Kyiv is many miles from the front line, but Ukraine's war with Russia is never far away - with Moscow's missile and drone attacks directed at the city almost every day. On the frozen surface of the mighty River Dnipro, the BBC speaks to men who spend hours fishing to take their minds off the almost four-year-old conflict, which has left homes with no heating after Russian strikes on power stations. Drilling holes in the ice of the river in the heart of the city, these ice-fisherman - many of them veterans with friends and family at the front - hope to catch small fish, and a little respite. Authorities deliberately triggered the avalanche on Mount Elbrus to release a build up of snow. The limited deployment involves Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.

George Orwell escaped to a remote Scottish island to created his final masterpiece - the dystopian classic 1984. Going into the Corryvreckan whirlpool is a heart-stopping experience even when conditions are relatively benign. It hits quite suddenly as you are passing through the narrow stretch of sea between the islands of Jura and Scarba. One side of the boat drops away and you find yourself sitting on the deck. Then the other side goes and you are grabbing on to the guard rail to stop yourself sliding in the opposite direction. It must have felt something like this when George Orwell found himself in the throws of the Corry on the way back from a picnic on the west side of Jura.

The NHS recently announced plans to trial an artificially intelligent mobile health app to a million people in London. The aim is to help diagnose and treat patients by engaging them in a real time text message conversation which will complement the NHS 111 phone based service (which was criticised by the Care Quality Commission watchdog). The app's designers, Babylon Healthcare Ltd, use algorithms to make initial diagnoses which are then followed up with human consultations. It has already received a glowing CQC evaluation. The app is likely to provoke a mixed response, with enthusiastic technophiles up against those concerned that more technology means a less human healthcare service.