Scientists call for action to tackle CO2 levels

Scientists are calling on world leaders to take action on climate change after carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere broke through a symbolic threshold. Daily CO2 readings at a US government agency lab on Hawaii have topped 400 parts per million for the first time. Sir Brian Hoskins, the head of climate change at the UK-based Royal Society, said the figure should "jolt governments into action". China and the US have made a commitment to co-operate on clean technology. But BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin said the EU was backing off the issue, and cheap fossil fuels looked attractive to industries. The laboratory, which sits on the Mauna Loa volcano, feeds its numbers into a continuous record of the concentration of the gas stretching back to 1958. 'Sense of urgency' Carbon dioxide is regarded as the most important of the manmade greenhouse gases blamed for raising the temperature on the planet over recent decades.
Human sources come principally from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Ministers in the UK have claimed global leadership in reducing CO2 emissions and urged other nations to follow suit. Sir Brian Hoskins said a greater sense of urgency was needed But the official Climate Change Committee (CCC) last month said that Britain's total contribution towards heating the climate had increased, because the UK is importing goods that produce CO2 in other countries. The last time CO2 was regularly above 400ppm was three to five million years ago - before modern humans existed. Scientists say the climate back then was also considerably warmer than it is today. Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, said a greater sense of urgency about tackling climate change was needed. "Before we started influencing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, over the last million years it went between about 180 and 280 parts per million," he said. "Now, since the Industrial Revolution and more in the last 50 years, we've taken that level up by more than 40% to a level of 400 and that hasn't been seen on this planet for probably four million years. "But around the world, there are things happening, it's not all doom and gloom," he added. "China is doing a lot. Its latest five year plan makes really great strides." China's plan for 2011-2015 includes reversing the damage done by 30 years of growth and increasing the use of renewable energy.

Osborne: G7 agree to target tax evasion and avoidance

The G7 group of industrialised nations have agreed that there must be collective action against tax evasion and avoidance, the UK's finance minister has said. Chancellor George Osborne said after the talks that it was "incredibly important" that firms and individuals paid the tax they owed. The members agreed on more policy issues than had been assumed, he added. The G7 comprises the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, Italy, France and Canada. In a news conference held jointly with Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King, Mr Osborne said the countries, meeting in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. had also agreed it was important to ensure that no bank was "too big to fail". "We must put regimes in place... to deal with failing banks and to protect taxpayers and to do so in a globally-consistent manner," he said. The issue of tax avoidance had been raised by Britain, Germany and other big countries earlier this year. They asked the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - which advises rich nations on tax policy - to examine possible changes to address the problem of multinational companies using transfer pricing rules to shift profits into tax havens. Continue reading the main story Analysis Joe Lynam BBC News Major international summits tend to throw up unusual bedfellows. Here in Aylesbury, we have George Osborne - scion of a Eurosceptic Conservative party - on the same side as the German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. Both politicians think that spending cuts and deficit reductions are the cure to the economic malaise. They are often referred to as Austerians. The UK and Germany are up against the US and France - the latter two rarely being on the same side of many debates. I bumped into the French finance minister strolling in the beautiful garden here in Aylesbury. He told me the debate was clearly austerity versus stimulus. Both the US - represented here by the new Treasury Secretary Jack Lew - and French administrations believe that economies grow quicker out of slumps after they have been stimulated by government spending. America is growing steadily. Germany is performing well, but France and the UK are barely growing at all. The thing about bedfellows is, they are sometimes fleeting. BBC News correspondent Joe Lynam said the latest talks were an important step towards a new global standard on tax. Britain wants all EU countries to sign up to a pilot scheme where tax authorities share information with each other, our correspondent said, including low tax countries such as Luxembourg and Austria. Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the UK and US are currently signed up to the scheme. Luxembourg has said it will join too, but Austria has yet to confirm if it will take part. The chancellor said the discussions had "reaffirmed that there are still many challenges to securing sustainable global recovery, and we can't take it for granted". But he added: "We are committed as the advanced economies in playing our part in nurturing that recovery and ensuring a lasting recovery so that we have prosperity in all our countries." Prior to the meeting, Mr Osborne had said the group still wielded "major economic firepower" as they represented around half the global economy between them - although the larger G20 was now the "primary economic forum for setting the global rules of the game". There had been talk ahead of the meeting that Japan would be criticised for a massive stimulus plan that had pushed down the value of its currency, the yen. But Japan was not censured during the talks, despite some countries being concerned that Tokyo is engineering an export-led recovery that could hinder other regions' ability to grow. Mr Osborne said the G7 had reaffirmed its commitment made in February that its "fiscal and monetary policies have been and will remain orientated towards meeting" its members' respective domestic objectives and "will not target exchange rates". The chancellor faced pressure recently over the pace of the UK's austerity measures. Last month, the International Monetary Fund's chief economist, Olivier Blanchard, reiterated his belief that the chancellor should slow down the pace of the cutbacks. But on Saturday, Mr Osborne said that while the UK's economic situation was difficult, "we are making progress and the economy is healing".

Landmark Pakistan election marred by Karachi unrest

Unrest in Pakistan's biggest city Karachi has marred landmark national and provincial polls. A high turnout was reported nationwide but Pakistan's election commission said it had been unable to carry out "free and fair elections" in Karachi. In the worst election-day violence, 11 people were killed in the bombing of a political office in the city. The vote marks Pakistan's first transition from one civilian government to another in its 66-year history. Voting was extended for an hour across the country before closing at 18:00 (13:00 GMT). Counting has now begun in some areas. But polls are expected to remain open for three hours in seven constituencies in Karachi where voting was delayed because ballot boxes and papers had not arrived on time. Continue reading the main story Latest Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent lyse doucet @BBCLyseDoucet ECP announces re-polling 40+ polling stations NA-250. Ordered polling these constituencies stopped immediately. Via @dawn_com #pakvotes 7 minutes ago lyse doucet @BBCLyseDoucet A salute to #Pakistan journalists incl colleagues @BBCUrdu - covering every twist & turn of election & making a difference #pakvotes 58 minutes ago lyse doucet @BBCLyseDoucet #Pakistan polling has ended in all constituencies except 7 in Karachi. Now its the counting..then the conclusions! #Pakvotes 1 hour ago lyse doucet @BBCLyseDoucet "99% of voting #Pakistan has been fine, so why are you focusing on the 1%? I don't think this is right" ECP presser #pakvotes 1 hour ago lyse doucet @BBCLyseDoucet "People should without fear..military has assured me they will increase security next few hours" ECP presser #pakvotes #Pakistan 1 hour ago loading Content from Twitter. Learn more about content from Twitter . Read more from Lyse Pakistan's election commission said it was "investigating reports of threats made to election officials" and that there would be "no compromise" on the fairness of the poll. Turnout is believed to have been high. An election commission spokesman said they hoped for a figure of 60-80%. The turnout in 2008 was 44%. Karachi violence The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to carry out suicide attacks. About two hours after polling started, a bomb attack was reported in Karachi, apparently targeting an Awami National Party (ANP) candidate outside the party's political office. Eleven people were killed and more than 40 others were wounded, police told BBC News. Local ANP candidate Amanullah Mahsud was injured but not seriously. The attack happened in the Landhi district of Karachi, which known for Taliban activity. Another ANP candidate and his son were shot dead close to the area last week. Sporadic violence linked to the election was reported in several other areas of the country. Seven people were hurt outside a polling station in the north-western city of Peshawar when a bomb went off attached to a motorcycle A suicide bomber blew himself up after police prevented him from entering another polling station in Peshawar, police told AFP A clash between two groups at a polling station in Chaman on the border with Afghanistan left least three people dead and several others hurt An explosion was also reported in Quetta in the south-west At least four people were hurt in a blast in Mardan in the north-west Counting is now underway in some districts The Taliban have been blamed for numerous attacks throughout the campaign on Pakistan's three most prominent liberal parties. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) along with the Karachi-based Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and the ANP have been singled out for threats, and were forced to curtail their campaigning as a result. Militants have so far avoided targeting the campaigns of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Nawaz Sharif and the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party of Imran Khan, who is recovering in hospital after a fall at a party rally. Pakistan's election commission said in a press conference that two ballot boxes had been stolen in Punjab and that they could be "accounted for". 'We want change' Tens of thousands of troops had been deployed at polling stations to ensure security. In the run-up to the election, more than 100 people died in election-related violence. Before polls opened, Pakistan sealed its borders with Iran and Afghanistan in an effort to keep foreign militants at bay. Continue reading the main story 11 May elections Polls opened at 08:00 local time (03:00 GMT) and close at 17:00 86,189,802 registered voters 5,000 are standing for 342-seat National Assembly, 272 are directly elected. 11,692 Provincial Assembly candidates 51 candidates are vying for the NA-48 constituency seat in Islamabad More than 600,000 security and army personnel will be deployed to guard against possible attacks More than 73,000 polling stations - 20,000 of which are deemed a security risk Polls will mark the first time that a civilian government has completed a full five-year term and handed over to an elected successor Politicians and parties Bid to end ballot box fraud Economy confronts Pakistan's leaders Officials said the borders would remain closed for the next three days. Queues started forming before polling stations opened at 08:00 (03:00 GMT) on Saturday. Abdul Sattar, 74, said: "We want change, we are really fed up with old faces coming back to power every time and doing nothing for the nation." While the streets of Islamabad were largely deserted, areas around polling stations were described as filled with crowds. At a polling station on the outskirts of the capital, BBC World Affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge said around 1,000 of the 4,000 registered voters had cast their ballots by midday, including a large proportion of women. The BBC's Saba Eitizaz in Peshawar reported long queues of women, with many first-time voters. Right-wing religious party Jamaat-e-Islami complained that some of its voters had been harassed and announced it was boycotting the vote in Karachi and areas of Hyderabad, reports said. Mr Sharif, who was deposed as prime minister in a military coup 14 years ago, is seen as favourite to return for a third term of office. As he voted in Lahore, the former PM said he was hopeful of victory.

Abu Qatada 'would return to Jordan'

Radical cleric Abu Qatada would voluntarily return to Jordan if the Jordanian government ratifies a treaty drawn up with the UK government, a court has heard. The treaty deals with the use of evidence obtained by torture. Abu Qatada's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald QC, told the court of the decision during a hearing to decide whether he should be released on bail. Downing Street said it was "determined" to send the cleric to Jordan. Abu Qatada faces terrorism charges there after being convicted in his absence in 1999 - but his lawyers claim he would not get a fair trial. He has never been charged with an offence in the UK, although the government has been trying to deport him for almost eight years, during which time he has been in and out of jail. The cleric is currently in prison after being arrested in March for allegedly breaching his strict bail conditions. Last year, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac), which adjudicates on national security-related deportations, ruled Abu Qatada should not be removed from the UK because of fears that evidence obtained through torture would be used against him in Jordan. The government lost an appeal against the ruling and it also failed in its bid to get the case referred to the Supreme Court. Continue reading the main story Analysis Dominic Casciani Home affairs correspondent Six home secretaries have battled to banish Abu Qatada - and the cleric has fought and fought and fought. So make no mistake, today's statement from his lawyers that he may now be prepared to leave voluntarily is something that many in government thought they would never hear. The reason for this major development is simple. Abu Qatada's willingness to go comes down to the strength of legal guarantees in the extensive UK-Jordan treaty signed in March. The document provides very clear and unambiguous guarantees of fair treatment and a trial free of evidence extracted by torture. It goes much further than a previous deal with the UK. And that's what his legal team have always argued: Live up to what we tell other nations and don't send people back to regimes that don't respect human rights. Read more from Dominic Treaty signed Home Secretary Teresa May said she was subsequently applying directly to the Supreme Court for permission to challenge the ruling. Last month, the government signed a mutual assistance treaty with Jordan - including guarantees on fair trials. Mrs May says she believes the treaty will provide the courts with assurance that Abu Qatada would face a fair trial in Jordan. Mr Fitzgerald told the court: "There has been a development in the form of a treaty signed on 24 March. "That treaty is clearly designed to meet the requirements laid down by Mr Justice Mitting as to evidence admissible at a retrial, if there is a retrial. "If and when the Jordanian parliament ratifies the treaty, Mr Othman will voluntarily return to Jordan." Abu Qatada is also known as Omar Othman. Robin Tam QC, appearing in court for the home secretary, said the treaty would be laid before the Jordanian parliament within the next few weeks, and the UK side of the process should be finished by late June. Police raid The BBC's Dale Gavlak, in Amman, says that according to a Jordanian minister, the newly-revised treaty between the UK and Jordan has to go through various parliamentary bodies before it is voted on by the lower house of the Jordanian parliament. The minister of information told our correspondent that the process could take weeks or months, but that in his view it is likely to go ahead. Security minister James Brokenshire said: "The home secretary's focus remains on seeing Abu Qatada returned to Jordan at the earliest opportunity. We continue to pursue this case before the courts and to work with the Jordanian government to achieve this." Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "This could be very good news if it means Abu Qatada returns to Jordan as soon as possible - as we all agree he should stand fair trial there so justice can be done. "Abu Qatada should have made this decision a long time ago as this legal process has dragged on far too long. We will watch the next steps closely until he departs, but I hope this saga can now be brought to an end." Theresa May signed the fair trial guarantee treaty with Jordan in March The Siac court also heard on Friday that Abu Qatada's house was searched on 7 March. Police found 17 mobiles in his house, six of which were switched on. They also found three USB sticks, an SD card, five digital media devices and 55 recordable CDs or DVDs. Abu Qatada was arrested shortly afterwards. Mr Fitzgerald told the court on Friday that his client should be released on bail, adding: "There comes a point when detention goes on for too long." The hearing has been adjourned until 20 May, meaning Abu Qatada will remain in a high security jail until then. Meanwhile, following a series of raids in London - including the one at Abu Qatada's home - police in Copenhagen arrested and charged a man but will not say who he is or what he is charged with. Scotland Yard alerted the Danes as part of its probe into whether the preacher published extremist material online while on bail.
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Moody's downgrades Co-op Bank's debt rating to 'junk'

Ratings agency Moody's has downgraded the Co-operative Bank's debt rating to "junk" status, citing fears that it is vulnerable to potential losses. The agency warned that the bank may need "external support" if it could not strengthen its balance sheet. The Co-op said it was "disappointed" by Moody's decision. The news preceded the resignation of chief executive, Barry Tootell, following the bank's failure to buy 631 branches from Lloyds Banking Group. Continue reading the main story “
Start Quote What I think the downgrade highlights... is whether the Co-operative group, with its leading position in supermarkets and funeral homes (for example), is the best owner of a bank, at a time when profit margins in banking are so low, and may remain so” Robert Peston Business editor Read more from Robert Mr Tootell will be replaced temporarily by Rod Bulmer, the bank said. 'Clear plan' Responding to the Moody's downgrade, the Co-op said it had a "strong funding profile" that was "significantly above the regulatory requirements". But in a statement, the bank admitted there was a "need to strengthen our capital position in light of the broader economic downturn and the pending introduction of enhanced regulatory requirements". It added: "We have a clear plan to drive this forward throughout the coming months." These plans include selling off its life and general insurance businesses, and simplifying its operations. In March, the Co-op Bank reported annual losses of £674m for 2012. Moody's reckons the bank's "problem loan ratio" rose to 10.9% in 2012, up from 8.1% in 2011, reflecting a deterioration in its commercial property portfolio. Most of Co-op Bank's problems stem from bad loans associated with its takeover of Britannia Building Society in 2009.

Dhaka building collapse: Woman pulled alive from rubble

A woman has been pulled alive from the ruins of a building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago. The head of the fire service earlier said the woman, named Reshma, had been found in the remains of the second floor of the eight-storey Rana Plaza. She had no serious injuries and had been talking with rescuers, he added. The dramatic news came after the army said more than 1,000 people were now known to have died in the disaster. The death toll is expected to keep climbing, as work crews using heavy machinery have begun removing rubble from the worst-damaged areas. On Friday afternoon, army officers ordered workers to stop clearing the site when the woman's cries were heard. Within minutes, hundreds of rescuers gathered close to where she was found. Not long afterwards, rescuers pulled her from the rubble. She has been taken to a military hospital.

US government orders removal of Defcad 3D-gun designs

The US government has demanded designs for a 3D-printed gun be taken offline. The order to remove the blueprints for the plastic gun comes after they were downloaded more than 100,000 times. The US State Department wrote to the gun's designer, Defense Distributed, suggesting publishing them online may breach arms-control regulations. Although the files have been removed from the company's Defcad site, it is not clear whether this will stop people accessing the blueprints. They were being hosted by the Mega online service and may still reside on its servers. Also, many links to copies of the blueprints have been uploaded to file-sharing site the Pirate Bay, making them widely available. The Pirate Bay has also publicised its links to the files via social news site Reddit suggesting many more people will get hold of the blueprints. Continue reading the main story Analysis: 3D printing's Wild West Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service Earlier this week, I saw Cody Wilson fire his gun for the first time. Small, white and made from plastic, the firearm looked like a toy. But as the shot rang, you could feel the force of this weapon. Hours later, and the blueprints had been placed online. Mr Wilson describes himself as a crypto-anarchist, and his belief is that everyone has a right to a gun. Through this project he aimed to export this idea to the rest of the world - whether the rest of the world wanted it or not. However a week is a long time in the Wild West of 3D printing, and now Mr Wilson has been ordered to remove the plans. But with more than 100,000 downloads already, the designs have already been widely circulated, and there is now little that can be done to halt their spread.
The Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance wrote to Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson demanding the designs be "removed from public access" until he could prove he had not broken laws governing shipping weapons overseas by putting the files online and letting people outside the US download them. Explosive force "We have to comply," Mr Wilson told news magazine Forbes in an interview. But he added the State Department's fears were ungrounded, as Defense Distributed had been set up specifically to meet requirements that exempted it from the arms-control regulations. He welcomed the US government's intervention, saying it would highlight the issue of whether it was possible to stop the spread of 3D-printed weapons. Unlike conventional weapons, the printed gun - called the Liberator by its creators - is made out of plastic on a printer. Many engineering firms and manufacturers use these machines to test prototypes before starting large-scale production. While desktop 3D printers are becoming more popular, Defense Distributed used an industrial 3D printer that cost more than £5,000 to produce its gun. This was able to use high-density plastic that could withstand and channel the explosive force involved in firing a bullet. Before making the Liberator, Mr Wilson got a licence to manufacture and sell the weapon from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Bureau told the BBC that any American could make a gun for their own use, even on a 3D printer, but selling it required a licence. Mr Wilson, who describes himself as a crypto-anarchist, said the project to create a printed gun and make it widely available was all "about liberty".

Italy court upholds Berlusconi tax fraud conviction

An appeals court in Italy has upheld the conviction for tax fraud of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The court also reinstated a four-year prison sentence and five-year ban from public office he was handed in October. Mr Berlusconi was convicted of artificially inflating prices of film distribution rights bought by his company, Mediaset, to avoid taxes. He is now expected to appeal against Wednesday's ruling at Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation. The 76-year-old has denied the charges and said they are politically motivated. Time limit But instead of overturning October's verdict, the Milan appeals court on Wednesday upheld his conviction for tax evasion and re-instated the original jail sentence. The four-year term had been cut to one year by a lower court because of his age. Continue reading the main story Silvio Berlusconi's trials Accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute: Verdict due Convicted and sentenced to a year in jail for arranging leak of police wiretap Accused of tax fraud over deals his firm Mediaset made to purchase TV rights to US films: Convicted in October 2012; Sentence upheld by appeals court in May Two other corruption cases involving tax evasion and bribery of a British lawyer: Expired under statute of limitations Q&A: Silvio Berlusconi on trial "We knew it would go like this," Mr Berlusconi's defence lawyer Niccolo Ghedini told reporters. There is however no real prospect of Mr Berlusconi being jailed, as he will exercise his right to appeal and the case will actually soon expire under a time limit, the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome reports. Nevertheless, this is another major legal blow for Mr Berlusconi, whose People of Freedom (PdL) party is part of Italy's new coalition government, he adds. Our correspondent says that in the eyes of the law Mr Berlusconi is a convicted fraudster, but he will argue as he always does that all his legal troubles are the simply the work of his political enemies - left-wing elements in the judiciary. In March, Mr Berlusconi was sentenced to a year in jail after being convicted of arranging for a police wiretap concerning a political rival to be leaked and published in a newspaper run by his brother. He denied the charges and is expected to appeal. Mr Berlusconi is also currently on trial for allegedly paying for sex with an underage prostitute, and later abusing his powers by putting pressure on the police to release her from custody. He has admitted sending her money, but insists the funds were meant as a gift. In other trials over the years, Mr Berlusconi has been accused of charges including accounting fraud, perjury, bribery and corruption. He has denied all the accusations against him and has either been acquitted or let off under statutes of limitations.

Windows 8 update public preview to be released in June

Microsoft has announced it will offer a preview version of its first major update to Windows 8 next month. The news comes amid growing criticism of the software's user interface. Microsoft said the revision to the operating system (OS), codenamed Windows Blue, would be released at Build, a three-day developers event in San Francisco starting on 26 June. However, while the company said it had listened to "feedback", it has still not disclosed what changes are planned. Microsoft added that a final version of Windows Blue would be released before the end of the year, and highlighted that it had already sold more than 100 million licences for the system. FT accusation The Verge, ZDNet and other tech blogs have reported that the update could mean Microsoft reversing its decision to remove the start button from the system's desktop environment. They also suggested it would give users the option of booting their PCs directly into Windows 8's desktop mode rather than having to visit the tile-based Start menu screen first. On Tuesday the Financial Times ran a front-page story suggesting that a U-turn over key elements of Windows 8 would mark "one of the most prominent admissions of failure for a new mass-market consumer product since Coca-Cola's New Coke fiasco nearly 30 years ago". This was a reference to the beverage makers' decision to launch and then abandon a new version of its fizzy drink. Windows 8 support for touch controls has spurred manufacturers to release new computer designs The FT's article followed a news briefing given by Microsoft to mark the first six months of Windows 8. The tech company has issued a statement taking issue with the report. "It is unfortunate that the Financial Times did not accurately represent the content or the context of our conversation about the good response to date on Windows 8 and the positive opportunities ahead on both Windows 8 and Windows Blue," it said. "Our perspective is accurately reflected in many other interviews on this topic as well as in a Q&A with [chief financial officer] Tami Reller posted on the Windows blog." The FT told the BBC it stood by its story. Confused More than 1.5 billion devices used Windows 7 and earlier versions of the system at the time of Windows 8's launch, making the OS both the most popular of its kind and one of the company's key sources of revenue. However, Microsoft was aware that sales of tablets and other touch-controlled devices had been growing at a much faster rate than PCs. This helped prompt it to introduce a new start screen, initially dubbed "Metro", containing resizable tiles that could be tapped and swiped to launch and navigate apps. Users can still switch to a more traditional desktop mode by clicking on an icon, but the environment lacks the start menu button offered since Windows 95. This caused some people to become confused about how to shut down their PC and carry out other tasks. Several third-party developers subsequently released their own software allowing users to restore the facility. "Many people have recoiled in horror at Windows 8 because it is such a stark change over what they had become used to over the past 15 or so years," Chris Green, principal technology analyst at consultants Davies Murphy Group Europe, told the BBC. "Unless you are using it on a brand-new computer or laptop with a touchscreen display it's not as intuitive to use as Microsoft makes out - and these are still premium-priced products." PC sales still outpace those of tablets, but the latter are growing at a faster rate Since businesses traditionally wait until at least a major service pack has come out before updating their computers to a new OS, the major impact of the changes has mostly been limited to consumers. But Mr Green added that it would be a worry for Microsoft if companies now opted to skip Windows 8 in the same way many had previously decided not to install Windows Vista. "Microsoft wouldn't necessarily miss out on revenue from their largest blue-chip customers because they pay an annual subscription fee for access to its tech whether they use it or not," he said. "But it's the mid-sized companies - who buy computers and software as they need it - which is where the big money and margins are." Touchscreen focus Microsoft has acknowledged that "there is a learning curve [to Windows 8] and we can work to address that," but it also points out it has sold a similar number of licences for the OS as were achieved over the first six months of Windows 7's life. "It's too early to say that it's flopped," said Benedict Evans, a digital media specialist at research firm Enders Analysis. "However, there's clearly a lot of pushback from consumers and corporates about the radical change the firm wants to make in the user interface. "The broader issue is that Microsoft is building an operating system designed with a touchscreen in mind. That's essential for its future because computing is shifting to tablets and mobile, where Microsoft has been irrelevant." "What in effect they've done is compromise the desktop experience to create a great tablet and mobile experience. The problem is that it's the desktop buyers that pay for everything right now."

Cleveland officials hail bravery of missing women

Police have praised the bravery of three women found alive on Monday evening in a house in Cleveland, Ohio, after they vanished about a decade ago. Amanda Berry, who disappeared in 2003 aged 16, escaped with a neighbour's help while her alleged captor was away. Gina DeJesus, who went missing aged 14 a year later, and Michelle Knight, who vanished in 2002 aged about 19, were also rescued from the property. A school bus driver and his two brothers have been arrested. The three women were taken to hospital for a check-up and to be reunited with their relatives before being discharged on Tuesday morning. A six-year-old girl also rescued from the house was believed to be the daughter of Ms Berry, Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba told a news conference. 'Tied up' FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony said: "The nightmare is over. These three young ladies have provided us with the ultimate definition of survival and perseverance. The healing can now begin." Continue reading the main story At the scene Jonny Dymond BBC News, Cleveland It is difficult to believe that Seymour Avenue could be home to such a crime: a quiet tree lined street with houses knocked about and sometimes boarded up, a red-brick church and traffic humming back and forth at either end. But it is the residents and neighbours who are most surprised. Aurora Marti, 75, has lived across from 2207 Seymour Avenue for 27 years. Ariel Castro used to come and sit on her porch and chat with her. He took her granddaughter out for bike rides at a nearby park. When the nearby area was being dug up in the search for Amanda Berry's remains, he talked to her about it. All the while he is alleged to have held Amanda and two other women just across the road. Read more from Jonny "Yes, law enforcement professionals do cry," he added. He vowed prosecutors would "bring the full weight of justice" on those responsible in the "horrific case". School bus driver Ariel Castro, 52, and his two brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, have been taken into custody. Police Chief Michael McGrath said the women were believed to have been tied up at the house. Officials said they may also investigate other properties. Ms Berry, now 27, escaped on Monday evening when a neighbour heard her screaming and kicking a door, while her alleged captor was out of the house. Rescuer Charles Ramsey said he had helped kick in a metal door so that Ms Berry could climb outside and phone police. In a recording of Monday's emergency call, she says: "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here. I'm free now." 'Home seemed vacant' Ms Berry identifies herself to the 911 dispatcher, saying she has been on the news for the past decade, and begging for help to arrive before her captor returns. A neighbour, Charles Ramsey, tells reporters: "We had to kick open the bottom of the door" Police Chief McGrath told Tuesday's news conference: "Thankfully, due to Amanda's brave actions these three women are alive today." Neighbour Anna Tejeda said she had refused to believe the young woman at first. "You're not Amanda Berry. Amanda Berry is dead," she said, according to the Associated Press news agency. Other neighbours in the working-class district said they did not realise anybody was living at the house at 2207 Seymour Ave. During the news conference, Public Safety Director Martin Flask said that in March 2000, Mr Castro had called the authorities to report a fight on his street, but no arrest was made. In January 2004, police called at Mr Castro's home, but no-one answered. They were alerted by children's services after a child was left at a depot on a school bus that Mr Castro had been driving. Authorities concluded there had been no criminal intent. Ms Berry had last been heard from aged 16 when she called her sister on 21 April 2003 to say she would get a lift home from her job at a Burger King restaurant. Mother's 'broken heart' In 2004, Ms DeJesus - who is now 23 years old - was believed to have been on her way home from school when she went missing. 911 call: "Help me I'm Amanda Berry... I've been missing for 10 years" Their disappearances made local headlines in Cleveland, and many assumed the girls were dead. The case of Michelle Knight, who was older than the other women when she disappeared and is now 32, was less widely publicised. Her grandmother, Deborah Knight, was quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper on Monday as saying the authorities concluded she had run away. The victims' families have responded with stunned joy. Sylvia Colon, a relative of Gina DeJesus, said they had never given up hope. But Ms Berry's mother, Louwana, died in March 2006, three years after her daughter went missing. A local politician said the mother had died of a "broken heart". In an extraordinary twist, it emerged that Ariel Castro's son - also called Ariel, although he goes by his middle name Anthony - wrote an article about the disappearance of Gina DeJesus for his local newspaper in 2004. Police have not commented on the case of a fourth missing girl, Ashley Summers, who disappeared in the same area in July 2007 when 14 years old.

Kickstarter crowd gives glowing plant the green light

A glowing plant that could provide a sustainable light source has caught the imagination of backers on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. With a month still to go, the project has raised $243,000 (£157,000). Its initial goal was $65,000. Backers are promised seeds for glowing plants, although delivery will not be until next May at the earliest. The "biohacking" team behind the project said that in future trees could act as street lights. The researchers are keen that their mix of DIY synthetic biology and sustainable lighting remains open-source. "Inspired by fireflies... our team of Stanford-trained PhDs are using off-the-shelf methods to create real glowing plants in a do-it-yourself bio lab in California," said project leader Antony Evans. "All of the output from this project will be released open-source, the DNA constructs, the plants etc," it said on its website. Commercially appealing The research team, led by synthetic biologist Omri Amirav-Drory and plant scientist Kyle Taylor, aims to transplant a fluorescent gene into a small plant called Arabidopsis, a member of the mustard family. The team has chosen this plant as it is easy to experiment with and carries minimal risk for spreading into the wild. However, it hopes that the same process will work for a rose, which it considers to be more commercially appealing. The team will work with luciferase, an enzyme common in fireflies as well as some glowing fungi and bacteria. The researchers have already designed the DNA sequences using software from a company called Genome Compiler, which allows people to easily design genetic sequences. They will then "print the DNA" and the final stage will be to transfer this to the plants. 'Great inspiration' Initially the genes are transferred to agrobacteria, increasingly used in genetic engineering because they can transfer DNA between themselves and plants. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Biology is very energy-efficient and energy packets are more dense than batteries. Even a weakly glowing flower would be a great icon” Prof George Church Geneticist, Harvard Medical School This method will only be used for prototypes as the bacteria are plant pests and any use of such organisms is heavily regulated. For the seeds that will be sent to the public, the team will use a gene gun that effectively coats nanoparticles with DNA and fires them into plants. This method is not subject to regulation. George Church, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School who is backing the project, said that biology could provide great inspiration for more sustainable light sources. "Biology is very energy-efficient and energy packets are more dense than batteries. Even a weakly glowing flower would be a great icon." The team is not the first to create glowing plants. 'Pretty enticing' In 2008 scientists at the University of California created a glowing tobacco plant, using luciferase. And in 2010 researchers from the University of Cambridge was able to make bacteria glow sufficiently to read by. Theo Sanderson, a member of that Cambridge team, has blogged about the new attempt. "Nobody can deny that the idea of walking down a path lit by glowing trees is pretty enticing... what has disappointed me has been the lack of discussion as to what the team actually plan to do with the funds raised, and whether the science stacks up," he said. "My prediction is that this project will ship plants which have a dimly visible luminescence in a pitch-black room."

Deadly gas tanker explosion in Mexico City suburb

A gas tanker has exploded on a motorway in a suburb of Mexico City, killing at least 20 people and injuring 36, officials say. Television images showed damaged buildings and cars in the area of Ecatepec on Tuesday morning. The explosion happened at about 05:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on the highway between Mexico City and Pachuca. The driver of the truck is under arrest in hospital, where he was being treated, officials say. 'War zone' A giant plume of smoke rose over the area, about 14km (8.6 miles) north-east of the Mexican capital. The gas tanker was thought to be travelling north when it crashed into another vehicle, BBC Mexico correspondent Will Grant reports.
At least 30 homes and 20 cars were damaged, according to local media. Salvador Neme Sastre, secretary for citizen security in Mexico State, confirmed the casualty figures on Twitter but officials fear the number of dead could still rise. Some of the casualties were asleep in homes in poor areas along the edge of the road. Children were among those hurt. Other vehicles were caught up in the explosion on the highway north-east of Mexico City Television images showed firefighters and rescue workers sifting through the wreckage, but there was no initial explanation as to what caused the crash. The Mexican government announced measures in 2012 to lower the maximum allowed weight of freight vehicles after a series of crashes involving overloaded trucks. However, such accidents are still very common, our correspondent says. Mexican media said the area resembled a "war zone," with nearby homes and cars completely burned out. "It was a ball of fire," resident Carlos Gonzalez Silva told local radio, according to Reuters. "We opened the door and it was like fire had blown through the whole of the garden." Mexican radio station Formato 21 said a family of four, including two children aged 11 and 6, were among the dead. Dozens of ambulances were at the scene. The highway was set to reopen gradually, officials said.

Peterborough ditch bodies: Joanna Dennehy charged with murders

A woman has been charged with the murders of three men whose bodies were found lying in ditches. Kevin Lee, 48, was found in a ditch in Newborough on 30 March. He died from stab wounds to the chest. Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, was stabbed in the heart. John Chapman, 56, was stabbed in the neck and chest. They were found at Thorney Dyke on 3 April. Joanna Dennehy, of Peterborough, who is in her early 30s, has been charged with the three murders. Grace Ononiwu, the chief crown prosecutor for the east of England, said Ms Dennehy, who is in her early 30s, would appear at Peterborough Magistrates Court at a later date. Three other people have been charged in connection with the case.

Former Tory chancellor Lord Lawson calls for UK to exit EU

The former chancellor of the exchequer, Lord Lawson, has called for the UK to leave the European Union. Writing in the Times, he said British economic gains from an exit "would substantially outweigh the costs". He predicted any changes achieved by David Cameron's attempts to renegotiate the terms of the UK's relations with the EU would be "inconsequential". But Downing Street said the prime minister remained "confident" that his strategy "will deliver results". Mr Cameron is facing calls to bring forward a promised referendum on the UK's EU membership. 'Warm embrace' He says he will hold a vote early in the next parliament - should the Conservatives win the next general election - but only after renegotiating the terms of the UK's relationship with the EU. Continue reading the main story Analysis Louise Stewart Political correspondent, BBC News Cabinet ministers took to the airwaves over the weekend to pledge draft legislation would be introduced on an EU referendum before the next election. But if David Cameron thought that would appease those in the party who want to see a referendum sooner than 2017 he was wrong. Now, Lord Lawson, Margaret Thatcher's long-serving chancellor, has stepped up the pressure by calling for the prime minister to lead the country out of the EU altogether. His intervention is damaging for David Cameron. After losing support to UKIP in the local elections he wanted to get on the front foot over Europe. Instead the issue has again exposed deep divisions within his party over the issue which dogged the leaderships of John Major, William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith before him. However, Lord Lawson said any such renegotiations would be "inconsequential" as "any powers ceded by the member states to the EU are ceded irrevocably". The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Lord Lawson's intervention was a "big moment" in the EU debate. The peer - who was Margaret Thatcher's chancellor for six years - voted to stay in the European Common Market, as the EU was known in 1975, but said: "I shall be voting 'out' in 2017." He said he "strongly" suspected there would be a "positive economic advantage to the UK in leaving the single market". Far from hitting business hard, it would instead be a wake-up call for those who had been too content in "the warm embrace of the European single market" when the great export opportunities lay in the developing world, particularly Asia. "Over the past decade, UK exports to the EU have risen in cash terms by some 40%. Over the same period, exports to the EU from those outside it have risen by 75%," he added. Withdrawing from the EU would also save the City of London from a "frenzy of regulatory activism", such as the financial transactions tax that Brussels is seeking to impose. Lord Lawson said his argument had "nothing to do with being anti-European". "The heart of the matter is that the very nature of the European Union, and of this country's relationship with it, has fundamentally changed after the coming into being of the European monetary union and the creation of the eurozone, of which - quite rightly - we are not a part. "Not only do our interests increasingly differ from those of the eurozone members but, while never 'at the heart of Europe' (as our political leaders have from time to time foolishly claimed), we are now becoming increasingly marginalised as we are doomed to being consistently outvoted by the eurozone bloc." 'Clear timetable' At the local elections last week, the UK Independence Party - which campaigns for the UK to leave the EU - made substantial gains, while the Conservatives lost control of 10 councils. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote As it happens, those who run our biggest companies would tend to be horrified at the idea of withdrawal from the EU.” Robert Peston Business editor Read more from Robert The UKIP surge prompted a call from senior Tory MP David Davis to bring forward the planned referendum - while other Conservatives, including former chairman Lord Tebbit, urged Mr Cameron to take steps to give the public more confidence that a referendum would indeed take place if he wins the next general election. Reacting to Lord Lawson's comments, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The PM has always been clear: we need a Europe that is more open, more competitive, and more flexible; a Europe that wakes up to the modern world of competition. In short, Europe has to reform. "But our continued membership must have the consent of the British people, which is why the PM has set out a clear timetable on this issue." The BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent Norman Smith said No 10 was pointing to the UK's success in obtaining a cut in the EU's budget earlier this year as evidence that a new relationship could be secured. However, he said Lord Lawson's comments would give major impetus to those believing the UK's future best lay outside the EU and were also significant for his critique of Mr Cameron's negotiating strategy. 'Serious divisions' Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that leaving the European Union would "make us less safe because we cooperate in the European Union to go after criminal gangs that cross borders". He said it could put 3m jobs at risk and made it difficult to deal with cross border threats like climate change and would also see Britain "taken less seriously in Washington, Beijing, Tokyo". UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said Lord Lawson's intervention "legitimised" his party's longstanding argument that the UK could prosper outside the EU while exposing "serious divisions" in the Conservatives. Former Labour Europe minister Peter Hain said he totally disagreed with EU withdrawal but believed Lord Lawson was right in suggesting David Cameron's approach could not succeed as "EU members will not agree Treaty changes". Political commentator and Times' comment editor Tim Montgomerie told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the article would add fuel to the debate on Europe within the Conservative Party that Mr Cameron had hoped could wait until further down the line. "Lord Lawson will give much more confidence to those people who do want to leave the EU to go public with those views," he added.

Three US women missing for years rescued in Ohio

Three young women who vanished in separate incidents about a decade ago in the US state of Ohio have been found alive in a house in Cleveland. Amanda Berry disappeared aged 16 in 2003, Gina DeJesus went missing aged 14 a year later, and Michelle Knight disappeared in 2002 aged around 19. Their discovery followed a dramatic bid for freedom by Amanda Berry on Monday, helped by a neighbour. Three brothers have been arrested in connection with the case. City officials are to hold a news conference on Tuesday morning. Cleveland police said the suspects are Hispanic, aged 50, 52 and 54, and one of them had lived at the house on Seymour Avenue. One was named as Ariel Castro, who has worked as a school bus driver. Police have said a six-year-old was also found at the home. They have not revealed any further details, although a relative of Amanda Berry said she told him she had a daughter. The women's families reacted with shock and delight at news of their discovery, and many people gathered outside the home where they had allegedly been imprisoned. "It's been a whirlwind kind of day. It's surreal," said Gina DeJesus' relative, Sylvia Colon. She said the family had never given up hope, holding vigils every year and keeping memorials outside the house. "We were living every day in the hope she would come home - and she did," she told the BBC. Ms Colon said the women would now "need to be given some space. They have been away from us for a very long time." A doctor said the three women were in a fair condition and were being kept in hospital for observation. To cheers from spectators, Dr Gerald Maloney told reporters outside Metro Health hospital in Cleveland that the women were able to speak to hospital staff, but he declined to give further details. The disappearances of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus had been big news in Cleveland, and many had assumed them to be dead. Little was made of the disappearance of Michelle Knight, who was older than the other two girls. Gina DeJesus' aunt Sandra Ruiz: "She knew we were looking for her" Her grandmother, Deborah Knight, was quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper on Monday as saying that the authorities concluded she had run away. 'Here a long time' The dramatic events unfolded after Amanda Berry attempted to flee the house when her alleged captor went out. Neighbour Charles Ramsey said he heard screaming. "I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside," he told reporters. He said he suggested the woman open the door and exit, but she told him it was locked. "We had to kick open the bottom," he said. "Lucky on that door it was aluminium. It was cheap. She climbed out with her daughter." Both Mr Ramsey and Ms Berry called 911. In her frantic call, released to the news media, Ms Berry told the operator: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped. I've been missing for 10 years. I'm free. I'm here now." She identified her kidnapper as Ariel Castro and said other women were in the house. Continue reading the main story After disappearing a decade ago at the age of 16, Amanda Berry (centre) is finally reunited with her sister (left). Continue reading the main story 1/5 Mr Ramsey said he was stunned by the developments. He said he had shared barbecues with Mr Castro and never suspected a thing. "There was nothing exciting about him... well, until today," he said. An uncle, Julio Castro, who has a shop nearby, confirmed his nephew had been arrested, and said Ariel Castro had worked as a school bus driver. The Cleveland school district confirmed he worked for them, but did not give specifics. In an extraordinary twist, it emerged that Ariel Castro's son - also called Ariel although he now goes by his middle name Anthony - wrote an article about the disappearance of Gina DeJesus for his local newspaper in 2004. Anthony confirmed to a journalist that he had written about the neighbourhood's heightened concern for safety in the Cleveland Plain Press, and told her that Monday's developments were "beyond comprehension". Charles Ramsey's 911 call after he helped free Amanda Berry "He was stunned that something like this could possible happen," WKYC reporter Sara Shookman told CNN. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has said an investigation into the "many unanswered questions regarding this case" will be held. High-profile cases Ms Berry was last heard from when she called her sister on 21 April 2003 to say she would get a lift home from work at a Burger King restaurant. In 2004, Ms DeJesus was said to be on her way home from school when she went missing. Their cases were re-opened last year when a prison inmate tipped off authorities that Ms Berry may have been buried in Cleveland. He received a four-and-a-half-year sentence in prison for the false information. Amanda Berry's mother, Louwana, died in March 2006, three years after her daughter's disappearance. Although much is still not yet known about this case, it recalled a series of recent high-profile child abduction cases. Jaycee Lee Dugard was 11 years old when she was dragged into a car as she walked to a bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, California in 1991. Photos of Berry (left) and DeJesus were distributed widely after they went missing She was discovered in August 2009, having spent 18 years held captive in the backyard of Phillip and Nancy Garrido in Antioch, some 170 miles from South Lake Tahoe. She had two children. In Austria, Natascha Kampusch was abducted on her way to school at the age of 10. She was held for eight years by Wolfgang Priklopil in the windowless basement of a house in a quiet suburb of Vienna. She managed to escape in 2006 while Priklopil was making a phone call. He committed suicide hours after she had fled. Elizabeth Smart was 14 when she was taken from the bedroom of her Utah home in June 2002 and repeatedly raped during nine months of captivity. She was rescued in March 2003 less than 20 miles from her home. Her abductor, Brian David Mitchell, was jailed for life in 2011.

Google's Russian YouTube challenge fails

A test-case brought by Google to challenge tough Russian laws on internet content has failed. The case related to a video clip uploaded to Google-owned YouTube, which portrayed, using a blunt razorblade and fake blood, a woman cutting her wrists. Russian regulators demanded the clip be removed, saying it provided information about how to kill oneself. Google complied - but in February it filed an appeal, which has now been rejected by a Moscow court. The search giant argued the clip was intended as entertainment rather than to promote actual suicide. In response to the ruling, Google said: "We do not believe the goal of the law was to limit access to videos that are clearly intended to entertain viewers." Google added it would "review the decision and consider our options". Ukrainian Darina Snegova, 20, who made the video, told the Wall Street Journal the clip had been intended as an example of how make-up could be used. 'Protecting children' The clip, entitled "Video lesson on how to cut your veins", was deemed by Russian regulators to break strict new rules on web content thought to be harmful to children. The rules, an amendment to Russia's Information Act, came into force in November and related to web posts showing drug use, suicide or child sex abuse. They allow the Russian regulator to request content it deems to promote any of these be immediately removed from the web. Google said it had received 114 requests to take down content in Russia in the second-half of 2012, up from just six for the first half of the year. According to the company, 107 of those requests were directly related to the new law. The Russian government insists the law is about protecting children but its ever-growing blacklist has caused controversy with human-rights groups who argue it has increased censorship. Blogging platform LJRossia has been targeted, as has a Russian version of discussion forum 4chan.

Italy gunman 'targeted politicians' in Rome shooting

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A gunman who shot and seriously injured two policemen outside the Italian PM's office in Rome was acting out of anger at politicians, prosecutors allege. A suspect named as 49-year-old Luigi Preiti was arrested at the scene. Rome prosecutor, Pierfilippo Laviani, said the gunman had hoped to target politicians but as he was unable to, he shot the police officers instead. The attack came as a new government was sworn in across the city at the Quirinale Palace. Democratic Party Deputy Leader (PD), Enrico Letta, 46, becomes prime minister at the head of a "grand coalition" including Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party (PDL). 'Isolated act' Mr Preiti was reported to be an unemployed man from the southern region of Calabria with no criminal record. A man believed to be the gunman is detained at the scene The Ansa news agency said the gunman, dressed in a dark business suit, fired several shots outside the Chigi palace, about a kilometre (mile) away from the Quirinale and had acted alone. There had been earlier reports that the gunman may have suffered mental problems. Ansa quoted Mr Preiti's brother as saying that Mr Preiti suffered no such disorders and that the family was shocked at what had happened. The agency reported that Mr Preiti had separated from his wife, with whom he has a son. Prosecutor Pierfilippo Laviani said Mr Preiti had "lost his job, he had lost everything". "He has confessed everything. He doesn't seem to be a deranged individual," Mr Laviani said. Continue reading the main story Analysis David Willey BBC News, Rome A new wave of political optimism reigns, after dire predictions of the possible institutional and economic collapse of the eurozone's third largest economy. With their backs to the wall, the seriously fractured Democratic Party, and Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party decided to bury their ideological differences and will now try to co-operate in a last-ditch attempt to remedy a social and economic crisis that threatened to get out of hand after an indecisive February election. The history of the very few "grand coalition" experiments in Italy since World War II does not inspire hope for long-term success. But Italy's former ruling parties, which monopolised power in Rome for many decades after the end of WWII, have long since disappeared. Optimism greets Italy's grand coalition The new Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said it appeared the shooting was an "isolated act" and that there were no concerns for "the general situation of public order in the country". The most seriously hurt police officer was named as Giuseppe Giangrande, who suffered neck or spinal injuries and is being treated at the Policlinico Umberto. The second officer was also seriously hurt, with a leg wound, while a pregnant woman who was passing by was slightly injured. Mr Preiti was being treated at a separate hospital. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said shortly after the shooting: "It's not an act of terrorism but certainly the [political] climate of the past few months has not helped." Italy had been in political deadlock since February's general election. A new government was agreed on Saturday. Correspondents say the new "grand coalition" between Italy's current main right- and left-wing parties is unprecedented, and will probably prove an uneasy alliance. Mr Berlusconi will not be a minister but Mr Alfano, the PDL secretary and one of Mr Berlusconi's closest political allies, is the deputy PM as well as interior minister. Bank of Italy director general Fabrizio Saccomanni heads the powerful economy ministry and Emma Bonino is foreign minister. The third strongest force to emerge from the Italian election, the Five Star movement led by former comedian, Beppe Grillo, has refused to take part in a coalition.

Google acquires news stream service Wavii

Google has acquired news stream service Wavii for an estimated $30m (£18m). Wavii, which was launched last year, offers customised news feed to users, summarising news stories, tweets and blogs related to their interests. Apple had also been keen to buy the start-up. According to reports, it wanted to incorporate the technology in the Siri function of its devices. Last month, Yahoo acquired a news summarisation app, Summly, for "dozens of millions" of pounds. Yahoo subsequently added the facility to its iPhone app earlier this week. Neither Google or Wavii have revealed the price of the deal, but most reports say it was about $30m. Wavii was created by engineers who previously worked for Amazon and Microsoft and offers services via the web or as a smartphone app. It is closely integrated with Facebook. That may change since the social network competes against Google+. 'Structured feed' According to its website, Wavii claims that the basic idea behind its service is to summarise everything that users care about into a customised news feed on the lines of a Facebook wall. "We knew that we really liked what Facebook did… clearly summarizing everything our friends are doing into a simple, structured feed, and adding in related events and photos," it explains. "Why can't we get all of our news that way? "Wavii set out to solve this by making a similar feed that covers every topic in the news you might want to follow… or as we sometimes describe it, to make Facebook out of Google," it adds. Its connection with Facebook does not stop there. Along with allowing users to select at least 12 topics of interest it also detects their likes based on their previous Facebook activity. It can process up to 1,000 articles per minute and then summarize the most important bits to the user via a personalized news feed. "We do it by teaching computers to read everything that is reported or shared on the internet, and automatically produce interesting social content about it," it says on its site. According to some analysts, the technology could be used by Google to improve search results for news stories.

'Problems' as Maracana stadium reopens in Rio

Rio's world-famous Maracana stadium has reopened after nearly three years of renovations to prepare it for the World Cup finals in 2014. Workers who helped with the renovation and their families were treated to an exhibition match between teams of stars past and present. But leading newspapers reported problems with the new facility. The reopening follows controversy over delays, costs and the future privatisation of the site. The renovation was completed four months behind schedule. Days before the test event, seats were still being installed and pavements laid near the venue. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Eduardo Paes were among the 30,000-strong crowd watching the friendly between teams captained by Ronaldo and Bebeto. But the Jornal do Brasil said Saturday's visitors "needed patience to deal with the many problems" at the venue, arising from the rush to complete it. It highlighted uneven flooring with small gaps and holes, flooding in the VIP area and a dysfunctional lift, and said some staff had tried to prevent journalists taking pictures of the affected areas. Workers were still finishing building a stadium wall, and ticket offices, turnstiles and gates were not working, said another paper, the Folha de Sao Paulo. International test But in a statement quoted by the Folha de Sao Paulo, the Rio de Janeiro state government pointed out that this was a test event, using only 30% of the stadium's full capacity, and did not represent the full reopening. It said it was "natural" that some more work remained to be done. The Maracana stadium development has led to a series of protests "Maracana will be delivered fully ready on the date set by Fifa: 24 May," it reportedly said. Former Brazil star striker Ronaldo, who captained one team for the exhibition match against former teammate Bebeto, said the stadium looked "amazing". "I'm happy to see the stadium ready again. The Maracana is a symbol of this country," he said, according to the Assoociated Press news agency. Former Brazil coach and player Mario Zagallo said he had "goose-bumps" when he arrived, AP said. The first major international test of the facility will be a friendly between Brazil and England on 2 June before the Confederations Cup begins two weeks later. There has been criticism of the cost of the renovation - nearly $500m (£320m) - because the stadium has already seen a number of upgrades. A Brazilian indigenous group, the Aldeia Maracana (or Maracana tribe), have also protested at the site against their eviction from a former indigenous museum, built in 1862. Plans to privatise the Maracana have run into controversy too, with demonstrations against the demolition of local facilities to make way for an arena with bars, restaurants and shops. Critics say privatisation will return much less to the government than it invested in the project. The Maracana is seen as an iconic venue. Nearly 200,000 people watched the 1950 World Cup final between Brazil and Uruguay - the largest crowd ever to have watched a football match at a stadium.

Dutchman arrested over huge web attack

Spanish police have arrested a Dutchman suspected of being behind one of the biggest ever web attacks. The 35 year-old-man was detained in Barcelona following a request from the Dutch public prosecutor. The attack bombarded the websites of anti-junk mail outfit Spamhaus with huge amounts of data in an attempt to knock them offline. It also slowed data flows over closely linked networks and led to a massive police investigation. The man arrested is believed to be Sven Kamphuis, the owner and manager of Dutch hosting firm Cyberbunker that has been implicated in the attack. "Spamhaus is delighted at the news that an individual has been arrested and is grateful to the Dutch police for the resources they have made available and the way they have worked with us," said a Spamhaus spokesman. He added: "Spamhaus remains concerned about the way network resources are being exploited as they were in this incident due to the failure of network providers to implement best practice in security." Spamhaus servers were hit with a huge amount of data via an attack technique known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. This attempts to overwhelm a web server by sending it many more requests for data than it can handle. A typical DDoS attack employs about 50 gigabits of data every second (gbps). At its peak the attack on Spamhaus hit 300 gbps. Cyberbunker is thought to have kicked off the attack in late March after Spamhaus blocked some servers hosted by the Dutch firm. Cyberbunker bills itself as a firm that will host anything but child pornography and terrorism material. Non-profit Spamhaus maintains what are known as "block lists" which many organisations use to spot sources of spam and other junk mail to stop them clogging mail servers and inboxes with unwanted messages. Mr Kamphuis took exception to Spamhaus's action saying in messages sent to the press that it had no right to decide "what goes and does not go on the internet". In a statement, the Dutch public prosecutor said the Dutchman, who it only identifies as "SK", was "suspected of unprecedented heavy attacks" on Spamhaus. The house where SK was stayed was searched at the time of his arrest and Spanish police confiscated computers, phones and hard drives. It said it expected SK to be transferred to the Netherlands very soon. A spokesman for the Dutch police said they were co-operating with British and American authorities on the investigation into the attack.

Cameron fears Iraq effect holding West back in Syria

Deals of the Week in Electronics and PC Cameron fears Iraq effect holding West back in Syria UK PM David Cameron has expressed concern that international action in Syria may be being held back because of fears of a repeat of the Iraq war. It follows evidence from the US and the UK that Syrian government troops may have used chemical weapons. Mr Cameron said world leaders must look at Syria and "ask ourselves what more we can do." Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama said proof the weapons had been used on civilians would be "a game changer". The US president has pledged a "vigorous investigation" after US intelligence found Syria may had used the nerve agent sarin. Mr Obama had said previously that chemical weapons use would cross a "red line" and provoke a major American response. The UK government has also said it has "limited, but growing" evidence of the use of chemical weapons in the conflict. Syrian officials have denounced the allegations as "lies". 'Proper processes' Mr Cameron told the BBC he worried Western leaders might fail to act in Syria because of the experience of foreign intervention in Iraq. Continue reading the main story Analysis Gordon Corera Security correspondent, BBC News The US, Britain, Israel and others have been collecting evidence to try and determine whether chemical weapons have been used in Syria. The signs so far are that they have been, but politicians are being cautious of over-selling their level of certainty. This is partly because of the lesson of Iraq, when too much was based on too little hard information and all the caveats and cautions surrounding intelligence were lost. And also partly because this time the political context is different. With Iraq a decision had been made to go to war and the intelligence was brought into the public domain to make the case for it. This time political leaders - especially in Washington - seem much more reluctant to intervene and so the emphasis is precisely on the caveats and cautions. Given the problems of getting access to a warzone to gain conclusive evidence, finding absolutely definitive evidence may be hard and take time. This may buy politicians in Washington and London time to work out what they do if something is found. But he insisted lessons about acting on intelligence reports had been learned. Speaking to the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson, Mr Cameron said: "I choose my words carefully, but what I see does look very much like a war crime is being committed in our world, at this time, by the Syrian government." The prime minister then addressed concerns about the quality of the UK's intelligence and fears that unreliable evidence could again be used as a justification for the West to become involved in a Middle Eastern conflict. He said: "I would want to reassure people and say the lessons of Iraq have been learned. "There are proper processes in place to try and make sure that what people say is properly backed up by the information. "If anything, I would argue that because people are so worried about what happened in Iraq, it's actually quite important now to come forward - as the Americans have done and I think [US President] Barack Obama has done it in a very clear and measured way." Mr Obama warned in December that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would face "consequences" if he used chemical weapons. Mr Cameron has said he agrees with the White House's warning that chemical weapons use would be a "red line", although he has ruled out sending British troops into action and has spoken instead of support for rebel forces. However, former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has criticised what he called "red line diplomacy". Sir Menzies said on the BBC's Any Questions that the Syria situation was "a very good argument against so-called red line diplomacy". Continue reading the main story What is Sarin? One of a group of nerve gas agents invented by German scientists as part of Hitler's preparations for World War II Huge secret stockpiles built up by superpowers during Cold War 20 times more deadly than cyanide: A drop the size of a pin-head can kill a person Called "the poor man's atomic bomb" due to large number of people that can be killed by a small amount Kills by crippling the nervous system through blocking the action of an enzyme that removes acetylcholine - a chemical that transmits signals down the nervous system Can only be manufactured in a laboratory, but does not require very sophisticated equipment Very dangerous to manufacture. Contains four main ingredients, including phosphorus trichloride Syria's chemical weapons stockpile How to investigate allegations "It encourages your adversary to go as close to the red line as he can possibly manage... and you are prejudging the circumstances which might be months or even years down the line." Libya Asked directly if he was concerned the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which toppled Saddam Hussein, was having an impact on the way in which Western leaders were dealing with the conflict in Syria, Mr Cameron said: "I do worry about that." "Let me absolutely clear, I think the Iraq lesson must be about how we marshal and use information and intelligence and I think that lesson has been learnt - but I think it is very important for politicians and leaders of this generation to look at what is happening in Syria and ask ourselves what more we can do." He said that before any action was taken in Syria it was necessary to ensure you could "achieve the result you want". "The reason we could act in Libya was because we had an opportunity, if we acted quickly, to stop a dictator in his tracks. We could do that. It is very important that the ability is there and we have to think about that carefully." On Friday, the White House insisted there was no timeline on how long it would take to corroborate the evidence on the use of chemical weapons and admitted that the case was "not airtight". Deals of the Week in Electronics and PC

Boeing 787 Dreamliner returns to service in Ethiopia flight

Buy great products at Amazon click link above Boeing 787 Dreamliner returns to service in Ethiopia flight An Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner has flown from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, the first commercial flight by the Boeing aircraft since all 787s were grounded in January. The 50 planes around the world were grounded due to battery malfunctions that saw one 787 catch fire in the US. Over the past week teams of Boeing engineers have been fitting new batteries to the aircraft. This was after aviation authorities approved the revamped battery design. The Ethiopian Airlines plane took off at 09:45 local time (07:45 GMT) and landed in Nairobi, Kenya, some two hours later. Engineering team Each 787 has two of the lithium-ion batteries which caused problems. In addition to new versions of the batteries which run at a much cooler temperature, the batteries are now enclosed in stainless steel boxes. These boxes have a ventilation pipe that goes directly to the outside of the plane. Boeing says this means than in the unlikely event of any future fire or smoke, it would not affect the rest of the aircraft. Continue reading the main story At the scene Richard Westcott BBC transport correspondent, Nairobi Flight ETH 801 between Addis Ababa and Nairobi wasn't exactly a run-of-the-mill flight. For starters, it was full of Boeing executives and the boss of Ethiopian Airlines. Several passengers on board asked me what was going on, why was the BBC on a routine flight in Africa? Many didn't realise that they were the first passengers to fly in a Dreamliner since it was dramatically grounded in January. There were plenty who knew about the safety scare surrounding the plane, although only a couple that we spoke to said it had made them a little more tentative about flying. Boeing still has a huge job on its hands, convincing passengers that its most high-profile, most hi-tech airliner is safe. Two senior Boeing executives went out of their way this week to tell me that they'd happily put their family on the plane. It's the kind of quote that sounds good. Still, Boeing will be desperately hoping that its Dreamliner nightmare doesn't come back to haunt it. Boeing said it put 200,000 engineer hours into fixing the problem, with staff working round the clock. On Thursday, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a formal "air worthiness" directive allowing revamped 787s to fly. Japanese airlines, which have been the biggest customers for the new-generation aircraft, are expected to begin test flights on Sunday. A total of 300 Boeing engineers, pooled into 10 teams, have in the past week been fitting the new batteries and their containment systems around the world. Boeing is expected to complete repairs on all 50 of the grounded Dreamliners by the middle of May. In addition to the Dreamliners in service with airlines, Boeing has upgraded the 787s it has continued to make at its factory in Seattle since January. The Dreamliner entered service in 2011. Half of the plane is made from lightweight composite materials, making it more fuel efficient than other planes of the same size. The two lithium-ion batteries are not used when the 787 is in flight. They are operational when the plane is on the ground and its engines are not turned on, and are used to power the aircraft's brakes and lights.

Debit card customers tied down by time limit on refunds
Customers who want a refund from their bank after paying for services on their debit card may run up against problems with time limits for their claim. The issue has been highlighted by the collapse of the firm Go Ballooning this month. Card scheme rules say claims must be submitted within 540 days of a transaction being made. But some customers seeking refunds bought flight vouchers in 2007. Refund routes An estimated 14,000 customers are still waiting to see if they will get their money back after the collapse of Go Ballooning. The company has few assets to repay the estimated £2 million it owes, so the directors have recommended that customers apply for a refund through their bank if they have paid by debit or credit card. Customers who paid on a credit card can claim their money back from the card company through provisions under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. In that case, their credit card company pays. But the bank will probably first attempt something called chargeback, where under Visa and Mastercard rules they can try to get a refund from the bank of a business that has failed to supply goods or services. Credit and debit card customers can also request their bank to do this but there are some time limits, a potential problem when some Go Ballooning customers bought their vouchers several years ago. Time limits John, from Lancashire, made at least eight attempts to get on a Go Ballooning flight in the Lake District since buying his vouchers as a birthday present for his wife in 2009. Each time the flights were cancelled because of the weather. When John first phoned Yorkshire Bank to get a refund on his credit card, he was told he had missed the deadline: "She said unfortunately because you're over the 540 days, which is the period from when you actually purchased the vouchers, there was nothing Yorkshire Bank could do for me." A chargeback claim must be made within 120 days of when the cardholder was made aware they would not receive the goods or service. John had beaten that deadline, but card scheme rules also say a chargeback is also supposed to be claimed within 540 days of the transaction. And as he had bought the tickets in 2009, Yorkshire Bank said in that initial call that he was outside that time limit. But after John provided further details to the bank, and Money Box also made contact, this week he got his money back. The bank had realised that even if he was too late for a chargeback, he would still be eligible for a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Still waiting Yorkshire Bank said: "We have processed his claim, and the money is now back in his account. Initially we do this under the chargeback scheme in an attempt to recover the funds. If this is declined, we will use Section 75 and write off the amount." Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote We have no chargeback rights and cannot get a refund for him ” Lloyds Banking Group But others who paid on their debit cards are still waiting. Jason paid £105 on his Lloyds debit card for a flight for his mother-in-law in September 2011. She tried to fly on six separate occasions, but, as in John's case, each flight was cancelled. Because Jason did not use a credit card, so far Lloyds is sticking by the Visa chargeback rules. It said: "The customer's chargeback was rejected because the original transaction took place more than 540 days before he raised the dispute. Unfortunately, under the Visa chargeback rules, this means we have no chargeback rights and cannot get a refund for him." Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The dispute resolution process must be within 540 days from the date of the transaction” Visa Visa confirmed that claims going back more than 540 days would not be valid: "Chargeback is not a guarantee but, depending on the circumstance, it may be considered for cases involving goods not arriving, arriving damaged, arriving not as described, or where the merchant has ceased trading. "Our rules are that the maximum timeframe for the completion of the dispute resolution process must be within 540 days from the date of the transaction." Money Box is broadcast on Saturdays at 12:00 GMT on BBC Radio 4 and repeated on Sundays at 21:00 GMT. You can listen again via the BBC iPlayer or by downloading Money Box podcast. Have you struggled to get money back via the charge back process? Let us know your views.