My Blog

French election: Why is turnout so high? By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine The turnout in the first round of the French presidential election was more than 80%. The last time that number went to the polls in the UK was 1951. Why do so many French vote? It's a measure of the Gallic fervour for election campaigning that the candidate who went on to earn fourth place in Sunday's vote was able to draw crowds in their tens of thousands. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the Left Front leader, invoked France's revolutionary past while addressing packed street rallies ahead of the poll, in which he just about reached double figures. But perhaps a more accurate reflection of the strength of political engagement came at the ballot box, where four out of five registered French voters cast a vote. Turnout was slightly down on the 84% who voted in the last presidential election in 2007, but given the poor showings in the regional

Gustav Klimt: What's the secret to his mass appeal? By Stephanie Hegarty BBC World Service This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Klimt. The Austrian painter's most famous work, The Kiss has become a staple on university residence walls, but what is it about Klimt that garners such mass appeal? Paintings by Klimt are among the most expensive in the world but they have also come to adorn the cheapest tat - everything from mugs and fridge magnets to key-rings and tea towels. One of his works, the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, even has a Barbie doll made in its image. "It's quite extraordinary the way the 'Klimt factor' has taken off," says art critic Richard Cork. "He's one of those artists - and there aren't many - who gets his repros everywhere. "It's like an extraordinary contagion but of course it's more positive than that, it's a whirlwind.

Tech conversion: India's richest shrine goes green By Shilpa Kannan BBC News, Tirumala Green temple: India's Tirupati Temple has adopted a range of green technologies - and the shrine is now trading carbon credits Surrounded by seven hills, high above lush green forests is the temple town of Tirumala. The crown jewel is the dazzling gold-plated temple of Lord Venkateshwara. Located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, this is not just one of Hinduism's holiest shrines, but also one of the richest. It has an annual income of $340m - mostly from donations. Between 50-100,000 people visit this temple every day. This puts enormous pressure on water, electricity and other energy resources. Now the temple is using its religious influence and economic might to change the way energy is used here. Sustainable sources

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, 4,923

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