Amazon posts modest holiday profits

29 January 2015 Last updated at 22:43

The online retail giant Amazon has reported weaker profits for the busy Christmas period, but a 15% rise in sales has cheered investors.

The company made a net profit of $214m (£142m) for the last three months of 2014, which is a drop of $25m on the same period in 2013.

However, it was an improvement on the previous quarter, in which Amazon made a net loss of $437m.

The company's shares rose by nearly 8% in after-hours trading.

But despite net sales of $89bn, Amazon made a loss of $241m for 2014 as a whole.

The firm also warned that its finances were "inherently unpredictable".

It sounded a note of caution for the next few months, saying it could make an operating loss of up to $450m.

The web giant added that profits may be "materially affected by many factors, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and consumer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet and online commerce".

Continuing trend

Amazon has become notorious for its lacklustre earnings, and has tended to focus on expanding its business rather than increasing its profitability.

True to form, Amazon's boss, Jeff Bezos, emphasised the success of a new service in the company's results, rather than addressing the firm's figures.

He referred to Amazon's membership scheme, Amazon Prime, as a "one-of-a-kind, all-you-can-eat, physical-digital hybrid", adding that its user base grew by 53% last year.

However other recent projects have not been quite as successful.

Amazon's foray into the smartphone market, with the shopping-focused Fire phone, has hardly been a bestseller, and there have been reports that the tech firm is winding up its mobile payments service.

Most recently, it was forced to shut down its entry into the nappy market just six weeks after launching the initiative.

What is after-hours trading?

• When investors buy and sell shares outside the regular opening hours of major exchanges
• It exists because big financial institutions want to trade large blocks of shares 24 hours a day
• Adopted in the 1990s by financial institutions and some rich investors; the growth of online trading led to ordinary investors being able to take part a few years later
• Riskier than trading during regular hours - trading volumes are lower and share prices can be more volatile, meaning the spreads between the buying and selling prices of shares can be wider
• With less information available it can be harder to work out what's behind some after-hours price movements, leaving small investors at a disadvantage
• But potential profits can be higher

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Romney won't run in 2016 election

30 January 2015 Last updated at 17:22

Mitt Romney, the Republican beaten by President Obama in the US 2012 election, has decided he will not run for president again.

Mr Romney, 67, said he had decided it was "best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee".

His statement comes weeks after a surprise announcement saying he was considering another bid.

The decision not to run frees up donors to support other Republican candidates.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Senator Rand Paul are among those who are considering a White House bid.

On the Democratic side, the presumed front-runner is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, although she has not made any announcement about campaigning.

Mrs Clinton previously ran for president in 2008 but lost the Democratic nomination to Mr Obama.

2016 runners and riders

No-one has formally declared but these are some of the names to watch:

• early Republican frontrunner is Jeb Bush
• but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could battle Bush for the party's centre ground
• darling of the Tea Party is Texas Senator Ted Cruz
• firebrand liberal Elizabeth Warren is championed by many in the Democratic Party
• libertarian Rand Paul has his supporters - and enemies - among Republicans
• Hillary Clinton will have learnt much from her failed campaign of 2008

Mr Romney's campaign raised more than $1bn (£666m) in the 2012 election, when he unsuccessfully challenged President Obama.

He also lost the 2008 Republican nomination to Senator John McCain.

In a statement made during a phone call to donors, Mr Romney said he was "convinced that we could win the nomination", but added that "one of our next generation of Republican leaders... may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee".

He said it was a tough decision for him and his wife, Ann, "but we believe it is for the best of the party and the nation".

Analysis, Nick Bryant, Washington

The shiny black hair, the quarterback smile, the lantern jaw. Mitt Romney has never had any difficulty looking like an American president. But getting voters to elect him to that job has long been a problem.

In 2008, he failed in his first attempt to win the Republican presidential nomination partly because he was seen as inauthentic: a moderate Republican who had been governor of liberal Massachusetts.

In 2012, when he won the nomination but failed to dislodge President Obama, it was his image as an out-of-touch millionaire, more so than his Mormonism, that hobbled his candidacy. A leaked video sounded the death knell. It showed him maligning 47% of the electorate as being dependent on the government (in an ironic twist, Romney won 47% of the vote, compared with Barack Obama's 51%).

At a time when income inequality and stagnant middle class incomes look set to dominate the next presidential race, it would have been hard for him to reinvent himself.

Mr Romney reportedly discovered after floating a potential run three weeks ago that several of his key fundraisers had decided to support Mr Bush, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Jeb Bush - the son of a former president and brother of another - announced in December he was "exploring" a run.

After Mr Romney's announcement Mr Bush tweeted "Mitt is a patriot and I join many in hoping his days of serving our nation and our party are not over."

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Congress approves Keystone pipeline

29 January 2015 Last updated at 21:46

The US Senate has passed a bill to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, sending it to President Barack Obama's desk for a likely veto.

The 62-36 vote comes after weeks of debate and votes to amend the bill after the House approved it.

The 875-mile (1,400km) pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the US state of Nebraska where it joins pipes running to Texas.

The White House has previously said Mr Obama will veto the bill.

Spokesman Josh Earnest said the legislation would undermine a "well-established" review process.

Congress would need two-thirds of each chamber of Congress to overcome a presidential veto.

The project has pitted Republicans and other supporters, who say it will create much needed jobs, against many Democrats and environmentalists, who warn the pipeline will add to carbon emissions and contribute to global warming.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called the bill "an important accomplishment for the country".

"We are hoping the president upon reflection will agree to sign on to a bill that the State Department said could create up to 42,000 jobs and the State Department said creates little to no impact on the environment."

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer called the bill "a disgrace".

"We tried on our side to make this a better bill and they turned us away."

Among the measures added the bill during the amendment process were energy efficiency measures, as well as on-the-record acknowledgement that climate change was not hoax.

The US president has been critical of the pipeline, saying at the end of last year it would primarily benefit Canadian oil firms and not contribute much to already dropping petrol prices.

A State Department report raised no major environmental objections in February, but the final recommendation was delayed amid a court battle over the project in Nebraska.

A final decision is expected in the upcoming weeks.

The state department is involved because the pipeline would cross an international border.

The Keystone XL pipeline aims to carry some 830,000 barrels of heavy crude a day from the fields in Alberta to Nebraska.

The oil would then be transported on existing pipes to refineries in Texas. The southern section of the project was finished last year.

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Google profits up nearly 30%

29 January 2015 Last updated at 22:09

Internet giant Google reported fourth-quarter profits of $4.76bn (£3.16bn), up nearly 30% from the same period a year before, but revenue missed Wall Street expectations.

The company's revenue increased by 15% to $18bn - nearly the same amount as Apple's profit last quarter.

Google, like other US firms, was hurt by the strength of the US dollar.

It said revenues would have been $541m higher had foreign exchange rates been more favourable.

The cost-per-click - or the amount Google can charge advertisers for placing ads on its network - decreased by 3% over the quarter, indicating that Google is still having difficulty raising the price it charges for mobile ads.

The metric is closely watched by investors, who worry that the firm's mobile ad business is not as strong as its desktop search business - which is troubling, given that consumers are increasingly switching to accessing the internet on their smartphones and mobile devices.

Google shares dipped nearly 2% in trading after markets had closed, but recovered later in the evening.

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Suge Knight held over LA death

Marion "Suge" Knight has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with a "fatal traffic incident", the Los Angeles County Sheriff says.

He is being held in West Hollywood on bail of $2m (£1.3m).

The record producer had earlier surrendered to police after he was declared a suspect in a hit-and-run incident where one man died.

Another man was injured and although he is currently in hospital, his condition is not yet known.

Around 15:00 (23:00 GMT) on Thursday, a man fitting Knight's description drove to a burger shop and began arguing with two people, said Lt John Corina of the LA County Sheriff's Department.

The driver then backed into one of the victims, before running them both over.

The Death Row Records founder is said to have left the scene in a red Ford pickup truck, the police said.

Knight, 49, was involved in an earlier fight with the pair at a different location, Lt Corina added.

One of the victims died in hospital, according to the Sheriff's Department statement - while the condition of the second victim, who was also taken to the hospital, has yet to be confirmed.

A lawyer for the rap music legend seemed to confirm Knight had been driving at the time, but claimed it was an accident and he was running away from attackers.

"He was in the process of being physically assaulted by two men and in an effort to escape he unfortunately hit two (other) individuals," James Blatt said.

"He was in his car trying to escape."

Knight founded Death Row Records in the 1990s, but later declared bankruptcy and the company was auctioned off.

He helped launch the careers of artists including Dr Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

Last August he was shot six times at a nightclub in Los Angeles. No arrests have been made.

In November, he pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge filed after a celebrity photographer accused him of stealing her camera in Beverly Hills.

He could face up to 30 years in prison because of previous convictions.

The music boss has previously been convicted of armed robbery and assault with a gun.

He has also served time for violating probation.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

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US rejects Guantanamo Bay demand

30 January 2015 Last updated at 13:55

The US says it will not hand back the Guantanamo Bay naval base as part of efforts to improve relations with Cuba.

Cuban President Raul Castro included the demand in a speech on Wednesday, calling also for the US trade embargo to be lifted.

US President Barack Obama "does believe that the prison at Guantanamo Bay should be closed down... but not the naval base", the White House said.

The land on which the base stands was leased to the US by Cuba in 1903.

The Cuban government which came to power in the revolution of 1959 has long demanded its return, saying it is a violation of international law, but the US points to a legal provision making the lease permanent unless it is terminated by mutual agreement.

Last month the two countries announced a thaw in relations, agreeing to restore diplomatic ties severed in 1961. Delegations have begun negotiating the re-establishment of embassies.

However in a speech on Wednesday, Mr Castro said: "The re-establishment of diplomatic relations is the start of a process of normalising bilateral relations.

"But this will not be possible while the blockade still exists, while they don't give back the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo naval base."

This condition was rejected by White House spokesman Josh Earnest in remarks to the media on Thursday.

He agreed that President Obama was seeking to shut the prison at Guantanamo Bay, as it "only serves as a recruiting tool for al-Qaeda and other extremist organisations".

"But the naval base is not something that we believe should be closed," he said.

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US growth slows in fourth quarter

30 January 2015 Last updated at 15:10

The world's largest economy expanded less than expected in the final three months of 2014 despite lower fuel prices boosting consumer confidence.

The US posted annualised growth of 2.6% for the fourth quarter - lower than the 3% projected by economists.

The figure was weaker than the 5% growth in the third quarter of 2014.

However, the dramatic slide in fuel prices in recent months has put more money in consumers' pockets and allowed them to spend more.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity, rose by 4.3% in the fourth quarter - the fastest rise in nearly nine years - and higher than the 3.2% for the third quarter.

Fuel savings

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said: "It took us a while to get here, but I think the economy is finally off and running.

"We are seeing a number of positive developments. Businesses are hiring aggressively and the big drop in gas prices means that people have more money to spend on other items."

The near-60% slide in oil prices in the plast seven months has cut the price of petrol to about $2 per gallon, or the equivalent of £1.32 for 4.5 litres. That is little more than British drivers pay for just one litre of petrol.

The fall has saved Americans about $175bn, Mr Zandi said: "A big part of growth this year will be people spending their gas savings."

For 2014 as a whole, the economy expanded by 2.4% - better than the 2.2% for the previous 12 months.

The report came two days after the Federal Reserve said the US economy was expanding at a "solid pace", but said it will "remain patient" in determining when to raise interest rates. The main rate has been held at close to zero since December 2008.

Weaker outlook

Some economists believe an increase could come in middle of the year, but Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, said Friday's data could delay a rise until late this year or even early 2016.

He feared that the US economy was too reliant on consumer spending given that business investment fell by an annualised rate of 1.9% - the biggest decline since the second quarter of 2009. "Ideally, a sustainable economic upturn requires business spending to be rising alongside consumer expenditure."

"While Markit's Flash PMI survey data signalled a further robust expansion of private sector business activity in January, the latest reading was the second weakest for 11 months and points to GDP growth sliding to 2% in the first quarter," Mr Williamson added.

"Companies also reported the weakest monthly increase in new orders since the recession, suggesting the pace of economic growth could weaken even further in February."

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Balloonists surpass flight records

30 January 2015 Last updated at 16:25

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No-one has crossed the Pacific Ocean in a gas balloon since 1981, as Alistair Leithead reports

Two pilots have surpassed the world distance and duration records with a flight across the Pacific Ocean in a helium balloon.

American Troy Bradley and Russian Leonid Tiukhtyaev left Japan on Sunday and had aimed to land in Canada or the US.

However, weather has forced them to change course towards Mexico where they are due to land sometime on Saturday.

To set records the team needed to beat the existing records by 1%.

For duration that meant staying aloft for about 138 hours and 45 minutes to beat the existing record set in 1981.

For distance that meant a journey of about 5,260 miles (8,465km) to beat the existing record of 5,209 miles set in 1981.

The hi-tech "Two Eagles" balloon is made of a strong Kevlar and carbon-fibre composite, but weighs only 220 pounds (100kg).

It is fitted with monitors and other instruments that track their course and compile data to be submitted to record-keepers.

The specially-designed capsule sits beneath a huge helium-filled envelope and is designed to stay aloft for up to 10 days. The pilots live in a closet-like space with a very low ceiling.

On Thursday, the Two Eagles team tweeted: "The pilots have just surpassed the distance needed to set a new record. 5,261 miles or 8,467km."

"We're not taking any time to celebrate,'' said head of mission control Steve Shope.

"We have a lot of work we have to do, and we're just taking this flight one hour at a time."

On its website, the team says Two Eagles will not have officially broken the records until documentation is approved by the US National Aeronautic Association followed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale - a process that could take several weeks or months.

In 1978, three pilots made the first trans-Atlantic balloon flight in 137 hours, 5 minutes and 50 seconds, setting the duration record in the process.

Americans Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman travelled on the Double Eagle II balloon from Presque Isle, Maine, to Miserey, France, about 60 miles (95km) northwest of Paris.

The Double Eagle II gondola is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum annex at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Two Eagles facts

• The Two Eagles craft is a helium-filled gas balloon. "Roziere Balloons", which use both hot-air and gas, are the only ones that have circled the earth.
• Depending on weather conditions, the balloon flies between 12,000 to 30,000 feet (9,100m) above the ground
• The craft is about five feet (150cm) wide, seven feet long, and five feet high, weighing only 220 pounds (100kg).
• The balloon started its journey carrying about 11,000 pounds of sand for ballast

In 1981, the Double Eagle V was the first gas balloon to successfully cross the Pacific Ocean and set the existing distance record.

Crew members Mr Abruzzo, Mr Newman, Ron Clark and Rocky Aoki made it from Nagashima, Japan, to Mendocino National Forest in California in 84 hours and 31 minutes.

The current team named its craft in honour of the existing record holders.

Two Eagles can stay in the air for a maximum of 10 days; it is now day five of the journey.

At the moment, it is not clear exactly where the Two Eagles balloon will land.

The team had been aiming for Canada but a ride of high-pressure ridge off the US West Coast forced the balloon into a sweeping right turn toward Mexico.

A network of balloon enthusiasts has been organised to act as chase crews, but correspondents say it remains unclear if the balloon will be able to land in a place where a ground crew can help them.

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Canadian PM seeks wider terror laws

30 January 2015 Last updated at 21:52

Encouraging terror attacks against Canada will become a crime under legislation proposed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The measure will also expand the powers of the country's spy agency, allowing it to take direct action to stop attacks.

Work began on the bill after two attacks days apart last year.

It is expected to be passed by Mr Harper's Conservative majority in Parliament.

Under current law it is a crime to make a specific threat. The new measure would make it crime to call for a terror attack against the country or Canadians generally, including online.

"We cannot tolerate this any more than we tolerate people that make jokes about bomb threats at airports," Mr Harper said.

"Anyone engaging in that kind of activity is going to face the full force of the law in the future."

The maximum prison sentence for those convicted under the new measure would be five years.

Among the critics of the bill are the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association which called the legislation "misguided" and said it would not make Canadians "any safer".

"We will be less free, less democratic and less likely to know who to keep an eye on," policy director Michael Vonn said, adding it was "likely unconstitutional".

Canada's two main opposition parties have said they have not decided whether to back the bill, the CBC reports.

The Canadian government promised the legislation after a gunman shot and killed a soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa in October and then attacked Canada's Parliament Buildings nearby.

Two days before, a man, said to be inspired by the Islamic State group, ran over two soldiers in a parking lot in Quebec, killing one and injuring the other before being shot to death.

Among the other changes in the bill

• anyone suspected of being involved in a terror plot may be detained without charge for up to seven days
• officials may remove material considered terrorist propaganda from any website
• Canada's spy agency may direct approach subjects and cancel travel reservations, with judicial approval

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Woods shoots worst round of career

Phoenix Open second-round leaderboard
-10 M Laird (Sco); -8 D Berger (US); -7 J Thomas (US); -6 A Cabrera (Arg), R Palmer, R Moore, Z Johnson, B Watson, R Streb (US); -5 KJ Choi (Kor), G Ogilvy (Aus), G DaLaet (Can). Selected others: -2 R Knox (Sco); Level B Davis (Eng); +3 P Mickelson (US); +13 T Woods (US)

Tiger Woods recorded the worst round of his professional career with an 11-over-par 82 in the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

While Scotland's Martin Laird led on 10 under, former world number one and 14-time major champion Woods was last in a field of 132 and missed the cut.

The 39-year-old was playing in his first PGA Tour event of the season.

"I've got to keep this in perspective. Sometimes that's hard to do," said Woods, who finished on 13 over.

Struggling with his chipping, he carded six bogeys, two double bogeys, a triple bogey and two birdies in his second round at TPC Scottsdale.

Woods duffed one chip from greenside rough and flew another straight over the flag and into a bunker. He also struggled from the fairway, leaving a chip from 20 yards off the green short.

Woods's worst: How he racked up an 82
Out: 10th (par 4) 4; 11th (par 4) 5; 12th (par 3) 3; 13th (par 5) 5; 14th (par 4) 6; 15th (par 5) 8; 16th (par 3) 3; 17th (par 4) 5; 18th (par 4) 5. In: 1st (par 4) 4; 2nd (par 4) 4; 3rd (par 5) 5; 4th (par 3) 5; 5th (par 4) 3; 6th (par 4) 5; 7th (par 3) 4; 8th (par 4) 3; 9th (par 4) 5.

His previous worst round was an 81 in the 2002 Open at Muirfield, a round completed in a storm that made scoring difficult.

Woods, who carded a two-over-par 73 in his opening round, missed much of last season, including the Ryder Cup, after having back surgery in March 2014.

"We all have days like this," he said. "Unfortunately mine was in a public forum and a public setting, but we all have days like this and we take the good with the bad."

Laird, 32, who shot a second straight 66 in wet and windy conditions, said: "It was a very Scottish day today with the misty drizzle. The big thing was I drove well."

American Daniel Berger is two shots behind Laird on eight under, while another tour rookie, Justin Thomas, is third on seven under.

Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner in Phoenix, missed the cut after carding a second-round five-over 76.

Woods rues a missed putt on the 10th green at Scottsdale

Woods plays from the rough with an awkward stance on the 11th hole

More disappointment for Woods as he misses a putt on the 12th green

Scotland's Martin Laird is chasing a first PGA title since winning the Texas Open in April 2013

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Iran picks new United Nations envoy

28 January 2015 Last updated at 20:09

Iran has selected a new envoy as permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, 10 months after the US rejected its first choice.

The new candidate, Gholamali Khoshru, is a career diplomat who previously served as Iran's ambassador to the UN.

Mr Khoshru, a moderate, is currently Iran's ambassador to Switzerland.

In 2014, the US refused to grant a visa to Iran's UN nominee, Hamid Abutalebi, for his supposed role in the Iran hostage crisis in 1979.

Mr Khoshru was Iran's permanent representative to the UN from 1989 to 1995, and served as Iran's deputy foreign minister from 2002 to 2005.

Analysis: Nick Bryant, BBC News, Washington

The US Congress moved with unusual haste in rushing through legislation last year, aimed at stopping Iran's original choice of UN ambassador from entering the country. Hamid Abutabi acted as translator during the Tehran hostage crisis, a traumatic event that still looms large in the American psyche.

Iran complained that the US had violated the treaty it signed in 1947, when New York became the home of the United Nations, which obligates the State Department to grant visas to diplomats from UN member states.

Back then, it was thought that the diplomatic row would complicate, even derail, sensitive nuclear talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.

But the case of Hamid Abutabi seems to have had a negligible effect on the stalled talks, and has not poisoned the relationship between the two key negotiators, the US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

What the controversy did demonstrate was the problems that Barack Obama will face on Capitol Hill if there is a nuclear deal. The same lawmakers who rushed through legislation blocking Abutabi would scale the barricades to stop sanctions being lifted against Iran.

According to a statement from Iran's foreign ministry, Mr Khoshru will pursue through legal channels the perceived illegal actions taken by the US as the host country at the United Nations.

Iran is said to believe the White House's refusal to grant Mr Abutalebi a visa is in contravention of international law and undermines a country's right to appoint who they choose to the UN.

Washington, however, has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism and foreign policy reasons.

Mr Abutalebi was linked to the student group that took dozens of people hostage at the embassy in Tehran in 1979.

He subsequently said his role was limited solely to that of a translator.

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E. coli found in Winnipeg water

28 January 2015 Last updated at 17:14

The Canadian city of Winnipeg is under a water boil advisory after testing found E. coli and other bacteria in the water supply.

The city is rushing additional tests to determine whether the results are in error.

"Hopefully we will find out that these were false positives," said Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman. "but we do need to be cautious."

There were no reports of water-related illnesses on Wednesday morning.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) said in a statement the advisory was a "precautionary measure" due to two clusters of positive test results involving E. coli.

"However, a high amount of chlorine has been found in the same water samples measured yesterday, which is reassuring because this would suggest that any bacteria or viruses present in the water would likely be killed".

Six out of 39 regularly taken water samples showed the presence of bacteria, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.

Officials are warning residents to boil water before drinking it or using water to make or wash food or brush their teeth.

Some businesses in the city have closed but schools were advising students to bring bottled water for the school day.

Results from the additional tests are expected this afternoon.

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US Supreme Court blocks executions

28 January 2015 Last updated at 23:59

The US Supreme Court has postponed the executions of three death row inmates who say the use of the sedative midazolam in the procedures is cruel.

Justices said Oklahoma could not execute Richard Glossip, John Grant and Benjamin Cole by lethal injection using midazolam while the case is pending.

The men's lawyers argue that midazolam presents an unconstitutional risk of pain and suffering.

The drug was used in three executions seen as botched in 2014.

Richard Glossip's execution had been scheduled for Thursday night while the other two were scheduled for lethal injection in the coming weeks.

Correspondents say the court's brief ruling left open the possibility that Oklahoma could carry out the executions using different drug combinations.

However, Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said the state has not been able to find an alternative drug.

The case is now due to go before the Supreme Court in April and be decided by late June.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said: "I disagree with the necessity to grant Glossip yet another round of legal appeals. However, given that the US Supreme Court has decided to hear his case, it is entirely appropriate to delay his execution until after the legal process has run its course."

Lawyers for the three inmates argue that midazolam cannot achieve the level of unconsciousness required and is therefore unsuitable for executions.

They say its use amounts to "cruel and unusual punishment" which violates the US constitution.

Without the coma-like sedative effect, Oklahoma cannot ensure the prisoner does not experience intense pain when other drugs are injected to kill, lawyers argue.

The execution of Charles Warner on 15 January was the first in Oklahoma since the botched lethal injection of Clayton Lockett in April 2014.

Lockett's execution was stopped after 20 minutes when one of his veins ruptured, preventing the drugs from taking full effect. He writhed and shook uncontrollably after the drugs were administered and died of a heart attack soon afterwards.

Prison officials said Warner did not suffer before dying.

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US warns of more sanctions on Russia

28 January 2015 Last updated at 11:41

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has said sanctions against Russia could be extended because of the escalation of violence in east Ukraine.

He was speaking on a visit to Kiev, after European Union leaders said they would consider "further restrictive measures" on Russia's government.

Pro-Russian separatists have pushed back Ukrainian forces in several areas in the past week.

But the number of casualties has steadily mounted.

Shelling by Ukrainian forces killed 16 civilians in the rebel-held region of Luhansk and four in Donetsk, according to officials quoted by Russian state news agency Tass on Wednesday. More than 100 others were reportedly wounded.

Ukrainian officials said the separatists had targeted 55 towns and villages in the past 24 hours. There were no details of civilian casualties but they said three soldiers had been killed.

A main focus of rebel attacks is the town of Debaltseve, a road and rail hub near Donetsk, which separatist leader Eduard Basurin has described as a "wedge" between rebel-held areas.

Mr Lew said Washington's first choice was a diplomatic resolution to lessen sanctions, but "we are prepared to do more if necessary".

His remarks came hours after President Barack Obama spoke on the phone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and issued a statement saying the two leaders were concerned about "Russia's materiel support for the separatists".

They "agreed on the need to hold Russia accountable for its actions".

'Foreign legion'

Russia denies involvement in eastern Ukraine, saying if any Russians are fighting there they are doing in a voluntary capacity.

EU foreign ministers will hold a special meeting in Brussels on Thursday to consider how to respond to the current escalation, including the killing of 30 civilians in the south-east Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Saturday.

"We note evidence of continued and growing support given to the separatists by Russia, which underlines Russia's responsibility," EU leaders said.

The ministers could ask the European Commission to draw up further sanctions, which would then go before EU leaders, most likely at a summit scheduled for 12 February.

However, Greece's new government said on Tuesday that the statement issued by EU leaders did not have its approval.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias are known to be opposed to sanctions on Russia and could prevent the EU's 28 member states from reaching a unified position on further measures.

The US treasury secretary was in Kiev to sign a $2bn (£1.3bn; €1.75bn) loan agreement, which is conditional on the government making fiscal reforms and tackling corruption.

IMF officials are also in Kiev to discuss extending last year's $17bn bail-out package. The government is estimated to need a further $15bn in funding.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting since the rebels seized swathes of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions last April, according to UN estimates. More than a million people have been displaced.

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Sabbath bassist in bar fight arrest

29 January 2015 Last updated at 12:07

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has been arrested in the United States after a bar fight, police said.

Officers were called to the Corkscrew Saloon on the Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley National Park shortly after midnight on 27 January.

Inyo County Sheriff's Office said Terence Michael Butler, 65, was arrested for misdemeanour assault, public intoxication and vandalism.

He was released after "detox and citation", police said.

The Californian police department said an argument escalated into "a physical confrontation", resulting in an individual being struck and a window being broken.

Police gave Birmingham-born Butler's address as Beverly Hills, California.

Three original members of Black Sabbath, including Ozzy Osbourne, reformed in 2012 to headline the Download Festival.

At the 2013 Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards they won best UK band and best album for 13, which became their first chart-topping album for 43 years.

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Apple profit 'biggest in history'

28 January 2015 Last updated at 11:22

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Apple's China sales are up 70% - and about to grow further, John Sudworth reports

US technology giant Apple has reported the biggest quarterly profit ever made by a public company.

Apple reported a net profit of $18bn (£11.8bn) in its fiscal first quarter, which tops the $15.9bn made by ExxonMobil in the second quarter of 2012, according to Standard and Poor's.

Record sales of iPhones were behind the surge in profits.

Apple sold 74.5 million iPhones in the three months to 27 December - well ahead of most analysts' expectations.

In a conference call with financial analysts Apple's chief executive Tim Cook said that demand for phones was "staggering".

However, sales of the iPad continued to disappoint, falling by 22% in 2014 from a year earlier.

Continue reading the main story

The demand for Apple's larger iPhone 6 Plus model appeared to help boost profits and increase the iPhone's gross profit margin - or how much Apple makes per product - by 2% to 39.9%.

However, Apple did not give a breakdown of sales for the iPhone 6 and other models.

Apple shares rose more than 5% in trading after the US markets had closed.

Buster Hein, who edits the "Cult of Mac" website, told the BBC that iPhone sales had surpassed expectations.

"Oh my gosh, it's unbelievable," he said. "I mean, a lot of us were expecting good iPhone sales during the holidays, but I don't think anybody really thought Apple was going to blow past 70 million units sold," he said.

"Apple became the number one smartphone company in China in the last quarter, which was just huge for them," he added.

Analysis: Richard Taylor, BBC North America Technology Correspondent

Apple's impressive results represent a significant shift towards the massive untapped potential of China.

With a strong line-up of devices entering the final quarter, it was able to reap the fruits of its deal with the world's biggest mobile network, China Mobile.

However, the success of its latest big-screen iPhones may have contributed to further cannibalising sales of the iPad.

The once unstoppable tablet is being further squeezed both by a resurgence in laptop sales, as well as by competition - both in an increasingly saturated US market and in emerging markets by lower-priced, rival machines.

All eyes now are on the Apple Watch - but with a relatively high base price it is not clear whether it will be able to woo more than the Apple faithful.

BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said the iPhone had "transformed the mobile phone industry".

"Others have a bigger share of the market - Samsung, for instance, actually sells more phones than Apple - but Apple makes just an extraordinary amount of money from this one phone.

"A lot of this, at the moment, is about China, where this brand has got extraordinary cachet. They [Apple] sold more phones in China in the last quarter than they have in the United States."

He added that one possible shadow on Apple's future was the question of whether the firm could repeat the success of the iPhone.

"The next one [product] that's supposed to be coming along is the Apple Watch in April," he said. "I've got some doubts as to whether that will be the mass market success, beyond the geek population, that the iPhone has been."

Currency woes

Apple's revenue grew to $74.6bn in 2014 - a 30% increase from a year earlier.

However, on a conference call to discuss earnings, Mr Cook complained of "fierce foreign exchange volatility", which added Apple to a growing list of US firms who have been hurt by the strong dollar abroad.

Apple said that currency fluctuations shaved 4% from its first-quarter revenue.

Sales in greater China hit $16bn in 2014 - a 70% increase from a year earlier, and almost equalling the $17bn in sales the company recorded in Europe last year.

A report by research firm Canalys released on Tuesday said that Apple had overtaken competitors to become China's number one seller of smartphones by units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Apple also said that its newest product, the Apple Watch, was still on schedule and would begin shipping in April.

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US north-east digs out of heavy snow

28 January 2015 Last updated at 16:24

Residents of the US north-east are digging out after up to 36in (91cm) of snow fell in a day-long blizzard.

The storm, which also destroyed part of a seawall and flooded parts of coastal Massachusetts, is being blamed for two deaths in Long Island.

Clean-up is being hindered by freezing temperatures in the coming days forecast to be as low as 10F (-12C).

But New York City and areas south were spared from an earlier prediction of a "potentially historic blizzard".

City officials imposed a driving ban and took the unprecedented step of shutting the subway on Monday evening but less than a foot of snow fell overnight.

Mayor Bill de Blasio denied he had overreacted to warnings, saying he could only go on information available and would rather err on the side of safety

The US National Weather Service (NWS) has admitted its forecasts were wrong, saying the storm moved faster than they expected.

National Weather Service director Louis Uccellini said his agency should have done a better job of communicating the uncertainties in the forecast.

At the scene

Gary O'Donoghue, BBC News, Boston

It's clear as we drive through the streets of Boston that things are beginning to get back to normal after the white-out of the last 36 hours. There are people on the streets and traffic - following the lifting of the non-emergency vehicle ban at midnight.

While most public schools are still closed, the Boston transport system is running and the airport is open.

City and State officials believe they have handled this storm as well as they could, and, so far, there have been no reports of injury or loss of life.

There were also far fewer power outages than expected, something put down to lower temperatures which produce lighter, fluffier snow which is less likely to bring down power lines. It's not over though - another 2-3 inches are expected Thursday night.

In Massachusetts, heavy snow - falling as fast as four inches an hour - and high winds combined to created blizzard and white-out conditions.

More than 24in of snow coated Boston's Logan Airport, the sixth-highest in recorded history. Worcester got 33.5in, the highest amount recorded since 1905, and Auburn and Lunenburg each reported 36in.

"I had to jump out the window because the door only opens one way," Massachusetts resident Chuck Beliveau said. "I felt like a kid again. When I was a kid, we'd burrow through snow drifts like moles."

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Gary O'Donoghue reports from Scituate in Massachusetts

More than two feet fell in parts of Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Portland, Maine and Providence, Rhode Island both set a daily record for snowfall.

A 110-ft replica of a Revolutionary War ship in Newport, Rhode Island was damaged after the storm flipped it. Wind gusts were as high as 78mph (125km/h)

On Wednesday, Boston's transport system began running again and the first flight since Monday took off from Logan Airport.

But snowploughs struggled to clear the roads, and Boston police drove several dozen doctors and nurses to work at hospitals.

Further south, the eastern tip of Long Island saw as much as 30in of snow.

Police have connected two deaths there with the snow - a 17-year-old who crashed into a lamp post while in an inflatable tube and an 83-year-old with dementia found dead in his backyard.

The storm also caused coastal flooding in Massachusetts. High tides breached a sea wall and damaged 11 homes in Marshfield, 50km (30 miles) south of Boston.

The state's only nuclear power station shut down after the blizzard interrupted its power flow.

Thousands of people are still without power, many of them in Massachusetts.

But Governor Charlie Baker said the snow had been "fluffier and lighter", meaning there were fewer power outages than anticipated.

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US law 'chief' defends migrant action

28 January 2015 Last updated at 19:14

The nominee to become the next US Attorney General has defended President Barack Obama's immigration policy during her Senate confirmation hearing.

Loretta Lynch, 55, struck a conciliatory tone with members of Congress and said citizenship "must be earned" by those entering the country.

The top US prosecutor for part of New York City, Ms Lynch was named as Eric Holder's successor in November.

Her appointment is expected to be confirmed by the wider Senate.

In a prepared statement before the Republican-controlled, Senate judiciary committee, Ms Lynch said she looked forward "to fostering a new and improved relationship with this committee, the United States Senate and the entire United States Congress, a relationship based on mutual respect and constitutional balance".

Republicans in Congress have had a contemptuous relationship with Mr Holder, accusing him of not being independent enough from Mr Obama.

Mr Holder was also the first Attorney General to be held in contempt of Congress after he refused to hand over a set of files on a failed gun-running investigation.

Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News

"You're not Eric Holder, are you?"

The question posed by Republican Senator John Cornyn to Loretta Lynch during her confirmation hearings effectively captured the spirit the day's proceedings.

Past controversies involving the Justice Department were hashed and rehashed over the hours of questioning, starting with the opening statement by the Republican chairman of the committee, Charles Grassley, who criticised Mr Holder for what he saw as politicising the department and serving as President Obama's "wingman", in Mr Holder's own words.

Ranking Democrat Pat Leahy admonished the committee: "I just want to focus on Loretta Lynch and not on all the problems that some may see in this country."

Ms Lynch acquitted herself well during the hearings and is predicted to receive Senate approval by a comfortable margin, which perhaps explains why the Vermont senator's advice was largely ignored.

Ms Lynch defended Mr Obama's recent executive actions on immigration, which will allow millions of undocumented people to stay in the US and apply for work permits.

Republicans have accused Mr Obama of an illegal power-grab.

Immigration officials were now focused on deporting "the most dangerous of the undocumented immigrants among us", she said.

"It seems to be a reasonable way to marshal limited resources to deal with the problem."

The right and obligation to work is one that's shared by everyone in this country regardless of how they came, she said.

"If someone is here, regardless of status, I would prefer that they be participating in the workplace than not participating in the workplace."

Ms Lynch would be the first black woman to serve as attorney general.

Her New York office is in charge of a civil rights investigation into the police chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, a case that sparked protests about police treatment of minorities.

But the US attorney said she had been "pained" by "recent reports of tension and division between law enforcement and the communities we serve" and pledged to work on strengthening that relationship.

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Nuclear scientist jailed in US

29 January 2015 Last updated at 03:33

A former scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US has been sentenced to five years in jail for attempting to pass nuclear bomb-making secrets to Venezuela.

Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni pleaded guilty in 2013 to delivering secrets to an undercover FBI agent, who he thought was a Venezuelan official.

Pedro Mascheroni, who is 79, is originally from Argentina.

His wife was also sentenced to one year in prison.

Mascheroni was under investigation for about a year before he was charged.

The US intelligence agency, the FBI, seized computers, letters, photographs and book from his home.

Undercover agent

According to court documents, Mr Mascheroni told the undercover FBI agent that he could help Venezuela develop a nuclear bomb within 10 years.

He said the country would be able to set up a secret underground nuclear reactor to produce and enrich plutonium.

Venezuela would also be able to build a plant to produce nuclear energy, he said.

Mr Mascheroni worked for around a decade in a nuclear weapons design division at the Los Alamos laboratory where the the first atomic bomb was developed.

He was laid off in 1988. His wife was a technical writer there.

In an interview with Associated Press, he said he had approached other countries after his ideas on cleaner nuclear power were rejected by the laboratory and later by congressional officials.

Mascheroni said he approached Venezuela after the United Sates rejected his theories that a hydrogen-fluoride laser could produce nuclear energy.

The American government has said it does not believe Venezuela was trying to access US nuclear secrets.

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Fugitive treasure hunter in court

29 January 2015 Last updated at 12:20

A US treasure hunter is scheduled to appear in a Florida court following his arrest after two years on the run.

Tommy Thompson was arrested on a criminal contempt warrant for evading a civil case brought by his investors.

They accuse him of cheating them out of promised proceeds from one of the biggest shipwreck hauls in US history.

In 1988 Mr Thompson, bankrolled by financial backers, recovered millions of dollars' worth of gold from a ship that sank off America's coast in 1857.

The 62-year-old, whom the US Marshals Service have called "one of the most intelligent fugitives ever sought", was arrested in a luxury hotel on Tuesday.

He had been living in the Hilton suite in West Boca Raton, south Florida, with an associate, Alison Antekeier, who was also arrested.

They had been at the hotel for two years, paying cash for their room under a false name and using taxis and public transport to avoid detection.

Room rates at the hotel start at $224 (£150) a night, according to the hotel's website.

The duo are due to be extradited to Ohio, where a civil arrest warrant was issued in 2012 after Mr Thompson failed to attend a court hearing centring on the lawsuit brought by his investors.

Previous reports have estimated Mr Thompson's haul, aided by sonar and robotic technology, at about $50m (£33m). This was the amount he received for selling most of the haul to a gold marketing group in 2000.

But the criminal complaint unveiled on Wednesday said the gold bars and coins he recovered from the seafloor were worth up to $400m (£260m).

A total of 161 investors had given Mr Thompson $12.7m (£8m) to find the ship on the understanding they would see returns on their investment.

Two of the investors later sued - a now-defunct investment firm and the Dispatch Printing Company which publishes The Columbus Dispatch newspaper, AP news agency said.

Cash-only lifestyle

Mr Thompson went into seclusion in 2006, living in a mansion in Vero Beach, Florida. He went on the run in 2012.

According to the criminal complaint, he and Ms Antekeier used 12 different mobile phones and paid rent with damp bank notes that they had buried underground.

A book called How to Live Your Life Invisible was found at the Vero Beach mansion, marked at a page entitled "Live your life on a cash-only basis".

Gil Kirk, a former director of one of Mr Thompson's companies, told AP last year that the treasure hunter had not cheated anyone, and that the proceeds from the gold sale were spent on legal fees and bank loans.

The S S Central America sank in a hurricane about 200 miles off the South Caroline coast in September 1857, killing 425 people and contributing to an economic panic with the loss of its gold.

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Joan Rivers' daughter sues clinic

27 January 2015 Last updated at 16:31

Joan Rivers' daughter has filed a malpractice claim against the New York medical clinic that treated her mother days before she died.

Rivers suffered a cardiac arrest while undergoing a procedure to examine her throat at the Yorkville Endoscopy centre in August 2014.

The legal claim alleges doctors were not adequately trained and performed unauthorised procedures on the star.

Rivers' family is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

In November, state health investigators said the clinic failed to follow standard protocols while treating Rivers, who died a week later.

The Department of Health cited multiple errors, including failing to detect the comedian's deteriorating vital signs during the procedure, but negligence was not suspected.

The New York medical examiner's office ruled Rivers died of brain damage due to lack of oxygen during the procedure.

The death was classified as a "therapeutic complication", meaning it was a known risk.

'Outrageous behaviour'

However Melissa Rivers claims doctors mishandled the endoscopy and performed another procedure - carried out by specialist Gwen Korovin who was not cleared to work at the clinic - without consent.

During the second procedure, gastroenterologist Dr Lawrence Cohen and Ms Korovin took pictures on their mobile phones of themselves with the sedated comedian. Ms Korovin later said she thought Rivers would have wanted to see the images. Dr Cohen has since resigned.

The legal claim alleges staff were not properly trained to detect Rivers' deteriorating vital signs or deal with the type of emergency airway obstruction she suffered before going into cardiac arrest.

It also claims Ms Korovin left the room at this point because she knew she was not permitted to be there and "wanted to avoid getting caught".

Melissa Rivers said filing the lawsuit was one of the most difficult decisions she had to make.

"What ultimately guided me was my unwavering belief that no family should ever have to go through what my mother, Cooper and I have been through," she said, referring to her son.

"The level of medical mismanagement, incompetency, disrespect and outrageous behaviour is shocking and frankly, almost incomprehensible."

The Yorkville Endoscopy centre said it was not appropriate to comment on the legal action.

"The Rivers family has, as it has always had, our deepest sympathies and condolences," it said.

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US warns of more sanctions on Russia

28 January 2015 Last updated at 11:41

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has said sanctions against Russia could be extended because of the escalation of violence in east Ukraine.

He was speaking on a visit to Kiev, after European Union leaders said they would consider "further restrictive measures" on Russia's government.

Pro-Russian separatists have pushed back Ukrainian forces in several areas in the past week.

But the number of casualties has steadily mounted.

Shelling by Ukrainian forces killed 16 civilians in the rebel-held region of Luhansk and four in Donetsk, according to officials quoted by Russian state news agency Tass on Wednesday. More than 100 others were reportedly wounded.

Ukrainian officials said the separatists had targeted 55 towns and villages in the past 24 hours. There were no details of civilian casualties but they said three soldiers had been killed.

A main focus of rebel attacks is the town of Debaltseve, a road and rail hub near Donetsk, which separatist leader Eduard Basurin has described as a "wedge" between rebel-held areas.

Mr Lew said Washington's first choice was a diplomatic resolution to lessen sanctions, but "we are prepared to do more if necessary".

His remarks came hours after President Barack Obama spoke on the phone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and issued a statement saying the two leaders were concerned about "Russia's materiel support for the separatists".

They "agreed on the need to hold Russia accountable for its actions".

'Foreign legion'

Russia denies involvement in eastern Ukraine, saying if any Russians are fighting there they are doing in a voluntary capacity.

EU foreign ministers will hold a special meeting in Brussels on Thursday to consider how to respond to the current escalation, including the killing of 30 civilians in the south-east Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Saturday.

"We note evidence of continued and growing support given to the separatists by Russia, which underlines Russia's responsibility," EU leaders said.

The ministers could ask the European Commission to draw up further sanctions, which would then go before EU leaders, most likely at a summit scheduled for 12 February.

However, Greece's new government said on Tuesday that the statement issued by EU leaders did not have its approval.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias are known to be opposed to sanctions on Russia and could prevent the EU's 28 member states from reaching a unified position on further measures.

The US treasury secretary was in Kiev to sign a $2bn (£1.3bn; €1.75bn) loan agreement, which is conditional on the government making fiscal reforms and tackling corruption.

IMF officials are also in Kiev to discuss extending last year's $17bn bail-out package. The government is estimated to need a further $15bn in funding.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting since the rebels seized swathes of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions last April, according to UN estimates. More than a million people have been displaced.

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Planet hosts giant ring system

27 January 2015 Last updated at 13:53 By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

Astronomers say they have discovered a planet with a gigantic ring system that is 200 times larger than that around Saturn.

It is the first such structure detected around a planet beyond our Solar System.

The researchers say there are probably more than 30 rings, each measuring tens of millions of kilometres in diameter.

The findings by a Dutch-US team are to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

Gaps detected in the ring system also suggest that some of the material may already have coalesced to form moons. This phenomenon can be seen at work in Saturn's rings today.

"You could think of it as kind of a super Saturn," said Prof Eric Mamajek, from the University of Rochester in the US.

The rings were found in data gathered by the SuperWASP observatory, which can detect exoplanets as they cross in front of their parent stars, causing the light from them to dim.

In this case, the astronomers saw a complex series of deep eclipses lasting for 56 days. They think this is caused by a planet with a giant ring system blocking out light as it passes in front of the star J1407.

"The light curve from end-to-end took about two months, but we could see very rapid changes in the space of one night," lead author Dr Matthew Kenworthy, from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, told BBC News.

"Over a time of half an hour, the star can dim by 30 or 40%."

If Saturn's rings were the same size as those around J1407b, they would be easily visible from Earth at night and would be many times larger than a full Moon.

Other possibilities, such as a planet-forming disc (the swirling mass of dust and gas from which planets form around a star) can be ruled out. A disc, says Dr Kenworthy, would produce much smoother changes in the light curve of J1407.

Last year, the astronomers tried to find the planet itself, but were not able to observe it.

"We threw the kitchen sink at this, we tried every single technique that we could think of," said Dr Kenworthy.

"But the lack of a detection means it has to be substellar, and the only thing that could hold these rings in place is a planet."

The team thinks that the planet itself is most likely a gas giant like Jupiter, but between 10 and 40 times as massive as that planet.

The distant ringworld, named J1407b, might also offer a glimpse - on a much larger scale - of the process that led to the formation of moons around gas giants in our own Solar System.

"The planetary science community has theorised for decades that planets like Jupiter and Saturn would have had, at an early stage, disks around them that then led to the formation of satellites," said Prof Mamajek.

The astronomers found at least one clean gap in the ring structure.

"One obvious explanation is that a satellite formed and carved out this gap," said Dr Kenworthy. "The mass of the satellite could be between that of Earth and Mars."

The researchers are encouraging amateur astronomers to help monitor J1407, which would help detect the next eclipse of the rings. Observations of J1407 can be reported to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO).

Follow Paul on Twitter.

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Device triggers White House alert

26 January 2015 Last updated at 18:42

A flying device triggered a security alert when it landed in the grounds of the White House, a US official says.

The US Secret Service said a "quad copter" - a small machine powered by four rotor blades - had been found. An investigation has been launched.

President Barack Obama and the First Lady are currently on a visit to India.

The US Secret Service, which is tasked with the president's security, has been criticised for recent lapses, leading to a leadership reorganisation.

In September a man armed with a knife scaled the White House perimeter fence and gained access to the building.

Days earlier an armed private security guard had been allowed to ride in the same lift as the president.

Although Mr and Mrs Obama were in New Delhi when the device was found, their children are believed to be in Washington DC, according to the New York Times.

At a press briefing in India, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: "I don't have any reason to think at this point that the first family is in any danger."

US media reports initially described the device as a small drone, but the Secret Service later said it was a two-foot-wide quad copter.

The device flew into the White House grounds at about 03:08 local time (08:08 GMT) and crashed into the south-eastern side of the complex, it said.

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Ex-CIA officer guilty over Iran leak

26 January 2015 Last updated at 22:48

A former CIA officer has been convicted of leaking classified details of a US operation against Iran to a reporter.

Jeffrey Sterling denied the leak but was found guilty in a Virginia court of all nine counts he faced.

New York Times reporter James Risen was the recipient of what former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified was one of the most closely held secrets.

But he was not called to give evidence because he said he would never reveal his sources, even if jailed.

The US operation to thwart Iran's nuclear plans involved involved using a CIA agent nicknamed Merlin to pass on erroneous nuclear blueprints to Iran.

Mr Risen's book State of War described this plan as botched and counter-productive because they could have armed Iran with nuclear expertise.

Defence lawyers admitted the journalist and former agent had a relationship, laid bare in phone calls and emails, but they argued there was no evidence the two men discussed anything classified.

Sterling will be sentenced in April.

Analysis: Tara McKelvey, White House reporter, BBC News

This is the first time in 30 years a jury has convicted a former official of leaking classified information - and shows the seriousness of Sterling's crime as well as the US justice department's aggressive approach towards leaks under US President Barack Obama.

In previous leak cases, such as one involving a former CIA officer named John Kiriakou, the accused have reached plea agreements.

Sterling's case underscores the hard line Mr Obama has taken against leaks. He has pursued more leak cases than George W Bush and all other presidents combined.

"The prosecution reflects the political climate," says Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, referring to the Sterling case. "It shouldn't, but it does."

In 1985 a jury convicted Samuel Loring Morison, a former naval intelligence analyst, of disclosing classified information to the media but he was later pardoned by President Bill Clinton.

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Facebook suffers widespread fault

27 January 2015 Last updated at 08:56

Social network Facebook became inaccessible across much of the globe for a time on Tuesday, before returning to normal service.

Millions of users were unable to access their accounts.

Users in some countries also had difficulties accessing photo-sharing app Instagram.

Facebook said it believed its own engineers had caused the problem, downplaying claims that a hacking group had been responsible.

"Earlier this evening many people had trouble accessing Facebook and Instagram," a spokeswoman told the BBC.

"This was not the result of a third-party attack but instead occurred after we introduced a change that affected our configuration systems.

"We moved quickly to fix the problem, and both services are back to 100% for everyone."

The sites appeared to have been unavailable for about 40 minutes before coming back online.

Dating app Tinder, which relies on Facebook to provide its service, was also affected by the problem.

A hacker group called Lizard Squad had tweeted about the services going offline, leading to reports that it might have been responsible. The group has been blamed for attacks at the end of last year that forced Sony's PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming services offline.

Some users took to Twitter to comment on the outage on Tuesday.

"I hope you all took advantage of the 35 second Facebook outage to Like a person in real life. #Faceboogeddon," wrote media analyst Arthur Goldstuck.

"While Facebook was down, I nailed a picture of my breakfast to a tree outside our house. Seven people have knocked to say they liked it," wrote Alistair Coleman.

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Obama visits new Saudi King Salman

27 January 2015 Last updated at 22:31

US President Barack Obama has led a large, bipartisan US delegation to Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah.

Mr Obama cut short a trip to India to make time for the brief visit, during which he met new ruler King Salman.

He was accompanied by prominent Republican officials, including former Secretaries of State James Baker and Condoleezza Rice.

Saudi Arabia is a key US ally in a region riven by war and rivalries.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were met at the airport in Riyadh by King Salman and then driven to Erga Palace, the king's private residence, for dinner.

Mr Obama and King Salman held an hour-long meeting in which they discussed a range of issues including the campaign against Islamic State (IS), US officials said.

Saudi Arabia is among the US-led coalition of Western and Arab nations conducting air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq.

But relations between Washington and Riyadh have been strained by differences over US policy on the Syrian conflict and its nuclear diplomacy with Shia power Iran - a regional rival of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia.

Analysis: Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent

The two countries have been strategic partners for 70 years but recently there have been strains below the surface of their relationship. The Saudis were dismayed when the US called off their proposed missile strikes against the regime of Syria's Bashar al-Assad in response to his alleged role in a chemical weapons attack in 2013.

The Saudis, like most of the Gulf Arab states, want Mr Assad gone. While they support the US-led coalition against IS, they believe the group can never be defeated while the Syrian president remains in power. But the Saudi way is to avoid any confrontational talk when hosting a leader of Mr Obama's stature.

Instead, they are likely to leave any tough talking to officials in private.

The two leaders also discussed the security situation in Yemen as well as stability in the global oil market.

Mr Obama stressed the importance of human rights, US officials added, but did not raise the case of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi.

Mr Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison last May for "insulting Islam through electronic channels" and "going beyond the realm of obedience".

The sentence provoked an international outcry.

Before his arrival Mr Obama had said one of the main reasons for the visit was to pay respects to the late King Abdullah "who in his own fashion presented some modest reform efforts within the kingdom''.

Mr Obama had been due to visit the Taj Mahal in India on Tuesday, but had to cancel to allow for the four-hour visit to Riyadh.

Also among the 30-strong US delegation were CIA director John Brennan, John McCain, the Republican chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.

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US museums consider London outpost

27 January 2015 Last updated at 22:09 By Jane O'Brien BBC News, Washington

The world's largest museum and research institution could be heading to London as part of a multi-million dollar refit of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The Smithsonian in Washington, DC, has been asked to open an exhibition space on the 4.5 acre site showing treasures from its 19 museums and art galleries.

Its 137 million artefacts include some iconic objects, like Dorothy's ruby red slippers in the Wizard of Oz.

The focus in London would be America's history and contributions to science.

John McCarter, chairman of the Board of Regents, the Smithsonian's governing body, revealed as much, although he says no details have been finalised.

"This is an opportunity for the Smithsonian to move into a global context and to tell America's story," he says.

The new London cultural centre will be named Olympicopolis and $50m (£33m) in UK funding has so far been secured to build the facility. Annual operating costs are expected to run between $5m and $7m but would be funded by sales, private donations and admission to temporary exhibits.

The Smithsonian would join several major British institutions planning outposts at the Olympic Park, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, University of the Arts London and the Sadler's Wells ballet company. The University College of London is also planning to open a new campus on the site.

"These are wonderful institutions, and we want to be a positive addition to them," says Mr McCarter. "We have objects that are unique to the Smithsonian and to the United States that can add to and enhance the cultural tourism and scholarly capability of London. We do this with great respect."

And with 95% of the Smithsonian's holdings in storage, he said there would be plenty of objects to choose from.

As well as the slippers, some of its iconic objects include the legendary Hope Diamond, President Lincoln's top hat, the star-spangled banner that inspired the national anthem, and the Apollo lunar landing module.

If the development goes ahead, it will be the first time in the Smithsonian's 168-year history that it has opened a long-term exhibition venue outside of the US. It also signals the continuing quest for global reach in the 21st Century. This month the Freer and Sackler galleries of Asian art became the first Smithsonian museum to digitise its entire collection

Being in London "gives us the equivalent in a physical facility to enable us to share with people what they love, the real stuff. With all due respect to the digital world, you don't get that until you're in the physical presence of an object," says Mr McCarter.

The Smithsonian has several other major projects in the pipeline, including the African American History and Culture Museum, which is due to be completed later this year, and the Arts and Industries Building which has yet to be re-opened following extensive renovations. But Acting Secretary Al Horvath says no funds will be diverted to the London venture and no US taxpayer money would be spent on it either.

"Private support has been indentified in London to enable us to move into the space, and once the space is open it becomes our responsibility to support it through the revenues generated there," he says.

"We will not be asking for any federal funding and one of the key aspects of our due diligence has been to ensure that this will not be a drain on existing Smithsonian resources."

Discussions are still being held over the terms and conditions of the partnership. An agreement could be reached within the next few months.

In a statement, Mayor of London Boris Johnson welcomed the Smithsonian's decision to open formal talks. He said it would be a massive coup to attract the institution to east London.

If the move does go ahead it could also represent a return of the American institution to its British roots. The Smithsonian was founded by a British chemist, James Smithson, the illegitimate son of the 1st Duke of Northumberland.

When he died in 1829 a clause in his will bequeathed his fortune to the United States to create in Washington "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."

James Smithson had never visited the US, but in 1904 Alexander Graham Bell, a regent of the Smithsonian, brought his remains to Washington where they were re-interred at the institution that bears his name.

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US admits snow forecast errors

28 January 2015 Last updated at 09:35

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New Yorkers ask what happened to "snowmageddon"?

The US National Weather Service (NWS) has admitted its forecasts were wrong, after predicting a "potentially historic blizzard" would strike New York City.

The city was largely spared as the storm piled deep snow on Connecticut and Massachusetts.

City mayor Bill de Blasio denied he had overreacted to warnings, saying he could only go on information available.

Blizzard warnings remain in effect for Maine and eastern New Hampshire.

"Rapidly deepening winter storms are very challenging to predict," the NWS wrote on its Facebook page.

"The storm has moved further east and will be departing faster than our forecasts of the past two days.

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Mayor Bill de Blasio: "We had to take precautions to keep people safe"

"The result is much less snow than previously predicted for the western half of our region," it added.

On Monday, an emergency was declared in a swathe of north-eastern states, and meteorologists predicted up to 90cm (36in) of snow. Officials later downgraded the numbers.

The New York City authorities imposed a driving ban - since lifted - and took the unprecedented step of shutting the subway.

But on Tuesday, New Yorkers awoke to a blanket of snow less deep than feared, and since then city life has been getting back to normal.

"Would you rather be prepared or unprepared? Would you rather be safe or unsafe?" asked Mr de Blasio, defending the moves.

"My job as the leader is to make decisions and I will always err on the side of safety and caution."

Analysis: Nick Bryant, BBC News, New York

Shutting down the New York subway system, for the first time in its history because of snow, can easily be viewed in retrospect like overkill. So does bringing in a car curfew, which banned non-emergency vehicles from the streets from 23:00 on Monday night.

Walking the empty streets of Manhattan pre-dawn, and seeing the snow, we all found ourselves asking the same question: "Is that it?"

It reminded me of that scene from Crocodile Dundee, when Mick Dundee is confronted by muggers wielding a switchblade. "That's not a knife," he says, pulling out a much scarier weapon. "This is a knife."

That's not a storm, some New Yorkers told us, as they made their way to work muttering that Bill de Blasio had got it badly wrong.

New Yorkers ask 'Is that it?'

Other areas of New York state saw much heavier snowfall, with "blizzard conditions" across Long Island, according to the NSW.

A teenage boy was later killed in a sledging accident in the area.

Worst affected elsewhere were Connecticut and Massachusetts, with the heaviest snowfall recorded outside Boston - 91 cm (36 in) of snow in Lunenburg by Tuesday night.

In Connecticut, an elderly man collapsed while shovelling snow. He died later in hospital on Tuesday.

At the scene: Gary O'Donoghue, BBC, Scituate, Massachusetts

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Gary O'Donoghue reports from Scituate in Massachusetts

Flooding is a big threat here. The town of Scituate is bracing itself for a high tide in the coming hours and the neighbouring town of Marshfield has already had its sea wall breached.

Some along this coast have already been evacuated from their homes and the streets are largely empty of people.

The storm is expected to continue to whip the eastern part of the state until early Wednesday - and only after that can a true assessment be made of its impact.

The storm also caused coastal flooding in Massachusetts. High tides breached a sea wall and damaged 11 homes in Marshfield, 50km (30 miles) south of Boston.

The state's only nuclear power station shut down after the blizzard interrupted its power flow.

Thousands of people are still without power, more than 45,000 of them in Massachusetts.

But Governor Charlie Baker said the snow had been "fluffier and lighter" than anticipated, meaning there were less power outages.

Flights are set to resume early on Wednesday at Boston's Logan International Airport, along with trains to New York and Washington.

But air travel remains disrupted, with more than 800 flights cancelled, according to flightaware.com.

"The wind here is tremendous, it's difficult to see very far out the window," said Christie Craigheard in New Hampshire, another of the affected areas.

The NWS is still warning of potentially life-threatening conditions along the New England coast, as the storm heads north into Canada.

Meteorologists expect the snow to continue into early Wednesday in eastern New England.

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Florida cat crawls out of grave

28 January 2015 Last updated at 10:37

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Owner's neighbour Dusty Albritton: "I knew there was something wrong because I knew this cat was buried five days earlier"

A cat in Florida has had surgery after apparently clawing its way out of his grave following a collision with a car.

Bart was discovered by its owner's neighbour in Tampa five days after he was found lying in the road stiff in a pool of blood, and was presumed dead.

He is now recovering after treatment for a broken jaw and ruptured eye.

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, which is caring for the animal they have dubbed "Bart the Miracle Cat", say they have never seen a case like it.

Bart's owner, Ellis Hutson, told the Tampa Bay Times he "couldn't stand" to bury the animal and asked his neighbour Dave to dig him a shallow grave.

Hungry and dishevelled

Five days later, bedraggled Bart was found meowing for food by another of Mr Hutson's neighbours, Dusty Albritton.

"At first it blew me away", Ms Albritton said. "All I knew was this cat was dead and 'Pet Sematary' is real," she added, referring to the horror film and book by US writer Stephen King.

A shocked but delighted Mr Hutson, discovering that vets' bills would be too expensive, took Bart to Tampa's Humane Society.

Bart had surgery on Tuesday night to remove his ruined eye and treat his broken jaw, and is now resting comfortably according to the society's Facebook page.

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Sniper film 'stoking Islamophobia'

25 January 2015 Last updated at 12:21

The release of the film American Sniper has led to an increase in threats against Muslims in the US, according to an Arab-American civil rights group.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has written to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper.

Their film is based on US soldier Chris Kyle's service in Iraq from 2003-09.

The ADC said a "majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper".

The organisation, which describes itself as the largest Arab civil rights organisation in the US, said it had collected "hundreds of violent messages targeting Arab and Muslim Americans from movie-goers", mainly from Facebook and Twitter.

The letter asked Eastwood and Cooper to speak out against such messages "in an effort to reduce the hateful rhetoric".

"Your visibility, influence, and connection to the film would be a tremendous force in drawing attention to and lessening the serious dangers facing the respective communities," ADC president Samer Khalaf wrote.

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Bradley Cooper plays Navy Seal Chris Kyle (Courtesy Warner Bros)

Jack Horner, a spokesman for the Warner Bros film studio, which released the film, told the Reuters news agency that the company "denounces any violent, anti-Muslim rhetoric, including that which has been attributed to viewers" of the film.

He added: "Hate and bigotry have no place in the important dialogue that this picture has generated about the veteran experience."

Spokespeople for Eastwood and Cooper had no immediate response to requests for comment, Reuters news agency reported.

American Sniper has been a major hit in North America, exceeding box office predictions by taking $90m (£59m) in its opening weekend - a record for a January release. It also has six Oscar nominations.

Film controversy

But it has caused controversy. Some have hailed its portrayal of Kyle as a war hero, but others have criticised it for glorifying violence and for Kyle's attitude towards his victims.

Kyle, a Navy Seal, served four tours of duty in Iraq and killed more than 160 people, making him the most deadly sniper in American history.

The film is based on his book, also titled American Sniper, in which he claimed to have no regrets and referred to those he killed as "savages".

Kyle was killed in February 2013 on a firing range in his home state of Texas.

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Director Clint Eastwood said he was "sympathetic to veterans"

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