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Thursday, September 26, 2013
In-game app fees face crackdown
25 September 2013 Last updated at 22:52 GMT By Leo Kelion Technology reporter One father explains how his daughter spent £300 on app feesA UK watchdog is threatening action against video game app-makers it finds in breach of consumer protection laws.
Many of the most popular and highest earning games are freemium titles 
Not all app stores list the price of add-on purchases in their descriptions
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is concerned about in-game charges, saying it has seen evidence of "potentially unfair and aggressive commercial practices" after studying 38 popular titles. It has not said which they are.
Children might be particularly susceptible to such tactics, it warns.
As a consequence it has proposed new guidelines for developers.
These would apply to both apps and internet browser-based video games available via Facebook and elsewhere.
They include:
Providing up-front information about the costs associated with a game before consumers download itEnsuring that gamers are not misled to believe they must make a payment to proceed if that is not the case, for example, if they could wait for a period of time insteadPreventing the use of language or anything else that might exploit a child's inexperience, for example, implying an in-game character would be disappointed if they did not spend moneyMaking it clear how to contact the business if the gamer has a complaintOnly taking a payment if the account holder provides "informed consent", in other words a charge cannot be made because a password had recently been entered for something else Many of the most popular and highest earning games are freemium titles The OFT said some of the worst examples it had seen involved games that led children through an adventure but then withheld a promised reward until they spent money, and instances where the title made the player feel bad by telling them a virtual animal was "ill" but could be made better if the gamer made a purchase.
"I don't think children are always aware that when they click 'yes' it's spending money," Cavendish Elithorn, executive director at the OFT, told the BBC.
"Although parents can change their device settings to deal with some of that, many parents might not know, or it's only when they get the bill that they realise the setting was wrong.
"So, part of what we're keen to do is support parents in having the right tools to be aware of what their children are doing online."
He added that the OFT has the ability to take legal action against firms in the UK, and was working with partners in Europe, North America and Australia to try and get the same rules applied elsewhere.
So-called freemium games - where the original download is given away free of charge, but the player is encouraged to buy add-on items or services - were pioneered in Asian markets as a way to combat piracy.
They have since spread to the west with EA's Fifa 14, Disney's Where's My Water, King's Candy Crush Saga and Sega's Sonic Dash among popular titles to adopt the model.
The BBC's Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones explains some of the things you can do to prevent charges from web and phone gamesVideo games trade body Tiga - which had advised the OFT on the issue - said it found the guidelines encouraging.
"Tiga understands both the legislative responsibilities and concerns of the OFT, and the daily realities of making games in the UK today and around the world," said the organisation's chief executive Richard Wilson.
"I'm pleased to say the OFT and UK games business is leading the way in addressing these issues and helping build a sustainable future for this high tech, highly skilled, global industry."
Not all app stores list the price of add-on purchases in their descriptions The Association for United Kingdom Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) said it was useful to have clarity about the OFT's interpretation of the law, but added a note of caution.
"It is vital that any final guidelines, whilst primarily considering the best interests of children, do not inadvertently isolate UK consumers from accessing the games that they want to play, stifle the creativity of games developers or prevent the growth of the UK games industry," said chief executive Jo Twist.
"Consumers are now often able to download and play the latest games for free.
"In-app purchasing is optional within many of these games and is a way for millions of players to access the extra content that they want."
The OFT has invited interested parties to comment on its principles by 21 November.
It then intends to publish a final version of the guidelines by February and begin enforcement action in April.
In pictures: Emmy awards 2013
23 September 2013 Last updated at 09:58 GMT
Readers' photos on the theme of upside down
Mourning for victims of attack in Nairobi
24 hours of news photos: 25 September
A powerful earthquake in remote south-west
Humayun's Tomb in the Indian capital
Gun battle at a shopping centre in Kenya's capital
24 hours of news photos: 24 September
Award winners in Los Angeles
24 hours of news photos: 23 September
Elections in the war-ravaged north
VIDEO: Rare 'Pink Star' diamond close-up
A flawless 59.6-carat pink diamond is to be auctioned in the Swiss city of Geneva at a record asking price of $60m (£38m).
Sotheby's David Bennett says the diamond belongs in "the ranks of the earth's greatest natural treasures".
Imogen Foulkes took a close look at the diamond.
VIDEO: Fewer full time students have jobs
The number of full time students with jobs has fallen, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Ten years more than 38% of students had part time work - now the figure is just over 26%.
Students told BBC Breakfast about their struggle to find employment: "There's probably about 100 [applicants] for every bar staff job".
The University of Salford's Head of Career Development Ian Boardman said having a job was increasingly important: "Students need to engage in some form of work experience to develop their employability".
China general's son jailed for rape
26 September 2013 Last updated at 04:11 GMT 
Li Tianyi was previously detained over a traffic altercation A court in China has convicted the son of a high-profile army general and sentenced him to 10 years in jail for rape, state media say.
Li Tianyi was previously detained over a traffic altercation A court in China has convicted the son of a high-profile army general and sentenced him to 10 years in jail for rape, state media say. The court said Li Tianyi, 17, and four others raped the woman at a Beijing hotel in February after having drinks.
He had denied any sexual relations with the woman, whom he alleged was working as a prostitute, previous reports say.
Li Tianyi is the son of army Gen Li Shuangjiang, known for his renditions of patriotic songs on television.
Li Tianyi's mother Meng Ge is also a well-known singer in China's People's Liberation Army.
The case was heard at the Haidian Court in north-west Beijing. The other defendants also received jail terms ranging from three to 12 years.
This was not the first time that Li Tianyi, also known as Li Guanfeng, was involved in an incident that sparked public outcry. In 2011, he was sentenced to detention for a year over a road rage incident.
He was behind the wheel of a BMW car with no licence plates in Beijing when he confronted a middle-aged couple in another vehicle blocking his way.
He assaulted the couple and shouted at shocked bystanders, telling them not to "dare to call the police".
His father apologised to the couple over the incident.
The case of Li Tianyi inflamed public anger at the children of the political elite, who are often seen as spoilt and above the law, correspondents say.
Greenpeace team in Russian court
26 September 2013 Last updated at 09:33 GMT 
The Greenpeace activists were brought to court in police vans A Russian court is meeting to rule on whether 30 Greenpeace activists should stay in custody pending an inquiry into their actions during an oil protest.
The Greenpeace activists were brought to court in police vans A Russian court is meeting to rule on whether 30 Greenpeace activists should stay in custody pending an inquiry into their actions during an oil protest.Activists were ferried to the courthouse in police vans in Murmansk, a port city north of the Arctic Circle.
Coastguards arrested the activists on suspicion of piracy after two scaled an offshore drilling platform.
Greenpeace says the campaigners, who are from 18 countries, were staging a legal, peaceful protest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the activists are obviously "not pirates" but did not criticise their continued detention.
The charge of piracy carries a prison term of up to 15 years in Russia.
Thursday's proceedings in Murmansk's Lenin district court were broadcast live by TV teams which crowded into the small courtroom.
Greenpeace says that all of the activists have now been questioned in the presence of lawyers. Relatives of some of them told the BBC on Tuesday that they had spoken to them and they were all being well treated.
The BBC's Daniel Sandford: "This is the first time that Greenpeace have found themselves at the criminal end of the piracy law"The drama began a week ago, when two activists successfully climbed on to the side of a platform operated by Gazprom, Russia's state gas monopoly.
They were detained after a short skirmish in inflatable dinghies in which armed Russian FSB officers in balaclavas fired warning shots into the water.
The ship, the Arctic Sunrise, with all its crew was then towed to Murmansk.
Russia views its huge fossil fuel deposits under the Arctic as vital to its economic future, which is why it takes any threat to their exploitation very seriously, the BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from Moscow.
The campaigners on the ship are from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Russia, the UK and the US, Greenpeace said.
VIDEO: In search of the elusive brown bear
Some of Europe's key animals have made a comeback over the last 50 years, a report suggests.
Conservationists say that species such as bears, wolves, lynx, eagles and vultures have increased in numbers.
They believe that protection, curbs on hunting and people moving away from rural areas and into cities have helped Europe's wildlife to recover.
Here, Frans Schepers and Davor Krmpotic from Rewilding Europe explain why bears are doing well in Croatia.
VIDEO: UK announces £100m aid for Syria
The UK is to give an extra £100m in aid to Syria, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced.
He added that it brings the UK's total budget to £500m, describing it as "the largest humanitarian programme we've ever launched".
Speaking from New York, where he has been addressing a marginal meeting at the UN General Assembly, he said he hoped other countries would follow suit.
Foreign experts join Kenya clue hunt
26 September 2013 Last updated at 08:56 GMT Footage has emerged which shows the extent the of destruction to Nairobi's Westgate mallKenya's investigation into a bloody siege by Islamist militants in Nairobi has been joined by experts from the US, UK, Germany, Canada and Interpol.
Relatives have been identifying the bodies of those killed in the attack 
Alyaz Merali, wounded in the attack, took part in a funeral procession for his mother, who was killed 
Traders were selling wreaths outside Nairobi's City Mortuary 
Nuns prayed near the Westgate shopping centre on Wednesday morning 
Will Ross BBC News, Nairobi 
Forensic experts are combing the Westgate shopping complex for DNA, fingerprints and ballistic clues, said Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku.
He confirmed that five militants were dead and said the bodies of more were expected to be found.
Funerals are continuing to be held for the 67 civilian and military victims.
Relatives have been identifying the bodies of those killed in the attack Alyaz Merali, wounded in the attack, took part in a funeral procession for his mother, who was killed Traders were selling wreaths outside Nairobi's City Mortuary Nuns prayed near the Westgate shopping centre on Wednesday morning "We have moved to the next phase," Mr Lenku told a news briefing in Nairobi, saying that he expected the forensic audit to take at least seven days.
Continue reading the main story Will Ross BBC News, Nairobi It is likely to be a slow process, as forensic experts from Britain, America, Israel, Germany and Canada search for clues to reveal the identity and nationalities of the gunmen.
The Kenyan government says their work has begun inside the battered and bloodied walls of the Westgate mall. Following the collapse of part of the building it is believed that that there are still bodies under the rubble - possibly some of the militants.
The global policing body, Interpol, is also involved in piecing together how this devastating attack took place.
At other high profile institutions in Nairobi, also considered potential targets, security has been stepped up and searches are more thorough. But much more is needed to ensure another large-scale attack cannot happen. A radical overhaul of Kenya's security apparatus is needed.
He said he did not expect the death toll to rise significantly.Several bodies are thought to be trapped under rubble after three floors of the building collapsed. Mr Lenku said he only expected bodies of militants to be found.
Work is continuing to establish their identities, including whether one was a woman, but he added: "We want to again request you to allow the forensic experts to determine whether that is true."
Mr Lenku said he was unable to confirm whether there were any Britons or Americans involved, but said that 10 people were being held in connection with the attack.
Counter-claimsFlags flew at half-mast across Kenya on Wednesday, as three days of national mourning began.
Somali Islamist group al-Shabab said it had carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenyan army operations in Somalia.
The militants stormed the Westgate centre on Saturday, throwing grenades and firing indiscriminately at shoppers and staff.
Twitter posts on an al-Shabab account said the group's militants had held 137 people hostage, and claimed the hostages had died after security forces fired chemical agents to end the siege.The posts could not be verified. A government spokesman denied any chemical agents were used, and authorities called on Kenyans to ignore militant propaganda.
Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia.
About 4,000 Kenyan troops have been serving in the south of Somalia since October 2011 as part of an African Union force supporting Somali government forces.
Scores of people have been killed in Kenya since the incursion in a string of bomb and grenade attacks blamed on - and some claimed by - al-Shabab.
Late on Wednesday, one person was killed and four injured after a grenade was detonated in a market in the northern Kenyan town of Wajir - an area home to many ethnic Somalis. The Kenyan interior ministry said that investigations into the attack were ongoing.
The group is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.
Its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.
VIDEO: CCTV shows Navy Yard gunman rampage
The FBI has released footage of gunman Aaron Alexis who shot dead 12 people at a Navy Yard in Washington.
The 34-year-old is seen stalking the corridors of the complex on 16 September. He was eventually shot by police in a running gun battle.
Valerie Parlave, head of the FBI's field office in Washington, said they were still investigating Alexis' background and motivations.
AUDIO: HS2 'essential for economic growth'
Sir David Higgins is to take over next year as chairman of HS2 Ltd - the body developing the high-speed railway line between London and Birmingham.
Speaking to the Today programme, the former Network Rail chief executive said: "We have to be open and transparent and make the case that HS2 is value for money.
"While we do have the safest railway in Europe, we also have the oldest railway in Europe. It's essential for economic growth in this country to have a proper, modern railway."
First broadcast on the Today programme on Thursday 26 September.
Officials silent on passport images
26 September 2013 Last updated at 05:34 GMT 
Citizens of Northern Ireland can opt for an Irish passport Irish officials have refused to be drawn on whether Northern Ireland's most famous tourist attraction will feature on a new-look Irish passport.
Citizens of Northern Ireland can opt for an Irish passport Irish officials have refused to be drawn on whether Northern Ireland's most famous tourist attraction will feature on a new-look Irish passport.Some Irish landmarks, like the Cliffs of Moher and the Rock of Cashel, will be depicted as watermarks.
However it is not yet known if landscapes from Northern Ireland, such as the Giant's Causeway, will appear.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs would not say if any images from the north will be on the new document.
The department commissioned the landscape pictures and images that reflected aspects of culture and heritage.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore will unveil the new passports on Monday and they will come into official use in October.
SecurityAmong the featured landmarks is the Samuel Beckett bridge across the river Liffey in Dublin.
Some images under consideration included native trees, cultural monuments such as round towers and images representing the four provinces of Ireland: Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht.
It is understood there was some discussion within the Department of Foreign Affairs about including images from Northern Ireland, since citizens from the north can opt for an Irish passport.
The department would not make any comment ahead of the official launch.
The new passport will also have increased security features.
Mobiles 'unacceptable' in theatres
26 September 2013 Last updated at 07:44 GMT 
Mobile phone use is a definite no-no for audiences Checking a mobile phone during a performance is considered the least acceptable behaviour in a theatre, according to new survey.
Les Miserables is one of the shows most respondents knew
Mobile phone use is a definite no-no for audiences Checking a mobile phone during a performance is considered the least acceptable behaviour in a theatre, according to new survey.The State of Play: Theatre UK report said theatregoers aged 25-34 were most guilty of checking their phones during a play.
More than a quarter of people surveyed admitted they had done it at least once.
The report said 63% of the UK population attended a show last year.
The research, unveiled on Thursday by Ticketmaster, was conducted online among more than 1,000 people who had been to the theatre at least once in the past three years, and 400 from abroad.
On codes of conduct, more than half (52%) thought it was acceptable to dress casually at the theatre, though this increased significantly among 16-19 year olds (72%).
And although just over one in eight considered whispering unacceptable at the theatre, eight out of 10 admitted to having done it at some point during a performance.
Social media has a significant presence alongside professional reviews. Close to one in four (24%) "tweet" about the performance they are about to see or have already seen, increasing to nearly half (47%) of 16-19 year old attendees.
The report identified an appetite for experimentation among theatregoers, with 36% saying they would rather go to a new performance of a limited run than a show which has been running for more than two years.
Les Miserables is one of the shows most respondents knew The cost of attending the theatre remains the main barrier to entry among non-attendees (27%) and theatre-goers (35%). The majority of attendees pay between £30 and £59 for tickets.
Most theatre attendees have been to at least one musical (75%) or play (72%) in the past year. Fewer (38%) have been to a dance performance and even less (27%) have been to the opera.
Just over one in four (26%) of theatregoers recognise they have been to subsidised or publicly funded theatre, though this is higher among UK residents (29%) and significantly higher (47%) within the North East.
Long-standing musicals are highly popular among theatre attendees, with near universal awareness for the Phantom of the Opera (94%), Les Miserables (93%) and The Lion King (92%).
Once has the biggest proportion of those aware of the show planning to attend in the future (59%), followed by The Book of Mormon (43%) and War Horse (58%).
"There are some fascinating results and some really encouraging ones - UK theatre is hugely popular and audiences appear to be younger and more experimental than one might expect," said Alistair Smith, deputy editor of The Stage.
"But there are also some other findings in the report that might give producers and programmers pause for thought - price is still too often a barrier to entry, and the subsidised theatre sector is clearly not getting the message across to audiences about the benefits of public subsidy."
Computer made from tiny carbon tubes
25 September 2013 Last updated at 21:47 GMT By James Morgan Science reporter, BBC News 
Max Shulaker with Cedric, the first carbon computer: "There is no limit to the tasks it can perform". The first computer built entirely with carbon nanotubes has been unveiled, opening the door to a new generation of digital devices.
The transistors in Cedric are built with "imperfection-immune" design 
Cedric can only count to 32, but in principle it could count to 32 billion
Max Shulaker with Cedric, the first carbon computer: "There is no limit to the tasks it can perform". The first computer built entirely with carbon nanotubes has been unveiled, opening the door to a new generation of digital devices."Cedric" is only a basic prototype but could be developed into a machine which is smaller, faster and more efficient than today's silicon models.
Nanotubes have long been touted as the heir to silicon's throne, but building a working computer has proven awkward.
The breakthrough by Stanford University engineers is published in Nature.
Cedric is the most complex carbon-based electronic system yet realised.
So is it fast? Not at all. It might have been in 1955.
The computer operates on just one bit of information, and can only count to 32."In human terms, Cedric can count on his hands and sort the alphabet. But he is, in the full sense of the word, a computer," says co-author Max Shulaker.
"There is no limit to the tasks it can perform, given enough memory".
In computing parlance, Cedric is "Turing complete". In principle, it could be used to solve any computational problem.
It runs a basic operating system which allows it to swap back and forth between two tasks - for instance, counting and sorting numbers.
And unlike previous carbon-based computers, Cedric gets the answer right every time.
Imperfection-immune"People have been talking about a new era of carbon nanotube electronics, but there have been few demonstrations. Here is the proof," said Prof Subhasish Mitra, lead author on the study.
The Stanford team hope their achievement will galvanise efforts to find a commercial successor to silicon chips, which could soon encounter their physical limits.
The transistors in Cedric are built with "imperfection-immune" design Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are hollow cylinders composed of a single sheet of carbon atoms.
They have exceptional properties which make them ideal as a semiconductor material for building transistors, the on-off switches at the heart of electronics.
For starters, CNTs are so thin - thousands could fit side-by-side in a human hair - that it takes very little energy to switch them off.
"Think of it as stepping on a garden hose. The thinner the pipe, the easier it is to shut off the flow," said HS Philip Wong, co-author on the study.
Continue reading the main story 100 microns - width of human hair 10 microns - water droplet8 microns - transistors in Cedric625 nanometres (nm) - wavelength of red light20-450 nm - single viruses22 nm latest silicon chips9 nm - smallest carbon nanotube chip6 nm - cell membrane1 nm - single carbon nanotubeBut while single-nanotube transistors have been around for 15 years, no-one had ever put the jigsaw pieces together to make a useful computing device.So how did the Stanford team succeed where others failed? By overcoming two common bugbears which have bedevilled carbon computing.
First, CNTs do not grow in neat, parallel lines. "When you try and line them up on a wafer, you get a bowl of noodles," says Mitra.
The Stanford team built chips with CNTs which are 99.5% aligned - and designed a clever algorithm to bypass the remaining 0.5% which are askew.
They also eliminated a second type of imperfection - "metallic" CNTs - a small fraction of which always conduct electricity, instead of acting like semiconductors that can be switched off.
To expunge these rogue elements, the team switched off all the "good" CNTs, then pumped the remaining "bad" ones full of electricity - until they vaporised. The result is a functioning circuit.
The Stanford team call their two-pronged technique "imperfection-immune design". Its greatest trick? You don't even have to know where the imperfections lie - you just "zap" the whole thing.
Cedric can only count to 32, but in principle it could count to 32 billion "These are initial necessary steps in taking carbon nanotubes from the chemistry lab to a real environment," said Supratik Guha, director of physical sciences for IBM's Thomas J Watson Research Center.
But hang on - what if, say, Intel, or another chip company, called up and said "I want a billion of these". Could Cedric be scaled up and factory-produced?
In principle, yes: "There is no roadblock", says Franz Kreupl, of the Technical University of Munich in Germany.
"If research efforts are focused towards a scaled-up (64-bit) and scaled-down (20-nanometre transistor) version of this computer, we might soon be able to type on one."
Shrinking the transistors is the next challenge for the Stanford team. At a width of eight microns (8,000 nanometres) they are much fatter than today's most advanced silicon chips.
But while it may take a few years to achieve this gold standard, it is now only a matter of time - there is no technological barrier, says Shulaker.
"In terms of size, IBM has already demonstrated a nine-nanometre CNT transistor.
"And as for manufacturing, our design is compatible with current industry processes. We used the same tools as Intel, Samsung or whoever.
"So the billions of dollars invested into silicon has not been wasted, and can be applied for CNTs."
For 40 years we have been predicting the end of silicon. Perhaps that end is now in sight.
Venezuela cuts red tape on imports
26 September 2013 Last updated at 02:02 GMT 
Many Venezuelans have complaied of shortages of food and other staples The Venezuelan government has announced measures to facilitate the import of essential goods, which have been in short supply. 
President Maduro rerouted his flight and returned home
Many Venezuelans have complaied of shortages of food and other staples The Venezuelan government has announced measures to facilitate the import of essential goods, which have been in short supply. Vice-President Jorge Arreaza said the government was cutting red tape for companies willing to import food, toiletries and mechanical parts.
Last week, the government took over a toilet paper factory.
The government has accusing unscrupulous traders of trying to undermine its left-wing policies.
Current import licences have been automatically extended until the end of the year.
Mr Arreaza also announced that the government was giving importers easier access to foreign currency.
He said the measures had been approved by President Nicolas Maduro, who returned from an official visit to China on Wednesday morning.
UN trip cancelled President Maduro rerouted his flight and returned home Mr Maduro had been expected to fly from Beijing directly to New York, where he was due to speak at the United Nations General Assembly.
Instead, he flew to Caracas via Canada, where, he said, he had cancelled his visit to the US for security reasons.
"When I got into Vancouver I evaluated the intelligence which we received from several sources. I decided then and there to continue back to Caracas and drop the New York trip to protect a key goal: safeguarding my physical integrity, protecting my life," the president said, after he had returned to Venezuela.
Another left-wing leader from the region suggested that the UN headquarters should be moved from New York.
"The headquarters should be in a state that has ratified all UN treaties," said Bolivian President Evo Morales, when he addressed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
"How can we be safe at a meeting of the United Nations here in New York? Some do not believe in imperialism and capitalism and feel totally unsafe."
President Maduro had accused the US of refusing visas for some of his team, something Washington denies.
The Venezuelan president also said he was planning legal action against Airbus, after his presidential plane developed a fault.
"A serious fault appeared in one of the wings of the plane after five months at Airbus in France - my God!" said President Maduro.
"With the help of an international law firm, we're preparing legal actions against Airbus of France."
Sceptics 'winning' climate argument
26 September 2013 Last updated at 00:47 GMT 
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News, The Netherlands 
Come hell or... An increased likelihood of extreme weather events is one predicted outcome of global warming, but some dispute the scale of expected effects In the run up to a key global warming report, those sceptical of mainstream opinion on climate change claim they are "winning" the argument.
Climate change could profoundly impact the Netherlands, but sceptics remain influential there 
Dutch writer Marcel Crok is sceptical about the sensitivity of the atmosphere to carbon emissions
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News, The Netherlands Come hell or... An increased likelihood of extreme weather events is one predicted outcome of global warming, but some dispute the scale of expected effects In the run up to a key global warming report, those sceptical of mainstream opinion on climate change claim they are "winning" the argument.They say a slowing of temperature rises in the past 15 years means the threat from climate change is exaggerated.
But a leading member of the UN's panel on climate change said the views of sceptics were "wishful thinking".
Continue reading the main storySome of what the sceptics are saying is either wishful thinking or totally dishonest”End Quote Prof Jean-Pascal van Ypersele IPCC The pause in warming was a distraction, he said, from the growing scientific certainty about long-term impacts.
Prof Jean Pascal van Ypersele spoke to BBC News ahead of the release of a six-yearly status report into global warming by the UN panel known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC.
Scientists and government representatives are currently meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, going through the dense, 31-page summary of the state of the physical science behind climate change.
When it is released on Friday, the report is likely to state with even greater certainty than before that the present-day, rapid warming of the planet is man-made.
Climate change could profoundly impact the Netherlands, but sceptics remain influential there But climate sceptics have focused their attention on the references to a pause or hiatus in the increase in global temperatures since 1998.
The sceptics believe that this slowdown is the most solid evidence yet that mainstream computer simulations of the Earth's climate - climate models - are wrong.
These computer simulations are used to study the dynamics of the Earth's climate and make projections about future temperature change.
"The sceptics now have a feeling of being on the winning side of the debate thanks to the pause," said Marcel Crok, a Dutch author who accepts the idea that human activities warm the planet, but is sceptical about the scale of the effect.
Continue reading the main storyAlthough there are only a small number of mainstream scientists who reject the established view on global warming, they are supported by a larger group of well resourced bloggers and citizen scientists who pore through climate literature and data looking for evidence of flaws in the hypothesis.
There are many different shades of opinion in the sceptical orbit. Some such as the group Principia Scientific reject the "myth" of greenhouse gas warming.
There are also political sceptics, such as some members of the Republican party in the US, who argue that climate science is a hoax or a conspiracy.
But there are also sceptical bloggers such as Anthony Watts and Andrew Montford who accept the basic science that adding carbon to the atmosphere can affect the temperature. They contest mainstream findings on the sensitivity of the climate to carbon and the future impacts on temperature.
"You are now starting to see a normalisation of climate science. Suddenly mainstream researchers, who all agree that greenhouse gases play a huge role, start to disagree about the cause of the pause."For me this is a relief, it is finally opening up again and this is good."
The view that the sceptics have positively impacted the IPCC is supported by Prof Arthur Petersen, who is a member of the Dutch government team currently examining the report.
"The sceptics are good for the IPCC and the whole process is really flourishing because of this interaction over the past decades," he told BBC News.
"Our best climate researchers are typically very close to really solid, sceptical scientists. In this sense scepticism is not necessarily a negative term."
Others disagree.
Bart Verheggen is an atmospheric scientist and blogger who supports the mainstream view of global warming. He said that sceptics have discouraged an open scientific debate.
Dutch writer Marcel Crok is sceptical about the sensitivity of the atmosphere to carbon emissions "When scientists start to notice that their science is being distorted in public by these people who say they are the champions of the scientific method, that could make mainstream researchers more defensive.
"Scientists probably think twice now about writing things down. They probably think twice about how this could be twisted by contrarians."
Sensitive debateIn 2007, the IPCC defined the range for what's termed "equilibrium climate sensitivity". This term refers to the likely span of temperatures that would occur following a doubling of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
The panel's last report said temperatures were likely to rise within the range of 2C to 4.5C with a best estimate of 3C.
The new report is believed to indicate a range of 1.5C to 4.5C with no best estimate indicated.
Continue reading the main storyWith around 20% of the country under sea level, the Dutch have a keen interest in anything that might affect their environment, such as climate change.
But scepticism about the human influence on global warming has been growing in the Netherlands, according to research from the OECD.
In a country where consensus is a key word, the government has taken a more inclusive approach to climate dissenters. To that end, they have funded Marcel Crok to carry out a sceptical analysis of the IPCC report.
In an effort to build bridges between sceptics and the mainstream they are also funding an initiative called climatedialogue.org which serves as a platform for debate on the science of global warming.
Although that might not appear like much of a change, many sceptics believe it exposes a critical flaw."In the last year, we have seen several studies showing that climate sensitivity is actually much less than we thought for the last 30 years," said Marcel Crok.
"And these studies indicate that our real climate shows a sensitivity of between 1.5C and 2C, but the climate models on which these future doom scenarios are based warm up three degrees under a doubling of CO2."
But other researchers who are familiar with the text believe that the sceptics are reading too much into a single figure.
"Some of what the sceptics are saying is either wishful thinking or totally dishonest," Prof van Ypersele, who is vice-chair of the IPCC, told BBC News.
"It is just a change in a lower border [of the range of temperature rise]. Even if this turns out to be the real sensitivity, instead of making the challenge extremely, extremely, extremely difficult to meet, it is only making it extremely, extremely difficult.
"Is that such a big change?"
Prof van Ypersele points out that many other aspects of the forthcoming report are likely to give greater certainty to the scale of impacts of a warming world. The predictions for sea level rise are likely to be considerably strengthened from 2007. There is also likely to be a clearer understanding of the state of sea ice.
Man denies killing brother in 1973
26 September 2013 Last updated at 07:32 GMT 
By Kevin Magee BBC News NI 
Brian was 10 when he was murdered in Belfast A brother of a Belfast schoolboy murdered 40 years ago has again denied any involvement in the killing.
William McDermott denies killing his younger brother and appealed for the killer to come forward
By Kevin Magee BBC News NI Brian was 10 when he was murdered in Belfast A brother of a Belfast schoolboy murdered 40 years ago has again denied any involvement in the killing.The body of Brian McDermott, 10, was discovered in a sack in the River Lagan in September 1973. He had been mutilated and burned.
No-one has been convicted of the killing. His brother, William, accepts he is still seen as the chief suspect.
Meanwhile, the boy's eldest brother, Eddie, has made a fresh appeal for information.
Speaking on the 40th anniversary of Brian's killing, William McDermott said: "My family has to live with the fact that Brian was murdered. I have to live with the fact that I was accused of doing it."
William, aged 16 at the time of the murder, said he was questioned twice by detectives investigating the murder - once in 1976, and again in 2004 when the case was re-investigated.
He said: "I have been treated very badly. As far as the police are concerned, they believe that I am guilty. They said to me: 'Billy we have the evidence', and they tried to get me to confess to something that I did not commit. I am innocent and remain so until proven guilty in a court of law."
Brian lived in Well Street in the lower Woodstock Road area of east Belfast, with his parents, two brothers and two sisters.
StigmaAlthough questioned by police in 1976, no charges were brought against William McDermott.
Now aged 56, he said he had changed his name by deed poll to escape from the stigma of being a suspect in his brother's murder - something that, he said, has had a huge impact on his life.
"My mother seemed to believe right to her very end that I might have been responsible. It's horrendous. I don't keep in touch, speak or communicate with the other members of my family. They have ostracised me. They think I did it. They think I was responsible."
After his brother, Brian, was murdered William left Northern Ireland but returned for a tour of duty after he joined the Army.
Three years after the murder, in 1976, he was arrested and questioned by the RUC about the murder of his brother for the first time, after he came to the attention of the police for hitting his mother.
William McDermott denies killing his younger brother and appealed for the killer to come forward "They did get a confession from me at the time but it was unfounded. It could not be used. It was fabricated. The statement was coerced out of me and was a complete non-runner.
Motive"I was 16 at the time and to consider doing what happened to Brian was outrageous, but they tried everything."
The motive the police suggested to him, he said, was a falling-out with his younger brother.
"He had hit me across the back with a stick, and the motive was maybe thought to be childhood revenge," he said.
William McDermott was released from custody without charge for the second time in 2004.
In January 2008, details of an alleged admission were made public during a non-related court appearance at Worcester Magistrates Court.
During that hearing, prosecutors told a district judge that William McDermott had confided in his former wife that he had murdered his brother.
It is an allegation which he denies.
He said: "I am not a free man. Since 1976 I have never been a free man since the police first accused me of my brother's murder. I will remain a suspect until someone else confesses to the murder.
"I would love somebody to come forward (and admit to it.) Even if they were to remain anonymous, that would take the finger of suspicion away from me. That is the best thing that could happen to me."
Meanwhile, Brian McDermott's eldest brother, Eddie McDermott, made an appeal for information on the 40th anniversary of the murder.
"Forty years is a long time. People have gone through a great deal of stress through the Troubles, but I am sure this remains in a lot of people's minds. There has got to be something out there that would bring this killer to justice," he said.
"That is all we need. Just one little clue. We had, over the years, the people ringing in with little bits of information. But we still need that little bit more, and it's the people of Northern Ireland who would probably know that information or who the killer is."
Eddie said the killing had a dramatic impact on his family.
"Mum and dad turned to drink, we all were very close to breakdowns, it was very difficult," he said.
"Both my mum and dad, when they spoke about when they died, (wanted) to be buried with Brian and dad got his wish. We buried dad with Brian."
Eddie said despite the passing of time, he would never give up hope that whoever killed his brother would be brought to justice.
"I still think that whoever did it is still alive and living somewhere either in the UK or in Northern Ireland, and certainly they will probably be thinking they've got away with it," he said.
"All they have to do now is come forward and get it off their chest, because they must be suffering as well. I'll never give up. One day justice will be done."
Fire board to consider closure plans
25 September 2013 Last updated at 23:12 GMT 
The fire board will be asked to back the closure of local control rooms The Scottish Fire and Rescue Board is to be asked to back plans which would see the closure of five control rooms.
The fire board will be asked to back the closure of local control rooms The Scottish Fire and Rescue Board is to be asked to back plans which would see the closure of five control rooms.Centres would be retained at Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Dundee and - initially - in Edinburgh.
The plan involves the closure of control rooms in Inverness, Aberdeen, Thornton in Fife, Maddiston near Falkirk, and Dumfries.
The Scottish government said the details of the plan were a "matter for the board".
Continue reading the main storyIt is recognised that property rationalisation will have a significant impact on employees”End Quote Fire board strategy paper The strategy being put to the board later would also include a single national training centre at Cambuslang, and the identification of a national headquarters building "located in the area bounded by Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh".
The fire service would dispose of the Scottish Fire Service College at Gullane in East Lothian, and property at Maddiston and Thornton.
Property would also be released at Cowcaddens in Glasgow and North Anderson Drive in Aberdeen, although fire stations would be retained at both sites.
Also surplus to requirements would be Lauriston Place in Edinburgh, although "steps will be taken to ensure continued public access to heritage assets in Edinburgh".
The paper being presented to the fire board estimates that not pursuing a programme of property rationalisation and investment would involve continuing costs of £4.7m per year, equivalent to 162 firefighter posts.
It says that "dialogue will be maintained at all levels with the Scottish government" to ensure that permission is granted for money raised by disposal of surplus properties to be re-invested.
'Detailed analysis'The paper states: "It is recognised that property rationalisation will have a significant impact on employees and throughout the process detailed analysis has been undertaken to understand the nature and extent of this."
In advance of the board meeting, the Scottish government confirmed it had been informed of the strategy.
A spokeswoman said: "We are aware of proposals to be discussed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Board. However the detail of these is an operational matter for the board.
"The board is committed to the Scottish government's policy of no compulsory redundancies."
Fire Brigades Union's Scottish chairman Alan Paterson said: "We will start to consult with our members on the detail once we have time to digest it and then both sides can get back into some meaningful discussions and negotiations with service managers.
"On any proposals, when it comes to the details, it's very difficult to measure of what degree the risk is."
Stephen Lee: The facts, fixes and fall-out
Stephen Lee has been given a career-ending ban for match-fixing but had all the skills to become snooker world champion, says a former top player. 
The snooker match Lee fixed
Mark King 'hasn't got any sympathy' for match-fixer Stephen Lee
His ex-manager insists the 38-year-old, who is to appeal against a 12-year ban imposed on Wednesday, has been made a "scapegoat" in a drive to protect the game's integrity.
But snooker's bosses say that being found guilty of seven match-fixing charges is the "worst case" of corruption in the sport's history and "zero tolerance" is needed to stop players cheating.
Here, we examine the lost potential, the fight against fixing, what the player might do next and reveal the financial mess which left a millionaire with more than £70,000 in unsettled county court judgements against him.
"I always thought he was a terrific player. I played him a few times and he always got the better of me," said Neal Foulds, the former world number three who played professionally from 1983 to 2004.
"When he turned professional in 1992, he had just won the English Amateur Championship, and who did he beat? Ronnie O'Sullivan.
"I played Stephen, at a Grand Prix in Reading I think, when he was a first-season pro. I remember thinking I'd love to be able pot the ball as naturally as he did.
"He wasn't the fittest player on tour, but he had a beautiful, smooth cue action and his safety was watertight.
"We knew he was one of the big four coming through, alongside Ronnie, John Higgins and Mark Williams. The other three have won 10 world titles between them.
"I think Stephen was up there as somebody who could, and perhaps should, have won the world championship."
A tribunal ruled Lee deliberately lost matches against Ken Doherty and Marco Fu at the 2008 Malta Cup and agreed to lose the first frame against both Stephen Hendry and Mark King at the 2008 UK Championship.
In addition, he lost matches by a predetermined score to Neil Robertson at the 2008 Malta Cup and to Mark Selby at the 2009 China Open.
The snooker match Lee fixedIt was found that Lee also conspired to lose his 2009 World Championship first-round match to Ryan Day, when he was beaten 10-4.
Foulds commentated on that match for the BBC, alongside John Virgo, and described one frame as "a comedy of errors".
He told the BBC on Wednesday: "It's amazing that you can commentate on a match and remember very little about it, and I've played a few strange shots over the years.
"But one shot I do remember - it seemed he was trying to make a 147 maximum break when he was 8-4 down. I was oblivious to what might be going on, but mentally it seemed as though he had given up."
Lee, now 38 of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was originally arrested in 2010 by West Midlands police as part of an investigation into allegations of match-fixing.
It was announced on 5 October 2012, that the Crown Prosecution Service, which is bound by an evidential standard of "beyond reasonable doubt" to bring a successful criminal prosecution, would not be pursuing charges.
2008 Malta Cup: Conspired to lose to Ken Doherty and Marco Fu, as well as losing to Neil Robertson by a pre-determined score, with the match ending 5-1 to Robertson
2008 UK Championship: Agreed to lose the first frame in matches against Stephen Hendry and Mark King
2009 China Open: To lose to Mark Selby by a set score, Selby winning 5-1
2009 World Championship: That Ryan Day would win by a pre-arranged score, Day winning 10-4
He was suspended a week later after suspicious betting patterns were reported around a Premier League match, televised by Sky, which he lost 4-2 to John Higgins.The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) opened an inquiry into that game, which did not lead to any charges, and several other matches examined in the original police investigation.
Snooker's governing body prepared a case which centred on a wealth of evidence around unusual betting patterns, phone calls and texts between Lee and a number of associates, and money paid into his wife's bank account.
It asked the independent Sport Resolutions company to arrange a hearing, and the tribunal chairman Adam Lewis QC heard evidence during a three-day hearing in Bristol.
Lewis ruled: "It is established, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr Lee acted improperly in relation to matches that he believed he would lose, or believed that he would win sufficiently comfortably that he could drop the first frame.
"I concluded that Mr Lee did not strike me as a cynical cheat, but rather as a weak man who under financial pressure, succumbed to the temptation to take improper steps that he may well have justified to himself as not really wrong, because the ultimate result of the match, win or lose, was the same."
If his offences had taken place more recently, he would have been given a mandatory lifetime ban under a tougher new disciplinary regime aimed at countering corruption, but his case was dealt with under the rules which applied at the time of the matches in question.
The 12-year ban is the longest in the sport's history and applies from when he was initially suspended in October 2012.
Despite being linked to three separate groups which placed bets on him, yielding a total profit of almost £100,000, Lee has continually protested his innocence.
The father-of-four argues that he would not put his career and livelihood in jeopardy when the illicit rewards are relatively small compared to a career which has yielded more than £2m in prize money from tournaments alone.
Neal Clague, his former manager, was alongside Lee at the tribunal in Bristol.
Mark King 'hasn't got any sympathy' for match-fixer Stephen Lee"I think they've looked for a scapegoat to clean up the sport. Maybe his face didn't fit," Clague told BBC Sport.
Lee, who had changed his lawyer three times, did not have legal representation at the tribunal but says he intends to appoint a barrister for his appeal.
"He's had 12 months out of the game where he could have earned enough money to defend himself properly," said Isle of Man-based businessman Clague.
"I think also there is a large element of naivety in Stephen being so poorly prepared, but I don't think that warrants a guilty verdict."
Clague was named as the head of one group which bet on the player to lose, but said he was effectively "hedging his bets", knowing that if his client won, he would be guaranteed a win bonus.
In his judgement, Lewis said Lee and Clague were unreliable witnesses.
Asked if Lee was a match-fixer, Clague said: "No, not to my knowledge. Absolutely not."
As he revived his career and rose to eighth in the world rankings at the time of his suspension, Lee reaped prize money of more than £200,000 from the last two seasons in which he played.
"If you take off management fees, travelling, maybe playing a little bit of catch-up from a few years before, a tax bill here and there, the odd holiday, it's not an incredible amount of money when you are used to living that lifestyle," said Clague.
"It is to normal people, of course. But not if you are used to living that lifestyle."
The player, who has won five ranking titles, has eight unsatisfied county court judgements against him totalling £73,641.
He has also been ordered to pay £40,000 costs to help cover the legal costs and other expenses of the WPBSA bringing a case in which he denied all allegations.
Barry Hearn, who took over as World Snooker chairman two years ago and set up an integrity unit headed by former detective chief superintendent Nigel Mawer, has promised a "zero-tolerance" approach to cheating.
"I am independent and outside the organisation and have a law enforcement background, and all the intelligence on irregular betting comes to me," said Mawer.
"Hand on heart, I believe it is a very, very clean sport. I have only had to investigate four incidents in 7,000 matches and two of those [Lee and Joe Jogia] have led to suspensions, which puts it in context."
Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion, said the Lee sentence would act as a warning to anyone tempted to cheat.
"The mandate is there," the Irishman said. "It's very clear for all the players to see. There are temptations there with gambling, and players that do fall into financial difficulty, which is what I think happened with Stephen Lee.
"If he had come clean and said, 'Look, I've fallen into financial difficulty and I was under pressure', if he had come clean and said, 'I am guilty of this', then it might have been a more lenient sentence.
"But he denied all the charges and fought everything to the end. He's going to appeal against it but I can't see a way back for him."
The former world number five's suspension will end on 12 October, 2024, the date of his 50th birthday.
In the meantime, he cannot play in any game sanctioned by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, which includes the seniors tour.
Turned professional: 1992 Ranking tournament wins: 5 (Grand Prix 1998; LG Cup 2001; Scottish Open 2002; Welsh Open 2006, PTC Grand Finals 2012) Highest tournament break: 145 Highest world ranking: Five Ranking at time of suspension: Eight "We were seeking a life ban because it was seven matches that had been fixed, including during the World Championship," added Mawer."But in effect it is a life ban because I think it is highly unlikely that Stephen Lee will be able to come back to the sport at this level.
"We don't take great pleasure out of that. This is a case of a fantastic snooker player who has thrown it all away through making the wrong decisions.
"It is only human to have a degree of sympathy for him and it is going to be very difficult for him, but we have to send a very strong message that match-fixing is not going to be tolerated."
Foulds says a great talent has been wasted. He added: "You can't abuse the game. When you come into snooker, you have an obligation to do the right thing."
During his suspension, Lee played exhibition matches and won a pro-am tournament in India. He could continue to play in clubs or try his hand on the pool circuit.
But he said: "My dad could beat me if I'm 50. My career's over."
Mandelson queries Labour energy plan
26 September 2013 Last updated at 09:16 GMT 
The former business secretary has been critical of Ed Miliband in the past Lord Mandelson has raised doubts about Labour's plan to freeze energy bills, suggesting people may think it is going "backwards" in its industrial policy.
The former business secretary has been critical of Ed Miliband in the past Lord Mandelson has raised doubts about Labour's plan to freeze energy bills, suggesting people may think it is going "backwards" in its industrial policy. The former business secretary said he believed the party had moved on from the days of having to choose "between state control and laissez-faire".
Ex-Downing Street communications chief Alastair Campbell later said the Labour peer was "wrong" in his assessment.
Ed Miliband has argued that the public supports action to make markets fairer.
The Labour leader spent Wednesday defending his plan to intervene in the energy market if he wins the next election, in the face of attacks from energy firms, business groups and the Conservatives.
Continue reading the main storyEd Miliband insists that he is standing up for ordinary people in the face of abuses. He believes that after the banking crisis that is where the new centre ground is. ”End Quote 'Power cuts' Lord Mandelson - whose Global Counsel business consultancy firm lists energy as one of its specialist areas of expertise - is the most senior Labour figure to publicly raise concerns about the policy and its implications for the party's business credentials.
"At the business department I tried to move on from the conventional choice in industrial policy between state control and laissez-faire," he is reported as saying by the Guardian and the Independent newspapers.
"The industrial activism I developed showed that intervention in the economy - government doing some of the pump-priming of important markets, sectors and technologies - was a sensible approach."
As a result of Mr Miliband's pledge, Lord Mandelson added he believed that "perceptions of Labour policy are in danger of being taken backwards".
But Mr Campbell later tweeted: "Peter M wrong re energy policy being shift to left. It is putting consumer first v anti competitive force. More New Deal than old Labour."
Labour leader Ed Miliband: "I'm standing up for the British people."Mr Miliband got a rousing reception when he made the price freeze commitment during his Labour Party conference speech on Tuesday as activists welcomed plans to tackle recent price rises.
But shares in the leading energy firms fell sharply on Wednesday after they said that such a move might make their businesses unviable and could lead to power cuts.
Former Labour minister Lord Digby Jones has suggested the last Labour government was to blame for current failings in the market because it piled on to business environmental and social obligations as part of its targets to decarbonise the economy.
Continue reading the main storyThe "big six" - British Gas, EDF, E.On, npower, Scottish Power, SSE - made total net profits of:
2009: £2.15bn
2010: £2.22bn
2011: £3.87bn
2012: £3.74bn
"It's a return to ideological tribal socialism... at a time when we need to be globally competitive," he said. "It might appeal to the party faithful but won't create jobs or prosperity."He's going to sacrifice Britain's prosperity on the altar of a social tribalism and it's very worrying."
As suppliers stepped up their fightback, Mr Miliband insisted his plan would not lead to the lights going out.
"We will have scare stories from the energy companies, like we had scare stories from the banks - threats, scare stories about regulation," he said.
"I'm not going to tolerate that. The Conservative Party will support them, but I'm in a different place. I'm standing up for the British people."
'Policy unravelling'The Labour leader said he would not stand for suppliers "colluding" to raise prices ahead of the election to neutralise the effect of the cap.
He insisted that the price cap and other policies announced during this week's conference - including a plan to strip developers of land if they do not use it - did not mean Labour was harking back to the 1970s.
"Small business tax cuts, stopping a race to the bottom in skills so we build up a skilled workforce, dealing with some of the problems of housing which are a problem for business - this is good for business, this is good for Britain what we are talking about."
Labour says the energy price freeze, which would last from June 2015 to January 2017, would save average households £120 a year and businesses £1,800.
But Business Minister Matthew Hancock said Labour's policy was "unravelling" and the government's approach of requiring companies to offer the best tariff to customers was a more "credible" way forward.
One of the country's biggest investors - Neil Woodford of Invesco Perpetual - called Labour's plan "economic vandalism" and warned that "the economy will shut down".
Iran wants nuclear deal 'in months'
26 September 2013 Last updated at 07:13 GMT 
Iran insists its uranium enrichment work is for nuclear energy only Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says he wants to reach a deal with world powers on Tehran's nuclear programme in three to six months.
James Reynolds BBC Iran correspondent 
Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor He added: "After resolution of the nuclear issue there are no impossibilities in term of advancing other things forward. Everything is possible after the settlement."
Iran insists its uranium enrichment work is for nuclear energy only Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says he wants to reach a deal with world powers on Tehran's nuclear programme in three to six months.He told the Washington Post he saw a resolution of the issue as a "beginning point" in easing US-Iran relations.
Mr Rouhani said he was fully empowered by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, to negotiate on the issue.
On Thursday, Iran will hold talks with the P5+1 group of world powers on Tehran's uranium enrichment programme.
In a rare encounter between US and Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet US Secretary of State John Kerry as well as diplomats from the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany in New York.
Continue reading the main story James Reynolds BBC Iran correspondent In recent years, the travelling brigade of nuclear negotiators has seen much of the world. Air miles aside, they have achieved almost nothing of substance. Diplomats have held talks in Geneva, Istanbul, Baghdad, Moscow, and Almaty. The most recent meeting was in Kazakhstan's biggest city in April 2013.
At times it has been hard to describe the nuclear talks as actual negotiations. More accurately, they have often resembled parallel monologues. But the P5+1 is about to meet a new Iranian team.
Iran's newly appointed Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, replaces Saed Jalili as chief negotiator. Mr Zarif will report directly to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani - himself a former nuclear negotiator.
President Rouhani has been in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, and has been giving interviews to US media.Iranian media has accused CNN of "distorting" comments he made in answer to a question about the Holocaust.
'Everything is possible'Asked about a timeframe for resolving the nuclear issue, President Rouhani told the Washington Post: "The only way forward is for a timeline to be inserted into the negotiations that is short.
"The shorter it is the more beneficial it is to everyone. If it's three months that would be Iran's choice, if it's six months that's still good. It's a question of months not years."
Despite years of hostility between the US and Iran, Mr Rouhani said that if he and President Barack Obama got together they would both be "looking at the future".
"The notes and letters and exchanges between us are in that direction, and they will continue," he said.
"We need a beginning point. I think that is the nuclear issue."
Continue reading the main storySo far the hopes of a thaw in relations between Iran and the West have been based on atmospherics, not substance.”End Quote
Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor He added: "After resolution of the nuclear issue there are no impossibilities in term of advancing other things forward. Everything is possible after the settlement."On Tuesday, Mr Rouhani told the UN General Assembly that he was prepared to engage in "time-bound and results-oriented" talks on the nuclear issue.
Iran has been negotiating with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, since 2006 about its nuclear programme.
The West suspects Tehran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, a claim strongly denied by Iran.
President Obama has welcomed the new Iranian president's more "moderate course".
He said the US wanted to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully, but was determined to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
On Wednesday, Mr Zarif met French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
He said they "had a good discussion about the start of nuclear talks and the talks that will take place tomorrow".
Iran's economy has been badly affected by years of sanctions imposed by the UN and Western countries over the nuclear issue.
Continue reading the main storyCNN translation: "I have said before that I am not a historian personally and that when it comes to speaking of the dimensions of the Holocaust as such, it is the historians that should reflect on it. But in general, I can tell you that any crime or - that happens in history against humanity, including the crime that the Nazis committed towards the Jews, as well as non-Jewish people, is reprehensible and condemnable."
Fars translation: "I have said before that I am not a historian and historians should specify state and explain the aspects of historical events. However, in general, we fully condemn any kind of crime committed against humanity throughout history, including the crime committed by the Nazis both against the Jews and non-Jews."
Tensions were not helped by anti-Israel and anti-Western comments made by the previous president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his time in office - including frequent denials of the Holocaust.CNN's Christiane Amanpour asked Mr Rouhani about his position on the Holocaust.
According to a CNN transcript of the interview, he said: "I have said before that I am not a historian personally and that when it comes to speaking of the dimensions of the Holocaust as such, it is the historians that should reflect on it.
"But in general, I can tell you that any crime or - that happens in history against humanity, including the crime that the Nazis committed towards the Jews, as well as non-Jewish people, is reprehensible and condemnable, as far as we are concerned. And just as even such crimes are - if they are to happen today against any creed or belief system or human being as such, we shall again condemn it."
But Iran's Fars news agency said the president never used the word "Holocaust", and gave its own translation of his comments:
"I have said before that I am not a historian and historians should specify state and explain the aspects of historical events.
"However, in general, we fully condemn any kind of crime committed against humanity throughout history, including the crime committed by the Nazis both against the Jews and non-Jews, the same way that if today any crime is committed against any nation, any religion, any people or any belief, we condemn that crime and genocide."
Taking theatre to the people in York
26 September 2013 Last updated at 01:07 GMT By Ian Youngs Arts reporter, BBC News 
Blood and Chocolate recreates a field hospital in front of Clifford's Tower in York How do you get residents of a city to go to the theatre? Try taking the theatre to the city. That is the idea behind a play that will see a troupe of World War I nurses dancing in the streets of York.
The play features 180 professional and community cast members 
Rehearsals have been taking place in York for three-and-a-half months
Blood and Chocolate recreates a field hospital in front of Clifford's Tower in York How do you get residents of a city to go to the theatre? Try taking the theatre to the city. That is the idea behind a play that will see a troupe of World War I nurses dancing in the streets of York."There's a guy who's just bought a herd of beef cattle."
Director Alan Lane is discussing some of the 180 locals who are in his new play, Blood and Chocolate.
"He's postponed taking ownership of the beef cattle to make sure that he can do the last show.
"There's another guy who's doing the Yorkshire Marathon on the morning of the last show," the director continues.
"He will come from the marathon, which he expects to do in about five hours, and then is going to come and do the show.
"There's another woman who has 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and she dances throughout the show.
"There's a five-year-old girl who's brilliant. There's also a woman who's a chief exec of something… I can't remember now."
The director is trying to prove that the cast of Blood and Chocolate come from every walk of life and are giving their all for this play.
The play features 180 professional and community cast members Lane, artistic director of the Leeds-based Slung Low theatre group, has been thinking a lot about how to make theatre relevant in an age when the value of the arts is being questioned.
"I think it's about making it matter to people," he says. "It matters to these people. They give up an extraordinary amount of time.
"A few people are basically rehearsing, which is a full-time job, while also doing a full-time job.
"But more than that, the show takes place in their city. It doesn't take place in a room hidden away somewhere.
"It takes place right down the middle of their high street, where they might tomorrow be shopping."
For Blood and Chocolate, the 180 professional and community cast members and 600 volunteers in the crew are telling the story of York's chocolate factories, which sent a tin of chocolate to every soldier from the city during World War I.
The play has a script by Mike Kenny, who won an Olivier award for his adaptation of The Railway Children. Audience members will follow the action through the city centre while listening on cordless headphones.
Headphone-wearing crowds will become a regular sight in York over the 18-day run.
Rehearsals have been taking place in York for three-and-a-half months "There were people walking past the other night who saw 54 people dressed as nurses all rehearsing a dance," Lane says.
"We're part of their city. We're part of the fabric, not just offering a service. In order to do the show, we have to close a road for 20 minutes.
"That doesn't sound like very much but it's quite a bloody effort. So that belief and that responsibility are taken very seriously."
A co-production between Slung Low and York's Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre, Blood and Chocolate is trying to build on the success of the 2012 York Mystery Plays, which were seen by 32,000 people and involved a 500-strong cast.
It comes as theatre companies across the country are having to think hard about what they are there for.With funds from the government and local councils shrinking, there is pressure for theatres to do shows cheaper and better and prove their worth - artistically and economically - to residents and politicians.
Playwright Mark Ravenhill recently warned theatre-makers they should contemplate the possibility of the total withdrawal of public funding at some point in the future.
"Nobody is resting on their laurels," Lane says. "They know there are no laurels left. And the good news is, in some places that's making for some really exciting theatre."
The director takes inspiration from a recent campaign that proved people power can sway political decisions - the campaign to stop the sell-off of the nation's forests.
"The government couldn't take them away because people cared too much," Lane says. "That's what saved the forests.
"It wasn't because they could make more money, it was because people [care] about forests. They really like them. And I want people to really like theatre."But I think the first thing we have to do is get a fair reflection of society to see it."
Ticket prices are "ludicrous" and have to come down first, Lane admits. "It's too expensive to go to the theatre.
"When it costs four pints it's too much, and it costs much more than four pints."
(At £18 for an adult, Blood and Chocolate fails Lane's four-pint test. Visitors to Slung Low's regular Leeds headquarters, however, can decide how much to pay after each show.)
Lower prices may help theatre shake off its image as a luxury pastime for certain people, Lane believes.
"I watch an awful lot of theatre and the audiences do not reflect the societies we're working in, in terms of income brackets and ages," he says.
"Our towns and cities are full of very different types of people, and our audiences are not full of those different types of people.
"We're working with many different types of people [on Blood and Chocolate]. Those people will bring their friends to the show, and I'm hoping the audience will reflect that as well."
Blood and Chocolate runs in York from 3 to 20 October.
Peru drugs women pleas 'not enough'
26 September 2013 Last updated at 06:59 GMT 
Michaella McCollum (left) and Melissa Reid were caught with £1.5m of cocaine at Lima airport Prosecutors in Peru are objecting to the guilty pleas by two UK women caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru.
Michaella McCollum (left) and Melissa Reid were caught with £1.5m of cocaine at Lima airport Prosecutors in Peru are objecting to the guilty pleas by two UK women caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru.Michaella McCollum, of Dungannon, County Tyrone, and Melissa Reid, of Lenzie, near Glasgow, admitted on Tuesday to smuggling drugs.
Prosecutor Juan Rosas told the AFP news agency they needed to provide more information to get reduced sentences.
He said he would ask for another hearing to allow them to make a more complete confession.
The women, who face up to 15 years in prison, hope their admission of guilt will bring their sentences down to six years and eight months.
But Mr Rosas said the two women needed to explain why they initially claimed they were coerced by a gang of armed men.
He described their initial version of events as "unbelievable" and added that it had "not yet been examined".
'Kidnapped at gunpoint'A spokesman for the prosecutors' office in Callao, where Tuesday's plea hearing took place, said: "The two drug mules' guilty pleas have not been fully accepted, as far as the prosecutor is concerned, until they give more details.
"They will be asked to give another statement before the judge explaining where the drugs came from, who supplied them and why they said they had been forced to carry them by an armed gang."
The spokesman said a date was still to be set for a new hearing.
McCollum and Reid, both 20, were stopped at Lima airport in August on their way to Spain carrying cocaine, said to be worth £1.5m, hidden inside food packets.
The women had reportedly told the Peruvian authorities they were working in Ibiza and did not meet before they were both kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to travel to Majorca.
They claimed they were then sent to Peru and forced to carry the drugs in their luggage.
But on Tuesday, at a closed hearing in Lima, they admitted the offences, and were told they would be sentenced on 1 October.
By pleading guilty they sought to reduce the minimum sentence of eight years by a sixth, down to six years and eight months without the possibility of parole.
Your pictures: Upside down
26 September 2013 Last updated at 08:11 GMT
Readers' photos on the theme of upside down
Mourning for victims of attack in Nairobi
24 hours of news photos: 25 September
A powerful earthquake in remote south-west
Humayun's Tomb in the Indian capital
Gun battle at a shopping centre in Kenya's capital
24 hours of news photos: 24 September
Award winners in Los Angeles
24 hours of news photos: 23 September
Elections in the war-ravaged north
Taxpayers 'ripped off' on broadband
26 September 2013 Last updated at 08:57 GMT By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter 
Rural dwellers say they want the same broadband speeds as those living in cities The taxpayer is being "ripped off" over the cost of rolling out broadband to rural areas of the UK, MPs have said.
BT has rolled out superfast broadband in Cornwall, using existing telephone wires
Rural dwellers say they want the same broadband speeds as those living in cities The taxpayer is being "ripped off" over the cost of rolling out broadband to rural areas of the UK, MPs have said.The Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says the government "mismanaged" the project by awarding all 26 rural broadband contracts to BT.
It also said BT had "exploited its quasi-monopoly position" as the main provider.
The government defended the process as fair, while BT said it was "disturbed" by the claims which were "wrong".
'Failed to deliver'Making sure that those living in the countryside get broadband speeds comparable to those living in towns and cities has long been something the government has grappled with.
Commercial firms such as Virgin Media and BT see little profit in rolling out services to areas with few people living in them.
Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said taxpayers had been ''fleeced''So, as an incentive, the government provided a subsidy pot of £230m, with an extra £250m available after 2015, and awarded contracts on a county-by-county basis. Each county also contributed funds to bring superfast broadband to their areas.
But only Fujitsu and BT entered the bidding competition, with Fujitsu later withdrawing.
BT has so far been chosen in 26 counties and is expected to win the 18 remaining contracts. The company has said it will commit £2.5bn to the project.
The report by the PAC criticised the government's management of the project: "The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's design of the rural broadband programme has failed to deliver the intended competition for contracts, with the result that BT has strengthened its already strong position in the market."
It said that its contract terms were "overly generous" to BT and did not "promote value for money".
It also accused the department of failing to check that BT's bids were reasonably priced and said there had been "wildly inaccurate" estimates of costs.
Continue reading the main story Denmark plans to have 100 megabits per second to all by 2020 Estonia wants 100Mbps for everyone by 2015France plans almost universal coverage at 100Mbps by 2020Germany expects to have around 70% coverage at 50Mbps by 2014Greece wants 100% of citizens to have access to 30Mbps by 2020Ireland plans 100Mbps for all by 2020Italy wants to see half of its citizens have access to 100Mbps by 2020The UK's target is 90% coverage by 2017 but at the lower speed of 24Mbps"Local authorities are contributing over £230m more to the programme than the department assumed in its 2011 business case and BT over £200m less, yet BT will ultimately benefit from £1.2bn of public funding," the report said.Margaret Hodge, the committee chair, added: "The taxpayer has been ripped off with £1.2bn going to the shareholders of BT."
She said: "If you (the government) had devised it differently, had bigger areas for the contracts so you could spread your costs more, allowed different technologies to be used and insisted on a 100% coverage, we would have found other people in the game and I bet we would have spent less of the taxpayers money."
Media minister Ed Vaizey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the costs were "not out of control" and said BT was "putting up more than a third of the costs of rural broadband".
"BT is delivering under our scheme to up to 10,000 homes now; it will deliver to millions of people over the next two years with the best value for money, government-sponsored broadband scheme you will pretty much find anywhere in the world."
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said the broadband programme is ''very good value for money''He said only BT and Virgin had the infrastructure to roll out the broadband, and that Virgin did not want to open their cable up for other companies to use whereas many companies use BT.
'Transparent from start'BT was further criticised in the report for failing to provide local authorities with full information about where exactly it would roll out superfast broadband services, which in turn hampered rivals from drawing up alternatives.
And it was criticised for including a clause in its contract that prevented the local authority it was dealing with from disclosing the costs involved to other authorities negotiating contracts.
This lack of transparency meant the company "exploited its quasi-monopoly position" to limit access to both the wholesale and retail market "to the detriment of the consumer", concluded the report.
BT said it was disturbed by the report, "which we believe is simply wrong and fails to take on board a point-by-point correction we sent to the committee several weeks ago".
It added: "We have been transparent from the start and willing to invest when others have not.
"It is therefore mystifying that we are being criticised for accepting onerous terms in exchange for public subsidy - terms which drove others away."
It denied it had failed to deliver value for money for the taxpayer and said that, even with the public subsidies, it would take it 15 years to pay back its investment in rural broadband.
"Rolling out fibre is an expensive and complex business," it said.
BT has rolled out superfast broadband in Cornwall, using existing telephone wires The report recommended the government should, as a matter of urgency, publish BT's detailed rollout plans so other suppliers could offer services to the final 10% of the population that would not be covered under current plans.
'EU failures'It said the DCMS should not spend any more money until "it has developed approaches to secure proper competition and value for money".
In 2011, then Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced 90% of premises in every local authority area of the UK should have access to internet speeds above 24 megabits per second by May 2015, with a minimum of 2Mbps for others.
The process has suffered huge delays and is due to be completed in 2017, nearly two years later than planned.
But, according to Ovum analyst Matthew Howett, the delays were more down to the EU's failure to approve the scheme rather than to the UK government.
"The challenges of deploying to the most rural and remote areas of the UK shouldn't be underestimated and you have to wonder whether there are many providers other than BT who would've been able to overcome some of the engineering challenges," he said.
"If we could roll out rural broadband using reports, inquiries and investigations, the UK would probably have the fastest broadband in the world."
Europe's key animals 'recovering'
26 September 2013 Last updated at 09:29 GMT By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service Frans Schepers and Davor Krmpotic from Rewilding Europe explain why bears are doing well in CroatiaSome of Europe's key animals have made a comeback over the past 50 years, a report suggests. 
Wolves have fared well in Europe after many centuries of decline 
The northern chamois has increased in abundance and distribution
Conservationists say species such as bears, wolves, lynx, eagles and vultures have increased in numbers.
They believe that protection, curbs on hunting and people moving away from rural areas and into cities have helped Europe's wildlife to recover.
The analysis was carried out by the Zoological Society of London, Birdlife and the European Bird Census Council.
The report was commissioned by the conservation group Rewilding Europe.
Frans Schepers, the organisation's director, said: "People have this general picture of Europe that we've lost all our nature and our wildlife.
"And I think what the rest of the world can learn from this is that conservation actually works. If we have the resources, a proper strategy, if we use our efforts, it actually works."
Continue reading the main story Over the past few centuries, animals in Europe have not fared well. Hunting, habitat loss, and pollution have sent animals into decline.But this report marks a reversal in fortunes.
The researchers looked at 18 mammals and 19 bird species found across Europe.
They found that all, apart from the Iberian lynx, had increased in abundance from the 1960s.The largest increases were for the European bison, the Eurasian beaver, the white-headed duck, some populations of the pink-footed goose and the barnacle goose. These had all increased by more than 3,000% during the past five decades.
For top predators such as the brown bear, numbers have doubled. And for the grey wolf, which saw serious losses in the past, populations have climbed by 30%.
For mammals, the comeback was largest in the south and west of Europe, and their range had increased on average by about 30%. The average range of the birds remained stable.
Wolves have fared well in Europe after many centuries of decline Mr Schepers said: "The wildlife comeback actually started after World War II in the 1950s and 1960s. Compared to the numbers in the 1600s and 1700s, it's still at a very low level, but it's coming back."
Global view
The researchers believe a combination of factors have been driving this return.
Legal protection in the European Union, such as the birds directive and habitats directive, had helped to revive the fortunes of species, as had dedicated conservation schemes, said Mr Schepers.
And while some animals are still hunted in parts of Europe, there are often limits on the number that can be killed.
"It is also because people are leaving the countryside, which leaves more space for wildlife," said Mr Schepers.
The recovery of some species, particularly large predators, has raised concerns. In France, for example, where wolves have recently returned, farmers are concerned that their livestock is at risk.
The northern chamois has increased in abundance and distribution The report warns that this could be a growing problem, but suggests that governments should put in place compensation schemes to offset any losses for farmers. It also says that rural communities could benefit from more animals, as ecotourism could offer a boost to local economies.
The finding is surprising when seen in the global context, where biodiversity is in continuing decline.
Continue reading the main storyFor a lot of these species, where we have seen the gains, we might lose them again if we are not careful”End Quote Prof Jonathan Baillie Zoological Society of London Prof Jonathan Baillie, director of conservation at the Zoological Society of London, said: "We're trying to find success stories so we can learn from them, so we can see what works and scale that up across the conservation movement globally.
"And it is really important that we focus on success and where we are winning.
"But there are massive challenges out there globally. And we have to realise that the threats that Europe creates are not just within our borders, it's internationally, and that we are having an impact on the 60% decline we're seeing in low income countries around the world."
He also warned that Europe's wildlife was at a pivotal moment.
"We just have to be aware that into the future there will be increasing pressure for food production and so on within Europe," he said.
"And for a lot of these species, where we have seen the gains, we might lose them again if we are not careful. So it's our job to keep our eye on the ball."
VIDEO: The man who makes £100,000 watches
During his lifetime, George Daniels was considered by many to be the finest watchmaker - or horologist - in the world.
Working from his studio in the Isle of Man, Daniels is claimed to be the first person in history to make every component of a watch from scratch and by hand. The timepieces he painstakingly produced were said to be among the most extraordinary and technically advanced watches ever made.
Daniels died in 2011, bequeathing his entire workshop to his apprentice Roger W. Smith who continues what is known as the Daniels method of handmaking watches. Smith started his own studio in 2001, and now produces around 10 watches every year.
Each of the watches - prices for which start at £95,000 - takes more than six months for a single watchmaker to create by hand.
BBC News went to the Isle of Man to find out more about the pursuit of watchmaking perfection.
Video journalist: Neil Meads
Real Time is a series for the BBC News website in which ordinary people tell their own extraordinary stories.
VIDEO: 'Why I chose a double mastectomy'
When actress Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of genetic breast cancer, she helped make other women aware of the dangers.
Cancer Research UK says it now receives four times the number of enquiries from women concerned that they might be carrying the gene which would make them more likely to develop the disease.
News of Angelina Jolie's operation became public in May. It was around then that another woman, Bobbie Lamden, was preparing for her own surgery.
Graham Satchell went to meet her.
Six strangled in Salvadoran prison
25 September 2013 Last updated at 09:37 GMT 
Riot police were deployed to the jail after the murders came to light Six inmates, two of them minors, have been strangled to death in a prison in El Salvador, officials say.
Riot police were deployed to the jail after the murders came to light Six inmates, two of them minors, have been strangled to death in a prison in El Salvador, officials say.Police said they belonged to the Mara Salvatrucha gang, an international criminal group which engages in extortion, racketeering and drug trafficking.
Prison officials believe the murders were a carefully planned settling of scores between gang members.
Extra police have been drafted in to patrol the jail in Tonacatepeque.
'Pre-meditated attack'According to prison director Irma Mejia, the killings happened after the inmates had been celebrating Prisoners' Day but before they returned to their cells.
Inmates called the guards telling them the six had been taken ill, but when the guards arrived, the victims were already dead, Ms Mejia said.
The victims were serving sentences for crimes including extortion and murder.
Prison officials said they suspected their deaths had been ordered by gang leaders serving time in another prison.
They said it had been planned to coincide with Prisoners' Day festivities as the victims would have been drunk and therefore easier targets.
The mother of one of the victims, who was among the relatives attending the event, said it was not unusual for prisoners to drink.
"They always take alcoholic drinks, that's normal, but my son wasn't drunk, just the usual," she told the local press.
Prisons in El Salvador are notoriously overcrowded and violent as thousands of members of the country's notorious Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street gangs await trial or serve their sentences.
The two gangs signed a truce in March 2012 but there is fear it may be crumbling, with gang-related murders on the increase in recent months.
VIDEO: Clams give clues to global warming
The latest report from the United Nations climate panel - being prepared for release on Friday - will draw on a wide range of research into how temperatures have changed.
Thermometers provide the most reliable record but only for the past century or so.
To look further back, scientists use indicators from the natural world such as the patterns of growth revealed by tree rings.
One team of marine researchers, at Bangor University in north Wales, has even turned to clams to find out about the past climate.
The molluscs can live for hundreds of years, as our science editor David Shukman has been finding out.
Savings 'empty' in Nationwide glitch
26 September 2013 Last updated at 09:03 GMT 
Many banks and building societies have sporadic problems with their online services Online service problems at Nationwide led to some customers' accounts incorrectly being shown as empty.
Many banks and building societies have sporadic problems with their online services Online service problems at Nationwide led to some customers' accounts incorrectly being shown as empty.The building society said that the issue was now resolved and apologised to customers for the inconvenience.
Customers reported problems on Thursday morning after checking savings and current accounts. In some cases the account appeared not to exist or was displayed as empty.
Nationwide is the biggest building society in the UK.
It is not alone in reporting problems with online services. Numerous banks and building societies have suffered problems with online services in recent years, many of which are based on old technology.
Social media was awash with Nationwide customers saying they were unable to access accounts online or on the mobile banking app.
A Nationwide spokesman said services in branches and cash machines were unaffected throughout.
"Some of our customers were unable to access their accounts this morning due to a technical issue. This has now been fixed and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused," he said.
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