https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45746837

Russian spies have been accused of involvement in a series of cyber-plots across the globe, leading the US to level charges against seven agents.

The US justice department said targets included the global chemical weapons watchdog, anti-doping agencies and a US nuclear company.

The allegations are part of an organised push-back against alleged Russian cyber-attacks around the world.

Russia earlier dismissed the allegations as "Western spy mania".

What is Russia accused of?

The Netherlands has accused four Russians of plotting to hack the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which had been probing the chemical attack on a Russian ex-spy in the UK

The UK government accused the GRU of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks, whose targets included firms in Russia and Ukraine; the US Democratic Party; and a small TV network in the UK

The US said its anti-doping agency and the US nuclear energy company Westinghouse were targeted by Russian intelligence

Canada said "with high confidence" that breaches at its centre for ethics in sports and at the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency were carried out by Russian intelligence

Added to this, the Dutch authorities have said a laptop seized from the four suspects in April was found to have been used in Brazil, Switzerland and Malaysia.

In Malaysia, the Netherlands said, it was used to target the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 over territory held by Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45744764

Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul insists a prominent journalist critical of the Saudi government had already left its building before he vanished.

The consulate said it was "following up reports of the disappearance" of Jamal Khashoggi, who went there to complete paperwork on Tuesday.

Khashoggi's fiancée accompanied him to the building, but she had to wait outside. She did not see him leave.

Turkish authorities have also said they believe Khashoggi is still there.

The Turkish foreign ministry summoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador on Wednesday and "asked for an explanation" about the disappearance, NTV television reported.

The ambassador informed Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kiran that he had no information about Khashoggi's whereabouts, but Mr Kiran told him that the issue "should be cleared up immediately", it added.

The US state department has also requested information about Khashoggi's whereabouts and expressed concern about his safety.

What happened on Tuesday?

Khashoggi went to the consulate to obtain a document certifying he had divorced his ex-wife, so that he could marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice.

She said that he was "stressed and sad" that he was forced to go to the building.

Khashoggi was required to surrender his mobile phone, which is standard practice in some diplomatic missions. Hatice said he left the phone with her and told her to call an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan if he did not return.

Hatice said she waited for Khashoggi outside the consulate from about 13:00 (10:00 GMT) until after midnight and did not see him leave. She returned when the consulate reopened on Wednesday morning.

What does Saudi Arabia say?

A Saudi official confirmed on Wednesday that Khashoggi had visited the consulate to complete paperwork, but said he had "exited shortly thereafter".

"He is not in the consulate nor in Saudi custody," the official added.

On Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency cited the consulate as saying it was "carrying out follow-up procedures and co-ordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building".

What does Turkey think?

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters on Wednesday: "According to the information we have, this person who is a Saudi citizen is still at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul."

"We don't have information to the contrary," he added.

The head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association told the New York Times that Turkish police officers providing security for the consulate had checked their security cameras and did not see the journalist leave on foot. But Turan Kislakci added that diplomatic cars had been seen moving in and out.

The BBC's Mark Lowen says the mystery threatens to deepen the strains in the relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Turkey has taken the side of Qatar over its blockade by Saudi Arabia and other neighbours, and Turkey's rapprochement with Iran has riled the government in Riyadh, our correspondent adds.

Why might Saudi Arabia want to hold Khashoggi?

He is one of the most prominent critics of the crown prince, who has unveiled reforms praised by the West while carrying out an apparent crackdown on dissent, which has seen human and women's rights activists, intellectuals and clerics arrested, and waging a war in Yemen that has triggered a humanitarian crisis.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45745082

An Italian bank manager who robbed from the rich to give to the poor has narrowly escaped going to prison.

Gilberto Baschiera was the bank manager in the small mountain town of Forni di Sopra, where he stole about €1m (£0.9m) over seven years.

He took small amounts from wealthy clients and transferred it to those who couldn't qualify for credit.

But he never pocketed a penny for himself - and avoided going to jail after a plea bargain with authorities.

"I have always thought that in addition to protecting savers, our task was to help those in need," Baschiera said, according to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Serra.

He was handed a two-year sentence for his crimes. Since it was his first offence and the sentence is relatively short, he will not be imprisoned under Italian law.

'Shadow financing system'

But the tale has not ended well for the man labelled a modern-day Robin Hood by some Italian press. His lawyer, Roberto Mete, told the BBC that his client had lost his home as well as his job.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45744028

The firm that owns viral news website Unilad has gone into administration, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

Bentley Harrington has debts of £6.5m, including owing £1.5m to UK tax authorities.

The Unilad Facebook account has 39 million followers and posts viral videos and news stories.

A £10m joint bid for the company has been made by Linton Capital, whose partner David Sefton is interim chief executive of Unilad.

"I've known the company for quite a while," he said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45736631

What is a polygraph test?

In short, polygraph tests record a number of different bodily responses which can then be used to determine whether someone is telling the truth.

They usually measure things like blood pressure, changes in a person's breathing, and sweating on the palms.

"The polygraph, like any other lie detection technique, measures an indirect effect of lying," says Dr Sophie van der Zee, who has expertise in forensic psychology and has researched deception for many years.

"There's no human equivalent of Pinocchio's nose," she says. "But lying can increase stress… and with lie detection techniques you can measure the behavioural and physiological changes that occur when you feel stress."

Can you cheat?

Yes, according to the experts.

"There's no question that you can beat a polygraph test but you really need the training to do it," says Prof Grubin.

"You see websites telling you how to, but the reality is if you just go in and take a polygraph while hoping to beat it then you're not going to."

He says that it requires sitting down and practising with a trained examiner. But for those who don't have a qualified questioner to hand - what methods can work?

"You might put a tack in your shoe which will cause, for example, a big increase in your sweating response," Prof Grubin says. "Any sort of muscular activity or movement because you need to sit still."

"There are various drugs that people try but they tend not to be successful," he adds.

But he cautions that most examiners will be able to spot any covert attempt to beat the test.

So do they work?

The credibility of the polygraph was challenged almost as soon as it was invented in 1921, and there is much debate about its accuracy.

Some experts say the fundamental premise is flawed.

"It does not measure deception, which is the core problem," says Prof Aldert Vrij, who has written extensively on the subject. "The idea is that liars will show increased arousal when answering the key questions, whereas truth tellers will not.

"But there is no sound theory to back this up."

Dr van der Zee says that, because taking a lie detector test can be a stressful experience, it can sometimes present innocent people as guilty.

"People being interviewed with a polygraph are likely to feel stressed. So whilst the polygraph is quite good at identifying lies, it is not very good at identifying truths," she says.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45753446

The Pakistani government has ordered international NGOs to end their operations and leave the country within 60 days.

One of the charities affected, ActionAid, said the move was part of a "worrying escalation of recent attacks on civil society" in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry would not comment on the cases.

But in a letter to ActionAid, seen by the BBC, it was told it could "re-apply for registration" in six months time.

Eighteen charities have been expelled from the country, ActionAid told the BBC.

The move comes amidst increasing concerns by human rights activists and press freedom campaigners about freedom of expression in the country.

Pakistan's intelligence services have viewed NGOs with increased suspicion since the discovery in 2011 of a fake vaccination programme in the country run by the CIA aiming to track down Osama bin Laden.

Officials have previously accused "Save the Children" of links to the scheme, though the charity denies that.

ActionAid and a number of other international NGOs were ordered to leave Pakistan in December 2017. But following pressure from Western governments were allowed to stay in the country whilst they appealed against the decision.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-45685684?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5bb5e982e486600681897621%26Ugandan%20police%20seize%20red%20napkins%262018-10-04T10%3A22%3A23%2B00%3A00&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:2fbc1c77-e6ec-4c60-92b1-f24a7dea0ffb&pinned_post_asset_id=5bb5e982e486600681897621&pinned_post_type=share

Ugandan police seize red napkins

Ugandan police have confiscated red napkins from the home of the sister-in-law of prominent opposition politician Kizza Besigye.

The 24 napkins were seized when officers raided Edith Byanyima's home in the capital, Kampala, on Wednesday to search for illegal material, the state-linked New Vision newspaper reported.

Police did not give a reason for confiscating the napkins, but red ribbons are linked to Mr Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, the newspaper said.

"Since our duty is to detect and prevent crime, our officers went there and indeed obtained 24 red pieces of cloths,” it quoted a police spokesman as saying.

Kampala mayor and lawyer Erias Lukwago condemned the raid.

"These are just cowards. How can you say that having red napkins is illegal?" Mr Lukwago was quoted by the privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper as saying.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45753886

Ukraine and Hungary are expelling diplomats from each other's nations in a row over Budapest issuing Hungarian passports to Ukrainian citizens.

Ukraine gave a Hungarian consul three days to leave, after a video emerged allegedly showing the diplomat issuing Hungarian passports in western Ukraine.

In the footage, the recipients are asked to keep this secret. Ukraine does not allow dual citizenship.

In a tit-for-tat response, Hungary said it would expel a Ukrainian consul.

This is the latest in a series of spats between the two neighbouring countries.

Last year, Hungary protested over a law that limits the teaching of subjects in languages of Ukraine's ethnic minorities, including Hungarian.

More than 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine's western Transcarpathia region, and Budapest says the law limits their rights.

Kiev says the legislation complies fully with European norms on minority right.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45750023

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt's jibe likening the EU to the Soviet Union was "as unwise as it is insulting", the president of the European Council says.

In a statement alongside Irish PM Leo Varadkar, Donald Tusk called for "respect", saying as someone who spent half his life in the Soviet bloc: "I know what I am talking about."

Asked if Mr Hunt should resign, he replied: "That's not my problem."

The foreign secretary made the comments at the Tory conference on Sunday.

Addressing delegates in Birmingham, Mr Hunt accused the EU of seeking to punish the UK in order to "keep the club together".

His speech recalled a visit to Latvia earlier this summer and the role that the UK and others played in helping it transition from Soviet rule to becoming a modern democracy and market economy.

"What happened to the confidence and ideals of the European dream?" he asked. "The EU was set up to protect freedom. It was the Soviet Union that stopped people leaving."