14/10/2010

Available for over a year

MICHAEL MORPURGO The award winning children's writer Michael Morpurgo is campaigning against the detention of child asylum seekers in the UK. His new book tells the story of a young Afghan boy and his mother who are forced to flee from their home country. Eventually the boy and his mother settle in Britain, only to find themselves locked up in a detention centre while the Government tries to send them back to Afghanistan. The book may be fictional - but the Yarl's Wood detention centre where it is set is real enough - and Michael Morpurgo wants it closed down. The UK government says it intends to soon but that's not enough for the author. He tells Matthew why he thinks no child should ever be "imprisoned". 'Shadow', by Michael Morpugo is out now and published by HarperCollins Children's Books. INDIAN MODEL VILLAGE As the Commonwealth Games in India draw to a close, the residents of the village of Sultanpur are feeling rather disappointed. Sultanpur is on the outskirts of Delhi and was designated a model village for the duration of the games. The locals wanted to show off their new tidy streets, electric lights and concrete roads to the athletes and tourists who've flocked to India for the games. The village head Manoj Kumar cracked the whip, getting the 300 villagers to tidy their homes and put on a smile. But the only problem is, nobody turned up. Except, that is, our reporter Suhail Haleem.