World News

world news,Michael Jackson memorial highlights

2009-07-12T23:35:00.000+07:00

Michael Jackson memorial highlights

Fans, friends and family joined together for an emotional farewell to Michael Jackson at a memorial in Los Angeles.

Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder were among the stars to perform. There was also an emotional tribute from Jackson's daughter, Paris.

world news,Leonardo's lion brought to life

2009-07-12T23:33:00.000+07:00

Leonardo's lion brought to life

A mechanical lion has been brought back to life nearly five centuries after it was first conceived by Leonardo da Vinci.

Emma Jane Kirby has been to the artist's former home in Amboise, France to find out how the lion was reconstructed.

world news,Elephant rescued from ditch

2009-07-12T23:32:00.000+07:00

Elephant rescued from ditch

Forest rangers in India have used a crane to help rescue an elephant after it fell into a ditch near a tea estate in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal.

Game wardens managed to haul the distressed animal out of the ditch before it walked away without injury.

world news,Elephant carwash raises zoo cash

2009-07-12T23:31:00.000+07:00

Elephant carwash raises zoo cash

A wildlife safari in Oregon, USA, has come up with an unusual way to raise money in the tough economic climate.

For $20, visitors can have their car washed by the zoo's elephants, who scrub with sponges and rinse with their trunks.

Wildlife Safari Executive Director, Dan Van Slyke, and Elephant Supervisor, Carol Matthews, claim that the elephants don't mind the work, and that the fundraiser has been a hit.

world news,Underwater robot wars

2009-07-12T23:29:00.001+07:00

Underwater robot wars

University teams battled it out to become underwater robot champions at an event this week.

It was held at Europe's largest freshwater tank in Gosport, Hampshire - a facility normally used by the Ministry of Defence for ship and submarine trials.

world news,Underwater robot wars

2009-07-12T23:29:00.000+07:00

Underwater robot wars

University teams battled it out to become underwater robot champions at an event this week.

It was held at Europe's largest freshwater tank in Gosport, Hampshire - a facility normally used by the Ministry of Defence for ship and submarine trials.

world news,Leonardo's lion brought to life

2009-07-12T23:26:00.000+07:00

Leonardo's lion brought to life

A mechanical lion has been brought back to life nearly five centuries after it was first conceived by Leonardo da Vinci.

Emma Jane Kirby has been to the artist's former home in Amboise, France to find out how the lion was reconstructed.

Michael Jackson Funeral live streaming

2009-07-07T22:31:00.002+07:00

watch live michael jackson funeral live

Millions of Michael Jackson fans will be desperate to watch their idol’s funeral and memorial service that is being held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday 7th July and thousands have already received the tickets via the lottery system as mentioned in an earlier post.

But for those fans who didn’t register for the draw, or just can’t be there or the nearby Nokia Center, there are other means of watching the service. According to examiner.com, the King of Pop’s funeral and memorial will be aired on television and some websites are offering live feeds.

But many fans have been warned that there could be major problems with Internet congestion as millions of fans worldwide attempt to watch the service. There is a chance also that there could be bogus sites, so fans are being warned beforehand to search for genuine sites.

HERE is some live streaming site

others links

others links

world news,Jackson rehearsal footage released

2009-07-05T23:19:00.000+07:00

Jackson rehearsal footage released

Footage of Michael Jackson in rehearsal for the This Is It tour has been released by the concert promoters AEG Live.

The star looks energetic and in good health, and seems to be enjoying the run-through of hit They Don't Really Care About Us.

Celebrity news,Madonna's stage tribute to Jackson

2009-07-05T23:17:00.002+07:00

Madonna's stage tribute to Jackson

Madonna kicked off her revamped Sticky And Sweet tour at London's O2 Arena with a tribute to Michael Jackson.

Jackson, who died last week, was due to perform a series of 50 farewell concerts at the venue.

US news,One dies in Florida Disney crash

2009-07-05T23:17:00.001+07:00

One dies in Florida Disney crash

The accident happened in the Magic Kingdom of the theme park

A monorail crash at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, has killed an employee of the theme park, officials say.

The accident happened at 0200 local time (0600 GMT) on Sunday, when two monorails reportedly collided in the Magic Kingdom section of the park.

No visitors were seriously injured, local fire department officials told WESH television station.

The monorail service was shut down after the accident.

Mike Griffin, a senior official at Walt Disney World, expressed condolences to the family of the killed employee, the Associated Press reports.

The victim's name was not immediately known.

World news,US man sets hot dog-eating record

2009-07-05T23:14:00.001+07:00

US man sets hot dog-eating record

The hot dog competition is an Independence Day tradition

The world record for competitive hot dog eating has been broken in the US.

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes at the annual 4 July contest at Coney Island in New York, shattering his old record of 66.

His main rival, Japan's six-time winner Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi, ate 64 and a half. It is thought the two men ate around 19,000 calories between them.

The first such hot dog eating contest was held in 1916, when the winner put away only 13 franks.

The two men have gone gut-to-gut for almost a decade at the annual competition, which has become an Independence Day tradition in the US.

This year's contest was broadcast live on sports channel ESPN, and featured much of the fanfare usually reserved for professional sporting events.

Mr Chestnut, who won his third straight title in a row, takes home $20,000 (£12,250) in prize money and the coveted Mustard Belt.

The 25-year-old Californian is a man of diverse taste, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports from Washington.

His other world records include eating 5kg of macaroni and cheese in seven minutes; and 188 jalapeno peppers in 10 minutes.

Music news,Blur comeback at Parklife venue

2009-07-04T23:11:00.000+07:00

Blur comeback at Parklife venue

Watch a clip of Blur playing Girls & Boys in Hyde Park

Britpop stars Blur have revealed that Hyde Park was the inspiration for their signature song Parklife, during their first reunion gig in the 350-acre park.

"I had the idea for this song in this park," frontman Damon Albarn told fans.

"I used to live near Kensington Church Street, and I used to watch pigeons and people and all that stuff."

The reunited band played a two-hour set, opening with their debut single, She's So High. Phil Daniels joined them on stage to recreate his Parklife role.

Fans were treated to 25 songs, in a show that was almost a track-by-track recreation of their headlining slot at Glastonbury last weekend.

Highlights included This Is A Low, Girls and Boys, Song 2 and End Of A Century.

The only addition to the Glastonbury setlist was 1997 fan favourite Death Of A Party, which came during a six-song encore.

The band scored 12 top 10 hits between 1991 and 2003

Before the final number of the night, sci-fi ballad The Universal, Albarn expressed doubts about Friday night's follow-up gig.

"I honestly don't know how we're going to repeat this tomorrow, thank you for coming," he said.

The four-piece announced in December that they would reform, five years after guitarist Graham Coxon departed during recording sessions for the Think Tank album.

Frontman Albarn, who has spent the intervening years working on projects such as hip-hop collective Gorillaz, fairytale opera Monkey and supergroup The Good, The Bad and The Queen, clearly enjoyed being back with his childhood friends.

He took to the stage grinning from ear to ear, and spent the rest of the evening jogging, po-going and spinning around the stage - only stopping at one point to tie his shoelaces.

"We feel really privileged to be able to do nothing for years, then come back to this," he told the crowd, visibly moved.

"It's incredible, really incredible."

Animal news,Thais flock to panda cub

2009-07-04T23:07:00.000+07:00

Thais flock to panda cub

Residents of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand have been flocking to the city's zoo for their first sight of a 6-week old panda cub.

It is the first time a panda has been bred in captivity in Thailand.

Over half a million Thais entered a competition to name the new arrival.

Celebrity news,David Beckham unveils his new underwear

2009-07-04T23:05:00.001+07:00

David Beckham unveils his new underwear

Victoria Beckham on posing in underwear

David Beckham unveils his new underwear

Hundreds of screaming fans gathered at a central London department store to see David Beckham unveil his new range of designer underwear.

Beckham signed autographs for fans at Selfridges during the launch.

Victoria Beckham on posing in underwear

The former Spice Girl and wife of fellow Armani underwear model, David Beckham, has posed for photographers in front of a 20-foot banner showcasing the new underwear range.

She talked about living in America and modelling in her underwear.

Celebrity news,Ten years of Mr and Mrs Beckham

2009-07-04T23:03:00.001+07:00

Ten years of Mr and Mrs Beckham

It is 10 years since David and Victoria Beckham got hitched in a fairytale wedding in Ireland.

Over the last decade, "Posh and Becks" have rarely been out of the media spotlight.

News beat,Ugly dogs & a giant shoe

2009-07-04T12:23:00.000+07:00

Ugly dogs & a giant shoe

Now ugly dogs, giant shoes, a BBC newsreader trying to be Andy Murray and some amazing toilets.

It's this week's weird and wonderful video stories in Newsbeat's Odd Box with Dominic Byrne.

Online news,Billions stolen in online robbery

2009-07-04T12:18:00.001+07:00

Billions stolen in online robbery

Eve Online is about the struggle between giant corporations

Space trading game Eve Online has suffered a virtual version of the credit crunch.

One of the game's biggest financial institutions lost a significant chunk of its deposits as a huge theft started a run on the bank.

One of the bank's controllers stole about 200bn kredits and swapped them for real world cash of £3,115.

As news of the theft spread, many of the bank's customers rushed to remove their virtual cash.

Space scandal

The theft from EBank took place in early June but only now have details emerged about the amount of money stolen and why it was taken.

The theft was carried out by EBank's chief executive, a player known as Ricdic, now known to be a 27-year-old Australian who works in the technology industry. His full identity has not been revealed save that his first name is Richard.

The stolen kredits amounted to 8% of the 2.6tn that Ebank had in its virtual vaults.

"Basically this character was one of the people who had been running EBank for a while. He took a bunch of (virtual) money out of the bank, and traded it away for real money," Ned Coker, of Icelandic company CCP which runs Eve, told the Reuters news agency.

Eve Online has about 300,000 players all of whom inhabit the same online universe. The game revolves around trade, mining asteroids and the efforts of different player-controlled corporations to take control of swathes of virtual space.

It has now emerged that Ricdic used the cash to put down a deposit on a house and to pay medical bills.

"I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it," Ricdic told Reuters. "But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation."

Ricdic has now been thrown out of the game as trading in-game cash for real money is against Eve Online's terms and conditions.

The rules governing play within Eve would not have sanctioned Ricdic if he had simply stolen the cash and used it in the game, nor if he had bought kredits with real dollars.

The scandal is not the first to play out in Eve Online. In early 2009 one of the game's biggest corporations, called Band of Brothers, was brought down by industrial espionage.

News,Honeybee mobs overpower hornets

2009-07-04T12:15:00.001+07:00

Honeybee mobs overpower hornets

By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News

Honeybees mount a very effective mobbing defence

Honeybee hordes use two weapons - heat and carbon dioxide - to kill their natural enemies, giant hornets.

Japanese honeybees form "bee balls" - mobbing and smothering the predators.

This has previously been referred to as "heat-balling", but a study has now shown that carbon dioxide also plays a role in its lethal effectiveness.

In the journal Naturwissenschaften, the scientists describe how hornets are killed within 10 minutes when they are trapped inside a ball of bees.

Japanese giant hornets, which can be up to 5cm long, are voracious predators that can devastate bees' nests and consume their larvae.

But, if the bees spot their attacker in time, they mount a powerful defence in the form of a bee ball. This study found that the heat inside the bee ball alone was not enough to reliably kill the hornets.

Giant hornets were taped to temperature and gas probes

"They can survive for 10 minutes at a temperature up to 47C, and the temperature inside the bee balls does not rise higher than 46C," said Fumio Sakamoto, a researcher from Kyoto Gakuen University in Japan, and one of the authors of the study.

His team recreated experimental bee balls and took direct measurements from inside them.

They anaesthetised giant hornets and fixed them to the tip either of a thermometer probe, or the inlet of a gas detector.

Once the hornets recovered from their anaesthesia, the probes were touched to the bees' nest.

"The bee ball formed (around the hornet) immediately," said Dr Sakamoto.

After 10 minutes the bees were packed solidly enough around the probe to be removed from the nest in a distinct ball.

As the temperature inside the ball increased to more than 45C, the carbon dioxide level also rose sharply.

In a parallel experiment, the scientists found that in an atmosphere relatively high in carbon dioxide, the temperature at which hornets could survive for 10 minutes was lowered.

"So we concluded that carbon dioxide produced inside the bee ball by the honeybees is a major factor, together with temperature, involved in the bees' defence."

The bee ball formed as a bump on the bottom of the nest

Dr Sakamoto is not sure, at this point, whether the bees were effectively "gassing" the hornets, or simply depriving them of oxygen.

"Either way, the carbon dioxide increase and/or the oxygen decrease lowered the temperature that was lethal to the hornets, " he told BBC News.

"We are going to do the additional experiments about this point using mixed air of various oxygen and carbon dioxide (concentrations)."

The mob of bees also appeared to operate in "two phases".

"The hornet may be killed during the first 0-5 minute period, in which the highest level of heat production and carbon dioxide emissions take place," said Dr Sakamoto.

This might suggest that the bees are aware of what physiological state the hornet is in.

Dr Sakamoto said: "The latter 5-10 min period may be free running to ensure their victim's death."

Science news,New dinosaurs found in Australia

2009-07-04T12:14:00.000+07:00

New dinosaurs found in Australia

Dinosaur discovery "a major breakthrough"

Australian palaeontologists say they have discovered three new dinosaur species after examining fossils dug up in Queensland.

Writing in the journal PLoS One, they describe one of the creatures as a fearsome predator with three large slashing claws on each hand.

The other two were herbivores: one a tall giraffe-like creature, the other of stocky build like a hippopotamus.

The fossils date back nearly 100 million years.

They were found in rocks known as the Winton Formation.

The dinosaurs have been named after characters in Australia's famous song Waltzing Matilda.

The carnivore, which has the scientific classification Australovenator wintonensis, has therefore been dubbed "Banjo" after Banjo Patterson, who composed the song in Winton in 1885.

Queensland Museum palaeontologist Scott Hucknell said the creature would have been a terrifying prospect.

"The cheetah of his time, Banjo was light and agile. He could run down most prey with ease over open ground," he told reporters.

FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE

Social news,Facebook criticised over privacy

2009-07-04T12:10:00.001+07:00

Facebook criticised over privacy

By Dan Whitworth
Newsbeat technology reporter

Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the world

The social networking site Facebook has come under fire for planned changes to its privacy settings.

It wants to "simplify" the process so users only have to set them once, instead of for each individual feature.

Facebook says the change will help people share more information with one another.

However, critics argue the new set up could lead to members being persuaded to share too many personal details - their date of birth for example.

Tom Royal is from Computeractive magazine.

He said: "I'm a little bit worried about the settings recommended by Facebook because as far as I can see it's actually sharing quite a lot of information with quite a few people.

"That's not something we'd advise people to do. We'd very much recommend people choose the 'limited' option instead.

'One size fits all'

"For example, just your date of birth can be a security question for lots of internet applications."

Facebook argues a 'one size fits all' approach will make things more straightforward for users.

"The effect of more and more settings has made controlling privacy on Facebook too complicated," according to the site's chief privacy officer Chris Kelly.

It's also phasing out regional networks like London and Manchester because Kelly says "they don't adequately reflect a world where people choose the audience they want to share with".

The number of people using Facebook has risen above the 20 million mark this year in the UK.

It is the most popular social networking site in the world, with 200 million members globally.

World news,WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

2009-07-04T12:08:00.000+07:00

WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

WHO calls for vigilance over swine flu

The UN's top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

World Health Organization head Margaret Chan added that the holding of the meeting in Cancun showed confidence in Mexico, which has been hard hit.

The WHO says most H1N1 cases are mild, with many people recovering unaided.

As the summit opened, the UK alone was projecting more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer.

As the peak of the flu season approaches in South America, some areas have declared a public health emergency.

El Salvador reported its first death from swine flu, a day after Paraguay reported its first fatality.

'Mild symptoms'

"As we see today, with well over 100 countries reporting cases, once a fully fit pandemic virus emerges, its further international spread is unstoppable," Dr Chan said in her opening remarks.

A hospital in Athens, Greece, has been quarantined for swine flu

She stressed that the overwhelming majority of patients experienced mild symptoms and made a full recovery within a week, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.

The exceptions, she said, were pregnant women and people with underlying health problems, who were at higher risk from complications from the virus and should be monitored if they fell ill.

"For a pandemic of moderate severity, this is one of our greatest challenges: helping people to understand when they do not need to worry, and when they do need to seek urgent care," Dr Chan said.

Turning to the summit venue, the WHO chief added: "Mexico is a safe, as well as a beautiful and warmly gracious, place to visit."

Leaders and experts from 50 countries are in Cancun for the two-day meeting to discuss strategies for combating the virus.

It has been more than two months since the initial alert over swine flu.

Since then, the H1N1 virus has entered more than 100 countries, infected more than 70,000 people and killed more than 300 worldwide.

Authorities across South America are becoming increasingly concerned as the peak flu season approaches, the BBC's Andy Gallacher reports from Cancun.

Schools across Argentina have sent students home and pregnant women have been told they can take two weeks off work to avoid contracting the virus.

It is hoped the Cancun meeting will address many of the issues that might help slow the spread of swine flu but, our correspondent adds, many people are concerned that an effective vaccine has still not been developed.

Science news,Big brother untangles baby babble

2009-07-04T12:06:00.001+07:00

Big brother untangles baby babble

By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter,

Over time Professor Roy's son learns how to say the word 'ball' (footage: MIT Media Lab)

"Can you think of a more complicated question to ask?" says Deb Roy, as he explains the genesis of his work.

In 2005, the artificial intelligence researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab set out to understand how children learn to talk.

"We wanted to understand how minds work and how they develop and how the interplay of innate and environmental influence makes us who we are and how we learn to communicate."

It was a big task and after years of research, scientists around the world had only begun to scratch the surface of it.

But now, Professor Roy is beginning to get some answers, thanks to an unconventional approach, an accommodating family and a house wired with technology.

And the research may even have kick-backs for everything from robotics to video analysis.

Snap shots

The question of how infants learn to speak is hotly debated. At its simplest level the argument comes down to "nature versus nurture".

On one side, scientists argue that children have an innate hard-wired ability to learn language, while on the other side, researchers argue that language is learned through interactions with the people and environment around them.

The first task we set for ourselves was to transcribe everything my son heard or said from nine to 24 months

Deb Roy

Between the two extremes is a spectrum of opinion.

Professor Roy wandered into this debate as someone originally more interested in robots than children.

"I was initially inspired by how children learn language as a new way of building machines," he says.

But looking through the raft of prior research on the effect of environment on language, he noticed a common problem; previous studies only offered snapshots of a child's development.

"Every parent knows that a child can change a lot in a week or a month," he told BBC News.

"If you're interested in the process of development then it is important to have a continuous view."

It is a problem recognised by other linguists as well.

"Current samples that the field works with - typically an hour of recorded speech a week - are one to two orders of magnitude too small for our scientific purposes," Professor Steven Pinker of Harvard University told BBC News.

So, Professor Roy, who by then had a child on the way, set about solving the conundrum. His solution: wire up his house with 11 cameras, 14 microphones and terabytes of storage and record every waking moment of his soon-to-arrive son.

It was christened the Human Speechome project and immediately drew comparisons with its genetic counterpart.

"Just as the Human Genome Project illuminates the innate genetic code that shapes us, the Speechome Project is an important first step toward creating a map of how the environment shapes human development and learning," said Frank Moss, the director of MIT's Media Lab at the time.

Professor Pinker, who is also an adviser to the project, said: "In developmental psychology there has long been a trade-off between gathering lots of data from a small number of children, or a small amount of data from a much larger number of children.

"Roy is simply pushing this trade-off to an extreme - a truly massive amount of data from a single child."

Now, a quarter of million hours of recordings later, Professor Roy is beginning to tease apart the masses of data and look for answers.

Deep dive

To extract meaningful patterns from the 200GB (gigabytes) of data that flowed daily onto the racks of hard drives in the basement, the team created a series of software tools.

The first, ominously called Total Recall, allows a researcher to quickly scan through any part of the data. All 25 recordings from the microphones and cameras are shown as separate channels.

HUMAN SPEECHOME PROJECT

11x 1 megapixel fisheye lens cameras. Swithced on by motion sensors.

14x omnidirectional microphones recording CD quality sound

1000m (3000ft) wires connect recorders to servers in basement

Record from 8am -10pm every day for 3 years

PDAs in each room can be used to control recording

'Oops' button wipes last few minutes of recording

Sound is represented as a spectrograph, while the video is processed to show only movement, creating a ribbon of colour, which looks like the flow of traffic at night and represents the accumulated motions of life in the Roy household.

While useful for getting a sense of when and where action may have taken place, the team needed another set of tools to delve deeper into the data.

"The first task we set for ourselves was to transcribe everything my son heard or said from nine to 24 months," he says.

He estimates that there is somewhere between 10 to 12 million words of speech to transcribe.

"For anyone that has transcribed speech, they will know that is a laborious and slow process," he says, with a degree of understatement.

Initially his team tried to use off-the-shelf speech recognition software, but soon realised that they were not up to the job of extracting words from often-noisy environments.

"We realised that the state of the art is not even close to good enough," he told the BBC.

Automatic systems could have error rates of up to 90%, he said.

At the other extreme, Professor Roy also experimented with human transcribers, but that also came with its own problems.

"It would take an average of 10 hours to find and transcribe one hour of speech," he told the BBC.

HUMAN SPEECHOME IN NUMBERS

90,000 hours of video recorded

140,000 hours of audio recordings

Approx 200GB of data collected every day

150 TB of raw data collected over course of project

70% of infants waking hours captured

10 to 12m words spoken

4m words so far transcribed

Speechome project launched

When you are trying to analyse 16 months of video from 14 microphones, those kinds of ratios don't seem attractive.

Instead, the researchers created a piece of software called Blitzscribe, which finds speech in the recordings and breaks it down into easily transcribed sound bites.

"We have automated components assisting human annotators," he said.

The net result is that we have reduced 10 hours down to two hours."

The analysis also takes into account how a word was said - called prosody - and who said it.

To date, the team have already transcribed more than four million words.

"It's already the most complete transcript of everyday life at home than any recording ever made."

A similar human-computer system, called TrackMarks, has also been developed to analyse the video and gives information such as where people are in relation to one another and the orientation of their heads.

Software visualises how care givers interact with the child over time

Although the data sets are still incomplete, Professor Roy says they are already beginning to see interesting results.

For example, his team has been able to begin to tease apart a process he calls "word births", the time when a baby first begins to use a word.

By analysing the length, and hence complexity, of sentences spoken by caregivers to his son, he believes that he has shown that adults subconsciously simplify sentences until the child understands the word.

Once it has been understood, the adults then build up the complexity of the sentences containing the word.

"We essentially meet him at this point of the birth of the word and gently pull him into language," he says.

The Speechome Recorder can be fitted in any home

Professor Roy stresses it is an initial result and has not been validated by the scientific community. However, he says, it shows the kind of questions that can be answered with the data and tools he now has.

But winning over the rest of the scientific community might be his most difficult job.

It remains to be seen whether other scientists will accept his conclusions as they are based on the analysis of just one child and, as Professor Roy admits, are unlikely to be reproduced because of time and cost.

In part to address this criticism, he has developed a stand-alone device - called the Speechome recorder - that can be easily put into homes with out 1000m (3000ft) of wiring in the walls and converting the basement into a data centre.

The devices look like floor lamps and contain an overhead microphone and camera, with another lens at eye level for children.

The base of the device holds a touch-screen display and enough storage to hold several months of recordings.

Their first deployment will be in six pilot studies of children with autism where they will be used to monitor and quantify the children's response to treatment.

"I'm really excited - this is the future of the project," says Professor Roy.

Robot reflex

But he also has his eye on other possible spin-offs.

For example the video-analysis algorithms designed for the project could be used in automated systems to monitor CCTV cameras and extract information about particular events.

He is also working with architects to visualise how people move around an environment and how changes to building design affect that.

The results are being fed into creating a semi-automated architectural design system.

"This could be really interesting if you're designing a retail space or if you are an architect and have a design and want to know whether it will work or how to change it."

However, Professor Roy has never forgotten his roots in robotics and still hopes to bring the project full-circle.

"What if we can build a machine that can step into the shoes of a child and learn in human-like ways," he asks.

"Imagine transferring that into a video game character or into a domestic robot that can now learn to communicate and interact in social ways.

"I see a lot of pathways back."

World news,North Korea 'tests more missiles'

2009-07-04T12:05:00.000+07:00

North Korea 'tests more missiles'

North Korea is thought to have thousands of missiles

North Korea has tested four short-range missiles, South Korean media say, amid speculation it may be planning to launch another long-range missile.

The North test-fired other missiles earlier this week and has incurred fresh UN sanctions since holding a second underground nuclear test in May.

Two of the latest missiles were fired into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's defence ministry said.

They are believed to have been Scuds with a range of 500km (312 miles).

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the first two missiles had been fired between 0800 (2300 GMT) and 0830.

Today's launches, which came on the eve of the US Independence Day, are believed to be aimed at political purposes

Unnamed South Korean official

The third missile was fired at around 1045, South Korean news agency Yonhap said, and a fourth test was reported a few hours later.

"Our military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations based on strong South Korea-US combined defence posture," the JCS said in a statement.

A South Korean defence official said Saturday's tests were of greater concern than Thursday's, as the missiles had longer ranges.

"Thursday's missile tests were apparently made as part of a military drill but today's launches, which came on the eve of the US Independence Day, are believed to be aimed at political purposes," the official told Yonhap.

Nuclear warhead fears

The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says the launches are seen there as part of North Korean efforts to ratchet up the tension.

Japanese and South Korean media have reported that North Korea may be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Pyongyang is banned from testing ballistic missiles under UN resolutions but launched a long-range rocket in April, which many governments saw as a thinly disguised test of Taepodong-2 missile technology.

There are fears that North Korea is trying to produce nuclear warheads small enough to put on missiles.

After six-nation talks aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions broke down earlier this year, Pyongyang said it would "weaponise" its plutonium stocks and start enriching uranium for a light-water nuclear reactor.

On 12 June the UN Security Council approved a resolution allowing inspection of air, sea and land shipments in and out of North Korea suspected of carrying banned arms and weapons-related material.

The North has said it will treat any interception of its ships as a declaration of war.

US news,Alaska Governor Palin to resign

2009-07-04T12:02:00.000+07:00

Alaska Governor Palin to resign

Sarah Palin: "I'm doing what is best for Alaska"

Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has announced she will resign as governor of Alaska on 26 July and not run for re-election.

Mrs Palin's term of office was due to end in 2010.

Some have speculated that Mrs Palin, who is popular with the Republican Party base, might be preparing to make a bid for the White House in 2012.

But a report on NBC news suggested that Mrs Palin intends to get "out of politics for good".

Her resignation means Alaska's Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will take over as state governor.

'New direction'

Polls indicated Mrs Palin was very popular in Alaska during the first few years of her governorship, and although her approval ratings have dipped somewhat since her vice-presidential run, she still enjoys widespread popularity in her home state.

Mrs Palin announced her decision in a statement from her home town of Wasilla, Alaska.

"I'm taking my fight for what's right in a new direction," she said, as her family looked on.

Mrs Palin did not reveal what she intended to do after leaving office, and did not give an explicit reason for her decision not to run for re-election.

But in a written statement, she made it clear that once she had decided not to run again, she did not want to hang on in office until her term expired.

"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," she said.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Washington says Mrs Palin's revelation came out of the blue, as most Americans were turning to the celebration of Independence Day on 4 July.

She offered no single clear reason for stepping down, our correspondent adds, but the strongest clue was her depiction of what it had been like to be the subject of sustained attack by liberals since she appeared on the national stage.

US MEDIA REACTIONS TO PALIN'S RESIGNATION

If she does decide to run for future office, Palin will now face the challenge of explaining to voters why she should be president of the United States despite serving less than three of the four years of her elected term as Alaska's governor, and spending months of her second year as governor campaigning for the vice presidency.

Time magazine's Michael Scherer weighs up Mrs Palin's future prospects.

Listening to her, it seems like this is a combination of stepping back and moving forward. Stepping back, because it's way too overwhelming to be Sarah Palin, political phenom, Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, and Sarah Palin, wife and mother. I don't know that anyone can fulfil all those roles well, simultaneously. And we're unrealistic, I think, when we assume people can or should.

Kathryn Jean Lopez, writing at the National Review's Corner blog, thinks Americans should give Mrs Palin a break.

I think the simple truth is that, as even Alaskan Republicans told us last September, she was far from able to be governor of Alaska, let alone vice-president of the United States. Once the klieglights hit, it was only a matter of time before she imploded or exploded or some gruesome combination of the two.

Andrew Sullivan, never one of the Alaska governor's biggest fans, has been predicting this for a while.

If Palin wants to run in 2012, why not do exactly what she announced today? It's an enormous gamble - but it could be a shrewd one. After all, she's freeing herself from the duties of the governorship. Now she can do her book, give speeches, travel the country and the world, campaign for others, meet people, get more educated on the issues - and without being criticized for neglecting her duties in Alaska.

The Weekly Standard's William Kristol, one of the first prominent Republicans to highlight Mrs Palin, thinks her resignation could be part of a long-term plan.

Not finishing her first term will provide a major, major, major obstacle to any presidential bid. I thought a 2012 campaign would be a mistake; from today's comments, it's not clear whether Palin is still interested in that option.
Jim Geraghty, a conservative who blogs at the Campaign Spot, worries that Mrs Palin may have damaged her future presidential ambitions.

Health news,Daily sex 'best for good sperm'

2009-07-01T07:44:00.000+07:00

Daily sex 'best for good sperm'

By Emma Wilkinson
BBC News health reporter in Amsterdam

Daily ejaculation may be the best way to improve sperm quality

Having sex every day improves sperm quality and could boost the chances of getting pregnant, research suggests.

In a study of men with fertility problems, daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.

Speaking at a fertility conference, the Australian researcher said general advice for couples had been to have sex every two or three days.

Early results from the trial had already shown promising results.

Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there's a contribution from the male because we're not behaving as we should be

Dr David Greening
Sydney IVF

But 118 men have now been tested and the benefits for sperm have become clearer.

Dr David Greening, from Sydney IVF, told delegates at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting that eight in ten men taking part showed a 12% drop in sperm DNA damage after the seven days.

Although there was a big drop in sperm numbers from 180 million to 70 million over the week, men were still within the normal "fertile" range.

Sperm also became more active over the seven days with a small rise in motility, he added.

Damage

The theory is the longer sperm hang around in the testes the more likely they are to accumulate DNA damage and the warm environment could also make them more sluggish after a while.

Sperm come under attack by free radicals - small reactive molecules which can damage DNA and cause cell death - in the tube that stores and carries sperm away from the testes.

Further work is needed to work out if daily sex for men without fertility problems has the same benefits but Dr Greening believes it is likely to be the case.

He warns that having daily sex for too long - say a fortnight - would probably cut sperm numbers too much.

But recommended "lots of sex daily" around the time the woman is ovulating.

He said it was best to "keep the river flowing".

As men age they may not have as much sex as they did when they were younger, adding to the problem of infertility, Dr Greening told delegates.

"We are designed to breed in our youth.

"Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there's a contribution from the male because we're not behaving as we should be."

The findings may also have implications for couples undergoing IVF as men are commonly told to abstain from sex for a couple of days to try and boost sperm numbers.

Dr Alan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, said the finding that daily ejaculation improved the chances of conception was interesting, but it would be wrong to apply the results to all men.

"For example, in cases where men have low sperm counts to start with, daily ejaculations may well reduce the sperm count still further and whilst sperm may be more healthy the reduced numbers could impede the chance of natural conception.

"The best general advice is that if couples are attempting to conceive naturally, intercourse every couple of days will make sure the sperm are as healthy as possible on each occasion.

"However, in preparation for IVF or ICSI treatment, this advice may well change in response to medical test results like DNA damage measurements."

World news,Most complete Earth map published

2009-07-01T07:42:00.000+07:00

Most complete Earth map published

A Nasa/Aster image of Death Valley

Enlarge Image

The most complete terrain map of the Earth's surface has been published.

The data, comprising 1.3 million images, come from a collaboration between the US space agency Nasa and the Japanese trade ministry.

The images were taken by Japan's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (Aster) aboard the Terra satellite.

The resulting Global Digital Elevation Map covers 99% of the Earth's surface, and will be free to download and use.

The Terra satellite, dedicated to Earth monitoring missions, has shed light on issues ranging from algal blooms to volcano eruptions.

For the Aster measurements, local elevation was mapped with each point just 30m apart.

"This is the most complete, consistent global digital elevation data yet made available to the world," said Woody Turner, Nasa programme scientist on the Aster mission.

"This unique global set of data will serve users and researchers from a wide array of disciplines that need elevation and terrain information."

Previously, the most complete such topographic map was Nasa's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, covering 80% of the Earth's surface. However, the mission's results were less accurate in steep terrain and in some deserts.

Nasa is now working to combine those data with the new Aster observations to further improve on the global map.

An image of Death Valley - the lowest, driest, and hottest location in North America - composed of a simulated natural color image overlayed with digital topography data from the ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model.

World news,Jacksons 'not ready' for funeral

2009-07-01T07:39:00.001+07:00

Jacksons 'not ready' for funeral

At the Apollo Theater tribute, a hat, glove and sunglasses were set up on stage

Michael Jackson's father has said his family will wait for the results of a second post-mortem before finalising plans for the pop star's funeral.

Joe Jackson told reporters in Los Angeles the ceremony would have "some private" elements but "not [be] closed down all the way to the public".

US media reported that there could be a public memorial event at Neverland.

The results of a first post-mortem will not be released for several weeks while toxicology tests are concluded.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said there was no evidence of foul play after an autopsy on Friday, but gave no cause of death.

At the BET Awards ceremony on Sunday, Mr Jackson said he had "a lot of concerns" about the circumstances surrounding his son's death.

Al Sharpton was joined by film director Spike Lee at the tribute

US media reported that relatives were considering returning the body to Jackson's Neverland Ranch in central California, about 150 miles (240 km) from Los Angeles, where is would lie in state.

California Highway Patrol officials were planning for any delays if a procession did travel there, but said they had received no formal information from the Jackson family.

On Tuesday, an all-day tribute was held for the singer at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, where Michael performed with the Jackson 5 as a child.

Family friend Al Sharpton told fans: "He's bad, he's our brother, he's our friend.

"Let's love Michael today, let's love Michael today, let's love Michael today!"

As thousands queued outside, about 600 fans at a time were entering the venue to listen to Jackson's music, watch a video tribute and leave flowers and memorabilia.

Photographs

Meanwhile, pictures of the pop star's final rehearsal before he died have been released by concert promoter AEG Live.

Photographer Kevin Mazur, who captured Jackson's image several times in the 1980s, told the BBC: "He was happy, he was energetic, he was full of life.

"I had such an adrenaline rush, it was like the first time I photographed him, when he moonwalked."

Photographer reveals rehearsal secrets

Tech news,Japan can do anything

2009-06-29T23:22:00.002+07:00

Japan's earthquake rescue robot

Earthquakes are a fact of life in Japan and so is a fascination with robotics.

At the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Professor Shigeo Hirose is developing a robot that could help rescue survivors after an earthquake.

The BBC's Richard Black took the opportunity to take a look at the robot and some of the professor's other creations.

Luggage box stuck in plane engine

A Japan Airlines flight was prevented from leaving Los Angeles International Airport on Monday when a metal luggage container was sucked into its engine.

The accident happened at around 1300 local time as the aircraft was preparing for take-off.

Authorities said the metal container may have been pulled into the engine after being parked too close to the aircraft.

No-one was injured.

Robo-chefs cook up feast in Japan

Robo-chefs have shown off their cooking skills at the International Food Machinery and Technology Expo in Tokyo.

The robots included one that made Japanese pancakes and another which served sushi with a life-like arm.

There was also a robot which came in the form of a table on wheels and served drinks and food, and another which chopped vegetables at great speed.

Most of the robots on display at the expo were for demonstration only and not yet for sale.

Tech news,Japan airport starts tricycle patrols

2009-06-29T23:20:00.001+07:00

Japan airport starts tricycle patrols

One of Japan's major airports has introduced single seat electric tricycles that will be used to patrol the airport halls and information desks.

The tricycles, developed by Toyota, can operate at a top speed of 15 kilometres per hour.

Some of those used at Chubu Airport will also carry emergency medical kit and computers that will allow airport staff to check flight schedules for passengers

Tech news,Nasa launches weather satellite

2009-06-29T23:15:00.000+07:00

Nasa launches weather satellite

A US weather satellite developed by Nasa has been successfully launched, after being delayed by a day and 37 minutes.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GEOS) is expected to provide continuous imaging and sounding to aid weather predictions.

World news,Doctor 'did not inject' Jackson

2009-06-29T23:14:00.000+07:00

Doctor 'did not inject' Jackson

Dr Murray is doing all he can to help the inquiry, his spokeswoman says

A lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor has denied that his client administered painkilling drugs that could have contributed to the singer's death.

Edward Chernoff told the Associated Press that Dr Conrad Murray "had never prescribed Demerol or Oxycontin".

He said any drugs that the physician may have given Jackson were in response to a specific health complaint.

He said the star still had a faint pulse and was warm when Dr Murray found him in bed on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Chernoff said: "He just happened to find him in his bed, and he wasn't breathing."

"Trained doctor"

Paramedics were called to Jackson's Los Angeles mansion while Dr Murray was performing CPR, according to a recording of the 911 call.

Because Jackson was so frail, Murray "administered with his hand behind his back to provide the necessary support," Chernoff said.

He denied claims that the doctor may have botched the resuscitation attempt: "He's a trained doctor," Chernoff said, "He knows how to administer CPR."

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department said they did not intend to speak to Dr Murray again.

Michael Jackson's family are said to be seeking a second autopsy because they still have questions about his death.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said there was no evidence of foul play after an autopsy on Friday, but gave no cause of death.

It said the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

A spokesman for the coroner's office said Jackson had taken "some prescription medication", without specifying which.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the 50-year-old singer had been taking a daily dose of Demerol, a painkiller also widely known as pethidine.

A woman who worked for Jackson for 17 years - 12 of those as nanny to his children - is quoted as saying he took combinations of drugs.

"I had to pump his stomach many times. He always mixed so much of it," Grace Rwaramba, 42, said in remarks reported by The Sunday Times.

"There was one period that it was so bad that I didn't let the children see him."

Jackson's body was released to the family on Friday night.

A spokeswoman for Dr Murray said he had been interviewed for three hours by police on Saturday.

Miranda Sevcik said the doctor had "helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies".

"Investigators said the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy," she said.

'Darkest moment'

She told the BBC that Dr Murray "feels so deeply about his relationship with Michael Jackson that anything he can do to help this investigation come to a resolution, he is doing".

She said Dr Murray had travelled in the ambulance with Jackson after he collapsed last Thursday, had stayed for hours at the hospital comforting the family and would stay in Los Angeles to help with the police inquiry.

Dr Murray had been hired by Jackson in May to accompany him as he prepared to embark on a gruelling series of 50 concerts in London in July.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Sold:750 million albums

Earned:$700 million (estimated)

Obituary: Remarkable talent

Twelve facts about Michael Jackson

LA fans commemorate 'hero'

The 51-year-old doctor is said to have tried to resuscitate Jackson until the paramedics arrived.

Earlier, veteran politician Rev Jesse Jackson, who has been counselling the family, said they had a flurry of questions of their own for Dr Murray.

"When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did they inject him, if so with what?" he said.

The civil rights leader claimed Dr Murray had gone missing in the hours following the singer's death, which raised "questions of substance that will not go away until they are answered".

"He owes it to the family and to the public to say: 'These were the last hours of Michael's life and here's what happened'."

He said the family were "clearly not satisfied" with the results of the autopsy so far, "that's why there's been the concern about an independent autopsy... which anybody would recommend in these circumstances".

Michael Jackson's father Joseph described his son's death as "one of the darkest moments of our lives".

"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times," he said in a statement.

World news,Jacksons 'set for custody battle'

2009-06-29T23:12:00.001+07:00

Jacksons 'set for custody battle'

Katherine Jackson is currently looking after the children

The mother of Michael Jackson has filed for guardianship of his three children, according to court documents.

Family lawyer Londell McMillan said "I don't think there will be anybody who thinks there is someone better" than Katherine Jackson to be given custody.

He said the family had not heard from Deborah Rowe, the biological mother of Jackson's two eldest children.

The singer's youngest son was born to a surrogate mother whose identity has never been revealed.

Jackson, who died suddenly last week, left three children - Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, known as Prince Michael, 12, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II.

A hearing has been set to take place at Los Angeles Superior Court on 3 August, according to official papers.

They also show that Mrs Jackson has also petitioned to take over the children's estate, the value of which is unknown.

It confirms that they are currently staying under her care at the Jackson family compound

Ms Rowe's lawyer, Marta Almli, said in a statement on Saturday: "Ms Rowe's only thoughts at this time have been regarding the devastating loss Michael's family has suffered.

Deborah Rowe was married to Jackson for three years

"Ms Rowe requests that Michael's family, and particularly the children, be spared such harmful, sensationalist speculation and that they be able to say goodbye to their loved one in peace," she added.

Rowe married Jackson in 1996 but filed for divorce in 1999. She gave up custody rights to the children but sought them again in 2003.

They agreed a settlement in 2006 but the terms were never disclosed.

Memorial plans

There has been no announcement regarding funeral arrangements, although family friend, the Reverend Al Sharpton, said he would be talking to the family about how to honour the late pop star's memory.

He said the family wanted to hold memorials in key cities around the globe and also planned a memorial service for Tuesday at the Apollo Theatre in New York, where the Jackson 5 played.

Stars have already begun celebrating the life of Michael Jackson in Los Angeles.

Dr Murray was Michael Jackson's personal physician

Jackson's father Joe joined celebrities at the annual Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards show, which was hastily changed to honour the singer.

A Jackson 5 medley was performed and host Jamie Foxx attempted the Moonwalk.

Jackson's sister Janet took to the stage to thank fans for their support.

"My entire family wanted to be here tonight, but it was just too painful, so they elected me to be here," she said.

Faint pulse

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor has denied that his client administered painkilling drugs that could have contributed to the singer's death.

Edward Chernoff told the Associated Press that Dr Conrad Murray "had never prescribed Demerol or Oxycontin".

He said any drugs that the physician may have given Jackson were in response to a specific health complaint.

He said the star still had a faint pulse and was warm when Dr Murray found him in bed on Thursday afternoon.

Michael Jackson's family are said to be seeking a second autopsy because they still have questions about his death.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said there was no evidence of foul play after an autopsy on Friday, but gave no cause of death.

It said the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

A spokesman for the coroner's office said Jackson had taken "some prescription medication".

World news,Fraudster Madoff gets 150 years

2009-06-29T23:03:00.001+07:00

Fraudster Madoff gets 150 years

Madoff apologised for his crimes after hearing from his victims

Bernard Madoff has been given the maximum prison sentence of 150 years for masterminding a massive fraud that robbed investors of $65bn (£40bn).

The sentencing was greeted with cheers and applause in the courtroom, while US District Judge Denny Chin described the crime as "staggering".

Madoff's lawyer had sought a more lenient sentence of 12 years.

The sentence came after the court had heard emotional statements from a number of Madoff's victims.

Judge Chin sentenced Madoff on 11 charges, including securities fraud and money laundering.

He said "the breach of trust was massive".

'Legacy of shame'

Before the sentencing, Madoff apologised for the "legacy of shame" he had brought on his family and the industry.

He turned directly to those in court who had been affected and said he was sorry. One person who lost money broke down in tears in court while giving evidence.

"Life has been a living hell. It feels like the nightmare we can't wake from," said Carla Hirshhorn.

"May your jail cell be your coffin," Michael Schwartz told Madoff.

The BBC's North America Business Correspondent Michelle Fleury said the length of the sentence was unexpected.

Victims would be pleased, she said, but this wasn't the end for them as they are still trying to recover some of their money.

Thousands defrauded

Bernard Madoff admitted defrauding thousands of investors in a Ponzi scheme which he said had been running since the early 1990s.

Madoff started his financial career aged 22 with $5,000 from money made from summer holiday jobs such as working as a garden sprinkler installer in New York.

He then set up Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities in 1960.

His firm became one of the largest market-makers - matching buyers and sellers of stocks - and Madoff served as chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Madoff's firm was investigated eight times by the US Securities and Exchange Commission over the past 16 years, because it made exceptional returns.

But it was the global recession which effectively prompted Madoff's demise as investors, hit by the downturn, tried to withdraw about $7bn from his funds and he could not find the money to cover it.

The list of Madoff's victims includes film director Steven Spielberg's charitable foundation, Wunderkinder.

UK banks were also among the victims with HSBC Holdings saying it had exposure of around $1bn. Other corporate victims were Royal Bank of Scotland and Man Group and Japan's Nomura Holdings.

But it is not just the elite and large firms who were victims of the fraud.

School teachers, farmers, mechanics and many others have also lost money.

USA news,Michael Jackson 911 phone call

2009-06-28T23:57:00.000+07:00

Michael Jackson 911 phone call

The Los Angeles Fire Department has released a recording of the emergency phone call made from Michael Jackson's home.

The pop star died aged 50 after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.

USA news,LA police question Jackson doctor

2009-06-28T23:56:00.000+07:00

LA police question Jackson doctor

Jackson family left 'speechless and devastated' by star's death

Los Angeles police investigating the death of Michael Jackson say they have carried out an "extensive interview" with his doctor, Conrad Murray.

Dr Murray - who was with the singer when he collapsed last Thursday - had provided information that "will aid the investigation", the police said.

A spokeswoman for Dr Murray insisted he was not a suspect in the case.

Michael Jackson's family are said to be seeking a second autopsy because they still have questions about his death.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said there was no evidence of foul play after an autopsy on Friday, but gave no cause of death.

It said the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

A spokesman for the coroner's office said Jackson had taken "some prescription medication", without specifying which.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the 50-year-old singer had been taking a daily dose of Demerol, a painkiller also widely known as pethidine.

A woman who worked for Jackson for 17 years - 12 of those as nanny to his children - is quoted as saying he took combinations of drugs.

"I had to pump his stomach many times. He always mixed so much of it," Grace Rwaramba, 42, said in remarks reported by the Sunday Times.

"There was one period that it was so bad that I didn't let the children see him."

Jackson's body was released to the family on Friday night.

'No way a suspect'

A spokeswoman for Dr Murray said he had been interviewed for three hours by police on Saturday.

Dr Murray is doing all he can to help the inquiry, his spokeswoman says

Miranda Sevcik said the doctor had "helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies".

"Investigators said the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy," she said.

She told the BBC Dr Murray "feels so deeply about his relationship with Michael Jackson that anything he can do to help this investigation come to a resolution, he is doing".

Dr Murray had been hired by Jackson in May to accompany him as he prepared to embark on a gruelling series of 50 concerts in London in July.

The 51-year-old doctor is said to have tried to resuscitate Jackson until the paramedics arrived.

'Darkest moment'

Earlier, veteran politician Rev Jesse Jackson, who has been counselling the family, said they had a flurry of questions of their own for Dr Murray.

"When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did they inject him, if so with what?" he said.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Sold:750 million albums

Earned:$700 million (estimated)

The civil rights leader claimed Dr Murray had gone missing in the hours following the singer's death, which raised "questions of substance that will not go away until they are answered".

"He owes it to the family and to the public to say: 'These were the last hours of Michael's life and here's what happened'."

Michael Jackson's father Joseph described his son's death as "one of the darkest moments of our lives".

"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times," he said in a statement.

There has been a huge outpouring of grief from fans, and tributes have been paid around the world since news of his death broke.

Sunday's Black Entertainment Awards show has been turned into a tribute show for Jackson with stars such as Beyonce re-working their performances in honour of the singer.

USA news,Jackson set for album number one

2009-06-28T23:54:00.000+07:00

Jackson set for album number one

Stores have seen a surge in sales of Jackson's albums

Michael Jackson is set to top the UK album chart six years after his last number one, the UK's official chart compilers have revealed.

Greatest hits album Number Ones is on its way straight to the top spot after a surge in sales since the superstar's death on Thursday.

The Official Charts Company added it expected to see "up to half a dozen" other Jackson albums in the Top 75.

The final chart will be confirmed from 1600-1900 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio 1.

Jackson is also likely to feature in the singles chart as fans download tracks from his back catalogue with hits Man In The Mirror, Billie Jean and Thriller proving most popular.

Music demand

The singer's albums dominated Apple's iTunes download charts too with a Jackson album topping the chart in at least 13 different countries.

Gennaro Castaldo of music retailer HMV told the BBC the estimated demand for Jackson albums was now 80 times greater than that of the day before he died.

"It's something we see every time an icon dies like Elvis and John Lennon - people feel they want to connect with the artist," he said.

"Once we had the announcement of his death people came into our stores and we had large crowds.

"Fortunately we had a lot of stock because we had been preparing for the O2 concerts, but sadly we didn't expect to sell them for this reason."

US news,Jackson family 'want new autopsy'

2009-06-28T23:53:00.000+07:00

Jackson family 'want new autopsy'

Jackson family left 'speechless and devastated' by star's death

Relatives of Michael Jackson will seek a second autopsy on the star because they still have unanswered questions about his death, family friends say.

Veteran politician Rev Jesse Jackson, who has been counselling the family, said they were upset the official cause of death might not be known for weeks.

He said the family wanted answers from the star's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was with him when he died.

Coroners ruled out foul play after an initial autopsy on the 50-year-old.

But they gave no cause of death, saying the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

'Not a suspect'

Late on Saturday, a spokeswoman for Dr Murray said that he had met police for a second time, for a three-hour meeting.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Sold:750 million albums

Earned:$700 million (estimated)

Obituary: Remarkable talent

Twelve facts about Michael Jackson

LA fans commemorate 'hero'

He met investigators to "clarify some inconsistencies", but police believed "the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness", Miranda Sevcik said.

The doctor would continue to co-operate fully with the authorities, she said.

Police confirmed that Dr Murray had been co-operative and had provided information that would assist their investigation.

But earlier Jesse Jackson said the family had a flurry of questions of their own for Jackson's personal doctor.

"When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did they inject him, if so with what," he said.

The rights leader claimed Dr Murray had gone missing in the hours immediately following the singer's death, which raised "questions of substance that will not go away until they are answered".

"He owes it to the family and to the public to say: 'These were the last hours of Michael's life and here's what happened.'"

Jackson, who had a history of health problems, collapsed at his Los Angeles home at about midday on Thursday.

A recording of the telephone call made to emergency services from his home was released on Friday.

Jesse Jackson: 'We are hurt'

The caller is heard to say Jackson is unconscious and has stopped breathing, and that a doctor is trying to revive him.

The singer was pronounced dead at the UCLA medical centre two hours after the call was made.

Jackson's family have spoken of their grief at his sudden death.

In a statement issued by his father Joseph Jackson, the star's relatives called it "one of the darkest moments of our lives".

"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times," the statement said.

The family also thanked fans for their messages of support.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, a family friend, said that Jackson's relatives were considering the idea of simultaneous global celebrations to commemorate his life.

This was because they wanted people to focus on the entertainer's music rather than his problems, Rev Sharpton said.

World news,Honduran leader forced into exile

2009-06-28T23:51:00.000+07:00

Honduran leader forced into exile

Troops arrest Honduran president

Troops in Honduras have detained the president and flown him out of the country after a power struggle over plans to change the constitution.

President Manuel Zelaya was flown to Costa Rica from an air force base outside the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Mr Zelaya, elected for a non-renewable four-year term in January 2006, wanted a vote to extend his time in office.

His arrest came just before the start of a referendum ruled illegal by the Supreme Court and opposed by Congress.

There was also resistance within Mr Zelaya's own party to the plan to hold the vote.

Reuters news agency reports that police fired teargas at about 500 supporters of Mr Zelaya who had gathered outside the presidential palace.

'Arrested in pyjamas'

Protesters reportedly hurled rocks at the soldiers, shouting "Traitors", AP news agency reports, as tanks rolled through the streets and air force jets flew over the capital.

This was a plot by a very voracious elite, which wants to keep this country in an extreme level of poverty

President Manuel Zelaya

Early on Sunday, witnesses saw dozens of troops surround Mr Zelaya's residence.

In other developments:

• At an emergency meeting in Washington, the Organization of American States condemned what it called a "coup" in Honduras

• Mr Zelaya's ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, blamed "the Yankee empire"

• US President Barack Obama called on Honduras to "respect democratic norms, the rule of law"; the EU condemned Mr Zelaya's arrest

From Costa Rica, Mr Zelaya told Venezuelan TV that Honduran soldiers had arrested him in his pyjamas.

"I'm in San Jose in Costa Rica," he said. "I've been the victim of a kidnapping by a group of Honduran soldiers.

"This was a plot by a very voracious elite, an elite which wants only to keep this country isolated, in an extreme level of poverty. It doesn't care about the people, it's not sensitive to them."

The military's dramatic move came after President Zelaya defied a court order that he should re-instate the chief of the army, Gen Romeo Vasquez.

The president sacked Gen Vasquez late on Wednesday for refusing to help him organise the referendum.

Mr Zelaya, who under current regulations leaves office next January, also accepted the resignation of the defence minister.

'US opposed coup'

The referendum was to ask the population if they approved of a formal vote next November on whether to rewrite the Honduran constitution.

MANUEL ZELAYA

Elected for Liberal Party in Nov 2005; beat ruling National Party candidate

Has moved Honduras away from its traditional ally the US

Enjoys the support of Venezuela's leftist President, Hugo Chavez

A civil engineer and rancher by profession

On Thursday, the Honduran Congress approved plans to investigate whether the president should be declared unfit to rule.

In an interview with Spain's El Pais newspaper published on Sunday, Mr Zelaya said a planned coup against him had been thwarted after the US refused to back it.

"Everything was in place for the coup and if the US embassy had approved it, it would have happened. But they did not," Mr Zelaya said.

The arrest of Mr Zelaya took place an hour before polls were due to open.

Ballot boxes and other voting materials had been distributed by Mr Zelaya's supporters and government employees throughout the Central American country.

The president has vowed to transform Honduras, saying the system currently favours the wealthy elite. But his opponents accused him of seeking to rule indefinitely.

Honduras - an impoverished coffee and banana-exporting nation of more than 7 million people - has experienced military coups in the past.

Soldiers overthrew elected presidents in 1963 and again in 1975; the military did not turn the government over to civilians until 1981.

News Update,'No foul play' in Jackson death

2009-06-27T23:46:00.001+07:00

'No foul play' in Jackson death

There has been an outpouring of grief around the world

There was no sign of foul play in the death of Michael Jackson, coroners who completed a post-mortem on the singer's body have said.

But toxicology and other tests have been ordered, and the cause of the 50-year-old's death could take several weeks to determine.

Police also want to speak to Jackson's doctor who witnessed his collapse.

Jackson's body has been released to his family but no funeral details have been made public.

Michael Jackson's body moved to an "undisclosed location"

Seven hours after the post-mortem examination was completed, Jackson's family was allowed to claim his body, seemingly managing to elude the media crowd outside the coroner's office.

The body has been taken to an undisclosed location.

Announcing the results of a three-hour autopsy, Los Angeles County Coroners spokesman Craig Harvey said there had been no indication of any external trauma or foul play, but he said the cause of death had been deferred.

"It means that the medical examiner ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies," Mr Harvey said.

These would take between four to six weeks, he said.

"We know he was taking some prescription medication," Mr Harvey said, without specifying which.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the singer had been taking a daily dose of Demerol, a painkiller also widely known as pethidine.

DEMEROL/PETHIDINE

Strong painkiller, addictive

Same drug class as morphine

Given by tablets or injection

Used post-surgery or for childbirth

High doses can stop breathing or lead to delirium and seizures

Medical notes: Demerol/pethidine

Jackson, who had a history of health problems, collapsed at his Los Angeles home around midday on Thursday.

A recording of the telephone call made to emergency services has been released, in which the caller said Jackson was unconscious and had stopped breathing.

His personal doctor - who witnessed his collapse - was trying to revive him, the caller said.

The singer was pronounced dead two hours later at the UCLA medical centre. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, said he was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Former Jackson family lawyer Brian Oxman told US TV that he had been concerned about the star's use of pain relief medication.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Sold:750 million albums

Earned:$700 million (estimated)

Obituary: Remarkable talent

Life in pictures

Tributes paid to Michael Jackson

He told ABC's Good Morning America programme that Jackson took prescription pain relief for injuries sustained earlier in his career.

"It caused him great pain. He just didn't like to feel such discomfort. He started taking pain medication. It became part of his life," he said.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said investigators had briefly spoken to Jackson's personal doctor, named by US media as Dr Conrad Murray, but they wanted to speak to him again.

Police also said a car owned by a doctor had been towed away from Jackson's home.

A spokeswoman said the doctor was not under criminal investigation, but that the car could contain "medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death".

The star had been due to stage 50 concerts at the O2 arena in London, beginning on 13 July.

Entertainers, world leaders and fans have continued to pay tribute to the star.

Across the world, people have been voicing shock and disbelief at the news of his death. In Hollywood, thousands of people filed past his star on the Walk of Fame.

Dr Murray witnessed Jackson's collapse

A White House spokesman said US President Barack Obama considered Jackson a spectacular performer, but said he felt parts of his life were "sad and tragic".

Former Beatle Paul McCartney described Jackson as a "massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul".

Biggest seller

Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5.

He went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, shifting 65m copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Can't believe it. I'm gutted. RIP Michael, thanks for everything you gave us.

Tommy, Cardiff

Send us your comments

He scored seven UK number ones as a solo artist and won a total of 13 Grammy awards.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, Bad and Off The Wall.

"He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

The singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.

He was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty following a five-month trial.

The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe is the mother of two of the children, and there is already speculation about who will gain custody of them.

He is survived by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings - including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson

World news,Can Michael Jackson's demons be explained?

2009-06-27T23:39:00.002+07:00

Can Michael Jackson's demons be explained?

No one knows exactly where Michael Jackson's problems stem from. But in the eyes of those who study behaviour, feelings and motivations, his unorthodox upbringing could go a long way to explain his troubled adult life.

Michael Jackson, who has died at 50, is known to have been a man who struggled with a host of inner demons.

Here, psychologists weigh up how the extraordinary childhood experiences of someone such as Jackson might shape a person in later life.

BEING BEATEN AS A CHILD

Michael Jackson's father Joe admitted to the BBC in 2003 that he whipped his son as a child.

The child star at work in 1972...

Violence occasioned by a parent on a child leaves lasting psychological and physical impact, says Peter Sharp, chartered psychologist at the British Psychological Society.

"Young people in receipt of physical violence have difficulty forming and maintaining long-term relationships," he says.

"They're 'anxious-avoidant', which means they will often take on what they know they can be successful in, therefore avoid challenges outside their comfort zones and may try to provide their worth by excelling and over-excelling in one particular area."

If that person thinks that to have affirmation and validity, they need to be successful at something, he adds, there is a risk that this is the only thing about them they define as worthy.

HAVING A UNIQUE GIFT

Peter Congdon is a psychologist who works with extremely intelligent or gifted children.

"It's well known that the best preparation for growing up is to live fully as a child. Parents of clever or talented children shouldn't forget this."

...and at rest

Accelerated mental development, for example, slows down social and mental growth and the result can be a lop-sided and maladjusted individual.

Parental expectations bring undue pressure on children - one of Mr Congdon's clients is a boy who is being groomed to become an actor and already he is talking about buying his parents a house.

Another man took his teenage child to the swimming baths every day at 4am in an effort to make her an Olympic champion, but it was making her unhappy.

Sometimes the pressure can be overwhelming, he says. "Philosopher JS Mill was taught Latin at three, Greek at four, wrote his first history book at 16 and aged 19 had a mental breakdown."

Jay Belsky, director of the Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues at Birkbeck College, University of College London, says: "With a gift, the issue becomes 'Am I loved because I sing and dance or because I'm worthy of being loved?'

"I think the child figures that out, not necessarily in a conscious way but does it register? Certainly."

Health news,Animal fats pancreas cancer link

2009-06-27T23:33:00.000+07:00

Animal fats pancreas cancer link

Red meat is a source of animal fats

Eating a diet high in red meat and dairy products is linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, a US study has suggested.

Researchers followed 500,000 people who had completed a food diary for an average of six years.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute paper found those who had the most animal fats in their diet had a higher risk of developing the cancer.

UK experts said cutting down on the fats was a way of reducing risk.

There has previously been confusion over whether there was a link between animal fats and pancreatic cancer, with different studies reaching opposite conclusions.

About 7,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year, with smoking being the biggest risk factor.

The prognosis is poor - the time between diagnosis and death is usually about six months.

'Welcome addition'

This latest research was carried out by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, which felt earlier studies had been too small to give reliable results.

The participants were being followed to see if they developed a range of diseases.

This large study adds to the evidence that pancreatic cancer is more common in people who eat too much fat, particularly saturated fat

Josephine Querido, Cancer Research UK

Of the half a million studied, 1,337 developed pancreatic cancer.

Men who consumed the highest amount of total fats had a 53% higher relative rate of pancreatic cancer compared with men who ate the least.

In women, there was a 23% higher rate of the disease in those eating the most fat compared with those who ate the least.

Overall, people who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had 36% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those who consumed low amounts.

Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers led by Dr Rachel Stolzenberg-Solomon, said: "We observed positive associations between pancreatic cancer and intakes of total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat overall, particularly from red meat and dairy food sources.

"We did not observe any consistent association with polyunsaturated or fat from plant food sources.

"Altogether, these results suggest a role for animal fat in pancreatic carcinogenesis."

In an editorial in the journal, Dr Brian Wolpin, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Dr Meir Stampfer, of the Harvard School of Public Health, said the study was a "welcome addition to the understanding of a disease that is in great need of new insights".

Josephine Querido, senior science information officer for Cancer Research UK, said: "This large study adds to the evidence that pancreatic cancer is more common in people who eat too much fat, particularly saturated fat.

"Understanding ways of reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer is very important because it can be very difficult to treat.

"Apart from stopping smoking, the best way to reduce your risk of cancer is to eat plenty of fruit vegetables and fibre, and to cut down on fatty foods, red and processed meat and limit your intake of alcohol."

US news,US passes million swine flu cases

2009-06-27T23:31:00.000+07:00

US passes million swine flu cases

Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC says swine flu may worsen come autumn

US health officials estimate that at least one million Americans have been infected with swine flu since the H1N1 virus emerged nearly three months ago.

The number is far higher than cases actually reported to the authorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said many cases were mild, although 127 people had died.

The CDC based its figures on surveys, rather than laboratory evidence, but the numbers suggest the death rate from swine flu is lower than thought.

"We're saying that there have been at least a million cases of the new H1N1 virus so far this year in the United States," said Anne Schuchat of the CDC.

"Reported cases are really just the tip of the iceberg."

The CDC has based its estimate on mathematical modelling, based on surveys by health officials.

If the figures are correct, it is reassuring news, because it indicates that the fatality rate from swine flu is even lower than thought, says BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh.

However, Dr Schuchat warned that swine flu might exhibit higher infection rates than seasonal flu and could return in a more virulent form in the autumn.

Argentina election

According to the CDC, there have been 27,717 confirmed or probable cases; some 3,000 people have needed hospital treatment and there have been 127 deaths.

Argentina's hospitals are coming under pressure

Swine flu continues to affect mainly people under 50 years of age, with many of those worst affected having underlying health problems such as asthma or diabetes.

The average age of those who died in the US is 37.

Officials from the CDC and the World Health Organization are watching outbreaks in the southern hemisphere, in particular in Argentina, Chile and Australia, to see how the H1N1 virus has been spreading during the winter months and whether it is likely to become more virulent.

Argentina's health ministry has registered 26 deaths attributed to swine flu, and 1,587 cases. Officials are advising people to try to leave space between each other as they line up to vote in legislative elections on Sunday.

Chilean health authorities say there have been 6,211 cases and 12 deaths.

In Australia, there have been five swine-flu related deaths, all of patients with existing medical conditions, and 3,677 cases, according to official figures.

The H1N1 virus first emerged in April in Mexico, which has recorded 116 deaths and 8,279 cases, according to the WHO.

On 11 June, the WHO declared a global flu pandemic, meaning that swine flu virus was spreading in at least two regions of the world.

Officials stressed that this did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths.

According to the latest figures from the WHO, there have been 263 deaths and nearly 60,000 cases in some 100 countries and territories.

Celebrity news,MEGAN FOX MAKES ME LESS funny

2009-06-27T23:25:00.003+07:00

MEGAN FOX MAKES ME LESS GAY! - True Blood, Facebook, New Intro & Would You Rather?

In this video, Buck talks about why Megan Fox makes him all warm inside, Jen Anistin using humor to deal with her lack of a boyfriend, Usher finally dumping his babies mama and YAY- True Love Season Two is back! Please subscribe! I love making videos for YouTube! Xoxo Michael

World news,One dead in 'devastating' crashes

2009-06-27T23:24:00.000+07:00

One dead in 'devastating' crashes

Fire crews said the crashes left a scene of devastation

One person has died and 10 others have been injured in a series of crashes in thick fog on a stretch of the A19 in County Durham.

The first crash, involving two fuel tankers, two lorries and a car happened on the southbound carriageway between Peterlee and Wellfield on Friday night.

While police and fire crews dealt with the incident, there were two further collisions involving 21 vehicles.

It is thought the person killed was in a car trapped between the two tankers.

No details about their identity have been released.

Thick fog on the east coast is thought to have been a contributory factor

Durham Police spokesman

The second crash, on the northbound carriageway, involved 18 vehicles, and the third - on the Wellfield Sliproad - involved three vehicles, including a police car.

A police spokesman said: "Thick fog on the east coast is thought to have been a contributory factor in what happened and police are urging drivers to avoid the area."

David Turnbull, the fire officer in charge, said emergency crews helped rescue five people who were trapped in vehicles.

He said crews stationed close to the scene heard a series of loud bangs.

"When they responded they found absolute devastation on the fly-over adjacent to the fire station - 20 to 30 cars, a large number of HGVs, two petrol tankers and a large number of people trapped."

He added: "It could have been a lot worse. When you have a scene like that, with so many vehicles involved, it's surprising more people weren't seriously hurt."

The North East Ambulance Service said a man, aged 47, suffered abdominal and shoulder injuries, while a 50-year-old man sustained head injuries.

They were taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital, along with two other men in their late teens and two women with two children, who all suffered minor injuries.

Another man, aged 25, and a 27-year-old man, both with back and neck injuries, were taken to North Tees General Hospital.

Work to clear the wreckage has been ongoing, and crews had to cut away a 20m (66ft) section of the central barrier so vehicles could be pulled away from the crush.

Fire crews were also draining the tankers of fuel to allow them to be moved.

The A19 is expected to remain closed in both directions for several hours.

Tech news,Music industry 'missed' Napster

2009-06-27T00:33:00.000+07:00

Music industry 'missed' Napster

Few saw the potential of Napster in 1999, said Mr Taylor.

The music industry would be in better shape now if it had engaged with Napster rather than fought it.

So says Geoff Taylor, head of music industry body BPI, in a column written for the BBC.

In the column, Mr Taylor expressed "regret" that the music industry did not move faster to work out how to use the net to promote and sell records.

But, he said, many sites that have come in the wake of Napster pose a threat because they are populated by pirates.

Mr Taylor said it was "probably true" that the music industry would be better prepared in 2009 if it had worked with Napster instead of taking the service to the courts.

"I, for one, regret that we weren't faster in figuring out how to create a sustainable model for music on the internet," wrote Mr Taylor.

He added that the music industry in 1999, when Napster debuted, would have struggled to create that business model because of rights issues, a lack of good copyright protection software and an inability to track downloads so that royalties were properly awarded.

The invention of Napster and all that has followed may soon deliver its greatest legacy - a renaissance in artistic creativity for the digital age

Geoff Taylor

Geoff Taylor on Napster

The music industry took on Napster, said Mr Taylor, because the file-sharing system had no interest in developing the elements needed to turn it into a business.

"In 1999 Napster developed a great digital service, but did so at the expense of music, while the music business protected music at the expense of progressing online digital services," he wrote.

Ten years on, said Mr Taylor, the music industry has got to grips with digital music, but added that file-sharing sites and technologies that have since emerged are doing damage to the music industry.

Innovation and investment, he said, was being undermined by piracy.

"There is simply no getting around the fact that billions of illegal free downloads of music every year in the UK mean that significantly less money is coming into the music ecosystem," wrote Mr Taylor.

Finally, he said, Napster's impact would be on more than just technology.

"The invention of Napster and all that has followed may soon deliver its greatest legacy - a renaissance in artistic creativity for the digital age," he said.

In response, Jim Killock, head of the Open Rights Group, said: "It's great that the BPI are willing to apologise for their past mistakes with Napster, but they are busy trying to make the same mistake again by 'clamping down' on illicit P2P.

"By trying to get the government to clamp down on users, they risk alienating music's greatest fans, and bringing copyright into disrepute," he said.

Tech news,Web slows after Jackson's death

2009-06-27T00:29:00.001+07:00

Web slows after Jackson's death

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

The sheer number of queries concerned Google

The internet suffered a number of slowdowns as people the world over rushed to verify accounts of Michael Jackson's death.

Search giant Google confirmed to the BBC that when the news first broke it feared it was under attack.

Millions of people who searched for the star's name on Google News were greeted with an error page.

It warned users "your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application".

"It's true that between approximately 2.40PM Pacific and 3.15PM Pacific, some Google News users experienced difficulty accessing search results for queries related to Michael Jackson and saw the error page," said Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker.

It was around this time that the singer was officially pronounced dead.

Google's trends page showed that searches for Michael Jackson had reached such a volume that in its so called "hotness" gauge the topic was rated "volcanic".

The BBC news website reported that traffic to the site at the time of Jackson's death was 72% higher than normal.

Fail

Google was not the only company overwhelmed by the public's clamour for information.

The microblogging service Twitter crashed with the sheer volume of people using the service.

Searches for topics related to Michael Jackson peaked at 3PM Pacific

Queries about the star soon rocketed to the top of its updates and searches. But the amount of traffic meant it suffered one of its well-known outages.

Before the company's servers crashed, TweetVolume noted that "Michael Jackson" appeared in more than 66,500 Twitter updates.

According to initial data from Trendrr, a Web service that tracks activity on social media sites, the number of Twitter posts Thursday afternoon containing "Michael Jackson" totaled more than 100,000 per hour.

That put news of Jackson's death at least on par with the Iran protests, as Twitter posts about Iran topped 100,000 per hour on June 16 and eventually climbed to 220,000 per hour.

Early reports of Mr Jackson's death and the confusion surrounding it caused a rash of changes and corrections to be made on his Wikipedia page as editors tried to keep up with events and the number of people trying to update the page.

TMZ, the popular celebrity gossip site that broke the story following a tip-off that a paramedic had visited the singers home also crashed.

There was a domino effect as users then fled to other sites. Hollywood gossip writer Perez Hilton's site was among those to flame out.

Keynote Systems reported that its monitoring showed performance problems for the web sites of AOL, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and Yahoo.

Beginning at 2.30PM Pacific "the average speed for downloading news sites doubled from less than four seconds to almost nine seconds," said Shawn White, Keynote's director of external operations.

He told Data Center Knowledge that "during the same period, the average availability of sites on the index dropped from almost 100% to 86%".

World news,China 'to block' Hummer takeover

2009-06-27T00:27:00.001+07:00

China 'to block' Hummer takeover

Hummer had thrived from its military image and demand for large cars

A Chinese firm's bid to buy the gas-guzzling Hummer car brand will be blocked on environmental grounds, according to Chinese state radio.

Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery emerged as the surprise buyer for the brand earlier this year.

But China National Radio said Hummer is at odds with the country's planning agency's attempts to decrease pollution from Chinese manufacturers.

But Sichuan Tengzhong disputed the accuracy of the radio report.

"The fact that it is from an article from a state media organisation does not mean it is government policy," the company said in a statement.

"Some people may have views and speculation, but the Chinese government has a process that we respect."

The acquisition from General Motors needs Chinese regulatory approval.

'Lacks expertise'

The value of the bid was not disclosed at the time, but analysts say that GM would have made about $100m (£61m) from the sale.

National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) will also block Sichuan Tengzhong from buying Hummer because the Chinese construction equipment maker lacks expertise in car production, the state radio added.

Sichuan Tengzhong said: "The view expressed on China National Radio's website did not quote or source anyone at NDRC."

"We do not yet have a definitive agreement, but are developing our proposals with GM and Hummer and we will continue to engage with the appropriate authorities in an appropriate manner."

Hummers were originally built as military off-road vehicles by a company called AM General.

GM bought the Hummer brand in 1999.

The brand took off as US consumers flocked to large cars and sport utility vehicles and were favoured by celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But sales have suffered as the military image has become less popular and petrol prices surged.

Hummers weigh up to five tons and have fuel consumption of around 15 miles per gallon.

The sale of Hummer, known as "Han Ma" or Bold Horse in China, has been part of GM's plan to reinvent itself by concentrating on fewer brands.

World news,China argues to replace US dollar

2009-06-27T00:25:00.000+07:00

China argues to replace US dollar

The dollar has been the world's reserve currency for decades

China's central bank has reiterated its call for a new reserve currency to replace the US dollar.

The report from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said a "super-sovereign" currency should take its place.

Central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan has loudly led calls for the dollar to be replaced during the financial crisis.

The bank report called for more regulation of the countries that issue currencies that underpin the global financial system.

"An international monetary system dominated by a single sovereign currency has intensified the concentration of risk and the spread of the crisis," the Chinese central bank said.

The dollar fell after the report was released. The US currency dropped 1% against the euro to $1.4088, and declined 0.8% versus the British pound to $1.6848.

SDRs

Mr Zhou caused a stir earlier this year when he said the dollar could eventually be replaced as the world's main reserve currency by the Special Drawing Right (SDR), which was created as a unit of account by the IMF in 1969.

CURRENCY RESERVES

Foreign currency held by a government or a central bank

Used to pay foreign debt obligations or influence exchange rates

The dollar is viewed as the world's reserve currency as the vast majority of reserves are held in the US currency

Smaller amounts are held in euros, pounds and yen

Dollar poses dilemma for China

The PBOC said in the report that not only should the world adopt the SDR, but that the IMF should be entrusted with managing a portion of its member countries' foreign currency reserves.

"To avoid intrinsic shortcomings in using a sovereign currency as a reserve currency, we need to create an international reserve currency that is divorced from sovereign states and can maintain a stable value over the long term," the PBOC report said.

It also issued some veiled criticism of the US policies, saying that one of the major issues was that it was difficult to balance the needs of domestic politics with the requirements of being the world's reserve currency.

"The economic development model of debt-based consumption is most difficult to sustain," the PBOC said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently joined Mr Zhou in saying it was time to consider an alternative benchmark currency for international debt.

But Russian finance minister Alexei Kudrin then said "it's too early to speak of an alternative".

Sad news,Babysitter beat toddler to death

2009-06-27T00:24:00.001+07:00

Babysitter beat toddler to death

Agencies admit Demi Leigh errors

Family relives daughter's death

A 15-year-old boy has been convicted of murdering a two-year-old girl who was left in his care for 90 minutes.

Demi Leigh Mahon was beaten, bitten and had her hair sheared off during the attack which left her with 68 injuries, Manchester Crown Court heard.

She was left with killer Karl McCluney while her mother went to claim a child benefit cheque in July last year.

McCluney took her to a park before attacking her at a house in Salford, Greater Manchester.

He had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but the jury rejected this claim.

Following McCluney's conviction the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney lifted the reporting restrictions on the defendant's identity.

The attack on Demi Leigh was so ferocious, the court heard, that she was left brain-damaged after being punched repeatedly in the face.

Toddler's death was 'unavoidable'

Pathologist Dr Naomi Carter said part of her scalp was also sheared off, most likely as a result of it coming into contact with a hard surface.

Dr Carter told the jury it was neither "reasonable or credible" the vast majority of the injuries were sustained accidentally.

When her mother, Ann Marie McDonald, returned she saw the injuries he had inflicted.

She told the court during the five day trial: "I screamed 'Why haven't you rung an ambulance?'.

"He said 'I never done nothing, I've not done nothing'."

Karl McCluney killed Demi Leigh but tried to say it was an accident

Demi Leigh was taken to hospital where her parents were at her bedside when her life support machine was switched off two days later.

At first, McCluney tried to pretend the little girl had fallen over in the park and hurt herself, but it was clear she had been beaten.

Speaking before the verdict, her father, Gary Mahon, described seeing her in hospital.

"I knew she was going to die," he said, "There was no way she could have lived through that, it was disgusting."

Psychiatrist Dr Cesar Lengua said he had made an admission of guilt to a health worker: "I'm not proud of what I've done and everyone will think I'm a monster but nobody can ever punish me as much as I'll punish myself."

Dr Lengua, who was called by the defence, said the boy suffered from an unsocialised conduct disorder and had a "below normal" IQ.

He said it was clear there were "disharmonious relationships between the parental figures in this boy's life" and family dynamics were crucial to understanding the development of his conduct disorder.

The jury heard the boy has never explained his attack on Demi Leigh but has alluded to the fact he was angry with her behaviour.

World news,G8 'deplores' Iran poll violence

2009-06-27T00:21:00.000+07:00

G8 'deplores' Iran poll violence

Mr Lavrov (L) said the G8 should not seek to isolate Iran

Foreign ministers from the world's main industrialised countries have issued a statement "deploring" post-election violence in Iran.

The G8's comments were not as strong as France and Italy had wanted, after Russia warned against isolating Iran.

Meanwhile US President Barack Obama praised those who protested against the re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He said they had shown "bravery in the face of brutality".

Engagement 'is key'

The G8 foreign ministers, meeting in Italy, said they "fully respect" the sovereignty of Iran, but "deplore post-electoral violence, which led to the loss of lives of Iranian civilians".

"We express our solidarity with those who have suffered repression while peacefully demonstrating and urge Iran to respect fundamental human rights," the statement said.

ANALYSIS

Jeremy Bowen
BBC News, Tehran

The Guardian Council is due to give its definitive verdict on Sunday.

But the remarks by its spokesman are yet another indication that it will be a formality.

The question though is whether the fracture in the ruling elite that this crisis has caused will heal.

When you ask Iranians about the way this might go, a phrase keeps cropping up. They say it might seem quiet to an outsider but there is fire below the ashes.

Eerie calm masks Iran tensions

"The crisis should be settled soon through democratic dialogue and peaceful means."

The G8 called on the Iranian government to guarantee that "the will of the Iranian people is reflected in the electoral process".

They also said the door to dialogue with Iran must remain open.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said engagement with Iran was "the key word".

He stressed the need to focus on "the main task - to move toward resolving the issues of the Iranian nuclear programme".

He said "no-one" was prepared to condemn the election process, because it was "an exercise in democracy".

The three-day G8 meeting, taking place in Trieste, is the first high-level meeting of the leading Western countries since violence erupted in Iran after the 12 June election.

The primary focus of the G8 talks was intended to be the stabilisation of Afghanistan so Iran, as a neighbouring country, had been invited to attend.

But Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki withdrew at the last minute.

'Ruthless' punishment

Before the G8 issued its statement, a spokesman for Iran's top election body, the Guardian Council, said the vote had been fair.

"We have had no fraud in any presidential election and this one was the cleanest election we have had," Abbasali Kadkhodai told the Irna news agency.

IRAN UNREST

12 June Presidential election saw incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected with 63% of vote

Main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi called for result to be annulled for electoral fraud

Street protests saw at least 17 people killed and foreign media restricted

Q&A: Election aftermath

How Iran is ruled

Who's who in Iran

Iran: Send your questions

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen, in Tehran, says the comments - two days before the Guardian Council's review is completed - suggest their conclusion is a formality.

Meanwhile, a senior hard-line cleric said in his Friday sermon that the leaders of the protests should be dealt with "severely and ruthlessly".

"I want the judiciary to... punish leading rioters firmly and without showing any mercy to teach everyone a lesson," Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Tehran university in comments broadcast nationwide.

And a war of words between Tehran and Washington appears to be stepping up.

Mr Ahmadinejad had already warned Mr Obama not to interfere in Iran's affairs, after the US leader condemned the Iranian authorities' clampdown on dissent.

But Mr Obama used a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to renew his criticism of the authorities' conduct.

"The rights of the Iranian people to assemble, to speak freely, to have their voices heard - those are universal aspirations," he said.

"Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice. The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous."

Some 17 people are thought to have died in street protests in the past two weeks, and Tehran has imposed severe restrictions on journalists and the internet.

Breaking news,Refund issues over Jackson gigs

2009-06-27T00:09:00.000+07:00

Refund issues over Jackson gigs

The singer had been due to start a series of concerts in London in July

Ticketholders for the sell-out Michael Jackson concerts at London's O2 from July should now get their money back.

Fifty shows - due to start on 13 July and set up as his big comeback dates in the UK - sold out rapidly from official ticket sellers.

Fans who bought directly should now get a full refund, although it is a gloomier picture for those who bought from a third party.

If no terms and conditions applied then these buyers have no legal rights.

Your rights

Anyone who bought tickets directly from the O2, or from agencies connected to the tour should get a refund or possibly an exchange for another event as stated in their terms and conditions.

YOUR RIGHTS

Tickets bought direct should stipulate a refund in the terms and conditions

Established agencies should also have a refund policy in their terms and conditions

No legal rights exist for those buying from private sellers

Ticketholders should check their confirmation e-mail for the name of the ticketing company through which the tickets were bought. This shows who they should make their claim to. Most actual tickets had not yet been sent out.

A representative for concert organiser AEG Live said an announcement could be made on Friday.

"At this time our thoughts are with Michael's children, family and friends. We will announce ticketing details in due course."

A statement from official ticket seller Ticketmaster said: "Ticketmaster is aware of the news relating to Michael Jackson. We have no official information at this stage.

"As soon as we have any information we will immediately contact all customers who have booked tickets through Ticketmaster or GET ME IN!"

However the terms and conditions on its website state that a refund of the ticket and any booking fee should be given if an event is cancelled.

But Tony Northcote, of the Trading Standards Institute, said that the picture was a little more opaque for those buying from elsewhere.

If these tickets were sold on by established agencies then terms and conditions offering a refund for cancellation should again be in place.

Examples of such refunds came with cancellations of shows such as when Amy Winehouse pulled out of a tour in 2007.

Private sellers

But if tickets were bought from private sellers on the internet or in person then no terms and conditions are stipulated and so the buyer does not have any set legal rights.

The concerts were sold out extremely quickly

In this case, the best ticketholders can hope for is a friendly agreement with the seller to be handed their money back. The seller could then apply for their money from whomever they bought the tickets from.

Ticket exchange business Seatwave.com have announced that it will refund any tickets bought through its website.

"We are all saddened by the news of Michael Jackson's death. All customers who purchased tickets for his O2 shows from Seatwave are covered by our TicketCover guarantee and will get a full refund," said chief executive Joe Cohen.

"We advise customers to use the website rather than our phone lines to obtain this information."

The auction website eBay is advising people who have bought tickets on the site to contact the sellers to ask for a refund. If they bought using Paypal, they can get their money back if the purchase was made during the last 45 days.

It said it was working to remove live auctions of Jackson tickets from its site, although hundreds remained on the site during Friday morning.

"Any existing bids will be cancelled," a spokeswoman said.

Anyone who spent more than £100 on tickets using their credit card, or often a Visa or Mastercard debit card, can apply to their card provider for compensation if all else fails.

Mr Northcote warned that previous experience suggested that some websites that "promised" tickets to fans for a fee could now disappear.

Last summer saw a spate of incidents where unofficial ticket agencies failed to deliver tickets to music fans.

Graham Burns, of the Association of Secondary Ticket Agents, said the association had drawn up a code of conduct for legitimate agents which included a refund policy.

Some large tour operators sold package deals including a ticket, hotel and transport. Once they have received refunds from promoters, they will pass them onto consumers.

Thomson Experience said that it expected many customers would replace their Jackson tickets with tickets to other West End shows.

Hot tickets

Tickets for the London shows, promoted by AEG Live, sold at at a rate of 11 per second, 657 per minute and nearly 40,000 an hour.

Fans from as far afield as Japan, Belgium and Dubai queued to purchase their tickets, priced at between £50 and £75. The latest issue of tickets went on sale on Monday. Some 800,000 tickets had been sold.

The concerts were also set to be an enormous corporate event, with Swarovski crystals having recently announced they were teaming up with the star.

Corporate tickets - called the Thriller Package - were on sale for up to £790 and included a champagne reception, seats close to the front and an after-show party.

Dave Newton, of WeGotTickets, said that the Jackson shows' turnover represented a significant chunk of the annual turnover of live gigs in the UK. Refunds would also cost agencies to administer.

"We have not seen anything like this before," he said.

Breaking news,Glastonbury tribute for Jackson

2009-06-27T00:08:00.000+07:00

Glastonbury tribute for Jackson

Cilmi was not born when Billie Jean was originally released

Teenage Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi has become the first artist to pay tribute to Michael Jackson on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.

During her performance of her hit single Sweet About Me, the 17-year-old slipped in a few lines from his hit song Billie Jean to cheers from fans.

Other bands playing over the weekend are expected to honour singer Jackson, who has died at the age of 50.

Festival organiser Emily Eavis called him a "truly great artist".

She added: "There will be tributes all over the site, all weekend".

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis added: "You realise what a fantastic legend we've lost, the like of which we can't really replace.

"As an exponent of song and dance, no-one came close."

Dave McCabe, singer with The Zutons, told the BBC more cover versions are inevitable: "Hopefully, because he's got good songs and it's always a winner."

Michael Eavis: "He will be so sadly missed"

A Glastonbury spokesman said there was nothing formal planned to mark Jackson's death, but said: "A lot of the performers will be talking about it during their sets".

Many festival-goers learned of the news late last night as DJs scattered around the festival site began playing Jackson tracks.

One fan said: "They started playing loads of his music and we thought, 'Oh, that's really strange' and then someone said, 'Michael Jackson's dead' and we were like, 'No way'."

Another reveller added: "Everyone thought it was a joke at first - then people started watching the news and saw it was true."

"Knocked sideways"

BBC Radio 1 presenter Jo Whiley is at the festival site and noted a muted mood at Worthy farm on Friday morning.

Refund issues over Jackson gigs

She said US artists performing later today, such as the Black Eyed Peas and NERD, would be "knocked sideways" by the news of Jackson's death.

She added: "Everybody will be celebrating the music of Michael Jackson. You can guarantee tonight there will be loads and loads of Jacko coming out of sound systems here."

Crossing boundaries

Tommy Bowen, keyboard player for the band White Lies, who play the Other Stage on Friday, said most of the bands playing the festival "can't help but be touched by what's happened".

He added: "He's such an influential artist, I think many of the people here have been brought up on Michael Jackson.

"His music crosses musical boundaries, it's a big shock."

I'd like to remember him for his music

David Dawson

Felix White, from The Maccabees, who are also playing Glastonbury's Other Stage, agreed but claimed Jackson's death leaves him with mixed feelings.

He told BBC 6 Music: "It's weird because you kind of feel that he seemed so unable to cope with the world that, you don't want to say that's it's a blessing in disguise, but it's hard to know how to feel about it."

Several stalls are now selling T-shirts printed with Jackson-related slogans including, "Jacko RIP 1958-2009" and "I was at Glasto when Jacko died".

David Dawson, who is DJing on one of the smaller stages, said he bought one at "about 3 this morning".

He added: "I'd like to remember him for his music."

Artists including Lily Allen, Lady GaGa and Neil Young will play at the festival later on Friday.

Breaking news,World reacts to Jackson death

2009-06-27T00:07:00.000+07:00

World reacts to Jackson death

BBC correspondents report on reaction from cities around the world

With the death of pop star Michael Jackson at the age of 50, BBC correspondents report on the reaction around the world.

NKEM IFEJIKA, NEW YORK

Above the entrance of the Apollo Theater in Harlem the neon sign reads: "In Memory of Michael Jackson, a true Apollo Legend, 1958 - 2009."

At least 2,000 people have gathered outside spontaneously, blocking the pavement in front and opposite the famous venue. The overwhelming spirit in the crowd is of jubilation, dancing, singing, blaring out hit after Michael Jackson hit.

But there are sombre pockets of people carrying lit candles. One mourner fighting back the tears, and failing, says: "I just wish he could come back."

This is Harlem, after all, often described as the heart of African-American culture. This was where, aged nine, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 got their first real break, winning Amateur Night in 1969. He returned several times over the years to perform.

The crowd transcended national barriers. One Frenchwoman says: "I know back home in Paris, my grandparents will be upset."

A Hungarian reporter spoke about what Michael Jackson meant in the 1970s and 80s in Communist Eastern Europe: "It was part of our lives behind the Iron Curtain, a symbol of freedom for us, creativity, unlimited success."

Occasional chants of "Michael, Michael, Michael" would erupt, after which another loudspeaker would play another song, pulling the crowd with it. Some wannabe moonwalkers entertained onlookers, complete with Jackson's trademark white shirt, black trousers and hat from his Billie Jean days.

STEVE ROSENBERG, BERLIN

I'm standing in the waxwork museum Madame Tussauds in Berlin where the Michael Jackson waxwork has been moved into the foyer. There is a special book of condolences which visitors can sign after coming into the museum.

The waxwork museum is almost directly opposite the Adlon hotel. This is where Michael Jackson stayed in 2002 when he came to Berlin to pick up a music award.

And it's where he very controversially dangled his own baby out of a top floor window, showing off the child to fans down below.

At the time, German police considered launching an investigation into the affair. They never did and despite the incident Michael Jackson remains supremely popular in Germany.

Reacting to the news of Michael Jackson's death the German economy minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, said the pop star had been a truly great artist who met a tragic end.

ZUBAIR AHMED, MUMBAI

Television networks in India abandoned normal programmes to run news of Michael Jackson's death.

Popular news websites and portals have wall-to-wall coverage of the pop star's death. Mourners have been posting condolence messages on their favourite websites.

The singer, who was a huge name in India, had come to Mumbai 13 years ago when he performed at a packed concert.

He was invited by a right-wing Hindu nationalist party and his visit had become controversial, with some questioning how his music was connected to Hindu culture.

Regardless of the controversy, a whole generation of Bollywood music directors have been influenced by his music.

Some have been accused of plagiarising his tunes. His dance sequences have also left a deep impression on Bollywood stars of the 70s and 80s.

NICK BRYANT, SYDNEY

On the east coast of Australia people awoke to the news that Michael Jackson had suffered a cardiac arrest, and heard that he'd died by the time they reached work.

The main television networks have been interrupting their schedules to carry special programmes, radio stations are playing some of his most popular hits, and fans are leaving tributes on web and social networking sites.

Walking through the streets of Sydney this morning, his signature song Thriller could be heard coming from passing cars.

People here are likening his death to the passing of other musical greats, such as Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

There's been a conflicted response. There's enormous respect here for his musical talent and his extraordinary stagecraft, but there's been criticism too at what many people clearly feel was a sometimes unhealthy relationship with young children.

ROLAND BUERK, TOKYO

Japanese television networks broke into normal breakfast programmes to carry coverage of Michael Jackson's death, and a text alert was sent early in the morning to people who subscribe to mobile phone news services.

The singer was a huge star in Japan - a country he visited often over the years. It was here in 2006 that he made his first official public appearance, at an awards ceremony, after being acquitted at his trial.

He came again a year later and a screaming mob of fans greeted him at the airport. There were more crowds outside a downtown electronics store where he went on a shopping spree.

And hundreds of people paid more than $3,000 for a ticket for what was known as a fan appreciation event.

It featured a buffet dinner, Michael Jackson impersonators, and a chance to be in the same room as the singer himself - but not to see him to perform.

Michael Jackson's popularity was perhaps knocked less here by the scandals that surrounded him later in life.

People in Japan seemed more willing to overlook his much-publicised troubles and see him just as a great performer, and that's how he'll be remembered.

JONAH FISHER, JOHANNESBURG

Michael Jackson first visited Africa at the age of 14, as the lead singer of the Jackson Five.

Emerging from the plane in Senegal, he responded to a welcome of drummers and dancers by screaming: ''This is where I come from''.

Returning for an African tour 19 years later, the king of pop was crowned chief of several African villages.

But the trip quickly turned into a public relations nightmare, amid allegations of police beating the crowds and complaints in the local media that the pop star had been seen holding his nose.

Michael Jackson's most tangible contribution to Africa came at the peak of his career in the mid-80s, when he co-wrote the charity song We Are The World with Lionel Ritchie.

Sung by a group of leading artists, the single topped charts around the world, raising awareness and more than $50m for famine relief in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

Sad News,World mourns pop legend Jackson

2009-06-27T00:05:00.001+07:00

World mourns pop legend Jackson

Michael Jackson had been due to play 50 concert dates in the UK this summer

Tributes from stars and fans have been pouring in for singer Michael Jackson, who has died aged 50 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home.

Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music will live on forever."

Fans gathered outside the clinic where he was pronounced dead on Thursday. A post-mortem is taking place on Friday.

Los Angeles police have said the car belonging to a doctor has been towed away from Jackson's home and impounded.

Spokeswoman Karen Rayner said he was not under criminal investigation but the car "may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death".

US authorities have said final results of the post-mortem examination could take up to eight weeks while toxicology tests are completed.

Jackson lawyer's 'medication warning'

Family lawyer Brian Oxman told US TV that he had been concerned about the star's use of pain relief medication.

Mr Oxman told ABC's Good Morning America programme that Jackson took prescription pain relief for injuries sustained earlier in his career, including bones broken in a stage fall.

"It caused him great pain. He just didn't like to feel such discomfort. He started taking pain medication. It became part of his life."

Mr Oxman added that he had warned that he "would not hold his tongue" about Jackson's use of medication in the event of the singer's death.

Michael Jackson's career in numbers

Paying tribute to the star, musician Sir Paul McCartney said: "I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul."

The singer's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was "sad and confused". "This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."

Pop star Justin Timberlake, who has been compared to Jackson, said: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of, not only pop music, but of all music."

The musician added: "He has been an inspiration to multiple generations."

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Obituary: Remarkable talent

Life in pictures

Tributes paid to Michael Jackson

Paramedics were called to the singer's Beverly Hills home at about midday on Thursday after he stopped breathing.

He was pronounced dead two hours later at the UCLA medical centre in west Hollywood. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, said he was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Speaking on behalf of the Jackson family, Jermaine said doctors had tried to resuscitate the star for more than an hour without success.

He added: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time."

"And Allah be with you Michael, always. I love you."

Jackson, who had a history of health problems, had been due to stage 50 concerts at the O2 arena in London, beginning on 13 July.

Concerns were raised last month when four of Jackson's planned comeback shows were postponed, but organisers insisted the dates had been moved due to the complexity of staging the show.

'Consummate entertainer'

Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini said: "I always doubted that he would have been able to go through that schedule, those concerts. It seemed to be too much of a demand on the unhealthy body of a 50 year old.

"I'm wondering, as we find out details of his death, if perhaps the stress of preparing for those dates was a factor in his collapse.

"It was wishful thinking that at this stage of his life he could be Michael Jackson again."

AT THE SCENE

Rajesh Mirchandani
BBC News

Michael Jackson was brought here to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles around 12 hours ago. Earlier there were several hundred people here, before it got dark - there was a sense of grief, of disbelief.

But in the last few hours, these people have been singing his songs, dancing, there was a guy on a keyboard earlier, playing his songs for people to dance along to.

This has turned into an impromptu celebration of Michael Jackson's music. He's the King of Pop as far as they're concerned. They're still shocked by his sudden death, but they're here because they want to show their support.

Following the news of his death, the singer's albums are currently occupying the top 15 slots of online music retailer Amazon.com's best-seller chart, led by his 1982 smash hit Thriller.

Bands playing at the Glastonbury Festival this weekend are also expected to pay tribute to Jackson's musical achievements.

Thriller Live, a tribute show to featuring the star's music in London's West End, announced it would go ahead.

A minute's silence will be held before the performance and the lights outside the Lyric Theatre, in Shaftesbury Avenue, will be dimmed as a mark of respect.

A special on the life and career of Michael Jackson will be screened on the News channel and BBC One at 1930 BST.

An additional scene has been filmed for Friday's episode of EastEnders which makes a reference to Jackson's death.

Biggest seller

Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5.

He went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, shifting 65m copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Can't believe it. I'm gutted. RIP Michael, thanks for everything you gave us.

Tommy, Cardiff

Send us your comments

He scored seven UK number ones as a solo artist and won a total of 13 Grammy awards.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, Bad and Off The Wall.

"He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Jackson fans react to news of his death

The singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.

He was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty following a five-month trial.

The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe is the mother of two of the children, and there is already speculation about who will gain custody of them.

He is survived by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings - including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson.

Michael Jackson's career in numbers

Celebrity news,Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox Rihanna

2009-06-26T12:21:00.001+07:00

Check out the ink on Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox, Rihanna and Hayden Panettierehow they put tattos on thier body and that wasnt cool for me but still they got the look

Celebrity news,Megan Fox vs. Angelina Jolie

2009-06-26T12:19:00.001+07:00

Angelina Jolie is "annoyed Megan Fox is being touted as the 'new Angelina'." Plus, Angelina's supposedly in a panic about getting older and passed over for the lead in the new Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie. Megan Fox is now rumored to star as the famed video game heroine.but in my opinion how can u compare a legend 2 someone that has only made one movie? sure meagen is beutiful but angie has more then just beuty ..shes an amazin actress her performance, the way she talks, her eye contact..meagen is not there yet..

Sad news,Singer Michael Jackson dies at 50

2009-06-26T08:14:00.000+07:00

Singer Michael Jackson dies at 50

Pop star Michael Jackson has died in Los Angeles, aged 50.

Paramedics were called to the singer's home around midday local time on Thursday after he stopped breathing.

He was pronounced dead two hours later after arriving at hospital in full cardiac arrest, said Fred Corral of the LA County Coroner's office.

The star, who had a history of health problems, had been due to begin a series of comeback concerts in the UK on 13 July.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Can't believe it. I'm gutted. RIP Michael, thanks for everything you gave us.

Tommy, Cardiff

Send us your comments

Concerns were raised last month when four of the concerts were postponed, but organisers insisted the dates had been moved due to the complexity of staging the show.

A spokeswoman for The Outside Organisation, which was organising the publicity for the shows, said she had no comment at this time.

"I'm wondering that, as we find out details of his death, if perhaps the stress of preparing for those dates was a factor in his collapse.

"It was wishful thinking that at this stage of his life he could be MJ again."

Uri Gellar, a close friend of the star, told BBC News it was "very, very sad".

Jackson had been in the spotlight from the age of five

Hip hop star P Diddy wrote on Twitter: "Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat.

"He made the music come to life! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him!"

Speaking outside the UCLA medical centre in Los Angeles, civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton paid tribute to his friend.

"I knew him 35 years. When he had problems he would call me," he said.

"I feel like he was not treated fairly. I hope history will be more kind to him than some of the contemporary media."

Musical icon

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009

Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Obituary: Remarkable talent

Life in pictures

Tributes paid to Michael Jackson

Paramedics were called to the singer's house in Bel Air at 1221 following an emergency phone call.

They performed CPR on Jackson and rushed him to the UCLA medical centre, where crowds have since gathered.

Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5.

He then went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, shifting 65m copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

He scored seven UK number ones as a solo artist and won a total of 13 Grammy awards.

Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, which awards the Grammys, also paid tribute: "Rarely has the world received a gift with the magnitude of artistry, talent and vision as Michael Jackson.

"He was a true musical icon whose identifiable voice, innovative dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and sheer star power carried him from childhood to worldwide acclaim."

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, Bad and Off The Wall.

"He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Family

The singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.

He was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty following a five-month trial.

The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

He is survived by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings - including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson.

Celebrity news,Williams questioned over robbery

2009-06-25T23:37:00.001+07:00

Williams questioned over robbery

Williams is on holiday in the Exuma district of the Bahamas

Police in the Bahamas have questioned Robbie Williams over the robbery of two photographers who had taken shots of him while on holiday in Exuma.

The paparazzi said they got into an argument with the pop star's entourage while photographing him on Sunday.

Hours later, they claimed, four armed men broke into their hotel room and stole $20,000 (£12,294) of equipment.

Police superintendent Ellsworth Moss said Williams, who rose to fame as part of Take That, was not a suspect.

"We don't think he was the one who actually committed the robbery, but it may have been a spin-off or may have been triggered by what reportedly happened with his party on the beach," Mr Moss told the Associated Press news agency.

Ongoing investigation

Assistant Commissioner of Police Raymond Gibson said two men were in custody in connection with the case.

He did not disclose further details, saying the investigation was continuing.

A phone call to Williams' representative in London was not immediately returned.

The 35-year-old star has not released any material since his "experimental" electro-pop album Rudebox in 2006.

He has recently recorded new tracks with Frankie Goes To Hollywood producer Trevor Horn.

A message on Horn's website says Williams' new album is due out later this year.

Celebrity news,Beatles poster sells for $50,000

2009-06-25T23:34:00.001+07:00

Beatles poster sells for $50,000

The 1967 poster came from the Beatles Fan Club of Great Britain

A Sgt Pepper souvenir poster bearing the signatures of all four Beatles has sold for $52,500 (£31,720) at a pop memorabilia auction in New York.

Among an array of 300 musical items that went under the hammer were a set of Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics, which made $25,000 (£15,090).

A bass guitar owned by late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was snapped up for $43,750 (£26,415).

In total, the auction fetched more than $650,000 (£392,200), said Christie's.

Nostalgia

Around 70% of the lots were sold, it added.

Simeon Lipman, the auction house's head of popular culture, said that the high prices were driven by nostalgia.

A chief prop from Edward Scissorhands was among the film lots

"Even in an unstable economy, you'll see peaks for certain prices," he added.

Other items of musical history that were sold off included a book of handwritten lyrics by late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, dating from the late 1970s.

The Dylan notes, scribbled in his own hand, were for the song With God On Our Side.

Screen memorabilia also featured in the auction, with Johnny Depp's pivotal prop from the film Edward Scissorhands making $16,250 (£9,795).

Actor Bob Crane's Leather Jacket from the 1960s US television series Hogan's Heroes fetched $40,000 (£24,120) - twice its estimated price.

A script from The Godfather signed by late screen icon Marlon Brando was also in the auction, and sold for $10,625 (£6,404).

Celebrity news,Surrogate twin girls for Parker

2009-06-25T23:27:00.001+07:00

Surrogate twin girls for Parker

Broderick and Parker already have a son named James Wilkie

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick have become parents to twin daughters, delivered by a surrogate mother.

The girls, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, were born in an Ohio hospital on Monday.

"The babies are doing beautifully and the entire family is over the moon," their publicist said in a statement.

Parker is expected to begin shooting a sequel to the Sex and the City movie later this year.

She plays Carrie Bradshaw in the long-running TV comedy drama and its big screen spin-off, which made $415m (£250m) at the box office when it was released last year.

Parker, 44, and Broderick, 47, best known for playing the lead role in comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off, already have a six-year-old son.

World news,Air France pilot body identified

2009-06-25T23:24:00.001+07:00

Air France pilot body identified

Air France said it began noticing sensor problems in May 2008

The body of the chief pilot of the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic on 1 June has been identified, the company has said.

It said the remains of the pilot and also a flight attendant were among some 50 bodies recovered by search teams.

All 228 people on board the Airbus 330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris are believed to have been killed.

There has been speculation that faulty data on the old-style speed sensors may have caused the crash.

"Among the victims who have been recovered from the ocean, two members of the crew of flight AF447 have been identified to date: the captain and a steward," Air France said in a statement.

It did not provide any further details.

See a map of the plane's route

Brazilian and French teams are continuing their search for more bodies some 800km (500 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands where the plane disappeared in turbulent weather.

The plane's flight recorders - known as black boxes - have not been found.

Investigators say sensors onboard the plane were providing "inconsistent data" in the minutes before it went missing.

Air France said soon after the crash that in May 2008 it had begun noticing "incidents of loss of airspeed information during cruise flight" on its A330 and A340 jets - although only a "small number" of incidents had been reported.

The airline said it had contacted Airbus, who sent a recommendation to replace the monitors.

The plane that crashed into the Atlantic on 1 June had old-type speed sensor.

However, Air France stressed that the manufacturers had not made this a safety requirement.

French investigators also warned against drawing early conclusions.

An initial report by France's Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) would be released on 2 July, the agency said on Thursday.

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US news,US economy better than expected

2009-06-25T23:18:00.001+07:00

US economy better than expected

Falling exports and consumer spending have hurt US economic growth

The US economy shrank at an annualised rate of 5.5% in the first three months of 2009, better than previously thought, government figures show.

Gross domestic product (GDP) had been previously estimated at a 5.7% decline.

The fall in GDP now seems to be easing, after shrinking at an annualised pace of 6.3% in the previous quarter.

But concern about the fragility of the economy was revived by data showing the number of jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week.

The Labor Department said the number of people filing first-time claims for jobless benefits increased by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 627,000. Economists had expected about 600,000 claims.

They had also predicted that the Commerce Department's final estimate of US GDP would remain unchanged.

'Recession continues'

The slight moderation in the pace of the recession in the first three months of the year offered some hope that the current quarter, which ends on 30 June, will be even less sharp.

"The recession continues, but the rate of contraction in the second quarter should be much slower," said Augustine Faucher, director of macroeconomics at Moody's Economy.com.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of domestic economic activity, rose 1.4% last quarter, the department also said.

It had fallen 4.3% in the final quarter of 2008, the biggest decline in 28 years.

The Federal Reserve, the US central bank, said this week that the latest economic data "suggests that the pace of economic contraction is slowing".

Celebrity news,More Jackson tickets up for sale

2009-06-25T16:44:00.000+07:00

More Jackson tickets up for sale

Jackson announced his comeback shows in March this year.

More tickets for Michael Jackson's This Is It concerts at London's O2 arena are to go on sale on Wednesday.

The "limited" number of extra seats - thought to be hundreds per show - had been held back as production logistics were worked out.

Fans who have registered on his website will be entered into a lottery system in order to buy the tickets.

The first 750,000 tickets for the 50-show run were snapped up when they went on sale in March.

The pop superstar will take to the stage for his first show on 13 July - five days later than planned.

Four initial shows were rescheduled last month when promoters AEG Live said the singer needed more time for dress rehearsals.

Amusing news,Stoned wallabies make crop circles'

2009-06-25T16:42:00.000+07:00

'Stoned wallabies make crop circles'

Wallabies have been observed acting strangely in poppy fields

Australian wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite", a government official has said.

Lara Giddings, the attorney general for the island state of Tasmania, said the kangaroo-like marsupials were getting into poppy fields grown for medicine.

She was reporting to a parliamentary hearing on security for poppy crops.

Australia supplies about 50% of the world's legally-grown opium used to make morphine and other painkillers.

We have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles. Then they crash

Lara Giddings, government official

"The one interesting bit that I found recently in one of my briefs on the poppy industry was that we have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles," Lara Giddings told the hearing.

"Then they crash," she added. "We see crop circles in the poppy industry from wallabies that are high."

Rick Rockliff, a spokesman for poppy producer Tasmanian Alkaloids, said the wallaby incursions were not very common, but other animals had also been spotted in the poppy fields acting unusually.

"There have been many stories about sheep that have eaten some of the poppies after harvesting and they all walk around in circles," he added.

Retired Tasmanian poppy farmer Lyndley Chopping also said he had seen strange behaviour from wallabies in his fields.

"They would just come and eat some poppies and they would go away," he told ABC News.

"They'd come back again and they would do their circle work in the paddock."

Some people believe the mysterious circles that appear in fields in a number of countries are created by aliens. Others put them down to a human hoax.

Amusing news,Lady Gaga at the MMVA's

2009-06-25T16:34:00.002+07:00

US pop star Lady GaGa plays an explosive set at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto. The star, who performed LoveGame and Poker Face, scooped the best international video prize at the ceremony.A major announcement from the LGBT community concerning Lady Gaga's performance with flaming boobies at the MuchMusic Video Awards last night.

US pop star Lady GaGa plays an explosive set at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto. The star, who performed LoveGame

World news,MPs 'snub' Ahmadinejad poll party

2009-06-25T16:30:00.002+07:00

MPs 'snub' Ahmadinejad poll party

Official election results said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won easily

More than 100 MPs appear to have snubbed an invitation to celebrate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election win, local press reports say.

All 290 MPs were invited to the victory party on Wednesday night but 105 did not turn up, the reports say.

A BBC correspondent says the move is a sign of the deep split at the top of Iran after disputed presidential polls.

Meanwhile, Mr Ahmadinejad has told the US not to interfere in Iranian politics, the Fars news agency reports.

"I hope you [US President Barack Obama] will avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express regret in a way that the Iranian people are informed of it," he was quoted as saying.

President Obama on Tuesday said he strongly condemned the "unjust" violence used on protesters.

Separately, key protest leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said on his website that 70 academics were arrested after meeting with him.

Hundreds of opposition protesters and activists are believed to have been taken into custody and at least 17 people have died in the unrest that followed the 12 June election.

Severe reporting restrictions imposed on foreign media in Iran mean the BBC cannot verify the reports.

About 50 MPs in the Iranian parliament are reformist and would not have been expected to attend Mr Ahmadinejad's party.

But the high number of other MPs who stayed away is another indication that the disputed election has split the nation, says the BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Tehran.

The opposition has vowed to continue with its legal challenges over the election result, which saw Mr Ahamadinejad declared an easy winner.

Mr Mousavi, his nearest rival, alleges the election was rigged and wants a re-run.

But time and options are running out for the opposition, says our correspondent.

The Guardian Council, which supervises elections, is expected to follow the line laid down by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and say the result will stand, our correspondent adds.

Ayatollah Khamenei said again on Wednesday he would "not yield" over the election result.

Hours later, riot police were reported to have clashed again with demonstrators who defied government decrees to stop the street protests.

Witnesses said they saw police beat protesters with batons, fire tear gas and shoot into the air to disperse the crowds in central Tehran.

But Wednesday's protest was smaller than on previous days amid an increasingly heavy security presence on the streets.

Reformist election candidate Mehdi Karoubi on Thursday called off a planned ceremony to mourn those killed in the protests, saying he had been unable to get permission for it.