Chris Krebs knew his mission this year was to protect the integrity of the US election – but he might not have predicted the way that would cost him his job. For well over a year, Mr Krebs and his cyber-security team had been gaming scenarios about what could go wrong. At one point, he said his greatest fear was that voter registration databases might be interfered with to stop people voting.

He also talked about the concern that on election night, media organisations might be hacked to prevent people knowing the results and create confusion. The experience of Russian hacking and interference in 2016 had led the whole US national security community to prepare for a re-run in 2020. But in the end that was a threat that never materialised. Perhaps that was because of the defensive work by Mr Krebs and colleagues or perhaps because of the way the National Security Agency went on the offensive against hackers in Russia and elsewhere to deter and stop them.(BBC)…[+]

The US had just over nine million Covid-19 cases when November began – now, just weeks later, the country is topping 11 million. And one west Texas county has emerged as the latest American epicentre. Right on the border with Mexico, El Paso in Texas is known for its desert landscape, military complexes and plentiful sunshine. Now, it’s making a name as one of the worst hit regions in the nation. Covid-19 patients account for more than half of all hospital admissions in the county of El Paso, and the case count continues to trend upwards. Here are five symptoms of the unfolding crisis.