Year Later, Serena Williams Seeks More in Paris

As she prepares to start the French Open on Sunday against a much-lower-ranked opponent, Serena Williams says she learned something by exiting in the first round at Roland Garros 12 months ago.

Says Williams: "Sometimes I think, 'Should I be happy that I lost last year?'"

Since that only opening-match defeat in 50 Grand Slam appearances, Williams has dominated her sport, going 67-3, returning to No. 1 in the rankings, and winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to lift her major title total to 15. Only five women have won more, and one of them, Chris Evert, fully expects Williams to keep moving up the list.

Other players in action on Day 1 at the clay-court tournament include Williams' older sister, 30th-seeded Venus, and 17-time major champion Roger Federer.

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Worst season of my career - Mourinho

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho described his season as "the worst of my career" following his side's 2-1 Copa del Rey final defeat by Atletico Madrid.

The Portuguese, who has been linked with a return to Chelsea this summer, said: "I have a contract that is valid for three more years.

"I still haven't talked to the president about my future.

"This year's campaign was a failure but my first two seasons were successful."

1 La Liga title in 2011-12

1 Copa del Rey in 2010-11

1 Spanish Super Cup 2012

Real missed out on the La Liga title to Barcelona, while Mourinho's side lost 4-3 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final of the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo was also sent off in a bad-tempered Copa del Rey final at the Bernabeu.

Former Manchester United player Ronaldo put Real ahead with his 55th club goal of the season.

But Atletico hit back to beat their neighbours for the first time in 14 years.

Diego Costa equalised before Joao Miranda's extra-time header secured a famous victory for the visitors.

"This was the worst season of my career," added Mourinho, who was sent from the bench in the second half for protesting against a refereeing decision.

"I don't think Atletico deserve to be champions but they won the title. We had two clear chances on goal, we hit the post three times... that is why I think it was unfair.

"Atletico's keeper was fantastic but he was also very lucky."

View the original article here

Visual effects workers 'overworked'

By Jim Taylor
Newsbeat reporter 23-year-old Miguel describes life as a visual effects artist

They help to create everything from spaceships to superheroes, and alien cities to entire planets.

Iron Man star Robert Downey, Jr. says visual effects artists are the "unsung heroes" behind blockbusters and Star Trek director J. J. Abrams says they do an "extraordinary amount of work".

But many visual effects (VFX) workers in the UK aren't happy.

They claim they are overworked, underappreciated and claim talented artists could leave the industry.

Continue reading the main story

Definitely the unsung heroes - the hundreds of men and women who are labouring over all the VFX, the CGI and the animation

Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man actor

The union Bectu is trying to recruit British VFX workers to campaign for better working conditions.

Like many British artists, Martin Gabriel has worked on films in the Harry Potter series, which helped establish the UK as a major player in the industry.

After 18 years, he's quit: "I wasn't happy with the way people are being treated.

"However exciting the industry is, it does have this terrible dark secret."

He says that while Hollywood studios make hundreds of millions of pounds from blockbusters, VFX artists end up working unlimited unpaid overtime.

"[The studios] do not pay enough for visual effects," he said. "They seem to have an idea that it's just people pressing buttons on a keyboard, which ignores the fact that it's an incredibly skilled thing which requires a huge amount of talent.

"The way to solve this is to hire more people and have a shift system."

'Incredibly exciting'

Several working VFX artists agree with Martin but were not willing to be interviewed.

One described the industry as a "mess", saying "staff are all too often required to work insane hours".

Continue reading the main story Avatar - 1,855Titanic - 739Avengers: Assemble - 1,453Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 1,180Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 1,178

Source: IMDB, Box Office Mojo

Another wrote: "Exploitation is an understatement to be honest."

But British firms are in competition with others around the world, so have to offer a competitive price to win bids to work on movies.

Working conditions for British VFX workers are thought to be better than those in other countries.

Employers don't have to pay their staff for overtime and say that busy periods in the build-up to a deadline are often followed by much quieter times.

It's thought the VFX industry contributes around £250 million a year to the UK economy.

Miguel Santana is 23 and in his first year working in VFX in London.

Although he admits the working hours came as a shock, he said: "It's an incredibly exciting industry to be a part of.

"We're helping to bring some of the world's biggest films to life and you couldn't do that in any other job."

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

View the original article here

Xbox One: Web reacts to new console

22 May 2013 Last updated at 00:46 GMT By Leo Kelion Technology reporter Microsoft unveiled its console early on in its presentation, but is holding details about several games back until the E3 conference in three weeks time It would be curious to know whether Microsoft made a conscious decision to make its Xbox One launch as unlike Sony's PlayStation 4 press conference as possible.

We got a look at the new hardware in the first few minutes of Microsoft's West Coast shindig, a contrast to the Japanese firm's decision to keep its design under wraps.

The US firm spent much of its time explaining how it was going to play live TV, stream music and make video calls while Sony's February event was firmly games-focused.

Microsoft's show-and-tell sprinted to an end in less than an hour while Sony took more than double that time to wrap things up.

And then there was the name. While Sony seemed satisfied in adding another number to the PlayStation's tally, Microsoft was determined to reset the Xbox's number system.

So plenty for the internet to chew over, and from first appearances tech writers were more impressed by what they saw than the public posting on social media.

The Register:

On the face of it, the new console looks pretty impressive. Response times and gesture control are very good indeed, the visuals are stunning, and Microsoft scored an instant win over rival Sony by actually having a working console to show off.

Pocket-lint:

The Kinect's microphone is designed to be always listening to users when the console is switched on

Kinect is no longer the optional extra it was with the Xbox 360. If you want the Xbox One you've got to sign up to Kinect too. Get ready to speak to your console.

T3:

Microsoft have beaten the Cupertino crew to the punch on their most widely rumoured but as-yet-unconfirmed product, here: An Apple TV. We've often wondered why Apple would bother with a television set when sales of them are dwindling... Microsoft has side-stepped this by making the new console a halfway house.

The Verge:

Unlike the 360 before it, Microsoft's new Xbox One will be able to fully harness the capacious strengths of Blu-ray. One of Sony's key advantages of the prior console battle has been erased, and more importantly for home theatre aficionados, Blu-ray - which still offers superior video quality to streaming services - just got a major kick of momentum in the process.

Stuff:

Microsoft has 300,000 servers ready for Xbox One - more than the entire world's computing power in 1999. That means bigger matches with more players - effectively offering the ability to live in persistent worlds. Goodbye reality.

BGR:

Today's press event for the Xbox One wasn't just a coming-out party for a new gaming console but a coming-out party for a bold new strategy to make sure that Microsoft software becomes the go-to software for web-enhanced television. Whether this plan bears fruit is hard to say but for the time being it's tough to imagine either Sony or Nintendo - or Apple or Google, for that matter - offering anything comparable.

No news of a new Halo game, but Steven Spielberg is making a spin-off TV series

MCV:

While Xbox One is not "always on" and it's not deliberately designed to stop the pre-owned games market, it will likely allow "second user fees" to be charged by publishers. It remains to be seen how that will be implemented, if at all. Retailers tell us they have been told zero, which strikes me as a PR blunder here - as these are the very people Microsoft should not be upsetting this early on.

Wired:

Perhaps Microsoft has read which way the wind is blowing and realises that a gaming-only box just isn't going to cut it anymore. Maybe even gamers want more than games. Last I checked, we care about Game of Thrones too.

Engadget:

The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will both use x86 processors, the same sort of CPU architecture found in most current desktop and laptop PCs. Porting a game between PC and [these] consoles just became that much easier. The Wii U, Nintendo's latest console, just became the odd man out.

Microsoft's Don Mattrick talks about the Xbox One

Twitter:

Every time you say Xbox One, you feel like to have to add the word "new" in front of it to avoid confusion. @MurraySwe

The one thing I came away with was that Microsoft has trouble with numbering. @FinleyNathan

Am I the only one who thinks the new Xbox One looks like a VCR? @dandahlberg

Not happy there isn't backwards compatibility for the 360 games but looking forward to seeing what games will be on the new console @linkin73

Anyone else think the Xbox One being always listening out and the camera always connected means we are going to be spied on? @ErstPry

Microsoft did it guys! Now you can watch TV on your television! @ForYourPeteDodd

"When do they start talking about games? I kinda watch TV when my Xbox is off." - My 12 year old. @TheRealTacoKid

I'm gonna hold out for the Xbox Two. They always have the bugs sorted out by the second generation. @Ryan_Shelton

EA unveiled several new games after being absent at Sony's earlier PS4 launch Facebook:

Why Kinect and all those stupid extras?!?, Sorry Microsoft, really disappointed... focus on the gamers instead. Jonathan Borg

Very impressed thanks Xbox, can't wait until E3! Natalie Khoury

They called it Xbox One cause they just took 359 steps backwards. Rahul Yadav

Xbox One: The most expensive remote controller for your TV. Javier Bustacara Ruiz

I like the clean classic look. It will go fine with any living room. Mitchell Zanki

I've got a TV, I can watch TV fine on it. I don't need help form my laptop, phone or fridge to watch TV, and neither do I want help from my game system. Rob Combs

Reddit:

The only thing I'm (really) excited for is the Kinect and voice integration. Someone's finally putting everything in one box and releasing it as a consumer product. Dragon2342

Voice recognition seems like such a premature technology being pushed through way too early. Gotta wait at least another decade, maybe more... even then, people just find it creepy talking to robots or alone. this_sort_of_thing

It was never going to be [called] Infinity because it's hard to abbreviate, has too many syllables, and the symbol isn't on a standard keyboard. Marketing departments obsess over details like this. PanicStricken

Remedy's Quantum Break appears to mix together video game graphics and television footage

I don't care about being able to Skype on my TV. I don't care about being able to watch Hulu on my TV. I don't care about being able to listen to Pandora on my TV. I don't care about being able to talk to my console. What I DO care about is: Will it make my mind explode with sheer gaming awesomeness? Are the graphics amazing? Does the controller fit comfortably in my hand? AdventureTim207

I've been an Xbox advocate since the original and I really do love how they are making it a media entertainment system. LocusHammer

All of those entertainment options are already available elsewhere without buying a new expensive box. This is why consoles need to bank on games. because everything else can already be done. cerulean_skylark

E3 will be the deciding factor. It's too soon to make a decision. And people who are writing off the One just because it has the TV and Kinect stuff are really not making a good decision. Newbman

View the original article here

Visual effects workers 'overworked'

By Jim Taylor
Newsbeat reporter 23-year-old Miguel describes life as a visual effects artist

They help to create everything from spaceships to superheroes, and alien cities to entire planets.

Iron Man star Robert Downey, Jr. says visual effects artists are the "unsung heroes" behind blockbusters and Star Trek director J. J. Abrams says they do an "extraordinary amount of work".

But many visual effects (VFX) workers in the UK aren't happy.

They claim they are overworked, underappreciated and claim talented artists could leave the industry.

Continue reading the main story

Definitely the unsung heroes - the hundreds of men and women who are labouring over all the VFX, the CGI and the animation

Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man actor

The union Bectu is trying to recruit British VFX workers to campaign for better working conditions.

Like many British artists, Martin Gabriel has worked on films in the Harry Potter series, which helped establish the UK as a major player in the industry.

After 18 years, he's quit: "I wasn't happy with the way people are being treated.

"However exciting the industry is, it does have this terrible dark secret."

He says that while Hollywood studios make hundreds of millions of pounds from blockbusters, VFX artists end up working unlimited unpaid overtime.

"[The studios] do not pay enough for visual effects," he said. "They seem to have an idea that it's just people pressing buttons on a keyboard, which ignores the fact that it's an incredibly skilled thing which requires a huge amount of talent.

"The way to solve this is to hire more people and have a shift system."

'Incredibly exciting'

Several working VFX artists agree with Martin but were not willing to be interviewed.

One described the industry as a "mess", saying "staff are all too often required to work insane hours".

Continue reading the main story Avatar - 1,855Titanic - 739Avengers: Assemble - 1,453Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 1,180Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 1,178

Source: IMDB, Box Office Mojo

Another wrote: "Exploitation is an understatement to be honest."

But British firms are in competition with others around the world, so have to offer a competitive price to win bids to work on movies.

Working conditions for British VFX workers are thought to be better than those in other countries.

Employers don't have to pay their staff for overtime and say that busy periods in the build-up to a deadline are often followed by much quieter times.

It's thought the VFX industry contributes around £250 million a year to the UK economy.

Miguel Santana is 23 and in his first year working in VFX in London.

Although he admits the working hours came as a shock, he said: "It's an incredibly exciting industry to be a part of.

"We're helping to bring some of the world's biggest films to life and you couldn't do that in any other job."

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

View the original article here

Viewpoint: The desecration of bodies in war

15 May 2013 Last updated at 12:46 GMT By Roland Weierstall University of Konstanz, Germany Congolese rebels have been accused of cannibalism by the UN The recent case of a Syrian rebel appearing to take a bite from an opponent's heart seems utterly shocking and disturbing. But is this incident more inhuman than all the other countless atrocities that have already taken place in this war?

We are used to reports of mass graves, torture, killings and mutilations of civilians, and the eradication of complete villages.

But this particular barbarous act has attracted special attention. Cannibalism seems to contradict common moral and ethical beliefs on what is acceptable in war scenarios and what is not. So has the violence really reached a new dimension and what motivation underlies these acts?

Our research unit at the department of psychology, University of Konstanz, is dedicated to understanding the mechanisms motivating cruelty.

In interviewing more than 2,500 former combatants in Uganda, Rwanda, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, we found evidence that the numerous outrages that are committed in these regions - beyond the glare of Western publicity - are no less brutish or less inhuman than this recent incident from Syria.

Continue reading the main story Roland Weierstall is an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of KonstanzThe psychobiology of human aggression is his specialismHe has conducted extensive studies with former combatants of Uganda, Rwanda, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and World War IIOn the contrary, when moral barriers fall and violence is legitimised in the context of war, the inhibition towards intra-species killing breaks down. Seeing the victim suffer can be a sufficient reward for violence, irrespective of secondary rewards like honour, status or material rewards.

There are two basic motivations that foster such violent behaviour.

Firstly, there is violence that results from negative emotions like rage and hatred and that appears as a response towards a threat. And secondly, there are "positive" emotions like excitement or hedonistic pleasure.

The former is easier for civilians to understand. No-one knows the story behind the Syrian video and consequently no-one knows the motives that underlie the rebel's behaviour. It cannot be excused, but I will suggest it can be understood, bearing in mind what might have happened prior to the incident.

Out of utter rage and vengeance, humans can behave in a way that might appear to be inhumane.

The executions of Saddam Hussein or Bin Laden remind us that under certain circumstances even civilians can overcome their moral beliefs and values, which include refraining from killing. Instead of appalled reactions, the video of an execution and the picture of the blood of a man in his bedroom became seen as trophies after a great hunt.

Continue reading the main story

This gruesome episode is also a powerful reminder of the bitterness and increasingly sectarian nature of the fighting in Syria”

End Quote Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent Consequently, we should not be amazed by the brutality of violent acts of war. Can emotions and consequently also violent acts be any more intense than in an enduring and irreconcilable conflict like the one in Syria?

The second form of violent behaviour, called appetitive aggression - committed for "pleasure" - is less familiar to most of us. About one third of all former combatants in our studies said that to some extent the violence and the struggling of the victim could be fascinating, emotionally arousing and even linked to excitement. In these cases, blood must be shed as the victim is killed.

Systematic torture to make the opponent suffer, the mutilation of civilians, like cutting off ears, lips or genitals and the desecration of dead bodies are surprisingly common by-products of war and escalating violence, and can be found across different cultural and historical backgrounds.

Hence, the Syrian case should not surprise anyone. We should rather be surprised that the extent of human right violations we should expect to happen in Syria is kept secret.

An estimated two million children in Syria face malnutrition, disease and trauma

Besides appetitive aggression as a core motivation for cruel behaviour, cannibalism in particular can have a considerable social and ritual significance. There are rebel groups that resort to superstitious cannibalism as part of a traditional culture.

Almost 10% of former rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported in one of our studies that they had eaten human flesh and one out of four reported the witnessing of cannibalism among their comrades.

The Mai-Mai fighters of eastern Congo drink blood of the enemy or ingest their heart or genitals to gain the power of the enemy warrior. However, as there is no evidence for a historical tradition of cannibalism in Syria, speculation in this direction appears to be far-fetched and exaggerated.

It's likely that the behaviour in this video will become more frequent and persistent in the Syrian conflict.

Violence against civilians and unspeakably cruel acts against the enemy are powerful and effective coercive strategies to systematically intimidate and demoralise the enemy, even if they risk revenge.

The media attention given to this incident and the intense indignation might demonstrate the rebels' resolve to resort to violence and increase their bargaining position within the conflict - or it could further fuel the cycle of violence.

The motivation underlying human cruel behaviour is complex. An adequate appraisal of this incident in Syria depends on sufficient information which - especially for the Syrian conflict in general - is seldom available.

View the original article here

YouTube launches subscription fees

9 May 2013 Last updated at 20:16 GMT YouTube says it has about one billion unique users to its service each month YouTube has launched a trial scheme for paid channels on its website.

Under the pilot programme, a small number of content makers will offer the channels for subscriptions starting at $0.99 (£0.64) a month.

Each channel will offer a free 14-day trial and many will have discounted annual rates.

Although the initial 53-channel line-up is fairly niche, one expert suggested the move might ultimately squeeze some smaller rivals out of the market.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, said the launch was part of an effort to enable "content creators to earn revenue for their creativity".

For example, the children's television favourite, Sesame Street will offer full episodes on its pay channel when it launches.

Subscribers can pay using either their credit cards or through Google's own Wallet service.

The paid channels involved in the pilot are diverse.

They include National Geographic Kids, Acorn - which provides episodes from several British TV series -and Fix My Hog Premium, which is aimed at Harley Davidson motorcycle enthusiasts.

"This is just the beginning", YouTube said on its blog.

"We'll be rolling paid channels out more broadly in the coming weeks as a self-service feature for qualifying partners.

"And as new channels appear, we'll be making sure you can discover them."

Two of UK’s most popular YouTube stars talk about paid subscriptions on YouTube

Traditional TV turn-off?

The advent of paid channels on YouTube means Google joins Netflix, Hulu and Amazon in offering subscription-based alternatives to traditional pay-TV.

"The wider picture here is that the internet and TV worlds are colliding," Ian Maude, an online media expert at consultants Enders Analysis told the BBC.

"The YouTube move will make it much harder for smaller standalone online subscription-based platforms because Google has the infrastructure to make it easy for content to be hosted, delivered and billed for.

"But it was always inevitable that Google was going to do this."

One billion viewers

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65bn. The service is believed to generate a small amount of revenue from advertising, but the vast majority of its content has been free-to-watch.

To make itself more attractive to potential advertisers, YouTube has gradually added professional content, such as full-length films and TV shows, to its vast library of amateur videos.

YouTube says a billion people around the world use the service every month.

"If YouTube were a country, we'd be the third largest in the world after China and India," the company said in March.

View the original article here

YouTube star: Charging a 'bad idea'

By Jonathan Blake
Newsbeat Technology Reporter The man behind one of the UK's most popular YouTube channels says charging people to watch videos is "a really bad idea".

Nineteen-year-old JJ has more than two million subscribers to his KSIOlajidebt channel.

He said that whilst the plan, reportedly due to be announced by YouTube, could work for big artists he "won't be doing it any time soon".

YouTube has confirmed it's looking into creating a new "subscription platform".

Continue reading the main story

It's a whole new skill set to develop, to convince people to actually take out their credit card

Robert Kyncl YouTube vice-president

The plan could see content providers such as TV companies making videos available for a monthly fee.

YouTube executives have hinted several times at a plan to launch paid channels.

A spokesperson said YouTube is looking to "provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue".

JJ said charging people to watch his videos would risk alienating his audience.

"I like it that it's free for people to subscribe, whenever you put money in the way it brings conflict and will just bring in this divide," he said.

'Generate revenue'

YouTube allows users in the UK to rent major film titles and US users have been able to buy and rent films and TV episodes since 2008.

It is reported that users could pay as little as $1.99 (£1.28) per month to access videos from certain providers.

YouTube insists the new charging model will benefit those using the site to watch videos, not merely those publishing content.

A spokesperson said the company had nothing to announce at this time but added "We're looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy..."

YouTube claims to have one billion unique users to the site each month

They added the new model would "provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."

JJ agrees the move to charge users could be good for YouTube.

"It puts it on a more professional platform and will push TV even further out of the limelight than it already is," he said.

In March, YouTube vice-president Robert Kyncl told reporters: "It's a whole new skill set to develop, to convince people to actually take out their credit card."

YouTube, which is owned by Google, claims it has more than one billion unique users each month.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

View the original article here

Visual effects workers 'overworked'

By Jim Taylor
Newsbeat reporter 23-year-old Miguel describes life as a visual effects artist

They help to create everything from spaceships to superheroes, and alien cities to entire planets.

Iron Man star Robert Downey, Jr. says visual effects artists are the "unsung heroes" behind blockbusters and Star Trek director J. J. Abrams says they do an "extraordinary amount of work".

But many visual effects (VFX) workers in the UK aren't happy.

They claim they are overworked, underappreciated and claim talented artists could leave the industry.

Continue reading the main story

Definitely the unsung heroes - the hundreds of men and women who are labouring over all the VFX, the CGI and the animation

Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man actor

The union Bectu is trying to recruit British VFX workers to campaign for better working conditions.

Like many British artists, Martin Gabriel has worked on films in the Harry Potter series, which helped establish the UK as a major player in the industry.

After 18 years, he's quit: "I wasn't happy with the way people are being treated.

"However exciting the industry is, it does have this terrible dark secret."

He says that while Hollywood studios make hundreds of millions of pounds from blockbusters, VFX artists end up working unlimited unpaid overtime.

"[The studios] do not pay enough for visual effects," he said. "They seem to have an idea that it's just people pressing buttons on a keyboard, which ignores the fact that it's an incredibly skilled thing which requires a huge amount of talent.

"The way to solve this is to hire more people and have a shift system."

'Incredibly exciting'

Several working VFX artists agree with Martin but were not willing to be interviewed.

One described the industry as a "mess", saying "staff are all too often required to work insane hours".

Continue reading the main story Avatar - 1,855Titanic - 739Avengers: Assemble - 1,453Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 1,180Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 1,178

Source: IMDB, Box Office Mojo

Another wrote: "Exploitation is an understatement to be honest."

But British firms are in competition with others around the world, so have to offer a competitive price to win bids to work on movies.

Working conditions for British VFX workers are thought to be better than those in other countries.

Employers don't have to pay their staff for overtime and say that busy periods in the build-up to a deadline are often followed by much quieter times.

It's thought the VFX industry contributes around £250 million a year to the UK economy.

Miguel Santana is 23 and in his first year working in VFX in London.

Although he admits the working hours came as a shock, he said: "It's an incredibly exciting industry to be a part of.

"We're helping to bring some of the world's biggest films to life and you couldn't do that in any other job."

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

View the original article here

Spotify rushes to fix download flaw

8 May 2013 Last updated at 17:17 GMT Many sites are susceptible to "ripping" of their content Music streaming site Spotify has rushed to fix a security hole that allowed users free song downloads.

Downloadify, an extension to Google's Chrome browser, enabled users to download MP3 files by exploiting a vulnerability in Spotify's web player.

Google removed the extension, but Downloadify was still available via other websites.

Spotify has confirmed to the BBC that the issue has now been fixed.

Downloadify was created by Dutch developer Robin Aldenhoven. On Twitter, he noted that music stored online by Spotify was not encrypted.

"I could not believe it myself that they did so little to protect their library," he wrote, later adding: "Spotify = awesome... so I don't want to damage them."

Infringement

Other web streaming services are susceptible to similar exploits. Various services allow for the downloading, knowing as "ripping", of content from sites such as YouTube.

Such actions are illegal and against the sites' terms of service.

Sheena Sheikh, a solicitor from intellectual property specialists Briffa, told the BBC that the law is straightforward on such downloading activity.

"You are committing an infringement," she said.

"You're not authorised to download the songs. You don't have permission."

Spotify is the world's most popular music streaming service. Recent figures from the company said the service has 24 million active users, of whom six million pay a monthly fee for added features.

View the original article here

YouTube star: Charging a 'bad idea'

By Jonathan Blake
Newsbeat Technology Reporter The man behind one of the UK's most popular YouTube channels says charging people to watch videos is "a really bad idea".

Nineteen-year-old JJ has more than two million subscribers to his KSIOlajidebt channel.

He said that whilst the plan, reportedly due to be announced by YouTube, could work for big artists he "won't be doing it any time soon".

YouTube has confirmed it's looking into creating a new "subscription platform".

Continue reading the main story

It's a whole new skill set to develop, to convince people to actually take out their credit card

Robert Kyncl YouTube vice-president

The plan could see content providers such as TV companies making videos available for a monthly fee.

YouTube executives have hinted several times at a plan to launch paid channels.

A spokesperson said YouTube is looking to "provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue".

JJ said charging people to watch his videos would risk alienating his audience.

"I like it that it's free for people to subscribe, whenever you put money in the way it brings conflict and will just bring in this divide," he said.

'Generate revenue'

YouTube allows users in the UK to rent major film titles and US users have been able to buy and rent films and TV episodes since 2008.

It is reported that users could pay as little as $1.99 (£1.28) per month to access videos from certain providers.

YouTube insists the new charging model will benefit those using the site to watch videos, not merely those publishing content.

A spokesperson said the company had nothing to announce at this time but added "We're looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy..."

YouTube claims to have one billion unique users to the site each month

They added the new model would "provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."

JJ agrees the move to charge users could be good for YouTube.

"It puts it on a more professional platform and will push TV even further out of the limelight than it already is," he said.

In March, YouTube vice-president Robert Kyncl told reporters: "It's a whole new skill set to develop, to convince people to actually take out their credit card."

YouTube, which is owned by Google, claims it has more than one billion unique users each month.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter

View the original article here

Iron Man 3 triumphs at US box office

5 May 2013 Last updated at 16:45 GMT Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts in the concluding chapter of the trilogy Iron Man 3 has stormed to the top of the US box office, with the second biggest ever opening weekend in the US.

The comic book sequel, starring Robert Downey Jr, took an estimated $175.3m (£112.5m) across the weekend.

Only 2012's The Avengers, which united Iron Man with fellow Marvel characters, had a bigger opening, taking $207.4m (£133.1m) when it opened last May.

Iron Man 3 is the final episode in the trilogy, and follows Tony Stark's battle with terrorist "the Mandarin".

Directed by Shane Black, who previously worked with Downey Jr on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the film co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, as Pepper Potts, and Sir Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin.

The third film, which has enjoyed largely positive reviews. has easily outstripped the opening weekends of the first two films, which took $98.6m and $128.1m respectively.

Kenneth Turan, writing in The Los Angeles Times, called it "unexpectedly - and successfully - darker and more serious than its predecessors", while CNN's Tom Charity called it "a confidently tongue-in-cheek piece of blockbuster engineering".

The film opened a week earlier overseas, taking $504.8m (£324.1m) at the international box office - meaning it has already grossed $680.1m (£436.7m) in total.

Downey Jr is expected to reunite with fellow comic book characters Captain America, Thor and the Hulk in the forthcoming Avengers sequel, which is scheduled to be released in 2015.

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Education change plans set out

8 May 2013 Last updated at 12:52 GMT By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News The Queen set out the government's priorities Wide-ranging changes to the exam system, the national curriculum and teachers' pay in England have been confirmed in the Queen's Speech.

Some exam changes, such as the end of modular GCSEs, have already been brought in and more are planned.

Teachers' pay will be more closely linked to performance.

And a new national curriculum is planned from 2014, which will apply to state-funded schools that are not academies.

As semi-independent schools, academies have the freedom to set their own curriculum.

Ministers say the curriculum will be slimmed down, but there will be "detailed programmes of study" for English, maths and science that will set out the "core knowledge" expected.

Other subjects will have looser guidance, focusing "only on the essential knowledge to be taught".

A key change will be that it will be compulsory for pupils in the older years of primary school to learn a language.

The government has confirmed schools will be free not to follow most of the existing curriculum for the next academic year, "to give schools greater flexibility to prepare to teach the new national curriculum".

State schools will still have to teach national curriculum subjects, but not the detailed programmes of study, except for the last two years of primary school.

In Parliament, the Queen said: "My government will take forward plans for a new curriculum.

"My government will also take forward plans for a world-class exam system."

Extended writing

Changes to GCSE exams are already under way, with the ending of modular exams so that exams will be taken after two years of study, rather than in "chunks" over two years.

Opportunities for re-sits have been cut.

Specific marks are being allocated for good spelling, punctuation and grammar - a change that affects exams in English literature, geography, history and religious studies taken since January this year.

New GCSEs will be taught in certain key subjects from September 2015, which the government says will be linear (exams taken at the end), with less controlled assessment (coursework) and more emphasis on "extended writing" rather than "bite-sized questions".

Changes to A-levels also involve a move to exams being taken at the end of two years' study, with the first new A-levels in certain key subjects due to be taught in schools and colleges from September 2015.

Teaching unions oppose many of the changes being brought in.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "The government proposals on reforms to the national curriculum, examinations and the deregulation of teachers' pay are ill thought out and plain wrong.

"They will certainly not ensure a world class education system."

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Arrests over $50m diamond heist

8 May 2013 Last updated at 10:37 GMT The wrecked van used by the gang was found near the scene Police in Belgium, Switzerland and France have arrested 31 people in connection with one of the world's largest robberies of diamonds.

Belgian prosecutors say they have recovered large sums of money and some of the diamonds that were taken in a raid at Brussels airport in February.

A gang cut through the airport's perimeter fence and broke into the cargo hold of a Swiss aeroplane as it waited for take off.

They took $50m (£32m) of diamonds.

The diamonds were "rough stones" being transported from Antwerp to Zurich.

Prosecutors described the thieves as "professionals".

They had dressed as police, wore masks and were well armed.

They forced their way through security barriers and drove towards the Helvetic Airways plane, forcing open the cargo hold to reach gems that had already been loaded.

They snatched 120 packages before escaping through the same hole in the fence.

Prosecutors said the whole operation took only about five minutes, no shots were fired and no-one was hurt.

One suspect was arrested in France and six in Switzerland on Tuesday, Belgian prosecutors said.

The other 24 were rounded up near Brussels early on Wednesday.

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Labour 'was hollowed out' in power

5 May 2013 Last updated at 14:27 GMT Sadiq Khan: Labour is rebuilding Shadow cabinet minister Sadiq Khan says Labour has begun the process of rebuilding the party after it was "hollowed out" by its years in power.

He told the BBC Labour did "some remarkable things in government" but "we lost thousands of activists, we lost thousands of councillors".

Labour had problems in organisation and had to recruit new members and persuade them to stand in shire areas, he added.

He said that Labour did well in 46 of the 106 target MP constituency areas.

Labour's gain of 291 councillors in Thursdays local election in England - regaining the same number lost at the low point of Gordon Brown's leadership in 2009 - has been overshadowed by the rise in vote share for UKIP.

Mr Khan told the BBC's Sunday Politics: "We've got to make sure the public understand that we've got new policies that can persuade them to give us trust in 2015.

"Of course we'd have liked to have won more seats, but to bounce back in one term and have 291 gains we're very pleased with."

'Above pay grade'

Mr Khan said: "Look, I accept we should, and we must, do a lot better than we are, but the reason why people vote for UKIP was because they think politicians don't have the answer to the problems they face.

"They can see the fact that living standards are going down. They can see that their wages are not rising as fast as prices, and the challenge we have is to persuade people who do vote and those who don't vote that we can make a positive difference to their life."

Mr Khan said: "What you've got to you realise is between 1997 and 2010 we did some remarkable things in government, but also we lost 5m voters... we lost tens of thousands of members. We lost thousands of activists, we lost thousands of councillors.

"Our party was hollowed out by 2010. We've started the process of rebuilding our party. More than 50,000 new members, persuading them to become activists, persuading people to stand for council in shire elections where historically we've not done very well."

He highlighted successes in place such as Hastings, Harlow, Carlisle and Crawley where "we're going to win back in 2015 if we want to form the next government".

Mr Khan said it was "above my pay grade" to say whether in its next election manifesto Labour would offer a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

But he did say the party's position was that it opposed the prime minister's idea of promising a referendum in 2017, because of the uncertainty caused to business.

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Cannabis cash cow?

7 May 2013 Last updated at 23:52 GMT By Lynsea Garrison BBC News, Seattle, Washington Legal marijuana: Confusion in Colorado over taxing cannabis

Marijuana is now legal in Washington state in the north-west of America. Will the sales kick-start an economic boom?

Kimberly Bliss and her wife, Kim Ridgway, have been looking for ways to get back on their feet.

The women lost their jobs when their mutual employers sold a struggling wholesale meat business during the recession. Two and a half years later, Ridgway has been unable to find stable work, while Bliss only works part-time.

"We're both over 50, and we're women," Bliss says. "We're some of the hardest people to employ in this economy. We have nothing to look forward to in our future."

But the legalisation of marijuana has changed that.

Kimberly Bliss, left, and Kim Ridgway, right, of Olympia, Washington will apply for a retail license once the state makes them available.

Now Bliss and Ridgway are drawing up plans to open a quaint cannabis shop in downtown Olympia, Washington, funded by about $20,000 (£13,000) in savings.

They are among many Washington residents looking to cash in on the newly legal and potentially lucrative marijuana market, which they hope will give them a new start, create jobs, and boost Washington's slumping economy.

"I'm going to work for my American dream, and that's opening a retail marijuana store," Ridgway says. "It will be such a financial relief. And we have friends who are struggling, so this will also be putting them to work."

Continue reading the main story

Since voters legalised marijuana in November, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) has worked to formulate a system to regulate marijuana growers, processors and retailers:

Washington's regulation will be a first in the world - while the Netherlands tolerates the sale of cannabis, the country has no laws in place regulating its productionGrowers, processors and retailers will be taxedMarijuana licenses will be issued in DecemberThe WSLCB has until then to have the new system in place, but officials are unsure whether it will be functioning at that point

Source: Washington State Liquor Control Board

A diverse bunch, prospective marijuana entrepreneurs range from cannabis novices like Bliss and Ridgway to experienced sellers crawling out of the black market.

State officials are unsure how much revenue marijuana will bring because the market has never been regulated. But experts predict the industry could fetch up to $2bn over a five-year period.

And that does not include the secondary markets that legal cannabis might fuel - tourism, agriculture and the food industry.

Sales begin next year, after the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) issues rules and regulations for growers, processors and sellers, a task never before undertaken in the world.

Of course, many businesses in Washington are already on the ground floor - most visible are the medical dispensaries that have been selling cannabis for years.

“Budtenders” at The Joint in Seattle weigh, package and sell cannabis like any other commodity

"Part of the reason legalisation passed is that this has been going on for a long time," says WSLCB spokesman Brian Smith. "It's about time we regulated this thing to get revenue for the state from this product."

Medical dispensaries have flourished in western Washington for years, although it is unknown how much revenue they earn because until December, marijuana use was illegal in the state and remains illegal under federal law. Dispensaries cannot open bank accounts and probably pay no taxes.

Despite that, at least 60 storefront medical marijuana shops have opened in Seattle alone.

At The Joint in Seattle, community service plaques line the wall near the receptionist's counter, a scene more akin to a small-town dentist's office than a drug dealer's den.

"Right now we sponsor a little football league," says Shy Sadis, manager of The Joint. "We give back to the Seattle Police Department, to the Mariners [baseball team], to the Seattle Fire Department. We even run a local toy drive ever year."

With its clean waiting room and professional staff, the company is poised to expand to recreational sales once Sadis can apply for a business license. Many other dispensaries are readying themselves to do the same.

Continue reading the main story

Marijuana for medicinal purposes has been legal in the state of Colorado for more than a decade.

In November, voters there approved recreational use of the drug as well.

Adults over 21 can now possess up to an ounce of cannabis or grow up to six plants at home.

The law will allow licensed shops to sell the drug starting in 2014.

It remains illegal under state law to consume it in public.

Supporters promise the change will bring in much-needed revenue through a 15% excise tax and a sales tax initially set at 10%.

"Seattle is going to be a Mecca for cannabis," Sadis says. "And I'm happy and proud to be a part of it. We want to pay our taxes. We want to do the right thing."

Many local marijuana businesspeople fear large companies will take over small operations before they have had a chance to develop.

Yet no big corporations have directly invested in the market and are unlikely to do so until the federal government decides whether to take action against Washington for contravening federal law.

In March, Attorney General Eric Holder said the Obama administration was still considering the federal response to new state marijuana laws.

That response is the ultimate source of concern for people looking to enter the marijuana market. Their investment and efforts could be lost if the federal government overturns legal marijuana use in the state.

"There are risks and challenges for everyone starting a new business," Bliss says. "This is a bit of a higher risk… I'm sure federal prison isn't fun. But if we do it correctly, maybe we can open some eyes."

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VIDEO: 'Islamic hotel' opens on Red Sea coast

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China hosts Netanyahu and Abbas

6 May 2013 Last updated at 08:56 GMT Mr Abbas said the visits would allow China to listen to both sides Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in China for separate talks with top officials.

Mr Abbas, who met President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, said he would explain obstacles to talks with Israel.

Mr Netanyahu, who is visiting Shanghai before flying to Beijing later this week, was due to sign trade deals and discuss the issue of Iran.

The two men are not expected to meet while they are in China.

China would assist if they wanted to, a foreign ministry official said, but the two leaders were not expected to be in the same city at the same time.

Mr Abbas, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, signed agreements on technical co-operation and cultural exchange with Mr Xi on Monday. The Palestinian leader was also expected to meet Premier Li Keqiang during his visit.

Speaking to Xinhua news agency ahead of the visit, he said he would update Chinese leaders on "what are the obstacles that block" dialogue with Israel, and would ask Beijing "to use its relationship with Israel to remove the obstacles that obstruct the Palestinian economy".

Xinhua quoted him as saying: "It is very good that Netanyahu will visit China too because it is a good opportunity that the Chinese listen to both of us."

Mr Netanyahu's visit is the first to China by an Israeli leader in six years.

He was expected to meet business delegates in Shanghai before heading to Beijing. Israeli officials say he is expected to sign a number of trade deals.

He is also expected to raise the issue of Iran, which many nations including Israel believe is trying to build nuclear weapons - something Iran denies.

Beijing is one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil, and has opposed unilateral Western sanctions on Tehran.

"China and Israel have both much to gain from enhanced co-operation, and that's our goal," Mr Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev told AFP news agency.

Mr Netanyahu's departure was delayed by a security cabinet meeting to discuss developments in Syria, after two Israeli air strikes on sites in Syria over the weekend.

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In pictures: California wildfires

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Family 'may have kept 100 slaves'

8 May 2013 Last updated at 11:10 GMT Tommy Connors Sr and Patrick Connors were jailed at Luton Crown Court More than 100 people may have been held in captivity and forced to work by a Bedfordshire family, police claim.

On Tuesday Tommy Connors Sr, 53, was jailed for eight years and his son Patrick, 21, for five years, at Luton Crown Court.

The men, from near Leighton Buzzard, were convicted last July of servitude, compulsory labour and assault charges.

The Crown Prosecution Service said there may be other similar cases of servitude in operation in the UK.

Police say the Connors family made "huge sums of money" from keeping people with "nowhere else to turn" in servitude at Green Acres site in Little Billington.

£3m in assets

Those held were made to lay block paving or complete domestic chores for no pay.

Describing the conditions in which they were kept, one of the victims said: "They treated me like a slave and that's putting it mildly."

Prosecutors say they have already seized about £1m from the Connors family and identified a further £2m in assets.

The daughter of Tommy Connors Sr and her husband, both travellers, have also been convicted of keeping vulnerable men in servitude and requiring them to perform forced labour.

Numerous men were held at the Green Acres travellers' site near Leighton Buzzard

James John Connors, 34, and Josie Connors, 31, were jailed for 11 years and four years respectively at the trial last year. James John Connors - known as "Big Jim" - was also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Speaking after the sentencing this week, Det Insp Sharn Basra said: "We believe more than 100 people could have passed through the site over the years and there is no telling how much money Tommy Senior, Patrick, James-John and Josie made from forcing people to work for them.

"When we entered the Greenacres site in September 2011, we found victims who had been with members of the Connors family for more than 15 years and some who had been with them for only a few hours.

"The victims were afraid, living in squalid conditions, had no money or belongings, some suffered from malnutrition whilst others had old fracture wounds that hadn't healed properly and one man even had scurvy.

'Slave-like conditions'

"In stark contrast, Tommy Sr, Patrick, James-John and Josie Connors were living in almost palatial residences, had access to whatever they needed or wanted and were free to do as they pleased."

Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service, said: "It is shocking to hear that such offences can occur in modern times, but this case may not in fact be unique."

Liam Vernon, head of the UK Human Trafficking Centre at the Serious Organised Crime Agency, said: "This is a stark example of an appalling type of exploitation and slave-like conditions that can be seen in the UK.

"Last year there were 529 adults and children referred to the centre.

"They were being controlled and used for their labour and servitude in a whole range of different ways, all for the financial gain of the traffickers."

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Pipe bombs found on house windowsill

6 May 2013 Last updated at 12:52 GMT Two pipe bombs have been made safe by the Army after being found on the windowsill of a house in Ballymoney.

A number of houses were evacuated after police were called to Dehra Gardens at about 04:50 BST on Monday.

Two controlled explosions were carried out on the devices which were declared viable by the army.

Garryduff Church Hall was opened for families who had to leave their homes during the operation. They have now been able to return.

Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them.

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Fresh cyber-monitoring move planned

8 May 2013 Last updated at 12:39 GMT The Communications Data Bill was dropped after opposition from the Lib Dems Fresh proposals to investigate crime in cyberspace are being promised, after the so-called "snoopers' charter" was dropped from the Queen's Speech.

The measures to be brought forward would help protect "the public and the investigation of crime in cyberspace".

The main plan is to find a way to more closely match internet protocol (IP) addresses to individuals, to identify who has sent an email or made a call.

The Communications Data Bill was dropped after opposition from Lib Dems.

That bill, which proposed internet companies be obliged to store for a year details of all Britons' online activity, was blocked by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who said it went too far.

The Home Office has, however, said action is needed to reflect the fact criminals are increasingly using internet phone calls, or social-media sites to communicate.

Instant messaging

In the briefing notes on the Queen's Speech, the government makes clear it remains "committed to ensuring that law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the powers they need to protect the public and ensure national security".

Continue reading the main story Jane Wakefield Technology reporter

With the Data Communications Bill kicked into the long grass there remains the vexing question of the £405m the government has spent since May 2010 on what is known as the Communications Capabilities Development Project.

The Home Office insists that this money is unrelated to the unsuccessful and heavily criticised bill, saying instead it has gone on "sustaining and enhancing existing capabilities".

A written response to questions posed by Conservative David Davis revealed that £50m went on consultants, but the government said it couldn't go into more detail without "compromising national security".

What it does reveal, though, is the government's determination to increase surveillance powers to take account of new technologies such as social media, web mail and internet phone calls.

The "snooper's charter" may be dead but the problem of how to access data in the digital age has gone nowhere.

Digital forensics expert Prof Peter Sommer is in no doubt there will be a successor to the snooper's charter but he thinks that the next incarnation of the bill may be a more targeted one - with the government asking firms such as Facebook and Google to preserve data of "people of interest to the police" rather than that of the whole population.

What he and others hope is that next time around there is more consultation with industry to ensure that any new bill is workable and fair.

"These agencies use communications data - the who, when, where and how of a communication, but not its content - to investigate and prosecute serious crime," it says.

"Communications data helps to keep the public safe - it is used by the police to investigate crimes, bring offenders to justice and to save lives.

"This is not about indiscriminately accessing internet data of innocent members of the public."

The proposals to be brought forward would address the fact the police - who can already tell when, where and who made a mobile phone call or sent a text message - cannot always trace the origin of an email, a message sent via instant messaging or a phone call made over the internet.

The government says one of the problems is IP addresses are shared between a number of people, or devices.

"In order to know who has actually sent an email or made a Skype call the police need to know who has used a certain IP address at a given point in time," it says.

They government says it is "looking at ways of addressing this issue... it may involve legislation".

International action

There have been questions raised about how, or whether, it might be possible to achieve the goal of matching IP addresses more closely to devices or individuals.

"The problem stems from the way that the fixed internet has been designed," said Prof Rahim Tafazolli, director of Surrey University's Centre for Communications Systems Research.

"Many people can share a single IP address and the IP address may be dynamic - meaning there's a new address issued each time they log on - while a communication traverses across different networks. It can be difficult to link all these addresses and trace them back to the origin.

"One possible solution would be to find a way to associate a person's internet use with a fixed and unique number such as their mobile number or a device's MAC [media access control] address.

"But that would require changes in the way addresses are allocated on the internet and changes would need to be adopted internationally because we couldn't just change it in the UK."

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Day in pictures: 3 May 2013

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Deaths as ship rams Genoa tower

8 May 2013 Last updated at 15:45 GMT Rescuers have been searching in what is left of the control tower at the port of Genoa

Seven people have died and two are missing after a container ship crashed into a control tower in the Italian port of Genoa, officials say.

The Jolly Nero smashed into the 50m (164ft) concrete and glass tower late on Tuesday, causing it to collapse.

Rescue workers have been searching in the rubble for survivors while divers are scouring the surrounding water.

The ship's captain is being investigated by prosecutors with a view to possible manslaughter charges.

Officials, though, have said that some sort of mechanical failure was most likely to blame for what happened.

The vessel has been impounded and its "black box" seized by investigators, according to Italy's Ansa news agency.

'Utterly shocked'

The accident occurred at about 23:00 on Tuesday (21:00 GMT), when a shift change was taking place in the control tower and about 13 people were thought to be inside.

Several of the bodies were recovered from an area near the tower's submerged elevator.

The Jolly Nero was manoeuvring out of the port with the help of tugboats in calm conditions, on its way to Naples, reports said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Italian Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said there could have been a problem with the ship's engines or with the tugboat cables.

Genoa's Il Secolo XIX newspaper quoted one of the Jolly Nero's pilots as saying: "Two engines seem to have failed and we lost control of the ship."

The head of the Genoa Port Authority, Luigi Merlo, told the newspaper: "It's very difficult to explain how this could have happened because the ship should not have been where it was."

Two tug boats were moving the vessel, there was a port pilot on board, and sea conditions were "perfect", he added.

"It's a terrible tragedy. We're in turmoil, speechless," Mr Merlo told local TV.

Continue reading the main story The ship's owner, Stefano Messina, who arrived at the port soon after the crash, had tears in his eyes as he told journalists: "We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before, we are desperate."

Genoa is Italy's busiest port. Mayor Marco Doria said there was an average of 14 accidents a year, but that the incident late on Tuesday was unprecedented.

All that was left of the control tower after the crash was a buckled metal exterior staircase.

"It was an incredible sight: the control tower was leaning perilously," the port's nightwatchman told La Repubblica newspaper.

Six of those killed have so far been identified. Two of them - Maurizio Potenza and Michele Robazza - were pilots for the port. Another three - Fratantonio Daniel, David Morella and Marco De Candussio - were coastguard officers. The sixth was Sergio Basso, who worked for a tugboat operator.

Four people were being treated for injuries, two of whom were in critical condition.

"The main injuries are fractures, crushed body parts, significant traumas," emergency services doctor Andrea Furgani said.

The Jolly Nero is almost 240m (787ft) long and has a gross tonnage of nearly 40,600 tonnes. It is owned by the Italian firm Ignazio Messina & Co.

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says that whatever the cause of the crash, it has revived memories of the accident involving the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Italian island of Giglio in January 2012, which left 32 people dead.

Now another Italian-owned and -operated ship has been involved in a deadly accident and the nation's reputation for maritime safety has taken a further beating, our correspondent adds.

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Miliband: Coalition out of ideas

8 May 2013 Last updated at 15:19 GMT Ed Miliband on David Cameron: "He's in office, but not in power"

Labour leader Ed Miliband has accused the coalition of being "out of ideas" with almost two years to go until the next general election.

In the Queen's Speech, the government laid out plans on immigration, National Insurance, pensions and social care.

But, in his response, Mr Miliband said it had provided "no answers" for the "big problems" facing the UK.

He offered to work with ministers to remove branding from cigarette packets and to regulate political lobbying.

The Queen's Speech, in which the government puts forward its legislative plans for the next legislative session, placed an emphasis on toughening immigration laws.

It announced that rules governing access to NHS treatment would be tightened, with landlords being forced to check immigration status and illegal migrants prevented from obtaining driving licences.

'Getting worse'

But introducing minimum alcohol pricing and banning branded cigarette packaging were not among the measures outlined in the 15 bills. Plans to allow monitoring of mobile phone and online communications to combat terrorist plots were also not included.

Mr Miliband told MPs that David Cameron "can't provide the direction the country needs because he stands up for the wrong people. And let me say to him, if his excuse is it's because of the people behind him that he's dropped these bills, we'll help him.

"If he wants a bill on cigarette packaging, we'll help him get it through. If he wants a communications bill, we'll help him get it through. If he wants a bill on lobbying, we'll help him."

Mr Miliband said the prime minister "can't provide the answers the country needs because he's lost control of his party".

The Labour leader referred to the success enjoyed by the UK Independence Party in last week's local elections in England, saying: "The real lesson of UKIP's vote, and the two-thirds of people who didn't vote in these elections, is a deep sense that the country is not working for them.

"They see a country where things are getting worse, not better. One million young people looking for work. Low growth, falling wages and squeezed living standards.

'Reality problem'

"So does the government understand the difficulties the people of Britain face? The signs aren't good."

Mr Miliband said the government did not have a "communications problem" but a "reality problem".

He added: "The government tries to tell people they're better off. But they know the reality: they're worse off.

"Wages down £1,700 since the election, with tax and benefit changes hitting families by an average of £891."

He urged more action on increasing housing supply, restricting train fare rises and regulating banks.

Mr Miliband said: "The country has big problems, but this Queen's Speech has no answers. They may have legislated for five years in office [by introducing fixed-term Parliaments], but they're out of ideas after just three."

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Putin strategist leaves government

8 May 2013 Last updated at 14:26 GMT Vladislav Surkov was once seen as one of Russia's most powerful men Vladislav Surkov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's former political strategist, has resigned from the government without explanation.

He quit as deputy prime minister amid denials from the Kremlin that the step was connected to a row over the alleged embezzlement of state funds.

Mr Surkov had criticised an inquiry into a project he had been supervising.

He was once thought to be one of Russia's most powerful men, creating its system of "managed democracy".

But in December 2011, he was removed from his job as deputy head of the presidential administration.

That was soon after elections overshadowed by allegations of ballot-rigging and the biggest street protests in Moscow since Soviet times.

Mr Surkov was appointed deputy prime minister instead, first under President Dmitry Medvedev, then under Mr Putin when he returned to the Kremlin last year.

'Puppet master'

Put in charge of modernising the Russian economy, he publicly clashed with investigators last week over allegations of fraud against an official at the Skolkovo innovation hub, outside Moscow. He warned them against prejudicing the inquiry.

However, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested Mr Surkov had resigned after Mr Putin criticised ministers for failing to carry out his orders.

In a Kremlin career spanning 12 years, Mr Surkov saw through controversial political reforms which cemented the grip of Mr Putin and his allies on power.

When Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov pulled out of the 2011 parliamentary election campaign, he famously blamed him, saying: "There is a puppet master in this country who long ago privatised the political system... His name is Vladislav Yurevich Surkov."

Mr Surkov, 48, told Russia's Kommersant newspaper on Wednesday he would explain his reason for resigning at the "appropriate" time.

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Szczesny taunts rivals Tottenham

Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny believes rivals Tottenham "do not have enough quality" in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

Spurs and Chelsea are battling with the Gunners to finish in the top four of the Premier League and reach next season's top European competition.

8 May - Chelsea v Tottenham 11 May - Aston Villa v Chelsea 12 May - Stoke v Tottenham 14 May - Arsenal v Wigan 19 May - Chelsea v Everton, Newcastle v Arsenal and Tottenham v Sunderland "If we win our next two games it will be enough as either Chelsea or Spurs will drop points as they play each other," said Szczesny.

"Tottenham do not have enough quality."

The 23-year-old Pole added: "I was convinced that Tottenham had drawn 0-0 against Southampton. I only found out after the game that they had won 1-0, but I don't think it matters really."

Arsenal, who have played in the Champions League for each of the last 13 seasons, are currently fourth in the Premier League.

They are one point behind third-placed Chelsea and two points ahead of Tottenham in fifth, but the Gunners have played a game more than both of their London rivals.

Arsenal's 1-0 victory at QPR on Saturday extended the Gunners' unbeaten run to nine games, although they have only scored three goals in their last four matches.

"I would settle for another two 1-0 wins for the rest of the season and a place in the top three," said Szczesny.

"Even if we have games like the QPR one, it might have been boring at times, but we couldn't care less at this time."

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VIDEO: World's first 3D-printed gun fired in US

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10 things not everybody knows about Sir Alex Ferguson

8 May 2013 Last updated at 14:12 GMT By Tom de Castella BBC News Magazine Ten slightly lesser-known facts about Sir Alex Ferguson, who has announced his resignation as Man Utd's manager after 26 years.

1. Once ran a pub. Ferguson has worked outside football, starting out as a shop steward in the Clyde shipyards and later running a pub in Glasgow that he renamed Fergie's with a downstairs bar named the Elbow Room in memory of his physical style as a player.

2. Intrigued by JFK. Gordon Brown sent him numerous CDs about the assassination of JFK. Ferguson bonded with Brown over a shared interest in US politics. "Gordon sent me 35 CDs on it, which was brilliant of him," he told Manchester radio station Key 103 in 2007. Ferguson is fascinated with JFK. He said he kept JFK's autopsy report by his bed. He also has a copy of the Warren Report signed by [the former US president] Gerald Ford.

3. Gave the young Kenny Dalglish lifts. When Ferguson was at Rangers he gave lifts to a young Kenny Dalglish who was hoping to be signed. "Fergie used to give us a lift into town. He had such a big car," Dalglish told the Guardian. When Dalglish was picked up by city rivals Celtic he was forced to play centre back and mark Ferguson in a reserve team game.

4. Told Alastair Campbell to get a masseur for Tony Blair. Ferguson was a big Labour donor and advised Tony Blair on leadership. The idea of getting a masseur for the election "battle bus" may have been a step too far, he later admitted. Better advice was when he said: "So long as you can keep all your key people in the same room at the same time, you'll be fine."

Ferguson with Tony Blair's spokesman Alistair Campbell in 2007

5. Not the longest serving manager. Ferguson was manager of Manchester United for 26-and-a-half years. The longest serving league manager in Europe was Guy Roux, who occupied the hotseat at French team Auxerre for 44 years, finally stepping down in 2005. Ferguson isn't even the longest serving Scottish manager. Willie Maley was Celtic manager from 1897-1940, clocking up 43 years.

6. Used to jump over jetties as a boy. He grew up in a poor area of Glasgow where there wasn't much to do apart from play football, fight and jump over jetties, known as dykes. "The dangerous ones had names - the king, the queen, the suicide, the diamond, the spiky," Ferguson once said. "You'd go to different areas of Govan to challenge each other into jumping dykes because it was very dangerous. But you do that when you're a kid because you've got no fear."

Anger management: Ferguson's temper is legendary

7. "Fergie time" is 79 seconds. "Fergie time" is the widely held belief by supporters of other team, that if Man Utd are losing after 90 minutes, the referee will extend injury time long enough for them to equalise or win. Last year, the BBC analysed Fergie time. It found that Man Utd were not unique in being given extra injury time when they were losing, although it appeared they got more than other teams. Games went on 79 seconds longer when Manchester United were losing than winning. Man Utd's towering achievement - securing the treble with victory in the 1999 European Champions League - was achieved in Fergie time, when they reversed a Bayern Munich lead, by scoring two goals after the 90th minute.

Call me Sir

8. Alex or Alec? Many people in football refer to him as Sir Alec, assuming that his Scottish background will mean his name is pronounced in that way. But Scotland is strangely split on the Alex/Alec question, with people slipping between the two, often without noticing. BBC Sportsound presenter Richard Gordon said he had found himself using both forms. He said that former Ferguson colleague Willie Miller often calls him Alec when talking on the radio and ex-Scotland manager Craig Brown is prone to using the informal Alec, quickly followed by the more respectable Sir Alex. Carole Hough, professor of onomastics, says she can think of no particular reason why people would choose one or the other, except that Alec is slightly shorter. She said both names were popular in Scotland and England, with Alec perhaps having more currency north of the border.

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Ferguson's habit of furious, grim-faced gum chewing, prompted the spoof news website Newsbiscuit to claim that "his gum chewing habits could power an area the size of Lincolnshire".

It's been estimated that Ferguson gets through about 10 sticks a match, which means that - over the course of his tenure at Man Utd - he's chewed enough sticks to stretch twice around the Old Trafford pitch.

9. The "hairdryer treatment" and "squeaky bum time". Ferguson was responsible for two memorable coinages. Players speak in awestruck tones of what it is like to be on the receiving end of Sir Alex's temper. The "hairdryer" - for its sound and heat - became the chosen phrase. Players talk of the moment a switch is flicked in Fergie's head, he presses his face close to the you and emits a terrifying torrent of abuse. Former United winger Lee Sharpe - famed for his extracurricular activities - has been credited with inventing the term. David Beckham said: "The fear of getting the hairdryer was the reason why we all played so well. He was a manager you wanted to do well for." Ferguson also put his finger on the agony of watching a tense sporting moment. It is thought he first used "squeaky bum time" in March 2003 as his Manchester United team clawed back the lead from rivals Arsenal in a tense finale. It has become part of the football argot, especially at the climax of a season. It first entered the Collins English dictionary in 2005 with the definition "the tense final stages of a league competition, especially from the point of view of the leaders". Wikipedia notes the act of "squirming or moving forward and back in one's seat while watching an exciting sporting event".

10. Home is called Fairfields. Ferguson lives in a mansion in Wilmslow, Cheshire. It is called Fairfields after the shipyard where his father worked.

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Money 'needed to make care cap work'

8 May 2013 Last updated at 12:50 GMT By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News Social-care budgets have already been squeezed in the past few years The government's commitment to reform social care will require greater investment, ministers have been told.

A bill limiting the cost to disabled and elderly people of their social care will form part of the government's legislative programme for the next year, the Queen's Speech revealed.

Previously ministers had proposed introducing a cap of £72,000 in 2016.

But campaigners and council chiefs told ministers budget cuts were already putting the system at risk.

Research by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) suggests the £16bn budget for social care, including services for both elderly and disabled people, is likely to be trimmed by £800m in the next 12 months.

It comes after nearly £2bn has already been cut from them in the past two years - despite the prospect of an extra 450,000 people needing state help following the introduction of a cap.

'Bleak'

ADASS president Sandie Keene said: "Gazing into the next two years, without additional investment from that already planned, an already bleak outlook becomes even bleaker."

Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, added: "The legislation announced has the potential to transform our crumbling, unfair social-care system for current and future generations of older people.

"But to have any chance in succeeding we need to see the legislation twinned with a commitment in the spending review for increased spending on social care."

Currently anyone with assets of more than £23,250 faces unlimited costs.

But under the proposed changes, the state will pick up the bill as soon as an individual's costs hit £72,000.

The cap has been designed to protect people against the catastrophic costs that push some into selling their homes.

One in 10 people face costs above £100,000 for old-age care.

As well as paving the way for a cap, the legislation will also change the law regarding social care.

A report in 2011 by the Law Commission said current laws were "outdated and flawed".

There are currently more than 40 different laws that affect social care, but the government is seeking to replace them with a single piece of legislation so people can be clear about their rights.

For example, people with conditions that vary over time, such as bi-polar disorder or dementia, can currently, in theory, be excluded from care because of the contradictory way regulations are written.

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Spotify rushes to fix download flaw

8 May 2013 Last updated at 17:17 GMT Many sites are susceptible to "ripping" of their content Music streaming site Spotify has rushed to fix a security hole that allowed users free song downloads.

Downloadify, an extension to Google's Chrome browser, enabled users to download MP3 files by exploiting a vulnerability in Spotify's web player.

Google removed the extension, but Downloadify was still available via other websites.

Spotify has confirmed to the BBC that the issue has now been fixed.

Downloadify was created by Dutch developer Robin Aldenhoven. On Twitter, he noted that music stored online by Spotify was not encrypted.

"I could not believe it myself that they did so little to protect their library," he wrote, later adding: "Spotify = awesome... so I don't want to damage them."

Infringement

Other web streaming services are susceptible to similar exploits. Various services allow for the downloading, knowing as "ripping", of content from sites such as YouTube.

Such actions are illegal and against the sites' terms of service.

Sheena Sheikh, a solicitor from intellectual property specialists Briffa, told the BBC that the law is straightforward on such downloading activity.

"You are committing an infringement," she said.

"You're not authorised to download the songs. You don't have permission."

Spotify is the world's most popular music streaming service. Recent figures from the company said the service has 24 million active users, of whom six million pay a monthly fee for added features.

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Week in pictures: 27 April - 3 May 2013

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AUDIO: Sexsomnia 'is a real condition'

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Motorola 'abused patent position'

6 May 2013 Last updated at 17:31 GMT Google - through Motorola - owns several patents critical to mobile phone use Google-owned Motorola Mobility abused its position in Germany's mobile market when it filed a patent injunction against Apple, EU officials have said.

Motorola won an injunction over Apple products that used patents relating to data transmission technology in February 2012.

Apple offered to pay Motorola a licence fee for using the patents - but the two companies could not agree on a price.

Apple products, including the iPhone, were taken off sale during the dispute.

Several models of the smartphone, and the iPad, were removed from sale on Apple's German website - but were still available in other stores in the country.

Data patents

The dispute revolves around the use of what are known as standard-essential patents (SEPs) - patents that are deemed essential to the operation of standards such as mobile phone signal.

In this case Motorola's innovation is deemed crucial to the GPRS data transmission standard used by GSM cellular networks across the world.

Holders of SEPs are obliged to licence the patent's use to competitors in return for a fee on so-called fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (Frand) terms. In simpler terms - a fair price.

The EU Competition Commission argued that Motorola sought an injunction despite Apple's apparent willingness to enter an agreement.

In a statement, the commission said: "while recourse to injunctions is a possible remedy for patent infringements, such conduct may be abusive where standard-essential patents are concerned and the potential licensee is willing to enter into a licence on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms."

'Consumer choice'

EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia added: "The protection of intellectual property is a cornerstone of innovation and growth. But so is competition.

"I think that companies should spend their time innovating and competing on the merits of the products they offer - not misusing their intellectual property rights to hold up competitors to the detriment of innovation and consumer choice."

The commission's stance forms part of its "preliminary view" on the case. Motorola is able to defend its position ahead of the final decision.

Motorola spokeswoman Katie Dove told AFP: "We agree with the European Commission that injunctions should only be sought against unwilling licensees and, in this case, Motorola Mobility followed the procedure established.

"Apple had to make six offers before the court recognised them as a willing licensee."

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