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BRASILIA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Roughly 28% of Brazilian gold exports in 2019 and 2020 likely came from illegal mines, a report by public prosecutors and the Federal University of Minas Gerais found, pointing to widespread forging of documents and lack of effective law enforcement.

The report from federal prosecutors and the Federal University of Minas Gerais found indications of illegality related to 48.9 tonnes of gold in the two-year period.

Wildcat miners in Brazil often extract gold from areas where no mining is allowed, such as protected nature reserves or indigenous land.

That mining, done without regard to environmental regulations, drives deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and has also been shown to poison rivers with mercury. read more

The report only considered gold that was registered with the federal government in order to pay taxes on the precious metal and cross referenced that data with satellite images on the reported locations of the mines.

The quantity of gold reported coming out of the areas in question went beyond the capacity of the sources, according to the report.

"There was an attempt to launder this gold, to hide its real origin. But by cross referencing it with images, there is no way this gold came from the declared origin," said Raoni Rajao, an environmental management professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais and an author of the report.

For 6.3 tonnes of gold, the area reported to authorities as the origin of the gold showed no evidence of mining on satellite images.

The remainder was reported to have come from places bordering protected areas that show signs of having been invaded by miners.

Government data shows that 111 tonnes of gold were exported in 2020, more than total production of 92 tonnes, also indicating some may have come from illegal sources, the report said.

Brazil's Mines and Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2019 and 2020, Canada, Switzerland and Great Britain bought 72% of Brazil's gold exports.

Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Sandra Maler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Nearly 30% of Brazil's gold exports are illegal, report says

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Roughly 28% of Brazilian gold exports in 2019 and 2020 likely came from illegal mines, a report by public prosecutors and the Federal University of Minas Gerais found, pointing to widespread forging of documents and lack of effective law enforcement.

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Three new underground lakes have been detected near the south pole of Mars.

Scientists also confirmed the existence of a fourth lake - the presence of which was hinted at in 2018.

Liquid water is vital for biology, so the finding will be of interest to researchers studying the potential for life elsewhere in the Solar System.

But the lakes are also thought to be extremely salty, which could pose challenges to the survival of any microbial life forms.

Billions of years ago, water flowed in rivers and pooled in lakes on the Martian surface. But Mars has since lost much of its atmosphere, which means water can't stay liquid for long on the surface today.

However, it's a different matter underground.

Referring to the sub-surface lakes, co-author Dr Roberto Orosei, from Italy's National Institute of Astrophysics in Bologna, told BBC News: "It's even more likely that these bodies of water existed in the past.

"Of course, the implication of this is that you would have a habitat or something that resembles a habitat... that lasted throughout the history of the planet,"

"As Mars was undergoing its climatic catastrophe and turning from a relatively warm planet - though it's not clear how warm - to a frozen waste, there was a place where life could adapt and survive."

The latest discovery was made using data from a radar instrument on the European Space Agency's (Esa) Mars Express spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Red Planet since December 2003.

In 2018, researchers used data from the Marsis radar to report signs of a 20km-wide subsurface lake located 1.5km under Mars' south polar layered deposits, a thick polar cap formed by layers of ice and dust.

However, that finding was based on 29 observations collected by Marsis between 2012 and 2015. Now, a team including many of the same scientists from the 2018 study have analysed a much bigger dataset of 134 radar profiles gathered between 2010 and 2019.

"Not only did we confirm the position, extent and strength of the reflector from our 2018 study, but we found three new bright areas," said co-author Elena Pettinelli from Roma Tre University in Italy.

"The main lake is surrounded by smaller bodies of liquid water, but because of the technical characteristics of the radar, and of its distance from the Martian surface, we cannot conclusively determine whether they are interconnected."

'Extended pools'

The team borrowed a technique commonly used in radar sounder investigations of sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica, Canada and Greenland, adapting the method to analyse the data from Marsis.

"The interpretation that best reconciles all the available evidence is that the high intensity reflections (from Mars) are coming from extended pools of liquid water," said co-author Sebastian Lauro, also from Roma Tre University.

There's not enough heat at these depths to melt the ice, so scientists believe the liquid water must contain high concentrations of dissolved salts. These chemical salts (different to the stuff we sprinkle on our chips) can significantly lower water's freezing point.

In fact, recent experiments have shown that water with dissolved salts of magnesium and calcium perchlorate (a chemical compound containing chlorine bound to four oxygens) can remain liquid at temperatures of -123C.

"These experiments have demonstrated that brines can persist for geologically significant periods of time even at the temperatures typical of the Martian polar regions (considerably below the freezing temperature of pure water)," said co-author Graziella Caprarelli, from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

Some hypersaline lakes on Earth can reach salt concentrations of 40%. Just how saline the lakes are on Mars isn't something that's known precisely.

"This is a difficult question to answer," Dr Orosei, who is the principal investigator on the Marsis experiment, told me. "We do not know the thermodynamical conditions down there and we do not know the kinds of salts that are dissolved in the water if they are down there.

"We expect that water would be close to the saturation point (the stage at which no more salt can be dissolved), because as water stands there, it leaches through rocks and tends to dissolve every salt it meets... we're talking about several tens of percent [of salt content in the lakes]."

The lakes' salinity is of particular relevance to the life question. Terrestrial microbes that thrive in very salty conditions are known as halophiles. But studies have shown that bugs can tolerate more extreme salinities when temperatures are higher, and colder temperatures when salinity is lower.

The range of conditions micro-organisms can withstand is more limited when environments are both very saline and very cold, because of a double whammy effect.

There is ongoing research into whether life could survive in conditions like those in the lakes on Mars. Dr Orosei said: "Salt in very high concentrations is not very friendly to life." Life, he added, "is still a possibility, but there's much more work to do".

There had been criticisms of the 2018 paper, with some researchers proposing that the main lake could be the result of an exceptional situation, such as the presence of a volcano under the polar cap heating ice from below.

"By finding more of these bodies of water, this means it's something different - it's not a unique phenomenon, it's not a unicorn. It's something that must be occurring rather naturally," said Dr Orosei.

He said the fact such lakes could have persisted for much of Martian history meant "they could still retain traces of any life forms that could have evolved when Mars had a dense atmosphere, a milder climate and the presence of liquid water on the surface, similar to the early Earth".

The team isn't finished yet, however, and plans to keep gathering data "as long as Mars Express lasts", according to Roberto Orosei.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Follow Paul on Twitter.

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Buried lakes of water discovered on Mars

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Three new underground lakes have been detected near the south pole of Mars. Scientists also confirmed the existence of a fourth lake - the presence of which was hinted at in 2018. Liquid water is vital for biology, so the finding will be of interest to researchers studying the potential for life elsewhere in the Solar System.

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Smoke from US wildfires spreads across country

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Smoke from the wildfires ravaging much of the US West Coast has spread to the east of the country, casting a haze over New York and Washington DC. The blazes have burned vast areas of land and killed at least 36 people since early August.

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Fires have destroyed Greece's largest migrant camp, an overcrowded facility on the island of Lesbos, leaving nearly 13,000 people without shelter.

Some 20 firefighters battled the blaze at the Moria camp - designed for fewer than 3,000 people - as migrants, many suffering from smoke exposure, fled.

Greece's migration minister said the fires "began with the asylum seekers", but did not elaborate.

Police blocked roads from the camp to prevent migrants entering nearby towns.

Many attempted to carry their belongings to the port town of Mytilene but access was cordoned off. Reports suggest many slept in fields after the fire.

EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson has said she has agreed to finance the transfer of 400 unaccompanied teenagers and children to accommodation on the mainland.

What happened at Moria?

Fires broke out in more than three places in a short space of time, local fire chief Konstantinos Theofilopoulos told state television channel ERT. Some protesting migrants hindered firefighters who tried to tackle the flames, he said.

The main blaze, which was initially fanned by high winds, was put out by Wednesday morning, although Mr Theofilopoulos said there were still some small fires burning inside some containers at the site.

One local resident told the BBC almost the whole camp was burning.

"Now with the first light I can see that there is a few tents that make it, they are okay, but the rest of the camp, as I can see from this distance, is burnt out," Thanasis Voulgarakis said.

Some locals reportedly attacked and prevented migrants from passing through a nearby village after they fled the flames.

Authorities placed the Moria camp under quarantine last week after a Somali migrant tested positive for the coronavirus. There are now 35 confirmed cases linked to the site.

How did the fires start?

It is unclear exactly how the fires started, but Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the "incidents in Moria began with the asylum seekers because of the quarantine imposed". Some of the 35 people who had tested positive for Covid-19 had reportedly refused to move into isolation with their families.

Mr Mitarachi did not say, however, that the fires were a deliberate act of arson aimed at destroying the camp.

Michalis Fratzeskos, deputy mayor for civil protection, told ERT the blaze was "premeditated". Migrant tents had been empty, he said, and arsonists had "taken advantage of strong winds".

But some migrants told BBC Persian the fire had broken out after scuffles between migrants and Greek forces at the camp. Several blamed "far-right Greeks" for the blaze after the announcement of coronavirus cases, and took photos of what they said were canisters used to ignite the flames.

Marco Sandrone, Lesbos project co-ordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), told the BBC it was difficult to say what had caused the blaze, with several different fires and protests erupting in the camp.

"It's a time bomb that finally exploded," he said, adding that people had been kept in "inhumane conditions" at the site for years.

One migrant from Afghanistan, named only as Yaser, told Reuters news agency that the fire had forced everyone to run.

"We don't know where to go, and all the refugees are outside, and trying to find a place to at least just stay," he said.

The mayor of Mytilene, Stratis Kytelis, said it was "a very difficult situation because some of those who are outside will include people who are positive [for coronavirus]".

What has the reaction been?

"The disaster at Moria is total," Greek migration ministry secretary Manos Logothetis told ANA news agency, and said he was heading to the site.

About 3,000 people are being temporarily housed in tents on Lesbos until alternative shelter can be found, officials said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called an emergency meeting to discuss the fire on Wednesday morning, and several ministers have been sent to Lesbos to assess the situation.

The EU has offered to help with the response.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the main priority was "the safety of those left without shelter".

German foreign minister Heiko Maas described the blaze as a "humanitarian disaster" and tweeted about "the distribution of refugees among those willing to accept admission in the EU".

Prime Minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, later offered to "take in 1,000 refugees".

A statement issued by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said it was aware of "tensions" between locals and migrants.

"We urge all to exercise restraint," it said, and asked anyone who had been at the camp "to restrict their movements and stay near [the site], as a temporary solution is being found to shelter them".

In 2018, UNHCR urged the Greek government to move asylum seekers away from Lesbos, describing conditions as at "boiling point". At the time, there were 8,000 people living in the Moria camp.

What is the camp?

The Moria Refugee Camp lies north-east of Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos. It has been overwhelmed by huge numbers of refugees for years.

According to InfoMigrants, about 70% of people in the camp are from Afghanistan but migrants from more than 70 different countries live there.

An overflow site - the Kara Tepe Refugee Camp - has since been built but there is still not enough space to accommodate all arrivals.

For years, thousands of people who arrived on Lesbos were placed in the camp and could not leave until their asylum application was processed on the mainland - a slow, bureaucratic process.

The EU has tried to resettle migrants among different member states but governments across the bloc have rejected different proposals, and migrants have waited in squalid conditions.

The Greek government plan to build closed detention sites to house migrants on the Greek islands. Protesters on Lesbos attacked authorities in February who brought construction equipment to the island.

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Moria migrants: Fire destroys Greek camp leaving 13,000 without shelter

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Fires have destroyed Greece's largest migrant camp, an overcrowded facility on the island of Lesbos, leaving nearly 13,000 people without shelter. Some 20 firefighters battled the blaze at the Moria camp - designed for fewer than 3,000 people - as migrants, many suffering from smoke exposure, fled.

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06.03.2020

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Japan is changing: a rapidly ageing society, a record-breaking influx of visitors from overseas, and more robots than ever. That's where the country's young people come in. Gen J, a new series by BBC Worklife, keeps you up to speed on how the nation's next generation is shaping the Japan of tomorrow.
At a sleek office building in Shinagawa, Tokyo, workers are strolling in and out for lunch. As they walk through the glass doors, they pass two security guards, each dutifully flanking the passage in stern silence. It all seems pretty unremarkable, until you realise one of those security guards is a robot.

Standing up to five feet tall with wheels and a blue police cap, "his" name is Ugo. His battery lasts up to half a work day, and every two hours he'll do a routine patrol around the building - even summoning lifts by pushing the call button himself. His digital "face" - which usually displays two big blue cartoony eyes - is replaced with the Japanese text for "on duty".

"It's important for the robot to feel cute, so you're not intimidated," says Ken Matsui, CEO of Mira Robotics, the start-up behind Ugo. Right now, the police bot - whose built-in camera allows guards downstairs to see things from the robot's point of view - is one of only two prototypes in the country. But Matsui says companies in China and South Korea are interested in his company's work, which also includes cleaning robots for use in houses and schools.

In recent years, headlines, pundits and politicians have often warned that we're in the midst of a job-stealing robot revolution; but roboticists argue that their creations will complement, rather than replace, us. In Japan, the robots are already here - what's more, many are actively embracing the robot age, from suburban nursing homes to the highest levels of government, which announced an investment of 100bn yen ($100m) in robot development a few years ago. Some entities are even highlighting robotic colleagues as a selling point to young, new recruits.

As the Tokyo 2020 Olympics approach - an arena for companies like Toyota to show off new humanoid robots that will interact with guests and help athletes on the field - the world's attention is turned to Japan. And for good reason: amid fast global ageing and increased automation, it could be that Japan's robot-friendly present is everyone else's future.

New technology, ageing population
In Tokyo's Silver Wing nursing home, about two dozen seniors are sitting in the common area as pudding cups are distributed. In the middle of the room is a staff member and a humanoid robot named Pepper, who is leading the room in group games and exercises.

Pepper's hosting a game of "guess the kanji", as a big screen shows super-magnified parts of Chinese characters that the crowd have to identify aloud. Many of the residents are dementia patients.

"We ask residents with dementia where they are and who they are in natural conversation with communication robots and human staff," says Kimiya Ishikawa, director of Silver Wing. "It's hard [for humans compared to robots] to remember each resident's personal information, so robots are utilised [to help] in that area."

But it's not only in the common room that robotics is being employed. Upstairs, staff have access to robotic exoskeletons that fit around the waist and lower back: these apparatuses ease the severe body strain as they help their elderly clients get in and out of bed. (Some studies have shown that over 80% of nurses in Japan experience lower back problems.)

"Japan is facing major demographic challenges due to the elderly wave, low fertility rates and a shrinking population. This leads to a number of issues facing Japanese society which the West can learn from," says Roger A Søraa, robotics researcher at Centre for Technology and Society in Norway. "Elderly care facilities and hospitals see a severe lack of healthcare workers; there are not enough humans to do the tasks the way they used to be done."

Kayoko Fujimoto, chairperson of trustees for the Ryusei Fukushikai Social Welfare Foundation, runs a nursing home in Hyogo prefecture, about 100km southwest of Kyoto. Last year she wrote a bestselling book seeking to reinvent the image of nursing home work, and she thinks robots can help.

At the Hyogo nursing home, staff have rolled out several robots that have been big hits with residents, like Paro the talking, fuzzy baby seal bot, which was developed a decade ago. Residents love to play with him because he's cute, and the staff love him because he's clean, doesn't require food and no one's allergic to him.

One of the most popular additions is Telenoid: a baby-like robot with no legs and tiny arms. A staff member in a different room talks through the robot, and the voice comes out of its mouth. Some publications have criticised Telenoid as being creepy, but Fujimoto and her staff say it's beloved by the residents.

One resident, a woman with dementia, holds a Telenoid as 27-year-old staff member Minami Okabe, down the hall, sings a Japanese folk song into a headset. The smiling resident holds Telenoid like a baby and says, "Let's sing a song again". The staff say that this particular patient is usually very quiet, but not with the robot. "It's fun, seeing them react like that," says Okabe, who's worked at the nursing home for five years. "They react differently to the robots than they do to us."

Telenoid was developed by Osaka University's Hiroshi Ishiguro, the roboticist who made international headlines when he created his own android doppelgänger. He's a celebrity in Japan, and he's not the only high-profile tech entity Fujimoto's worked with: there's also Panasonic, NTT Docomo (Japan's main mobile phone operator) and Daiwa House, Japan's largest homebuilder. "In Japan, the speed of an ageing society is faster than in other countries, [so] the government is promoting developing robots," says Fuijimoto. "We want to help as an experimental facility."

Working in nursing homes, she says, has not traditionally been seen as an attractive job. Her hope is that talented young people will see how she is using new technology - from big, recognisable tech companies - and be enticed into this line of work. That was the case for Okabe, who read about how the home was using Telenoid in a leaflet. "There are many people, including students, who come here to see this," she says.

'Automation, not immigration'
Still, whether Japan will lead a 'robots in the workforce' revolution remains unclear. Rian Whitton, senior robotics analyst at global tech market advisory firm ABI Research, says that robot deployment in places like nursing homes is low in practice and that Japan's recently eased rules for low-wage migrant workers show that the government knows widespread automation isn't yet possible.

He also points out that China and the US, for example, are quickly catching up to Japan in areas like homecare robotics. "Ultimately, Japan is going to go from the top vendor for robotics globally, as it used to be, to being a relatively strong player alongside Germany, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan," he says. "[Japan] will lose influence relative to the Chinese and American robotics ecosystems."

In fact, in one report released by the International Federation of Robotics last year, South Korea, not Japan, had the most industrial robots - manufacturing robots that assemble electronics and vehicles, for example - already in the workforce, with Germany not far behind. Plus, South Korea, like Japan, is also rapidly ageing, meaning local robotics companies are gearing products towards the demographic changes.

Yet in Japan's favour is its very long history of embracing robots, not fearing them. In the West, pop culture and media often frame robots as job-stealing Terminators itching to start a revolution. In Japan, they're often cute and cuddly; anime and manga have depicted robots as things to love. Others point to a respect for inanimate objects that's rooted in Shintosim.

Another factor is ingrained resistance to immigration, despite the recent moves to allow more foreign workers in. As Japan's workforce ages and shrinks, employers will struggle to fill low-wage jobs in retail or food service, for example. That's prompted domestic calls to embrace robotics, with headlines like " Graying Japan wants automation, not immigration."

One area that needs workers is housekeeping services. With more pensioners and fewer workers, demand for in-house caregivers and cleaners is on the rise. That's why Mira Robotics has also created a butler robot that can do simple tasks like wash dishes, fold clothes and vacuum, which are actually quite complex tasks for a robot.

"In other countries, like Hong Kong, the solution is to have more immigrants, but it's not a perfect solution," says Mira's Matsui. "Japan is quite domestic-oriented, and we don't accept many immigrants, so robots are more suitable."

Many of these robots - Ugo, Telenoid and others - can be used or monitored by humans from a remote location. That makes it possible for elderly or disabled individuals - people who might otherwise be excluded from the workforce - to command such robots, or even someone in a different city.

Normal, like smartphones
Looking forward, Silver Wing's Ishikawa says that major research is going into making social robots that can detect - and predict - healthcare changes in people. For example, the robots that record conversations to help human caregivers track a dementia patient's progress could soon also monitor vital signs and, using AI, compare that data to a symptoms database, extract correlations and calculate the risk of a condition worsening.

Hiroshi Ishiguro, the Osaka University roboticist, says we'll see other cute, communicative robots in places like hotel rooms or restaurants (where touch-screen menus are already commonplace in Japan) to assist guests in other languages. Meanwhile, government initiatives continue: last year, robots began to be rolled out in 500 classrooms across Japan to help teach English after a 250m yen ($2.3m) investment from the Education Ministry.

That could, in turn, help Japan's younger generation grow up at ease with robots in a variety of environments. Ishiguro believes that they will integrate into our lives the same way smartphones did a decade ago. "Not just Japan will have more robots, but the whole world," he predicts.

Whitton agrees, though he says the timescale is not yet clear. "I see all major economies adopting industrial policies related to robotics and other technologies in line with what China and Japan have been doing for decades," he says.
Additional reporting by Yoko Ishitani and Mari Murakami.

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What the world can learn from Japan's robots

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Japan is rolling out robots in nursing homes, offices and schools as its population ages and workforce shrinks. What can it teach other countries facing the same problems?

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The red panda is not one species but two, according to DNA evidence.

Already endangered due to hunting and habitat loss, conservation efforts are now even more critical, say scientists.

The red panda lives in the mountainous forests of China, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, where numbers are down to a few thousand individuals and decreasing every day.

Two varieties have long been suspected, based on physical features, but genetic evidence has been lacking.

Chinese red pandas have redder fur and striped tail rings, while Himalayan pandas have whiter faces.

Lead researcher Yibo Hu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said the Himalayan red panda needs more urgent protection, because of its lower genetic diversity, and small population size.

"To conserve the genetic uniqueness of the two species, we should avoid their interbreeding in captivity and construct clear captive pedigrees," he said.

Conservation imperative

Researchers in China analysed the DNA of 65 wild red pandas. This revealed two separate species which went their own separate ways after populations were divided by a river about 250 thousand years ago.

Mike Jordan, director of plants and animals at Chester Zoo, which has a pair of red pandas, says the genetic evidence allows us to say they're considered to be completely different species, rather than variations of one species.

"The population is down to what may only be a few thousand," he said. "Now that we need to divide that few thousand between two different species it may increase the conservation imperative and I suspect one or more of the species we will discover is even more threatened than we thought previously."

The red panda

The small mammals resemble bears but are in a genus of their own known as Airlurinae

The wild population continues to decline due to habitat loss, poaching, and inbreeding

Lives in trees and mainly eat bamboo, using sharp, curved claws to grip the stems

Not closely related to the giant panda

It is now protected in all countries in which it lives, and hunting is illegal.

The red panda ( Ailurus fulgens) was initially considered a relative of the raccoon because of features such as its ringed tail, and then thought to be related to bears.

It is now known to be in a family of its own and one of the most evolutionary distinct and globally endangered mammals in the world.

Moumita Chakraborty is a fellow at EDGE, a conservation programme hosted at international conservation charity ZSL ( Zoological Society of London).

The mammal is illegally hunted for its fur in southwest China, especially for its highly valued bushy tail from which hats are produced, she said. The "good-luck charm" hats are used by Chinese newlyweds.

"Being two different species means conservation action plans can be specific to the two different species needs and requirements," she added. "Due to the fragmentation of their natural habitat, small numbers, and niche food requirements their number border on the brink of extinction."

The research is published in the journal Science Advances.

Follow Helen on Twitter.

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The red panda is not one species but two, according to DNA evidence. Already endangered due to hunting and habitat loss, conservation efforts are now even more critical, say scientists. The red panda lives in the mountainous forests of China, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, where numbers are down to a few thousand individuals and decreasing every day.

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing inside a central London mosque.

The victim, in his 70s, was injured in an attack at London Central Mosque, near Regent's Park, which police are not treating as terror-related.

He was taken to hospital by paramedics where his condition has been assessed as non-life threatening.

A 29-year-old man was apprehended by worshippers who broke from prayer to restrain him until police arrived.

In a statement, the mosque said the injured man was the muezzin, the person who makes the call to prayer, and he had been stabbed shortly after 15:00 GMT during afternoon prayer.

The mosque's director general, Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan said he had a brief phone conversation with the muezzin in hospital, who said he was "okay and feeling well".

Ayaz Ahmad, an adviser to the mosque, said the stabbing "would have been life-threatening if it wasn't for the worshippers".

Images from inside the mosque showed a man wearing a red hooded top, jeans and with bare feet being pinned to the floor by police officers.

One video showed a knife on the floor under a plastic chair.

Mustafa Field, director of the Faiths Forum for London, told reporters the attack was "one stab, one strike, around the neck" of the victim.

He said: "Then the congregation members, some of them broke their prayers, and intervened, restrained the individual."

Abi Watik, who witnessed the attack, said the arrested man had been seen at the mosque previously and the muezzin was stabbed once in the shoulder.

"He was praying behind him [the muezzin] and then he stabbed him.

"He was waiting for him I think to start praying. He was right behind him."

The 59-year-old added that the suspect "was silent the whole time".

Dr Al Dubayan said: "We are so sad about what has happened and we hope it's just one off incident, not related or motivated by any kind of hatred."

Miqdaad Versi, from the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "It is deeply concerning that this has happened... Given other recent attacks elsewhere, many Muslims are on edge," he said.

Police believe the attack was an isolated incident and have increased patrols around the area to "provide reassurance to worshippers and the local community".

Ch Supt Helen Harpe said: "A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene and he has been taken into custody.

"The man is believed to have been attending prayers inside the mosque.

"This incident has undoubtedly caused a great deal of concern and we are working as swiftly as possible to establish the circumstances."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted he was "deeply saddened" by the stabbing and his "thoughts are with the victim and all those affected".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the Met Police would be "providing extra resources in the area" following the attack.

"Every Londoner is entitled to feel safe in their place of worship," he tweeted.

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London Central Mosque stabbing: Man is arrested

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing inside a central London mosque. The victim, in his 70s, was injured in an attack at London Central Mosque, near Regent's Park, which police are not treating as terror-related. He was taken to hospital by paramedics where his condition has been assessed as non-life threatening.

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Sahba Barakzai, her family and seven-month-old husky Aseman, tried to get out into the mountains near their home in western Afghanistan every Friday.

But last Friday, the hike turned to tragedy after an unidentified group of men approached the family and shot Sahba's beloved puppy dead.

The attackers told her a woman could not own a dog.

But Sabha fears this may have been something more - that it may have been to do with her teaching girls sport.

"We still don't know about their goal but we think it is because of her career," her sister Setayesh told the BBC. "She was the first woman who has her own club and these things are taboo."

Sahba was used to threats - she had been teaching karate to children in Herat, Afghanistan's third largest city, for 10 years.

She had also set up a cycling club for teenage and young girls - a very public sport in a country where, less than two decades ago, women were banned from going to school, working or even leaving the house without a male chaperone.

It is, Setayesh says, still taboo for girls to ride bikes in Herat and some of the community initially reacted aggressively, but her sister was determined to persist.

"The main inspiration was the situation of women in Herat because she herself is an active person in community," Setayesh explained.

"[Our parents] were completely worried because her life is in danger - and we saw by our own eyes last week."

Warning: This article contains a graphic image

Indeed, last week's tragedy has left them all shaken. Sahba had set out with her father and two sisters, including Setayesh, along with Aseman.

The Siberian husky, whose name means "sky", a nod to her blue eyes, had only joined the family a few months earlier, but was clearly much loved. Pictures show her playing in the snow, cuddling up to children at the club and walking with Sahba in the hills - just like they were on Friday.

"We were just walking, picnicking and everything as usual," Sahba told the BBC. "We go there almost every week but that time was different."

About two hours into the hike, a man looking like a shepherd approached the group and shot at Aseman.

"I shouted and ran towards Aseman and requested the man not to fire," Sahba told Afghan news agency Khaama. "The gunman did not care, and shot four bullets in Aseman's chest."

The shots were fatal: sobbing, Sahba took Aseman in her arms and began to run towards the car.

But then the gunman, who had been joined by several other men, fired another shot, and demanded she put the dog down and leave her body with them. As a woman, he told Sahba, she had no right to keep a dog.

The family had no choice but to leave Aseman with the men, and flee. They don't know who the men were, or why they were targeted. Reporting it to the police, Sahba said, would be pointless.

"I knew nothing will happen," she told Khaama. "Dozens of human beings are killed every day in the country and no one feels responsibility."

The attack has left the entire family shocked, Setayesh said.

"We were really scared. I have never been to such kind of situation before - that was a terrifying memory for all of us."

But it has left an especially deep wound in Sahba, who decided to shut down her sports clubs - a huge loss for her community - and look into moving across the border, into neighbouring Iran, where she hopes she will be safer.

"Aseman was just like Sabha's daughter," Setayesh explained.

Sahba, meanwhile, is trying to pick herself up as she grieves the loss.

"The day that I brought Aseman, I googled that how many years a dog can live and realised every dog can live about 14 years and even more," she said. "I got upset when I knew Aseman can live just for 14 years with me.

"I have never thought that my sweetie Aseman would live just for seven months and then be killed."

You may also be interested in...

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'They killed my puppy because I am a woman'

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Sahba Barakzai, her family and seven-month-old husky Aseman, tried to get out into the mountains near their home in western Afghanistan every Friday. But last Friday, the hike turned to tragedy after an unidentified group of men approached the family and shot Sahba's beloved puppy dead.

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Coronavirus: Death toll rises as virus spreads to every Chinese region

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The death toll of the coronavirus has risen to 170 and with a confirmed case in Tibet, the virus has now spread to every region in mainland China.

Chinese health authorities have said there were 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of 29 January.

Infections have also spread to at least 16 other countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet on Thursday to discuss whether the virus constitutes a global health emergency.

"In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, pointing to Germany, Vietnam and Japan.

"Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak."

While there is no specific cure or vaccine for the virus, many people who contract it have only mild symptoms and do recover from it.

It can though cause severe acute respiratory infection and lead to death.

Like the similar Sars and influenza viruses, the new coronavirus is thought to be particularly a risk for elderly and people with pre-existing illnesses.

So far, most reported infections and deaths are in China's Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

The city has effectively been sealed off and China has put numerous transport restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus.

Hundreds of foreign nationals are being evacuated from Wuhan with Japan, the US and the EU among those repatriating their citizens.

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Coronavirus cases confirmed in all Chinese regions

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The death toll of the coronavirus has risen to 170 and with a confirmed case in Tibet, the virus has now spread to every region in mainland China. Chinese health authorities have said there were 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of 29 January. Infections have also spread to at least 16 other countries.

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10.01.2020

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Rain has brought some respite to the thousands of firefighters and volunteers tackling the blazes, which have been burning since September. The fires intensified over the past week, with a number towns evacuated.

At least 24 people have so far been killed - including three volunteer firefighters - and more than 6.3 million hectares (63,000 sq km or 15.6 million acres) of bush, forest and parks have been burned.
If you can't see the map click here.
New South Wales has been worst affected

In the worst-hit state, New South Wales (NSW), fire has affected almost five million hectares, destroying more than 1,300 houses and forcing thousands to seek shelter elsewhere.

Hot, dry weather combined with prolonged drought and strong winds have created perfect conditions for fire to spread rapidly.

About 130 fires were burning across the state on Monday, in the bush, mountain forests and national parks.

The fires have been exacerbated by 40C temperatures and strong winds, creating difficult conditions for the thousands of firefighters deployed in the field.

The small town of Balmoral, south-west of Sydney, was largely destroyed and scores of homes were razed amid catastrophic conditions on 22 December.

But by the start of January, conditions were still dangerous and a state of emergency for NSW has come into force. Parks, trails and camping grounds were closed and holidaymakers were told to leave a 260km (160-mile) stretch of NSW coast.

The rainfall on Monday meant some residents were able to return to their homes and supplies could be taken to affected areas.

But officials warn that high temperatures, and the risk of further fires, could return this week.

Other states are also suffering

In Victoria, more than 800,000 hectares have been burned.

Fires, raging since late November, have caused devastation in recent days, leaving two people dead and destroying around 43 homes in East Gippsland.

In the small town of Mallacoota, residents fled to the beach on 31 December, with only a change in the wind direction keeping the fire from reaching them on the shore.

Around 1,000 tourists and residents were eventually evacuated by the Australian navy and taken further down the coast.

The military has sent troops, ships and aircraft to the region to help relocation and firefighting efforts.

A close call: Stories of survival from Mallacoota

A state of disaster has been declared for the worst-hit areas in Victoria, which allows the authorities to enforce evacuations and let emergency services take over properties.

Satellite images from 4 January show the spread of smoke from fires in Victoria and NSW, which has affected air quality as far away as New Zealand.

In the state of South Australia, the Cudlee Creek fire is reported to have destroyed more than 80 homes in the Adelaide Hills region.

The fires are also thought to have destroyed up to a third of the vines that provide grapes for the Adelaide Hills wine industry.

In the Australian capital Canberra - an administrative region surrounded by NSW - bushfire smoke meant air quality there was rated the third worst of all major global cities on Friday, according to Swiss-based group AirVisual.

Very hot and dry conditions, with strong winds and thunderstorms are expected - posing further fire risk.

The fires have been worse than usual

Although Australia has always had bushfires, this season has been a lot worse than normal.

The total area of land affected by fires in New South Wales would cover most of the south of England.

In pictures: Latest from the Australian bushfires

Humans are sometimes to blame for starting the fires, but they are also often sparked by natural causes, such as lightning striking dry vegetation.

Once fires have started, other areas are at risk, with embers blown by the wind causing blazes to spread to new areas.

Bush fires themselves can also drive thunderstorms, increasing the risk of lightning strikes and further fires.

The number of people killed as a result of the fires since September 2019 is higher than in recent years.

Australia's deadliest bushfire disaster was "Black Saturday" in February 2009, when some 180 people died in Victoria.

If there is a serious risk of fire reaching homes or properties, authorities urge people to leave in good time as fire can travel fast - faster than most people can run.

So is this down to climate change?

Many Australians are asking that very question - but the science is complicated.

Scientists have long warned that a hotter, drier climate will contribute to fires becoming more frequent and more intense. Many parts of Australia have been in drought conditions, some for years, which has made it easier for the fires to spread and grow.

Data shows that Australia has warmed overall by slightly more than one degree Celsius since 1910, with most of the heating occurring since 1950, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Australia broke its all-time temperature record twice in December. An average maximum of 40.9C was recorded on 17 December, broken a day later by 41.9C, both beating 2013's record of 40.3C.

By the end of the month every state had measured temperatures above 40C - including Tasmania, which is usually much cooler than the mainland.

A climate phenomenon is causing the heatwave

The main climate driver behind the heat has been a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) - an event where sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western half of the ocean, cooler in the east.

The difference between the two temperatures is currently the strongest in 60 years.

As a result, there has been higher-than-average rainfall and floods in eastern Africa and droughts in south-east Asia and Australia.

Andrew Watkins, head of long-range forecasts at the bureau, said the dipole was crucial to understanding the heatwave.

"The key culprit of our current and expected conditions is one of the strongest positive Indian Ocean dipole events on record," he says.

"A positive IOD means we have cooler than average water pooling off Indonesia, and this means we see less rain-bearing weather systems, and warmer than average temperatures for large parts of the country."

And meteorologists warn that, for the moment, the intense weather and elevated fire risk in Australia is set to continue.

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A visual guide to Australia's bushfire crisis

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Rain has brought some respite to the thousands of firefighters and volunteers tackling the blazes, which have been burning since September. The fires intensified over the past week, with a number towns evacuated.

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Authorities are searching for a red panda that escaped from a zoo in south-eastern France.

Staff at St-Martin-la-Plaine zoo near Lyon say the endangered animal got free by scaling branches broken by recent snowfall.

It was last seen by a motorist less than 5km (3.1 miles) away, near Saint-Maurice-sur-Dargoire.

A Facebook post asked residents to keep a look out for the red panda, but warned people not to try to catch it.

"Even if it's a little harmless animal with silky fur, it has good claws and good teeth," the post read.

Staff described the nocturnal animal - reportedly a three-year-old male - as an "outstanding climber who is not afraid of heights", asking people to "look up in the trees".

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, red pandas are native to the forests of the Himalayas. They can be found in Bhutan, Nepal, north-eastern India, northern Myanmar and south-western China.

The creatures are not closely related to giant pandas, despite the similar name.

Deforestation has cut their numbers, and though poaching rates have declined, the red panda is still at risk from hunters. The animals are officially classed as endangered.

Two other red pandas have been in the news this year after staging daring escapes.

Amber the panda was found "safe and well" after her escape from Belfast Zoo in January, while earlier this month a wildlife park in the Isle of Man turned to drones to help find seven-year-old panda Kush.

You may also be interested in:

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Endangered red panda escapes zoo in France

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Authorities are searching for a red panda that escaped from a zoo in south-eastern France. Staff at St-Martin-la-Plaine zoo near Lyon say the endangered animal got free by scaling branches broken by recent snowfall. It was last seen by a motorist less than 5km (3.1 miles) away, near Saint-Maurice-sur-Dargoire.

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A 10-week-old abandoned puppy with a secondary tail, in the middle of his head, has been taken in by an animal rescue centre in Missouri.

Staff at Mac's Mission, which is predominantly for animals with special needs, have called the puppy Narwhal.

They had been told there was "no medical need to remove" the extra tail as it caused him no pain, they said.

And the popularity of photos of Narwhal on Facebook had helped raise awareness of the rescue centre's work.

Rochelle Steffen, who runs Mac's Mission, named after a pit-bull terrier she rescued seven and a half years ago, told BBC News Narwhal "is in no pain and plays for hours".

Writing on Facebook, Ms Steffen said Narwhal, named after a species of whale that has a single large "tusk", had visited the vet on Tuesday.

And X-rays had showed his secondary tail, about a third the size of his actual tail, was not connected to anything and served no purpose other than to make him the "coolest puppy ever".

Narwhal is not yet available for adoption as the staff want him to "grow a bit more and truly make sure the tail doesn't become a bother or a problem".

Ms Steffen said Narwhal was one of hundreds of dogs dumped in rural Missouri.

Those taken in by Mac's Mission, who mostly had special needs - deformities, clefts, trauma, "anything major", would otherwise be more likely to be put down, she said, so "there is a great need to give them a chance".

"We give them that chance."

Photos and videos of Narwhal on the centre's Facebook page have gained tens of thousands of "likes" in 24 hours.

And, Ms Steffen says, as its work is "strictly grassroots, through social media" the extra attention "is majorly epic for so many new folks to find out about our awesome little rescue".

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Puppy with extra tail on his head rescued

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A 10-week-old abandoned puppy with a secondary tail, in the middle of his head, has been taken in by an animal rescue centre in Missouri. Staff at Mac's Mission, which is predominantly for animals with special needs, have called the puppy Narwhal.

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Thousands of egg-shaped balls of ice have covered a beach in Finland, the result of a rare weather phenomenon.
Amateur photographer Risto Mattila was among those who came across the "ice eggs" on Hailuoto Island in the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden.

Experts say it is caused by a rare process in which small pieces of ice are rolled over by wind and water.

Mr Mattila, from the nearby city of Oulu, told the BBC he had never seen anything like it before.

"I was with my wife at Marjaniemi beach. The weather was sunny, about -1C (32F) and it was quite a windy day," he told the BBC.

"There we found this amazing phenomenon. There was snow and ice eggs along the beach near the water line."

Mr Mattila said the balls of ice covered an area of about 30m (100ft). The smallest were the size of eggs and the biggest were the size of footballs.

"That was an amazing view. I have never seen anything like this during 25 years living in the vicinity," Mr Mattila said.

"Since I had a camera with me I decided to preserve this unusual sight for posterity."

BBC Weather expert George Goodfellow said conditions needed to be cold and a bit windy for the ice balls to form.

"The general picture is that they form from pieces of larger ice sheet which then get jostled around by waves, making them rounder," he said.

"They can grow when sea water freezes on to their surfaces and this also helps to make them smoother. So the result is a ball of smooth ice which can then get deposited on to a beach, either blown there or getting left there when the tide goes out."

Similar sights have been reported before, including in Russia and on Lake Michigan near Chicago.

In 2016 residents of Nyda in Siberia found giant balls of ice and snow covering an 18km (11-mile) stretch of coast.

They ranged from the size of a tennis ball to almost 1m (3ft) across.

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Beach in Finland covered in rare 'ice eggs'

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Thousands of egg-shaped balls of ice have covered a beach in Finland, the result of a rare weather phenomenon. Amateur photographer Risto Mattila was among those who came across the "ice eggs" on Hailuoto Island in the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden.

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More than half a million people are facing power cuts in California as wildfires rage through the state.

The Kincade fire has engulfed 10,000 acres of land and has not been contained, says the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It is being driven by strong north winds and is moving south, a California Fire spokeswoman said.

The worst of the winds are expected to arrive on Thursday afternoon.

"It looks like at its worst, southern California will see wind gusts of 55mph. Down in some of the coastal areas the winds could reach 75mph later today," Forecaster Marc Chenard told the Reuters news agency.

Evacuation orders were sent out in the town of Geyserville, California, the county sheriff's office said.

"This fire is moving fast, please pay attention to evacuation orders," state Senator Mike McGuire tweeted.

More than 308,000 customers in seven counties, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura in southern California, are under consideration for power shutoffs, according to the Southern California Edison.

Pacific Gas & Electric has shut off power in 15 counties, affecting about 178,000 people.

The fires are believed to have started in a mountainous area near Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road.

Earlier this month, wildfires razed 4,700 acres north of Los Angeles, California, and forced thousands to flee.

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Power cuts expected as California wildfires rage

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More than half a million people are facing power cuts in California as wildfires rage through the state. The Kincade fire has engulfed 10,000 acres of land and has not been contained, says the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It is being driven by strong north winds and is moving south, a California Fire spokeswoman said.

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Nasa unveils new spacesuit for next Moon landing

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The US space agency has unveiled the prototype for a new spacesuit that could be worn by the next astronauts on the Moon.
Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine shared a close-up look at the next-generation suits for the agency's Artemis programme.

The xEMU prototype suit looks similar to ones used at the International Space Station.

But Nasa said it had been improved for comfort, fit and mobility on the Moon.

Mr Bridenstine also presented the Orion Crew Survival System, an orange flight suit with helmet that will be worn by crews in the Orion spacecraft for launch and re-entry.

Orion is the replacement for the space shuttle, but, unlike that system, it's designed to carry astronauts to the Moon and other targets in deep space.
To the Moon and Beyond
The new Moon suit, which is known formally as the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is designed to give the wearer a customised fit whatever their size.

That would be a significant shift from the current situation. In March, the first all-female spacewalk on the ISS had to be called off because there wasn't an available suit in the correct size for Nasa astronaut Anne McClain.

In an event at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC, the red, white and blue xEMU suit was worn onstage by spacecraft engineer Kristine Davis, from Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston.

"To be clear, Kristine is wearing a suit that will fit all of our astronauts when we go to the Moon," Mr Bridenstine told the audience.

Spacecraft engineer Amy Ross said the new suit would give astronauts more mobility in the shoulders, including the ability to reach overhead - which Apollo-era suits weren't capable of.

A large piece called a bearing provides the astronaut with a greater range of movement at the waist. There are three further bearings on the legs along with a flexion-extension joint at the waist to provide more mobility in the lower part of the suit.

Ms Davis demonstrated the suit's capabilities by moving her arms in a circular motion, performing squats and bending down to pick up a rock from the stage.

"The mobility is one of the biggest things," said Nasa astronaut Kate Rubins. "If you need to pick up a rock, if you're examining something, if you're planting a scientific instrument, you need that upper torso mobility."

Amy Ross said seals in the bearings would help protect the suit from the abrasive lunar dust that managed to stick to surfaces and worked its way into every nook and cranny during the Apollo missions. The suit also has fewer seams and will use new materials that keep the dust out.

The suit has a 100% oxygen environment and should help astronauts get to work right away rather than having to spend time "pre-breathing" to purge nitrogen from their bodies. The suit's life support system should give the astronaut around eight hours' worth of air, with an extra hour for contingency.

The Orion Crew Survival System was demonstrated by Dustin Gohmert, a project manager at JSC.

"This is the suit that gets us there and home safely," he said. "It's tailored to the human body, it's also tailored to the seat [in the Orion crew module]."

The primary purpose of the suit is to protect astronauts against an accidental depressurisation, where the air pressure is lost from the inside of the spacecraft while it is travelling in a vacuum or near-vacuum.

Mr Gohmert explained: "We can take safe haven in this suit, we'll seek refuge in here, we'll keep the body at 8 psi (pound force per square inch) for a certain period of time, then we'll drop down to 4.3 psi and we can remain there for six days."

"That's no small feat to be able to live in a volume that's only a couple of inches bigger than your body for six whole days."

Mr Bridenstine followed up: "This is, when necessary, a spacecraft."

Follow Paul on Twitter.

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Nasa unveils new spacesuit for next Moon landing

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The US space agency has unveiled the prototype for a new spacesuit that could be worn by the next astronauts on the Moon. Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine shared a close-up look at the next-generation suits for the agency's Artemis programme. The xEMU prototype suit looks similar to ones used at the International Space Station.

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Olga Tokarczuk win Nobel Prize for Literature

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The Nobel Prize for Literature is set to be awarded on Thursday. Twice.

The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood, fellow Canadian Anne Carson and Russian novelist Lyudmila Ulitskaya are among the names thought to be in contention for the prizes this year.

Two winners are set to be named because the prize was not awarded in 2018.

The Swedish Academy, which oversees the prestigious award, suspended it to make changes to its processes after it was engulfed in a sexual assault scandal.

Jean-Claude Arnault, the husband of Academy member Katarina Frostenson, was sentenced to two years in prison in October after being convicted of rape.

Frostenson stepped down, and the events sparked a crisis in the organisation involving allegations of conflict of interest and the leaking of Nobel winners' names. It all resulted in "reduced public confidence in the Academy", according to the awards body.

"Our reputation is everything," said Lars Heikensten, executive director of the Nobel Foundation. "Obviously, it is important to avoid this kind of situation we have been in and of course it cannot be repeated."

The Academy has also made changes to its panel, bringing in several new members since last year. The body will now also allow its members to resign, and no longer tolerate members who have been subject to conflicts of interest or criminal investigations.

How do you win the Nobel Prize for Literature?

As Alfred Nobel put it in his will, the prize is awarded to the author who is deemed to have written "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction".

Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, has said: "The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to someone who has done outstanding work in an idealistic direction that adds the greatest benefit to humankind. Nationality is expressly unimportant."

The winner is decided by members of the Swedish Academy, but their decision-making process is kept secret for 50 years.

Academy member Anders Olsson said they looked for a more diverse shortlist this year and were moving away from a more "male-oriented" and "Eurocentric perspective of literature".

Other names thought to be in contention include Guadeloupian author Maryse Condé - who won an alternative award set up last year - plus Poland's Olga Tokarczuk and the Kenyan Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.

Previous winners include Bob Dylan (2016), Alice Munro (2013), Orhan Pamuk (2006), Toni Morrison (2003) and Gabriel García Márquez (1982).

The winning writer receives nine million Swedish kronor (£740,000), as well as a medal and a diploma.

The prize was launched in 1901. There are seven years during which it has not been awarded since then, but never previously because of a scandal.

It was not given out during World War One, and was also missed during four years of World War Two.
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk .

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Nobel Prize for Literature returns after scandal

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The Nobel Prize for Literature is set to be awarded on Thursday. Twice. The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood, fellow Canadian Anne Carson and Russian novelist Lyudmila Ulitskaya are among the names thought to be in contention for the prizes this year. Two winners are set to be named because the prize was not awarded in 2018.

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Seven Sri Lanka elephants dead from suspected poisoning

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Sri Lankan authorities have begun an investigation after seven elephants were found dead last week from suspected poisoning.

Four bodies were discovered on Friday and another three on Saturday in Habarana Forest Reserve.

Authorities said all of those found were females from the same herd, and one had been pregnant at the time.

Wildlife and security officials are continuing to search the area for signs of any more dead elephants.

Preliminary post-mortem examinations began over the weekend. While it is not yet clear what caused their deaths, officials suspect they may have been poisoned by angry villagers for destroying crops.

On Monday, another elephant was found shot dead in Sri Lanka's central reserve, though it is unclear if the deaths are related.

Killing wild elephants is illegal in the country, though elephant populations frequently come into conflict with rural communities.

The expansion of villages and farms has contributed to a loss of habitat and supplies of food and water for the animals.

Dozens of elephants are kept in captivity to raise income from tourists, while others are forced to march at local festivals.

Earlier this month, 17 people were injured at a religious procession in Kotte when two elephants ran amok.

The treatment of these animals was also brought into focus after the death of a 70-year-old elephant, Tikiri, whose emaciated state sparked a public backlash.

The last official census of wild elephant numbers was held in 2011, and revealed 5,879 were left in Sri Lanka - one of the highest population densities in the world.

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Seven Sri Lanka elephants dead from 'poisoning'

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Sri Lankan authorities have begun an investigation after seven elephants were found dead last week from suspected poisoning. Four bodies were discovered on Friday and another three on Saturday in Habarana Forest Reserve. Authorities said all of those found were females from the same herd, and one had been pregnant at the time.

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Global climate strikes: Millions of children take part in protests to help protect the planet

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Millions of children around the world have been taking part in a global climate change protest today - it's thought to be the biggest ever!

Protestors from over 150 different countries have taken part in demonstrations aiming to put pressure on governments and decision-makers to do more about climate issues.

The strikes are taking place ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Summit which begins on the 23 September.

Those taking part want world leaders to take more urgent action to protect the planet now and in the future.

Lots of children all over the world think that adults, politicians and big companies aren't doing enough to tackle climate change, and they want their voices to be heard.
To leave a message, you can go straight to our comments below.
And if you, or your class, want to send us some questions to put to a climate change expert, you or your teacher can send them to us here.

What's happened?

Strikes were held across the United States including in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.

Teen activist Greta Thunberg joined the protest in New York.

We went to meet some school children in Brighton as they got ready to be part of a march near where they live.

They told us they want to tell adults and leaders that they aren't doing enough and that, even though they are young, they have voices and want to make them heard.

This isn't the first time young people have become involved in marches like this - take a look at some of the demonstrations that happened earlier this year.

These school children have come from Cheshire to join a protest in Manchester city centre.

We reckon it's really hot inside that polar bear costume!

These young people are protesting in Edinburgh in Scotland.

Up to 10,000 people were expected to join the call for action there and lots more in other cities around Scotland.

These children went out of school with their parents and grandparents in Monmouth.

These protests in Wales started in the Gwynedd seaside town of Tywyn before spreading,

"We want to show the government and assembly that we aren't going to stand for inaction on climate change any more," said one of the students, Beth.

These school students gathered in the centre of Belfast to make their voices heard.

This girl is one of the thousands of environmental activists campaigning in Johannesburg, South Africa.

She has a banner in the shape of a phoenix, the legendary bird that rises from the ashes.

People in Berlin protested outside the city's Federal Ministry of Finance. Lots of young people in Germany have been taking part in the Friday for Future strikes over the last few months and over 400 events were planned in cities across the country.

Lots of students and protestors took part in this powerful demonstration outside the University of the Philippines in Manila.

Climate change is a big issue in the Philippines. The country is at risk of rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events, rising temperatures and increased rainfall.

Solomon Islands

Students in Marovo Island, which is in the Solomon Islands, took part in their very own climate protest.

One of the biggest problems people who live in the Solomon Islands face is rising sea levels. Sea levels are said to be increasing at a rate of about 8 mm per year.

People in Hong Kong held placards and chanted slogans during a climate strike rally in Hong Kong's Central district.

There have been lots of protests in Hong Kong recently, with citizens speaking out against plans to introduce an extradition bill which has since been scrapped.

People are Kenya also got involved in the day's demonstrations. This young protestor, who has been inspired by Greta, expressed her support on Twitter and will be missing classes to "join the rest of the world in saving the planet".

Kenya has been affected by climate change in various ways. The country has experienced increased temperatures, drought and unpredictable rainfall.

In Bangladesh, school children created signs and banners and joined protestors to speak out on climate issues.

The country is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and has experienced rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

In Thailand's capital of Bangkok, young people were also involved in protests.

Demonstrators had a 'lie-in' by lying down on the ground in front of the government environment minister's office.

Protestors also delivered a letter urging the government to declare a climate emergency.

Strikes were held in Australia, with thousands of school children leaving their classrooms to take part in demonstrations.

Organisers of the School Strike For Climate say more than 300,000 people joined in the demonstrations in Australia.

The largest of the gatherings was the Australian city of Melbourne, where more than 100,000 people came together to protest. Huge crowds of demonstrators also gathered in Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra, Perth, and Adelaide and there were also lots of marches and events in smaller towns, cities and communities.

The movement even travelled as far as Antarctica!

Dr. Kim Bernard shared the photo below on Twitter, saying: "Climate change is not a possibility for the distant future, it is the REALITY OF TODAY!!! It's time to rise before it's too late. We support you, climate strikers. With love and hope from Antarctica. #ClimateStrike #FridaysForFuture"

What are the protests all about?

Young people have driven many of the climate strikes that have taken place so far, with prominent activists like 16-year-old Greta Thunberg inspiring many others to take part.

Greta, who is leading today's global day of action, is one of the faces of Fridays for Future, an international movement of students who miss classes to take part in demonstrations demanding action against climate change. Many young people missed lessons to take part in strikes.

However, people of all ages joined the demonstrations.

Employees of some of the world's biggest companies including Amazon and Microsoft also took part.

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Global climate strikes: Millions of children take part in protests to help protect the planet - CBBC Newsround

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Millions of children around the world have been taking part in a global climate change protest today - it's thought to be the biggest ever! Protestors from over 150 different countries have taken part in demonstrations aiming to put pressure on governments and decision-makers to do more about climate issues.

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A new storm is threatening the Bahamas just two weeks after Hurricane Dorian tore through part of the islands.

Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Humberto on Friday night.

It is currently moving towards Great Abaco, one of the islands worst hit by Dorian.

About 1,300 people are missing in the Bahamas following the hurricane, while at least 15,000 are in need of shelter, food and medical care.

Dorian: Who is helping the survivors?

Hurricane Dorian's path of destruction

Number of missing drops to 1,300

Where is Tropical Storm Humberto?

At 09:00GMT, the US National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 70 miles (110km) east of Great Abaco, with maximum sustained winds of 40mph (65km/h).

It was moving north-west at about 7mph and was expected to pass near or over the north-western Bahamas on Saturday and be off the Florida coast later in the weekend.

Humberto is expected to bring rainfall of up to 15cm (6in) in some areas of the Bahamas, although no significant storm surge is threatened.

The BBC Weather service has advised that Humberto could strengthen into another hurricane over the coming days, although this is not likely to happen until it has passed over the Bahamas.

What has the Bahamas said?

Carl Smith, from the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (Nema), told reporters the storm could hinder the ongoing search for missing people, as well as efforts to get essential supplies to Grand Bahama and Great Abaco - the worst hit islands.

"I hope it does not disrupt it," he said. "We have taken precautionary measures to address the potential impact that we may encounter."

Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamas earlier this month, killing at least 50 people. As the clean-up operation continues, the death toll is expected to rise.

Dorian was packing sustained winds of 295km/h (185mph) when it made landfall at Elbow Cay on the Abacos on 1 September.

It equalled the highest winds ever recorded for a hurricane at landfall when it struck the Abaco Islands.

On Thursday the US announced $4m (£3.2m) in new humanitarian assistance for the Bahamas. The US Agency for International Development said the money would go towards providing shelter, food, medicine and water to those on the two worst hit islands.

More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from those islands to New Providence, where the country's capital Nassau is located.

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New storm to hit Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian

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A new storm is threatening the Bahamas just two weeks after Hurricane Dorian tore through part of the islands. Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Humberto on Friday night. It is currently moving towards Great Abaco, one of the islands worst hit by Dorian.