Safest building in the world, it can't be destroyed by nuclear bomb, not White House, not Pentagon, it is..., located in..., name is...
Safest building in the world, it can't be destroyed by nuclear bomb, not White House, not Pentagon, it is..., located in..., name is...
There is tension between Iran and Israel. Recently, US has also attacked Iran's nuclear sites with its B-2 bomber. Although there has been a ceasefire between the two countries, the tension does not seem to be reducing. In such a situation, people believe that the world seems to be on the verge of a big war.
There is a lot of discussion about the Third World War in Western countries. Many people have even started preparing for how to keep themselves safe in the midst of destructive situations. In such a situation, people's attention is drawn towards which place can be safe in a situation like the Third World War and nuclear attack. There is a house in Britain which is more secure than the White House, the official residence of the US President. It is claimed that it is safe even in a nuclear attack.
What is the name of this house?
The name of this house is 'Doctor Who's mansion'. It is the only place in Britain that will remain safe even if the Third World War breaks out. With everyone worried about the possibility of a Third World War, a house has been described as the safest place in Britain in case of a nuclear holocaust.
Whose property is this?
Documents uncovered by the BBC in 2016 reveal that a mansion in the middle of the British countryside, which was once used to film Doctor Who, would be used as an escape route in case of any serious attack.
Wood Norton Hall, located in the middle of the woodsof Worcestershire, was bought by the BBC before World War II. The BBC acquired this property to act as a backup broadcasting center at a safe distance from London and other sensitive cities as a result of attacks on Britain.
It has been hardened to…
In the 1960s, the estate was converted into a hardened section capable of withstanding a nuclear attack. It was named the Protected Area Wood Norton (Wood Norton Protected Area). The building thus became one of 11 protected facilities built to continue the wartime broadcasting service in the event of a nuclear war.This means that this fort-like mansion built in the middle of Norton Forest can withstand a nuclear attack in a situation like the Third World War and from here, BBC will be able to easily broadcast its news uninterrupted.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Beyond playgrounds: how less structured city spaces can nurture children's creativity and independence
Children's play is essential for their cognitive, physical and social development. But in cities, spaces to play are usually separated, often literally fenced off, from the rest of urban life. In our new study, we compare children's use of such spaces in Auckland, New Zealand, and Venice, Italy. Our findings present a paradox: playgrounds built for safety can stifle creativity and mobility, while self-organising open spaces offer rich opportunities to explore and belong. In Auckland, places such as Taumata Reserve are a testimony to contemporary playground design – grassy, shaded, equipped with slides and swings, and buffered from traffic. Such places are an oasis cherished by caregivers for the sense of perceived safety they provide. Yet during our observations, we noted how these spaces function not necessarily as an oasis or a point for social encounter, but rather as isolated refuge islands, disconnected from the city's everyday life. Children's independent mobility and opportunities for diverse play activities remained limited and predefined. Contrast this with Venice's Santa Croce neighbourhood. Car-free streets and piazzas, such as Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio above, pulsate with life. We saw children play ball, draw on pavements, chase each other and even water plants. These spaces are shared inter-generational stages. To compare children's experience, we measured the diversity of activities (a proxy for creativity). Auckland's Taumata Reserve scored just 1.46. In contrast, Venice scored 2.33, with more than 2,600 spontaneous acts in the streets, reflecting a child-led play culture. Why this matters Play is not a luxury. It is a fundamental necessity of life to understand, navigate and adapt to the complexities of the world. From a deterministic perspective, contemporary Western cultures (such as in Europe and New Zealand) prescribe diverse benefits of play. This includes learning and developing resilience, spatial awareness and social skills. In Auckland, safety is the focus. While inclusion for children with special needs is understandable, it may inadvertently limit the collective capacity for vital and formative developmental experiences at the neighbourhood scale. Global research shows declining children's mobility, linked to car dependency and adult-controlled routines. This reduces children's activity radius, constrains confidence and diminishes connection to place. For one of us, a father of two, watching his daughters navigate parks underscores this: children need to be able to learn risk competency. Venice is a cultural model we can draw lessons from. Its pedestrian streets let children roam, climb statues and play hide-and-seek on bridges. This exposure to risks builds judgement, adaptability and agency. It also makes children co-creators of urban life. Our study uses what we call 'temporary appropriation' – when children use spaces in unplanned, creative ways – and a design framework called SPIRAL, which draws from individual experiences and cultural narratives to build public spaces. Auckland's rules and fences curb this; Venice's human-scale design invites it. Venice's conditions foster risk competency in children and caregivers, strengthening community bonds through a culture of care. Auckland's spaces for play are spatially fragmented, limiting social encounters and the risk-taking skills vital for development. From a New Zealand perspective, it is also essential to recognise the significance of place-based belonging from a Maori worldview. Concepts such as whakapapa (genealogy), whenua (land) and whanaungatanga (relational ties) emphasise deep, inter-generational connections to place. In this view, play is not merely recreation but a cultural expression; a way for children to experience turangawaewae (a place to stand). What other cities can learn From our research, we can draw lessons for how urban spaces might be reimagined to better support children's wellbeing and autonomy. This includes: 1) Designing public spaces with natural elements, 'risky art', loose parts and creative equipment for open-ended play that balances safety without compromising opportunities for discovery and risk-taking 2) reducing the number of cars and slowing speeds to achieve better outcomes for children 3) reclaiming streets so that all people and animals can have positive adventures 4) prioritising policies for car-free or traffic-calmed areas across neighbourhoods and in proximity to social places (schools, libraries, shops, parks) to contribute to a culture where safety is a collective responsibility and a commitment towards a stronger social cohesion 5) proactively involving children in urban design through place-making and temporary appropriation; it is their right to be heard and listened to through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 6) encouraging participatory co-design workshops and action-focused initiatives to harness children's insights to design spaces that meet needs 7) considering nuanced and emotional indicators for success such as belonging, curiosity, joy and inter-generational exchange rather than just efficiency or maintenance cost 8) and collaboratively modifying the environment over time. We envision cities where children roam freely, invent and experience deeper and authentic belonging. Venice proves that shared public spaces help children enrich and shape cities, as much as the rest of the population does. Safe playgrounds are only a starting point. For healthy, regenerative and vibrant cities to work, we need to realise that children should have agency to shape the complex assemblage that cities really are. Let's build urban futures where children don't just play, but can have positive adventures. The choices we make today matter. We can either feed the fear or meet the cultural challenge together by embracing the positive adventures of life, with a sense of collective wellbeing, care and stewardship.
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
Arunachal Pradesh: Threatened by dam, Siang Valley is home to staggeringly diverse number of species
On July 16, 1912, the British Army published a notification announcing the success of its expedition into the heart of present-day Arunachal Pradesh. The upper reaches of the region had been a fortress for colonial forces until then, and the completion of the exercise was announced with much celebration. 'Although it proved impossible to explore the valley of the Dihang (present-day Siang Valley), where it breaks through the main mountain range on the confines of Thibet… in spite of great physical difficulties the main objects of the expedition have been accomplished,' the notification reads. The expedition was a punitive mission prompted by the murder of a British officer, Noel Williamson, by the tribes living in the Siang valley, referred to as the 'Abors' (translating to 'unruly'). Williamson arrived in the village of Komsing expecting a night's stay but was killed for humiliating the village head on another occasion. To avenge Williamson's death, British forces decided to invade the valley with two objectives in mind: to gather as much information about the region as possible, and to 'punish' those culpable in his murder. An almost-forgotten legacy of this brutal mission was an unusual catalogue of animals, plants, insects, and birds found in the valley. Little was known about the catalogue, which surfaced decades later while filmmaker Sandesh Kadur was researching for his book, Himalaya: Mountains of Life. 'I found that many species were named and discovered around 1911 and 1913, and I thought, what was going on a hundred years ago?' he told Mongabay India. 'I started to dig deeper and then I found this huge 1,000-page report, and I thought to myself 'wow, this is fascinating'.' The report was a scientific gold mine. Led by marine biologist Stanley Kemp, the scientific component of the expedition discovered 14 new genera in the Siang valley. The findings described 244 amphibians, birds, insects and one of the world's oldest living fossils – a velvet worm called the onychophora. The Wildlife Institute of India called this expedition 'one of the most comprehensive one-time biological, geographical and anthropological documentations ever conducted for any particular region in India.' Even more remarkable is that, over a century later, several species from Kemp's survey can still be found in the state, according to Kadur. Beginning in 2022, researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, ATREE, collaborated with National Geographic and Kadur's film production company, Felis Creations, and retraced the route of the 1912 expedition, venturing deeper into the valley and making an even wider record of species than before. A century after the British left the Siang valley, it remains a sanctuary. On the horizon, however, a large dam project and other changes in land use threaten to alter the landscape forever. Play The Siang Valley The Siang river, upstream from Assam where it becomes the Brahmaputra, served as the compass for both expeditions. It is the biggest of Arunachal Pradesh 's seven major rivers and flows freely through its entire 293.9-kilometre stretch. The river was a significant migratory route for the Adi tribe (called the Abors by the British), who descended from Tibet generations ago and settled along the river valley. 'Unlike other places in northeast India, the British were relatively absent in Arunachal Pradesh. Apart from the Abor expedition, there's been virtually no sustained biodiversity assessments at all in this region,' said Sanjay Sondhi, a naturalist and founder of conservation nonprofit Titli Trust. He contributed to the new expedition's findings on moths and butterflies. The 2022 expedition into the Siang was not only an opportunity to reclaim colonial history, but also to make up for all the lost time in which systematic biodiversity research remained absent. The Siang river system is particularly interesting. The river traverses elevations ranging from 100 metres to 5,800 metres and the river basin hosts 12 different types of forests, including tropical semi-evergreen forests, alpine scrub forests, wet temperate forests and alpine pastures. It's because of this diversity of habitats that the Siang valley fosters rich biodiversity. Over several trips made between 2022 and 2024, the latest expedition recorded a staggering number of species – more than 1,500 – over an expanse covering the Upper Siang, Siang, and East Siang districts. These species included mammals, reptiles, birds, plants, insects, molluscs, and fish that were recorded by a team of 25 researchers, camera people, and field assistants. Much of the research from the expedition is yet to be published, but studies that have emerged so far reveal new facts about species behaviour, habitats, and ecosystem services provided by the Siang river. Take, for example, the Paraparatrechina neela – a tiny, two-millimetre long ant found in a tree trunk hole, whose exoskeleton shines a brilliant electric blue. Metallic blue ants are a rarity anywhere in the world, and this unique physical appearance is likely an evolutionary trait to ward off prey. The expedition also yielded discoveries of species new to science, such as four new species of the Darwin wasp subfamily (Microleptinae). But among the more remarkable findings is the rediscovery of the velvet worm, the onychophora. 'This ancient species goes back 170 million years, and it's not known from anywhere else in India except in this tiny corner,' said Kadur, adding, 'It connects India to the rest of the world, biologically and biogeographically, since it was part of the ancient Pangaea. And what's amazing is it hasn't really evolved much since that time.' The team also found evidence of the Siang river as a migratory corridor for birds like the common crane, never seen before to be travelling across the river in large hoards of 300 individuals. 'We mostly recorded the return journeys of the common crane, which happens when they are going back to the northern Arctic Circle. These birds were never reported from the Siang valley before, and it establishes the Siang valley as an important migratory corridor,' said Rajkamal Goswami, Fellow in Residence at ATREE's Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation. Goswami was part of the expedition team that focussed on how human interactions shaped biodiversity in the Valley. At a time when insect populations have plummeted by 45% globally over the past 40 years, and most bird populations in India are on the decline, the Siang expedition's findings are important. 'During the Siang expedition and in subsequent visits, we've recorded around 400 different species of birds,' said Goswami, adding, 'For perspective, the state of Meghalaya has 600 birds. India's total bird population is something like 1,300. Around 30% of the country's bird population can be found in this single valley.' Threatened landscape Arunachal Pradesh is the least densely populated state in India, with just 17 people per square kilometre, according to the 2011 census. Despite its small population, changes in land use and large development projects could permanently alter the Siang landscape. Historically, these regions have practiced jhum (shifting) cultivation, particularly in higher elevations. Since the 1970s, the state government introduced schemes to discourage jhum in favour of settled cultivation. Schemes such as the Jhum Control Scheme and the centrally-sponsored Technology Mission on Agriculture and National Horticulture Missions also encouraged home gardens and the cultivation of fruits, aromatics, flowers, and vegetables. Settled cultivation tripled in area between the 1970s and 1990s, according to an agriculture survey. While paddy cultivation is common along the banks of the river, mixed cultivation and orchards with fruits like orange are increasingly common on the hillslopes. The biennial Indian State of Forest Report also shows considerable deforestation in the districts along the Siang river. In 2019, the districts of East, West, and Upper Siang saw a combined deforestation rate of 75% compared to 2017. Between 2021 and 2023, forest loss in East Siang, Lower Siang, and West Siang decreased by another 32%, while Upper Siang district saw a growth in forest cover by 2.45% over the same period. 'The biggest threat right now is the disappearance of habitat,' said Goswami. 'As long as habitat is there, animals can recover from other threats like hunting, because population density is relatively much lower in Arunachal Pradesh. If habitats are not converted to cash crop, agriculture or big infrastructure projects, animals and other species can still bounce back.' Another looming threat over the landscape is the 11,200-megawatt Upper Siang Multipurpose Project, a dam whose construction would sink the district headquarter of Yingkiong and alter the river's flow dynamics forever. An outdated cumulative impact assessment of 44 proposed dams along the Siang river said silt trapped in the reservoirs of dams would 'deprive the downstream Siang river ecosystem of maintenance materials and nutrients that help in maintaining the productivity of Siang and Siyom river ecosystems.' Populations of important migratory fish species like the golden mahseer – an endangered fish with a golden hue that can grow up to 2.74 metres in size – are at risk of depleting considerably, according to the cumulative impact assessment. The golden mahseer swims upstream along Siang river in April and May, and uses the river's tributaries for breeding, feeding and as refuge location. Emerging community In the face of the anthropogenic pressures facing the Siang valley, residents of Gobuk in Upper Siang district are trying to forge a path ahead. Since 2022, an NGO led by residents of the village, Epum Sirum Welfare Society, along with Titli Trust, are creating a model of community-based conservation to safeguard the area's wildlife. In the 1912 expedition, several rare species of butterflies were recorded, including one called the dark freak (Calinaga aborica) in 1915 – an endemic butterfly with brown and white patterned wings and a red body. For a century this species hadn't been seen anywhere, save for one chance sighting made by Sondhi of Titli Trust in 2015, in western Arunachal Pradesh. Unbeknownst to them, the residents of Gobuk had been living among hundreds of dark freak butterflies in their backyards. 'Before we learned about how rare these butterflies were, we never really paid attention,' said Anand Tekseng, a resident of Gobuk and member of the ESWS, where he works as a river guide. The residents were made aware of the value of these butterflies – and the other wildlife in the area – through workshops with Sondhi. 'In 2022, we were looking for opportunities to start a community conserved area project. When we reached Gobuk, we realised the Epum Sirum had been engaged with similar work and were looking for more support. They've been fantastic partners,' Sondhi said. The Adi are a hunting tribe, where rituals are considered incomplete without game. But over a span of two and a half years, residents say hunting has reduced considerably. 'We used to hunt widely, whether it was squirrels, bear, deer, or birds,' said Dengwan Miyo, another resident who isn't a member of the nonprofit. 'We only hunt for a few festivals now. Many people have given up. It's become a matter of pride for us that people come from so far away to see what our village has,' he said. The dark freak (Calinaga aborica) is now a flagship of the village, and residents are building opportunities for ecotourism around the sightings of this species and the dozens of others that are found there, like the red lacewing (Cethosia biblis), blue peacock (Papilio arcturus), and the great nawab (Polyura eudamippus). With support from Royal Enfield, Gobuk hosted its first Biodiversity Meet last year, earning around Rs 10 lakh from paying guests who travelled to the village and stayed in newly set up homestays to see the butterflies. Gobuk was praised by chief minister Pema Khandu for its approach to conservation. Pamphlets with photos of moths and butterflies – taken by residents and Titli Trust together – were distributed to visitors and installed in the village's library. Near Mouling National Park in Upper Siang, ATREE too is collaborating with villages to build community-led conservation areas. The Park is located deep in the Upper Siang district without an all-weather road, cutting the area off during the monsoons. 'What we're aiming to do is actually prevent future biodiversity loss once the area becomes better connected,' Rajkamal said. Researchers from ATREE are encouraging villages near the Park to work with the understaffed forest department and patrol the Park's borders and foster a sense of ownership over its natural resources. 'The jury is still out on whether community-conserved areas are effective, because there are so few in Arunachal Pradesh,' said Sondhi. 'But what are the alternatives? Handing land over to the government, whose forest departments are understaffed, isn't always effective. Large infrastructure projects end up hurting communities the most. We're still learning so much about the Siang landscape. What better way forward than to empower communities to participate in this learning too?'
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Survivor's guilt, scorn: How Vishwaskumar Ramesh is dealing with life and loss after Air India crash
The gift of life may turn into a curse if you are the only survivor of a plane crash that claimed 271 lives, including 241 co-passengers—one of them your brother. British national of Indian origin Vishwaskumar Ramesh, 40, who miraculously escaped when Air India Flight AI171 plunged into an Ahmedabad medical college compound shortly after take-off on June 12, appears to have battled severe survivor's has been unable to sleep. His survival came at a profound cost—the loss of brother Ajay, 45, who was seated just across the aisle on seat 11J. Ramesh was the occupant of 11A. Besides the heavy burden of survivor's guilt, his ordeal was compounded by a baseless businessman from Leicester, UK, described the crash as a blur of terror. 'Thirty seconds into take-off, there was a loud noise and the plane crashed. It was sudden. When I woke up, I found bodies all around me,' Ramesh has told DD News channel from his hospital seat, it seems, detached during the crash, landing in a narrow gap between buildings where loose soil cushioned the fall, saving him from the fireball that the aircraft turned into. 'The plane broke and my seat came off,' Ramesh told doctors, recounting how he had unbuckled himself and crawled through a shattered fuselage, his left hand burned by flames. The brothers, natives of Diu, were returning to the UK after visiting family in their ancestral village of Bucharwada. Ramesh has returned to his village, where he is refusing to interact with anyone except footage of the air tragedy had captured him stumbling barefoot through the plane's debris, shouting, 'Plane fatyo che! (The plane exploded!)', even as he tried to return to the wreckage to find Ajay, only to be restrained by first guilt, a well-documented psychological phenomenon, likely gripped Ramesh in the days that followed. Clinical studies describe it as a profound sense of remorse or unworthiness experienced by those who survive a tragedy while others, especially loved ones, do survivor's guilt can manifest as intrusive thoughts, depression or a fixation on 'why me?'. Ramesh's repeated statements—'I don't know how I survived' and 'I still can't believe I'm alive'—suggest a struggle to process it all. His proximity to Ajay during the crash likely amplified his sense of responsibility, as if he could have done something to save his public nature of his suffering, amplified by viral videos, may have further complicated his ability to grieve privately, as the world watched his every move. The heart-wrenching visuals of Ramesh, bandaged and limping, carrying Ajay's coffin during the funeral procession in Diu on June 18, underscored his grief. Ramesh broke down multiple times, shouldering his brother's bier alongside their father, Ramesh Bhalia, as the family Ramesh grappled with his loss, a disturbing rumour surfaced on social media. It suggested he had fabricated his presence on the flight. The rumour spread rapidly, fuelled by the sensational nature of the crash and the public's fascination with his survival. The origins of it are unclear, possibly stemming from misinformation or scepticism about how someone could survive such a catastrophic event June 20, actor and singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, in her now-deleted post, said: 'So this #vishwaskumarramesh lied about being a passenger on the plane & the only survivor? This is seriously weird. Didn't his family in the UK corroborate his story? What about his brother's funeral that he was seen giving kandha to? Deserve not only some serious punishment but some mental asylum time if this is true, uff.'Within hours, several independent social media influencers and users circulated reels and posts, joining the bandwagon of scepticism against Ramesh, and a rumour that he was arrested by police caught the backlash was also swift. Social media users condemned Krishnamoorthi for her insensitivity, pointing to overwhelming evidence of Ramesh's survival: hospital records, police confirmation, Air India's passenger manifest listing him on seat 11A, and video footage of him emerging from the wreckage. However, videos and posts continue to police commissioner G.S. Malik and Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, confirmed his identity and injuries, noting he was 'disoriented with multiple injuries' but out of danger. Ramesh's survival was not only verified but celebrated by authorities, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah visiting him in hospital. And yet, the rumour's brief traction reveals how quickly public perception can shift from empathy to scepticism, particularly in high-profile to India Today Magazine- EndsTune InTrending Reel
