Portugal seeks bail-out from EU

6 April 2011 Last updated at 21:28 GMT Jose Socrates: "We have reached the moment where the country is at too much risk"

Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said that he has asked the European Union for financial assistance.

Mr Socrates said the country was "at too much risk that it shouldn't be exposed to".

The government has long resisted asking for aid but last week admitted that it had missed its 2010 budget deficit target.

Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out.

"I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," Mr Socrates said.

"Above all, it's in the national interest."

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be processed "in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable".

He also reaffirmed his "confidence in Portugal's capacity to overcome the present difficulties, with the solidarity of its partners".

Borrowing costs

Mr Socrates did not say how much aid Portugal would ask for. Negotiations will now be underway and the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said rescue loans could amount to as much as 80bn euros ($115bn; £70bn).

Mr Socrates was speaking after Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said it was necessary to resort to financial aid from the EU.

Continue reading the main story Matthew Price Europe correspondent, BBC News

First Greece, then Ireland, now Portugal. But unlike the previous two bail-outs, this one does not seem to have provoked panic - either in the corridors of power here, nor on the markets.

The EU's top economic official Olli Rehn called the Portugese decision a "responsible move". The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso - himself Portugese - said the request would be processed as quickly as possible.

A team could be dispatched to Portugal in the coming days.

EU finance ministers hold a scheduled meeting in Hungary at the end of the week. Portugal will be top of the agenda.

The European Commission and the European Central Bank are both expected to be involved in the bail-out funding. The International Monetary Fund says it stands ready to help as well.

Earlier, the government raised about 1bn euros after tapping the financial markets in order to repay loans, but will have to pay a higher interest rate to lenders.

Portugal's cost of borrowing has risen sharply since the minority Socialist government resigned last month after its proposed tougher austerity measures were defeated in parliament.

Since then several rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt.

An informal meeting of European finance ministers had already been scheduled for Thursday in Budapest. Portugal was not originally on the agenda but is expected to be discussed.

The UK Treasury Minister Mark Hoban will attend. A source at the Treasury said that the bilateral loan the UK offered to the Irish Republic was "very much a special case" and a similar offer is "not on the table" for Portugal.

Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at IHS Global Insight, told the BBC that Portugal might organise "some sort of bridging loan" in the short term.

But he added: "The real big loan over several years will require a medium-term plan and I don't think that can be agreed until the new government comes into place."

Elections are likely to take place in a few months' time.

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Tomlinson stance 'almost defiant'

6 April 2011 Last updated at 16:34 GMT Pc Simon Harwood is giving evidence for a third day The police officer who pushed Ian Tomlinson minutes before he died at the G20 protests in London said he was "almost inviting a confrontation".

Pc Simon Harwood stood by his statement in which he said Mr Tomlinson's posture was "almost defiant".

The jury at the inquest into his death was again shown footage of Pc Harwood shoving the 47-year-old as he walked away from a police line.

The Tomlinsons' lawyer accused the officer of lying and talking "rubbish".

Giving evidence for the third day, Pc Harwood said he had not expected the newspaper seller to fall over and he had not helped him while he lay on the ground because it was not part of his training.

When asked later by his lawyer if he had intended to hurt Mr Tomlinson, he appeared to wipe tears from his eyes as he replied "not at all, no."

Pc Harwood, part of the Metropolitan Police's specialist Territorial Support Group (TSG), was caught on film pushing the newspaper seller to the ground in Cornhill, central London, on 1 April 2009. Mr Tomlinson got back to his feet but collapsed and died minutes later.

'Absurd'

Matthew Ryder QC, for the Tomlinson family, said Pc Harwood was denying events clearly visible on the video.

He asked Pc Harwood: "Do you agree he had his back to you? We're all here in this room looking at the video."

Mr Tomlinson was filmed moments before he died on 1 April 2009

Pc Harwood replied: "No."

Mr Ryder said: "You're lying Pc Harwood, I suggest, and you know it."

To that, Pc Harwood said: "No. I'm just trying to help."

The officer maintained that "from his angle" it had appeared Mr Tomlinson had not been moving away, which Mr Ryder said was "rubbish" and "absurd".

Members of Mr Tomlinson's family walked out in tears after hearing the policeman's denials.

Pc Harwood has already apologised to the Tomlinson family for "any way" he may be responsible for the death.

He has admitted Mr Tomlinson was no threat to him or his colleagues before he hit him with a baton and pushed him.

'Gesture'

Mr Tomlinson, who was not a demonstrator and had been selling newspapers in nearby Fish Street Hill, was on his way home when he encountered the protests.

On Wednesday, the officer was challenged over claims in his statement from 2009 that the father-of-nine had been inviting the confrontation and his push had been just a "gesture".

"He (Mr Tomlinson) just looked as if he was going to stay where he was whatever and was almost inviting physical confrontation in terms of being moved on," the statement said.

Mr Ryder asked: "Is that true, Pc Harwood?"

The officer replied: "Yes".

In another part of his statement, he said: "His (Mr Tomlinson) posture was almost defiant. His hands remained in his pockets, he did not move away, and he looked at the police officers approaching him as if he was simply intent on remaining where he was."

Pc Harwood, who is suspended from the force on full pay, has been told he will not face any criminal prosecutions over what happened - but he is still facing a Met Police misconduct hearing, due to take place after the inquest.

The inquest, which is sitting at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in Fleet Street, is examining the actions of police, the pathologist and independent investigators.

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Man held in Ronan Kerr inquiry

6 April 2011 Last updated at 17:47 GMT Forensics officers examined a garage where arms were found in Coalisland, County Tyrone Police in Northern Ireland investigating the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr have arrested a man in Scotland over a significant arms find.

Mr Kerr, 25, was killed when a car bomb exploded in Omagh on Saturday.

Police have said the arrest is linked to a weapons find in the Coalisland area of east Tyrone.

The weapons included four rifles, detonators, component parts for rocket launchers, incendiary bombs and explosives, possibly Semtex.

Speaking at a news conference at police headquarters in Belfast, Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris said the man was arrested in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, and brought back to Northern Ireland.

He said the weapons were found on Tuesday night inside stolen cars in a garage at Mountjoy Road in Coalisland.

Continue reading the main story Vincent Kearney BBC NI home affairs correspondent

Police have confirmed that the arms found in Coalisland will be forensically examined to establish whether there is a direct link to the Ronan Kerr murder or to the wider activities of dissident republicans.

It has been a significant length of time since the police have uncovered an arms haul of this quantity and variety.

If it turns out that the explosives found were Semtex it will raise questions about whether dissidents have a new supply line or have access to explosives which formerly belonged to the Provisional IRA.

"Everyone in Northern Ireland is very much safer today because these munitions have been taken out of circulation," he said.

ACC Harris said the find was "the most significant in recent years".

The arms found were:

• Four Kalashnikov rifles

• Six loaded ammunition magazines

• Timer power units

• Detonators

• Incendiary bombs

• Components for rocket launchers and other explosive devices

• Quantity of explosives, possibly Semtex

Police said the items were being "fast-tracked for forensic examination" and formed one line of inquiry in the Ronan Kerr murder investigation.

"A man has been arrested in Dunbartonshire in Scotland in connection with the find of weapons at Coalisland," ACC Harris said.

"This 26-year-old suspect is being brought back to Northern Ireland for questioning. Colleagues from Strathclyde Police assisted PSNI detectives in the arrest operation.

"The seizure was made in a garage unit on the Mountjoy Road. Inside the unit, police officers uncovered a number of stolen vehicles and inside those vehicles, a significant amount of arms and munitions," he said.

Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris announced details at a press conference

"This investigation into Ronan's murder will continue in the coming days and weeks with the same determination and professionalism which resulted in last night's discovery."

Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton from Strathclyde Police said a search had been carried out in connection with the arrest in Renton, but nothing had been found.

"I would like to reassure people in West Dunbartonshire and across the Strathclyde Police area that there is nothing to suggest there is any increased threat to people here in connection with this arrest," he said.

Anne Murphy lives near to where the explosives were found in County Tyrone and said there had been a major police operation.

"It really took off about six o'clock on Tuesday evening," she said.

"I've never seen anything like it before, in the amount of resources that have been in the area.

"There have been jeeps, there have been mini-buses, large vans, with possibly forensic vehicles included.

"They've been here continuously, manning the place. The area's been blocked off."

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We won't take risks with NHS - PM

6 April 2011 Last updated at 11:48 GMT By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News The NHS is under going a major revamp The government will not take risks with the NHS in England, Prime Minister David Cameron says.

But at the launch of a new push to convince critics that the reforms are right, he said sticking with the status quo was not an option.

The prime minister was joined by his deputy Nick Clegg and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to try to present a united front amid widespread criticism.

Labour has branded the move a "PR stunt".

Speaking at a hospital in Surrey, Mr Cameron said change was necessary because of rising demands on the health service from factors such as the ageing population.

He added: "I'm in politics not to take risks with the NHS but to safeguard and improve the NHS for today and future generations.

"If we want to keep the NHS free at the point of use we have to make it more efficient - sticking with the status quo is not going to work."

Greater freedoms

He said there would be a series of events over the next two months where ministers would be meeting with the public and those working in the NHS to explain the reforms and to see if improvements could be made.

But he insisted there was support for the basic principles - putting patients and GPs in charge, reducing bureancracy and giving greater freedoms to hospitals.

Continue reading the main story Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News

After weeks - make that months of criticism - the government is facing a tricky balancing act.

Most people agree the NHS cannot stand still - the ageing population, rising cost of drugs and lifestyle factors like obesity means costs are outstripping the rise in funding the health service is getting.

And so the government is fully committed to the basic principles of the reform programme - GPs holding the purse strings and greater competition. There will be no U-turn.

But at the same time ministers recognise they have a job to do to convince the NHS and wider public that the changes they are making are the right ones.

That is going to require reassurance, clarification and perhaps, hardest of all, compromise.

The government has also enlisted Professor Steve Field, the former chairman of the Royal College of GPs, to head a panel of experts - called the NHS Future Forum - which will take a leading role in the "listening exercise".

Under the government's overhaul of the NHS, GPs are to be given control of much of the budget - allowing two tiers of management to be scrapped.

The NHS is also to be opened up to greater competition.

The government took the step of launching the "listening exercise" after Mr Lansley accepted in the House of Commons on Monday that there were concerns.

He told MPs he wanted to use a natural pause in the parliamentary timetable before the bill underpining the changes returns in late Spring to engage with people.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Lansley said the two-month exercise was a "genuine opportunity to shape the future of the health service".

Prime Minister David Cameron says he is listening to the concerns over NHS reform

The move has come after the government has already said it would make some changes to the plans.

Amendments have been promised to stop private health companies "cherry-picking" the easiest cases, while competition on price will not be allowed, ministers have said.

It is thought likely that in the coming months the government will make clear that the April 2013 cut-off for GPs to take on the budget is not an absolute deadline.

Instead, GP consortia that are not ready will be given support by a national board, led by NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson.

Another measure being given serious consideration is the idea of inviting other experts to get involved in the consortia, something which has been proposed by the House of Commons' health committee.

The cross-party group of MPs said involving the likes of hospital doctors, public health chiefs and councillors would improve accountability and decision-making.

Nigel Edwards, of the NHS Confederation, which represents managers, welcomed the listening exercise, saying his members had concerns about the plans.

He said the pause in progress represented a "needed process of dialogue and communication with professionals, patients and the public".

British Medical Association leader Dr Hamish Meldrum said: "We see it as positive that the government is committed to listening. How serious it is about making real changes remains to be seen."

But shadow health secretary John Healey said he remained doubtful meaningful changes would be made, suggesting that the government had failed to listen during the official consultation and during debates in Parliament.

"The pause looks suspiciously like a PR stunt to quell the coalition of criticism."

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Ivory Coast: Gbagbo repels attack

6 April 2011 Last updated at 22:33 GMT Troops on both sides have deployed heavy weapons for the battle Troops backing the internationally recognised president of Ivory Coast have been rebuffed in attempts to oust the country's incumbent leader.

Alassane Ouattara's forces launched an assault on the home of Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to stand down as president.

After hours of fighting, Mr Ouattara's men pulled back in the face of heavy fire from within Mr Gbagbo's residence.

Mr Gbagbo insists he won November's run-off vote, but election officials found Mr Ouattara was the winner.

That result was certified by the UN, but Mr Gbagbo has refused to leave office.

Mr Gbagbo and his family are believed to be sheltering in the bunker of his residence, in an upmarket area of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's main city.

He says Mr Ouattara's troops want to kill him, while they say they have strict orders to capture him alive.

Speaking by phone to French radio and sounding defiant, Mr Gbagbo denied he was hiding in a bunker.

"I am in the residence - the residence of the president of the republic. When it rains, can't one take shelter inside one's house?"

Mr Gbagbo had earlier denied he was surrendering, saying he was only negotiating a truce.

In a separate development late on Wednesday, French helicopters carried out an operation to evacuate the Japanese ambassador, whose Abidjan home was besieged by mercenaries, a source close to the rescue operation told the AFP news agency.

Troops 'in the building'

Gun, rocket and mortar fire was reported around Mr Gbagbo's residence during Wednesday.

Carrying automatic weapons and approaching the compound in pickup trucks modified to carry heavy machine guns, Mr Ouattara's troops attempted to storm the residence to spring Mr Gbagbo from his hideaway.

Continue reading the main story Andrew Harding BBC News, Abidjan

A negotiated ending might have helped ease tensions in this bitterly divided country. After all, Mr Gbagbo won 46% of the vote in the recent election.

But he seems to have overplayed a weak hand, and so a more forceful denouement beckons, and with it the real risk of greater instability.

What will his militias do if Mr Gbagbo is killed, or dragged out and humiliated?

Civilians, still trapped in Abidjan, say there has been sporadic gunfire across the city, with pro-Gbagbo militias still on the streets, and Ouattara force's still "mopping up" opposition at several military installations.

The stench of dead bodies, littering the sides of the road, is a powerful reminder of the price this city has paid for the "restoration of democracy".

But they faced stiff resistance from inside the property's walls, where Mr Gbagbo's supporters were said to be dug in with mortars and rocket launchers.

After several hours of fighting the sounds of battle died away.

Local residents, Western officials and representatives of Mr Ouattara's forces conceded that Mr Gbagbo's men had held out.

"We retreated but we are preparing for a second assault," a spokesman for the fighters, Yves Doumbia, told the Associated Press new agency.

The BBC's John James, outside Abidjan, says a new standoff appears to be developing, with the anti-Gbagbo forces possibly regrouping for an overnight assault.

"There are still some mortars and tanks in the presidential compound - the offensive was suspended for a few hours," French news agency AFP quoted a French official in Abidjan as saying.

Earlier, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Mr Gbagbo's "intransigence" had led to the collapse of UN-brokered talks aimed at negotiating an orderly departure.

"The conditions set by President Ouattara are very clear: he demands that Laurent Gbagbo accepts his defeat and recognises the victory of the legitimately elected president," he told parliament.

"That's where we stand today, so sadly the arms have begun to talk again."

France - the former colonial power in Ivory Coast - has troops in the country alongside UN peacekeepers. They are attempting to maintain security around Abidjan under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution.

Mr Juppe said neither French nor UN troops were involved in the offensive against Mr Gbagbo.

Civilians under siege

As the two sides continue to battle for the presidency, concern is growing over the humanitarian situation in Ivory Coast.

Following two days of advances in Abidjan by pro-Ouattara forces the city's four million people remain mainly inside their homes.

Soldiers, ex-rebel fighters, militia groups and mercenaries are battling for control of the streets, says the our correspondent. The main banks have been closed for nearly two months and few people have the funds to stock up on food.

Continue reading the main story 28 November: Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara in election run-off2 December: Electoral commission announces that Ouattara has won3 December: Constitutional Council declaring Gbagbo the winner; UN says Ouattara was victor30 March: Pro-Ouattara forces enter the capital, Yamoussoukro4 April: UN launches air strikes on Gbagbo in main city, Abidjan5 April: Three generals negotiate Gbagbo's surrenderThe UN and the Red Cross have both voiced their concern for the civilians caught up in the fighting. The Red Cross has described the humanitarian situation as "worsening" and is beginning to distribute 12 tonnes of aid to those judged most in need.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the violence, with the UN refugee agency reporting an increase in the number of Ivorians crossing the border into neighbouring Liberia.

The International Criminal Court says it is preparing to investigate reports of human rights abuses during the fighting.

Last November's election was intended to reunite Ivory Coast which split in two following a northern rebellion in 2002.

The electoral commission pronounced Mr Ouattara the victor, but Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council said Mr Gbagbo had won.

The US, the UN and the EU recognised Mr Ouattara as the winner, but both candidates had themselves sworn in as president and a stand-off ensued.

Skirmishes and battles between the rival forces have since taken place across Ivory Coast, culminating in Mr Ouattara's troops sweeping into Abidjan at the end of March.

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Portugal seeks bail-out from EU

6 April 2011 Last updated at 21:28 GMT Jose Socrates: "We have reached the moment where the country is at too much risk"

Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said that he has asked the European Union for financial assistance.

Mr Socrates said the country was "at too much risk that it shouldn't be exposed to".

The government has long resisted asking for aid but last week admitted that it had missed its 2010 budget deficit target.

Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out.

"I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," Mr Socrates said.

"Above all, it's in the national interest."

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be processed "in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable".

He also reaffirmed his "confidence in Portugal's capacity to overcome the present difficulties, with the solidarity of its partners".

Borrowing costs

Mr Socrates did not say how much aid Portugal would ask for. Negotiations will now be underway and the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said rescue loans could amount to as much as 80bn euros ($115bn; £70bn).

Mr Socrates was speaking after Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said it was necessary to resort to financial aid from the EU.

Continue reading the main story Matthew Price Europe correspondent, BBC News

First Greece, then Ireland, now Portugal. But unlike the previous two bail-outs, this one does not seem to have provoked panic - either in the corridors of power here, nor on the markets.

The EU's top economic official Olli Rehn called the Portugese decision a "responsible move". The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso - himself Portugese - said the request would be processed as quickly as possible.

A team could be dispatched to Portugal in the coming days.

EU finance ministers hold a scheduled meeting in Hungary at the end of the week. Portugal will be top of the agenda.

The European Commission and the European Central Bank are both expected to be involved in the bail-out funding. The International Monetary Fund says it stands ready to help as well.

Earlier, the government raised about 1bn euros after tapping the financial markets in order to repay loans, but will have to pay a higher interest rate to lenders.

Portugal's cost of borrowing has risen sharply since the minority Socialist government resigned last month after its proposed tougher austerity measures were defeated in parliament.

Since then several rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt.

An informal meeting of European finance ministers had already been scheduled for Thursday in Budapest. Portugal was not originally on the agenda but is expected to be discussed.

The UK Treasury Minister Mark Hoban will attend. A source at the Treasury said that the bilateral loan the UK offered to the Irish Republic was "very much a special case" and a similar offer is "not on the table" for Portugal.

Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at IHS Global Insight, told the BBC that Portugal might organise "some sort of bridging loan" in the short term.

But he added: "The real big loan over several years will require a medium-term plan and I don't think that can be agreed until the new government comes into place."

Elections are likely to take place in a few months' time.

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Report: Apple prepping iPhone with 4-inch display (Ben Patterson)

Amid rumors that Apple may unleash a smaller, cheaper version of the iPhone comes word that the next flagship iPhone might take a page from the Android playbook—by adding a larger, four-inch display.

The claim comes from Taiwanese rumor site DigiTimes, which says it got the scoop from unnamed "upstream component suppliers."

DigiTimes is also reporting that the new iPhone will replace the A4 system-on-a-chip that powers the iPhone 4 with a new, souped-up A5 processor—a claims that lines up with previous next-gen iPhone rumors.

The DigiTimes story followed on the heels of an earlier post from another (reportedly reliable) Taiwanese tech site, which claims that Apple is testing three prototype iPhone 5 handsets: one with a slide-out keypad, another with beefed-up internals but no real design changes, and a third prototype that had yet to be identified.

So … could that third prototype be the four-inch iPhone? Impossible to say; Apple, as usual, isn't saying a word.

What's certain, however, is that we've been deluged with iPhone rumors in that past several days, with first Bloomberg and then the Wall Street Journal reporting that Apple has a smaller, cheaper iPhone in the works, followed by another claim from Cult of Mac that the bargain iPhone would come with minimal built-in storage, relying instead on a new-and-improved version of the cloud-based MobileMe.

Personally, I'm still skeptical about the smaller, cloud-reliant iPhone ... and I'm skeptical about the four-inch iPhone rumors, too. But as for the idea of an iPhone with a four-inch display, I'm all for it.

Indeed, some of the best smartphones of last year (and early this year, for that matter) have come with eye-popping, four-inch or larger displays, with the 4.3-inch HTC Evo 4G and Motorola Droid X leading the way.

While the Evo 4G and the Droid X were both a bit too big for my taste (and my pockets), Samsung's Galaxy S handsets (for me, anyway) hit the sweet spot with bigger—and gorgeous—four-inch displays that added a minimum of bulk.

One of the newest kids on the Android block is the dual-core Moto Atrix 4G (pictured here, next to my iPhone 4), which packs a four-inch display into a shell that's actually slightly smaller (if a bit thicker) than the iPhone 4's. The secret: a smaller front bezel.

I don't have any moles in Cupertino to tell us whether the latest iPhone rumors are real, but I do know this: when it comes to four-inch smartphone displays, Apple would be well advised to follow Android's lead.

Update: As requested, here's another comparison shot, this time with my iPhone 4 sans bumper—and yes, the bumper-less iPhone is actually a tad smaller than the Atrix:

And here's another view:

That doesn't alter my original point, which is that a four-inch screen doesn't necessarily lead to a massive phone; still, I clearly should have compared the Atrix to the "naked" iPhone 4 in the first place. My bad.

Related:
Apple to expand iPhone screen size to 4-inches [DigiTimes]

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.

Follow me on Twitter!

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ITV secures Royal Variety rights

21 February 2011 Last updated at 16:46 GMT Take That performed at last year's Royal Variety Performance, which was screened on BBC One ITV has won the rights to broadcast the Royal Variety Performance for the next 10 years, it has been announced.

Production of the event has been shared between the BBC and ITV, with its main channels broadcasting the event on alternate years since 1986.

ITV will now show it exclusively through to 2021, with ITV Studios producing the coverage.

The two most recent shows, shown on BBC One and ITV1, attracted audiences of 8.9m and 9.6m viewers respectively.

ITV won the rights from the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (EABF), which benefits from the annual fundraising event.

"We can look forward to the future with renewed confidence and financial security for the next 10 years," said Laurie Mansfield, the EABF's honorary life president.

The deal also deepens the relationship the EABF has with ITV, which currently provides the winner of Britain's Got Talent to the event each year.

ITV Studios managing director Kevin Lygo said: "It's an honour for ITV Studios to produce coverage of one of the most prestigious television events of the year.

"We are thrilled to be part of the long tradition of celebrating the very best of the entertainment industry."

The EABF is a charity which cares for entertainers throughout the UK who need help and assistance as a result of old age, ill-health or hard times.

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Hendrix plectrum mosaic on show

24 February 2011 Last updated at 08:35 GMT Hendrix died in 1970 at the age of 27 A mosaic of Jimi Hendrix made from more than 5,000 different coloured Fender guitar plectrums is to be auctioned later.

The portrait, created by Manchester artist Ed Chapman, will be unveiled at a charity event at London's Abbey Road Studios.

The 39-year-old said the 120cm x 100cm work took him several days to complete.

"Jimi Hendrix is a guitar maestro and nobody played a Fender guitar like him," Chapman said.

"I decided to use plectrums to create a portrait of him because I like experimenting with different materials and textures and I think it is a fitting tribute to the musician.

"There's no better place for it to go on sale than at a legendary home of music and I hope it raises as much as possible for charity."

Money raised from the sale of the mosaic - which is expected to fetch up to £16,000 - will go to Cancer Research UK.

Chapman has previously created tile mosaics of footballers Eric Cantona and George Best and portraits of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Fulham boss Mark Hughes using coins.

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Hands-on review: Iomega’s SuperHero backup dock for iPhone (Ben Patterson)

Know anyone who goes for days, weeks, or even months without syncing their iPhone—not to mention all their contacts, photos, and other data—with iTunes? I know I do.

Personally, I try to perform a full iPhone sync with iTunes at least two or three times a week, meaning I'd only lose a few days of content should anything befall my precious handset. And if you're a regular reader of gadget blogs like this one, chances are you do the same.

But for everyone I know who's conscientious about syncing their iPhones with iTunes, there seems to be one or two more who rarely, if ever, bother to sync.

My lovely wife, for example, literally goes months without syncing her iPhone 4; instead, she just downloads new podcasts and apps over Wi-Fi, and charges the handset with the AC dock in our living room. When her iPhone does get synced—once in a blue moon, mind you—I'm usually the one who ends up doing it.

Now comes SuperHero, a new, $70 iPhone dock from Iomega that's aimed directly at those carefree, reckless iPhone users who charge, but don't sync. (You know who you are.)

No, the SuperHero won't back up everything on an iPhone; no apps, music or videos, nor any e-mail or call logs, for example (although apps can be re-downloaded, as can purchased iTunes song with help from Apple's customer support team, while e-mail can typically be retrieved from a server). But the dock will save content that may be irreplaceable, such as contacts and—especially—the unsynced photos sitting in your iPhone's camera roll.

Here's how it works: first, take the standard iPhone charger dock that your iTunes-allergic friend or loved one uses each night and stealthily swap it out with the SuperHero. You'll also have to install the free Iomega SuperHero app onto the target iPhone, and insert the included 4GB SD memory card into the slot on the back of the dock.

When it's time for the first sync, just unlock the iPhone (the home screen should be visible) and plug it into the Iomega dock; once you do, the SuperHero app will automatically open and prompt you with first-time setup options (such as whether you want to rename your backup profile or encrypt your stored data).

Once you're all set, you tap the "Backup" button, and make no mistake—the initial backup can take anywhere from a few minutes to all night, depending on how many photos are on the iPhone's camera roll. In my tests, a 1MB photo file took about two minutes to back up, so if you've got a couple hundred photos to deal with, well … you could be looking at 6 or 7 hours. On the other hand, the SuperHero dusted off my collection of more than 600 contacts in about five minutes.

While the intial backup may require some patience, subsequent backups should be relatively speedy, since only new (and updated) contacts and photos need to be transferred onto the SuperHero's SD storage card.

And while you'll still have to make sure your iPhone is unlocked before you dock it to the SuperHero, you won't have to tap anything else to initiate the backup; instead, a pop-up window appears, giving you 30 seconds to cancel before the automatic backup begins.

So, let's say the worst happens: your iPhone gets damaged, lost, or stolen. Now what?

To test out the SuperHero, I backed up an old iPhone with plenty of contacts and photos before wiping it completely, taking it back to its factory settings. Then I re-installed the SuperHero app onto the empty iPhone and plugged it back into the dock (remembering to unlock it first, of course). Immediately, the SuperHero app launched, and I tapped the "Restore" button.

Next, I got a choice of three different backup profiles to restore (yes, you can back up multiple iPhones with a single SuperHero, so I went ahead and backed up two other handsets for testing purposes). The SuperHero automatically assigns an 8-digit alphanumeric ID to each iPhone it backs up, but the naming convention isn't exactly friendly; expect a garble of numbers and letters, and you can only rename a profile using a 10-digit numeric keypad. So your best bet is to write down the ID number for each backed-up iPhone before disaster strikes. (Another option would be to use separate SD cards for each handset.)

Once I picked the correct backup file, I tapped restore … and the process began. Again, expect a long wait if you've got more than a few dozen backed-up photos—but hey, at least they'll be alive and in one piece. The videos in my camera roll, however, were neither backed up nor restored.

Does the SuperHero dock make for a perfect backup solution? Obviously not. Is it better than never syncing at all? Certainly. Is it worth $70? That's up to you, of course. Personally, I don't need one. My wife, however, says she's sold.

Full disclosure: Iomega supplied me with a loaner SuperHero dock for testing purposes—and yes, I'll be sending it back.

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.

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Rugby star O'Driscoll to go to royal wedding

24 February 2011 Last updated at 09:51 GMT Brian O'Driscoll and his wife Amy Huberman married last year Irish rugby captain Brian O'Driscoll and his actress wife Amy Huberman have been invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Writing on his blog, the former British and Irish Lions skipper said it was an honour to be asked but did not say whether he would attend.

A total of 1,900 guests have been invited to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on 29 April.

O'Driscoll is acknowledged as one of the most talented players in the world.

He made his debut for Ireland in 1999 and has scored 42 tries for his country.

He has toured with the British and Irish Lions three times, captaining the side in New Zealand in 2005.

St James's Palace has not officially released the names of invitees to the wedding but more than half are family and friends.

Not all the guests at the service will go on to a Buckingham Palace reception.

O'Driscoll is expected to be one of a number of sports stars attending, with David Beckham and his wife Victoria reported to be among the invited guests.

The 32-year-old Leinster centre married Ms Huberman in a highly publicised wedding last year.

Given his popularity in his native country, some correspondents described the nuptials as Ireland's own version of a Royal wedding.

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Gaddafi digs in as protests mount

24 February 2011 Last updated at 11:21 GMT British oil worker Bryan Richards describes scenes of 'mass hysteria' at Tripoli Airport (The amateur video accompanying this interview is purportedly recent footage of the scene in Libya)

The area controlled by Libya's embattled leader Col Muammar Gaddafi is shrinking, reports say, as the opposition consolidates its gains.

Witnesses say the capital, Tripoli, is heavily guarded by pro-Gaddafi forces, with tanks deployed in the suburbs.

Oil prices have hit their highest level since 2008 as many oil firms in Libya partly suspend production.

Thousands of foreigners are meanwhile still trying to flee Libya through ports, airports and overland.

The US, China and many European countries have sent in planes, ships and ferries to help people flee.

The town of Zuara, 120km (75 miles) west of Tripoli, has reportedly become the latest area to fall to the opposition.

There are no police or soldiers left in Zuara, witnesses crossing out of Libya have told journalists on the border with Tunisia.

Martin Chulov from the Guardian described the scene from within Benghazi

'Mayhem'

Thousands of people, many of them African migrants, have also poured across Libya's land borders, in vans piled high with furniture and luggage.

British oil worker Bryan Richards was evacuated to Warsaw on what he was told was the Polish presidential plane.

He described Tripoli airport as "mayhem. No sanitation. Nothing to eat. People have been there for days".

He told the BBC: "We've come in on Tuesday from the desert. And we walked in to the terminal and couldn't believe what we could see. We couldn't see the end of the terminal for people."

The BBC's Jim Muir, at Libya's western border with Tunisia, says most of the 3,000 to 4,000 people who crossed out of Libya on Wednesday were Tunisian or Egyptian migrant workers, not Libyans.

He says that Libyan border guards have been seizing cameras and mobile phones to prevent images getting out of the country.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said everything was "normal" (photo: AFP/Libyan TV)

Germany has sent three warships with 600 soldiers on board to the sea area between Malta and Libya, reports the German magazine Spiegel. About 160 German nationals are still in Libya, Spiegel says.

Oil prices have continued to climb.

Brent crude hit $119.79 (£74.08) a barrel in early Thursday trade, before falling back to $116.80. Oil firms - including Total, Repsol, OMV and Wintershall - have been suspending all or part of their production in Libya this week.

Last stand?

In the eastern city of Benghazi, residents have been queuing to be issued with guns looted from the army and police in order to join what they are calling the battle for Tripoli.

A number of military units in the east say they have unified their command in support of the protesters.

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in eastern Libya, says Col Gaddafi appears to be in control of an ever smaller area, possibly readying himself for a last stand at his home in Tripoli.

Reports indicate the area is heavily guarded by loyalists, including armed militiamen in vehicles, our correspondent says.

Continue reading the main story The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to LibyaUK nationals in Libya wishing to get on the charter flight are advised to call the following numbers:020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45 from within LibyaThe total number of deaths has been impossible to determine. Human Rights Watch says it has confirmed nearly 300 deaths, but the International Federation for Human Rights says at least 700 people have been killed, while Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of 1,000 dead were "credible".

A French doctor working in Benghazi, Gerard Buffet, told the BBC the death toll there was at least 2,000.

He said Col Gaddafi's forces used jet fighters, mortars and rockets to fire on the opposition.

Col Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has denied claims that the government launched air strikes against opposition-controlled cities.

He also said reports of deaths among protesters were exaggerated. US President Barack Obama has denounced the Libyan government's actions as "outrageous and unacceptable".

He said he had ordered his administration team to prepare the "full range of options" for dealing with the crisis, but gave no details.

In other developments:

Several provincial governors are reported to have defected to the oppositionPro-Gaddafi forces have reportedly clashed with the opposition in the western cities of Zawiya, Sarathra and Ajdabiya, on the road to Col Gaddafi's hometown of SurtOpposition supporters have celebrated in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk, waving flags and setting off fireworks to mark their control over the areaUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join a meeting of foreign ministers at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on MondayThe UN has stripped Col Gaddafi's daughter Aisha of her role as a goodwill ambassador?

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Verizon Wireless launches home phone service (Ben Patterson)

After a brief trial that began late last year, Verizon's new home-phone service—which lets you make unlimited domestic calls on a traditional landline phone for $20 a month, all with the help of a wireless router that taps into the carrier's cellular network—is now open for business.

Word of Verizon's Home Phone Connect service first surfaced back in December, and Boy Genius Report spotted a promo for the plan on the Verizon Wireless website on Thursday.

Initial reports about Home Phone Connect (including my own) had it that the service would only be open to existing Verizon Wireless subscribers, but from looks of the latest promo, it appears that anyone—including new customers—can sign up.

Here's how it works (and keep in mind that I haven't tested the service myself yet): You take any standard landline phone and simply plug it into Verizon's AC-powered Home Phone Connect base station, which looks like a home Wi-Fi router.

Once it's activated (and yes, you can port over your home phone number if you like), the Home Connect service offers up your usual menu of calling services—including call waiting, forwarding, caller ID, three-way calling, voice mail, and 911 service—along with unlimited calling to any U.S. number, for $20 a month.

Another option is add a line to an existing Verizon Wireless family plan for $10 a month, although your new home phone will have to share minutes with everyone else on the plan.

There's also the cost of the base station to consider: $129, with discounts available if you sign a contract (free for a two-year commitment, or $50 with a one year contract).

Verizon Wireless isn't the first cell phone carrier to offer a home-phone service; after all, T-Mobile had its @Home service up and running back in 2008. But T-Mobile shuttered @Home last year.

Besides competing with traditional landlines service, Verizon's Home Connect plan is also up against such bargain (or free) broadband-based alternatives as Skype, Ooma, MagicJack, and Vonage.

MagicJack, for example, lets you make VoIP calls on your home phone (with a little help from your PC and a broadband connection) for as little as $20 a year after a 12-month free trial.

But Verizon argues you don't need a broadband connection to use Home Phone Connect. The wireless base station also boasts a GPS chip that pinpoints your position when making a 911 call (VoIP service usually require you to register your address for 911 service), along with a battery pack in case of a power outage.

So, would you consider trading in your landline (assuming you still have one) for Verizon's new home-phone service? Or would you rather go the VoIP way?

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.

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William and Kate to visit Wales

24 February 2011 Last updated at 11:26 GMT It is the couple's first official engagement in Wales - and only their second since announcing they will wed in April Crowds are gathering to witness the first official engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton in Wales.

The couple, who have a home on Anglesey, are the guests of honour at an event to name a new RNLI lifeboat at Trearddur Bay.

It is the second official engagement the pair have carried out since announcing they will marry on 29 April.

Well-wishers are already lining the dockside in the hope of glimpsing the couple.

Lisa Taylor, 42, from Valley on Anglesey, said: "I think it's fantastic. The work the RNLI do around here is vital.

"To have such high-profile guests is great for them.

"It's going to be wonderful to see William and Kate. Really exciting."

Continue reading the main story

It's very gusty here at Trearddur Bay. Will it play havoc with katemiddleton's locks?”

End Quote Peter Hunt Royal Correspondent Claire James, from Chester, was accompanied by her three children - Charlie, 10, Beau, eight, and seven-year-old Sam.

She said: "I am very excited. My daughter wants to ask if they want a spare bridesmaid - she will step in!"

RNLI chief executive Paul Boissier said he was delighted to welcome William and Kate.

The Atlantic 85 inshore boat will be named Hereford Endeavour, and the couple will meet RNLI crew members and volunteers.

'Proud history'

"We have a proud history of royal patronage and are honoured that Prince William and Miss Middleton will be continuing that tradition," said Mr Boissier.

Thursday's ceremony takes place a few miles from RAF Valley, where William is stationed as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Christopher Pritchard, senior helmsman at Trearddur Bay, said: "Having Prince William and Miss Middleton name our new lifeboat is especially significant to us.

"As Prince William is a pilot with the RAF search and rescue force just down the road at RAF Valley, we also welcome him as a colleague who works with us to save lives at sea."

During the engagement, the royal couple are due to meet RNLI volunteers who funded the new boat at the charity's branches at Leominster and across Herefordshire.

Preparations on Thursday morning ahead of the visit

The boat, the most advanced inshore rescue vessel produced by the RNLI, will also be put through its paces for the royal party and guests.

The presence of the prince and his bride-to-be has generated intense interest on the island, with large crowds of onlookers expected to descend on the seaside village in the hope of catching a glimpse of the couple.

It is only the second official duty together since the couple announced their engagement. The first was attending a Teenage Cancer Trust event in Norfolk in December.

The visit to Anglesey will be swiftly followed by an engagement at their old university St Andrews on Friday to launch an appeal.

Stephen Peters, who works in his family's garage in the village, said the visit had created a real buzz in the area.

"A lot of people have been talking about it and will be visiting," he added

"The children are off school and my niece wants to go - they're excited about seeing a prince."

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VIDEO: Foreign contenders at the Oscars

24 February 2011 Last updated at 06:24 GMT Help

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US producer Seltzer dies aged 96

21 February 2011 Last updated at 16:35 GMT Seltzer produced Heston in films including Soylent Green Press agent and film-maker Walter Seltzer, who produced Charlton Heston movies Soylent Green and The Omega Man, has died in Los Angeles aged 96.

He started at MGM in the 1930s before becoming a producer and, in later years, a fundraiser for the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF).

The charity, which raises money for ex-film and TV workers in need, said he died at the retirement home it runs.

It said he had "a major impact on the lives of those who make movies".

As a press officer he worked on films featuring stars including Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

The MPTF said he pioneered campaigns to garner Oscar votes, including the 1955 film Marty which won four Academy Awards including best picture.

As a producer, he worked on films including One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando, Paris Blues with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier and Gary Cooper's last film The Naked Edge.

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Ben Elton's Australian show axed

24 February 2011 Last updated at 10:11 GMT In the 1980s Elton became a leading figure in British comedy British comic Ben Elton's new show in Australia has been axed after three episodes, it has been announced.

Live from Planet Earth, a combination of stand-up and sketch broadcast entirely live, was originally commissioned for six episodes.

"We are all very proud of the show but unfortunately it has not found the audience we had hoped for," a spokesman for the Nine Network said.

Elton's spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

''Comedy is always risky, and live comedy is the riskiest of all,'' Nine's director of television Michael Healy told The Sydney Herald newspaper.

The show's debut episode attracted an average audience of 455,000 viewers and ratings have continued to drop, the newspaper reported.

In the 1980s, stand up comedian Elton became a leading figure in British comedy after creating successful shows such as The Young Ones and Blackadder.

He went on to write several books and more recently wrote the West End musicals We Will Rock You and Love Never Dies.

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VIDEO: Anna Wintour on McQueen's legacy

24 February 2011 Last updated at 06:17 GMT Help

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'Person warming up tea' takes One Show off air

24 February 2011 Last updated at 01:02 GMT Presenter Alex Jones later explained the reason for the interruption on Twitter BBC One's The One Show was taken off air when a fire alarm went off during Wednesday's live broadcast.

Presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones were interviewing actress Tamsin Greig at the time.

After several minutes of confusion, the 7pm show was taken off air and a recording of cooking show Simple Suppers filled in.

Later Jones revealed on Twitter: "Somebody was warming their tea up and the microwave set off the alarm!"

She added: "That's live telly for you!"

A BBC spokesman said there had been no fire at the BBC studio in White City, west London, where the weekday magazine show is filmed, but a handful of people had been evacuated.

She said: "The One Show went off air tonight due to a fire alarm. We apologise to viewers for the interruption and normal service was resumed on BBC One as soon as possible."

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Android-powered “PlayStation phone” gunning for March release (Ben Patterson)

One of the worst-kept secrets in smartphones and/or gaming—the Xperia Play, a.k.a. the PlayStation phone—is finally official, and it's reportedly coming to a U.S. carrier near you in a matter of weeks.

Armed with a four-inch display, a five-megapixel camera, and a set of slide-out gaming controls that had been leaked from one end of the Web to the other over the past several months, Sony Ericsson's Android-powered Xperia Play will get a worldwide release next month, Sony execs said Sunday at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona. Gearlog says the new handset will arrive Stateside on Verizon, potentially as an exclusive.

Engadget had already spilled most of the beans about the Xperia Play in an early hands-on report a few weeks back, and Sony had been heavily hyping the phone through a series of teasers and an incredibly creepy Super Bowl TV ad.

But we didn't have the official specs until Sunday, much less a lineup of initial games.

The 6.2-ounce, 16mm-thick handset will arrive with a four-inch, 480-by-854-pixel display, says Sony, along with stereo speakers, a five-megapixel camera (no sign of a front-facing lens, unfortunately), on-demand media via Sony Ericsson's PlayNow service, and a microSD slot for memory expansion. (An 8GB memory card will come bundled in the box.)

The Xperia Play will run on Android 2.3 "Gingerbread," Sony confirmed, and will arrive with a 1GHz Scorpion ARMv7 processor with an embedded Adreno CPU, good for 3G gaming at 60 frames per second.

We've already seen the slide-out gaming controls from every possible angle, but they're worth summarizing again: we're talking the standard D-pad on the left and a quartet of PlayStation buttons (triangle, square, circle, and "X") on the right, with a pair of analog touchpads sitting in the middle. A pair of shoulder buttons will double as triggers, similar to the controls on the DualShock controller.

One of the key questions about the Xperia Play is how much gaming you'll get out of a single charge; the answer, Sony claims, is about five-and-a-half hours worth. Whether that estimate holds up under real-world testing remains to be seen, of course.

The Xperia Play will mark the first "PlayStation-certified" handset, and as such will get access to games via the coming "PlayStation Suite": a new Android-based gaming platform that Sony announced last month alongside the upcoming NGP portable gaming console.

Among the first titles to arrive in the PlayStation Suite will be The Sims 3, FIFA 10, a "Guitar Hero" game (the franchise lives, at least in the mobile world), Assassin's Creed, and Splinter Cell, according to Sony.

How much will the Xperia Play cost? No word on that yet, unfortunately.

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.

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