Top Navy officer tapped to lead NSA

30 January 2014 Last updated at 17:15 ET

President Barack Obama will nominate Vice-Adm Michael Rogers as the new head of the US electronic spying agency, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said.

He will replace Gen Keith Alexander at the helm of the National Security Agency (NSA), and also as head of the US military cyber command.

The NSA has been rocked in recent months by revelations about its spying.

Ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, now a fugitive in Russia, has shared reams of internal documents with journalists.

Reforms ahead

The documents have shed new light on the NSA's electronic spying operations and on its co-operation with its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters.

Among other revelations, the documents showed the NSA collected data on millions of phone calls, collected millions of text messages per day, tapped the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, sought to collect intelligence by spying on users' mobile apps, and more.

Vice-Adm Rogers will take over in March from Air Force Gen Keith Alexander, who has been in the job nine years.

Gen Alexander has defended the NSA's practices against an often sceptical media and US public, saying they are necessary to keep the US safe.

Part of Vice-Adm Rogers's task will be to oversee a series of reforms ordered by Mr Obama in the wake of Mr Snowden's leaks and the subsequent outcry.

This month, Mr Obama ordered the agency narrowly to curb the collection of telephone metadata and said the data could only be accessed with a court's permission or in a "true emergency".

He asked the attorney general and the intelligence community to draw up plans for metadata to be held by a third party.

He also ordered the agency to cease monitoring the communications of friendly heads of state.

'Leadership and expertise'

In nominating Vice-Adm Rogers both to lead the NSA and the military cyber command, Mr Obama has rejected the recommendations of an expert panel he convened, which said the two roles should be split.

That five-person panel also said in December that Mr Obama should consider naming a civilian to lead the NSA.

Vice-Adm Rogers, a trained cryptologist and 30-year veteran of the Navy, currently commands its 10th Fleet and the Navy's cyber command.

"He has already demonstrated his leadership and deep expertise in this critical domain," Mr Hagel said.

In a nod to the ongoing debate over the NSA's authority, Mr Hagel said he was "confident that Admiral Rogers has the wisdom to help balance the demands of security, privacy, and liberty in our digital age".

While the president can unilaterally appoint an NSA director, Vice-Adm Rogers will need to be confirmed by the Senate in order to be promoted to full admiral and take over the military cyber command.

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US economy growing at 3.2% a year

30 January 2014 Last updated at 10:25 ET

The US economy grew at a 3.2% annual rate for the final quarter of 2013, according to the country's Commerce Department.

Many predict that 2014 will produce the strongest growth since the end of the US recession in mid-2009.

Optimism over the health of the world's largest economy led to a further easing of the Federal Reserve's stimulus measures on Wednesday.

The Fed said it would cut monthly bond purchases by $10bn (£6bn) to $65bn.

Its bond-buying programme was designed to inject life into the economy and keep long-term interest rates low.

The US central bank had said this week that growth in economic activity had picked up since December.

It also said that consumer spending had boosted overall growth prospects.

Growth

Bill Blain - chief strategist at investors, Mint Partners, told the BBC that Thursday's numbers were encouraging.

"These figures are as expected and demonstrate that the US economy is recovering, it is strengthening. Many of the problems which were troubling the US economy such as a government slowdown are in the past, and we can think of this now as a sustained growth."

However, Mr Blain said that growth driven by consumer spending could cause pause for thought.

"We have to ask if the consumer boom is to continue, and if it is sustainable" he said.

'Cash-strapped'

"There are a lot of cash-strapped middle class people in America, and if interest rates do go up, we could see consumers struggle as they try and meet those potentially higher rates."

The latest GDP figure is the first of three estimates that will be made by the Commerce Department. For the whole of the 2013 period, the Commerce Department said that the US economy grew by 1.9%. that was far below the 2.8% expansion seen in 2012.

Spending cuts and higher federal taxes were considered to have restricted overall growth in 2013.

The economy grew by 0.8% in the fourth quarter of last year compared with the third quarter.

This figure is in line with economists' expectations.

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US nuclear force cheating ring grows

30 January 2014 Last updated at 14:48 ET

Nearly one in five of the US Air Force's nuclear missile officers are now implicated in a widening test cheating scandal, a top official says.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters 92 out of 500 officers were embroiled in the investigation.

They are accused of cheating in monthly proficiency tests, with some staff texting answers while others failed to report the infractions.

Ms James described the nuclear force as suffering from "systemic problems".

'Stress and fear'

Officials initially said two weeks ago that 34 officers were implicated at Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana. The ranks include captains.

Continue reading the main story

• October 2013 - Maj Gen Michael Carey, a two-star general in the 20th Air Force, is sacked after accusations of drunken misconduct
• October 2013 - US Navy Vice-Adm Tim Giardina is removed as deputy head of US Strategic Command and investigated for illegal gambling
• August 2013 - the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base fails a safety test, and its commander is relieved of duty
• May 2013 - The US Air Force temporarily strips 17 officers at Minot base in North Dakota of their nuclear watch authority following a poor grade in a missile launch test.
• October 2007 - The air force relieves several officers of their duties after a B-52 bomber was mistakenly flown across the US loaded with nuclear-armed missiles

Following a tour of nuclear bases around the country, Ms James told reporters on Thursday: "I heard repeatedly from teammates that the need for perfection has created a climate of undue stress and fear."

She reiterated that despite the cheating allegations, the weapons were in safe hands.

"I remain confident - and having gone there to our bases last week, even more confident - in the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of the nuclear mission," she said.

Cheating allegations first emerged during investigations into alleged drug use by personnel at other bases.

In the wake of the revelations, the Air Force announced the entire team at the base would be re-tested.

It is the latest scandal to hit the US Air Force and nuclear missile force.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a high-level review of the US nuclear forces last week, saying he was "deeply concerned" about morale and discipline among nuclear officers, while insisting that US nuclear arms were safe.

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Execution sought for Boston bombings

30 January 2014 Last updated at 15:15 ET

The US government says it will seek the death penalty against Boston Marathon bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement: "The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision."

Seventeen of 30 charges against the 20-year-old - including using a weapon of mass destruction to kill - carry the possibility of capital punishment.

The bombings killed three and injured more than 260 in April 2013.

Mr Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty and no trial date has been set.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Tsarnaev and his deceased older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, built and planted two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the marathon.

The brothers lived in the Massachusetts town of Cambridge, home of the prestigious Harvard University, after emigrating to the US in 2002 from the Caucasus region of southern Russia.

Officials believe they set off the bombs in retaliation against the US for its military action in Muslim countries.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout with police days after the bombing. The younger brother was wounded and was eventually found inside a boat in a residential neighbourhood.

Prosecutors allege Mr Tsarnaev wrote about his motivation for the bombing on the inside of the boat.

He allegedly wrote the US government was killing "our innocent civilians" and "I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished".

Mr Tsarnaev is also charged with killing a university police officer and carjacking.

He will be charged under the federal death penalty law; Massachusetts abolished the use of capital punishment in 1984.

Since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988, 70 people convicted have been placed on death row.

But only three people have actually been executed, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 2001.

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Woman dies as escalator tugs scarf

30 January 2014 Last updated at 15:19 ET

A commuter has died after her scarf got snagged in an escalator at a Montreal Metro station and strangled her.

The unidentified 48-year-old woman was found dead at the bottom of the moving staircase at Fabre station in the north of the Canadian city.

Her hair was also apparently caught in the escalator in Thursday morning's incident.

Montreal police said they would work with the coroner's office to determine the circumstances of the fatality.

Police spokesman Jean-Pierre Brabant told reporters: "What we know now is that the woman's scarf was caught in the escalator.

"When she bent over to try to get the scarf out, her hair was also caught."

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Twenty-term US congressman to retire

30 January 2014 Last updated at 15:50 ET

Leading Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman has announced his retirement after 40 years in office.

Mr Waxman, who first ran for federal office in 1974, said he would leave Congress at the end of the year.

The California politician formerly chaired the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and pushed for clean air initiatives.

He also helped craft President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul, the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare".

"Today, I am announcing that I have run my last campaign. I will not seek re-election to the Congress," Mr Waxman wrote in a statement on Thursday.

The Democrat, who was also a force in the expansion of Medicaid, a federal health programme for poor Americans, lost his committee chair seat in 2011 after Republicans took control of the House.

"Henry will leave behind a legacy as an extraordinary public servant and one of the most accomplished legislators of his or any era," Mr Obama wrote on Thursday in a statement released by the White House.

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US school confiscates pupils' meals

30 January 2014 Last updated at 19:13 ET

School officials in the US state of Utah have apologised after an employee confiscated and discarded the lunches of about 30 children whose parents were said to be in arrears on meal payments.

Outraged parents in Salt Lake City said the students at Uintah Elementary primary school had been humiliated.

The school system has launched an inquiry into the Tuesday incident, blamed on a sole "nutrition manager".

The children whose meals were put in the rubbish were given fruit and milk.

"This was a mistake. This was handled wrong,'' Jason Olsen, a spokesman for the Salt Lake City school system said on Thursday.

According to Salt Lake City school officials, on Monday a nutrition manager arrived at Uintah Elementary to investigate what it described as a high number of negative balances on the accounts students use to pay for lunches prepared and served by the school.

The nutrition manager and another school employee began calling parents with negative balances in an effort to recoup payment, the school system said.

Then, on Tuesday, students who had queued up and were served lunch only to arrive at the tills and show negative balances were told to give back the lunches.

'Bullying'

The lunches were thrown in the rubbish, because once food is served it cannot be given to another student, the school officials said.

"People are upset, obviously, by the way this has been handled because it's really needless and quite mean," said parent Erica Lukes, whose 11-year-old daughter reported that her pizza had been taken away.

And some parents reported their accounts were not, in fact, in arrears, and the official had made a mistake.

Mr Olsen told the Salt Lake City Tribune the district believed the nutrition manager made the decision to throw out the lunches but an investigation was ongoing.

On Thursday, two Utah state senators vowed to address the school policies if the school officials failed to.

"I get that the school needs to be paid," said Senator Todd Weiler. "But this was bullying."

School in other states have taken similar actions. In the last year, students in Massachusetts, Indiana, Maine and Kentucky had lunches taken from them and discarded.

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Republicans outline migrant reform

30 January 2014 Last updated at 21:59 ET

Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives have circulated a list of immigration reform proposals, opening a contentious debate within the party and with the Democrat-led Senate.

They back citizenship for illegal immigrants who arrived as children, and lesser legal status for other groups.

The document does not appear to go as far as a bill passed by the Senate.

It is seen as a recognition by Republican leaders they must do more to win over Hispanic voters.

The document, released during a House Republican retreat on Thursday, was greeted sceptically by conservative Republicans in the House rank-and-file and the Senate and by Democrats and liberals who demand an easier path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Outreach to Hispanics

The one-page document is a shift from previous Republican positions on immigration, notably in that it backs ways for some of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US to gain some sort of legal status.

Analysts say it represents the start of the party's effort to win support from Hispanic voters, a fast-growing voting bloc that in recent years has overwhelmingly backed the Democrats.

The document, described in Washington DC as a statement of principles, backs a mechanism for "people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law", but without a "special path to citizenship".

Analysts say that vague statement would set the Republicans against the Democratic-backed Senate bill, which would create a way for undocumented immigrants to pay fines and eventually gain citizenship.

"Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families," the statement says.

They would not have access to "public benefits".

Children brought to the US illegally would be able to apply for citizenship after finishing university or serving in the US military.

Republicans also insist on stricter border enforcement and reinforced controls before any immigrant can move towards legalisation.

The outline also includes "a zero tolerance policy" for those who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas in the future.

Among other measures, the party would allocate more visas to workers in high skilled fields.

Although it merely opened what is expected to be a long round of negotiations with the Senate, House Speaker John Boehner said the document represented as far as the party was willing to go on immigration.

'Half-measures' rejected

The bill passed by the Senate in June would create a path to citizenship for many more immigrants, a start-up visa for foreign entrepreneurs, and new visa programmes for low-skilled workers and the agricultural sector.

"While these standards are certainly not everything we would agree with, they leave a real possibility that Democrats and Republicans, in both the House and Senate, can in some way come together and pass immigration reform that both sides can accept," Senator Chuck Schumer, who helped draft the Senate bill, said of the Republican statement.

Other advocates were not impressed by the Republican shift.

Richard Trumka, president of AFL-CIO, America's largest labour union, called it "a flimsy document that only serves to underscore the callous attitude Republicans have toward our nation's immigrants".

"Half-measures that would create a permanent class of non-citizens without access to green cards should be condemned, not applauded," he said in a statement.

And not all Republicans were supportive of the guidelines.

Senator Jeff Sessions has urged Congress to "end lawlessness, not surrender to it".

And Congressman Jason Smith of Missouri said his constituents "definitely have big concerns about legalisation".

Others in the party are wary of taking up immigration at all during a mid-term election year, when all House members and one-third of the Senate are up for re-election.

"This is really a suicide mission for the Republican Party," Louisiana Representative John Fleming said. "While we're winning in the polls... why in the world do we want to go out and change the subject."

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Knox 'frightened' by murder ruling

31 January 2014 Last updated at 04:20 ET

US student Amanda Knox says she is "frightened and saddened" after a court in Italy reinstated her guilty verdict for the 2007 murder of her British flatmate Meredith Kercher.

Knox, who is currently in the US, was sentenced to 28 years and six months.

Her Italian ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, also had his guilty verdict reinstated and received 25 years. He was "struck dumb", his lawyer said.

The Kercher family lawyer said that justice had been done.

Lawyers for both Knox and Sollecito have said they will appeal to the supreme Court of Cassation.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

This re-running of the appeal process was ordered by Italy's highest court, whose judges had demolished the grounds for Knox and Sollecito's acquittals.

And so there was a sense that the momentum was with the prosecution as this latest appeal began. Now that it has secured a conviction, an eventual attempt to extradite Knox is a possibility.

But her legal team would fight it with everything it had.

Most people in Italy would find it very difficult indeed to imagine the US authorities one day putting Amanda Knox on a plane and sending her back here to spend much of the rest of her life in jail.

As part of Thursday's ruling, Knox and Sollecito were also ordered to pay damages to the family of Miss Kercher, whose brother Lyle and sister Stephanie were in the courtroom in Florence.

Speaking soon after, Lyle Kercher said: "It's hard to feel anything at the moment because we know it will go to a further appeal. No matter what the verdict was, it never was going to be a case of celebrating anything."

Their lawyer, Francesco Maresca, called the verdict "justice for Meredith and the family".

'Out of hand'

Sollecito's lawyer, Luca Maori, said his client had heard the verdict on TV and looked "annihilated".

"There isn't a shred of proof," Mr Maori said.

Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon in south London, was stabbed to death in the flat she shared with Knox in the college city of Perugia.

Knox and Sollecito, 29, were jailed for her murder in 2009 but the verdicts were overturned in 2011 and the pair were freed.

Continue reading the main story

Kercher murder: Timeline

• 1 Nov 07: Meredith Kercher found murdered in her shared flat in Perugia
• 28 Oct 08: Guede jailed after being found guilty of murder
• 4 Dec 09: Knox and Sollecito jailed after being found guilty of murder and sexual violence
• 3 Oct 11: Knox and Sollecito acquitted on appeal
• 26 March 13: Italy's top court overturns acquittals and severely criticises the appeal hearing
• 30 Sept 13: Re-trial of Knox and Sollecito. Guilty verdict returned on 31 January 2014

However, the acquittals were themselves overturned last year by the Court of Cassation, which returned the case to the Florence court.

The Court of Cassation will now hear the defendants' appeals.

In Italy, verdicts are not considered final until they are confirmed, usually by the Court of Cassation.

Legal experts say it is unlikely Italy will request Knox's extradition until then.

In a statement issued after the verdict, Knox, 26, said: "I am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict.

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Speaking before the verdicts emerged, Amanda Knox said she was "a marked person"

"Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system."

She added: "There has always been a marked lack of evidence. My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution. This has gotten out of hand."

Knox, who is currently studying for a degree in creative writing at the University of Washington, followed the court proceedings from her hometown of Seattle.

After 12 hours of deliberation, the verdicts were delivered by presiding judge Alessando Nencini, who ordered that Sollecito's passport should be revoked.

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The verdict is the third in the case

Sollecito had been in court earlier on Thursday but left before the verdicts were delivered.

The judge made no requests for limits on Knox's movements.

Legal experts say that if Italy requests extradition, the US would have to decide whether the case fell under the nations' extradition treaty. Political considerations could also come into play, they say.

Continue reading the main story

Will US extradite Amanda Knox?

Taylor Brown BBC News, Washington

---

Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University in Washington DC, says that whether or not Knox is extradited to Italy is a question of the request's legal basis and America's political interest in the case.

Once Italy makes a request, the US will have to decide whether it falls under their extradition treaty.

While there is "no reason to think the US has a specific interest" in blocking her extradition, Mr Vladeck says, countries can effectively stand in the way with a variety of "creative" interpretations of extradition treaties.

If the US does grant Italy's request, Knox can fight her extradition in a US court, citing among other things international human rights law.

US Senator Maria Cantwell, from Knox's home state of Washington, said she was "very concerned and disappointed'' by the verdict and confident that the appeal would re-examine the decision.

"It is very troubling that Amanda and her family have had to endure this process for so many years,'' she said in a statement.

Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast has already been convicted of Miss Kercher's murder at an earlier trial, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. That verdict specified that he did not commit the crime alone.

Prosecutors sought to prove Miss Kercher had died in a sex game involving Knox and Sollecito that went wrong.

They have since alleged that the murder resulted from a heated argument over cleanliness in the Perugia apartment.

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Canada 'spied on airport travellers'

31 January 2014 Last updated at 06:25 ET

Canada's electronic spy agency collected data from travellers passing through a major airport, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reports.

The CSEC collected information captured from unsuspecting passengers' wireless devices by the airport's free wi-fi system over two-weeks, the report says.

The revelations come from documents leaked by Edward Snowden, CBC says.

The CSEC is prohibited by law from targeting Canadians or anyone in Canada without an appropriate warrant.

Its primary mission is to collect foreign intelligence by intercepting overseas phone and internet traffic.

The CSEC (Communications Security Establishment Canada), in a statement to CBC, reiterated that it is "mandated to collect foreign signals to protect Canada and Canadians.

"And in order to fulfil that key foreign intelligence role for the country, CSEC is legally authorised to collect and analyse metadata."

Metadata is the information about a communication - such as the date and location of a call or email - rather than the details of what was actually said or written.

'Hot spots'

The leaked document indicates the 2012 passenger tracking operation was a trial run of a powerful new software programme being developed jointly with the US's National Security Agency (NSA), CBC reports.

It is now fully operational, CBC News quotes sources as saying.

Experts told the broadcaster that information captured from travellers' devices would have enabled the agency to track them for a week or more as they showed up in other wi-fi "hot spots" around Canada, such as other airports, hotels or restaurants.

Such was the volume of data that CSEC could even track the travellers' movements back to the days before they arrived at the airport, the experts say.

The document does not specify which airport was targeted or explain how CSEC was able to access the data.

Two airports - Vancouver and Toronto - and Boingo, an independent supplier of wi-fi services at other Canadian airports, have denied any involvement in supplying wi-fi information.

Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, is currently living in Russia having fled the US in May 2013 after leaking thousands of documents that revealed extensive internet and phone surveillance by the US and other intelligence services.

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'Tainted melon' farmers sentenced

28 January 2014 Last updated at 16:28 ET

The owners of a Colorado cantaloupe farm linked to a 2011 food poisoning outbreak which killed 33 people and sickened 147 have been sentenced to six months of home detention.

Brothers Eric, 37, and Ryan, 33, Jensen received five years' probation and were each ordered to pay $150,000 (£90,467).

In October, they pleaded guilty to six counts of adulteration of a food.

Inadequately washed melons caused an outbreak of listeriosis which stretched from California to Virginia.

'Look of terror'

The Jensens had faced up to six years in prison and $1.5m in fines in connection with the 2011 outbreak.

Relatives of the victims spoke in court prior to sentencing on Tuesday, describing the ailments their loved ones suffered.

"The look of terror on his face still gives me nightmares," Patricia Hauser said of her husband Michael, who died what she described as an agonising death.

Judge Magistrate Michael Hegarty said he would not sentence the Jensens to prison so that they could continue working to support their families and pay restitution.

The Jensens already filed for bankruptcy, US media report.

A US Food and Drug Administration inquiry found Jensen Farms installed a new cantaloupe cleaning system - designed to clean potatoes - in 2011.

The system included a chlorine spray meant to sterilise the melons, which was never used.

As a result, their farm sent at least six shipments of contaminated cantaloupe to 28 states.

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Billionaire apologises for Nazi slur

28 January 2014 Last updated at 09:30 ET

A leading venture capitalist has apologised for comparing a row about free buses for tech workers in Silicon Valley to the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany.

It follows a month of protests in San Francisco over what some residents see as the negative impact of tech workers.

In an open letter to the Wall Street Journal, Tom Perkins described a "rising tide of hatred" of the rich.

His comments were criticised on Twitter.

In the letter Mr Perkins, who is a billionaire, said: "I would call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to its war on its '1%', namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American 1%, namely the 'rich'.

"This is a very dangerous drift in our American thinking. Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930; is its descendant "progressive" radicalism unthinkable now?" he added.

He later said he regretted using the word Kristallnacht but his message about a new type of class warfare remained true.

Kristallnacht - also referred to as night of broken glass - was a series of attacks against Jews in November 1938.

Mr Perkins, who headed up venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers before his retirement, was condemned by his old firm, which tweeted: "We were shocked by his views... and do not agree".

Shuttle stops

The protests over the way tech workers commute to their jobs began in December when a bus taking people to Google's campus had its window smashed by activists.

Similar protests have been held at bus stops around the city, with protesters complaining an influx of rich technology workers is driving up costs in the city.

The buses have become a symbol of such gentrification.

"Big tech exploits San Francisco's cultural diversity and public infrastructure to lure workers here," said the Heart of the City collective, which has organised the protests, in its own open letter also published this week.

"Real estate speculators capitalise on the influx of high-wage earners by evicting long-time residents to rent units at inflated rates, commanding up to 20% more around tech shuttle stops," it added.

It is demanding that tech companies fund affordable housing initiatives and public transit service improvements.

The tech firms based in Silicon Valley, including Google, Twitter and Apple, use the buses to take about 17,000 people to and from the area each day.

Those behind the scheme say such buses ease congestion on already clogged roads in the city.

To ease the tensions, San Francisco's transport agency has imposed fees and restrictions on the shuttle buses.

The bus operators will have to pay $1 (60p) per stop per shuttle, netting an average of between $80,000 and $100,000 per operator each year.

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Obama tribute to folk singer Seeger

28 January 2014 Last updated at 11:46 ET

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A look back at Pete Seeger's music career

US President Obama has paid tribute to the American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, who has died following a short illness at the age of 94.

"Once called 'America's tuning fork', Pete Seeger believed deeply in the power of song," said Mr Obama.

"But more importantly, he believed in the power of community.

"To stand up for what's right, speak out against what's wrong, and move this country closer to the America he knew we could be."

Seeger died at New York hospital, his grandson said.

His songs included Turn! Turn! Turn! and If I Had A Hammer.

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In 2009, he was at a gala concert in the US capital ahead of President Obama's inauguration as president.

In his tribute, the president praised Seeger's activism.

"Over the years, Pete used his voice - and his hammer - to strike blows for worker's rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along.

"For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Pete's family and all those who loved him," he added.

Seeger gained fame in The Weavers, formed in 1948, and continued to perform in his own right in a career spanning six decades.

Renowned for his protest songs, Seeger was blacklisted by the US Government in the 1950s for his leftist stance.

Denied broadcast exposure, Seeger toured US college campuses spreading his music and ethos, later calling this the "most important job of my career".

He was quizzed by the Un-American Activities Committee in 1955 over whether he had sung for Communists, replying that he "greatly resented" the implication that his work made him any less American.

Seeger was charged with contempt of Congress, but the sentence was overturned on appeal.

He returned to TV in the late 1960s but had a protest song about the Vietnam War cut from broadcast.

British singer and left-wing activist Billy Bragg who performed with Seeger on several occasions called the singer "hugely encouraging".

"He was a very gentle man and intensely optimistic," he told the BBC. "He believed in humanity and the power of music to make a difference, not to change to the world.

"I performed at his 90th birthday and the fire was still there."

Seeger became a standard bearer for political causes from nuclear disarmament to the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011.

In 2009, he was at a gala concert in the US capital ahead of Barack Obama's inauguration as president.

His predecessor Bill Clinton hailed the musician as "an inconvenient artist who dared to sing things as he saw them.''

Other songs that he co-wrote included Where Have All The Flowers Gone, while he was credited with making We Shall Overcome an anthem of resistance.

Turn! Turn! Turn! was made into a number one hit by The Byrds in 1965, and covered by a multitude of other artists including Dolly Parton and Chris de Burgh.

Seeger's influence continued down the decades, with his induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and he won a Grammy award in 1997 for best traditional folk album, Pete.

He won a further two Grammys - another for best traditional folk album in 2008 for At 89 and best children's album in 2010.

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Billy Bragg plays a tribute to Pete Seeger

He was a nominee at Sunday night's ceremony in the spoken word category.

He was due to be honoured with the first Woody Guthrie Prize next month, given to an artist emulating the spirit of the musician's work.

Mark Radcliffe, host of BBC Radio 2's Folk show, paid tribute, saying: "Pete Seeger repeatedly put his career, his reputation and his personal security on the line so that he could play his significant musical part in campaigns for civil rights, environmental awareness and peace.

"He leaves behind a canon of songs that are both essential and true, and his contribution to folk music will be felt far into the future."

Seeger performed with Guthrie in his early years, and went on to have an effect on the protest music of later artists including Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez.

In 2006, Springsteen recorded an album of songs originally sung by Seeger.

On his 90th birthday, Seeger was feted by artists including Springsteen, Eddie Vedder and Dave Matthews in New York's Madison Square Garden.

Springsteen called him "a living archive of America's music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along".

His other musical output included albums for children, while he appeared on screen several times as well.

A reunion concert with The Weavers in 1980 was made into a documentary, while an early appearance was in To hear My Banjo Play in 1946.

The band, who had a number one hit with Good Night, Irene in the early 1950s, went their separate ways soon afterwards.

Seeger's wife Toshi, a film-maker and activist, died aged 91 in July 2013. They leave three children.

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US makes Bitcoin exchange arrests

28 January 2014 Last updated at 13:08 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

The operators of two exchanges for the virtual currency Bitcoin have been arrested in the US.

The Department of Justice said Robert Faiella, known as BTCKing, and Charlie Shrem from BitInstant.com have both been charged with money laundering.

The authorities said the pair were engaged in a scheme to sell more than $1m (£603,000) in bitcoins to users of online drug marketplace the Silk Road.

The site was shut down last year and its alleged owner was arrested.

Mr Shrem, 24, was arrested on Sunday at New York's JFK airport. He was expected to appear in court on Monday, prosecutors said.

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New York's state banking regulator, Benjamin Lawsky: "There are always going to be bad apples in any industry."

Mr Faiella, 52, was arrested on Monday at his home in Cape Coral, Florida.

Bitcoin exchanges are services that allow users to trade bitcoins for traditional currencies.

Mr Shrem is accused of allowing Mr Faiella to use BitInstant to purchase large quantities of bitcoins to sell on to Silk Road users who wanted to anonymously buy drugs.

Continue reading the main story

Bitcoin is often referred to as a new kind of currency.

But it may be better to think of its units as being virtual tokens that have value because enough people believe they do and there is a finite number of them.

Each bitcoin is represented by a unique online registration number.

These numbers are created through a process called "mining", which involves a computer solving a difficult mathematical problem with a 64-digit solution.

Each time a problem is solved the computer's owner is rewarded with bitcoins.

To receive a bitcoin, a user must also have a Bitcoin address - a randomly generated string of 27 to 34 letters and numbers - which acts as a kind of virtual postbox to and from which the bitcoins are sent.

Since there is no registry of these addresses, people can use them to protect their anonymity when making a transaction.

These addresses are in turn stored in Bitcoin wallets, which are used to manage savings. They operate like privately run bank accounts - with the proviso that if the data is lost, so are the bitcoins contained.

The authorities said Mr Shrem was aware that the bitcoins were being used for such purchases, and therefore he was in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act.

The Act requires financial institutions in the US to alert authorities to any suspicious activity that may suggest money laundering is taking place.

Emily Spaven, managing editor of news site Coindesk, told the BBC: "Since the closure of Silk Road and arrest of alleged owner Ross Ulbricht, we always knew more arrests would follow.

"It is unfortunate Silk Road continues to make the headlines in association with Bitcoin - this is the dark side of Bitcoin, which the vast majority of digital currency users have no association with."

'Feigning ignorance'

Following the arrests, James Hunt, from the US Drug Enforcement Agency, said in a statement: "Hiding behind their computers, both defendants are charged with knowingly contributing to and facilitating anonymous drug sales, earning substantial profits along the way.

"Drug law enforcement's job is to investigate and identify those who abet the illicit drug trade at all levels of production and distribution, including those lining their own pockets by feigning ignorance of any wrong doing and turning a blind eye."

Mr Shrem was a founding member and vice chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation, a trade group set up to promote Bitcoin as an alternative currency - but following his arrest he has since resigned.

"We are surprised and shocked by the news," said a spokesman for the organisation.

"As a foundation, we take these allegations seriously and do not condone illegal activity."

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The BBC's Rory Cellan Jones explains how Bitcoin works

BitInstant was one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges on the internet.

However, the service has been inaccessible for some time, explained Mike Hearn, another member of the Bitcoin Foundation.

"Charlie's impact on the Bitcoin community has been hovering near zero for a long time now," Mr Hearn told the BBC via email.

"If the allegations are true, it's part of a phase of Bitcoin's life that the project is rapidly leaving behind (and good riddance)."

'Deeply concerned'

BitInstant's investors include Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss - the twins who previously sued Mark Zuckerberg claiming he had stolen their idea for Facebook.

In a statement issued to the BBC, the twins said: "When we invested in BitInstant in the fall of 2012, its management made a commitment to us that they would abide by all applicable laws - including money laundering laws - and we expected nothing less.

"We are obviously deeply concerned about [Mr Shrem's] arrest. We were passive investors in BitInstant and will do everything we can to help law enforcement officials.

"We fully support any and all governmental efforts to ensure that money laundering requirements are enforced, and look forward to clearer regulation being implemented on the purchase and sale of bitcoins."

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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US doctor 'waterboarded' child

28 January 2014 Last updated at 14:59 ET

A former paediatrician has gone on trial accused of waterboarding an 11-year-old girl in the US state of Delaware.

Melvin Morse, 60, is said to have held the face of his female companion's daughter under a tap several times.

Mr Morse has written several books on children's near-death experiences and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

He has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and assault charges against him.

The 12-person jury was chosen on Monday for the trial stemming from the alleged 2012 incidents.

'Force-feeding'

The BBC's Kate Dailey, who is attending the court hearing in the town of Georgetown, says a clean-shaven Mr Morse shook his head vigorously as the prosecution claimed he had controlled every aspect of the girl's life.

It is alleged that the accused decided what the girl should wear, when she could use the bathroom and what she should eat, starving her sometimes and force-feeding her at other times.

Mr Morse was initially accused of grabbing the girl by the ankle and dragging her across a gravel driveway in July 2012.

When the victim was later interviewed, she reportedly told authorities Mr Morse had held her face under a tap at least four times since 2009.

Waterboarding is a term for the simulated drowning used by US interrogators on terrorist suspects. Critics say it is a form of torture.

Deputy Attorney General Melanie Withers said Mr Morse would hold the girl's face under the tap, usually at the kitchen sink, and run water in her nose and mouth, causing her to choke, vomit and fear for her life.

Defence lawyer Joe Hurley said it was not at issue that the girl ended up under a tap.

But he said that the alleged victim did not enjoy having her hair washed, and so hair washing, or the threat of it, was often used as punishment - a practice the family supposedly jokingly referred to as waterboarding.

Pauline Morse, the victim's mother, agreed in 2013 to plead guilty to misdemeanour child endangerment charges and to testify against Mr Morse.

But Mr Morse's lawyer argues the girl had "oppositional issues" and had lied about abuse by a half-sibling in the past.

The defence says it can show a pattern of deceitfulness from the girl and her mother.

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Deep South in winter storm emergency

28 January 2014 Last updated at 15:20 ET

The US Deep South, a region used to sultry weather and hurricane warnings, is preparing for a severe winter storm.

States of emergency have been declared in the southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

As many as 50 million people across the region could be affected in a winter storm over the next two days.

Many schools in the region are closed and road crews are at the ready. About 3,000 flights were grounded by weather on Tuesday.

Dangerous situation

Forecasters predicted up to 1ft (30.5cm) of snow in parts of Virginia and up to 10in along the North Carolina coast.

Motorists from Texas to Virginia have been warned to stay off the roads.

"This is a very dangerous situation because snow and ice are very rare," Robert Latham, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, told USA Today.

"We need everyone to have an emergency plan together for this."

The potential for ice was more of a concern than the snow totals, Jason Deese with the National Weather Service said.

Traffic came to a halt in the early afternoon in Atlanta as snow began falling and commuters tried to leave work early.

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Footage shows chaos caused by snow across the US

In northern Alabama, some schools held classes, but quickly had to change course, dismissing students early when the storm arrived earlier than predicted.

Officials feared icy road conditions would force hundreds of students to spend the night in classrooms or gyms.

"They have food and we have gas heat and the electricity is on, so that is a possibility," DeKalb County Emergency Management Director Anthony Clifton told the Associated Press news agency.

"We will have a campout before we will send them out into an unsafe situation."

Snow 'rollers'

Four people died in Itawamba County, Mississippi, when a fire destroyed a mobile home. Investigators believe a heater caused the blaze.

Parts of the US Midwest, meanwhile, were struggling through another bout of near-record cold temperatures.

Schools were closed in several central US states for a second consecutive day because of the cold.

Parts of Minnesota saw temperatures plunge to as low as 35 to 50 degrees below zero Fahrenheit as the state struggled with a shortage of natural gas due to an earlier pipeline explosion in Canada.

Residents in the US states of Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania also witnessed an unusual weather phenomenon.

Numerous naturally occurring donut-like snowballs - known as snow rollers and formed when wind blows snow along the ground - were reported.

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Number of nuclear 'cheats' doubles

28 January 2014 Last updated at 16:33 ET

The number of US airmen embroiled in a nuclear cheating scandal has doubled to several dozen, officials speaking on condition of anonymity say.

Thirty-four US Air Force officers in charge of launching nuclear missiles were suspended earlier this month.

They are accused of cheating in monthly proficiency tests.

The US Air Force said some staff had texted answers to the routine tests to others, while others had known about the cheating but failed to report it.

The ranks included captains.

The allegations emerged during investigations into alleged drug use by personnel at other bases.

It was not immediately clear whether the additional 30 or so airmen implicated were alleged to have participated in the cheating or were involved in an indirect way.

An Air Force spokeswoman said earlier this month that the entire team at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana in charge of overseeing missile launches would be re-tested.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a high-level review of the US nuclear forces last week, saying he was "deeply concerned" about morale and discipline among nuclear officers - but insisted that US nuclear arms were safe.

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Yahoo shares slide on weak revenue

28 January 2014 Last updated at 17:33 ET

Internet search firm Yahoo reported a drop in revenue for the fourth straight quarter, prompting shares to fall more than 5% in after-hours trading.

Revenue for display ads was down 6% compared to same period last year and Yahoo struggled to woo advertisers from rivals Facebook and Google.

Meanwhile, profits were up 28% to $348m (£210m) from October to December.

But analysts say higher earnings are due to cost savings and investment in two Asian internet firms.

Shares in the tech giant are up over 80% for the year.

'Stability'

According to research firm eMarketer, Facebook recently surpassed Yahoo as the number two digital advertising seller in the US.

The company's share of the US digital ad market declined to 5.8% in 2013 from 6.8% in 2012.

However, a string of acquisitions has heartened investors, including the firm's much discussed purchase of blogging platform Tumblr.

"We saw continued stability in the business, and our investments allowed us to bring beautiful products to our users and establish a strong foundation for revenue growth," said Ms Mayer in a statement.

She also touted the firm's re-launch of core products like Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Finance.

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Obama pledges action on inequality

28 January 2014 Last updated at 23:53 ET

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US President Barack Obama: "Whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do"

US President Barack Obama has promised "with or without Congress" to tackle economic inequality, in his annual State of the Union address.

He pledged to take steps without legislation wherever possible, announcing a rise in the minimum wage for new federal contract staff.

On Iran, he said he would veto any new sanctions that risked derailing talks.

The Democratic president is facing some of his lowest approval ratings since taking office in 2009.

"Let's make this a year of action," Mr Obama said in Tuesday night's speech.

Noting that inequality has deepened and upward mobility stalled, he would offer "a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class".

"America does not stand still - and neither will I," he said. "So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do."

Time running out

Just over a year after his re-election, Mr Obama must contend with determined opposition from the Republican Party, which controls the House of Representatives and has the numbers in the Senate to block his agenda.

Continue reading the main story

Gone is the audacity of hope. This State of the Union address didn't promise big changes on anything - there was no transformation on offer here.

But this address had the virtue at least of touching on bread-and-butter issues that genuinely affect millions of Americans - savings plans for workers who don't have them, health insurance, training schemes and the minimum wage, just to name a few. For poorer Americans improvements in any of those would make a huge difference.

This was Mr Obama's last best chance to reset his presidency. I'm not sure he managed a major shift. But he showed where his focus is and made a compelling case for at least trying to improve social mobility - with or without Congress.

Time is running short before Washington DC turns its attention to the 2016 race to elect his successor, threatening to sideline him even with three years remaining in office.

During his address, Mr Obama appealed to Congress to restore unemployment insurance that recently expired for 1.6 million people, and asked Republicans to stop trying to repeal his signature healthcare overhaul.

The botched rollout of the website on which Americans could sign up for healthcare has dented the president's popularity.

Mr Obama stressed the importance of early childhood schooling, better value university education, and equal opportunities in the workplace for women.

He also appealed to Congress to approve a rise in the national minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour. His executive order raising the hourly rate of federal contract workers to $10.10 (£6.10) will only apply to future contracts.

House Speaker John Boehner said the impact would be "close to zero" and warned that such a move would cost jobs. He told reporters his party would watch to ensure the president did not exceed his authority through the use of such executive actions.

Republican rebuttals

The president also urged the Republican House of Representatives to support a broad overhaul of the US immigration system, saying it would "make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone".

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One American child in five lives below the poverty line - the BBC visits Washington DC's deprived Anacostia district

Last year, the Senate passed a bill that included a path to citizenship for some of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US.

The House has thus far declined to hold a vote on that legislation, although in recent days US media have reported the chamber's Republican leaders are weighing a series of more limited measures.

On foreign policy, Mr Obama pledged to:

• support a unified Afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future
• back the opposition in Syria "that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks"
• make sure any long-term deal on Iran's nuclear programme is "based on verifiable action"

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Rand Paul: "Government spending doesn't work"

He also said that, with major US operations in Afghanistan due to end, "this needs to be the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay".

After Mr Obama's speech, three Republicans offered rebuttals.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers gave the official response on behalf of the Republican Party, calling on Mr Obama to take action "by empowering people, not making their lives harder with unprecedented spending, higher taxes, and fewer jobs".

Republican Kentucky Senator and presumed 2016 presidential hopeful Rand Paul, a favourite of the party's libertarian wing, released a taped address.

"Economic growth will come when we lower taxes for everyone," he said. "Government spending doesn't work."

Utah Senator Mike Lee offered a response on behalf of the populist, anti-tax tea party movement, saying he shared the frustration of Americans with "an ever-growing government that somehow thinks it is OK to lie to, spy on and even target its own citizens."

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The US has one of the highest income gaps in the developed world

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Bieber court date set for February

29 January 2014 Last updated at 04:45 ET

Singer Justin Bieber is to be arraigned on 14 February on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with an expired licence.

The 19-year-old does not have to attend the Valentine's Day court date, where prosecutors will formally file charges and a plea will be entered.

Bieber was arrested last week in Miami Beach for participating in what police called an illegal street drag race.

The pop star was released from custody after posting bail of $2,500 (£1,500).

Bieber will have his case seen by Judge William Altfield of the Miami-Dade County Criminal Division on 14 February.

The Canadian singer appeared in court last week via video link and has since been seen on holiday in Panama.

It is claimed the star had been racing a yellow Lamborghini against a red Ferrari in the early hours of Thursday.

R&B singer Khalil Sharieff, the driver of the other car, was also arrested after being reportedly found to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

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Quebec fire crews find more bodies

25 January 2014 Last updated at 21:49 ET

Crews recovered two more bodies on the third day of search efforts at a retirement home in Quebec that was destroyed by fire.

Ten people are confirmed dead after Thursday's blaze in L'Isle Verte, north-east of Canada's Quebec City. Twenty-two are missing.

Search teams brought in new equipment - designed mainly for de-icing ships - as temperatures hovered around -10C (14F).

Police are examining the theory the fire was started by a cigarette.

However, spokesman Lt Guy Lapointe told a news conference on Saturday that it was one possibility among many.

The ruins of the Residence du Havre have collapsed and are frozen over with a thick layer of ice from fire hoses.

"The conditions are very, very difficult," Lt Guy said on Saturday. "Our people are exhausted."

He said the ice was as thick as 60cm (2ft) in places.

About 20 elderly residents survived the fire, officials say.

The Red Cross said it had raised about 200,000 Canadian dollars ($US180,000, £110,000) to provide them with clothes, hearing aids, wheelchairs, and other urgent supplies.

Police said the process of clearing the ice would continue into Saturday night and the search efforts would resume on Sunday.

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'Child porn' Senate aide kills self

24 January 2014 Last updated at 14:54 ET

A former senior US Senate aide who was arrested on child pornography charges last month was found dead after hanging himself, authorities have said.

Jesse Ryan Loskarn, 35, was chief of staff to Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee until his arrest in December.

He was accused of possession and attempted distribution of child pornography.

Loskarn was living with his parents and wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet while awaiting trial.

"For everyone involved, this is a sad and tragic story from beginning to end," Mr Alexander, a Republican, said in a statement.

Mr Alexander sacked Loskarn after his arrest. A rising star in Republican politics on Capitol Hill, Loskarn had been Mr Alexander's chief of staff since 2011.

Loskarn's family members called police after finding him unresponsive in his parents' basement on Thursday, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Loskarn made several purchases from a website offering child pornography DVDs between November 2010 and March 2011.

He was also accused of offering illicit files for download from his home computer.

Investigators with the US Postal Service searched his home last month and found a portable hard drive that contained at least 200 videos of child pornography, prosecutors said in court filings.

Loskarn had faced up to 20 years in prison on the charges.

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Canada 'bans Marmite and Irn-Bru'

24 January 2014 Last updated at 16:13 ET

The owner of a British food shop in Canada says he has been ordered to stop selling Marmite, Ovaltine and Irn-Bru because they contain illegal additives.

Tony Badger, who owns a chain called Brit Foods, told local media that food safety officials blocked a large import shipment of the popular products.

Mr Badger said he had been selling the items since 1997.

Food safety officials confirmed some items were barred for sale but said only meat was removed from the store.

"We've been bringing Irn-Bru in since the very beginning," Mr Badger told CKOM.

The bright orange caffeinated drink is particularly popular in Scotland, but sold in countries around the world.

"My understanding was we were importing legally. We've been declaring it through a customs broker and we've never had an issue until now," said Mr Badger.

No health risk

Irn-Bru contains the food colouring Ponceau 4R. It is not permitted in foods for sale in Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said in a statement to the BBC.

The colouring has been linked to hyperactivity.

In addition, the agency told the BBC that "drinks and a yeast-based spread" found in the Brit Foods shipment and subsequently on the shelves in the shops were not approved for sale in Canada. The agency did not list specific brand names.

It said the spread was banned because it contained added vitamins "not permitted to be added to spreads" under Canadian food regulations.

The agency said the shop had come to its inspectors' attention when a shipment was rejected at customs in Montreal because it contained meat.

Canada does not allow importation of beef products from the UK.

The CFIA said that during a follow-up visit to Brit Foods the meat was "placed under detention because of improper documentation".

But the agency said the drinks and spread found at Brit Foods shops, while in violation of Canada's food safety laws, were not a health risk and were not removed from the store shelves.

"These are technical violations of the regulations," the agency told the BBC in a statement. "There is no food safety risk associated with these products."

'Insanity'

Mr Badger said he first ran into trouble in October when his Christmas stock was seized as it was imported from Britain.

He is worried he will no longer be able to import the popular items.

"The concern now is, with the next shipment, if it gets held there may be new issues with new products, so it somewhat paralyses our ability to bring new product in," he said, adding the delays had already cost him thousands of dollars.

But he said the agency was now conducting a health assessment on the foods to determine whether they were fit for sale.

"I haven't heard of anyone dying from consuming Irn-Bru in Scotland or Britain," he said. "So hopefully we will get a favourable decision."

One customer, Briton Nigel Westwick, told the Star Phoenix newspaper that he "couldn't understand the insanity" of preventing Irn-Bru from entering Canada.

"For a country that allows one to buy firearms, guns, bullets... stopping a soft drink suitable for all ages seems a little ludicrous."

The CFIA told the BBC it had initiated an investigation and would "take appropriate action as needed".

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Zimmerman painting 'copied' AP photo

24 January 2014 Last updated at 16:54 ET

A US news agency is demanding that George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murdering an unarmed black teenager in 2012, halt the sale of a painting it says he copied from one of its photos.

George Zimmerman is seeking buyers for his portrait of a Florida prosecutor that closely resembles a photograph shot by the Associated Press.

Mr Zimmerman sold a painting on eBay in December for $100,099 (£60,706).

Last year a jury found he killed Trayvon Martin, 17, in self-defence.

The painting, advertised on Twitter by Mr Zimmerman's brother Robert, depicts Florida prosecutor Angela Corey holding her fingers together, with an apparently fictitious quote reading, "I have this much respect for the American judicial system."

Robert Zimmerman has said he and his brother were in negotiations with potential buyers.

'Clearly directly copied'

On Friday, an Associated Press spokesman said Mr Zimmerman "clearly directly copied an AP photo" taken during the press conference in April 2012 in which Ms Corey announced Mr Zimmerman would face murder charges in the shooting death of Martin.

The news agency has sent a letter to Mr Zimmerman's former lawyer, Jayne Weintraub, calling for the sale of the painting to be halted, or for damages to be paid in the event of a sale.

In November, Mr Zimmerman was arrested after reportedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend. Prosecutors later declined to file domestic violence charges against him in the incident after the girlfriend refused to co-operate.

He was also briefly detained following a domestic disturbance at the home of his estranged wife, Shellie, in September.

Mr Zimmerman's acquittal on a charge of second-degree murder over the February 2012 killing of Martin also sparked a fierce debate about racial profiling and gun culture in the US.

He said the teenager, who was unarmed and walking at night toward his father's house, attacked him when he confronted him about his presence in the neighbourhood. He said he shot Martin in the chest in self-defence.

The Associated Press has previously sued to protect its intellectual property.

In 2011, it sued artist Shepard Fairey, claiming he used an AP photo as the basis for his famous Barack Obama HOPE poster.

Mr Fairey later settled with the news agency for $1.6m.

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Hospital told to remove life support

24 January 2014 Last updated at 18:34 ET

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BBC's Beth McLeod: "Texas has some of the toughest restrictions laws on abortion in the country"

A Texas judge has ordered a hospital to remove the life support of a brain-dead woman being kept alive because she is pregnant.

Judge RH Wallace gave John Peter Smith Hospital until Monday evening to cease life-saving measures for Marlise Munoz.

Mrs Munoz, 33, was 14 weeks pregnant when she fell unconscious in November. It is believed she had a blood clot.

The hospital had argued that a state law prohibits denying life-saving treatment to pregnant patients.

'Legally dead'

Mrs Munoz's husband, Erick, filed suit against the hospital on 14 January, arguing that life-support efforts go against her wishes as a paramedic familiar with end-of-life issues.

"Marlise Munoz is legally dead, and to further conduct surgical procedures on a deceased body is nothing short of outrageous," he claimed in court documents.

The court filing also stipulated that, as Mrs Munoz is technically deceased, "she cannot possibly be a 'pregnant patient'" under Texas health and safety codes.

Mrs Munoz, 33, has remained unconscious since her husband discovered her on the kitchen floor on 26 November while pregnant with the couple's second child.

A blood clot has been listed as a possible cause.

Mr Munoz's lawyers subsequently revealed that Mrs Munoz's foetus - believed to be at 22 weeks gestation and to have been without oxygen for some time before medical intervention in November - was "distinctly abnormal", according to hospital medical records.

On Friday, Judge Wallace ruled the Fort Worth hospital must remove Mrs Munoz's life support by 17:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Monday.

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Pregnancy fat 'may alter baby brain'

24 January 2014 Last updated at 21:25 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

A high-fat diet during pregnancy has the potential to alter a baby's developing brain and increase its chances of obesity later in life, animal studies suggest.

The team at Yale School of Medicine, in the US, showed diet could change the structure of mice brains.

They argue this could explain why the children of obese parents are more likely to become grossly overweight.

Experts said the study had merit, but brain changes in humans were unproven.

Obesity can run in families and shared eating habits are a major factor.

However, there is evidence that diet during pregnancy can also influence a child's future waistline, such as through changes to DNA.

'Signal to the pup'

The latest foray into the field, published in the journal Cell, shows the structure of the brain itself may be changed.

Continue reading the main story

Twenty years of research shows nutrition in early life has lasting effects on cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis and some cancers. It's extremely well established"

End Quote Dr Graham Burdge University of Southampton

The experiments on mice showed that mothers on a high-fat diet had pups with an altered hypothalamus, a part of the brain important for regulating metabolism.

These mouse pups were more likely to become overweight and develop type 2 diabetes than the pups of mothers given a normal diet.

One of the researchers, Prof Tamas Horvath, from Yale, told the BBC: "It could be a signal to the pup that it can grow bigger as the environment is plentiful in food.

"We definitely believe these are fundamental biological processes also affecting humans and influencing how children may eventually become obese.

"It seems, at least, that this could have a major impact and we need to explore it further in both animal and human studies."

He says a healthy diet during pregnancy may help to break the cycle of obese parents having obese children.

'Neurological circuits'

Commenting on the findings, Dr Graham Burdge, from the University of Southampton, told the BBC: "Twenty years of research shows nutrition in early life has lasting effects on cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis and some cancers. It's extremely well established.

"This is an intriguing technical advance showing neurological circuits are being changed, which hasn't been shown before."

He said the "concept fits in well with the data" but pointed out there were key differences in the way mice and people process fat, so the same might not be happening in pregnant women.

He added: "Much of what we know about the process comes from animals. The next big thing is to establish the same mechanisms operate in humans and if we can modify that."

For now he advises parents to "have a healthy balanced diet and ensure the diet of your child is balanced as well".

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Three dead in Maryland mall shooting

25 January 2014 Last updated at 18:07 ET

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BBC's Beth McLeod: "The debate over gun control continues to divide Congress in Washington"

A gunman opened fire at a shopping centre in Maryland in the US, killing two people before apparently taking his own life, police say.

The incident took place at a mall in the Baltimore suburb of Columbia.

The man opened fire at a store in the mall, killing a man and a woman, both employees at the shop, Zumiez, which sells skate accessories and clothing.

Police have named the victims as 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson.

The man believed to be the shooter, who has not been identified, was found dead near a gun and ammunition. A further five people were injured in the incident.

One of those injured was shot. Police said the motive for the attack was still unclear.

Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said officers had concerns that the gunman might have been carrying explosives and had proceeded "with an abundance of caution".

The centre, about 45 minutes outside Washington DC, is a popular weekend shopping destination.

Shopper Tonya Broughton described the atmosphere as "panic" and said she and her friend headed for a nearby shop.

Shop employees herded everyone to the back, she told Reuters news agency, adding "they were very nice, keeping us calm".

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Stars line up for Grammys battle

26 January 2014 Last updated at 03:21 ET

Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Macklemore and Lewis are among the stars who will be vying for glory when the prestigious Grammy Awards are handed out later.

The Los Angeles ceremony is the biggest night in the US music calendar.

Rap giant Jay-Z leads the field with nine nominations, while pop hitmaker Williams and hip-hop duo Macklemore and Lewis are among the acts with seven.

British nominees include Ed Sheeran, James Blake and Sir Paul McCartney, who will perform at the event.

The ceremony is known for its heavyweight on-stage collaborations and this year's highlights will include Daft Punk, Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams being joined by Stevie Wonder to perform their hit Get Lucky.

Queens of the Stone Age will join forces with Nine Inch Nails, Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham are to close the show, while Jay-Z is expected to duet with his wife Beyonce.

Continue reading the main story

• Jay-Z - 9 nominations
• Kendrick Lamar (above) - 7
• Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - 7
• Justin Timberlake - 7
• Pharrell Williams - 7
• Drake - 5
• Bob Ludwig - 5

Jay-Z has the most nominations, up for awards including best rap song and best rap album. But he was left out of the three main categories - song, record and album of the year.

Rapper Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis, who found fame after self-releasing their album The Heist, are up for awards including album of the year, best new artist and song of the year for Same Love.

Pharrell Williams is listed twice for record of the year and twice for album of the year thanks to his work with Daft Punk, Robin Thicke and Kendrick Lamar.

LA rapper Lamar also has seven nominations including album of the year for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, plus best rap album, best rap performance and best new artist.

Justin Timberlake has seven nominations including best pop solo performance and best R&B song - but he was shut out of the main three categories.

Other leading contenders include 17-year-old New Zealand singer Lorde, who is up for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance for her hit Royals.

There are five nominations each for Canadian hip-hop star Drake and mastering engineer Bob Ludwig, who is rewarded for his work with Daft Punk and the Rolling Stones.

The Rolling Stones will go up against Sir Paul McCartney in the best rock song category.

The Stones' Doom And Gloom, from their 50th anniversary album GRRR!, is up against Cut Me Some Slack, a collaboration between Sir Paul and the surviving members of Nirvana.

The other nominees in that category are veteran metal band Black Sabbath, stadium rockers Muse and US singer-guitarist Gary Clark Jr, the only non-British nominee on that shortlist.

Black Sabbath have two more nods - for best rock album and metal performance.

Meanwhile, two of the five nominees for best new artist are Brits - Mercury Prize winner James Blake and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.

Rock legend David Bowie's comeback has earned nominations for best rock performance and best rock album. In both categories, fellow veterans Led Zeppelin are also nominated thanks to a live album recorded at their reunion concert in 2007.

Other British contenders include Calvin Harris, who is up for best dance/electronica album for 18 Months and best dance recording for Sweet Nothing with Florence and the Machine's Florence Welch.

UK acts Duke Dumont and Disclosure are also named in the dance categories, while Adele's James Bond theme Skyfall is in the running for one of the soundtrack awards.

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Cuaron wins Directors Guild prize

26 January 2014 Last updated at 06:37 ET

Gravity film-maker Alfonso Cuaron has picked up the top film honour from the Directors Guild of America (DGA).

The prestigious win for the space disaster drama could give Cuaron the edge at March's Academy Awards.

In the DGA's 65-year history, the winner has only failed to also pick up the best director Oscar seven times.

Accepting the award, Cuaron said: "What you cannot see from up there (in space) is this bizarre experiment of nature that is the human experience.

"That experiment is what directors try to sort out with our films. Thankfully, that experience is as diverse as the films as these film-makers make.''

Cuaron also thanked his son and Gravity co-writer Jonas Cuaron.

Cuaron's film saw off competition from Paul Greengrass's piracy film Captain Phillips, Steve McQueen's historical drama 12 Years a Slave, David O Russell's 1970s crime caper American Hustle and Martin Scorsese's black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street.

Other than the Writers' Guild Awards on 1 February, there are no more major US awards before the Oscars, which take place on 2 March. The UK's Bafta awards take place in London on 16 February.

Recent awards, including the Golden Globes and the Producers' Guild Awards, have seen a split in honours between Gravity, 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle.

Gravity and American Hustle lead the Oscar nominations with 10 nods apiece. 12 Years A Slave has nine nominations.

Other DGA winners included Jehane Noujaim, who won the documentary prize for The Square, about the Egyptian uprising that began in 2011. The film was acquired by subscription service Netflix last year.

"I'm very humbled and very grateful,'' said Noujaim.

"This film is the most deeply personal film I've made, watching my country change before me when I never thought change was possible. It redefined my understanding of what was possible."

Steven Soderbergh's Behind the Candelabra mirrored its Golden Globes success by winning the best TV movie or mini-series. The film stars Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as flamboyant pianist Liberace and his partner Scott Thorson respectively.

Soderbergh, who was once a first vice-president of the Directors' Guild, was also honoured with the Robert B Aldrich Award for his services to the organisation.

"Sometimes you feel empty, and you're just overwhelmed and you look and see how willing your team is to carry you forward, and you get an extra burst of energy, and you keep going,'' he said.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan won his first DGA award for the series finale of the hit drama.

Other winners included Beth McCarthy-Miller for 30 Rock (best comedy series) and Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live (best variety series).

The awards took place at the Hollywood and Highland complex in Los Angeles, hosted by Glee actress Jane Lynch - the first woman to present the ceremony.

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