Oliver Conway

The amount of victims in such a short time was unbelievable.

From the BBC World Service, this is Cyberhack Evilcore.

The story of a cybercrime case that stretches from small-town America to the back streets of Moscow.

This is the Global News Podcast.

Research has found that living in extreme heat can severely affect children's development.

A study looked at data collected by the UN Children's Agency UNICEF from six mostly African countries.

Richard Hamilton has the details.

It's long been known that excessive heat affects physical health, but this study shows that children who are regularly exposed to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius tend to know fewer words, letters and numbers.

It suggests that global warming is harming human development at its earliest stages.

An average monthly maximum temperature of 32 degrees or more reduces the likelihood that three- and four-year-olds would be developmentally on track by up to 12%.

The lead researcher is Professor Jorge Cuartas from New York University.

Professor Cuartas and his colleagues studied data from nearly 20,000 children who'd been surveyed by UNICEF in countries such as Madagascar, Malawi and Sierra Leone.

The researchers compared this information with climate records from earlier years in which heat waves had not occurred.

making sure that the children came from similar backgrounds to take into account factors that might otherwise distort the study, such as poverty and mother's education.

The researchers also found that the effect of heat extended to before birth as they looked at the impact of temperatures on pregnancy.

Given that the planet shows no sign of cooling, the plight of millions of the world's poorest children is only likely to get worse.

Richard Hamilton.

The reality of life in Afghanistan for women and girls is going to be put in the spotlight today by the People's Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan.

Although it's not a legal court, it aims to document and expose gender persecution under Taliban rule.

Today it will present its findings after hearing testimony from Afghan women in October.