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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