Russian elections: How democratic are they?

A military ceremony has been held in honour of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is due to step down next week after 16 years in office. Mrs Merkel chose three pieces of music – one of which raised a few eyebrows. She chose a popular song by Hildegard Knef called For Me It Should Rain…

Regular and strenuous exercise increases the risk of motor neurone disease (MND) in people who are genetically vulnerable, scientists have said. One of the researchers at the University of Sheffield, Dr Johnathan Cooper-Knock, told BBC World News that in the future they hoped to be able to work out the risk on an individual basis…

As the Taliban advance there are feelings of grief and fear, a child rights activist in Kabul says.

The city of Pompeii was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. While much of the site was well preserved, many details about life in the city were lost, including some of the building’s colourful frescoes. Thousands of these fresco fragments are currently in storage at the site’s archaeological park and now a team at…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working relentlessly with the health ministry and other countries to tackle oxygen shortages, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shaina Nana Chudasama has said. “It is most unfortunate that we have lost lives and nobody expected this double mutant [coronavirus] to shape up in this particular way,” she…

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says hopes of developing nations adapting to climate change remain low, as pledges made during the Paris climate talks six years ago remain unfulfilled. On Monday, he urged countries to end carbon emissions and called for an increase in climate financing.