dire as under the earlier order. There is also explicit permission given to government officials to grant visas to prohibited nationals on a "case-by-case" basis. That leaves a First Amendment freedom of religion challenge as the most likely avenue for legal efforts to derail implementation of the new immigration order. On 14 February a federal judge suspended the original effort in Virginia because she said it was probably motivated by "religious prejudice" and not "rational national security concerns". She cited Candidate Trump's December 2015 call for a blanket prohibition on the entry of all Muslims into the US, as well as comments by Trump advisers before and after the election, as evidence supporting this conclusion. "The 'Muslim Ban' was a centrepiece of the president's campaign for months, and the press release calling for it was still available on his website as of the day this Memorandum Opinion is being entered," she wrote. While the Ninth Circuit did not base its decision upholding the nationwide injunction on religious freedom grounds, the judges were clear that Mr Trump's past statements about Muslims could be taken into account in future legal proceedings. "The States' claims raise serious allegations and present significant constitutional questions," the judges held, referring to the portion of the challenge to the order on religious grounds brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota. Critics of the new order are already honing in on what they see as the religious aspect of the order - targeting six nations that are all majority Muslim - as its primary legal shortcoming. The Trump administration, writes Omar Jadwat of the ACLU's Immigration Rights Project, has replaced the original "Muslim ban" with "a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws". "The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban is to not have a Muslim ban," he continues. "Instead, President Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination, and he can expect continued disapproval from both the courts and the people." The Trump administration also has made some efforts to defend the new order against this challenge. Gone is the provision that would have given Christian minorities priority over Muslims when the 120-day suspension of the refugee program was lifted. Syria is no longer singled out for an indefinite refuge ban, as well. When lawsuits are eventually filed, expect the parties to introduce plenty of evidence of Mr Trump's past support for anti-Muslim action, including his vociferous defence of the original immigration order. (This could explain why the president has taken a much lower profile in unveiling this new effort, signing the memorandum in a private ceremony and relying on Cabinet officials to explain the details). Although the White House is showing restraint with this latest move, and the text of the new order says the previous attempt has been fully rescinded, the Trump team continues to defend the appropriateness and legality of the original action - a move that could complicate their legal defence going forward. "Fundamentally, you're still going to have the same basic policy outcome for the country," White House's Miller said recently in a preview of the new order. It would be "responsive to a lot of very technical issues that were brought up by the court", he continued, while asserting that the original order was not "flawed". That particular comment prompted a quick reply from the ACLU, which had challenged the original order. "So then we will have the same basic response," it tweeted. That's not quite Donald Trump's "we'll see you in court" bravado following the adverse decision by the Ninth Circuit in February - but the end result is the same. Judges are going to have the final say. |
"Painting is for lazy people," Ajarb Bernard Ategwa's father would tell him as a child. Daydreaming and doodling in his school books would often get him scolded as a boy. But the Cameroonian artist, now 30, tells the BBC he got the last laugh. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Ategwa says his vivid paintings of life in Cameroon's biggest city, Douala, sell for up to £20,000 ($26,000). He jokes that family members educated to a higher level than him "now respect me a lot... because I am the most successful". "It's the only thing I know how to do. So painting is my life," Ategwa told the BBC. "At times when I'm angry, painting calms me down." He never formally trained as an artist, and says he has used the same bold approach to colour since the age of seven. Although his works feel like immediate portraits of bustling city life, Ategwa told BBC Focus on Africa that they're filtered to an extent by memory and imagination. "All of them are inside my head, because they're things that I see every day going to my workshop." "I do a sketch first before I start painting," Ategwa says of his technique. Many are imposing in size - one of his recent works is more than 2 metres tall and 4 metres wide. Walking around Douala, "you see many things like markets, shops, hairdressing salons," Ategwa says. There are lots of sounds too, including "influences from Congolese music and Ivory Coast. You hear that everywhere." An exhibition of Ajarb Bernard Ategwa's work at London's Jack Bell Gallery has just ended, while new works will be presented at New York's Armory Show in March. "I've not been to school, but I am a successful man today. My paintings are shown all over the world," Ategwa says. "Not everything is just about education, education, education. If you have a child and they love drawing, please allow them to do their drawing. "Allow [young people] to follow their passion." All images courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery |
Two Jewish girls from north-eastern France found themselves in great danger when Germany invaded 80 years ago. But while their parents and younger sister were caught and murdered, they survived - with dozens of other Jewish children - thanks to the bravery of a nun in a convent near Toulouse. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Niamh HughesBBC News Twelve-year-old Hélène Bach was playing in the garden with her younger sister, Ida, when they saw a military truck approaching and rushed inside. The two girls and their mother had left their home in Lorraine, north-eastern France, after the German invasion in May 1940 and started travelling towards the "free zone" in the south of the country. To reduce the risk of the whole family being caught, it had been decided that the father, Aron, and oldest daughter, Annie, would make the journey separately. But when Aron and Annie were arrested in 1941 and taken to a detention camp near Tours, Hélène's mother rented a house nearby. And they were still there a year later, when the German soldiers came driving up the road. Hélène and eight-year-old Ida ran into the kitchen to warn their mother. "My mother told us to run - to hide in the woods," Hélène says. "I was holding my little sister by the hand but she did not want to come with me. She wanted to go back to my mother. I could hear the Germans. I let her hand go and she ran back." Isolated in the woods, Hélène hid until she felt the coast was clear. Then she crept back to the house and found some money her mother had left on the table. "She knew I would come back," she says. Hélène went to stay with a friend she'd made in the area. She never saw her mother or younger sister again. Hélène's older sister, Annie, had her own narrow escape. After a year at the camp near Tours, she succeeded in escaping through some fencing and running away. Aged 16, Annie succeeded this time in making the journey alone to her aunt's home in the southern city of Toulouse, but even there she wasn't safe. While her aunt's family were not officially registered as Jews and could pretend to be Catholics, this wasn't an option open to Annie. One day in the autumn of 1942, the police rang at the door "They ordered, 'Show your family book and all your children, we want to check!'" she says. "The luck of my life is that my cousin, Ida, had gone to buy bread - that's why sometimes I believe in miracles. So my aunt said this is Estelle, Henri, Hélène and, pointing at me, Ida." Find out more Not long after Annie's arrival in Toulouse, her aunt received a letter from Hélène, from her hiding place near Tours. She then made arrangements for her to be rescued. So one night a young woman from the French Resistance, the Maquis, knocked at the door of the house where Hélène was staying. "She said that she came to find me, to cross the demarcation line," Hélène remembers. To show that she could be trusted, the visitor pulled out a photograph of Hélène that her aunt had provided. It was a difficult journey. The young woman had false papers in which she and Hélène were described as students, even though Hélène was so young. They were stopped and questioned several times. The "free zone" in the south of France did not live up to its name. The government of Marshal Philippe Pétain, based in Vichy, passed anti-Jewish laws, allowed Jews rounded up in Baden and Alsace Lorraine to be interned on its territory, and seized Jewish assets. On 23 August 1942 the archbishop of Toulouse, Jules-Geraud Saliège, wrote a letter to his clergymen, asking them to recite a letter to their congregations. "In our diocese, moving scenes have occurred," it went. "Children, women, men, fathers and mothers are treated like a lowly herd. Members of a single family are separated from each other and carted away to an unknown destination. The Jews are men, the Jewesses are women. They are part of the human race; they are our brothers like so many others. A Christian cannot forget this." He protested to the Vichy authorities about their Jewish policy, while most of the French Catholic hierarchy remained silent. Out of 100 French bishops, he was one of only six who spoke out against the Nazi regime. Saliège's message struck a chord with Sister Denise Bergon, the young mother superior of the Convent of Notre Dame de Massip in Capdenac, 150km (93 miles) north-east of Toulouse. "This call deeply moved us, and such emotion grabbed our hearts. A favourable response to this letter was a testament to the strength of our religion, above all parties, all races," she wrote after the war in 1946. "It was also an act of patriotism, as by defending the oppressed we were defying the persecutors." The convent ran a boarding school and Sister Denise knew it would be possible to hide Jewish children among her Catholic pupils. But she worried about endangering her fellow nuns, and about the dishonesty that this would entail. Her own bishop supported Pétain so she wrote to Archbishop Saliège for advice. She records his response in her journal: "Let's lie, let's lie, my daughter, as long as we are saving human lives." By the winter of 1942, Sister Denise Bergon was collecting Jewish children who had been hiding in the wooded valleys and gorges of the region around Capdenac, known as L'Aveyron. As round-ups of Jews intensified - carried out by German troops and, from 1943, by a fascist militia, the Milice - the number of Jewish children taking refuge in the convent would eventually swell to 83. Among them were Annie Beck, whose aunt realised she would be safer there than in Toulouse, shortly followed by Hélène, taken directly to the convent by her guide from the Resistance. Hélène finally felt safe, though was overwhelmed with emotion on her arrival. "At the beginning, Madame Bergon took me into a room and she tried to make me feel as if my parents were here, and so she was like a mother really," she says. At the same time, the fate of her younger sister, Ida, weighed heavily on her. "Every evening, we had to first do our homework. And then when we finished we could go out and play. I always thought if my sister had not let go of my hand, she would have been in the convent with me," she says. Another Jewish refugee from Alsace Lorraine was a boy called Albert Seifer, who was a few years younger than the sisters. "Surrounded by big walls, we were like in a fortress," he says. "We were very happy." We did not really feel the war despite the fact that we were surrounded by danger." Parents and guardians would send their children with money, jewellery or other valuables in order to pay for the children's upkeep, before they did their best to escape from France. Sister Denise kept careful records. "From the beginning of 1944, the round-ups of Jews were becoming tighter and numerous," she recalled in 1946. "Requests come from all sides and we received around 15 little girls, some of whom have just escaped in a miraculous way from the pursuit of the Gestapo." She added: "They had simply become our children, and we had committed ourselves to suffer everything so as to return them safely to their families." Other than Sister Denise, only the school's director, Marguerite Rocques, its chaplain and two other sisters knew the truth about the children's origins. The other 11 nuns were aware that a number of the children were refugees from Alsace-Lorraine, but did not know they were Jewish - and nor did the officials whom Sister Denise pressed for more and more ration books. The children's lack of familiarity with Catholic rituals threatened to expose them, but an explanation was found. "We came from the east of France, a place with many industrial cities and a lot of workers who were communists," says Annie. "So we posed as communist children who knew nothing of religion!" The longer the war continued, the more dangerous the children's position became and Sister Denise began to worry about possible searches. "Even though all compromising papers and the jewellery from the children's families had already been hidden in the most secret corners of the house, we did not feel safe," she wrote in her 1946 journal. "So, late at night, when everyone was asleep in the house, we dug a hole for the hidden things in the convent's garden and we buried as deep as possible anything that could be compromising." In May 1944 a battle-hardened elite SS Division known as Das Reich arrived in the area from the Eastern front. About this time, Annie remembers that a member of the Resistance arrived with an alarming warning. "One day the doorbell rang. Since the sister in charge of the door was a bit far, I opened it myself," she says. "A young man was standing there. He said: 'Quick! I must speak to your director! It is very, very urgent!' "The man told us that we had been denounced. News had spread that the convent was hiding Jewish children." Sister Denise hatched a plan with the Resistance, who agreed to fire warning shots if the enemy was approaching. "The children would go to sleep, the older ones paired up with the younger ones and, at the first detonation heard in the night, in silence but in haste, they must get to the woods and leave the house to the invaders," she wrote in 1946. But soon she decided to hide the children without waiting for the invaders to arrive. One group, including Annie, was taken to the chapel. "The chaplain was strong and could lift the benches. He opened a trap door. We slid down in there," she says. The tiny underground space was 2.5m long and less than 1.5m high. Seven children huddled together there for five days. They could not stand up or lie down to sleep during the long nights, and were only allowed out for short periods in the early hours of the morning, to exercise, eat, drink and go to the toilet. Air came through a small vent that opened on to the courtyard. "After five days there it was no longer possible to endure," Annie says. "Imagine if the nuns had been arrested," she adds. Those days hidden underground marked Annie for life - she has slept with a night-light ever since. Hélène was fortunate enough to be housed instead with a local family. Though they didn't enter the convent, the SS did leave a trail of destruction right on the convent's doorstep. "We found some maquisards [members of the Maquis] who had been killed and tossed on the road. The Germans set an example so that others did not resist," Annie says. Sister Denise wanted to pay her respects to the dead and asked Annie to help her place flowers on each of the dead bodies. In June 1944, Das Reich was ordered north to join the effort to repel the Allied landings in Normandy. On the way it took part in two massacres designed to punish locals for Maquis activity in the area. Then, on arrival in Normandy, it was encircled by the US 2nd Armoured Division and crushed, losing 5,000 men and more than 200 tanks and other combat vehicles. After southern France was liberated, in August 1944, the Jewish children slowly left the convent. Albert Seifer was reunited with his family, including his father, who returned alive from Auschwitz. Annie and Hélène weren't so fortunate. Although their aunt survived, their parents and younger sister, Ida, were murdered in Auschwitz. Annie settled in Toulouse, married, had children and recently became a great-grandmother. She still regularly meets Albert, now 90. Hélène married and had a son, settling in Richmond, west London. Aged 94 and 90, the sisters travel between London and Toulouse to see each other as often as they can. They refer to Sister Denise as "notre dame de la guerre" - our lady of the war. They were sad to say goodbye to her, and regularly visited her for the rest of her life. When Annie's children were young she often took them with her, in order to keep this period of history alive for them - a constant reminder of what the Jewish people endured. Sister Denise remained at the convent and continued working until her death in 2006 at the age of 94. Later in life she helped disadvantaged children, and then immigrants from North Africa. In 1980, she was honoured by the Holocaust Memorial Center, Yad Vashem, as Righteous Among the Nations. A street is named after her in Capdenac, but apart from that the only memorial is in the grounds of the convent. It says: "This cedar tree was planted on 5 April 1992 in memory of the saving of 83 Jewish children (from December 1942 to July 1944) by Denise Bergon… at the request of Monsignor Jules-Geraud Saliège, archbishop of Toulouse." It stands close to the spot where Sister Denise buried the jewellery, money and valuable items parents left behind - and which she gave back, untouched, after the war to help the families start again. You may also be interested in: A Jewish teenager avoided death in occupied France thanks to the kindness and bravery of a doctor in a small Alpine resort. But it's a story local people seem reluctant to remember, Rosie Whitehouse discovers. The doctor who hid a Jewish girl - and the resort that wants to forget |
In February, eight-year-old Hamish Hey died in his mother's arms following a battle against cancer. Now in his home town of Nairn a major effort has begun in his name to create a beach-front community feature. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Hamish had a happy, but tough life, says his mum Susan. When he was two-years-old in 2011 he was diagnosed with a metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma - a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer. Months of intensive treatment followed, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Hamish also had pioneering surgery called rotationplasty which resulted in him having a prosthetic limb. "For three years after that you would not have known there was anything wrong with Hamish," says Susan. "He went to school. He did everything a child his age would do. He would run around playing with his older sister Lily." Then in March 2016, Hamish was diagnosed with a DIPG, an aggressive, inoperable tumour within the brainstem. It was unconnected to his earlier cancer, and there was no cure. The diagnosis came when Susan was receiving treatment herself for breast cancer. She says: "Hamish's final diagnosis came as the biggest blow. It is something myself and my husband, Sam, will never ever get over." The couple decided not to tell Hamish, then seven, or Lily, who was 10 at the time, that the cancer this time was incurable. "Sam and I knew what the outcome would be for Hamish," says Susan. "That he wouldn't survive. "But for Hamish and Lily we wanted them to have some kind of level of normality." Susan says Hamish, who endured a second round of cancer care with his usual smile, "was happy right to the end". She adds: "That final week, in terms of his health, he deteriorated very quickly. "His last words were: 'I love my life. I'm going to spend the rest of it in my bed'." Nine months after Hamish died, Susan was told her cancer had returned. "It is in my chest and lungs," she says. "I know they say there is no cure, but I am going to explore everything that is open to me. "I have to fight it. "I have to fight it for my wonderful husband and my beautiful daughter, and I need to be here for TeamHamish and what we want to achieve through the campaign." The family first started as fundraising to support charities that helped Hamish with his treatment and care. Then in May this year following Hamish's death TeamHamish was formed. The campaign is leading an effort to create a large-scale community feature at Nairn's beachfront. "While it would be something to remember Hamish by, we want it to be a place for everyone in Nairn - for children, teenagers and older people," says Susan. "Our family has had so much support from the local community. We want to give something back." Discussions have already begun with Highland Council and Nairn Community Improvement Enterprise (Nice). Susan, an art teacher and Sam, an architect, have also been looking locally and globally for inspiration for what the new area might include, such as play park apparatus, water features and sculptures. While the couple say they are itching to show the community their ideas, they are holding back to allow for early planning processes to be worked through. These include a scoping study looking at how the area involved could be developed in a way sensitive to the natural environment and other local interests. But one feature Susan hopes the area might include is a rainbow bridge. Susan says: "Without a shadow of a lie, when Hamish died in February there was a rainbow in the sky every day for two weeks. The rainbow is now part of our TeamHamish logo. "People told us one could be seen on the day of his funeral. People say it is Hamish watching us and we embraced that." Asked to try and sum up her son's personality, Susan says: "I know it sounds a bit clichéd, but Hamish's smile would light up a room. "He was a very lovable, caring little boy with a wonderful sense of humour, which he shared and he was loved by all in the community and beyond." Related Internet Links Nice |
Many of us try, but often fail, to get eight hours' sleep each night. This is widely assumed to be the ideal amount - but some experts now say it's too much, and may actually be unhealthy. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Ruth AlexanderBBC News We all know that getting too little sleep is bad. You feel tired, you may be irritable, and it can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, doctors say. But too much sleep? You don't often hear people complaining about it. However, research carried out over the past 10 years appears to show that adults who usually sleep for less than six hours or more than eight, are at risk of dying earlier than those sleep for between six and eight hours. To put it more scientifically, there is a gradual increase in mortality risk for those who fall outside the six-to-eight-hour band. Prof Franco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Warwick, has analysed 16 studies, in which overall more than a million people were asked about their sleeping habits and then followed up over time. Cappuccio put the people involved into three broad groups: • those who said they slept less than six hours a night • those who said they slept for between six and eight hours • those who said they slept for more than eight hours His analysis showed that 12% more of the short sleepers had died when they were followed up, compared to the medium sleepers. However, 30% more of the long sleepers had died, compared to the medium sleepers. That's a significant increase in mortality risk, roughly equivalent to the risk of drinking several units of alcohol per day, though less than the mortality risk that comes from smoking. But can it really be true that getting nine hours' sleep is worse for you than getting five? There are different ways of looking at this. Cappuccio was aware of the possibility that people sleeping too long might be depressed, or might be using sleeping pills. He corrected for this, though, and found the association was still there. His own theory is that people who sleep for more than eight hours sometimes have an underlying health problem that is not yet showing in other symptoms. So, it's not the long sleep that is causing the increased mortality risk, it's the hidden illness. But not everyone agrees. Prof Shawn Youngstedt of Arizona State University carried out a small study involving 14 young adults, persuading them to spend two hours more in bed per night for three weeks. They reported back that they suffered from "increases in depressed mood" as Youngstedt puts it, and also "increases in inflammation" - specifically, higher levels in the blood of a protein called IL-6, which is connected with inflammation. The participants in the study also complained about soreness and back pain. This makes Youngstedt wonder whether the problem with long sleep is the prolonged inactivity that goes with it. He has now been carrying out an experiment where long-sleeping and average-sleeping adults are asked to spend an hour less in bed each night. The results will be published soon, he says. Anyone studying sleep has to contend with a number of difficulties. One is that it's often not possible to measure sleep very accurately. "We tend to rely on very simple methods of asking people on average how many hours they sleep a night. It has to be taken with a pinch of salt," says Cappuccio. "Naturally, you have to rely on your memory, and… you don't know if you're reporting time in bed or time asleep and whether you're accounting for naps, and so forth." Apparently we have a general tendency to overestimate how long we've been asleep. And when it comes to quality of sleep, all experts seem to agree it could affect your health, but it's even harder to measure than how long you sleep. Another caveat is that babies, children and teenagers all have different sleep requirements than adults. But if it's the case that less than six hours of sleep is too little for an adult, and more than eight hours is too much, what is the ideal amount - what do our bodies want? As we've reported before, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that until the late 17th Century people did not sleep in one long uninterrupted stretch, but in two segments, separated by a period of one or two hours in which they prayed, read, chatted, had sex, smoked, went to the toilet or even visited neighbours. That may be more natural than the current tendency to sleep - or try to - in one stretch. Putting this question to one side, and focusing on the total number of hours spent asleep, Cappuccio says three-quarters of people in the Western world sleep between six and eight hours a night on average, the range associated with the best results in terms of length of life. But can we say that eight hours are better than six? The magic number, according to Dr Gregg Jacobs, of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School may actually be seven. "Seven hours sleep keeps turning up over and over again," he says. He points, for example, to the National Sleep Foundation's annual poll of a random sample of adults in the US "The typical adult today [in that poll] reports seven hours of sleep. And that actually seems to be the median sleep duration in the adult population around the world. That suggests there's something around seven hours of sleep that's kind of natural for the brain." But if you enjoy sleeping, spend a lot of time in bed and feel good, you're probably just fine. There's no hard evidence that extra time asleep, or just lying down and relaxing, is going to kill you. Listen to More or Less on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, or download the free podcast. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. |
It has been a dramatic week for the Saudi economy: the country has slashed public spending, and rowed back from its 18-month policy of pumping out oil at near maximum levels by reducing daily production by 350,000 barrels. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Michael StephensRoyal United Services Institute (Rusi), Doha Oil prices jumped 5% at the news, a market overreaction to be sure, but nevertheless a welcome development for producer states. They need to see a turnaround in their government revenues which have been depressed for the last 18 months. But the kingdom's shift in policy indicates that not all is well financially. Indeed the Saudi attempt to maintain market share through maximising output and artificially keeping oil prices low appears to have backfired. Unable to absorb low prices for an extended period, the kingdom has lost some $180bn (£140bn) of currency reserves, as it has had to dig deep into its pockets to cover enormous government spending deficits. In fairness, Saudi Arabia's leadership, under the guidance of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been remarkably open about the extent of the problems. In an interview with Bloomberg magazine in April, the grim reality was laid bare by Prince Mohammed's senior financial adviser: the state was wasting up to $100bn a year in inefficient spending, backhanders and opaque business deals, he said, and would have gone broke "by early 2017" unless something radical was done to change course. Grand plan And so for the nation to remain solvent there was always going to have to be some financial pain - pain which would filter into the real economy and down to the vast body of Saudi nationals employed in government sectors. Government spending would need to be scaled down, and subsidies on everyday goods and services such as power, water and fuel would need to be lifted. Last but not least expenditure on salaries would need to be reduced, which means either people lost their jobs, or they lost their perks. Given that Saudi society builds and cements social relationships around the provision of government jobs, firing people is extremely difficult without causing offence. This meant that public salaries had to be cut, and in June the Saudi government set a target to reduce salary expenditure by 24bn riyals ($6.4bn; £4.9bn) a year by 2020. It is no surprise then that on Monday evening a series of royal decrees cut salaries by as much as 20%, shrunk holiday pay and leave allowances and cut bonuses. These cuts all fall broadly within the vision set out by Prince Mohammed earlier in the year. Vision 2030 is the grand plan for restructuring the Saudi economy, diversifying away from hydrocarbon exports by encouraging Saudis to join the private sector, and privatising sections of Aramco, the oil producing behemoth that still drives Saudi income and domestic revenue. But for all its lofty goals, it is unlikely that the vision can ever be fully implemented, and it is sensible to assume that Vision 2030 was never designed to be the panacea for Saudi Arabia's myriad financial woes. Even some leading Saudis have been open about the vision's expected level of success, insisting that it is more about changing the national Zeitgeist than radically overhauling the economy in such a short space of time. Social impact If this can be achieved, and the ruling house is able to persuade its citizens to accept that the good times are over, then all should be well for the time being. The al-Saud family enjoy widespread popular support in the Kingdom, and the young prince and his team have expended great energy warning that austerity is coming. But it is one thing to warn about austerity, and quite another to then implement it. As increasing austerity measures are introduced, Saudi Arabia's middle class looks set to join the "squeezed middle". It is an overused Western term, but make no mistake it will be Saudi's middle earners who will struggle in the months and years ahead. Reductions in subsidies and salary cuts will affect this middle bracket the most - in other words the people who possess just enough money to run a household and send children to school. So the addition of higher bills and less income at the end of the month will put a huge amount of pressure on this important sector of the Saudi economy. Observing from the outside, cutting bloated public expenditure seems the right thing to do and is long overdue, but it will have social impacts that no-one can foresee at present. Saudi Arabia is moving into a difficult period in which its society will have to get used to leaner times, and still keep their faith that the royal family is steering the country in the right direction. Michael Stephens is Research Fellow for Middle East studies and Head of Rusi Qatar. Follow him on Twitter |
When space crops up in conversation, ownership does not immediately spring to mind. But as the human race continues to advance in this field, and with commercial space enterprises just around the corner, questions about power politics and their interaction with space exploration must be asked and answered. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Yasmin AliScience reporter Neil Armstrong famously planted a US flag on the Moon in 1969. This gesture may have implied territorial ownership, but was purely symbolic because of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. 129 countries, including China, Russia, the UK and the US, have committed to this treaty, which is overseen by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. It sets out important principles, such as the concept that space should be considered the province of all mankind, that outer space is free for the exploration and use by all states, and that the Moon and other celestial bodies cannot be claimed by a sovereign nation state. Additionally, the Moon and celestial bodies are to be used purely for peaceful purposes, and weapons will not be placed in orbit or in space. "This is frequently referred to as the outer space constitution," says Dr Jill Stuart, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Editor of the journal Space Policy. She spoke to BBC News at the British Science Festival in Bradford. Where is outer space? This treaty has worked so far, but there are some potential pitfalls - as Dr Stuart explains. "There is no official definition of outer space, but it's something on which a United Nations working group is currently consulting member states. I suspect we will settle for a physical demarcation at the Karman Line, which is about 100km up, but it's also an option to go for a functional definition. This is where laws are defined based on the function of a space object rather than where it is in space." A physical demarcation results in a lot of paperwork for commercial spaceflight companies, such as Virgin Galactic, which is developing a sub-orbital tourist space plane. It means Virgin has to abide by both international aviation laws as well as space laws, despite only being "in space" for five or six minutes. A sensible compromise has to be reached. Mining the Moon Commentators agree that the Outer Space Treaty is an excellent foundation for international space law, but it makes no reference to commercial space activities, such as the exploitation of space resources; presumably because this was not foreseen back in 1967. "International law is ambiguous about private companies setting up mining operations in space. There is a strong case for revisiting the Outer Space Treaty to bring it up to date," argued Ian Crawford, a professor of planetary science at Birkbeck College, University of London. There is an argument that in the future, when assets are developed in space, it is more cost-effective to use raw materials mined from space rather than transporting them from Earth. There is also another strong reason for developing clearly defined space laws, says Prof Crawford: "For scientific reasons, some areas of the Moon are sites of special scientific interest and should be preserved and protected from commercial activities." As the Earth's population grows and more raw materials are required to maintain high living standards, it is arguably more ethical and environmentally sensitive to mine those materials from celestial bodies with no existing habitats and no bio-diversity to disrupt - as opposed to continuing to over-exploit this planet. This raises a further issue: if space mining does become a reality through private companies like Planetary Resources and Moon Express, does their work contradict the Outer Space Treaty? Can they justify that they are doing this for the benefit and interest of all countries and mankind? Space wars "Our daily lives depend on space. Every time you make a phone call, financial transaction or use Google Maps - it is dependent on satellite signals. In times of conflict, it would be easy to target those satellites. Space has the potential to be the new battlefield," said Dr Cassandra Steer, executive director at the McGill Institute for Air and Space Law. Despite the myth that outer space is a lawless "wild west", in fact all of international law applies there. So, if these laws already apply, what's the problem? As well as the Outer Space Treaty, there are four other treaties governing space law. According to the Liability Convention, anything that goes into space must be registered with its launching state, and becomes sovereign territory. "If you were to target another country's satellites, you will create a lot of space debris, which could impact other satellites," said Dr Steer. This is where ambiguity arises over who is responsible for clearing up the mess. Dr Steer added that some satellites have dual use. Their technologies can be used in the military as well as the civilian context - and this makes the issues around the Outer Space Treaty quite complex. What if other intelligent life is encountered, with their own set of rules? Whose laws take precedence? This topic perhaps throws up more questions than solutions. "We're at a point in time where it's ever-more pressing to re-evaluate our current legal infrastructure that governs outer space," Dr Stuart concluded. |
A 28-year-old man has appeared in court charged in connection with the death of Craig Parker, who died earlier this year. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Mitchell Thorpe was charged with manslaughter in relation to the death of Mr Parker, 45, who was attacked in Stockwood, Bristol, on 25 March. Mr Thorpe, of Hengrove, was also charged with possessing criminal property at Bristol Magistrates Court. He was remanded ahead of his trial at Bristol Crown Court on 4 January. Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk |
Nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK, on average Emma Beck's second child was stillborn after eight months of pregnancy Lingering questions about her daughter's death led her on a quest to find out more about stillbirth and the taboo that surrounds it | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
It happens all too often - in the park, at the supermarket checkout, at the school gate. But every time I'm asked the question, "How many children do you have?" I feel a flush of panic. I want to reply: "Three, but my second child died. She was stillborn." But that's usually too much for people to cope with. Sometimes I do tell the truth, other times, I just fudge it. Often I say nothing. Then I feel a stab of guilt that I've denied Mary and betrayed her memory. Stillbirth - the death of a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy or during birth - is not common in the UK. But it is more common than many people think. Find out more Emma Beck's documentary, We Need To Talk About Stillbirth, is on BBC Radio 4 at 11:00 BST, 22 July - catch up on BBC iPlayer Radio On average, nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK. A third of stillbirths occur at term - 37 weeks of pregnancy. Ever since my experience of it six years ago, I've felt frustrated by the silence around stillbirth. I also wanted to find out more about why my daughter died. Her death was "unexplained". I set out to make a radio programme, speaking to other parents and clinicians trying to prevent it. I discovered there is some promising work going on to reduce numbers, but we need to get better at identifying babies at risk. There are known risk factors. Mothers who are obese, who smoke, or suffer social deprivation are at higher risk. But most stillbirths happen to healthy women who have no prior medical condition. About one in three are, like my stillbirth, unexplained. And of mothers who are "at risk", the sense of fatalism - that it's just one of those things - can be misplaced. Many stillbirths are potentially preventable. One of the biggest problems surrounding the issue is the fact no-one really talks about it. I hope sharing my experience will not only raise awareness but encourage a conversation that will go a long way to supporting bereaved parents. I was happily and healthily pregnant for eight months before I knew anything was wrong. It was the summer of 2010 and I was 34. My first child, Arthur, had been born nearly three years earlier, weighing a whopping 9lb 6oz (4.25kg). He had been overdue and was delivered by emergency c-section. I was invited to the hospital for a weight scan to see if my second baby was likely to be big, too. My husband and I took Arthur with us to see his baby sister on the ultrasound screen. The sonographer couldn't find a heartbeat. I find it so hard to think back to that moment. I recall no other feeling but desolate sadness. I have a clear recollection of hugging my bewildered son and flimsily trying to reassure him that it was all going to be OK. With stillbirth, a mother is encouraged nevertheless to go through with labour and give birth naturally. A Caesarean is a major operation with risks of its own. I was given medication to begin the process of induction and my husband and I were sent home to return to the hospital the following day. I recall sitting around the dinner table that evening in this hideous limbo - looking pregnant, but knowing my daughter had already died. The following morning, at the hospital, we were shown to a delivery room. Heartbreakingly, we could hear the wooshing sound of other live babies' heartbeats being monitored as we waited for my contractions to start. It was that morning we met Jane Laking, the bereavement support midwife. She answered frankly and kindly all the questions we had about the birth. Her support was invaluable, but not all maternity units have a specialist midwife. She asked if we wanted to meet Mary, hold her and take photographs. It all seemed so morbid. All I could think was I wanted the whole horrific event over with. Now, I'm so grateful to Jane for persuading us to do these things. Those precious hours we had with Mary after she was born were the building blocks of our memories of her. Yet my recollections of Mary's birth are not wholly sad. I feel a huge sense of pride when I think of that day. When I delivered Mary and saw her for the first time I felt exactly the same rush of love for her as I did for my son. The moment I had seen that blue line on the pregnancy stick eight months earlier, like all mums to-be, I imagined Mary's future. Unlike other deaths where there are shared memories, stillbirth is different. When a child is stillborn, those shared memories often don't exist, so you are robbed of the opportunity to talk about and remember your child. In the early days, when I mentioned Mary, other people's awkwardness made me angry. I empathise much more now. Death is hard to discuss - particularly the death of a baby before it is even born. However, I feel strongly we need to challenge ourselves and be more comfortable talking about stillbirth. Many people - understandably - assumed I didn't want to talk about my daughter. Some crossed the street to avoid speaking to me. I felt thrilled and enormously grateful to friends who referred to Mary by name, asked what she weighed or if she looked like me or her dad. I found people not mentioning her the hardest thing of all. Stillbirths Source: Sands, Tommy's and MBRRACE-UK Talking about her made me cry. Sometimes it still does. But people asking about her was a comfort because, in some way, it justified my grief. Ignoring Mary's stillbirth made me feel like she didn't matter. All stillborn babies have to be registered. When we went to do this for Mary the receptionist kindly ushered my husband and I quickly into the registrar's office to save us waiting among the proud parents and their newborns. Some hospitals now arrange for the registrar to visit the hospital to register the birth/death and save families this distress. These thoughtful but simple changes can make a real difference. Stillborn babies must, by law, be formally buried or cremated. Mary is buried around a children's tree at a woodland burial park. It has four big trunks stretching up into the sky. It gives me great comfort to know she is somewhere so beautiful. She has a simple wooden plaque marked with a single date - her birth and death. There is something about that I find particularly tragic. Like half of women who have a stillbirth, I was pregnant again within 12 months. But while many friends seemed relieved it was nine months of torment and fear. I had no confidence in my body to deliver my baby alive and worried constantly. Not knowing why Mary had died compounded this anxiety and it's this long-term impact of stillbirth that is rarely discussed. I don't want to be defined by Mary's death or for people to pity me. I have a happy life with a loving family. I don't want the lives of Edie - who was born 14 months later - or Arthur to be overshadowed by their sister's death. But I do want others to understand Mary was my second child and her death has changed me as a person and a mum. It has not all been negative. The experience has given me emotional insight and a greater sense of compassion, but it has also left me at times feeling out of step with my peers. My view of pregnancy has shifted. I don't want to attend friends' baby showers and I worry when they go over their due dates. It's not because I think it will happen to them, but my experience means that I know that it can. That gives me a different perspective. Meeting other parents who lost a baby this way was comforting. There is a shared knowledge and understanding which helps normalise these feelings. When your baby is stillborn it changes you profoundly. During my research I met Ruth Rodgers who, after her daughter Scarlett was stillborn, gave up her high-flying City job and is now training to become a midwife. Many of the experts and clinicians I met speak passionately about the need for us all to talk about stillbirth - the impact it has on families and the effects of shrouding it in silence. Not talking about stillbirth has arguably held back advances to prevent it. How can we change something we don't acknowledge? We Need To Talk About Stillbirth is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11:00 BST, 22 July - catch up on BBC iPlayer Radio Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook |
The jovial Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin is deep in what should be enemy territory, the market square in Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. He bumps into one man who could have been sent by Central Office, if not central casting. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Mark MardellPresenter, The World This Weekend@BBCMarkMardellon Twitter "I was brought up in a mining village, Mum and Dad always voted Labour, but I've started to see a bit of sense. You've got to trust Theresa May, haven't you?" When the scrum moves on, he tells me he used to like UKIP but Mrs May has something about her. Jeremy Corbyn? "Wouldn't trust him as far as you could throw him." The square is dominated by a Victorian monument, empty within because the donations ran out before they could afford to build the statue of the aristocrat it was meant to celebrate. The stalls carry all sorts of goods, from potted plants to mobility scooters, knickers to knick-knacks. One sells the local speciality of cold whelks and hot mushy peas (strange but delicious). The Royal Horse Guards are here too, with a Panther command vehicle. The Army officer in charge of this recruiting campaign tells me his real job is to scout ahead of a battle and report back to the top brass, to tell them if their well-laid plans will actually work on the ground. Perhaps that is what Sir Patrick is doing, too. He says: "Our plan is to attract people across the whole scale." "What we've seen today is people who've voted UKIP, but we are are also seeing people who are disillusioned with Labour." Mansfield, which has been Labour since the 1920s, is apparently still feeling the effects of the pit closures of the 1980s. Yet it is apparently in the Conservative crosshairs. The clue as to why is in the voting figures from the last election. Labour has a majority of about 5,000. But add the UKIP vote to the Conservative one, and it equals a Labour wipeout. UKIP have a stall here and tell me they are fighting to win, but Mansfield district councillor Barry Answer is forthright about the local elections. "It's been an absolute disaster, and you could say the coffin lid is on and the parliamentary elections decide if it's going to be nailed down." Why? Who is holding the Brexit baton? "For 20 years UKIP have had that in their arms tightly held, until we got the vote to leave. Theresa May is now holding the baton. The votes are going with the baton." The co-author of the authoritative account of the rise of UKIP, Prof Matt Goodwin, says: "If you look at everything Theresa May has done since taking over - her critique of liberal elites and the 'citizens of nowhere', her rhetoric on immigration and Brexit, her support for grammar schools - all of that is straight out of the text book on how to win back traditional social conservatives." Talking to people in the square, I come across Michael. His father fled from Poland during the War, worked in the mines and he followed his dad down the pits. He gives all credit to UKIP. "They gave us the referendum that we needed, they did a great job, they fought the battle but lost the war." He says nothing has got better around here in the past 40 years. So how will he vote? "Conservative. I used to be the old socialist Labour but Mr Corbyn and his crew are not Labour, they're communist". Others support the party but not the leader. "Corbyn's got good policies but I don't think his image is that good," one tells me. "I'd like the other lot to get in, but I don't think he' s strong enough, really," says another. And the former leader of the Labour group on Mansfield District Council, Martin Lee, is worried about the Conservative threat. "They are going all out to win this seat: they think UKIP will collapse and they'll get the votes. "I've voted for Jeremy Corbyn twice, he's got to get out there and make a big difference over the next four weeks.' If Mrs May can capture seats such as Mansfield it will be critical, not just for the election result but the shape of British politics for years to come. |
If, as we are constantly being told, the world's banking system has been rebuilt and strengthened so that it can resist and survive even the toughest of economic conditions, why does it always seem to be banking shares that fall the most when the markets get nervous about the prospects of another crash? | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Jonty BloomBusiness correspondent, BBC News In part the answer might be that they are not as solid as we have been led to believe. After all, the man who headed an inquiry into the future safety of Britain's banks has told the BBC that plans drawn up by the Bank of England to prevent another crash aren't strong enough. Sir John Vickers, who led the Independent Commission on Banking, said that banks should have more money in reserve, to enable them to survive any future financial crisis without a bailout from the taxpayer. With banking shares already being hard hit this year because of worries about their strength and stability, those comments by Sir John will be of serious concern and will add to what many will see as logical scepticism. Before the last financial crisis, we were told that the banking system was solid as a rock. Unfortunately, Northern Rock and Lehman Brothers proved that the Bible is right - even the most solid-looking house is vulnerable if it is built on sand. It turned out that a large number of the world's banks were built on very soft and shifting sand. Volatile share prices They had borrowed money short term and lent it long term. They had lent it to clients who couldn't afford to pay it back and put it into risky complicated investments they didn't really understand. It then turned out that the banks had nothing like enough reserves to cushion them from a crisis. They managed to do all this while convincing us that financial services were the future and bankers should be paid a fortune. The consequence was that the ordinary taxpayer, many of whom have probably never had a bonus in their life, had to bail out the banks and the bankers with hundreds of billions of pounds, most of it borrowed. That has hobbled us with huge debts for decades to come, while suffering the worst recession in living memory. But perhaps the people who suffered the biggest losses were those who had put their life savings into supposedly safe as houses banking shares, they saw their money wiped out. The depositors were saved by the Government, the people who had lent money to banks in the form of bonds mostly got their money back but the shareholders suffered. It is therefore hardly surprising that shares in banks should be so volatile at the moment. After all, we have received numerous warnings that something is seriously wrong with the world's economy. The prices of oil and many other commodities have plummeted because of over-supply and lack of demand, the Chinese economy is slowing down dramatically and the eurozone still has real problems. All this while many economies are still being propped up only by emergency medicine eight years after the crisis first started - very low interest rates, the printing of extra money and huge Government borrowing. Last week Janet Yellen, the head of the US Federal Reserve, spooked the markets when she merely suggested that although the American economy was doing well it could be threatened by problems from other countries. Contempt It has all been enough to push share prices lower on fears that another economic crisis might be on the way and like a particularly expensive game of pass the parcel, no-one wants to be left holding bank shares if, or when, the banks go bust again. But how likely is that? Some banks are, of course, stronger than others, the Greek banking system has lurched from crisis to crisis even over the past year and doubtless there are others in similar difficulties in plenty of other places. It would be a brave (as in foolhardy) investor who put their life savings into Greek or even Portuguese bank shares. But those are known risks. The big worry is; how risky are the big international banks? Are the huge international Swiss, British, French, German, American and Japanese banks safe? In theory the answer is yes. The banks have been told to get their house in order and have been doing just that, especially under something called Basel 3, an international agreement to massively increase the reserves the banks have to hold in case of losses or a massive economic shock. Then there has been a whole rash of new banking regulations at the national and international levels, designed to stamp out reckless behaviour, limit risks, and make sure that the regulators know what is really going on. Having covered a few fraud trials recently, it is patently clear that before the crash many banks and bankers treated both regulators and their internal compliance departments with barely concealed contempt and did all they could to get round the rules. That may still be the case in some banks but you are far less likely to get away with it now. Finally the banks have been desperately trying to improve their balance sheets and profits; they have had to write off billions in bad debts, improve their lending practices and concentrate on core businesses rather than obscure financial instruments. Even so many are still trying to recover from the trauma of the credit crunch. Only this week Commerzbank, one of Germany's largest banks, announced that it was setting even more money aside to bolster its reserves. And Deutsche Bank said it is to buy back bonds it has issued, an attempt to strengthen bolster its balance sheet, its shares are down almost a third so far this year. Given the current stock market mood those are probably wise moves. But it show that eight years after the credit crunch there is still more to be done. There are doubtless plenty of banks out there that are as solid as a rock and capable of withstanding almost anything thrown at them. The problem is not so much finding out which ones they are but the fact that last time they all looked solid as a rock as well. You can reform, regulate and prop up banks as much as you like, but shareholders should remember the old motto: "Once bitten, twice shy." |
In May last year, video games entrepreneur David Braben and Cambridge computer scientist Eben Upton came to see me with the prototype of a new computer. It was about the size of a USB stick, it was called Raspberry Pi, and its aim was to inspire a new generation of children to get interested in computer science. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter The simple video I shot of the device on my phone eventually attracted more than 800,000 views on YouTube. Fifteen months on, the project has taken off in a way its creators never imagined, and the ripples from the Raspberry Pi keep spreading out. When the Pi - slightly larger than the one I was shown last year - launched at the end of February, there was a huge response, and the charity behind it is still struggling to cope with the demand. Two companies, RS and Farnell, have been contracted to distribute the mini-computers, and last week Electrocomponents, the RS parent company, reported that booming sales of the Raspberry Pi had boosted its first quarter revenues. On Saturday I went along to a Raspberry Jam in Cambridge, the latest in a series of events where enthusiasts gather to discuss the project, swap experiences and hear about what may be coming next. The audience at the sell-out event heard some breaking news from Eben Upton. Production had ramped up to 4,000 units a day to meet demand, but there was still a backlog of orders. But what really excited the crowd was the announcement that a camera module for the device was coming very soon, priced at $20-$25 and offering 5MP photos and good quality video. "It's been completely crazy," Eben Upton told me afterwards. "At Christmas last year we thought we might sell 10,000 of these devices, so to be sitting here with 200,000 out in the wild and plans to get to a million by the end of the year is just incredible." But what is extraordinary about this project is the ecosystem (to use a fashionable word) which is being constructed around it. We heard from various organisations with plans to use the device - from the London Zoo which hopes to use the Raspberry Pi and its new camera in a project to crowd source the mapping of endangered animals - to various companies making components to offer greater functionality to the device. We saw a presentation by 18-year-old Liam Fraser whose YouTube channel offering Raspberry Pi tutorials has already had over a million views. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity but Liz Upton, who runs the forums, answers the emails, and generally does an amazing job of nurturing the Pi community, told us the organisation was very relaxed about companies making tons of money from picking up the idea and running with it. The lecture theatre at the Cambridge Computing lab where the event took place was packed with teachers, some with deep knowledge of computer science, others just eager to work out how what difference the device could make in their schools. And, amidst all the enthusiasm for this project amongst a largely middle-aged crowd, it is important to remember exactly who it is aimed at - school children. The most telling presentation was by Dr Andrew Robinson from Manchester University's PiFace project, which is providing resources for schools. "Children are experts in time management," he told us. "You've got 10 seconds to get them to say 'wow'. Longer than that, and you may have lost them." Once you've got their interest, he explained, you can get them to do more. That rings true. A generation is growing up used to technology which just works straight out of the box without demanding much expertise from the user. Expert and enthusiastic teachers will be needed to realise the vision behind Raspberry Pi. But here's another idea. Do as I did and take a somewhat cynical teenager to a Raspberry Jam event. You might be surprised at their reaction, and might even hear them say "wow". |
A hearing was held in the cells below a courtroom when two men charged with murder refused to appear in court. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Boxer Tom Bell, 21, was shot through a window at the Maple Tree in Woodfield Way, Balby, South Yorkshire, on 17 January and died later in hospital. Joseph Bennia, 28, from Balby, and Scott Gocoul, 29, from Bilton, near Hull, were remanded in custody at Doncaster Magistrates' Court. Both men will appear at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday. |
There's no hint of an institution about the children's homes I went to see in Birmingham. Nothing clinical. No funny smell, signs or labels. From the outside they're just large family homes that fit in with the rest of the street. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Siobhann TigheToday programme I'm shown around by Jim Sullivan, managing director of a children's home company, who tells me: "We chose this house because there's a gap on either side of the neighbours. We're not attached to another home, so if there's noise we're not affecting anyone." However, inside there are clues to tell you it's not your run-of-the mill family house. There's the chain on the front door, the two washing machines on the go, the unfussy kitchen and a small office full of folders and paperwork which can be locked. Staff write up their notes on the dining room table and the team is big enough to have one member of staff, or sometimes even two, for one child. When it comes to cooking, everyone's encouraged to have a go, supervised of course. It's a very chilled-out space, with large sofas, a big television and lots of positive affirmations on the walls. One teenager laughs as she says: "We're meant to take all our stuff up into our rooms when we come back from somewhere but 99% of the time there'll be someone's bag slung over the chair." Every child has their own bedroom, which are all en-suite and individually decorated. One has expensive wallpaper printed with Marvel comic covers. Pets are allowed too and one girl has two guinea pigs while another has a goldfish and a white rabbit. "Some of the children come here with reputations of hurting animals and being dangerous around other children, but we assess them and see what they're like," says Jim. "When our staff have babies we trust the children to hold them. Just to watch their faces when they're holding a six-week-old baby, just the moment when they pick up a child for the first time and they're trusted, is beautiful and that teaches them that they're just like the rest of us." Jim's company has just celebrated 14 years in business and is made up of five children's homes and one school. It's a profit-making venture and, according to Jim, it's typical of how children's homes operate these days. Jim tells me that, before coming to him and his team, every child he's dealt with has gone missing at some point. When that happens, the police can either record them as "missing" or "absent". However, according to a recent inquiry held by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Runaway and Missing Children and Adults, if they're classed as absent less time is spent searching for them and therefore they are more at risk. "Every child in our homes has a history of running away and being absent," says Jim. "If you read some of the reports when the children come to us it's unbelievable. The children have been sexually abused, physically abused and used in gangs." A 17-year-old girl told me: "A couple of years ago I went missing for two weeks and I don't remember any of it. I just know that I went on a bender and did some really, really bad things and the police found me. "Previous foster placements and other children's homes couldn't cope with me," she admits. "I was on heavy drugs and I was a serious self-harmer. I had my first criminal record when I was 13, for GBH. I was taking overdoses regularly. I was vulnerable to older men and I was mostly high. They took advantage of me sexually and gave me drugs to do things." Life feels very different for her now. She seems to respond to the care she gets at this particular home, likes having a 9.15pm curfew and she even understands why some children need to be restrained. She doesn't go missing any more, she's sticking with school and has great hopes for the future. "All I needed was a tiny bit of care and support," she says. A report into children's homes in England was published last month. It was written by Sir Martin Narey who used to be in charge of the National Offender Management Service as well as Barnado's. In his report, Narey states: "Three-quarters of homes are good or better. Some are genuinely outstanding. I have been moved by what I have seen." However, he still believes there's room for improvement and thinks it's critical that they provide value for money. To achieve that, he recommends setting up a Residential Care Leadership Board where experts in the field can come together to "bring greater clarity and coherence to this much misunderstood and grossly under appreciated part of children's social care". You can hear Siobhann's report on Monday's Today programme on BBC Radio 4. |
It's no secret that UK restaurants are struggling, with a clutch of big-name chains announcing closures in recent months due to weaker demand and rising overheads. But it seems another issue is adding to their woes - people not turning up for bookings. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
By Daniel ThomasBusiness reporter, BBC News According to some estimates, "no-shows" account for 5-20% of total restaurant bookings across the country and can cost venues thousands of pounds a month. One example is the Beach House restaurant in Oxwich, Gower, south Wales, which reported having more than 100 last-minute cancellations over 10 days in April, "most of which were no-shows". "I think over the Easter weekend we lost about £3,000," says managing director Neil Kedward. "Any restaurant has a fragile economic model, and if a third of your covers don't turn up it can have a huge impact." Damian Wawrzyniak, head chef and owner of House of Feasts in Peterborough, got so fed up with the problem he started a Twitter campaign called #StopNoShow which has since gone global. At its worst, he says, his high-end restaurant had 10-15 no-shows a month and sometimes for groups as large as 18 people. It can mean lost revenue, hiring too many staff for an evening and wasted food, Mr Wawrzyniak says. He blames third-party online booking sites, such as Bookatable, Resdiary and OpenTable, which advertise "thousands of deals" and let you make multiple reservations. OpenTable, however, does stop diners making several bookings in the same timeslot and blocks users who accumulate four no-shows within 12 months. Jay Rayner, the Observer's restaurant critic, thinks online booking has also depersonalised the relationship between restaurants and their customers. "If you talk to an individual when you book, some form of connection has been made and it's much harder to screw a restaurant around. If it's all online people think less about the consequences, which is reprehensible." 'There's no guilt' One regular restaurant goer, Nicola Fahey, says she eats out once or twice a week and doesn't turn up for about half of her online bookings. "If you have booked through Bookatable you feel that you don't really have access to the restaurant to call and cancel - you'd have to look them up or Google them, which is a hassle. "You also think they're going to fill the spot, although if the restaurant has a massive three-month waiting list I would be more inclined to ring." She does feel "a bit bad" if she has spoken to someone at the restaurant in person then doesn't show up, but doesn't really think about it if she booked online. "In fact, I don't think I'd ever call up and cancel if I'd booked online - there's no guilt, there's no connection... I wouldn't even consider if it would have an impact [on the business]." Restaurants strike back Now some restaurants are fighting back and asking for non-refundable deposits upfront. The Crockers Chef's Table in Tring, Hertfordshire began charging £10-25 per head a few years ago, which would then be deducted from the final bill. But after a resurgence of no-shows in July, owner Luke Garnsworthy increased this to 50% of the cost of a meal (the restaurant only serves set menus at £45 or £80 per head). "Even if someone pays a deposit and doesn't show up you are still left out of pocket," he explains. Others are going further and selling prepaid tickets for a meal in the same way as a theatre would for a play. Adopters include Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck in Bray and The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds. Mr Kedward says the Beach House Restaurant has virtually stamped out no-shows since April, when it began charging a £20 per head penalty for drop-outs or late cancellations. This is taken from the booker's credit card if they don't turn up. However, some restaurant-goers dislike such charges. "I have been put off places who have asked for a deposit, for example for someone's leaving lunch at work," Becky Tanter tells the BBC. "It's hard to get people to commit to that and you risk losing money if you pay it yourself and someone drops out." Carina Comeau says: "It's rude not to call and cancel. However, a non-refundable deposit isn't right either. Unfortunately there are costs of doing business that the company must eat (pun intended)… and losses from a no-show are one of them." Mr Wawrzyniak says he would never charge fines or deposits as it might deter the regulars on which his restaurant depends. But he says he has reduced cancellations to zero another way: by taking his restaurant off third-party booking sites and raising awareness about no-shows on social media. "We tell people about our menu, the research that went into it, and the costs and the waste if you don't turn up. "Now we get guests telling us they've heard about the campaign and that they think no-shows are unacceptable, too." |
Two boys have been arrested after armed police were called to a school following reports of a threat against a pupil. | You are an expert at summarizing long articles. Proceed to summarize the following text:
Officers were called to the South Wolds Academy and Sixth Form college in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, at about 14:30 BST. Two boys, aged 11 and 14, were later arrested and remain in police custody. A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said inquiries were ongoing. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links Nottinghamshire Police - |
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