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The bracket clock from 1690 was made by Thomas Tompion - named by the auctioneer as "Father Time". The clock had been found on the Belper estate of a man linked to the mining industry. It was bought by an anonymous UK buyer for £230,000 when it went under the hammer on Friday. Auctioneer, Charles Hanson, said: "It's a truly magnificent and historically important object which thoroughly deserves to achieve this sale figure. "It is a particularly fine example of Tompion's work - work which has stood the test of time. "Tompion was an inventor as well as a maker of clocks of the finest quality. "He developed an unrivalled reputation worldwide and his work is still admired to this day. I call him Father Time." Latest news from the East Midlands Who was Thomas Tompion? The son of a Bedfordshire blacksmith, he was friends with mathematician and scientist Robert Hooke, which is thought to be the key to Tompion's success as it opened doors to the latest technology. When the Royal Observatory was established in 1676, King Charles II selected Tompion to create two identical clocks which were fixed in the Octagon room, with both clocks needing to be wound only once a year. They proved very accurate and were instrumental in achieving the correct calculations needed for astronomical observations. Tompion also made some of the first watches with balance springs and created the standard mechanism pattern used in English watches throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. His workshop built about 5,500 watches and 650 clocks which are renowned for their ingenious design and robust construction. Tompion's other works included mathematical instruments and sundials, one of which can be seen at Hampton Court Palace. He died in 1713, aged 74, and is buried at Westminster Abbey Source: Royal Collection Trust Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. ||||| The Sooty glove puppet had been expected to sell for anything up to £3,000 and auctioneers said there had been "interest from around the world". However, the toy was bought on Monday by a bidder in the room for £14,500. The anonymous buyer said the puppet would now go to the north of England, into their "large collection of TV puppets and memorabilia". 'Instant hit' Derbyshire's Hansons Auctioneers also held the previous record for selling a similar Sooty puppet to presenter of the Sooty Show, Richard Cadell, for £3,100 in 2008. More stories from East Midlands Live Sooty was invented in 1948 by Harry Corbett when he bought the toy in Blackpool for 7s 6d (about £11.50 in today's money) to entertain his children on holiday. Their act was turned into a TV show in 1952 after the pair entered and won the BBC's Talent Night programme. Five years later, Mr Corbett gave the original puppet to his friend and Blackpool-based musician Arthur Abbot, also known as Art Johnson. In a letter sent with it, he wrote: "I have great pleasure in sending you one of the Sootys which I have used on television. "Actually, he was in a programme where he got rather messed up, and he has since been washed." The Sooty puppet more recently belonged to Mr Abbot's son, Dr Steven Abbott, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. He said: "I loved watching The Sooty Show with my sister, Lorraine, when I was a child. "He was given to my father two years before I was born and when my sister was 16 months old. We knew he was a genuine Sooty from the TV show but were allowed to play with him." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. ||||| Spaceflight writer Phill Parker is selling his lifelong collection, which consists of nearly 200 lots. It includes an astronaut's drink tube - filled with grapefruit and pineapple juice - and a MIR international space suit. Mr Parker said the items were a record of the "first golden age of space exploration". Also for sale are autographs from Russian and US astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, as well as the Apollo 15 flight plan and parts from an Apollo computer. Mr Parker, who has written spaceflight articles for numerous magazines and journals, said: "As I approach my 72nd birthday, I believe it's time to ensure my collection of historic spaceflight hardware items and paper documents will continue to be utilised to record the first golden age of space exploration by auctioning to interested parties." He said he has interviewed most of the Apollo moon astronauts including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan, and Charlie Duke. Mr Parker, from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, added: "I hope to live long enough to witness a return of human beings to the Moon's surface and I have my fingers crossed for a manned landing on Mars." The Phill Parker Collection of Space Exploration Memorabilia will be sold at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire, on 3 September. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. ||||| The set of more than 50 rings covers eras from Alexander the Great to Middle Ages via the height of the Roman Empire. The "museum standard" items are believed to have been bought at sales across England in the 1950s. Hansons Auctioneers said it could be "the biggest collection of ancient rings ever seen outside a museum". The current owner, who has asked not to be named, said their grandfather, who lived in Leicester, travelled around England as part of his job. They said: "He was a quiet man and never said if any of the rings were found on site when they were working but I do know he bought many of them at auctions, some up north. "After he died, we put the rings away for many years but now we've decided to sell them as we'd very much like other people to enjoy them." The group includes everything from Viking rings in twisted gold to medieval rings with a single gem stone but Hansons said the Greek and Roman rings are particularly rare. One is a 4th-1st Century BC East Greek Hellenistic gold ring with cabochon garnets, which has an estimate of £3,500-£4,500. Another is a Roman gold ring from the 2nd Century AD with a carnelian engraved bust of Vibia Sabina, the wife of Emperor Hadrian, with an estimate of £2,200-£2,600. James Brenchley, from Hansons, said: "The sheer quantity was incredible. "These rings are between 2,200 and 1,800 years old and many are exceptional and extremely rare. Each one is unique and many demonstrate extraordinary craftsmanship. "This is possibly the biggest collection of ancient rings ever seen outside a museum." The collection will be sold by Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire on June 28. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. ||||| It was made in Burton, Staffordshire, in 1895, but visited fairs across the Midlands and, apart from a few coats of paint, is in its original condition. The 18ft (5.4m) ride, which retired at Nottingham's Goose Fair in 1979, can carry nine children. Auctioneers in Derbyshire had hoped it would fetch about £100,000. Charles Hanson, of Hansons Auctioneers, said: "The ride will be hopping across the Channel to a buyer in France. "[The carousel] is an example of British craftsmanship as its best, exemplified by the magnificent carved detail in each of the horses and peacocks created to delight children when Queen Victoria was still on the throne. "It's an important, very early and unique carousel which captures the essence of the Victorian fairground." The ride was made by George Orton, Sons and Spooner of Swan Works, in Burton, for Fred Westrope but was taken to fairs by the Meakin family. It travelled to fairs in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and later passed to Jimmy Fantom, whose family ran it for 46 years. Mr Hanson said after its final appearance at the Goose Fair, George and Joyce Mander restored it to its former glory and took it along to steam rallies and vintage fairs. It has been in storage in the back of a lorry for about 30 years. | A 300-year-old timepiece made by England's most famous clockmaker has sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of pounds. An original puppet used on a children's TV show in the 1950s has sold for a record price at auction. Rare space exploration memorabilia, including items from Nasa's Apollo missions, are being sold at auction. A "incredible" collection of ancient rings, collected by a gas engineer then stored away, is to go under the hammer. A "unique" hand-cranked Victorian merry-go-round that spent 30 years in the back of a lorry has been sold for £35,000 at auction to a French buyer. |
Ex-foreign secretaries Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett argue that Australian Carol Mills should face MPs in a hearing before taking up the role. Commons Speaker John Bercow chose Ms Mills for the post, but some MPs have said her experience is insufficient. Meanwhile, plans are in place to help run the Commons until the row is over. Labour's Mr Straw and Mrs Beckett are backing a campaign by another senior MP, Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative chairman of the Commons Public Administration Committee, for Ms Mills to face further scrutiny by MPs. Mr Jenkin has written to the Times, calling it "inexplicable" that Mr Bercow's deputy Speakers had not helped in the selection. He also called for a hearing with MPs before Ms Mills is appointed. And Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith has suggested that no decision should be delayed "until the House has had an opportunity to consider it". The appointment of the clerk, Parliament's most senior official, is made by the Queen on the recommendation of Downing Street. This follows a recruitment process run by a panel of six senior MPs chaired by the Speaker. 'Controversy' A Downing Street spokesman said it was not a government appointment and the process was a matter for the Speaker. The prime minister has not yet forwarded Ms Mills's name to the Queen. A source close to Mr Bercow has called the recruitment process, which included two interviews, "fair and transparent". The Commons clerk, paid £200,000 a year, acts as the chief executive of the House and is responsible for the running of the property, and 2,000 staff on site. He or she also serves as a senior constitutional adviser to senior politicians, including the prime minister. Ms Mills is currently head of the Department of Parliamentary Services of the Australian Senate, controlling administration, buildings, catering and human resources. Former Speaker Baroness Boothroyd has claimed she would be "totally out of her depth" if asked to oversee UK parliamentary procedure. Mr Straw told the Guardian: "Given the controversy, and without making any observations about the relative merits of the candidate, I think that such pre-appointment scrutiny would be a good way of resolving this." Mrs Beckett said: "These days you cannot make an appointment like this without select committee scrutiny." In his letter to The Times, Mr Jenkins said Ms Mills had been chosen by "a panel entirely of the Speaker's own choosing", adding: "It is inexplicable that all three of the deputy Speakers, who like the Speaker himself are also elected by the House, and have the most relevant experience, were excluded." What does the clerk of the Commons do? Sitting in front of the Speaker, the clerk is the senior adviser to the Commons on matters of procedure and business He or she is also the chief executive of the House of Commons Service, looking after maintenance and services such as catering and administration, which employs 2,000 people The clerk signs contracts on the House's behalf and "holds" all of its property, meaning that, in strict legal terms, they are the "owner" of Big Ben The current row comes after Commons clerk Sir Robert Rogers announced his retirement after a 42-year career in Parliament. But sources close to Mr Bercow insisted that Ms Mills had been chosen by a panel - not just the Speaker - of people who had made the decision "based on experience and skills". In a statement, Ms Mills said that "many people in Australia and the United Kingdom, including senior parliamentarians and parliamentary officers" had encouraged her to apply for the clerk's role. ||||| By Susan HulmeBBC parliamentary correspondent A panel chaired by Mr Bercow picked Australian Carol Mills to be the next clerk of the House of Commons. Some Conservative MPs and ex-Speaker Baroness Boothroyd have raised doubts about her suitability. But the government effectively ruled out challenging the choice, saying it would be "extraordinary" to do so. Sir Robert Rogers has retired as Commons clerk - the principal constitutional adviser to the House - after a 42-year career in Parliament. 'Wrong choice' The £200,000-a-year role also involves overseeing some 2,000 Commons Service staff. But the Commons Commission, a panel of six senior MPs chaired by Mr Bercow, has chosen Ms Mills as its preferred candidate. She currently heads the Parliamentary Services Department in the Australian Senate, which looks after administration and the running of buildings. Her senior colleague, the clerk of the Australian Senate, has said officials there viewed her potential UK appointment with "disbelief and dismay" because Ms Mills did not have the constitutional knowledge or expertise to replace Sir Robert. An investigation is also being carried out into the way Ms Mills's department used CCTV cameras to monitor the office of a senator. Conservative MP Michael Fabricant, a former vice-chairman of his party, questioned whether it was right to appoint a clerk who was "under investigation for a serious breach of parliamentary privilege". He said: "I believe the Speaker has made the wrong choice... I also think there needs to be an inquiry into the circumstances of why Sir Robert Rogers retired early and the manner in which John Bercow chairs the House of Commons Commission." Mr Fabricant added: "The House of Commons Commission is chaired - and dominated - by the Speaker. It is not run in a consensual way, as are most boards." On Monday, Lady Boothroyd told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "I'm very sorry for Ms Mills. She's totally out of her depth, She has no experience. She has no knowledge of the constitutional role of a parliamentary clerk and I wouldn't wish that on the House of Commons." Some Conservative MPs fear Mr Bercow wants to install a more compliant candidate, after a series of reported clashes with Sir Robert Rogers. However, a spokesman for House of Commons leader William Hague said it would be "pretty extraordinary" if Downing Street were to reject the panel's chosen candidate. Opponents of Ms Mills's appointment are still looking to see if it is constitutionally possible to change the outcome, but it is now most likely that the Speaker's choice will be approved. A source close to Mr Bercow called the recruitment process, which included two interviews, "fair and transparent". ||||| Sir Robert Rogers, the Clerk of the Commons, is retiring in August after a 42-year career in Parliament. The MP said Mr Bercow had used a four-letter expletive against Sir Robert "at least once, in front of others". But Mr Bercow replied: "I will ignore that last observation which suffered from the disadvantage of being wrong." The MP made the claim during Commons tributes to Sir Robert. Mr Fabricant said: "We don't know why he's chosen to retire early." But Mr Fabricant said he would not have been "encouraged" to stay by Speaker Bercow's deployment of the expletive, which he spelled out to MPs. Mr Fabricant's comment came after a series of tributes were paid to the outgoing clerk. | Two former cabinet ministers have called for further scrutiny of the proposed appointment of the new House of Commons clerk amid a continuing row. Speaker John Bercow's choice to take over as Parliament's most senior official is almost certain to get the job, despite protests. Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has suggested that a senior Commons official is retiring in part because Speaker John Bercow swore at him. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
Lincoln Drill Hall, which hosted concerts, shows and community events, closed last March during the first lockdown. The city council also voted to stop its £187,000 annual grant. It has now been taken over by Lincoln College Group (LCG) and will continue to host live performances, as well as conferences and exhibitions. The hall, which was built in 1890 to accommodate military training, has played host to scores of famous names over the years, including punk bands Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers. Comedians Russell Howard and Marcus Brigstocke have also performed there. LCG's commercial managing director James Foster said: "We're hugely excited about becoming the guardians of a real cultural jewel for the arts and live entertainment. "We are also really looking forward to investing in the building and what it has to offer," he said. The Drill Hall, previously run by the Lincoln Arts Trust, is expected to reopen in December with a production of Aladdin. Chair of the trust, Phil Hamlyn Williams, said it was "time to look forward to a new chapter". However, he said: "Some very lovely things happened inside the Drill Hall, and those lovely things only happened because of the talented team of people who worked there. "I want to thank them for all they did and to remember with great sadness that, with the coming of Covid, they had to lose their jobs." More news and stories from Lincolnshire Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links Lincoln Drill Hall ||||| Lincoln Drill Hall, which hosted concerts, comedy shows and community events, closed its doors in March due to lockdown. In August, the city council voted unanimously to end the £187,000 yearly grant to the venue. Phil Hamlyn Williams, chair of trustees, said he was "desperately sad". "We've got 19 lovely people who've worked together for a long time, and are now facing a bleak future," he said. "I'm afraid it is the virus - so many arts venues across the country have closed. "We were kept sort of alive by the furlough scheme but with it coming to an end at the end of October that was curtains." Mr Hamlyn Williams said the city council, which refurbished the building in the early-2000s, was also in an impossible position when it decided to withdraw funding. "They knew back then it could only survive with public subsidy, and as local government finances have been squeezed, it just doesn't work any more," he said. However, he added he was hopeful a new use for the building, which first opened in 1890, could be found that would include arts and culture. More news and stories from Lincolnshire Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. ||||| Lincoln City councillors voted unanimously to end the £187,000 yearly grant to Lincoln Drill Hall from April. More than 5,000 people had signed a petition urging them to continue supporting the centre which stages theatre, music concerts, comedy shows, community workshops and classes. However, the council said it was not financially viable in the long-term. Phil Hamlyn Williams, chair of trustees at Lincoln Drill Hall, said he understood the council was in a difficult financial position. "I just feel desperately, desperately sad, it's heartbreaking, it's an institution that has done so much good for the city." He said his main priority would be to speak to the centre's 18 staff. The council's executive were told by officers the Drill Hall's current business model was unsustainable before the coronavirus pandemic. It also remained unclear what the effect of the pandemic would have and for it continue to operate on its current business model significant additional funding would be needed. This would impact on the council's ability to balance its own budget, as annual savings of between £1m and £1.5m would be needed in future years. Ric Metcalfe, the council's leader, said it had been a very "difficult decision" to make. "I hope people will understand that this situation we find ourselves in is not of the council's making." Mr Hamlyn Williams said the decision meant the venue could not continue in its current form. He said government support schemes for arts venues affected by the pandemic would require them to show they were financially stable in the long-term. "Without the council funding I can't see how we can do that," he said. Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. | An arts venue hit by the pandemic and a loss of funding has been saved from permanent closure by a takeover. An arts venue will shut as a result of the pandemic and loss of funding, with the loss of 19 jobs. The decision to end council funding for an arts centre is "heartbreaking", according to the venue's trustees. |
Melisa Birkinshaw, 22, was told she is "extremely likely" to be jailed for perverting the course of justice. She helped Tyrone Andrew after he stabbed Reagan Asbury, 19, in the neck outside Walsall Town Hall in 2017. Birkinshaw, of Cavendish Court, Derby, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court and will be sentenced on 12 July. Andrew fled to Amsterdam but was later jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of manslaughter. Birkinshaw admitted doing acts intending to pervert the course of justice between October and December 2017 by permitting her bank account to receive cash intended for Andrew, and giving money and a phone to him in Holland. Prosecutor Antonie Muller told Judge Simon Drew QC two other defendants had already been jailed for perverting the course of justice. "Once Andrew had made his quick escape to Amsterdam, she [Birkinshaw] provided him with a phone and a lot of cash, permitting his further movement thereafter," Mr Muller said. Birkinshaw was frightened of Andrew and had "got herself way out of her depth" when she agreed to help him, defence lawyer William Bennett told the court. Judge Drew told Birkinshaw: "A custodial sentence is extremely likely but I shall make a final decision on 12 July." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. ||||| Tyrone Andrew stabbed 19-year-old Reagan Asbury during a fight at the event in Walsall Town Hall in October. The 22-year-old claimed he acted in self-defence when he knifed Mr Asbury in the neck. After a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Andrew, of St Helen's Street, Derby, was cleared of murder, but convicted of manslaughter. Passing sentence at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Simon Drew QC said the stabbing of Mr Asbury was a "deliberate and focused" blow aimed at an obviously unarmed victim. The judge added that the victim was also facing away from Andrew, who had stabbed another man moments earlier. Andrew claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack when he stabbed Mr Asbury, who was from Pelsall. The convicted drug dealer, who also had convictions for wounding involving a knife, told the court he feared for his life when being caught amongst a "horde" of white men during the disorder. Jurors heard fans began to throw tables and chairs in the VIP area of the venue at the end of an IBF lightweight bout involving Derby-based Myron Mills and Walsall fighter Luke Paddock. The violent clashes at the Town Hall, including the moment where Andrew stabbed Mr Asbury in the neck, were caught on four CCTV cameras. Prosecutor Michael Burrows QC told the court the footage showed Andrew "stealthily" jogging towards Mr Asbury from behind "like an animal stalking its prey". Andrew fled the country the following day, flying to Holland and then travelling on to Barcelona in Spain from where he was extradited in December. He told the court he found the knife at the venue and was cleared of carrying an offensive weapon. In a tribute, Elysia Asbury described her brother as "a remarkable human being" who "loved life". Two other men from Derby, Ryandeep Sidhu, 22, of Lidgate Close, and Declan Kemp-Francis, 24, of Dickens Close, were each jailed for 30 months for perverting the course of justice. A fourth defendant, Lavelle Patrice, was cleared of violent disorder. ||||| Reagan Asbury, 19, from Pelsall, died from a neck wound when a fight broke out on 14 October at an IBF Youth Lightweight event at Walsall Town Hall. Tyrone Andrew's barrister also told Birmingham Crown Court the 21-year-old had feared for his life and suffered a knife wound when trouble erupted. Mr Andrew, of St Helens Street in Derby, denies murder. The prosecution has described the attack as a "callous and calculated" killing. During the four-week trial, jurors were shown footage of the fatal stabbing which had been captured on four CCTV cameras. Prosecutors allege Mr Andrew stabbed Mr Asbury after tracking him "like an animal stalking its prey" during violent clashes following the fight. In closing speeches, Michael Burrows QC, prosecuting, said Mr Asbury presented no real or imminent threat to anyone when he was stabbed. The prosecutor said Mr Andrew had stabbed Mr Asbury "in the neck deliberately with great force with murderous intent". "This was a callous and calculated murder, which you have seen with your own eyes from the shocking CCTV," he added. Defence QC James Wood asked the jury to consider what would have happened if Mr Andrew, who is of mixed race, had been caught while being "driven out of town" by a "horde" of white men. He added: "We suggest, from what went before, he would likely be dead. "And above all - with his heritage - what would he believe is likely to happen?" Mr Wood said his client's actions were "in reasonable self-defence". The jury is expected to retire later this week. ||||| Reagan Asbury, 19, sustained a neck wound in violent clashes after an IBF youth world title fight last October. Tyrone Andrew, 21, is accused of killing Mr Asbury after trouble erupted on VIP tables at Walsall Town Hall. The defendant, from St Helens Street, Derby, denies murder. Prosecutor Michael Burrows QC said CCTV evidence would show Mr Andrew stabbing three men and trying to stab a fourth. He was with supporters backing Derby-based Myron Mills in the lightweight bout against Walsall fighter Luke Paddock, Birmingham Crown Court heard. 'Flash of the blade' Referring to the video footage, prosecutor Mr Burrows said Derby supporters left the town hall first. He said Mr Andrew "stood his ground as some of the Walsall supporters advanced towards him". In the next 20 seconds, the prosecutor said, Mr Andrew attacked two men before fatally stabbing Mr Asbury. "From time to time you will see the flash of the blade of the knife in Tyrone Andrew's right hand," he said. Mr Burrows said Tyrone Andrew "jogged up behind" Mr Asbury "stealthily, like an animal stalking its prey". He told jurors they would see Mr Andrew raise his right hand and strike Mr Reagan, who sustained a single stab wound to his neck. The day after the stabbing, the court heard, the defendant flew to Holland and went on to Barcelona, from where he was extradited, the court heard. Mr Burrows said: "In short, the prosecution say Tyrone Andrew knew he had done wrong and fled the country. "I understand his case is that he did not intend to cause serious injury and that he was acting in self-defence or defence of his friends." Three other defendants are also on trial. Ryandeep Sidhu, 22, of Lidgate Close, Derby, has denied assisting an offender by taking possession of the knife used to kill Mr Asbury. Declan Kemp-Francis, 23, of Dickens Square, Sunny Hill, Derby, denies charges of violent disorder and assisting an offender by allegedly helping Mr Andrew back to his home. Lavelle Patrice, 22, of Havenwood Grove, Littleover, Derby, also denies violent disorder. He is alleged to have thrown an object towards Mr Asbury as he was stabbed. The trial continues. | A woman has admitted taking cash and a mobile phone to Holland to help an on-the-run killer who stabbed a teenager during a mass brawl at a boxing event. A boxing fan who killed a rival supporter after a bout has been sentenced to 14 years in jail. A man accused of murdering a boxing fan was the victim of a racist attack, his barrister has claimed. A boxing fan tracked a rival supporter "like an animal stalking its prey" before stabbing him to death, a court has heard. Tributes have been paid to a 19-year-old man who died after "large-scale disorder" broke out at a boxing event. |
By Steven McIntoshNewsbeat reporter Noel is nominated for best solo artist and best album, but his brother Liam has fared less well. He's in the running for villain of the year. He faces competition in the category from David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Liam's band Beady Eye, who formed after Oasis split in 2009, are also nominated for worst band at the ceremony, which takes place on 29 February. One Direction, Muse and Coldplay are also shortlisted for the award. Noel Gallagher has already been revealed as the winner of this year's Godlike Genius prize. He is also nominated for hero of the year, alongside Noel Fielding, Alex Turner, Matt Bellamy and Dave Grohl. 'Very happy' PJ Harvey's Let England Shake, which won the Mercury Music Prize last year, is nominated for best album. It faces competition from The Horrors, The Vaccines and Arctic Monkeys - who have seven nominations in total. The Sheffield band are also up for best album and best live band. Drummer Matt Helders said it was "good to be recognised" at the event. "We're up for all the big ones - we're very happy," he said. "We had a lot of fun making Suck It And See and it's great to be up for best live band." The group are up against Bombay Bicycle Club, The Horrors, Kasabian and Muse for the best British band trophy. Bombay Bicycle Club face Hurts, Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine and Arctic Monkeys for the best track honour. Azealia Banks, who signed a major label record deal earlier this month, is nominated for dancefloor anthem for her single 212. She faces competition from Katy B, Foster The People, Justice and Metronomy. There are also categories for best TV show, best film and best festival - where Glastonbury takes on T In The Park, Reading and Leeds, V and Bestival. Comedian Jack Whitehall will host this year's ceremony, which will feature live performances by The Vaccines and Kasabian. The 2012 NME awards take place on 29 February at Brixton Academy. ||||| The former Oasis star follows acts like The Clash, Paul Weller and New Order in winning the gong. He picks up the award as Blur prepare to collect this year's outstanding contribution to music prize at the Brit Awards next month. Noel Gallagher, 44, already has the Brits title having won it in 2007 as a member of Oasis. The guitarist, who launched his solo career fronting The High Flying Birds in 2011, will pick up his prize at the NME Awards on 29 February at London's O2 Academy Brixton. "I would like to thank NME for bestowing upon me such a great accolade," said Noel Gallagher. "I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. "I accept that I am now a genius, just like God." Noel Gallagher wrote Oasis hits including chart-toppers Don't Look Back In Anger, Some Might Say and Go Let It Out. He quit the band in 2009 after falling out with brother Liam. His debut solo album made it to number one in the album chart. NME editor Krissi Murison said: "For the best part of two decades, the voice of one man has dominated the pages of NME more than any other. That man is Noel Gallagher. "Opinionated, intelligent, passionate and always hilarious - Noel walks and talks it better than any other musician out there, and it's just one of the reasons why the British public loves him so dearly. "No individual has written as many sing-out-loud classics as Noel. His songwriting has defined a generation." ||||| Interview by Natalie JamiesonNewsbeat reporter The Florence And The Machine singer said: "You're doing these amazing things but there are sacrifices to be made for that and you work incredibly hard. "It gets very draining but I'm doing my absolute dream job and I wouldn't want to do anything else." Florence And The Machine's latest album Ceremonials topped the UK album chart in November. "The highs and the lows come with the same package - touring and travelling and being away from home." Album showcase The nominations for this year's Brit awards were announced last week, but Florence says she doesn't let such ceremonies faze her. "It's very nice to be recognised. It's always really fun," she said. "They are terrifying to start with. If you see them as something fun and a celebration then that's okay, I think you shouldn't put yourself under too much pressure." The singer says she now feels more confident as an artist than she did when her debut album Lungs was released in 2009. "You have to figure out what makes you feel right. That's what the last couple of years have been about, how I feel comfortable and how I feel as a performer. "People can tell you what to do and what not to do, but until you start making your own mistakes, that's the only way." The 25-year-old is due to play a series of gigs in the UK in March. "I'm really looking forward to the UK tour. I can't wait to get back to see the inside of some English venues," she said. "It's going to be very much about the music and showcasing it in the best way possible. "We want to make it true to the record but almost bigger, and more expensive and experiment with things." ||||| The former Oasis guitarist will also take his band, the High Flying Birds, to Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow, London and Birmingham. The group will play songs from their debut album, as well as a selection of other Noel Gallagher tracks. Tickets go on sale on Friday 28 October and are on pre-sale on his website this Wednesday. Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds will also play gigs in Dublin on 17 February and in Paris on 6 March. The band is currently playing a number of dates around the UK. The guitarist and singer's debut album, released last week, has gone straight in at number one in the official album chart beating Matt Cardle's debut effort. Speaking at a press conference in July, Gallagher confirmed he would be playing Oasis tracks on his solo tour. "They're my songs and I wrote them all by myself," he said. "I'm proud of them and what they mean to other people. "You've got to be on stage and see what the reaction is of the crowd when you play Don't Look Back in Anger." Noel Gallagher is releasing a second album next year, which was recorded at the same time as his debut solo record. The High Flying Birds features Jeremy Stacey on drums, Mikey Rowe on keyboards and Mark Neary on double bass. The 44-year-old started writing material after Oasis split up in 2009. The Noel Gallagher dates are as follows: Manchester, MEN Arena - 13 February 2012 Belfast, Odyssey Arena - 16 Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena - 23 Glasgow, SECC Hall 4 - 24 London, The O2 - 26 Birmingham, NIA - 1 March ||||| The ex-Oasis guitarist will play gigs in Dublin, Edinburgh and London in October. The Dublin gig will mark Gallagher's first with his new live band High Flying Birds. Tickets for the shows go on general sale on Friday 5 August with the guitarist already confirming that he will play Oasis tracks on the tour. Oasis' songs He made the announcement at a press conference promoting his debut album last month. Gallagher said: "They're my songs and I wrote them all by myself. I'm proud of them and what they mean to other people. "You've got to be on stage and see what the reaction is of the crowd when you play Don't Look Back in Anger." Gallagher said the 10 tracks on his first solo album Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds would not be enough to fill up a full set list, meaning he would have to play Oasis songs on tour. His brother Liam refuses to play Oasis songs with his solo band, Beady Eye. "Unfortunately those songs are like drugs to me," said Noel. "I don't think I'd ever do a gig without playing them. That would be crazy. "That would be like Paul McCartney doing the O2 and just playing Wings stuff." Noel's first single The Death Of You & Me is released on 21 August. It's taken from his debut solo album of the same name due for release on 17 October. The tour dates are: Dublin's Olympia Theatre - 23 October Edinburgh Usher Hall - 27 London Hammersmith Apollo - 29 | Noel and Liam Gallagher are among the nominees for this year's NME Awards. Noel Gallagher is to be honoured with the godlike genius prize at this year's NME Awards. Florence Welch says she finds it "draining" being a performer. Noel Gallagher has announced a six-date solo tour of the UK starting in Manchester next February. Noel Gallagher has announced dates for his first solo UK tour since confirming details of his debut solo album. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
The proposed legislation was drawn up following terrorist attacks in 2017 including the Manchester Arena bombing. It would require owners and operators to put in place measures to keep the public safe from a terrorist attack. But a consultation to canvass opinion has been put on hold, the inquiry into the arena attack has heard. The principal purpose of the proposed legislation would be to impose a duty on those responsible for the public's safety when they are in a publicly-accessible location, the inquiry heard. Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, 29, who was killed in the bombing, is campaigning for Martyn's Law, which among other things is calling for venues and local authorities to have action plans against such attacks. The government's "protect duty" plan, which builds on Martyn's Law, had been intended to go to consultation this spring. Shaun Hipgrave, who works as a director in the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT) within the Home Office, described the delay as "frustrating" but added "there's no point doing a consultation if we don't get a meaningful response". A counter-terror policing chief told the inquiry the legal duty to protect the public in crowded public places would be "transformational". Lucy D'Orsi, deputy assistant commissioner at National Counter Terrorism Police HQ, said she did "not think that it should be discretionary as to whether protective security is considered by a business or a site or an operator". "I firmly believe that a protect duty would be transformational for the UK and it would be as impactive as to protective security as GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] has been for data handling," she said. Mrs Murray has called for the government to speed up the consultation and earlier told the inquiry she felt it was "absurd" there was legislation for how many toilets a venue must have and how food must be prepared but nothing that holds venues to having basic security in place. Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds more injured when Salman Abedi detonated the bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017. The public inquiry is examining the background to the attack and if any opportunities to prevent the attack were missed. The inquiry continues. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk ||||| Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett died in the attack, wants to bring in legislation to step up security in crowded public spaces and venues. The government backed the plans but work has stalled due to Covid-19. Ms Murray told the public inquiry into the bombing that "the stakes are too high" for further delay. "We just cannot wait for Covid-19 to end and then do the consultation because we don't how long Covid-19 is going to be with us," she said. Ms Murray said an "additional worry" was the uncertainty about how many people will have been radicalised online during lockdown. Mr Hett, 29, was one of 22 people killed in the suicide bombing in May 2017, which left hundreds more injured. Sir John Saunders, chairman of the inquiry, praised Ms Murray for her efforts, "We think it is wonderful that you are doing so much to make something constructive come out of this tragedy by campaigning to introduce Martyn's Law to save others from suffering in the way you and other families have," he said. "I know other families are also working to make other positive outcomes for the benefit of others as their response to the tragedy they have suffered." Ms Murray told the inquiry she was inspired to take action after going to a concert in Manchester in December 2018, where she decided to take her smallest handbag to make the "bag search easy". But she said she was shocked to discover she was able to walk straight in without being searched. "I was foolish; I assumed that since the Arena attack security in public areas is now a common thing and I was shocked that it wasn't," she said. Among her plans are the introduction of free counter-terror training for event staff, assessments of locations to see how vulnerable they are, and the need for venues and local authorities to have counter-terror action plans. She said there were more than 650,000 crowded spaces, including street markets, bus stations and churches. The inquiry heard Ms Murray had a 25-minute phone call with Home Secretary Priti Patel, who she said expressed support for Martyn's Law. Ms Murray said: "When the next attack happens, if the government haven't acted, if something happens and people are killed, the families of those people who died may ask the question - why hasn't something been done if nothing's been carried out?" The inquiry continues. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk ||||| Tom Rigby, who works for Showsec, also said he would not expect any of his team to have checked the mezzanine level where bomber Salman Abedi hid. Abedi had waited in a CCTV blind spot. Mr Rigby said it was "practice for a long time" not to check that area. Twenty-two people were killed and many more were injured as they left an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017. The inquiry heard there had been an assessment of the risk that terrorism posed to members of Showsec security staff, but no counter terrorism risk assessment carried out in relation to the audience of an event. 'All good' The court was shown an email Mr Rigby sent in January 2017 to a colleague at Showsec responsible for health and safety. Mr Rigby had said: "Maybe it's the new format but it doesn't look extensive enough to be correct." His colleague replied six days later, simply saying: "All good, Tom". As part of their duties on event days, Showsec staff patrolled the City Room area of the arena, including looking for suspicious characters, and filled in pre-egress (exit) sheets that listed the "entire City Room area including McDonald's and JD Williams entrance". Bosses at the venue operator SMG have told the hearing they thought its list was clear about checking the whole of the City Room, including the raised mezzanine level where Abedi hid for almost an hour before the attack. Mr Rigby, giving evidence via videolink, said: "That was not my understanding." Counsel to the inquiry Paul Greaney QC asked: "Where did you gain that understanding?" He replied: "It was what I was taught when I was training to be head of security. "It's been a practice for a very long time... that's what I was taught, it was the way I know it to be." He also told the court he had been unaware there was a CCTV blind spot until he heard about it in the inquiry. The inquiry at Manchester Magistrates' Court is expected to last until next spring. Meanwhile, a British Transport Police PCSO who was awarded for his bravery in the aftermath of the arena attack has died. Jon Morrey, who recently gave evidence to the inquiry, was among the first responders who went into the foyer after the attack, and helped those who were injured. Ch Supt Allan Gregory of British Transport Police said: "Our deepest condolences are with the family, friends and colleagues of former British Transport Police PCSO Jon Morrey BEM, who very sadly passed away earlier this week. "We will all be thinking of his loved ones throughout this difficult time." Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk ||||| Venue operator SMG and security provider Showsec had opposing views on whose responsibility it was to patrol an upstairs area of the City Room, an inquiry into the blast heard. Twenty-two people died in May 2017 with hundreds more injured. Abedi remained out of sight from CCTV before he struck, the inquiry was told. Bosses at SMG thought Showsec staff would physically walk up the stairs - to the location where Abedi was hiding - before concertgoers were due to leave. But Showsec employees believed their patrol duties ended at the bottom of the steps, the inquiry heard. Showsec's then head of security at the arena Tom Bailey said it was never his understanding, and neither was it practice, for its staff to patrol that area, including looking for suspicious characters. Although check sheets listed the "Entire City Room area including McDonald's and JD Williams entrance," the inquiry heard. Asked about the apparent misunderstanding between the two organisations, Mr Bailey said: "I think one party thought one thing and the other party thought another." He described the working relationship with SMG and Showsec as "very, very close". Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders asked him: "With the staff you had on 22 May did you have a reasonable prospect of stopping a bomber who came into the City Room and never came near the doors?" "No," said Mr Bailey. The inquiry continues. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk ||||| Miriam Stone, SMG's head of events, told the inquiry into the attack there was no specific assessment done for the Ariana Grande concert or consideration given to the terrorism risk. She said while there were flaws with the written documentation, "we did assess the risk". The 2017 suicide bomb killed 22 people. Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the public inquiry, asked Ms Stone, who was one of the duty managers on the night of the attack, if the assessments were done to ensure a "box was ticked". She replied: "I think we had got to the point where that is pretty much how it got used." On Tuesday, Ms Stone's boss James Allen told the inquiry SMG put the arena's terrorism risk level at low despite the national threat level being "severe". She also told the inquiry suspicions raised about bomber Salman Abedi should have been passed to the control room. She said it would have taken "a minute or two" to shut the exit doors leading to where the bomb was detonated. Abedi hid in the mezzanine area, which was a CCTV blindspot, for nearly an hour before the bombing. Arena security provider Showsec earlier told the inquiry staff did not believe they were expected to check the raised mezzanine level of the City Room, although check sheets listed the "entire City Room area". Ms Stone said: "It had never occurred to me until the evidence that anybody would read it any other way. "It's all one room. I would expect all of it to be checked." 'Suspicious looking man' Mr Greaney QC asked Ms Stone if the venue did enough at the time to prevent someone doing harm getting into the City Room. She replied: "Well somebody did, so no." Speaking about steward Mohammed Agha, who was told about a suspicious looking man with a rucksack but did not pass this on to his supervisor, she said: "I don't want to cast any aspersions on him but I don't think it would have been difficult to contact someone from that position." When asked about steward Kyle Lawler, who was told by Mr Agha about the man but said the radio was too busy to contact control, she said it did not accord with her own experience. She said "the radios are really quite quiet" at the end of concerts. The inquiry heard Ms Stone was concerned about terrorism and helped devise a training exercise in December 2014 which rehearsed for an attack inside the arena's City Room, where the attack took place. The inquiry continues. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk ||||| And on the night SMG put the arena's terrorism risk level at low despite the national threat level being "severe", the inquiry into the attack heard. It also heard the firm asked for a threat level review after the 2015 Paris attack in case "the horror... befell one of our venues". The 2017 suicide bomb killed 22 people. A lawyer acting on behalf of some of the bereaved families accused SMG of not paying for adequate security. James Allen, arena manager, told the inquiry into the blast that he did not believe SMG had been "penny-pinching" on security prior to the terror attack. When asked by John Cooper QC if the arena risk level should have been classed as higher given the national threat being severe, Mr Allen replied "Yes, possibly". 'You skimp' The arena manager also conceded there would have been cost implications if the venue's risk level had been elevated. "SMG were far more interested in trying to get efficiency than making sure their security operation was fit for purpose," Mr Cooper said. "You're penny pinchers, you skimp, you don't pay for security properly and you put people's lives at risk". Mr Allen rejected the assertions. Adam Payter who is also representing some of the bereaved families, asked Mr Allen about documents written by Miriam Stone, the head of events at SMG. The inquiry heard that due to the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016, she was asked by Mr Allen to save a proportion of the rising costs and make savings of £250 per event on staffing costs. "Rather than considering increasing staff you were considering making budgetary savings?" Mr Payter said. Mr Allen replied "Yes, potentially yes". The inquiry was shown an email sent from John Sharkey, the executive vice president of SMG Europe the day after the 2015 Paris Bataclan attack, to the general managers of SMG arenas in the UK. Mr Allen told the inquiry that since the bombing, the arena appointed its own in-house security adviser who is "one of the best" and is sharing his expertise with other concert arenas. The inquiry continues. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | Plans to introduce a new law to improve safety and security at public venues and spaces has been delayed due to Covid-19, an inquiry has heard. The mother of a Manchester Arena bomb victim has urged the government to move forward with its promised consultation on "Martyn's Law". The head of security at Manchester Arena on the night of a terror attack there had raised concerns four months earlier that risk assessments for the venue were not "extensive enough", an inquiry heard. Staff were not expected to check an area at Manchester Arena where Salman Abedi hid for nearly an hour before the venue bombing, a security boss said. Risk assessments carried out by the Manchester Arena operators were "flawed" and "pretty much box ticking", an inquiry has heard. The operators of Manchester Arena where 22 were killed in a terror attack have denied accusations of "penny pinching" and putting people's lives at risk. |
By Chris FoxxTechnology reporter The company is launching a Suggested Videos feed that curates a sequence of clips, interspersed with adverts. Videos that keep people watching for longer will earn a greater share of the revenue from these ads, with Facebook keeping 45% for itself. Facebook says its users clock up four billion video views daily. One expert said it posed a threat to YouTube. "Facebook is aggressively moving into the video space," said Eleni Marouli, advertising analyst at IHS consultancy. "In December 2014, Facebook surpassed YouTube in views for the first time, and we predict YouTube will lose share from next year onwards." In June, US broadcaster HBO announced it would stream some of its programmes on Facebook. Offering a cash incentive could encourage more publishers to upload on the platform. While YouTube gives content creators 55% of the revenue from ads displayed before their videos, Facebook will split the 55% it is offering between several creators. "It's not an unusual, or generous model," said Ms Marouli. "But we could see a monetisation battle between Facebook and YouTube, to entice creators onto the platform." Facebook made $3.3bn (£2.1bn) in ad revenue in the first quarter of 2015, 73% of it from mobile ads. "Facebook is very adaptable," said Ms Marouli. "In 2012, they had zero mobile-ad revenue. In two years, they've raised that to over 60% of their ad income. "Based on our forecasts, by 2018 Facebook will have 25% of online video ad revenue in Europe, and more in the US," said Ms Marouli. What kind of video does well on Facebook? Andrew Webb, duty editor of the BBC Shorts 15-second news video service, has these tips: Facebook says it is testing the Suggested Videos feed for iPhone users in the US and that the revenue-sharing arrangement will not begin immediately. While YouTube allows most users to monetise their videos, Facebook says it is working with a group of media companies and chosen individuals for the time being. One likely concern for video creators is that it is more difficult to search for videos on Facebook than YouTube at the moment. But Ms Marouli said money might still be a deciding factor. "The big players don't need tech companies like Facebook and YouTube to get their content out," she told the BBC. "If they aren't happy with the deal on offer, they could pull out completely, like Channel 4 did with YouTube." ||||| BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why If you went on Facebook over the weekend you may have seen friends' profile pictures turned multi-coloured. Maybe you even tinted your own pic. A rainbow filter tool was introduced by the company after last week's landmark Supreme Court decision which cleared the way for same-sex marriage across the US. But in some areas of the world the response to the initiative was less than enthusiastic - and even downright hostile. In Russia, several filters were created which splash the colours of national flags rather than rainbow banners across a picture. One such app has been downloaded more than 4,000 times. "Our response to the rainbow world #Proudtoberussian," said one typical comment by Moscow resident Elena Starkova. Russia has controversial laws which ban providing information about homosexuality to people under age 18, and a recent poll showed that more than 80% of Russians oppose legalising same-sex marriage. Despite this, some Russians backlashed against the backlash. Anna Koterlnikova, who had changed her profile pic to a rainbow flag, commented: "Sorry! I'm straight and Russian but I'm not a homophobe!" In the Middle East, many social media users also came out strongly against the rainbow flag. "It's a message that it hurts me," said Egyptian Twitter user Sharif Najm, while Rami Isa from Syria tweeted: "Damn you and your marriage. You have distorted our innocent childhood [symbol], we used to like the rainbow." Ahmad Abd-Rabbuh, an Egyptian political science professor, said that gay marriage "is not in harmony with society and culture." "I know that I will make many of my friends angry," he commented. In Egypt, around 2,000 tweets mentioned the rainbow motif, most of them critical. Some users even went so far as to sarcastically blame a weekend storm on users who turned their profile pics multi-coloured. But not all reaction was negative. Egyptian TV presenter Muna Iraqi commented: "[I support people's] right to live and love freely, without any persecution." Of course, it also should be noted that same-sex marriage is by no means universally popular in the US - about two-fifths of Americans oppose it, according to the Pew Research Center. "I'm 100% against gay marriage," one American tweeted. "I have gay friends and they're great ppl; it's not personal. But U.S. can't decide. Should be state-by-state." And some transsexual activists continued their criticism of Facebook - which sponsors San Francisco's gay pride parade - for its "real name" policy, an issue we've previously covered on BBC Trending. Reporting by Olga Bugorkova and Ghada Tantawi Blog by Mike Wendling Next story: What should social networks do about hate speech? Extreme racist comments posted on the discussion website Reddit in the wake of the Charleston church shooting have once again raised questions about freedom of speech and the internet. How far should social networks go in censoring hate speech? READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. ||||| By Leo KelionTechnology desk editor The alerts prevent the videos from automatically playing in feeds unless they are clicked, unlike other clips. The site is also preventing graphic videos and photos from being shown to any user who has identified themself as being under 18 years old. It follows pressure for the move from its own safety advisers. But one psychologist said the measure still did not do enough to protect young, vulnerable members of the social network. Among the first posts to be affected are uploaded files containing video footage of policeman Ahmed Merabet being shot dead in Paris by a terrorist involved in last week's Charlie Hebdo attacks. Murder videos Facebook has faced repeated criticism over recent years for allowing violent and graphic images that it deems to be of public interest or concern to remain on its pages. The US firm's guidelines ban material "shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate or glorify violence". However, it allows news reports and other documentary images depicting beheadings and other types of murder to remain online despite the potential for distress. The firm permits children as young as 13 years old to be members. But some even younger children circumvent this age limit by providing false details when joining up. Last August, controversy over images showing people's heads placed on spikes in Syria prompted the Family Online Safety Institute (Fosi) - a member of Facebook's safety advisory board - to demand the social network change its practices. Stephen Balkam, the charity's chief executive, told the BBC he wanted cover pages to be placed over graphic material to prevent people from seeing distressing images without warning, and an age-gate system implemented to make it harder for under-18s to find the material. Work in progress Facebook has now confirmed it began rolling out such a scheme in December. It applies to graphic material reported to the firm by its users that is judged to have been posted in an irresponsible manner. "When people share things on Facebook, we expect that they will share it responsibly, including choosing who will see that content," a spokeswoman told the BBC. "We also ask that people warn their audience about what they are about to see if it includes graphic violence. "In instances when people report graphic content to us that should include warnings or is not appropriate for people under the age of 18, we may add a warning for adults and prevent young people from viewing the content." The spokeswoman added that the firm's engineers were still looking to further improve the scheme. She said this might include adding warnings to relevant YouTube videos, which is not currently possible, as well as placing alerts over distressing photographs that were still available to adults. Mr Balkam said he was "delighted" by Facebook's move. "I also think that it has walked a very fine line between protection of users and protection of free expression, and I think it has got it just about right," he added. Facebook had briefly experimented with adding a more basic form of warning sign to clips of decapitations in October 2013 after Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It's irresponsible of Facebook to post beheading videos, especially without a warning." Clips showing decapitations taking place were later banned altogether. 'Good step' News of the social network's latest move was welcomed by Childnet International, a London-based charity that is another member of Facebook's safety advisory panel. "It's a good step to try and help protect people from this content, and we are glad that there is 18 age-gating," said the organisation's chief executive Will Gardner. "There always has to be the recognition that people don't always sign up with their accurate age, and we have to be aware of that. But it's important that there are steps taken to protect people from seeing harmful and disturbing content that they don't want to see." However, Dr Arthur Cassidy - a psychologist who runs a branch of the Yellow Ribbon Program suicide-prevention charity - said Facebook should implement an outright ban on clips and pictures of extreme violence. He noted that large numbers of children used the service and said it was likely that many would try to work around the new restrictions. "At the end of the day warning messages will not prevent young people from seeing upsetting and psychologically damaging material," he said. "We know if we say, 'Do not do it,' that they will still do it - they will want to look and view material, irrespective of how grotesque it is. "And it has the potential to influence maladaptive behaviour in those who might have the potential to become aggressors themselves." ||||| By Leo KelionTechnology desk editor Its revamped community standards now include a separate section on "dangerous organisations" and give more details about what types of nudity it allows to be posted. The US firm said it hoped the new guidelines would provide "clarity". One of its safety advisers praised the move but said that it was "frustrating" other steps had not been taken. Facebook says about 1.4 billion people use its service at least once a month Confused users The new guide will replace the old one on the firm's website, and will be sent to users who complain about others' posts. Monika Bicket, Facebook's global head of content policy, said the rewrite was intended to address confusion about why some takedown requests were rejected. "We [would] send them a message saying we're not removing it because it doesn't violate our standards, and they would write in and say I'm confused about this, so we would certainly hear that kind of feedback," she told the BBC. "And people had questions about what we meant when we said we don't allow bullying, or exactly what our policy was on terrorism. "[For example] we now make clear that not only do we not allow terrorist organisations or their members within the Facebook community, but we also don't permit praise or support for terror groups or their acts or their leaders, which wasn't something that was detailed before." Ms Bicket stressed, however, that the policies themselves had not changed. Buttocks ban The new version of the guidelines runs to nearly 2,500 words, nearly three times as long as before. The section on nudity, in particular, is much more detailed than the vague talk of "limitations" that featured previously. Facebook now states that images "focusing in on fully exposed buttocks" are banned, as are "images of female breasts if they include the nipple". It adds that the restrictions extend to digitally-created content, unless posts are for educational or satirical purposes. Likewise, text-based descriptions of sexual acts that contain "vivid detail" are forbidden. However, Facebook adds that it will "always allow photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring". Other sections with new details include: Graphic violence The changes have been welcomed by the Family Online Safety Institute (Fosi), one of five independent organisations that make up Facebook's safety advisory board. "I think it's great that Facebook has revamped its community standards page to make it both more readable and accessible," the body's chief executive Stephen Balkam told the BBC. "I wish more social media sites and apps would follow suit." But he expressed concern that Facebook was still not doing enough to protect youngsters from seeing disturbing videos. While Facebook's new guidelines state that users should "warn their audience about what they are about to see if it includes graphic violence", it provides no way for members to add cover pages to clips to prevent them from auto-playing. In January, after months of pressure from Fosi and others, Facebook revealed it had introduced a way for its own staff to add such "interstitial" warnings. They have been used over clips showing the murder of a French policeman in the Charlie Hebdo attacks among other material. However, Facebook only adds the alerts if it has received a complaint, rather than letting the original posters do so. "It is frustrating that after all this time, Facebook users are still not able to put up interstitials on violent or controversial images and videos," said Mr Balkam. "Facebook has done the right thing to place interstitials themselves once a user has reported an image or extreme content, but my hope is that they will bring this to ordinary users sooner rather than later." Facebook has acknowledged the point. "We are always looking to provide more tools for people to use themselves," responded Ms Bicket. "Right now we are not in a position to provide those tools to people, but we are always looking at ways to do better." | Facebook is to start paying some video creators for uploading their clips to the platform. It was wildly popular, but not everybody likes Facebook's pro-gay marriage photo filter - it's prompted a backlash in Russia and across the Arab world. Facebook has begun placing warnings over videos posted to its site, stating their contents might "shock, offend and upset" if viewed. Facebook is providing the public with more information about what material is banned on the social network. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
The 25-year-old will shortly record her role in Neverland, a prequel to the classic story by JM Barrie. Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins and Charles Dance will appear in the flesh in the two-part film for Sky Movies. Rhys Ifans will portray Hook, here the mentor of a gang of young pickpockets who are transported to Neverland after stealing a magical treasure. Described as "a bold new take on the original mythology", Neverland will be screened on Sky Movies Premiere later this year. Knightley is currently treading the boards in London's West End, playing a schoolteacher in a revival of 1934 play The Children's Hour. ||||| Danny DeVito and Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha were among the audience as the 25-year-old took her bows at London's Comedy theatre. Knightley is appearing with US Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss in The Children's Hour, by Lillian Hellman. The 1934 play tells of teachers accused of having an illicit lesbian affair. Knightley received mixed reviews when she made her West End debut in 2009 in an updated version of Moliere's The Misanthrope. Writing about that production, Charles Spencer in the Telegraph said: "She got through it with her dignity intact, but often seemed strained and nervous". This time, however, he said the actress "displays confidence throughout before rising in the final act to dramatic heights that are shattering in their intensity". The critic also praised Moss for "a fascinatingly conflicted performance that is as subtle as it is strong". According to Michael Billington in the Guardian, Knightley and Moss "prove as potent a combination on stage as at the box office". "Ian Rickson's atmospheric, slow-burning and ultimately enthralling production proves far more compelling that I expected," his three-star review continued. Yet The Daily Mail's Quentin Letts expressed reservations, comparing Knightley to "one of those plucky amateur jockeys in the Grand National". "Miss Knightley tries," he writes. "By God, she tries. She turns in a performance of which many a journeyman thesp would be proud. "But is she a real leading lady? Is she a genuine stage star? Not quite." The Children's Hour, which also features Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn and veteran comedienne Carol Kane, has been filmed twice. The second version, released as The Loudest Whisper in the UK, starred Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner. It was last staged in London at the National Theatre, with Dame Harriet Walter and Clare Higgins as the teachers, and Emily Watson as the pupil who accuses them. In the latest production, that part is played by Rada-trained Bryony Hannah, singled out for praise by the critics. "Hannah is memorably sly and horrible as the young troublemaker," writes Spencer, while Letts calls her "a fantastic find". The Children's Hour continues at the Comedy until 30 April. Knightley can also be seen this week in the film Never Let Me Go, based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel. | British actress Keira Knightley is to provide the voice of Tinker Bell the fairy in a new Peter Pan film. Keira Knightley's return to the West End has drawn respectable reviews, with one critic saying the British actress has now "won her theatrical spurs". around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
The Met Office yellow warnings for snow and ice cover several areas of the UK, while a separate warning for ice is in place for southern England. "Treacherous driving conditions" are hampering some southern areas, it said. Highways England said delays had hit the M3, A303 and A34 in Hampshire and Wiltshire. It later added work was continuing through the night to clear the M3 westbound. Snow at a depth of 19cm (7.5in) was recorded at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, the Met Office said. Hundreds of schools across Wales and southern parts of England were closed for the day due to the conditions. At Bristol Airport most of the day's flights were cancelled. The airport advised passengers to check flight information with their airline but said they expected a normal service on Saturday. London City Airport also cancelled or diverted several flights on Friday evening because of heavy snowfall. The airport added it expected to the runway to be "open as normal" on Saturday morning but any concerned passengers should "check their flight status in advance" with their airline. Highways England said there was only one lane open from junction 6 to junction 7 on the M3 westbound near Basingstoke, due to three stranded HGVs. It said work was under way to recover those vehicles and clear the snow, with Hampshire Police co-ordinating traffic in single file through the clearance work. It warned that surrounding roads were also "treacherous". Ian Crowder was stuck on the A339 for several hours as he travelled home from his last day working for the AA in Basingstoke. "It's very picturesque, I'm sure, but being here in the traffic, stationary for nearly five hours now, is not a huge amount of fun," he said. "The traffic is beginning to move again. The snow seems to be gathering pace but it looks as if we might be on our way very soon." Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital made an appeal for nursing staff within walking distance to help, as it faced staffing issues due to the gridlock. Drivers in Surrey and Kent also face delays, with the A31, A3 and A21 among the major roads affected. Salt-spreaders covered 80,000 miles of England's motorways and major A roads through Thursday night to keep traffic moving, Highways England said. Flight disruption at airports in Cardiff and Bristol affected rugby fans heading to Paris ahead of Friday's France v Wales Six Nations opener, with ex-Wales captain Sam Warburton among those caught up in the chaos. On the trains, Transport for Wales said services were now running as normal after some disruption in the morning, while Great Western Railway - which earlier warned of disruption until 12:00 - said a near-normal service had resumed. Some Eurostar services were also cancelled on Friday. The match between Port Vale and Tranmere Rovers was the first of the weekend's English League fixtures to be postponed because of a frozen pitch, while five Scottish League One and Two matches were also postponed. Several of Saturday's matches will be subject to pitch inspections in the morning but fans heading for matches can check for the latest updates on postponements on the BBC Sport website. In Bath the Corridor shopping centre was closed on Friday after two separate roof collapses due to snow. The weather meant few shoppers were around and no-one hurt. In East Ham, east London, a baby girl was found abandoned in a shopping bag in park in near-freezing temperatures on Thursday evening. Ovidijus Zvaliauskas found the baby with his mother, who was walking her dog. He told BBC News it was so cold the baby had frost on her head. "There's no words for it. It's terrible," he said. The newborn girl was taken to hospital and is said to be in a stable condition. Medical staff have been calling her Roman, as the play area she was found was situated just off Roman Road. South-west England was worst affected on Thursday night, with snow depths of 12cm (5in) recorded in Bodmin, the Met Office said. Parts of Cumbria saw 8cm of snow, while there was 7cm recorded in Inverness-shire and 5cm in Powys. Temperatures fell to their lowest level this winter, with Braemar, Aberdeenshire, dropping to -15.4C (6F) in the early hours of Friday. This is the lowest in the UK since 2012 - when temperatures fell to -15.6C in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The cold start to the day saw hundreds of school closures in different parts of the UK. More than 500 schools were shut in Wales, with about 200 in Berkshire, 250 in Wiltshire and 300 in Buckinghamshire also closed. What's the forecast? BBC weather presenter Stav Danaos said travel disruption is likely throughout Friday night and into Saturday due to lying snow and ice. It will remain cold on Saturday but wintry showers will become increasingly confined to the eastern coast of the UK, leaving some spells of sunshine. What warnings are in place? There are yellow warnings for snow and ice covering northern Scotland, most of Northern Ireland, the eastern coast of England and the west coast of Wales until 12:00 GMT on Saturday. They warn of some snow showers, with heavier accumulations of up to 5cm possible in northern Scotland and up to 10cm over higher ground. There is also a yellow warning for snow, covering parts of south-east England, between 16:00 GMT and midnight on Friday, with accumulations of 2-3cm likely and up to 7cm possible over higher ground. A separate warning for ice is in place for southern England until 11:00 GMT on Saturday, as Friday's snow gradually eases during the evening. Yellow warnings are issued for low level impacts including some disruption to travel. People should check the latest forecast and check how they might be impacted. You can read the Met Office guide to its warnings here or watch our handy breakdown. You must enable JavaScript to view this content. Compare the temperature where you are with more than 50 cities around the world, including some of the hottest and coldest inhabited places. Enter your location or postcode in the search box to see your result. Find a location Your location This temperature comparison tool uses three hourly forecast figures. For more detailed hourly UK forecasts go to BBC Weather. If you can't see the calculator, tap here. How have you been affected by the bad weather? Tell us your story by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: ||||| Disruption continued into the afternoon as teams worked to clear the airfield. The runway reopened at 16:30 GMT. Almost all of Friday's 130 flights to and from Bristol have been cancelled. A spokesman thanked passengers for their patience and advised they should check flight information with their tour operators. Wales rugby fans heading to Paris for Friday's Six Nations fixture were among those caught up in the disruption. A BBC reporter at the airport said dozens of people were waiting for information in the departure lounge. An airport spokesman said: "We anticipate operating as normal on Saturday but please contact your airline for updates on the status of your flight." Louise Weston, from Westbury-on-Trym, was forced to cancel her holiday to Barcelona due to the disruption. She described it as "incredibly frustrating", adding: "It's something we'd been looking forward to but you can't control the weather and I wouldn't want to be on a flight that wasn't safe. "We are lucky that we'd booked a package so we'll get a refund at least and can make other plans." Sarah Trevelyan, 43, from Henleaze said she was "very disappointed" to have to abandon her "much-anticipated holiday". Jenni Need, from Bristol, and her husband were stranded in Venice, where they had spent their honeymoon. They were due to fly home on Thursday night but their EasyJet flight was cancelled as was their rescheduled flight this morning. "My partner got on the phone to EasyJet because we were adamant we weren't going and queuing in the airport again," she said. "He managed to reschedule it a second time until hopefully Sunday. "We're stuck here in a hotel room, no euros now we've spent all our money, twiddling our thumbs waiting for Sunday. We're trying to make the best of a really bad situation." Information about the cancelled flights can be found on the airport's website. British Airways also cancelled dozens of flights from Heathrow Airport on Friday morning due to the weather conditions. The Met Office said 14cm of snow fell in Dunkeswell, Devon, while 3 to 5cm fell across Somerset. Hundreds of schools across the west country were also closed due to the snow. ||||| By Dulcie LeeBBC News But while commuters frantically clawed at the ice on their windscreens, many took to the web to ask all manner of snow-related questions. Here are the answers to some of the most-searched. How do I efficiently de-ice my car? When it comes to de-icing your car, patience is a virtue. For starters, don't do what this driver did and leave only a tiny gap in their snow-covered windscreen before driving off. When you use the car's heater to defrost the windows, increase the heat gradually or it'll create extra mist. Brush off the snow from the car's exterior, including the front grille. Don't use boiling water to de-ice windscreens - hot water can crack the glass, and the water will only freeze again on the screen or on the ground where you are standing. Instead, spray the windscreen with plenty of de-icer and use a scraper to remove the frost from the entire screen. A squirt of WD-40 can also prevent door locks freezing up. If they do, heat your key with a lighter to melt the ice. But if you fancy a more extreme solution, you could take the approach Russians used to de-ice their airplanes: find leftover jet fighter engines and use them to blast hot air at the affected areas. (Results not guaranteed.) How can I boost my immune system in the winter weather? Sadly, rounding off your lunch of crisps and chocolate with a fizzy vitamin C tablet isn't a surefire way to stave off the office cold. It mainly comes down to - no surprises here - eating well, sleeping properly, and exercising enough. The NHS recommends eating plenty of fruit and veg, as well as a hearty breakfast to set you up for the day. Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are also great sources of protein, vitamins and calcium. At what temperature does snow fall? Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to be below zero to snow. You can start wishing for a snow day as soon as the temperature drops below 2°C. According to the Met Office, most of the UK's heaviest snowfalls tend to be when the temperature sits between 0°C and 2°C. Any hotter than that and the snowflakes will melt and fall as sleet or rain. Why does salt melt ice? Gritters may have been out in force - but the "grit" they've been laying is actually rock salt. Salt lowers the freezing point of water, so it stops ice forming and causes existing ice or snow to melt. How should I drive in snow and icy conditions? In a word, carefully. Stopping distances are greater in snow and ice. Allow extra time, plan your journey, wear warm clothes, and make sure your phone is properly charged. Stock up on chocolate, biscuits and hot drinks, in case you get stuck. After de-icing your car, use second gear to pull away, lifting the clutch gently to avoid wheel spin. Stay in a higher gear for better control as you pick up speed. Maintain the right speed for the conditions - not too fast so that you risk losing control, but not so slow that you risk losing momentum when you need it. Why do schools close when it snows? If your school has declared a snow day, you've got your head teacher to thank. They are usually the ones who decide whether to close the school. The decision is based on the welfare of children, taking into account whether: If the weather is fine in the morning, but scheduled to get worse later in the day, the school may decide to close for the whole day. What actually is snow? Most people know it's white and cold and falls from the sky. But what actually is it? As the Met Office explains, snow forms when tiny ice crystals in clouds stick together, becoming snowflakes. If enough of these crystals stick together, they'll become heavy enough to fall to the ground. As the snowflakes drift down from the sky, those falling through moist air that is slightly warmer than 0°C will melt at the edges and stick together, producing big flakes. This type of snow is "wet" and makes for good snowmen. "Dry snow", which is ideal for snow sports, comes from snowflakes that fall through cold, dry air, producing small, powdery flakes. ||||| The newborn was discovered in East Ham, east London, when a woman walking her dog heard the baby crying in a play area off Roman Road at 22:15 GMT. The child was taken to hospital and is said to be in a stable condition. Detectives say they are growing "increasingly concerned" for the mother, who may be "in need of urgent medical attention". Hospital staff have been calling the baby Roman after the road where she was found. The child was discovered in a shopping bag in a white towel on the floor next to a park bench and had not been hidden, the Metropolitan Police said. Ovidijus Zvaliauskas, who found the baby, said it was "terrible" adding he had "no words" for the mother who abandoned the baby. He said: "My mum was walking the dog and she heard a noise coming out from the bag. "She rang me up because she was too scared to approach the bag." Mr Zvaliauskas said when he saw it was a baby inside he rang for an ambulance and the police. Officers have urged the mother to contact police, her local hospital, a GP or the London Ambulance Service (LAS). In a direct appeal to the mother, Insp Shane Clarke said: "It is really important that we know that you are safe. "I would also urge anyone who has information that could help us to reunite this baby with her mother to come forward." ||||| The warning comes after a temperature of -15.4C (4.28F) was recorded in Braemar in Aberdeenshire overnight - the lowest in Scotland since 2010. A Met Office warning for snow and ice is in place until 12:00 on Saturday. The freezing temperatures have also resulted in a number of school closures across the Highlands for a third day. The council said Bonar Bridge Nursery, Bonar Bridge Primary, Durness Primary, Gairloch Nursery, Gairloch Primary, Gledfield Primary, Gledfield Primary Nursery, Kinlochbervie High School, Kinlochbervie Primary, Poolewe Primary, Poolewe Primary Nursery, Rosehall Primary, Scourie Primary and Scourie Primary Nursery had all been shut because of the weather. Moray Council has also said Aberlour Primary, Glenlivet Primary, Knockando Primary and Tomintoul Primary schools would shut early because of adverse weather. The yellow weather warning currently covers central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Orkney and Shetland, south-west Scotland and Lothian. Drivers have been advised to charge mobile phones, and plan their journey and alternative routes, and listen to media broadcasts or visit the Traffic Scotland website. Aurora Borealis Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Stein Connolly, from Traffic Scotland, said 145 gritters had been deployed across Scotland to make the roads safer. He added: "There are some flurries of snow, mostly up the north-west of Scotland, but with temperatures last night down to -15C, we're still seeing temperatures at the moment sitting around -8C to -10C and that is right throughout the whole of Scotland." However, the crisp conditions did provide clear skies, with people across the country reporting sightings of the Aurora Borealis. Alan Tough from Elgin caught the light show on camera at Duffus Castle in Moray, while Claire Allison from Ayrshire captured the spectacle at Ayr beach. ||||| Social media will become clogged up with endless, monotonous, snow photos. Plus, if you do get a few days off school or college - you'll need to know the best way to look after your cat or dog. Here's an essential guide to prepare for the weather. How to make your Instagram snaps stand out from the crowd Colour, light and composition - those are the main things you have to remember when taking this year's snow snaps. That's according to Gideon Knight, who was named Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2016. "You need something in the foreground that stands out against the snow, something with good colours," he says. "If I saw a gull sitting a field it would be difficult, but if there's something with more colour - a robin for example - the red in its breast will stand out really well." Or, he says, you can also achieve this by changing your background. "If it's still snowing and you want to get a shot of some snowdrops, a good trick is to use something dark in the background like a holly bush. "This way the white snow shows up really well against it." Snow pics can often appear duller because your phone camera tries to over-compensate for so much whiteness. Gideon suggests using your phone to turn up the brightness or over-expose the photo, "which will give a crisp, white colour - like the one you see with your eyes". When it comes to composition, Gideon says: "One of the best rules for photography is the rule of thirds, which means you section your image up into a three-by-three grid and compose your image along the lines. "If you have something in the foreground on the right, it's often good to have something balancing it on the left of the image in the background." How to drive without skidding If you have to drive in icy conditions, there's always a risk of skidding. And while we're all taught what to do if we skid in our driving lessons, it's easy to panic and forget the essentials. Luckily, there are only three main things to remember, says Lorne Mitchener from Thruxton Motorsport Centre. Firstly, take your foot off the gas as soon as soon as you feel your car start to slide. The second thing is not to hit the brakes. "You don't want to get the car locked up and put it into a bigger slide," says Lorne. "Thirdly, work the steering," he says. "Follow the car. If the car wants to go left, turn the wheel to the left. "Pause, and the turn it back. If it doesn't work the first time, do it again. "As soon as the car's going back in the direction, you want, that's your cue - you can get back on the throttle, but gently." How to make sure your pets are safe Obviously, you need to make sure your pet has somewhere warm and dry to go after they've been playing outside in the snow. But you should also check their paws for snow - as it can harden into balls of ice between the pads. You should also remember that grit and salt on the roads can be irritable or poisonous to your pet's skin, and the RSPCA suggests washing your dog after being in the snow. But when it comes to putting a coat on your dog, the RSPCA's recommendation is that only older or ill dogs need coats. They add that you shouldn't force it on if your dog doesn't want to wear one. And your pet will use more energy to keep warm - so it's a good idea to give them a bit of extra food. A version of this article entitled: "How to take the perfect snow snap" appeared on 11 December 2017. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here. ||||| Hundreds of schools have shut, transport has been disrupted, and people have been told to prepare to change any travel plans. People whose journey to work is difficult should be aware of their rights if they want to take the day off. Do I still get paid? In most cases you are not automatically entitled to pay if you are unable to get to work because of travel disruption or bad weather. If your employer normally provides your travel to work and this has been cancelled because of the bad weather you should still be paid, according to the employment advice and conciliation service Acas. It is a good idea for employees to remind themselves of their contract. Some jobs may also have a specific clause written in, or have a collective agreement in place, which means an employer will pay staff who cannot get to work owing to circumstances beyond their control. Some employers might also make discretionary, informal arrangements. For example, they may let employees work from home, or agree that the time can be made up at a later date. Schools are shut so I have to stay at home. Will I be reprimanded? No, all employees have the right to take unpaid time off to deal with emergency situations for their children or other dependants. Lawyers suggest that a school being shut at short notice is likely to be considered an emergency. Strictly, the day would be unpaid but some employers are more forgiving. Acas advises you talk to your employer as soon as you can to explain that you need to take time off and the likely length of the absence. It says one option is that you jointly agree to take the day as annual leave so you do not miss out on pay. Does that mean I can be forced to take the day as holiday, even if I do not have children? Only with sufficient warning. The law states that you must be given a warning period of "at least" double the length of annual leave you are being asked to take. So, if your employer wants you to take one day's annual leave, for example, they would need to give you two days' notice. There is an exception - when the workplace has been closed owing to the weather. In those circumstances an employer cannot demand staff take the time as annual leave. Workers are also entitled to be paid. The employer can still ask you to work from home, or ask you to go to another workplace that is open if the business has one, according to government advice website Gov.uk. Colleagues always say we get sent home when the office gets too cold. Is that true? No. The Health and Safety Executive recommends a minimum temperature of 16C for offices where the work is deskbound and fairly sedentary. If the work requires physical effort, the minimum recommended temperature is 13C. These temperatures are not a legal requirement but your employer has a duty to provide a "reasonable" temperature in the workplace. If low temperatures make it unsafe for workers, then Acas says you should be allowed to wear warmer clothing, take extra breaks to make hot drinks and also be allowed to bring in extra heating options such as portable heaters. However, if you are vulnerable in any way, such as being pregnant, then you may be sent home to protect your health, and this would usually be on full pay. ||||| The man broke his leg and had to be helped off the mountain by Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, the RAF and the coastguard on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, dozens of schools and some roads were closed, with some crashes reported on Wednesday. A Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice has been extended until Friday. John Grisdale, a volunteer with the mountain rescue team, said the man and two friends were climbing on the Trinity Face when they were hit by an avalanche. He said the fact one of them had suffered only minor injuries was "very lucky" due to dangerous levels of fresh snow on steep faces. Mr Grisdale explained that avalanches were common in north Wales during periods of heavy snow and high wind, due to accumulations of snow becoming unstable. "Take good account of the weather - even experienced mountaineers can get in trouble if they are out when conditions are so unstable," Mr Grisdale said. More than 100 schools remained closed in Flintshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, Wrexham and Powys on Wednesday. Traffic data firm Inrix warned of "hazardous driving conditions" due to ice on the A470 between Penderyn and Hirwaun in Rhondda Cynon Taff on Wednesday evening. And Traffic Wales said conditions were "poor" along sections of the A55 near Bangor, Gwynedd. The Met Office said temperatures could plummet to -9C on Wednesday night, with a chance of freezing, patchy fog. Thursday could see increasing winds alongside outbreaks of some snow in the afternoon, while Friday will have more sleet and snow before a dry afternoon. A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place between 13:00 GMT Thursday and 21:00 on Friday. Police said they received reports of crashes on the A55 in Flintshire on Wednesday. And Gwent Police said that a car had overturned in Rhymney in Caerphilly county, but there had been "no major injuries". Driving conditions on the A55 between junctions 27 for St Asaph and 33 for Northop were particularly bad due to snow, North Wales Police said. And there were long delays on the A55 westbound at junction 35, Dobbs Hill, Flintshire, due to a crash. In Carmarthenshire, Rehoboth Road near Trimsaran closed in both directions between the B4308 Trimsaran Road to the B4309 Five Roads due to ice. BBC Wales reporter Mari Grug posted a video of her car being towed by a tractor in the deep snow in Uwch-y-Garreg, near Forge in Machynlleth. She wrote alongside the post: "The only way for some of us to get to work today." On Tuesday, snow ploughs were dispatched to the A44 near Aberystwyth and cars became trapped on the road. Schools across north Wales were also forced to close. ||||| In very bad conditions avoid driving unless essential. But if you must drive, here's how to make sure you and your car are as prepared as possible and what to do if you are caught out in bad weather. Prepare yourself Allow extra time - get up earlier to allow time to de-ice the car and allow much longer for journeys. Plan journeys around major roads, which are more likely to be cleared. Avoid shortcuts on minor roads. Wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes to drive in. Don't forget your coat, hat, gloves, sturdy boots, a blanket to keep you warm in case you do get stuck or have to leave your car. Take some food, chocolate, biscuits, water and a hot drink if you can. Always carry a fully charged mobile, and some old bits of carpet, or cat litter, to put under the tyres when stuck and a shovel to clear snow. Prepare your car Consider buying winter tyres, which offer extra grip, especially if you live in an area which regularly experiences snow. Many garages offer relatively inexpensive winter tyre fitting services, and mobile tyre fitters are also available. If you stick with standard tyres, make sure they're inflated at the right pressure and that each one has at least 3mm of tread. Car batteries run down more quickly in winter. Make sure you do a regular long journey to top it up, or use a trickle-charger to keep it performing well. Modern engines are more robust than older ones. All the same, depress the clutch when starting as this will reduce drag on the engine and preserve the battery. Keep screenwash topped up and use a proper anti-freeze at the right concentration to prevent ice forming. A squirt of WD-40 can prevent door locks freezing up. If they do, heat your key with a lighter to melt the ice. Keep your fuel tank topped up - that way if you are caught out, you'll have enough fuel to make it home or run the engine to keep warm. However, if you do get stuck, make sure snow does not block the exhaust as noxious fumes can leak into the vehicle. Driving in snow and ice Clear all snow and ice from the windscreen, windows and the roof of the car before driving off. Don't use water to de-ice windscreens - hot water can crack the glass, and the water will only freeze again on the screen or on the ground where you are standing. Use second gear to pull away, lifting the clutch gently to avoid wheel spin. Stay in a higher gear for better control as you pick up speed. Many automatic cars have a 'snow' mode feature for the gearbox, while some manufacturers suggest the manual '2' setting on an automatic to set off. Maintain the right speed for the conditions - not too fast so that you risk losing control, but not so slow that you risk losing momentum when you need it Brake, steer and accelerate as smoothly as possible. Only use the brake if you cannot steer out of trouble. Stopping distances are up to ten times greater in snow and ice. Leave even more space behind the car in front than you usually would. Drive so that you do not rely on your brakes to be able to stop. A four-wheel-drive vehicle will offer much greater traction on snow and ice, but good tyres are essential for optimal performance and drivers should still take care when braking. Most modern cars have anti-lock brakes, but in very slippery conditions they will not perform in the same way, so do not rely on them. On motorways stay in the lane clearest of snow, ice and slush. Keep within the clear tyre tracks if you can. What to do if you get stuck If you are stuck, the Institute of Advanced Motorists recommends that you turn your wheels from side to side to push the snow out of the way. Do not try to keep moving if the wheels spin - it will only dig you in deeper. Use a shovel to clear snow out of the way. Pour cat litter, sand or gravel in front of the wheels to help get traction. Shift from forward to reverse and back again. Give a light touch on the accelerator until the vehicle gets going. If you can't move your car, you can stay warm by running the engine. However, it is vital that the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow as highly toxic carbon monoxide gas could enter the car. If there is any risk the fumes can come into the car, do not run the engine. Even if it is safe, do not run the engine for more than 10 or 15 minutes in each hour. Stay in or close to your car. In heavy snow it is easy to get disorientated and lost or separated from your vehicle. If necessary, you can hang a piece of brightly coloured cloth on your car to let others know you are there. | Travel by road, rail and air has been disrupted by snow and ice, with weather warnings issued for Friday and overnight. Thousands of passengers were left "frustrated" and "disappointed" after heavy snow caused Bristol Airport to shut. Wintry weather has grounded flights, closed hundreds of schools, and caused travel chaos across the UK. A baby girl has been found abandoned in a shopping bag in a park in near freezing overnight temperatures. Police have advised drivers across much of Scotland to "travel with caution" amid treacherous conditions due to freezing temperatures. Brace yourself, we're in for another few days of snow - if the forecasts are right there'll probably be the usual mix of travel disruption and missing work or school. It may not be a return of the Beast from the East, but snow and ice is now causing considerable disruption in the UK. A climber had to be airlifted off Snowdon after he was hit by an avalanche as snow brought disruption for a second day across Wales. Driving in severe winter weather poses many challenges. Flights were affected and some schools closed on Wednesday due to snow and ice in parts of Northern Ireland. |
Ian Saunders, Wales director of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said people were buying alcohol from supermarkets and staying at home. He said tax was also a problem, comprising two-thirds of a pint's cost. Camra said in a new report that 18 pubs a week were closing in the UK, up from 12 last year. It was published ahead of a House of Commons debate on Thursday on the beer duty escalator under which beer duty is automatically increased by 2% above inflation. "I think what's happening is people are looking to buy from supermarkets and drinking at home and ignoring their local boozer," Mr Saunders, of Conwy, told BBC Radio Wales. He said beer prices were going up faster than the price of inflation so customers could not afford to go to pubs. "We need to stop the price differential between supermarkets and the pubs increasing all the time, which at the moment it is," he said. The Treasury has said the government "hugely values the economic contribution made by pubs and breweries". It says a range of tax measures that will help the alcohol industry - and pubs in particular - have been introduced, including reductions in corporation tax and employer national insurance contributions. The British Beer and Pub Association said earlier this month that around 117 million fewer pints were drunk compared with the same period a year ago. Sales of beer in pubs fell by 4.8%, with 51 million fewer pints poured, while supermarkets and off-licence sales were also down, by 6.5%. ||||| Figures from the real ale lobby group show 11 breweries opened in Wales over 12 months, with six of them in pubs. Wales spokesman Ian Saunders said: "The interest in real ale is there and people are also very mindful of purchasing local products." Last year a report showed 375 pubs closed in Wales from 2007-10. Launching the 40th edition of its Good Beer Guide, Camra revealed that Wales now boasts 52 breweries, helping to push the UK total to 1,009, the highest number for 70 years. Wales regional director Mr Saunders said the increase in people's loyalty to locally produced products such as food was starting to spill over in to what they drink, bringing an opportunity for small, local, brewers. He said: "It is a growing trend. I'm hoping that its the way forward. Although alcohol sales in pubs are declining, the real ale percentage of that is on the increase. "When I first moved to Wales, there were very local breweries and a lot of people I knew drank no real ale at all. "Since local breweries have started, people have stayed loyal to them, because they are Welsh. "Because of the interest in them, that has encouraged a few people to start their own microbreweries. "Some free houses have decided to do their own beer. That's even more local." Pubs sold off by pub chains against a background of continued closures offered opportunities for entrepreneurial landlords keen to offer a range of beers different from those of the big breweries, he said. He said: "If that is bought by a private individual, they are free to do what they want." However, lone microbreweries were unlikely to have the money to set themselves up in a pub from the outset, he said. He praised four rival breweries in north Wales who have joined forces to help reopen a pub dating back to the 1920s in Conwy. The Albion, which opened in January, is the idea of London-based Welsh businessman Arthur Ellis who bought the building last year and invited four microbreweries to sell their beers alongside each other. The new guide also features the campaign's UK pub of the year, the Bridge End Inn at Ruabon near Wrexham. The small community pub, which reopened three years ago, became the first Welsh winner of the award. In July last year, figures released by the Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign, a coalition of groups that want the smoking ban to be amended, claimed 80 of the 375 pub closures in Wales from 2007-2010 were in the north. ||||| By Gemma RyallBBC Wales News Now he says they are lucky to have seven. That number is likely to continue to dwindle after two more pubs in his Valleys community of Tonypandy closed. They were being sold at auction on Wednesday, along with 11 other pubs from around south-east Wales, including the historic Cow and Snuffers pub and The Neville in Cardiff. It reveals the "sorry state" of the pub industry for Mr Davies, who has run his pub, The Clydach Vale Hotel, for more than 20 years. "It's terrible and these are sad times for everyone," he said. "In my opinion, it all comes from the smoking ban [introduced in Wales in 2007]. We really noticed a huge difference. Our customers just stopped coming. "People in the valleys don't want a gastro pub - they want somewhere they can come and have a drink, a smoke and chat. "I'm lucky - I've just finished paying off my pub's mortgage. If I hadn't, I think we'd be closed now. Two more pubs have closed here and I know of others that are struggling. "Once these pubs are gone, they usually just become derelict and it affects everyone. People who have been meeting for years have to stay at home and for many, particularly older people, it becomes very lonely." Pubs demolished It is not just a problem in the Valleys. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, 156 pubs closed across Wales in 2009 alone. Licensed property specialists Sidney Phillips currently has around 120 freehold pubs for sale in Wales, ranging from rural watering holes to city establishments. Its latest auction included the De Winton and Ivor Hael pubs in Tonypandy, the New Broden in Porthcawl, the Blaenogwr in Nantymoel, Bridgend county, Raffles in Pontypridd and the Cow and Snuffers in Cardiff, which dates back to 1812. Only five were bought in the auction but a Sidney Phillips spokeswoman said the others would now be sold privately and a few already had offers. Iain Loe, research and information manager at the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said the worry was that many of the pubs being sold would not be re-opened again. "We're very sad when these pubs are sold as they're often not bought by someone who wants to carry on running them as pubs," he said. "In rural areas some pubs are turned into holiday homes and, in more urban areas, they could be turned into flats or other community facilities where they don't need to change the planning consent. "Of course, lots of pubs have big car parks and, as long as the pub isn't a listed building, a developer could buy it, knock it down and build lots of houses on the plot instead. There's no protection against that." He said a "combination of several factors" had led to the decline of the pub industry across the UK, including the fact that more people are not going out during the current economic downturn and, instead, buying cheap alcohol in supermarkets. He said the smoking ban had led to the more traditional punters staying at home, while high business rates, rents and overheads and the increase in excise duty were crippling many landlords. "Some pubs are diversifying to survive," said Mr Loe. "Lots do food and other ideas include integrating the local shop or post office in the pub in rural areas. The post office has also started a service where people's parcels can be dropped off at their local pub if they're not at home. "Some pubs cook meals for local schools and there's also the idea of offering discount lunchtime meals for OAPs and taking on services like meals-on-wheels." One such pub which is trying to diversify to ensure it is successful is the Creigiau Inn in Creigiau near Cardiff. Landlady Abi Osborne and her husband took over the pub three years ago. "We decided to take it on as it's my village pub and I was convinced we could turn it around and make it work," she said. Coffee machine "We cleaned it up and started doing good pub food. We have extended the hours, we serve food and do offers, such as buying two meals and a bottle of wine for £20. "We also have a quiz night and invested in a coffee machine so we now have regular groups that meet each week for coffee, including mums who often pop in before the school run. I think the smoking ban helps with things like that. "We're getting there and you've got to be committed and in it for the long haul, with the right customers and staff. But it really is essential to diversify these days." Elsewhere, The Raven Inn in Llanarmon yn Iâl, Mold, Flintshire, is also branching out, with a post office opening in the pub. The community has run the inn since August 2009 and it is manned by volunteers, with any profit made being used to fund village community projects. "The pub is a vital place for the whole community," added Mr Loe. "The way pubs are closing at such a rapid rate, we're in danger of having communities without any local facilities, just a collection of houses. That would be awful for everyone." | High taxes and cheap supermarket prices for alcohol have led to an increase in the rate at which pubs are closing, say a leading campaign group. The number of microbreweries in Wales is set to carry on rising as the pub industry deals with continued closures, says the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra). A few years ago, Rhondda landlord Colin Davies was one of about 30 members of his local pub association. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
By Catherine SmythBBC News NI The Department of Health set out its plans on Thursday. They include prioritising patient care, urgently discharging all medically fit patients and reconfiguring hospital services. There have been 32 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and three more deaths. It brings the total in Northern Ireland to 241 confirmed cases and 10 deaths. The plans follow comments from Health Minister Robin Swann on Thursday that he does not "know what the health service will look like in a week's time". On Wednesday, NI's chief medical officer briefed Stormont that there are many thousands of cases in Northern Ireland and that the virus is more widespread than statistics indicate. As a result of the outbreak, NHS resources have been redirected to treating infected patients with many procedures and appointments cancelled. The Royal College of Surgeons is now advising members that due to Covid-19 some surgeries will be treated differently to protect patients and staff, with some patients possibly being treated with antibiotics rather than surgery. On Thursday, the Department of Health's Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly outlined the health service surge plans in a letter to health trust chief executives. The letter includes more measures to concentrate resources on essential patient care as well as for all spare capacity in residential, nursing and domiciliary care to be used. Mr Pengelly said it was recognised that, in some cases, this could mean other services are temporarily reduced, as the focus is on providing essential services and helping those at risk access the best treatment. "It is therefore suggested that clinicians should begin to categorise patients into priority groups," he added. "The lowest prioritisation would be where treatment can be delayed for two to three months with no predicted negative outcome. "Urgent and emergency treatments should continue to be given top priority." The letter also addressed the provision of personal protection equipment (PPE), the supply of ventilators and other respiratory equipment, testing, and staff accommodation. It states that staff affected by the 14-day household isolation policy should be offered - on an entirely voluntary basis - the alternative option of staying in hotel accommodation while they continue to work. This should be organised locally by the trusts, it added. Earlier, Health Minister Robin Swann told Stormont's health committee that he could not give a commitment on when the health service would return to normal. Mr Swann and the chief medical officer Michael McBride joined the meeting by Skype. SDLP MLA Colin McGrath asked Mr Swann for reassurance that any service reconfiguration was “temporary” and that the health service would be “able to return to its former format". The minister told him he was being “perfectly blunt” and that “I don’t know where we’ll be". He explained that surge plans were in place, but that the health service was down to a number of procedures and elective surgeries that he would never have envisaged as health minister. "To give any sort of commitment now that we will return 100% to where we were two months ago - I can't give it. I won't give it, because I can't stand over it," Mr Swann added. Ventilators 'on their way' Northern Ireland's chief medical officer Michael McBride also spoke to the committee and confirmed that testing will be increased next week to more than 1,100 tests a day, with plans to ramp that up at a national level in the coming weeks. He said they need to ensure the quality control of testing kits obtained from the private sector. Mr Swann also told the committee there are 650 ventilators "currently on their way at this minute in time" to Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Dr Laurence Dorman, from the Royal College of General Practitioners NI, told the committee that "GPs are frightened". He added: "I am frightened, I am a father, a husband and I would not ask my GP colleagues to do something I would not do myself." Dr Dorman was speaking about Covid centres, which are being set up across Northern Ireland as a means of assessing patients who may have coronavirus. He said that the centres "are essential", would be located at "essential trust premises or out of hours" and will enable the "use of disinfecting procedures at scale". ||||| You won't be able see your family member or friends, except in very limited circumstances. And those very few visitors who are allowed must not visit if feeling unwell, especially if they have a high temperatures or a new persistent cough. Children are not allowed to visit at all. There are conditions for those who are allowed to visit. These are the only exceptions to the visiting ban allowed by the Health and Social Care Board. Paediatrics Any children admitted can be accompanied by one parent of carer at a time. Maternity You can be accompanied by one birthing partner. There will be no visits at all in ante-natal or post-natal wards. You will not be allowed to bring someone with you for a scan either. Neo-natal and paediatric intensive care One parent may visit at a time - the duration of that visit is to be agreed by the Ward Sister or Charge Nurse. Critical care areas One visitor may be allowed into adult intensive care, coronary care and high dependency units. Again, the duration of that visit is to be agreed by the Ward Sister or Charge Nurse, up to a maximum of one hour. Palliative care One visitor will be allowed with a person who is dying. The duration will be agreed in advance, normally up to an hour. Is this limited to hospitals? It is the immediate policy for all hospitals, but the Board is encouraging that it is adopted for other settings like nursing and care homes and hospices. Virtual 'visiting' The Health and Social Care Board is encouraging people to arrange virtual visiting, with video call. It says staff can help set patients up with the free wi-fi that is available on all sites. ||||| At Stormont's daily briefing, Dr McBride warned that the spread of coronavirus is a lot wider than statistics indicate. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that seven people with the virus have died in Northern Ireland. Dr McBride said there will be more deaths to come. Asked if the current lack of testing may be creating a false sense of security among the public, he said: “A test at a point in time is just that. "It may indeed reinforce behaviours that we don’t wish to see. “As we open up the Covid-19 centres, that does provide other opportunities for us to track the spread of the virus within the community, but we must prioritise those who are sick and critical care staff.” Dr McBride said the health service would have the capacity to carry out 1,000 tests a day from next week. Dr McBride said the first priority is that personal protective equipment (PPE) gets to "those staff in the front line" and re-emphasised the importance of adhering to hand hygiene and social distancing practices. "Don't look back in two weeks' time and think we should have done more," he added. Meanwhile, the NI Health and Social Care Board has appealed to retired GPs who want to help during the Covid-19 pandemic to contact them. It is part of a wider appeal announced last Friday by the Department of Health to recruit former health professionals. There will be a range of roles available to GPs, including telephone triage. The board wants retired GPs to get send their contact details to gprevalidation@hscni.net - they will then be contacted with registration information and help. 'Volunteer army' Retired doctor, Brian Patterson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra programme that "the times are such, that there are things we can possibly help with". "We've got to also recognise that we're not not in the first flush of youth and slightly more vulnerable than most," Dr Patterson said. "That said, there's a variety of roles we can do. Some are clinical roles and some are non-clinical roles. "Taking and making phone calls, the triaging; we can do a lot of work with prescriptions, we can do a lot of work with laboratory results to free up the GPs of today." Health Minister Robin Swann said the executive is pushing ahead with plans for a "volunteer army", not just for the health service, but for the wider battle against Covid-19. He said more than 30 local firms have come forward to help make ventilators, while more than 40 have volunteered to make personal protective equipment. Mr Swann also said a new mobile app will be launched to advise the public on whether they have coronavirus symptoms. Meanwhile, a new centre in Derry to assess people with suspected coronavirus will operate at the out-of-hours Western Urgent Care building at Altnagelvin Hospital. Dr Tom Black from the British Medical Association said it was hoped 13 such centres would be operating within a week. The centre at Altnagelvin Hospital will be the "middle ground" for the moderate to severe cases, Dr Black said. Another GP, Dr Nichola Herron, stressed that the building is not a coronavirus testing centre and said there were "absolutely no testing facilities" there. People have been encouraged to phone their GP as usual. They will then advise whether you should attend an assessment centre. ||||| By Reality Check teamBBC News We've been looking at some of the most widespread claims being shared online, and what the science really says. 1. Garlic Lots of posts that recommend eating garlic to prevent infection are being shared on Facebook. The WHO (World Health Organization) says that while it is "a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties", there's no evidence that eating garlic can protect people from the new coronavirus. In lots of cases, these kinds of remedies aren't harmful in themselves, as long as they aren't preventing you from following evidence-based medical advice. But they have the potential to be. The South China Morning Post reported a story of a woman who had to receive hospital treatment for a severely inflamed throat after consuming 1.5kg of raw garlic. We know, in general, that eating fruit and vegetables and drinking water can be good for staying healthy. However, there is no evidence specific foods will help fight this particular virus. 2. 'Miracle minerals' YouTuber Jordan Sather, who has many thousands of followers across different platforms, has been claiming that a "miracle mineral supplement", called MMS, can "wipe out" coronavirus. It contains chlorine dioxide - a bleaching agent. Sather and others promoted the substance even before the coronavirus outbreak, and in January he tweeted that, "not only is chlorine dioxide (aka MMS) an effective cancer cell killer, it can wipe out coronavirus too". Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned about the dangers to health of drinking MMS. Health authorities in other countries have also issued alerts about it. The FDA says it "is not aware of any research showing that these products are safe or effective for treating any illness". It warns that drinking them can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and symptoms of severe dehydration. 3. Home-made hand sanitiser There have been many reports of shortages of hand sanitiser gel, as washing your hands is one key way to prevent spread of the virus. As reports of the shortages emerged in Italy, so did recipes for home-made gel on social media. But these recipes, alleged dupes for one of the country's most popular brands, were for a disinfectant better suited for cleaning surfaces and, as scientists pointed out, not suitable for use on skin. Alcohol-based hand gels usually also contain emollients, which make them gentler on skin, on top of their 60-70% alcohol content. Professor Sally Bloomfield, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says she does not believe you could make an effective product for sanitising hands at home - even vodka only contains 40% alcohol. For cleaning surfaces, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says most common household disinfectants should be effective. 4. Drinkable silver The use of colloidal silver was promoted on US televangelist Jim Bakker's show. Colloidal silver is tiny particles of the metal suspended in liquid. A guest on the show claimed the solution kills some strains of coronavirus within 12 hours (while admitting it hadn't yet been tested on Covid-19). The idea that it could be an effective treatment for coronavirus has been widely shared on Facebook, particularly by "medical freedom" groups which are deeply suspicious of mainstream medical advice. Proponents of colloidal silver claim it can treat all kinds of health conditions, act as an antiseptic, and state it helps the immune system. There are some occasional uses of silver in healthcare, for example in bandages applied to wounds, but that doesn't mean it's effective to consume. There's clear advice from the US health authorities that there's no evidence this type of silver solution is effective for any health condition. More importantly, it could cause serious side effects including kidney damage, seizures and argyria - a condition that makes your skin turn blue. They say that, unlike iron or zinc, silver is not a metal that has any function in the human body. Some of those promoting the substance for general health on social media have found their posts now generate a pop-up warning from Facebook's fact-checking service. 5. Drinking water every 15 minutes One post, copied and pasted by multiple Facebook accounts, quotes a "Japanese doctor" who recommends drinking water every 15 minutes to flush out any virus that might have entered the mouth. A version in Arabic has been shared more than 250,000 times. Professor Trudie Lang at the University of Oxford says there is "no biological mechanism" that would support the idea that you can just wash a respiratory virus down into your stomach and kill it. Infections like coronaviruses enter the body via the respiratory tract when you breathe in. Some of them might go into your mouth, but even constantly drinking water isn't going to prevent you from catching the virus. Nonetheless, drinking water and staying hydrated is generally good medical advice. 6. Heat and avoiding ice cream There are lots of variations of the advice suggesting heat kills the virus, from recommending drinking hot water to taking hot baths, or using hairdryers. One post, copied and pasted by dozens of social media users in different countries - and falsely attributed to Unicef - claims that drinking hot water and exposure to the sun will kill the virus, and says ice cream is to be avoided. Charlotte Gornitzka, who works for Unicef on coronavirus misinformation, says: "A recent erroneous online message...purporting to be a Unicef communication appears to indicate that avoiding ice cream and other cold foods can help prevent the onset of the disease. This is, of course, wholly untrue." We know the flu virus doesn't survive well outside the body during the summer, but we don't yet know how heat impacts the new coronavirus. Trying to heat your body or expose yourself to the sun - presumably to make it inhospitable to the virus - is completely ineffective, according to Prof Bloomfield. Once the virus is in your body, there's no way of killing it - your body just has to fight it off. Outside the body, "to actively kill the virus you need temperatures of around 60 degrees [Celsius]", says Professor Bloomfield - far hotter than any bath. Washing bed linen or towels at 60C is a good idea, as this can kill any viruses in the fabric. But it's not a good option for washing your skin. And having a hot bath or drinking hot liquids won't change your actual body temperature, which remains stable unless you are already ill. Additional research by BBC Monitoring Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter | General hospital visiting will end, with very limited exceptions, according to the next stage of health service plans to deal with the Covid-19 surge. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland said on Thursday that visiting in hospitals would end, as part of plans to deal with the Covid-19 surge. There are "many thousands" of Covid-19 cases across Northern Ireland, Michael McBride, the chief medical officer, has said. Tighter restrictions have been brought in across the UK to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Social distancing remains a key part of the UK's strategy for keeping people safe and preventing the spread of Covid-19. Coronavirus is emerging in more countries around the world and there's currently no known cure. Unfortunately that hasn't stopped a slew of health advice, ranging from useless but relatively harmless, to downright dangerous. The coronavirus death toll in Northern Ireland has reached seven, health officials have confirmed. |
There were 285 killings by a knife or sharp instrument in the 12 months ending March 2018, Office for National Statistics analysis shows. The ONS says one in four (71) of all victims (285) were men aged 18-24. The figures also show 25% of victims were black - the highest proportion since data was first collected in 1997. The figures show a 45% increase in the number of victims aged 16-24 and a 23% increase in those aged 25-34. While gun crime was lower than 10 years ago, it was at its highest for a decade in four English counties - West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Cheshire. Analysis By home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw The figures on homicide do not generally vary hugely from year-to-year, which is why the steep increase in fatal stabbings to an all-time high is particularly striking. It provides further evidence that knife crime is arguably the greatest law enforcement challenge facing the Home Office, police and communities across England and Wales. Ministers have blamed much of the rise in serious violence on disputes between drug gangs. The figures provide some support for this with a slight increase in drug-related killings: 44% now compared with 40% in 2008. In the past two years, 58% of suspects and 35% of victims were dealers or users. However, drugs are unlikely to account for the entire rise in cases of murder and manslaughter which, as a proportion of population, is back to levels it was a decade ago but not as high as in the early 2000s. Homicide rates across the UK Home Office, Scottish Government, PSNI. Map built with Carto ||||| West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Cheshire police handled more incidents than in any year since 2007-08. Overall gun crime in England and Wales is lower than 10 years ago, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. More than one in five victims of firearms offences, excluding air weapons, was aged under 20. Police believe that firearms crimes in some areas are linked to "county lines", where gangs move drug-dealing operations outside big cities to smaller towns. The figures, released on Thursday, come alongside statistics showing fatal stabbings at their highest level since records began in 1946. The ONS analysis for individual police forces covers the year to the end of March 2018 and showed 6,521 firearms offences, a 2% rise and the fourth increase in a row. However, previously released national figures for England and Wales showed a decrease in firearm offences in the year to September 2018, although these are not broken down by individual force. The ONS said levels of firearm offences are "41% lower than their peak in the year ending March 2006" when there were 11,088 offences. West Yorkshire Police dealt with 481 incidents of firearms offences, a rise of 10% on the previous year and more than double the figure recorded four years earlier. Bedfordshire Police handled 106 incidents and Cambridgeshire recorded 84. Cheshire recorded 81 offences, a rise of 14% on the previous year. West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Tim Kingsman said: "We've seen a rise in the availability of firearms for use by criminals." He said police went on 896 firearms operations in 2018, equivalent to two or three a day. In Wiltshire the number of firearms offences, excluding air weapons, increased almost fourfold in one year. There were 39 firearms offences in 2017-18, up from 10 in 2016-17, but lower than 2007-08 when there were 49 offences. Wiltshire Assistant Chief Constable Gavin Williams said: "It is important to keep these figures in context - we still have one of the lowest number of firearms offences in the country. "Incidents of firearms out in our communities are very rare - these are often linked to other offences such as county line drug gangs." Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement: "Firearms offences tend to be linked to organised crime groups and will not be tolerated in Cambridgeshire. "We are reviewing this data to understand the increase, which equates to 22 offences and the total number remains well below the national average." Det Ch Insp Duncan Young of Bedfordshire Police said tackling violent crime, including the use of firearms, was a "key priority". "We recognise that this is understandably a cause for concern for our communities, and we would like to reassure them that we are working hard to combat gun crime and rid our county of dangerous weapons." Knife crime at highest level on record Violent crime rises 19% A week in the life of a murder detective 'A gun tore us apart as a family' Paul Foster died after being shot in chest in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. Almost six years on, his wife Amanda, a mother of four from Luton, said the pain of loss was something she felt every day. Mr Foster, also known as Big Shyne, was shot on the Lewsey Farm estate on 9 April 2013. "It has torn us apart as individuals and as a family," Mrs Foster said. She said she was "shocked, but not shocked" by recent rises in gun crime in Bedfordshire. "Whether it is guns or knives, young people have somehow decided that using a weapon is cool, and obviously it is not," she said. Norfolk, Suffolk saw gun offences drop more than 50% in a year, along with Dyfed-Powys. Three regions - the South West, North West and West Midlands - recorded an overall rise. The Home Office said it had provided £144m for armed policing. ||||| The Metropolitan Police said officers were committed to a "relentless pursuit of those who choose to be violent". The figures include murders, manslaughters and self-defence killings. If you cannot see the interactive click or tap here Note: Numbers may change as investigations progress and charges are brought or dropped. Overall, 57% of deaths in London were as a result of stabbings. Most killings in London involved knives BBC Research. Map built using Carto Produced by David Brown, Tom Housden, Wesley Stephenson, Thomas Mackintosh, Debie Loizou, Alexander Ivanov, Steven Connor ||||| Knife crime and robbery also increased in the 12 months to September 2017 compared with the previous year, the Office for National Statistics said. About 5.3 million crimes were recorded in all in that 12-month period, up 14%. However, the separate Crime Survey, based on people's experiences, suggests crime continues to fall. This survey, based on interviews with 35,000 households in England and Wales, includes crimes that people do not report to police. The latest police figures for the 12 months to September from 44 forces show: There were 37,443 knife crimes and 6,694 gun crime offences recorded in the year to September. The number of offences involving a knife or a sharp instrument had been falling since 2011 but started rising again over the past three years, the ONS said. This contrasts with the Crime Survey which found that most crimes either fell or were at a similar level. However the ONS says higher-harm violent offences, such as knife crime occur in relatively low volumes, and also tend to be concentrated in cities and are therefore not "well-measured" by the Crime Survey. Excluding the Hillsborough stadium deaths and last year's terror attacks from the data, 57 more people were killed or murdered than the previous year - the highest total since 2008-9. The 96 cases of manslaughter from Hillsborough stadium in 1989 were only included in crime figures in 2016, after an inquest ruled that the football fans had been unlawfully killed. Analysis: By BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw Although there's likely to be a dispute about the accuracy of the police crime figures because they hinge, to some extent, on the way forces log offences, how pro-active they are and the willingness of victims to come forward, they clearly demonstrate a rapidly rising caseload. For example, recorded sexual offences and violent crimes have more than doubled in three years. At the same time, the number of police officers has continued to fall: in the 12 months to last September, down 930 to 121,929. The Home Office says that's the lowest figure since comparable records began in 1996. That combination - rising crime, declining police numbers - is creating enormous strain for forces. But it's unclear whether the smaller police workforce is contributing to the growth in violent crime, particularly what the ONS says are the "genuine" increases in knife crime and firearm offences. There were also increases in vehicle-related theft offences, which were up 18% to 443,577, and burglary, which rose by 8% to 433,110, police data showed. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the figures were "truly shocking" and should "put an end to government complacency on crime". "The Tories are failing in a basic duty to protect the public," she added. 'Smoke and mirrors' The Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, David Jamieson, said his force had lost more than 2,000 uniformed officers since 2010 and his budget had been cut by 25%. "Any sensible person can see if you take away a quarter of the budget, you can't carry on protecting the public in the same way," he told BBC News. He anticipates having to lose a further 150 officers this year. Police Federation of England and Wales General Secretary Andy Fittes said: "The reality is there are around 21,000 fewer officers than there were in 2010 and they are having to deal with an ever-increasing number of crimes." "To say crime has fallen is smoke and mirrors," he added. He added that police officers have "numerous other roles" not covered in today's statistics - such as counter-terrorism, sex offender management, policing football matches and missing person searches. 'Redouble efforts' A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said: "The independent Office for National Statistics is clear that overall, traditional crime is continuing to fall. "It is now down by almost 40% since 2010." Policing Minister Nick Hurd also said crime had fallen but added the government was "very concerned" about the "uptick in the most serious violent crime". He said the government would "redouble efforts" to bear down on the increased through legislation and tougher police enforcement. And also to try to steer young people away from "a culture of violence". | The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales last year was the highest since records began in 1946, official figures show. Gun crime in four English counties was at its highest for a decade in 2017-18. The number of killings in London in 2018 has risen to its highest level for a decade. The number of violent crimes and sex offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen sharply over the past year, figures suggest. |
The research by the University of Liverpool found that the seabirds fed in nine areas earmarked for tidal, wind or wave power developments. Fifteen gannets were tagged and tracked by GPS for the study and further work is planned on the issue. The research was carried out with the help of the Alderney Wildlife Trust and the British Trust for Ornithology. It was funded by the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy. More trackers Viola Ross-Smith, Research Ecologist with the British Trust for Ornithology, said it was difficult to say what would happen following the publication of the research. She said: "All the study shows is that gannets are crossing areas where renewable energy developments are proposed." She added: "It's not particularly a surprise to know they visit these sites." Ms Ross-Smith said further investigations were planned, possibly involving more trackers attached to more birds. She said the latest research had been based on between three and five days' worth of tagging. Roland Gauvain, manager of the Alderney Wildlife Trust, said the results of the research were exciting. He said the study showed gannets were travelling further and further to collect food and were seen to be following fishing boats. 'Wide foraging range' He added that the impact of the research on renewable energy around Alderney could turn out to be positive or negative. Mr Gauvain said that future changes in fishing practices could have more of an effect on local sea birds. He said evidence had shown that tidal farms attracted shellfish, which in turn attracted more birds. Nicola Soames, of the University of Liverpool, said it was unclear how Alderney's gannets would deal with changes to their environment. She said: "Because they have such a wide foraging range they'll maybe have to adapt and just move to other areas." Previous research indicated there were more than 7,000 gannets in and around Alderney. ||||| On Friday Alderney Renewable Energy agreed deals to develop seabed machines around the island and for a cable link between France, Britain and the island. Mat Desforges, from Commerce and Employment's Renewable Energy Team, said Guernsey stood to gain. He said any progress made benefited all those working in the industry. Mr Desforges said: "It's good news for Alderney, it's good news for us - there's a lot of focus in Britain on solving the technical challenges the marine environment is a harsh environment." He said Alderney was looking at research and development of the technology while Guernsey, along with Sark and Jersey, was taking a different approach. Mr Desforges said: "Our plan is to have a commercial scale farm at an appropriate time, which a good few years away yet, it's difficult to put an exact time on it. "We'll watch with real interest how Alderney progresses this, at the moment it's an agreement to progress... but let's really hope it develops into something more concrete because we'll all stand to benefit in this big challenge, rather than a race." ||||| The first was for the development of tidal arrays in Alderney's waters. The second involves the development of an electricity interconnector cable between France, Alderney and Britain. Paul Clark, chief executive officer, said it was a move towards the creation off Alderney of one of Europe's largest tidal stream developments. Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) was set up in 2004 and holds an exclusive licence to commercially develop tidal and wave power around the coast of the northern most of the Channel Islands. The first agreement was signed with French industrial group DCNS and the second with ARE, its partner Transmission Capital and the French grid operator RTE. ARE said the electricity interconnector cable between France, Alderney and Britain would enable the export of up to four gigawatts of tidal power from Alderney. It said the cable, known as the FABLink, could also be used as a power trading link between the two countries. The agreements were signed at the Anglo-French summit held in Paris, with the French Industry Minister Eric Besson and the UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey signing on the behalf of their governments. Mr Davey said: "We are determined to promote the potential of marine energies. We welcome the plan for a tidal turbine farm off Alderney in the Channel Islands." He said: "We believe this project could encourage the emergence of industrial co-operation between France and the UK, while opening up new international prospects. "We acknowledge the importance of developing new electricity interconnectors between our two countries in order to strengthen further the linking of our grids, improve the security of our energy supplies and facilitate the integration of intermittent energy sources." ||||| Global Positioning System (GPS) tags were attached to the tail feathers of 23 gannets breeding on Les Etacs rock, just off the island's west coast. They revealed one bird making a 340km (211m) round-trip and others making two journeys to England within three days. Les Etacs is home to 2% of the world's population of northern gannets. The research project is being run by Liverpool University with the support of the Alderney Wildlife Trust (AWT) and the British Trust for Ornithology. Roland Gauvain, AWT's manager, said: "We're learning a lot of new information by doing this. "You can't tell these details unless you're prepared to get in a boat and chase gannets," he said. "It's not practical. People don't do it." Mr Gauvain said the birds were "going over to the UK, fishing and resting on the water overnight and then returning the following day while the partner probably goes out and feeds". 'Remote locations' The tags were placed on the birds' tail feathers rather than the legs so as not to interfere with their ability to dive for fish at high speed. They were attached to 23 birds on 6 June and after three days researchers were able to retrieve 17. A similar study has been conducted on breeding gannets at Les Sept Iles off Brittany. Results from these projects have revealed that the two populations' routes do not overlap. Mr Gauvain said: "The Channel Island colony is really concentrating on the Channel Islands and across to the English coastline due north of us, whereas the French colony is concentrating out towards the Atlantic and the middle of the Channel and further along the English coast." He said Les Etacs had been an ideal place to conduct the research, as it lies just a few hundred metres from Alderney and is therefore more accessible to researchers. "Being that close to a mainland site is very unusual. Gannets like remote locations... so predators such as humans and rats can't access them." Les Etacs is protected by a strong current known locally as The Race and is home to more than 7,000 breeding pairs. The project was funded by the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy, which is hoping the birds' behaviour will reveal more about the movements of fish populations in the Channel. "They're feeding over large areas and not just in areas that might be developed for marine renewables by Alderney but also by Guernsey, Jersey, France and Britain," Mr Gauvain said. The AWT hopes to conduct a further three-year research project at the Alderney gannetry in 2012 and the information gathered is likely to inform the designation of any Marine Protected Areas in the region. | Alderney's population of gannets could be adversely affected by renewable energy developments, a study has found. Deals signed by Alderney with the UK and France are a win for all the Channel Islands, according to a member of Guernsey's renewable energy team. Two agreements have been signed aimed at creating one of the most significant tidal power sites in Europe, Alderney Renewable Energy has announced. Research into the feeding habits of Alderney's gannets has revealed they make frequent, long-distance journeys around the Channel in search of food. Gannets on Alderney's Les Etac rock have been electronically tagged as part of a wildlife survey in the Channel Islands. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
The Tour's Grand Depart takes place in Yorkshire on 5 and 6 July before the race moves to Cambridge and London. The roles of the volunteer Tour Makers will be similar to those of the Games Makers at the London Olympics. Over 20,000 people volunteered for the Yorkshire stages alone, tourist organisation Welcome to Yorkshire said. 'Atmosphere and buzz' Gary Verity, Welcome to Yorkshire's chief executive, said the response to the call for Tour Makers had been "unbelievable". "Whatever role a Tour Maker plays and wherever that is, they can say for years to come, 'I was there and I helped make it happen'," he added. Volunteers' roles will include directing spectators to the race from railway and bus stations and acting as marshals along the race route. They will also be expected to ensure the safety of riders by indicating hazards and obstacles as well as helping pedestrians to safely cross the race route. Vijay Dayalji, 28, from Bradford, said being chosen was "amazing". "I'm looking forward to meeting people, seeing the riders zoom past and being part of the atmosphere and the buzz." ||||| By Matt SlaterBBC Yorkshire Tour de France correspondent An internal review has looked at the contract to provide barriers, communications, first aid and other aspects of the major public event. The document recommends Manchester-based WRG should be given the contract. But the company's bid is priced at £4.5m - an increase of £2.3m on the amount in the original budget. World's biggest "The estimate did not fully understand the scope of the event and therefore the quantity of resources has significantly increased," the report states. "It did not take into account the requirement to transport resources around Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Rochdale, and due to the distances and rural locations involved the rates have increased." The 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart starts in Leeds on 5 July with a stage that runs to Harrogate. The second leg sees the race move from York to Sheffield on 6 July, before the entourage moves south to Cambridge, Essex and London the following day. The report was prepared by Leeds City Council and TdF Hub 2014 Ltd, the company set up to coordinate the organisation of the opening three days of the world's biggest bike race. It has a total budget of £27m, which has come from the various local authorities in Yorkshire, Transport for London and central government, via the Department for Media, Culture and Sport. Leeds City Council's contribution is £3.6m. TdF Hub is chaired by former Rugby Football League boss Sir Rodney Walker, who told the BBC he could "absolutely guarantee" the total amount of the WRG contract would not be £4.5m, as it was a worst-case scenario figure and savings had already been identified. "We're confident we're going to deliver not only the largest event Yorkshire has ever staged, but we're going to deliver it on budget," he said. "This is a free event that could attract three million people for the two Yorkshire stages alone - I challenge you to find better value for money than that." Uncomfortable revelation Organisers for the event have stressed that the report, which is on the Leeds City Council website, is simply part of the procurement process and an example of transparent government. They are also at pains to point out the £27m budget includes £2m of contingency funding for exactly this type of possible overspend. The report itself suggests almost £1m can be saved in 'value engineering' - asking each authority to reassess its needs in terms of barriers, signage, temporary toilets and so on - while a further £120,000 could come from the local authorities in Barnsley, Derbyshire and Rochdale, which so far have not contributed. WRG's initial quote of £5.4m has already been reduced by £900,000. But the admission that the initial estimate "did not fully understand the scope of the event" or "take into account the distances involved" is an uncomfortable revelation for organisers, coming as it does on the same day TdF Hub has released its own upbeat assessment of readiness for the event. In the second of three planned updates, TdF Hub says planning for staging what is often described as the world's largest annual sports event is on schedule. It also says Yorkshire is well placed to gain the majority of economic benefits from the Grand Depart that should total more than £100m. Helen Grant, Sport and Tourism Minister, said: "The government is right behind the Tour de France in the UK and is investing up to £10m to help stage the biggest road race in the world. "I am sure spectators will come out in force to watch the action and I am pleased plans are on track to deliver a fantastic Yorkshire Grand Depart and third stage from Cambridge to London." ||||| The first stage, the Grand Départ, is from Leeds to Harrogate on 5 July. The second stage is from York to Sheffield the day after. Today is the last day to volunteer to help in the Yorkshire stages. Tourist board Welcome to Yorkshire said only 10,000 volunteers were needed, but enthusiasm had exceeded expectations. Peter Dodd, director of Welcome to Yorkshire, said the volunteers would have a similar role to the London 2012 Olympic Games Makers. "The tour Makers will welcome people to Yorkshire," he said. "They'll be on hand at key public locations, transportation sites and spectator venues." 'Stunning route' Ollie Shaw from North Yorkshire was one of the first to volunteer. He has cycled part of the first stage from York to Ripon, which takes in the Yorkshire Dales. "It's a stunning route, it'll be distracting to cyclists to look at the scenery," Mr Shaw said. "I've watched the Tour for the last 20 years and visited France to watch it last year. I'm also a proud Yorkshireman so I want people who come next year to think, 'Wow, what a place'." Stage one of the Tour de France The Leeds to Harrogate leg of the race is to start on the Headrow in Leeds and will head north out of the city north towards Harewood through Skipton, Hawes, Leyburn and Ripon - a distance of 118 miles (190 km). See map The second stage travels from York through Keighley, Hebden Bridge, Huddersfield and High Bradfield before arriving at Sheffield Arena 124 miles (200 km) later. See map The race will continue from Cambridge to London on Monday 7, prior to the French stages from 8 until 27 July. Welcome to Yorkshire said 50 road signs were planned along stage one from Leeds to Harrogate, so people could follow the route "for years to come". The last time the race was in the UK was 2007, when it started in London. ||||| Tourism authority Welcome to Yorkshire said the volunteers, called Le Tour Makers, would line the route of the Grand Depart, which will be announced on Thursday. Leeds will host the start of the race on 5 July 2014. The event will spend two days in Yorkshire. Former Leeds Mayor Keith Loudon said it was a "once in a lifetime opportunity". 'Spectacular' Cyclist Peter Addison-Child, from Farsley in Leeds, is one of the thousands who have applied to help. He said: "If it's standing by the roadside just keeping things clear... I don't mind. "The Tour's a massive event in Europe and now we're going to see in this country how big it is as well." Welcome to Yorkshire described the level of interest as a "brilliant response". Mark Cavendish, who in 2011 became the first British rider in the history of the Tour to win the green jersey for the best sprinter, said he had backed Yorkshire's bid. "To be able to race the biggest bike race in the world in your home country is pretty spectacular. "My mother was born in Harrogate so I've been there many times, I've ridden my bike there and it's a great place to ride a bike." ||||| Tourist authority Welcome to Yorkshire (WtY) said the idea was based on the 70,000 "Games Makers" who helped run the London Olympics. WtY chief executive Gary Verity said that 2,500 people had already volunteered via their website. Leeds will host the start of the race, the Grand Départ, on 5 July 2014. The event will spend two days in Yorkshire. Mr Verity said he hoped the volunteers, called Le Tour Makers, would line the route as the race made its way through Yorkshire. He added: "We need several thousand marshals to help the Grand Départ go smoothly and welcome the millions of visitors who will come to Yorkshire." WtY claimed the event would be worth well over £100m to the Yorkshire economy. ||||| The 7 July stage begins on Gonville Place and takes riders past King's College and villages south of the city. The race enters Essex near Saffron Walden taking in Chelmsford and Epping Forest before heading to London. The UK part of the race starts in Leeds on 5 July and ends in London on 7 July. After starting out near Parker's Piece in the centre of Cambridge, the peloton will ride through Regent Street and Sidney Street and past St Johns, Trinity and King's colleges before leaving Cambridge via Trumpington Road. 'British icons' Riders will then travel along the A1301 through a number of villages including Trumpington, Great Shelford and Hinxton. Councillor Tim Bick, leader of Cambridge City Council, said: "It's with real pride that the cycling capital of the UK will welcome the world's elite sporting cyclists. "The route will enable local people to see the peloton - including our British icons - in both intimate and grand settings as it snakes through the city." Once in Essex, the riders will take in parts of Uttlesford, Braintree, Chelmsford and Epping Forest. Councillor Ann Naylor, from Essex County Council, said: "We're delighted to be able to say 'bienvenue' from Essex to a global audience of up to 3.5 billion people next July. " Councils will release details of road closures and diversions nearer the time. | A 12,000-strong force of volunteers has been selected to help out during the UK stages of the Tour de France in July, race organisers have announced. The organisers of the Tour de France's launch in England this summer have underestimated the potential cost of the event by £2.3m, a report claims. More than 20,000 people have volunteered for Yorkshire's leg of the Tour de France in July - double the number needed. Nearly 8,000 people have now signed up to help out on the Yorkshire leg of the Tour de France in 2014. Thousands of volunteers are being recruited to help out on the Yorkshire leg of the Tour de France in 2014. The historic colleges of Cambridge, the "cycle capital of the UK", will form the backdrop for riders on the third stage of the 2014 Tour de France next year, organisers have revealed. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
The changes have been dubbed the most radical in the history of the health service - and have certainly proved controversial. At one point, the overhaul threatened to tear apart the coalition and ministers had to take the unprecedented step of halting the progression of legislation through parliament after criticism from MPs and health unions. The bill underpinning the changes gained Royal Assent in March 2012 and after a year of planning the changes are finally taking place. ||||| Primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are being scrapped and replaced by the NHS Commissioning Board and 211 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Along with councils, which are getting responsibility for public health, they will determine what services are provided. Constructed around these organisations is a complex infrastructure designed to ensure the NHS is properly accountable, coordinated and regulated. There are two main regulators - the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Monitor. The CQC will be in charge of ensuring services meet the required quality standards, while Monitor will be more focused on finance and competition. And each local authority area will have its own Healthwatch body representing patients. Meanwhile, councils have had to set up health and wellbeing boards that include representatives from CCGs, hospitals and patient groups as well as councillors. They have the job of ensuring services are integrated and co-ordinated across the NHS, social care and public health sectors. There are also strict rules regarding CCGs. They will need to have a written constitution and a governing body, composed of a nurse, lay people and a hospital specialist. And the NHS Commissioning Board has a series of regional offices (to provide oversight on the ground) and strategic networks (to provide expert advice to CCGs in areas such as dementia, heart disease and cancer). | The government's NHS shake-up in England comes into force on 1 April. The entire infrastructure of the NHS in England is being revamped on 1 April. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
By Jennifer HarbyBBC News "It was tragic, what happened to us. We were hit and sunk in half an hour. We didn't have long enough to get off." Chris Howe suffered 27% burns when three Argentine bombs hit his ship. Two exploded. Among the dead were Mr Howe's close colleagues - one of them a teenager of just 18. "Seventeen men died in the ship, one died from drowning and the ship's first lieutenant died while leaving the vessel," he said. Mr Howe was 25 years old and had 10 years' service to his name when The Falklands War broke out. He had grown up in the Navy, having joined as a teenager straight from school. The conflict loomed suddenly for those aboard the Coventry. Three hundred crew members on the UK warship were completing training exercises in the Mediterranean and on Gibraltar, expecting to go home for Easter, when war was declared on 2 April. "It was a war we weren't prepared for," Mr Howe said. "We were training to fight against the Soviets." Indeed, the Coventry's captain - David Hart Dyke, the father of comedian Miranda Hart - was socialising with one of the Argentine captains just a few weeks before war broke out. Throughout their two-week journey across the South Atlantic, Mr Howe and the rest of the crew believed the conflict would be resolved by politicians. Nevertheless, morale was high when the Coventry reached the total exclusion zone - the first British ship to do so. A senior Petty Officer electronic warfare specialist and intelligence officer within the operations department, Mr Howe's focus was on compiling information about an enemy on which the British forces were poorly briefed. The walls of his office filled with maps and charts, he researched what craft and weapons the Argentines had available. As hostilities began, the crew's battle training kicked in. Mr Howe believes the average age of those on board the the Type 42 Destroyer was about 25. Some were teenagers, others were men in their 40s with wives and children. He himself had a wife and two sons, aged four and 10 months, watching anxiously for news from their quarters in Gosport, Hampshire. On 5 May, the Coventry's fellow destroyer HMS Sheffield was sunk. "We could see it smoking on the horizon," Mr Howe said. "Once the Sheffield was hit, we knew this was serious. That really did make us feel very vulnerable - who would be next?" The Coventry was highly effective for the first few weeks of the war, taking out seven enemy planes. It was protected by a fleet of Sea Harriers, as well as its on-board guns. However, on 25 May the Harriers were otherwise engaged. "It was the Argentinean National Day so we knew we were going to be targeted," Mr Howe said. "It was a lovely day - unfortunately. The enemy had very good visuals." The Coventry's radars were not able to detect planes flying over land accurately. There were just eight miles between the ship's position and Pebble Island and, as the Argentine Skyhawks - flying at up to 500mph - became visible, the crew had about 30 seconds to respond. Three bombs hit the ship and two exploded. Mr Howe was in the operations room and was knocked unconscious by the blast. "When I came round, my left arm was on fire and I had to use my hand to put it out," he said. "I was trapped in some wires and I had little or no clothing - it had all been burnt off. One of my shipmates helped me out." The ship had already turned 45 degrees and the remaining crew were scrambling to get off. Mr Howe met the captain, who gave him a jersey to wear, and they slid down the side of the ship into the water. "I was in a lot of pain and shock," he said. "But I was a good swimmer and I made it to a life raft. The crew didn't recognise me I was so badly burned." Mr Howe was airlifted for treatment on board the SS Uganda, a hospital ship. "I lost all the skin off my back and I had drips in both arms. My face was badly burned and I was blind for a couple of days," he said. "They said I looked like a Hammer Horror movie." Back at home, Mr Howe's wife learned his condition was critical. "She had a worrying 24 hours but I did make it," he said. After six weeks he returned home and, over time, the traces of his injuries have faded. "I was quite a mess but it's healed very nicely," he said. "I still have a load of scaring but I lead a normal life." Mr Howe went on to serve in the Navy for 26 years, making warrant officer and was even appointed an MBE. He now lives Helpringham, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire but travels to Coventry each year for the anniversary of the sinking. And it is in Coventry, at Holy Trinity Church, in the heart of the city, that a memorial plaque bears the names of the 19 men lost in the ship's destruction. In this ancient place some of the survivors of the ship that bore the city's name gather to pay their respects to the dead. Mr Howe chairs the HMS Coventry Association and is among those present for an annual service held in the church, where a wreath is laid and the association's standard is paraded. Some of the names on the memorial were men who were known personally to him. "Below the operations room was the computer room and sadly all of the men in there died," he said. "I also lost two of my own guys. One of them was only 18." October will see Mr Howe and some of his former shipmates take a special trip to the Falklands to hold a memorial service over the site of the sunken ship. For many, it will be the first time they have journeyed to the area since the tragedy. "It will be a unique pilgrimage for most of us - an emotional but important one," he said. He feels fortunate that, for him, the mental scars lasted only a few months. "Some of the guys can't talk about that night," he said. "A few of them will never talk about it but every year you get somebody new who wants to. I sit and listen to them and try to help." ||||| I'm following a crunching gravel path leading up over a headland. To one side stretches a sweeping curve of white sand, backed by tussocky dunes, the coarse grass mixed with a low-growing plant bearing tartly sweet red berries that the locals call diddle-dee. But it's the sound that startles. Overlaying the booming ocean is a comical honking noise coming from thousands of Magellanic penguins. One, guarding its burrow beside the path, stretches its neck up at me, then lets out an ear-splitting, wing-waggling bray of displeasure. I can see why these penguins are known locally as jackasses. The beach, also dotted with waddling clusters of Gentoo penguins, looks tempting, but between me and the birds stretches a barbed-wire fence marked with signs warning of danger. This is Yorke Bay, just outside Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands. Once a popular leisure beach, it was here, at 04:30 on the morning of 2 April 1982, that Argentine naval commandos landed, marking the start of a full-scale invasion. By the time British forces retook Stanley 74 days later, 907 people had lost their lives, most of them Argentine conscripts. During the occupation, one of the Argentine military's first actions was to lay tens of thousands of land mines across the uncultivated countryside to slow a British counter-attack - especially a seaborne attack via the beaches around Stanley, including Yorke Bay. Fortunately, the landmines aren't a problem for the penguins - at least, not the little Magellanics and Gentoos of Yorke Bay. "They don't seem to be heavy enough to set them off," says Esther Bertram, chief executive officer of Falklands Conservation. Behind their fences, shielded from human encroachment, the penguins have had decades of peace and quiet in their minefield. Native flora has regrown around them. "Natural systems have returned to not quite a pristine state, but a state where you've reached climax communities in certain parts," says Paul Brickle, director of the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute. "The mines are horrible things, and very difficult to remove - you essentially have to get on your hands and knees to do that, remove bits of earth and dunes, and disrupt the ecosystem. There's a bit of a trade-off in thinking: what are the benefits of having them removed?" he asks. Initially at least, not everyone in the islands' tiny, close-knit population of 3,000 was supportive. "Falkland Islanders weren't enthused by the idea, to put it bluntly," says Barry Elsby, a member of the Falklands Legislative Assembly. "We would rather have left the minefields as they were. They are all clearly marked, clearly fenced. No civilian has ever been injured. We said to the British government, 'Don't spend the money here, go to some other country where they have a much greater need to free up farming land.'" "Unfortunately," Elsby adds, "the British government have signed up to the Ottawa convention, which puts a duty on them to do this." The 1997 Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty compels signatories - which include the UK - to clear minefields in territory under their control. So whatever the locals - and the penguins - thought, the mines had to go. Since 2009 the British government has spent tens of millions of pounds on mine-clearance in the Falklands. Guy Marot of the Falkland Islands Demining Programme Office oversees a team of largely Zimbabwean operatives, highly valued for their long experience of demining in their home country and further afield. He takes me out to one of the clearance sites. In a setting of wide open moorland, battling gales and driving rain, demining specialist Innocent Mudzamiri, fully kitted out with protective clothing and visor, explains how he approaches his job, lying prone in the boggy peat, painstakingly clearing dirt from around devices that could blow up in his face. "It's just caution. You have to do it gently, so that you don't disturb the mine," he says. "Your mind must be free - no thinking of home, or thinking whatever, but just concentrate." So far, Mudzamiri and his colleagues have cleared more than seven million square metres of mostly rough countryside. But now, Phase 5 of the demining programme is seeing sensitive sites of environmental concern, such as Yorke Bay, come up for clearance. The Falkland Islands Government is part of the way through drawing up an environmental impact assessment, examining the risks and benefits from demining wildlife-rich sites. Find out more Yorke Bay is particularly difficult, since in 1982 mines were placed on top of the sand dunes, but, over 35 years, the dunes have changed shape and shifted with the wind. Even with the detailed charts handed over by Argentina to the UK after the war, it's impossible now to know where the mines might be - they could have drifted far from their original position or become buried deep below the surface. The deminers are facing having to dig up the entire beach, perhaps with armoured machinery, and sift it all. The idea is to do that during the winter, while the penguins are out at sea. But their habitat, and the wider ecosystem, could be entirely destroyed. Another potential hazard is tourism, a key driver of the Falklands economy. About 50,000 people visit the islands annually, most of them day-trippers from cruise ships plying the waters around South America and Antarctica. Each time a cruise ship docks, hundreds of passengers at a time come ashore to see the wildlife. If Yorke Bay is reopened, its easy-to-reach location - barely 10 minutes' drive from Stanley - could make it a magnet for tourist traffic. Another source of worry comes from the locals. Most beaches in the Falklands are on private land. But Yorke Bay is publicly owned - and opening it up could revive its pre-war status as one of Stanley's most popular getaways. There are already concerns about quad-biking and livestock grazing on public land outside the Yorke Bay fences. Whether the rejuvenated land within the minefield could be protected when the fences come down remains uncertain. In 2010 Marot oversaw the clearance of Surf Bay, another beach near Stanley, which held 1,800 mines. Today, as locals ramble over dunes and on to its sandy beach to walk their dogs, it's hard to discern the damage that was done. "The re-establishment is remarkable," says Marot. "The processes used at the time included blowing up the anti-tank mines in situ. The holes here were 10m deep in some places - this was a moonscape. But then we put all the sand back on top, and tried to do it in a way that would allow nature to eventually recover completely, which is what you see now." So the Falklands is facing a head-on clash between the obligation to clear mines and the imperative for environmental conservation. Meanwhile the honking jackasses behind the Yorke Bay fences are thriving, ironically because of one of the worst things humanity can do - start a war. @matthewteller Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. ||||| Nineteen sailors were killed and a further 30 injured when the Type 42 destroyer took a direct hit during the Falklands War on 25 May 1982. As the ship sank in just 20 minutes, it took with it many documents and equipment which were of "importance to the security of the United Kingdom", said Clive Gale. He was part of a 39-strong Royal Navy team which carried out a number of dives on sunken ships, including HMS Coventry, over a four-month period beginning in the autumn of 1982. Recalling the HMS Coventry search, he said: "We were very conscious that we were diving on a war grave and the casualties that went down with the ship. "We actually visited their grave and that stays with you." Carrying out Operation Blackleg was a physically demanding and dangerous mission for those involved, with some dives lasting for up to eight hours. "We were 8,000 miles from any kind of rescue facility," Mr Gale added. "There was still hostilities with Argentina and to cap it all there was a 500lb (227kg) unexploded bomb in the wreck somewhere. "The whole mission was fraught with near misses. "Cutting into a steel structure underwater traps oxygen and if you hit it with a spark it explodes quite violently. "One chap lost the front plate out of his helmet and nearly drowned. "I was knocked unconscious and had to be pulled back into the bell by a colleague of mine." Mr Gale admits the mission, 300ft (91m) under the ocean's surface, was to "recover or destroy certain items". But some things brought back from HMS Coventry, like the cross of nails, were not on the official list. "I took off the big brass plaque while somebody else recovered the bell and the cross of nails was found," he continued. "All these things that were really personal to the ship's company were then presented to Coventry Cathedral after we'd finished the job." | Petty Officer Chris Howe was on board HMS Coventry on 25 May 1982, the night it was sunk during the Falklands War with the loss of 19 crew. He suffered the worst physical injuries of any surviving member and tells BBC News what he remembers of those last moments on board. The minefields laid in the Falkland Islands were intended to kill or maim British soldiers, but over the last 35 years they have become de facto nature reserves for penguins. For better or worse, however, the time has now come for their home to be demined, reports Matthew Teller. A naval diver who searched the wreck of HMS Coventry after it was sunk during the Falklands has described how he was told to ensure secret information from the ship did not get into the wrong hands. around the world and the unique human stories behind current events, we've got the best of our journalism in one place. |
Madame Koo, House of Smith and Florita's, on Collingwood Street, and The Empress, at The Side, were issued with 48-hour closure notices on Monday. South Tyneside Magistrates' Court has now ruled that The Empress should be shut for 14 days. A decision on the Collingwood Street bars will be made on 28 December. Northumbria Police said: "The decision to pursue these orders was not taken lightly, but when we receive intelligence that drugs are being supplied in pubs, bars and nightclubs we have to take action." Eleven people who were arrested on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs have now been bailed pending further enquiries. Related Internet Links Northumbria Police ||||| Madame Koo, House of Smith and Florita's, on Collingwood Street, and The Empress, at nearby The Side, were issued with 48-hour closure notices on Monday. An application for three-month closure orders will be heard at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. Eleven people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Related Internet Links Northumbria Police | Four bars in Newcastle city centre closed by police amid drug dealing concerns will not be able to re-open until after Christmas. Four bars in Newcastle city centre have been closed amid drug dealing concerns. |
The 9ft (2.75m) statue has been given to the city council to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi's birth. In an open letter, the students demanded the council acknowledges his "vile comments" and issues an apology. A council spokeswoman said the statue was intended "to spread a message of peace, love and harmony". The letter - which refers to the social media hashtag #GandhiMustFall - stated the anti-colonialist had referred to Africans as "savages", "uncivilised" and "dirty", comments which were "well documented throughout his earlier correspondence and writings". It added Gandhi was being "used as a propaganda tool... by the current Indian government", adding: "We demand that Manchester City Council refuse to be complicit in this, especially given the city's history of anti-racist action." It also demanded the council "redistribute" any funds used to "instead commemorate a black anti-racist activist with connections to Manchester, such as Olive Morris or Steve Biko". Was Mahatma Gandhi racist? He was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to an elite family in India in 1869 and moved to South Africa in 1893, where he was struck by the ill treatment of Indian immigrants. Biographer and grandson Rajmohan Gandhi said he was undoubtedly "at times ignorant and prejudiced about South Africa's blacks", but the "imperfect Gandhi was more radical and progressive than most contemporary compatriots". Other authors have argued over his legacy in recent times - Ramachandra Guha wrote that "to speak of comprehensive equality for coloured people was premature in early 20th Century South Africa", while Ashwin Desai describes him as a man who "supported more taxes on impoverished African people and turned a blind eye to the brutality of the Empire on Africans". BBC News' Soutik Biswas: Was Mahatma Gandhi a racist? An authority spokeswoman said there would be "no cost to the council for the statue", which went through the "necessary planning process" in August without objection. It is currently in storage ahead of a planned unveiling in Manchester next month. She said that while the council was "aware there is some debate about Gandhi's life", most people would see the statue, which was given to the city by the Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD), "in the context in which it was intended - to spread a message of peace, love and harmony". A spokesman for the SRMD said it was "non-political and is not aligned with any national government". The organisation welcomed "a searching public discussion of the past [but] it is misleading to fixate on comments made in Gandhi's early life", he said. "Gandhi inspired African leaders, including Nelson Mandela, [and] this call is an extreme and limited interpretation [of him]. "Mahatma Gandhi is a citizen of the world and an icon of peace. The Manchester statue will celebrate the universal power of his message." The group behind the letter has been approached for comment. ||||| Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent But Gandhi was hardly a foe of the West. He counted three white men - Henry Salt, John Ruskin and Leo Tolstoy - as his mentors, wept when London was bombed during World War Two, and even hired Indians to fight in World War One. He also spent nearly two decades - 1893 to 1914 - of his formative years in a foreign land - South Africa - where much of his time was spent as a lawyer and an activist. Gandhi arrived in a deeply divided and inequitable South Africa, carved up into separate colonies, ruled by British expatriates and Afrikaners of Dutch descent. It was populated also by native Africans and Indian indentured labourers and professionals. In this "strange scenario", writes historian and author Ramachandra Guha, Gandhi acquired, honed and practised his four major callings - freedom fighter, social reformer, religious pluralist and prophet. He led protests against racial laws, reached out to different communities, forged friendships with dissident Jews and Christians and mobilised expatriate traders. Guha has recently published Gandhi Before India, his magisterial new book on how South Africa changed the "earnest naive lawyer" to a "smart, sagacious and focused thinker-activist". I spoke to him on how much Gandhi remained relevant in today's world: You write Gandhi's ideas have survived. Can you give us some recent examples? In India, the most important and influential of Gandhi's ideas is one we affirm everyday without recognising it comes from him - our constitutional commitment to linguistic pluralism and diversity. That we are not (or not yet) a Hindu Pakistan is also owed in some part to his legacy. It is true that in their practice many politicians repudiate Gandhi. Yet outside politics, in the sphere of social activism for example, he remains an inspiration. The work of [social activists like] Ela Bhatt and Sewa or of Abhay and Rani Bang, is moderately well known; there are hundreds of such individuals and groups, who work away from the public gaze, in the fields of rural health care, women's empowerment, environmental restoration, all inspired in lesser or greater degree by Gandhi. But if Gandhi's ideas have indeed survived, are they relevant in today's age? If so, how? In my view, four aspects of Gandhi's legacy remain relevant, not just to India, but to the world. First, non-violent resistance to unjust laws and/or authoritarian governments. Second, the promotion of inter-faith understanding and religious tolerance. Third, an economic model that does not rape or pillage nature. Fourth, courtesy in public debate and transparency in one's public dealings. A curious testimony to Gandhi's continuing relevance is the continuing vehemence of the attacks on him by radicals of left and right. Hindutvawadis [hardline Hindus] detest him - as some of the commentary on blogs and Twitter reveals. So do the Indian Maoists. The British Marxist writer Perry Anderson, who in a 50-year-long career never previously showed any interest in India, has just penned a venomous attack on Gandhi - whose continuing worldwide influence he apparently cannot fathom (and certainly cannot understand). How do you explain his glaring inconsistencies - saint and consummate politician, foe of the West and lack of bitterness against the ruling race, Hindu patriarch and upholder of human rights, practitioner of non-violence who hired Indians to serve in World War One? Or was he simply a confused man? Gandhi lived a long life, wrote a great deal, and was actively involved in politics and social action for more than five decades. It is therefore easy to quote Gandhi against himself (as it is with other prolific writers such as Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw). On such matters as caste and gender equality, he gradually evolved, shedding conservative views for more progressive ones. That said, there remain intellectual inconsistencies to be explained and personal fads (of diet, celibacy, etc) to be analysed - and Gandhi Before India and its sequel (still in the making) seek to do just that. Do you think if Gandhi did not move out of the "conservative, static world" of his birthplace into a country still in the process of being made, he would not have become the great leader that he eventually did? If Gandhi had succeeded as a lawyer in Rajkot or Bombay, we would not be having this conversation. Had he lived in India, his clients would have been middle-class Hindus, and mostly Gujaratis at that. He was saved from professional failure (and conservative habits and views) by the invitation from South Africa. There, since his clients faced social discrimination from the white racist regime, he also began a parallel career as an activist. Ironically, it was only in the diaspora that he came to appreciate the linguistic and religious heterogeneity of his own homeland. Gandhi became a thinker and leader rather than a mere professional in South Africa; and it was here that he became more truly Indian as well. You describe Gandhi's South African campaigns as an early example of "diasporic nationalism". Do you think diasporic nationalism has become rather controversial now as it is often identified with right-wing Indian nationalism? The Indians in South Africa came from a variety of class backgrounds. The struggles Gandhi led a hundred years ago first drew support from merchants, but later it was workers and hawkers who sustained it. On the other hand, the Indian diaspora you refer to, based in the United States, is middle and upper class. And a solid source of support for Hindutva (Hinduness). It is not clear whether economic privilege explains political reaction, however, or whether there are more complex psychological processes at work here. You say Gandhi returned to India in 1915 fully formed and primed to carry out his different callings on a wider social and historical scale. At the same time, you say Gandhi around that time was essentially a community leader, who represented the interests of about 100,000 Indians in South Africa. So how did Gandhi transcend this? Gandhi never intended to permanently stay overseas. He came back in 1901 to try afresh at the Bombay Bar. Going back to South Africa a year later, he still hoped that when the rights of Indians in the Transvaal were secured he could return home. In the event he stayed on till 1914, but for some time prior to that, had been urged by his closest friend Pranjivan Mehta to make a political career in India. In retrospect, perhaps he (and we) were lucky that he stayed on as long as he did, since it allowed him to develop his social and political ideas, and emerge as an independent leader in his own right. ||||| Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent But was India's greatest leader also a racist? The authors of a controversial new book on Gandhi's life and work in South Africa certainly believe so. South African academics Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed spent seven years exploring the complex story of a man who lived in their country for more than two decades - 1893 to 1914 - and campaigned for the rights of Indian people there. In The South African Gandhi: Stretcher-Bearer of Empire, Desai and Vahed write that during his stay in Africa, Gandhi kept the Indian struggle "separate from that of Africans and coloureds even though the latter were also denied political rights on the basis of colour and could also lay claim to being British subjects". They write that Gandhi's political strategies - fighting to repeal unjust laws or freedom of movement or trade - carved out an exclusivist Indian identity "that relied on him taking up 'Indian' issues in ways that cut Indians off from Africans, while his attitudes paralleled those of whites in the early years". Gandhi, the authors write, was indifferent to the plight of the indentured, and believed that state power should remain in white hands, and called black Africans Kaffirs, a derogatory term, for a larger part of his stay in the country. Racial segregation In 1893, Gandhi wrote to the Natal parliament saying that a "general belief seems to prevail in the Colony that the Indians are a little better, if at all, than savages or the Natives of Africa". In 1904, he wrote to a health officer in Johannesburg that the council "must withdraw Kaffirs" from an unsanitary slum called the "Coolie Location" where a large number of Africans lived alongside Indians. "About the mixing of the Kaffirs with the Indians, I must confess I feel most strongly." The same year he wrote that unlike the African, the Indian had no "war-dances, nor does he drink Kaffir beer". When Durban was hit by a plague in 1905, Gandhi wrote that the problem would persist as long as Indians and Africans were being "herded together indiscriminately at the hospital". This, in itself, say historians, is not entirely new and revelatory. Also, some South Africans have always accused the man who led India to independence of working with the British colonial government to promote racial segregation. In April, a man was arrested in connection with vandalising a statue of Gandhi. A hashtag #Ghandimustfall (sic) has gained circulation on social media. Gandhi's biographer and grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi, says the younger Gandhi - he arrived in South Africa as a 24-year-old briefless lawyer - was undoubtedly "at times ignorant and prejudiced about South Africa's blacks". He believes Gandhi's "struggle for Indian rights in South Africa paved the way for the struggle of black rights". He argues that "Gandhi too was an imperfect human being", but the "imperfect Gandhi was more radical and progressive than most contemporary compatriots". Ramachandra Guha, writer of the magisterial Gandhi Before India, writes that "to speak of comprehensive equality for coloured people was premature in early 20th Century South Africa". Attacking Gandhi for racism, wrote another commentator, "takes a simplistic view of a complex life". The authors of the new book disagree. "Gandhi believed in the Aryan brotherhood. This involved whites and Indians higher up than Africans on the civilised scale. To that extent he was a racist. To the extent that he wrote Africans out of history or was keen to join with whites in their subjugation he was a racist," Ashwin Desai told me. "To the extent that he accepted white minority power but was keen to be a junior partner, he was a racist. Thank God he did not succeed in this as we would have been culpable in the horrors of apartheid. "But if Gandhi was part of the racist common sense of the time then how does this qualify him to be a person that is seen as part of the pantheon of South African liberation heroes? You cannot have Gandhi as an accomplice of colonial subjugation in South Africa and then also defend his liberation credentials in South Africa." 'Blind eye' Desai also rejects the assertion that Gandhi paved the way for the local struggle for black rights - "in one sentence," he says, "you are writing out the history of African resistance to colonialism that unfolded much before Gandhi even arrived". In his book, Guha writes what a friend in Cape Town once told him about Gandhi. "You gave us a lawyer, we gave you back a Mahatma [Great Soul]". Ashwin Desai thinks this is a "ridiculous assertion" about a man who "supported more taxes on impoverished African people and turned a blind eye to the brutality of the Empire on Africans". The authors of the new book are not the first to challenge the conventional Indian historiography on Gandhi. Historian Patrick French wrote tellingly in 2013 that "Gandhi's blanking of Africans is the black hole at the heart of his saintly mythology". More than a century after he left Africa, there has been a resurrection of Gandhi in South Africa. Despite their reservations about the 'man of Empire', Desai and Vahed acknowledge that Gandhi "did raise universal demands for equality and dignity". But even the greatest men are flawed. And Gandhi was possibly no exception. ||||| The group behind the 9ft (2.75m) bronze statue said it wanted to gift it to Manchester to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth on 2 October. Shrimad Rajchandra Mission (SRMD) said the city demonstrated Ghandi's "values of non-violence and compassion" following the 2017 Arena attack. If approved, the statue would be unveiled in November. Shrimad Rajchandra Mission is a worldwide spiritual movement based in India. A spokesman said the group was inspired by the people of Manchester for their "strength, decency and community" in the aftermath of the bomb attack which killed 22 people and left hundreds injured. The organisation has previously held a peace event in the city and an exhibition about Gandhi at Manchester Central Library. The statue is to be crafted by Indian artist Ram V Sutar. Mohandas Gandhi - who was given the title Mahatma to reflect his status as a revered person - visited Manchester briefly on his way to visit mill workers in Lancashire in 1931. In the UK, there are two Gandhi statues in London along with one each in Cardiff, Birmingham and Leicester. | Manchester should reject a statue of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi because of his "well-documented anti-black racism", student activists have said. "I think it would be a good idea," said Indian independence hero Mohandas Gandhi famously when asked by a British journalist about what he thought about modern civilisation. Mahatma Gandhi has been variously described as an anti-colonial protester, a religious thinker, a pragmatist, a radical who used non-violence effectively to fight for causes, a canny politician and a whimsical Hindu patriarch. Plans have been submitted to erect a statue of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi outside Manchester Cathedral. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the famed Indian independence leader, has been removed from a university campus in Ghana's capital, Accra. |
End of preview. Expand in Data Studio
M2DS v1.0 — Multilingual Dataset for Multi-document Summarisation
M2DS is a multilingual multi-document summarisation dataset built from BBC news articles and professionally written BBC summaries across five languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Sinhala, and Tamil.
Quick start
from datasets import load_dataset
# Load a specific language
ds = load_dataset("KushanH/m2ds", "english")
# Access splits
train = ds["train"]
val = ds["validation"]
test = ds["test"]
# Inspect a single example
print(train[0]["document"]) # concatenated source articles
print(train[0]["summary"]) # reference summary
Available config names: english, japanese, korean, sinhala, tamil.
Dataset structure
Each language is released as split-based files compatible with Hugging Face load_dataset().
Splits
| Split | Purpose |
|---|---|
train |
Model training |
validation |
Hyperparameter tuning |
test |
Final evaluation |
Fields
Each row represents one multi-document cluster and contains two fields:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
document |
string | Multiple related source articles concatenated into one text field |
summary |
string | Reference summary combining BBC summaries for the cluster |
Document separator
Within the document field, individual articles are separated by:
|||||
Example:
Article one text here... ||||| Article two text here... ||||| Article three text here...
Split ratios
- English: 80 / 10 / 10
- Japanese, Korean, Sinhala, Tamil: 90 / 5 / 5
Statistics
| Language | Train | Validation | Test | Total | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 13,496 | 1,688 | 1,687 | 16,871 | 17K |
| Japanese | 9,891 | 549 | 551 | 10,991 | 11K |
| Korean | 7,021 | 391 | 390 | 7,802 | 8K |
| Sinhala | 4,942 | 275 | 275 | 5,492 | 5.5K |
| Tamil | 8,916 | 495 | 496 | 9,907 | 10K |
| Total | 44,266 | 3,398 | 3,399 | 51,063 | ~51.5K |
Paper-reported values are rounded per-language presentation values.
External resources
- OSF Archive: https://osf.io/7gjtm/
- GitHub Repository: https://github.com/KushanMH/m2ds
Citation
If you use M2DS in your research, please cite:
@inproceedings{hewapathirana2024m2ds,
title={M2DS: Multilingual Dataset for Multi-document Summarisation},
author={Hewapathirana, Kushan and de Silva, Nisansa and Athuraliya, CD},
booktitle={International Conference on Computational Collective Intelligence},
pages={219--231},
year={2024},
organization={Springer}
}
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