Start-up attempts to convert Prof Hawking's brainwaves into speech

           An American scientist is to unveil details of work on the brain patterns of Prof Stephen Hawking which he says could help safeguard the physicist's ability to communicate.       Prof Philip Low said he eventually hoped to allow Prof Hawking to "write" words with his brain as an alternative to his current speech system which interprets cheek muscle movements.       Prof Low said the innovation...

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Close-up: Berlin's bear-pit karaoke

      Singing karaoke in front of a group of friends can be daunting. But what if you were doing it on an outdoor stage in front of a huge public crowd?      That is something that Berliners queue up to put themselves through every Sunday afternoon, at a stone amphitheatre in the city's Mauerpark known as the "bear pit".     The BBC's Stephen Evans went along to find out more.      The Close-up series...

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A Point of View: The curse of a ridiculous name

Gopnik. It's not the most common of surnames. And in Russian it's a term for "drunken lout". Those who carry a curious name know it has comedy value, says Adam Gopnik (that's G - O - P - N - I - K).      I have a funny name. I know it. Don't say it isn't or try to make me feel better about it. I have a funny name. My children and social networkers tell me that. And you out there have even been tweeting about it: "@BBC POV, Gopnik: what kind of name is that?...

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Russia flash floods: 144 killed in Krasnodar region

        Flood water has trapped vehicles and left residents stranded       Flash floods caused by torrential rain have swept the southern Russian Krasnodar region, killing 144 people, officials say.       The floods, the worst there in living memory, struck at night, reportedly without warning. TV pictures showed people scrambling onto their rooftops to escape.        President...

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Mexicans challenge Pena Nieto's victory in huge march

         Tens of thousands of people in Mexico City are demonstrating against the result of the presidential election, which was won by Enrique Pena Nieto.      The demonstrators, who are not necessarily linked to any particular party, say the vote was not fair.     They accuse Mr Pena Nieto's party, the PRI, of buying votes; some carried banners saying "Not another fraud".      Mr Pena Nieto,...

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Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai urges support for 'progress'

        Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal remains optimistic about the future of his country's economy        Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged international donors to continue giving aid to his country in order to safeguard political and economic gains made since the fall of the Taliban.       He was speaking at a conference in Tokyo on how to support Afghanistan after foreign forces leave...

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Microsoft in $6.2bn writedown of Aquantive

           Microsoft is taking a $6.2bn (£4bn) charge on the value of an online advertising firm bought five years ago.          Microsoft bought Aquantive for $6.3bn cash in an attempt to catch rival Google in the race to grow revenues from search-related advertising.           The writedown effectively wipes out the acquisition's value, although there...

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