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Viewpoint: More women needed in technology By Belinda Parmar Author of Little Miss Geek Lost in stereotypes in this image from her book, Belinda Parmar wants a change in attitude towards women in technology Walk into most tech companies and you'll be greeted by the same picture - a room made up entirely of men. You can practically smell the testosterone. Continue reading the main story The technology industry is still struggling to shake off the image of the male, pizza-guzzling, antisocial nerd - a perception that initiatives like this month's Ada Lovelace day - which celebrates the role of women in technology - and Lady Geek's "Little Miss Geek" campaign, are striving to change. There is no doubt that tech is overwhelmingly male. Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the US economy, they hold less than 25% of jobs in the science and technology sector, according to a

By Frances Harrison BBC News The Sri Lankan civil war - which claimed 100,000 lives - ended in 2009 when government forces finally crushed a near-40-year-long insurgency by the Tamil Tiger rebel group. The final months were especially brutal and survivors will not easily forget what happened to them. It was not hard to spot her. The house on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland, was full of plump Sri Lankan Tamils, joking loudly and overloading the table with dishes of steaming biryani for Sunday lunch. In the corner, reluctant to come forward, stood a skeletal gaunt-faced woman with dark circles under her eyes, a tell-tale sign of sleepless nights. When her brother stood next to her it was impossible to see any family resemblance because she was so physically different after months of starvation and trauma. She looked like the figure in Edvard Munch's famous Scream picture come to life. I call her Sharmila but that is not her

Malala Yousafzai: Portrait of the girl blogger Continue reading the main story Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai first came to public attention in 2009 when she wrote a BBC diary about life under the Taliban . Now recovering from surgery after being shot by the militants, the campaigner for girls' rights is in the spotlight again. Malala was 11-years-old when she began writing a diary for BBC Urdu. Her blogs described life under Taliban rule from her home town of Mingora, in the northwest region of Pakistan she affectionately calls "My Swat". I am afraid - 3 January 2009 "I had a terrible dream yesterday with military helicopters and the Taliban. I have had such dreams since the launch of the military operation in Swat. I was afraid going to school because the Taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools. Only 11 students attended the class out of 27. The number decreased because of Talib

Viewpoint: Could Kenya host the Olympics in 2024? Could a Kenyan athlete ever win Olympic gold on home soil? Continue reading the main story No African nation has yet hosted an Olympic Games wants to be the first. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga recently vowed the country would bid to host the Games in 2024, but sports writer Chris Tsuma says the attempt is destined to fail. Kenya, it seems, has dreams of an Olympian nature. In 2004, Kenya's Sports Minister Ochilo Ayacko made a bold statement: He said the country would bid to host the Olympics. Mr Ayacko was chief guest at the official opening of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) headquarters in Nairobi. He startled those in attendance - which included International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge - by declaring Kenya would bid for either the 2016 or 2020 Games. Continue reading the main story It is eight years on. Rio de Janeiro is preparing to orga

Satyamev Jayate : Child Sexual Abuse - 13th May 2012 Break The Silence - As many as 53 per cent, or one in every two children, are victims of child sexual abuse, which often happens at the hands of a trusted person, within the home. Parents must be vigilant and sensitive to their children's signals; and a robust and specific law against child sexual abuse is needed.

Satyamev Jayate : Female Foeticide - 6th May 2012

Panchi Banu Udti Phiroon Full Song - Anuradha Paudwal

Toshi & Sharib - Main Jahan Rahoon

Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par (Full Song) - Anuradha Paudwal

Europe: Things fall apart     Dutch PM Mark Rutte (standing, right) failed to get a coalition deal on budget targets The eurozone crisis is not just back. It has returned in a much more dangerous form. This time the questions are more fundamental. The doubts about the whole austerity strategy - made in Germany and policed by EU officials - are openly expressed. The French elections lay bare the fault lines. If the Socialist candidate Francois Hollande wins he will not just be the first victor from the Left in France in 17 years. He has put down a marker - that he will challenge German leadership of the debt crisis. Mr Hollande believes that austerity first is destroying parts of Europe. Yes, deficits have to be cut, but his priority will be growth. He has pitched his statements not just to the French people but to the rest of Europe. He wants to reorientate Europe on a path of growth and employment. It was not a surprise that yesterday Angela Merkel's

Viewpoint: Binyavanga on why Africa's international image is unfair   Should Madonna be Africa's president? Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan author and a past winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, argues that the world has got its image of Africa very badly wrong. Let us imagine that Africa was really like it is shown in the international media. Africa would be a country. Its largest province would be Somalia. Bono, Angelina Jolie and Madonna would be joint presidents, appointed by the United Nations. European aid workers would run the Foreign Affairs Office, gap year students from the UK the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture would be run by the makers of the Kony2012 videos. 'Wholesome and ethnic' “Africa's image in the west, and Africa's image to itself, are often crude, childish drawings of reality” Actual Africans would live inside villages designed by economist Jeffrey Sachs . Those villagers woul

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