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Are North Koreans really three inches shorter than South Koreans? By Richard Knight BBC News It's often been reported that North Koreans are a few inches shorter than their counterparts south of the border. Is that true? North Korea's recent failure to launch a long-range rocket was embarrassing for its new leader, Kim Jong-un. It was supposed to be a symbol of progress. Renewed media interest in North Korea since Kim Jong-un replaced his father has prompted the re-emergence of a claim which appears to be a symbol not of progress, but of relative decline: that North Koreans are much shorter than South Koreans. The Independent reported last week that "nothing is small in North Korea apart from the people, who are on average three inches shorter than their cousins in the South". This statistic, or versions of it, have been quoted for some time. In 2010 the late Christopher Hitchens put the difference...

IsAnyoneUp's Hunter Moore: 'The net's most hated man' By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News     Hunter Moore ran the pornography site for over a year before shutting it down on Friday Hunter Moore's business plan was simple: he got rich by publishing pornographic pictures of men and women without their permission. He would encourage visitors to his site to "submit noodz" (nudes) of their former girlfriends and boyfriends, as well as details about who the subject was and why they deserved to be featured. This information would be posted up in full on his site, IsAnyoneUp.com. As well as the person's full name and location, links to social networks, usually Facebook, would also be included. Below each post appeared a stream of comments from visitors critiquing - to put it lightly - the victim's looks and body. If anyone complained, they were ridiculed. If they thre...

Running a marathon - what are the risks? By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News   Completing 26 miles of physical endurance can take its toll Running a marathon puts immense strain on the body. But just how dangerous for your health can it be? What are the main health risks? Thankfully, most of the casualties that occur during a race concern minor injuries, like sprains and strains. Dehydration is the biggest problem that marathon runners have to overcome. In a hard race on a hot and humid day, up to four litres of fluid can be lost through sweating and exhalation. It is important for runners to keep well hydrated. And there are other things you can do to prepare for the race. Following a training plan in the months leading up to the race to get yourself in shape is advisable. A great many injuries can be avoided by warming up and doing stretches immediately before the race. During the 2012 London Marathon, 4,...

Spam: India leads world in junk emails   Many spammers have shifted their focus from email to social networks India has become the top spam-spewing nation on the planet, suggests a report. Compiled by security firm Sophos, the report ranks nations by the amount of junk mail routed through computers in each country. India has leapt to the top of the spam chart in less than a year, rapidly overtaking the US, said Sophos. About 10% of all junk mail sent across the web came from or passed through computers in India, said the firm. India's rapid rise up the chart of spam producers has been helped by the rapid growth of the web in the country, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. The inexperience of the many first-time net users in India had led many to fall victim to hi-tech criminals, he said. "The latest stats show that, as more first-time internet users get online in growing economies, they are not taking measures to block the ma...

A Point of View: Making sense of six decades on the throne Few monarchs make it to their diamond jubilee - and in the past century or so, many of the world's royal dynasties have fallen by the wayside. So the festivities can carry a hint of relief and thankfulness, says historian David Cannadine. It may not yet have fully impinged upon the collective public consciousness, but we are well into the season of celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. The Queen has received addresses from both houses of parliament at a ceremony in Westminster Hall; she's already driven through the streets of London to widespread popular acclaim; and other members of the royal family have begun their visits, on her behalf, to the countries of the Commonwealth. The climax of these celebrations will be the thanksgiving service, to be held at St Paul's Cathedral on 5 June, in conscious replication of that held for Queen Victoria when she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in the summer of 1897....

Why do some people propose in public? By Mark Bosworth BBC World Service Jimmy Hill's very public proposal to Josie Stanford A wedding proposal is the most intimate of occasions - so why are a growing number of people proposing in public? The traditional wedding proposal was a low-key sort of thing. One might think of something in a restaurant or a peaceful garden. When it was in public, any bystanders might have been completely oblivious. But now a slew of YouTube videos are testament to a wave of ever more elaborate and often very public proposals. You can see compilations of proposals at baseball and basketball stadiums in the US. Some unkind souls have even gathered together the most notable refusals. And the flashmob wedding proposal - a craze which may have begun in the US in 2009 - is increasingly popular in the UK. In November 2011, a marria...

ALLEN GINSBERG Interview BBC 1994