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EU's foreign chief in Gaza visit (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:29:51 -0500)
Baroness Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, is due to arrive shortly in the Gaza strip.
Ms Ashton will be one of the most senior Western political figures to visit Gaza since Hamas took power.
Her arrival in the Palestinian territory comes amidst a new push by the EU to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.
She will later head to Moscow for a meeting of the Middle East Quartet, made up of the EU, US, UN and Russia.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has arrived in the Russian capital for the talks.
In the Middle East, Baroness Ashton is also scheduled to meet Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
But it is her visit to Gaza which is arousing the most interest, says Jon Donnison, the BBC's Gaza correspondent.
Regional tour
Only two European foreign ministers have come to Gaza in the past year, our correspondent notes.
Foreign officials are often refused entry by Israel, or their governments choose not to come because they do not recognise Hamas.
The visit has been welcomed by the United Nations, which says Israel's blockade has left hundreds of thousands in Gaza living in poverty.
Baroness Ashton is on a regional tour that began in Cairo and also includes Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
On Wednesday she visited Jerusalem where she met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and held a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman.
During the conference, she said that Israel must return to the negotiating table immediately.
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Darfur rebel alliance makes peace (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:27:16 -0500)
Sudan has signed a ceasefire with a major Darfur rebel group, the second deal in recent weeks, leaving just one band of rebels in open conflict.
The Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) - a newly formed umbrella group of 10 movements - signed the framework deal paving the way for further talks.
Last month, a similar deal was closed with the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), the biggest single rebel group.
In the past the existence of many small factions has hampered peace talks.
But now, the only major group still holding out against the government is a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army led by Abdul Wahid, who has refused to take part in peace talks.
"This is an important step which will give momentum to peace efforts in Darfur," said Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, who was at the talks, according to AFP news agency.
"We reiterate the commitment of the government of Sudan to press ahead with talks following this framework agreement."
Since the conflict in Darfur began in 2003, some 2.7 million people have fled their homes during and the UN says about 300,000 more have died.
The rebel movements have been fighting government soldiers and Arab militias who many people say are backed by the government.
Although preliminary peace deals have now been signed with almost all of the rebel movements, tensions between the rebel groups still remain.
Jem has been angered by the other rebels' refusal to join them at the negotiating table as one bloc and dismissed the LJM's deal.
"The ceasefire is meaningless. It is a ceasefire without any fire," said Jem official Al-Tahir al-Feki, according to Reuters news agency.
But he said his group would not walk out of the talks in Doha in a "reflex reaction".
Earlier this week, a deadline was missed for a final agreement between Jem and the government, a month after they signed their preliminary deal.
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Rocket fire from Gaza kills man (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:23:45 -0500)
A rocket fired from inside the Gaza Strip has exploded in a kibbutz in southern Israel killing one person.
The rocket was fired less than an hour after EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton crossed into the Palestinian territory on an official visit.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The victim is reported to be a farm worker from Thailand.
An army spokeswoman told Israel Army Radio it was the third rocket of the day fired from Gaza.
The man, who is in his 30s, is the first person to be killed by rocket fire in southern Israel since the Israeli campaign in Gaza last year.
Over the same period, 88 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in a mixture of Israeli military operations and border clashes, according to the United Nations.
Rocket fire into Israel has continued since the end of Operation Cast Lead, but there has been less than before the incursion.
The kibbutz, Netiv Haasara, runs parallel with the fence of the Gaza Strip.
A woman was killed in the same kibbutz in 2005.
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Abramovich in libel case victory (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:02:29 -0500)
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has accepted substantial libel damages over false newspaper allegations that he had a serious gambling problem.
The Russian billionaire also accepted a public apology at the High Court in London.
The legal action arose out of allegations published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica last May.
The amount of the payout was not revealed in court but Mr Abramovich's solicitor said it would go to charity.
Lawyer John Kelly told a judge in London that the claims had caused the "internationally well-known and wealthy" Russian businessman "distress and embarrassment".
The offending article had been headlined, 'A black year for Abramovich as he loses a yacht at poker'.
Sarah Toolan, solicitor for La Repubblica's publisher, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, said the defendant "offers its sincere apologies to Mr Abramovich for the distress and embarrassment this article has caused".
She told the judge: "The defendant accepts that the allegations are untrue and ought never to have been published."
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Haiti 'orphans' return to parents (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:59:54 -0500)
Aid workers in Haiti have sent home all but one of the 33 children that US missionaries tried to take out of the country after the January earthquake.
They said all the children had parents to return to. Each family was given food, blankets and $260 (£170) as they came to collect their children.
Some of the parents said they had handed them over because they thought they would get better care in US hands.
One of the missionaries remains in jail while the other nine were freed.
One child is still waiting at the SOS Orphanage on Port-au-Prince's outskirts for further verification of her parents' identities.
Family reunions
The missionaries, who were arrested on 29 January while trying to leave Haiti after the devastating earthquake with the children, denied any wrongdoing, saying they only wanted to help destitute orphans.
Their leader, Laura Silsby, remains in custody.
The earthquake in Haiti on 12 January killed more than 220,000 people and left more than a million homeless.
Florence Avrilier was reunited with her eight-year-old son she had given away. She kept her 12-year-old daughter because the missionaries told her they only wanted children younger than 10, she is quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
"I'm very happy. I had no hope I would ever get my son back again. This has been a very heartbreaking time for me," she said.
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Kidnapped boy and father reunited (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:58:35 -0500)
The UK boy kidnapped in Pakistan two weeks ago will be reunited imminently with his father in Islamabad.
Sahil Saeed's father Raja has landed in the country and is due to fly back to the UK with his son almost immediately.
A ransom of £110,000 was paid to free the five-year-old from Oldham, who has been looked after by British officials since he was found unharmed on Tuesday.
Three people are due to appear in court in Spain in connection with the kidnap. Two others were arrested in Paris.
A phone call made from Spain had instructed the boy's father to travel to Manchester and then Paris, where police saw him pay cash in a public street.
'Gobsmacked'
Earlier, Pakistan's interior minister said some money had been paid within Pakistan to get Sahil freed.
The boy was seized while visiting his family on 3 March and freed 13 days later.
Spanish police said the initial phone call gave the family three days to pay the ransom. Spanish authorities were alerted by Interpol after the call was traced to Spain.
They said police in Paris watched as people took the money handed over by Sahil's 28-year-old father and divided it into a bag and trolley.
French police followed them to the border with Spain.
Spanish police officers in Tarragona, Catalonia, arrested two Pakistani men and a Romanian woman in connection with the case after raiding a flat in Constanti, 60 miles from Barcelona.
Money totalling £110,000, a computer and some mobile phones, which were used to contact Sahil's father in Pakistan to demand the ransom, were found at the property.
Two of the group had driven to the French capital to collect the ransom payment and were arrested as they returned to Spain. All three are due to appear in court in Spain on Thursday.
Two people have also been arrested in Paris.
Sahil was taken when robbers broke into his grandmother's house while he and his father were on holiday visiting relatives in Jhelum, in the Punjab region.
On 16 March Sahil was left near a school about 20km (12 miles) from Jhelum before wandering into a field where he was found by locals.
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Riera hits out at manager Benitez (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:52:18 -0500)
Liverpool winger Albert Riera says he is considering leaving the club after being given the silent treatment by Reds manager Rafael Benitez.
Riera, who wants to get into Spain's World Cup squad, thinks Benitez has something "personal" against him and is "turning a deaf ear" to his players.
"He's never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him," the 27-year-old player told Spanish radio.
Liverpool go into Thursday's Europa League tie trailing Lille 1-0.
The competition offers the Reds their only remaining chance of silverware in a disappointing season which included early exits from the Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup.
Bentiez has been under pressure as Liverpool have not picked up a trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2006.
The Reds are fifth in the Premier League and are battling with Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa to finish fourth and qualify for next season's Champions League.
Riera's only two appearances since January have been in Europe, and his exclusion from the side for Premier League matches has prompted him to consider offers from two clubs in Russia.
"I would like to spend my whole career here (at Liverpool), but we players live to play," said Riera. "My aim is to go to the World Cup and for this I have to be playing."
During an interview for Radio Marca, he described Benitez as an aloof figure who has little relationship with his players.
"When the coach says nothing to you and you are well, with no physical problems and training well, you cannot help but think it must be something personal," he added.
606: DEBATE"If I'm doing something badly and you are my boss, and you value me, then you are going to come and tell me what I have to do to play again. This is what hurts me.
"You see that the team are not doing well and there are no changes. It's a little frustrating because you see that you can help."
Benitez signed Riera for £8m from Espanyol in August 2008 but the winger has struggled to make an impact at Anfield.
"I've been here two years and I know how he (Benitez) is. He's never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him," stated Riera.
"He thinks he's in charge and everything else falls on deaf ears. His dialogue with the players is practically nil."
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, signed by Benitez for a second spell at the Anfield club in 2006, says it may be time for a change of manager.
Fowler, who recently returned from a season in the Australian A-League, told BBC Radio 5 live: "Rafa in his first year won the Champions League but they have not really won too much since then.
"For the sake of Liverpool fans I want them to do as well as they can and if that means getting a new manager then so be it."
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Indian children 'sacrifice' probe (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:48:45 -0500)
By Prachi Pinglay
BBC News, Mumbai
Five children poisoned to death in a village in India may have been "sacrificed", police say.
They say that the children were killed in Maharashtra state by a childless couple in a suspected black magic ritual to enable them to conceive.
The couple and parents of the accused husband have been arrested. Officials say post-mortem results are awaited.
Black magic is sometimes carried out in poorer parts of India by people who believe it will provide benefits.
These can include helping childless women to bear children and producing more rainfall.
'Foul play'
Police say they are looking for the tantrik, or witch doctor, who advised the couple to "sacrifice" 11 children in accordance with black magic rituals.
They say that Vitthal and Vandana Mokle were married for 12 years but were unable to conceive despite frequently visiting doctors.
Investigating Officer Sheikh Abdul Rauf told the BBC that after initial inquiries they suspected foul play in the deaths of the children.
"The first death occurred in December 2009 and the most recent one was in March," he said.
"After speaking to villagers we investigated the Mokle family's role. The parents of Vitthal have also been arrested as they seem to be part of this plan.
"The prima facie case is that they poisoned six children - only one survived but he is unable to speak."
All the children were aged between two and four and were related to each other.
Initially residents of the village of Digras - close to the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra - thought the deaths were because of snake bites as the children showed typical symptoms - such as frothing in the mouth and vomiting.
The village has a population of about 300 people living in approximately 30 to 40 houses.
Officials say that they are awaiting post-mortem reports on the deaths - and until then it is not possible to ascertain the exact circumstances of the deaths.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Dire straits (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:00:54 -0500)
The unflattering acronym PIGS has been coined to refer to the eurozone's most financially troubled and debt-laden countries - Portugal, the Irish Republic, Greece and Spain.
Here four people from those countries describe their experiences.
IOANNIS MATZAVRAKOS, 25, NETWORK ENGINEER, ATHENS, GREECE
The situation in Greece is pretty bleak and seems to deteriorate by the month.
"The salaries here are not nearly enough to get by if you want to pay all your debt"
I earn a salary of approximately 13,500 euros and I fear that in the future the austerity measures for civil servants will expand to all business sectors, including private firms such as mine.
This is a common fear for many people my age here. If it happens, I will have to start planning my emigration to another country, inside or outside the EU.
The salaries here are not nearly enough to get by if you want to pay all your debts - I have student debt which will eat up a third of my income for the next five years.
The wages in Greece are also too low to have a car loan or a mortgage - let alone think about having a family.
Prices are going up, taxes are going up but wages are staying the same and for many in the public sector especially, they threaten to go down.
Because of the austerity measures planned for 2011, 2012, and beyond, it promises to be a horrid three-year period.
So there is a lot of frustration and people are finding it hard to plan for the future.
The EU bailout plan will hopefully do some good, but the view here is generally pessimistic.
The only tangible solution is for everyone who can get out of this country to rush and do so.
Greece is a wonderful place to visit, but I would not currently recommended living here on a permanent basis.
VERONICA WALKER VADILLO, 31, STUDENT, ALCALA DE HENARES, SPAIN
The situation in Spain has been bad for a very long time, most likely due to the inefficient work of our last three governments.
"A poll found 56% of young adults from Spain did not have aspirations for the future. It's just sad"
We cannot buy houses because they are very expensive and the banks are refusing to lend money.
When they do, people find themselves married to the banks for most of their lifetime, while our parents could easily pay for their houses in eight years with just one salary 30 years ago.
I don't think I will ever be able to buy an apartment.
We can't even rent, because owners are in debt and they won't lower the prices. The average monthly salary is between 800 and 1,000 euros, but rents start at 600 in Madrid.
Because they don't trust people a lot of landlords ask for six months' rent in advance, which isn't actually legal but they get away with it.
I work part-time in a shop in Madrid but I could not afford to rent in the city so I had to move out to Alcala, near the capital.
We have not seen an increase in our salaries but the government has raised the tax they take out and in July will raise sales tax from 16% to 18%.
A poll from last November found 56% of young adults from Spain did not have aspirations for the future. It's just sad. Smart people will start emigrating somewhere else.
When I have completed my studies in two years' time my idea is to get out of Spain and find a job somewhere else - probably the US or Britain.
I don't think it's going to get better at all here.
CARLOS FILIPE MIRANDA COLLACO, 45, UNEMPLOYED CIVIL ENGINEER, LISBON, PORTUGAL
"I have had to make economies. I haven't had a holiday since losing my job"
By now, at the age of 45, I had hoped I would be buying a home and setting myself up in life.
Instead I am unemployed and living with my parents.
I am a civil engineer and have worked in several countries including England, Norway and Oman.
But in December 2007 I was suddenly let go from my job. It was very painful.
But I was very optimistic at the time. I thought I would find another job within three months, or even six at the most.
But I have been let down several times.
In November 2008, just as the downturn hit Portugal, I was offered a job in South Africa but no sooner had I got a work permit than the job just disappeared.
I am not married, don't have dependants and I don't have a mortgage.
In Portugal your unemployment benefits are stopped after two years, so I am now beginning to eat into my savings.
I have had to economise in order to save money. I haven't had a holiday since losing my job.
Portugal has real structural problems and has had them for decades.
It will take a strong government and a sense of collective purpose to change some of those problems.
TONY WINTERS, 25, UNEMPLOYED SOFTWARE ENGINEER, DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
"Competition for jobs is fierce"
Competition for jobs here is fierce, especially in the computer industry where I work.
A few years ago there might be 20 people going for the same job, but now it's literally hundreds.
I have had two interviews in four months but quite often you don't even get a reply to your application.
I got a degree from University College Dublin, worked for a year and then went back to get a master's degree.
In 2008 when I left college you could walk into the job of your choice or literally take your pick.
I joined a small software engineering firm but about a year later rumours started circulating about the company.
The pay was late one month and at the end of November 2009 we were told the bad news - we were given our marching orders. I had to cut down on my spending straight away.
I signed on the day after I lost my job but I had to wait 14 weeks for any social welfare. The whole thing was a pretty harrowing experience.
Fortunately I don't have a mortgage or a family to look after. There are people who are worse off than me.
Dublin and Cork haven't been as badly affected as the Irish midlands, where loads of companies are going into receivership.
I have thought about emigrating to Australia but it's not like when people moved to America 30 years ago. There's no guarantee of a job over there.
I now live on 194 euros a week in benefits but I still have to pay off a student loan, which is about 250 euros a month. In fact I missed a payment last month.
Do you live in Portugal, Ireland, Greece or Spain Have you got children or other dependants Are you a pensioner Send us your comments and some information about yourself - age, occupation etc - using the form below.
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AU acts against Madagascar leader (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:55:01 -0500)
The African Union has put sanctions on Madagascar's leader Andry Rajoelina, after he failed to meet a deadline to set up a unity government.
Mr Rajoelina and 108 of his backers will face travel restrictions and have any foreign assets frozen, the AU said.
The organisation wants to force Mr Rajoelina, a former DJ who seized power a year ago, back into negotiations.
For the past year, the country has been in turmoil with street protests by Mr Rajoelina's opponents and supporters.
"We believe that the sanctions are the way that will help the authorities to come back to the virtues of dialogue and negotiation," said AU security commissioner Ramtane Lamamra.
2009: A YEAR OF TURMOIL"I hope they will have the effect of nurturing wisdom. No unilateral party is capable of solving the crisis by itself."
Former President Marc Ravalomanana, who was overthrown after weeks of violent protests last year, urged his successor to resume talks.
"I hope that these targeted sanctions will spur Andry Rajoelina into cooperating with the international community and that they serve as a wake-up call," said Mr Ravalomanana, who is in exile in South Africa.
But a member of Mr Rajoelina's government, Evariste Marson, told the AFP news agency that the sanctions would have "no effect".
In December, Mr Rajoelina abandoned a peace deal he had signed up to by unilaterally appointing a military prime minister.
The decision sparked violent protests outside the national assembly in the capital, Antanarivo.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Burma releases jailed US activist (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:52:55 -0500)
Profile: 88 Generation Students
Burma's military authorities have freed and deported a US activist jailed last month for three years.
Nyi Nyi Aung was arrested in September and convicted for forging an identity card, failing to declare currency at customs and violating immigration law.
He had been a student activist in the 1988 uprising against military rule and had returned to Burma on a US passport.
In December a group of 50 US lawmakers issued a joint call asking for him to be freed.
Nyi Nyi Aung, also known as Kyaw Zaw Lwin, left Burma on a Thailand-bound plane. The reason for his early release was not clear.
Health problems
"We can confirm that Kyaw Zaw Lwin has been released from prison and has left the country," the US embassy said in a statement. "We welcome that development."
After fleeing his home country, Nyi Nyi Aung arrived in the US as a refugee and gained a computer science degree. He was on his fifth trip back to Burma when he was arrested.
His lawyers say he was deprived of food, sleep, medical treatment and US consular access in his first two weeks of detention.
His fiancee and his Washington-based lawyer said in December he had gone on a hunger strike to demand better conditions for political prisoners and was in deteriorating health.
Nyi Nyi Aung's mother is believed to be in failing health while she serves a five-year jail sentence in a remote jail for her involvement in a 2007 uprising.
Two cousins are also in jail, one for more than 65 years, and a sibling is in exile in Thailand.
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European worker freed in Darfur (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:35:27 -0500)
An aid worker with joint UK-French nationality has been freed in Sudan's Darfur region after five months.
Gauthier Lefevre, 35, who works for the International Committee of the Red Cross, was the last foreign hostage being held in Darfur.
He had spent longer in captivity than any other aid worker in the region but is said to be in good health.
One major Darfur rebel group last month signed a peace deal with the government but the region remains unstable.
Armed robberies and low-level crime are rife.
"We are extremely happy that he has been released," ICRC spokesman Saleh Dabbakeh told the Reuters news agency.
"This has been the longest kidnapping in the recent history of Darfur."
He was released near the West Darfur capital, Geneina, the ICRC said.
Two other French hostages were freed in Darfur on Sunday, after being seized in neighbouring Central African Republic last November.
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Obama argues healthcare on Fox (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:54:20 -0500)
President Obama has stepped up his efforts to gain support for his embattled healthcare reform bill by giving an interview to US Fox News.
The broadcaster has been criticised by the White House for its perceived rightwing bias.
Facing tough questioning, Mr Obama expressed confidence that the bill would finally be passed.
Mr Obama's plan received a boost from Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who says he will now support the bill.
Several Catholic religious orders said they were now satisfied it would not allow public money to be used for abortions and also voiced their backing for Mr Obama's plan.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Talking Shop (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:43:54 -0500)
US fashion designer Bob Mackie is renowned for dressing Hollywood stars with his sparkling creations, earning him the title "the sultan of sequins".
He made his name in the 1960s designing outfits for variety TV shows and in the course of his career his designs have won him nine Emmy Awards and three Oscar nominations.
As well as dressing a host of stars including Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Joan Collins and Katy Perry, he recently designed the costumes for Pink's Funhouse tour.
Known for his long collaboration with Cher, Mackie is most remembered for the Mohawk outfit the singer wore to the Oscars in 1986.
He has also designed the costumes for all Cher's tours, including the 17 used on her current three-year residency of 200 shows at The Colosseum in Las Vegas.
Tell me about how your relationship with Cher first began.
Back in 1967 she was a guest star on the Carol Burnett Show which I was designing the costumes for and she and Sonny were on.
We got to know each other, so anytime she could request a designer she'd ask for me. When they did their weekly show she asked for me.
What do you find so special about dressing her
In the beginning she was this gorgeous creature: a thin wonderful looking girl who looked like no-one else in the entertainment business at the time. Everybody just went crazy over this woman as she could wear anything.
She always stands above the costume. Even if she has a blonde wig on you know it is her - some performers can't do that.
Now she has a reputation for wearing outlandish things and she enjoys that and loves to get dressed up.
One of your most famous designs worn by Cher was for the 1986 Academy Awards - what was your inspiration there
She had done the film Mask that year and nobody thought she could act so she didn't get nominated. She said: 'Let's really dress up and do an Indian outfit.' I said I thought we were going too far and said: 'You're giving out an award, you'll be pulling focus from the winner.' She said: 'They won't mind.'
As it turned out, she was in every newspaper around the world and even the winner of the award, Don Ameche [Cocoon star], said he wouldn't have had his picture in any of those papers if it hadn't been for Cher.
Maybe she knows what she's doing, but I'm always saying are you sure you want to wear this And then people think these wild outfits she wears are the only kind of thing I design.
Is there anything Cher won't wear
There are certain things she doesn't like, like stripes and orange. Although lately she's been wearing day-glow colours which surprises me because for a whole decade she wore nothing but black - but one has to change.
I read that Cher asked you to make her more naked for her current Las Vegas show…
Mackie has designed all Cher's tour costumesSee a collection of Bob Mackie's designs and their famous wearers
She never wants to show anything you shouldn't see, so it's all smoke and mirrors. After all these years of designing I know a few tricks, so you think you're seeing a lot more than you are.
Describe some of the costumes Cher wears in her Vegas show.
It's a show that goes back many years as she's had hit records in every decade, so we do a lot of 60s things, then some 70s, then ones for disco numbers. For Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves she's dressed like a gypsy, and she's also got an American Indian showgirl outfit.
How long did it take to create all the costumes for her show
It takes a long time because they're covered in crystals and jewels and they all have to be done by hand. They're almost like art pieces in a way - they're not just a frock you stitch up one afternoon.
It can be hundreds of hours in each garment as there's a lot of detail. They're almost like couture clothes as they're one of a kind.
Do you feel a lot of pressure to produce something amazing every time
Yeah I do. You want to top yourself and that gets to be very hard after many years. There's always pressure and even if I don't do something for her they think I did it.
I work very hard to create things that look good on the person and make sure they're right for their different personalities - I would never put what I put on Cher on somebody else.
You dress another famous woman - Barbie - how did that come about and is it anymore difficult to create small designs
Mattel were asking different designers to do a Barbie back in the 90s and at first I wasn't thrilled about it. They would usually go to a fashion designer to make a coat and dress, but I said I wanted to do something fantasy-like.
I did one doll and it took off, so the next year they asked if I'd do two more. Now I've been doing at least one or two a year since then - they're really fun.
The scale is hard - if you have a beaded dress you want to make sure it's just perfect, but it's been a learning thing. It's much easier to do certain kinds of things on a Barbie than it is on a real person as Barbie's only 12 inches tall!
Is there anyone you would like to dress and why
I don't think about that a lot. There are certain women who are very attractive and you know dressing them would be successful because they look good in the clothes.
I was delighted to be dressing Pink because it's like new blood. She's somebody different from anyone I've ever dressed and she understands it, she gets it.
You're coming up to your 71st birthday, and working all the time - do you think you'll slow down soon
It's strange because I work every day and a lot of my friends are retired and I think what do they do all day I'm very lucky to do the kind of thing I fantasised about as a boy and go straight from school into it. It never occurred to me to retire - I think I'd be so bored.
Bob Mackie was speaking to BBC entertainment reporter Genevieve Hassan.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
China warning on Rio Tinto trial (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:30:02 -0500)
China has warned against politicising the trial of four Rio Tinto executives, hours after Australia expressed concern over the conduct of proceedings.
Australian national Stern Hu and three other Rio executives go on trial in Shanghai on Monday.
The men are charged with giving and receiving bribes, and illegally obtaining commercial secrets.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the "world will be watching" how the court case is conducted.
Part of the trial of the four executives is to be held behind closed doors.
It will be open to hear the bribery charges but then be closed to deal with allegations about the theft of commercial secrets.
Soured relations
"I was disappointed that there was an indication from Chinese officials and the court that Australian officials would not be present, or be able to be present, for the commercial information charge," Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told journalists.
Australia has asked China to reconsider closing that part of the trial, a foreign ministry statement said.
The Anglo-Australian mining giant, Rio Tinto, which throughout has affirmed the innocence of its four executives, has called for a "transparent and expeditious process".
The case of Stern Hu, who has been held since July 2009, has soured relations between Beijing and Canberra, reports the BBC's Nick Bryant.
China is now Australia's largest trade partner and it is also a vital customer for Rio Tinto.
As if to drive home that point, the company's chief executive, Tom Albanese, will be taking part in a Chinese government think-tank session in Beijing on global economic co-operation at the same time as his colleagues are on trial in Shanghai, our correspondent adds.
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Thai protesters vow to stay put (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:22:50 -0500)
Anti-government demonstrators in Thailand say they will stay on the streets of Bangkok indefinitely to continue their push for new elections.
Their numbers have dwindled after four days of rallies - of more than 100,000 who started the protest, police said about 40,000 remained.
Protest leaders have promised nightly entertainment shows, and further rallies in the days to come.
Both the government and the protesters have kept the rallies peaceful.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, protesters performed ritual blood-throwing events at Government House, the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party, and the home of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajjiva.
Rotations
The "red-shirt" protesters say his government is illegitimate.
PROTEST TIMELINEHe has said he will not step down, and has stayed at a military base since last weekend. He has taken short day trips to the north and, on Thursday, to the south of the country.
He will not be attending a scheduled sitting of the House of Representatives - near where the reds' protest camp is based.
"We'll maintain our stronghold, but there will be rotation of manpower," said one of the protest leaders, Veera Musikapong, when announcing the decision to continue the protests indefinitely. Many people have travelled a long way from Thailand's rural provinces and have jobs and businesses to return to.
But for those remaining in the city, leaders are planning mass cultural shows and political meetings.
Their rallies have been full of incident so far - alongside the blood donation and blood-spillings, protesters delivered a letter to the British embassy on Wednesday, saying they wanted to counter false media reports about the protests.
They went on to picket the US embassy, accusing US intelligence of bugging deposed the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The protesters say the present government was installed illegally after Mr Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006, and two subsequent allied governments were deposed by court action.
Montenegrin police confirmed on Wednesday that Mr Thaksin himself was in Montenegro, having travelled there on 13 March from Dubai where he has been living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
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UK to produce Nissan electric car (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:06:16 -0500)
Nissan is expected to announce imminently that it plans to build a new electric car at its Sunderland plant.
The Leaf electric car, which runs entirely on lithium-ion batteries, is due to go on sale worldwide at the end of the year.
Sunderland has already been named as the site to produce Nissan's electric car batteries, creating 350 new jobs.
The manufacture of the Leaf is expected to safeguard hundreds more at the plant.
Nissan's Sunderland plant is the UK's largest car factory, employing 4,000 people and producing about a third of the cars made in the UK.
ANALYSISThe North East's efforts to gear up its electric motoring infrastructure and the UK government's recent decision to subsidise buyers of electric cars to the tune of £5,000 obviously helped the Japanese automotive giant make up its mind.
But in the end, the right to produce the car and thus secure thousands of jobs in an otherwise economically depressed region was earned by the Nissan factory's management and workers.
The car battery programme has already seen Nissan invest 200m euros (£179m) there.
Last year, Nissan's chief executive Carlos Ghosn underlined his company's commitment to its electric cars programme.
"The electric car will account for 10% of the global market in 10 years," he told BBC News.
Earlier this year, Trevor Mann, manufacturing boss at Sunderland, told the BBC he was optimistic about the plant's chances of manufacturing the Leaf.
"We've had a fantastic track record of winning new models," he told the BBC.
"They've been won, not just on manufacturing efficiency, but also on total delivery cost - including parts and materials, logistics, taxes and duties, as well as the cost of sales."
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Wrestlemania (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:02:27 -0500)
Senegal's big business bare-fist fighting in pictures
'Leprechaun robbers' killed in US (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:43:36 -0500)
Two suspected bank robbers, one of them wearing a St Patrick's Day costume, have been killed in a shoot-out with police in Tennessee.
First State Bank in the Nashville suburb of Gallatin was held up on Wednesday by a man dressed as a leprechaun, police said.
The man left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
Both suspects were shot dead when they ditched their vehicle and ran into a field, pursued by police officers.
The costumed suspect had initially walked into a Fifth Third Bank nearby at lunchtime but left again because it was too crowded, witness Bradley Webb told Tennessee's News Channel 5.
'Large-calibre gun'
Sharon Riehemann, manager of the Fifth Third Bank, said the costumed man had been wearing a green top hat, vest and shorts and a fake brown beard and wig.
"He started to come in, then looked at his watch, then turned around and left," she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
After holding up First State Bank with a large-calibre gun, police said, the "leprechaun" man joined another suspect waiting in a car outside.
Police spotted the car with the two suspects fleeing the scene and a car chase ensued.
One police car was hit by several bullets and the car broke down as a result, Sgt Bill Storment of the Gallatin Police Department was quoted as saying by Channel 5.
The suspects left their car in a field and fled on foot. They were killed while exchanging fire with officers, police said. No officers were injured and money was recovered from the suspects' vehicle.
Both suspects were pronounced dead on the scene.
The leprechaun, a solitary elf in Irish fairytales, figures in celebrations to mark St Patrick's Day, Ireland's national holiday.
AP notes that the case is reminiscent of a 22 December robbery in Nashville when a man dressed in a Santa suit - including hat, beard and moustache - held up a SunTrust Bank, demanding money from the teller at gunpoint. No arrests were made in that case.
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Shock television (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:28:03 -0500)
By David ChazanA disturbing French TV documentary has tried to demonstrate how well-meaning people can be manipulated into becoming torturers or even executioners.
The hugely controversial Game of Death was broadcast in prime-time on a major terrestrial channel, France 2, on Wednesday.
It showed 80 people taking part in what they thought was a game show pilot.
As it was only a trial, they were told they wouldn't win anything, but they were given a nominal 40 euro fee.
Before the show, they signed contracts agreeing to inflict electric shocks on other contestants.
One by one, they were put in a studio resembling the sets of popular game shows.
They were then asked to zap a man they believed was another contestant whenever he failed to answer a question correctly - with increasingly powerful shocks of up to 380 volts.
Blind obedience
Egged on by a glamorous presenter, cries of "punishment" from a studio audience and dramatic music, the overwhelming majority of the participants obeyed orders to continue delivering the shocks - despite the man's screams of agony and pleas for them to stop.
"This programme denounces manipulation by authority but at the same time it manipulates people"
Eventually he fell silent, presumably because he had died or lost consciousness.
The contestants didn't know that the man, strapped in a chair inside a cubicle so they couldn't see him, was really an actor. There were no shocks and it was all an experiment to see how far they would go.
Only 16 of the 80 participants stopped before the ultimate, potentially lethal shock.
"No one expected this result," intoned a commentary. "Eighty per cent of the candidates went to the very end."
The show was billed as a warning against blindly obeying authority - and a critique of reality TV shows in which participants are humiliated or hurt.
Some of the participants smiled or laughed nervously as they delivered the shocks, although most were obviously stressed and troubled by the action.
'Terrifying power'
Many said they wanted to stop but were convinced by the presenter to continue.
The show was inspired by an experiment at Yale University in the 1960s by social psychologist Stanley Milgram.
He used similar methods to investigate how people could come to take part in mass murder.
Jean-Leon Beauvois, a psychologist who took part in the documentary, says he and other members of the team spent months analysing the results.
"When they signed the contract, participants were placed in the position of executioners," he said.
"These were people like others, not exceptional, but 80% of them let themselves be drawn into becoming torturers."
For Mr Beauvois, it showed the "terrifying power of TV".
The documentary asserted that most people are conditioned from childhood to obey.
It made the argument that only those with experience of rebelling can muster the strength to disobey orders from an authority figure - in this case the presenter, backed by pressure from the audience.
Manipulation
One contestant said afterwards that her grandparents had been Jewish Holocaust victims and she regretted that she'd obeyed orders to keep inflicting shocks.
Another, originally from Romania, said her experience of living under Ceaucescu's regime had given her the strength to say no.
In a studio discussion after the documentary was aired, psychiatrist Claude Halmos said the experiment showed that it was important to explain rules to children and not just impose them.
"We have to teach children to obey," she said, "but we must also teach them to disobey."
The producer, Christophe Nick, said the show had changed the lives of many participants. Some, he said, had become bolder about standing up to their bosses.
But one woman who had obeyed orders was shown close to tears afterwards. "How will I tell my husband and my children what I've done" she asked.
Psychiatrist Marie-France Hirigoyen, who had no part in the documentary, said she accepted that it could help viewers understand the importance of standing up to an abusive authority, but she was concerned about its effect on participants.
"This programme denounces manipulation by authority but at the same time it manipulates people," she told the BBC.
"I wouldn't have accepted this show because I think it inflicts unnecessary trauma on people, but on the other hand, to get this message across, you probably need to be sensationalist."
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US upbeat on Russia nuclear deal (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:09:41 -0500)
The US and Russia "are making very good progress" on a nuclear arms reduction pact, a senior US official has said.
Under-Secretary of State William Burns was speaking as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to hold talks on the issue in Moscow.
"We are getting closer," Mr Burns said, but added that he could not tell when an agreement might be reached.
The two nations are trying to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expired last December.
The US says it has more than 2,000 nuclear weapons, while Russia is believed to have nearly 3,000.
'Consensus'
"I can't predict to you exactly when the agreement will be completed, but we are getting closer," Mr Burns told reporters.
Mr Burns declined to identify the specific sticking points that emerged during months of talks in Geneva.
He was speaking ahead of talks in the Russian capital on Thursday between Mrs Clinton and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and with President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday.
As well as arms control, the US and Russian foreign ministers are expected to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Iran.
Last week, President Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama had a telephone conversation about the issue.
The two leaders "expressed satisfaction with the high level of consensus on the basic lines" of the treaty negotiations, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The pair "stressed that it is already possible to set firm dates to submit the draft agreement to the heads of state for their signatures," the statement added, without setting the timeframe.
Disagreements
The two presidents launched talks to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) last April with an original deadline of December.
It was part of a Washington-inspired attempt to "reset" relations with Moscow after years of frayed ties under the administration of former US President George W Bush.
The landmark Start pact was signed in 1991 and led to huge reductions in the two countries' nuclear arsenals.
Both sides have agreed to cut the number of warheads they hold to between 1,500 and 1,675 each.
But there have been disagreements on verification measures, how to count weapons and launch systems.
Another bone of contention is the US plan for a missile defence system in Eastern Europe.
President Obama has said his goal is to have a nuclear-free world. He has promised to cut the number and role of nuclear weapons in US security strategy.
The US is hosting a nuclear non-proliferation summit in Washington in April.
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Mardell's America (Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:22:58 -0500)
How healthcare debate has changed US politics
Guatemala to extradite ex-leader (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:26:50 -0500)
A criminal court in Guatemala has agreed to extradite former President Alfonso Portillo to the US where he faces money-laundering charges.
He was arrested in January following US charges that he had laundered money stolen from a children's charity and embezzled state funds.
He has since been held in a high-security prison in Guatemala City.
Mr Portillo, 58, has repeatedly denied the charges levelled against him, which he says are political.
He fled to Mexico after his term finished in 2004 but was sent back in 2008 to face corruption charges.
The former president "embezzled tens of million of dollars worth of public funds, a portion of which he then laundered through bank accounts in the US and Europe", a New York grand jury indictment said in February.
He has also been accused by Guatemalan authorities over the disappearance of $15m (£9.2m) earmarked for the Guatemalan defence department.
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Obama denies crisis with Israel (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:29:15 -0500)
US President Barack Obama has denied there is a crisis in Washington's ties with Israel over its settlement plans, as a war of words continues.
"Friends are going to disagree sometimes," he said, days after one of his top aides strongly attacked plans for 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has distanced himself from an attack on Mr Obama by his brother-in-law.
Hagai Ben-Artzi had accused the US leader of being anti-Semitic.
Mr Netanyahu said he "strenuously" objected to his brother-in-law's comment and expressed his "deep appreciation" for Mr Obama's commitment to Israel's security.
Israel's approval of the new homes came after both sides agreed to hold indirect "proximity talks" to revive the peace process, stalled for more than a year.
'Special bond'
Speaking on the Fox News Channel, Mr Obama said on Wednesday that the new settlement homes were "not helpful" for building a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
While he said the plan was a poor choice for Israel, he added: "Israel is one of our closest allies and we and the Israeli people have a special bond that's not going to go away."
Israel announced the Jewish settlement expansion as US Vice-President Joe Biden arrived for a visit last week.
The Palestinian Authority has refused to resume direct talks with Israel because of its refusal to put a stop to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank, under heavy US pressure. But it considers areas within the Jerusalem municipality as its territory and thus not subject to the restrictions.
Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
'Anti-Semitic president'
In an interview with Israel Army Radio, Mr Ben-Artzi said Mr Netanyahu should learn from previous Israeli prime ministers.
"As a politician running for presidency he had to hide it, but it comes out every time and I think we just have to say it plainly - there is an anti-Semitic president in America"
"Once the Americans tried to intervene in anything related to Jerusalem we told them one simple word: 'No'," he said.
Mr Obama, he added, not only disliked Mr Netanyahu personally, but "dislikes the people of Israel".
"For 20 years, Obama sat with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who is anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli, and anti-Jewish."
He said it was clear Mr Obama agreed with Rev Wright because he had remained a member of his congregation.
"Think about it. If you had heard of someone who for 20 years sat in church and heard anti-Semitic sermons and didn't get up to leave after two weeks, wouldn't you think he identifies with it" he asked.
"As a politician running for presidency he had to hide it, but it comes out every time and I think we just have to say it plainly - there is an anti-Semitic president in America," he said.
"Unfortunately this creates a difficult situation for Israel, but we will never give up our deepest interests - Jerusalem and our ties with it."
Mr Obama broke with the Trinity United Church of Christ in 2008 after some of Rev Wright's controversial sermons emerged on the internet. In one, he said the 9/11 attacks were an example of "America's chickens coming home to roost".
"I have a deep appreciation for President Obama's commitment to Israel's security, which he has expressed many times," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement afterwards.
But despite the rebuke from his sister's husband, Mr Ben-Artzi repeated his criticism of Mr Obama in a later interview with Israel's Channel 2 television.
POINTS OF TENSION IN JERUSALEM
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Cuba police break up Havana march (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:26:17 -0500)
Cuban police have arrested the wives and mothers of political dissidents at a demonstration in the capital, Havana.
About 30 members of the "Ladies in White" were stopped as they marched alongside the mother of a prisoner who died last month after a hunger strike.
They were demanding the release of some 50 government critics who are still being held after mass arrests in 2003.
Orlando Zapata Tamayo was the first Cuban activist to starve himself to death in protest in nearly 40 years.
The case of Zapata, declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, drew international condemnation and calls for the release of all Cuba's detained dissidents.
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Stepping stone (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:02:36 -0500)
In a congested part of Patna, capital of India's Bihar state, stands a striking yellow building - a 100-year-old mansion that has clearly seen better days.
Inside it, in a small dark room, a young bearded cleric is reading out sermons from the Muslim holy scriptures to a group of boys seated cross-legged on the floor.
They are in their late teens, some are wearing skull caps and they all listen to him with rapt attention.
At first glance, this could be any of the region's hundreds of Islamic seminaries or madrassas, where young Muslims receive religious instruction.
But this is no ordinary seminary.
After prayers, the boys head out to a classroom, pen and notebook in hand, where they listen with equal attention to a lecture on advanced mathematics.
This is the unusual setting for Rahmani 30 - a training institute which prepares talented but underprivileged young Muslims for entry into India's best engineering colleges - the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT).
Only the top 2% make it through the stiff entrance exam.
Getting ahead
India's large Muslim minority is consistently placed at the bottom of social and economic rankings.
"I wanted to make something of my life, become someone"
Part of this has to do with education - most Muslims end up studying in madrassas, which means they have little chance of being employed in the private sector or government.
So the significance of Rahmani's initiative is not lost on anyone.
It is the brainchild of a senior Bihar police officer, Abhyanand, who takes time off from his day job to teach the boys physics.
Rahmani was inspired by a similar school - the Super 30, where Abhyanand used to work and which is also aimed at poor children but not Muslims exclusively.
"In our country, any difficult examination is very fearful because a huge number of students take part but only a few get in," Abhyanand says.
The advantage at Rahmani, he says, is the kind of students they get - mostly from poor backgrounds and determined to get ahead in life.
"They come from a rural background and that is their strength. They become competitive because, for them, it is a win or lose situation.
"If they don't make it they don't stand anywhere [socially and economically]."
Great chance
Irfan Alam, 15, the son of a barber who is preparing for the IIT exam due to be held in 2011, says it is a great opportunity.
"I wanted to make something of my life, become someone," he says smiling shyly.
"It's the perfect platform. The teachers are amazing and the best part is that it's completely free."
It is a chance that few others where Irfan comes from will ever get.
His village is a good four hours drive north of Patna, with lush green wheat-fields, narrow dirt tracks and few proper buildings.
Most people here work as farm labour and a large number of the men are barbers by trade.
I meet Irfan's father, Mohammad Shafiq, outside his modest, two-room hut made of mud and straw.
Now recuperating after an eye operation, he tells me how his son displayed flashes of brilliance as a child and soon outgrew his village school.
So he decided to send him away.
"Nobody studies here. Most of the teenagers waste their time or start drinking heavily.
"I can't read and write myself and it was always my dream that my son should be educated and not become a barber like his father and grandfather."
Back at Rahmani the classes are done but the studying continues late into the night.
Irfan sits with three of his friends inside his little dorm room, pouring over textbooks and brainstorming.
In another room, one of the teachers uses a webcam to conduct a tutorial with students in another part of Bihar.
Cultural debate
It's a fascinating mix of the traditional and the modern.
"The basic philosophy of a madrassa is that the boys live, eat and study together. There is no distinction between rich and poor - everybody is equal," says Maulana Wali Rahmani, an influential cleric who heads this institute.
"There's also a culture of open debate. It's something I experienced myself while growing up in a madrassa. So we thought, why not channel these strengths in a whole new direction and see what we can achieve."
To find out how spectacularly they have succeeded, you need to travel 1,000km (625 miles), to the national capital, Delhi.
It is a completely different world in the tree-lined, sprawling IIT campus.
Young men and women stroll into their classrooms, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, back-packs slung over their shoulders.
These are India's brightest brains, many of whom will go on to work in the country's top software companies or head to Silicon Valley.
Among them is a shy, earnest young man - Shadman Anwar, part of Rahmani's inaugural batch of students last year, all 10 of whom made it through to the IITs.
"It's been a dream come true, being here with all the other students. And I don't feel as if I'm any different," he says.
His is the kind of confidence that has helped raise expectations at Rahmani, whose administrators now want to establish 10 similar schools over the next couple of years.
India's Muslim community is often said to have under-achieved, plagued by poverty, low education standards and a conservative outlook.
Now in one of India's poorest states, a small initiative is trying to break the mould.
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Kidnapped Chinese fishermen freed (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:57:16 -0500)
Seven Chinese fishermen kidnapped off Cameroon's disputed Bakassi peninsula have been released.
The seven men were abducted from two fishing boats on 12 March by a previously unknown group called the Africa Marine Commando.
They are due to arrive by boat in the coastal town of Limbe, sources told China's Xinhua news agency.
It is unclear if any ransom was paid. AFP news agency says the kidnappers were demanding up to $25,000 (£16,000).
The release was secured after negotiations with Chinese and Cameroonian officials, said China's ambassador to Cameroon, Xue Jinwei.
The BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in Yaounde says the Africa Marine Commando is a previously unheard-of group, alleged to be Nigerian.
The disputed oil-rich Bakassi peninsula has been relatively stable in recent months after a series of kidnappings of foreign nationals in 2008 and 2009, our correspondent adds.
The Cameroon government has since deployed a rapid intervention battalion to control the area.
Bakassi juts into the Gulf of Guinea, an area which may contain up to 10% of the world's oil and gas reserves.
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Key al-Qaeda man 'died in strike' (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:26:31 -0500)
A key al-Qaeda figure wanted for a deadly attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan has been killed in a US drone strike, US officials believe.
Hussein al-Yemeni, a top al-Qaeda planner, died in the strike in the city of Miranshah in Pakistan.
He was believed to have helped plan an attack on a base in Khost in December in which a suicide bomber killed seven CIA agents and a Jordanian officer.
The CIA's director has said al-Qaeda is now in disarray in Pakistan.
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European telescope pictures huge swathes of dust in Milky Way (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:27:23 -0500)
By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News
Europe's Planck observatory has given another brief glimpse of its work.
The space telescope's main goal is to map the "oldest light" in the Universe, but this data is being kept under wraps until the surveying is complete.
Instead, Planck scientists have released a snapshot of the colossal swathes of cold dust that spread through the Milky Way galaxy.
Such imagery will be very useful to astronomers seeking to understand star formation.
It is in the regions of space that are most dense in terms of gas and dust that are likely to give rise to new suns.
"It's the 'reject' for some people, but the 'treasure' for others"
The latest Planck pictures will be of special interest to researchers working on the European Space Agency's (Esa) other great telescope, Herschel.
This observatory is investigating processes that trigger the creation of stars.
Dr Jan Tauber is the Esa project scientist on the Planck mission.
He told BBC News: "The latest release shows how well Planck works on its own, but it also emphasises the complementarity with Herschel; with Planck looking at the whole sky at very large scales, and Herschel zooming in and making very detailed investigations of a much smaller part of the sky."
Planck and Herschel were launched last May and sent to an observing position some 1.5 million km from Earth.
Herschel sees the sky at far-infrared wavelengths. Planck, on the other hand, sees the Universe at radio wavelengths.
The latter is trying to make the finest-ever measurements of what has become known as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).
This is light that was finally allowed to move out across space once a post-Big-Bang Universe had cooled sufficiently to permit the formation of hydrogen atoms.
Scientists can glean from the CMB information about the age, contents and structure of the cosmos.
But to investigate this "fossil light", Planck must first clean the signal of extraneous emissions coming from unrelated phenomena.
These include the very cold clumps and lanes of dust that sit in between the stars.
Although this "contamination" may be a nuisance to Planck's main mission, the subtracted information can still be mined by astronomers with interests outside the CMB.
"It's the 'reject' for some people, but the 'treasure' for others," Dr Tauber said.
Wednesday's pictures come from Planck's highest frequency channels and cover about 10% of the sky.
They show the great filaments of dust within about 500 light-years of Earth. In the wavelengths it is working, Planck is well tuned to see cold matter. Some of the dust it detects is about minus 261C (12K).
PLANCK SPACE TELESCOPE
"We have the ability to look at very cold emission, essentially dust. We can do unbiased searches over the whole sky for these regions that are very important because they are where stars are forming," Dr Tauber explained.
Planck should complete its first all-sky survey within weeks. Recently agreed funding should see the telescope eventually acquire at least four-times coverage.
The project team plans to release a catalogue of "point-like sources" in January 2011. These are interesting new objects that emit at radio wavelengths that, again, will be worth following up with other telescopes.
But the intention is to hold back the key CMB data until those involved in the telescope venture have had a chance to analyse its significance for themselves. CMB maps and scientific papers should be published at the end of 2012.
Past pioneers in the study of the Cosmic Microwave Background have earned a clutch of Nobel Prizes and there is great hope that the super-sensitivity of Planck will advance the field considerably.
There was some controversy last year when the only previous public release of imagery from Planck was "reverse-engineered" by external researchers to try to get some crude science results.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
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Net piracy takes 'toll on jobs' (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:19:58 -0500)
The growth of illegal file-sharing could cost European countries 1.2m jobs and 240bn euros (£215bn) by 2015, an industry report claims.
The study, commissioned by an industry body and endorsed by trade unions, studied the impact of web piracy in Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain.
It claims that without measures to curb piracy, the UK alone could lose up a quarter of a million jobs by 2015.
But campaigners described the report as "corporate propaganda".
'Need for action'
The study, conducted by economics firm TERA Consultants on behalf of the International Chamber of Commerce, said that the UK's creative industries experienced losses of 1.4bn euros in 2008 because of piracy.
Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, said that the results showed piracy was a "major threat to the creative industries in terms of loss of employment and revenues".
"If there was ever the proof needed to demonstrate why the Digital Economy Bill is imperative for the protection of our creative industries, this report is it," he said.
DIGITAL ECONOMY BILLThe Digital Economy Bill was outlined in the Queen's speech in November 2009.
It includes various proposals to tackle illegal file-sharing including a so-called "three strikes" element, which would see persistent pirates cut off from the net.
It also includes element that would give courts the power to block websites that facilitate copyright infringement.
The bill has been passed by the Lords and is now expected to be rushed through the Commons before the general election.
There has been a groundswell of opposition to the Bill from firms such as British Telecom, Google and Facebook, which say that elements of the bill could undermine free speech on the net without reducing copyright infringement.
A campaign has also started on the internet encouraging people to write to their MP to stop the government rushing the bill through "without proper debate"
Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group (ORG) is a vocal opponent of the Digital Economy Bill and the new research.
"I am fed up of hearing corporate propaganda being deployed in order to justify intrusions on our rights to freedom of speech, privacy and to a fair trial," he said.
"We have no truck with infringement of copyright, but it is shameful that anyone from the Labour movement can attempt to justify removal of vital services such as the internet as a punishment."
"To me, piracy is something adventurous, it makes you think about Johnny Depp"
The ORG recently revealed that certain amendments to the bill proposed in the House of Lords - but not passed - had been drafted by music industry group the BPI.
"Members of the Labour movement spent decades fighting for people's rights to basic services, education, and political organisation: they need to ask themselves where their true values lie," said Mr Killock.
"Are they with Gordon Brown's call to recognise the internet as just as vital for the today's citizens as water, gas and electricity; or are they with music industry lobbyists, calling on Parliament to infringe people's human rights"
Piracy plan
The new report used data from EU countries, the World Intellectual Property Organization and Eurostat, the EU's statistical gathering arm.
It said its figures were a worst case scenario based on consumer Web traffic growing 24% annually.
The report said that European creative industries generated 860bn euros and employed 14.4m million people in 2008. In the same year it estimates that 10bn euros and 186,000 jobs were lost across Europe.
Extrapolating that data, it suggests that up to 1.2 million jobs and 240 billion euros worth of European commerce could be wiped out by 2015.
In the UK alone, losses could be up to 254,000 jobs and 7.8bn euros, it said.
According to the UK government, the creative industries in the UK employ around 2 million people.
Agnete Haaland, the president of the International Actors' Federation, which supports the research, said that education was key to tackling piracy.
"We should change the word piracy," she said.
"To me, piracy is something adventurous, it makes you think about Johnny Depp.
"But we're talking about a criminal act. We're talking about making it impossible to make a living from what you do."
She urged the European Parliament to implement rules to tackle online piracy.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Who will win Thai power struggle? (Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:28:22 -0500)
The Thai prime minister has rejected a call from protesters to call elections. How can the political crisis be resolved?
Is US politics nastier than ever? (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:21:53 -0600)
US President Barack Obama has given his angriest speech since he was elected while a debate rages over his healthcare reforms. Mark Mardell considers whether America really is more divided than ever.
When the bearded activist in wraparound sunglasses put his hand on my shoulder, I felt his anger.
Not in an intuitive Californian sense - his jittering arm physically transmitted the motion of a body literally trembling with rage.
He was part of what is known as the Tea Party movement, the conservative opposition to Washington politics.
He was part of a demonstration outside a college in Philadelphia, where President Obama was about to give a speech on his plans for healthcare reform.
Taking his hand off my shoulder, the protester pointed to his placard. On it was a cartoon of the president as Batman's arch villain, the Joker, in white make-up with a creepy, clownish, slash of scarlet for a mouth.
He jabbed at one word on the banner: war. "That is what it means," he told me. "War. Civil war."
There is little doubt American politics is going through a torrid period but is it really nastier than before
Every day I am told the frustration with Washington is greater, politics is more vicious, more partisan, America is more divided than ever.
The Washington Post writes of chaos, a political storm, disarray and disorder. And that is all in just one edition of the paper.
I was chatting with a veteran American cameraman who has covered every presidential election for 30 years.
He believes the poll in 2012 will be the nastiest yet.
Below the belt
Certainly the case for the prosecution is strong and healthcare has its fingerprints over most of the exhibits.
One congressman has accused the president's chief of staff of being the son of the spawn of the devil.
The odd thing is, they are both Democrats.
The congressman claims he was forced to resign, not because he made lascivious remarks to a male staff member after apparently drinking 15 gin and tonics and numerous bottles of champagne, but because he voted the wrong way on healthcare.
Healthcare is also central to a Powerpoint presentation by Republican fundraisers, which features the cartoon I have mentioned before.
Not only is the president depicted as the Joker, but the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is shown as Cruella de Ville, and the Leader of the Senate Harry Reid is pictured as Scooby Doo.
The association with possibly the most irritating cartoon character ever does seem below the belt, and the Republican leadership has distanced itself from the planned campaign and its slogan: Save the country from trending toward socialism.
While it is clearly too late to stop the US trending toward using nouns as verbs, I can ask: "Is the US trending towards the nastiest set of elections ever"
"The sharp divisions between parties that are normal in British and European politics have been muddier here"
But surely the political atmosphere now is not as sour as it was when I was a teenager, when you could feel the waves of hatred towards Nixon washing across the Atlantic.
Is it worse now than in the era of race riots and Vietnam protests, when students were shot dead on campus
Is it worse than when congressmen shared cosy bipartisan drinks on the Hill, but Americans could not share the same drinking fountain Hardly.
But perhaps this is the latest tremor in a decades-long seismic realignment of American politics.
It seems to me the sharp divisions between parties of left and right that are normal in British and European politics have been muddier here.
The broad coalitions often reached deep into each other's middle ground. A lot of it is to do with the legacy of their civil war.
Cultural gulf
The Democrats could never become a serious liberal or left-wing party while so many of their members from the South defended white supremacy.
Those days may be long gone but there are still social and fiscal conservatives who might be more comfortable as Republicans but are in fact Democrats, because, well, because Grandaddy was.
One British left-winger used to say: "There are two parties in American politics; one is like our Conservative Party. So is the other."
He had a point. But perhaps not any more.
The people on both sides who paraded their bitter divisions on the streets during the 60s and 70s have been steadily moving indoors, into the Senate, the Congress and the White House.
And America cannot really get used to the fact politics cannot be bipartisan while there is such an ideological gulf between people and parties.
At that Philly rally, I chat to several white-haired ladies who joke that my TV microphone looks just like their feather duster.
"There are people in the US who would see David Cameron as a socialist"
A retired couple, enjoying one of the first Spring-like days since the snow, placidly share their firm beliefs with me: Obama, they maintain, is a socialist and healthcare is about a government power grab.
This is where there is a cultural gulf. No Conservative party in Europe would touch Obama's proposals. They are far too right-wing.
And there are people in the US who would see David Cameron as a socialist, after all he supports a state-run national health service.
One version of the many Tea Party pledges I have seen has, as point seven: 'I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.'
One of the refreshing things about American politics is that it questions what to us has become common place.
While they may argue about the detail, all British political parties support the redistribution of wealth through a progressive tax system.
Many in the Tea Party movement see that as creeping socialism. This is about what sort of country America becomes - and it is bound to get even angrier.
How to listen to: From Our Own Correspondent
BBC Radio 4: Saturdays, 1130. Second weekly edition on Thursdays, 1100 (some weeks only)
BBC World Service: See programme schedules
Download thepodcast
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Story by story at theprogramme website
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Tidy tents and pretty plaits in Haiti (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:18:28 -0600)
Thanks to the efforts of various charities, huge tented communities have been set up in Haiti. Survivors of the earthquake and tremors are making the most of their new life under canvas, which, as Christine Finn finds, could be home for a long time to come.
Madame Elizabeth Pierre is wearing heels.
In days touring tented villages in earthquake-hit Haiti she is the first person I have seen wearing anything other than sensible flat shoes or flip-flops to cope with this unstable terrain.
Madame Elizabeth is the community leader of a camp in Port au Prince. Her heels and a neat pink handbag, were "cadeaux - gifts," she tells me.
Of course, the people all around me are either wearing the clothes they had on when the earthquake hit, or donated ones.
Madame Elizabeth's turn-out was a nod to normality after the ordinariness of domestic life had been destroyed in less than a minute.
Until 12 January, Madame Elizabeth was a kindergarten teacher. Now she is living in a tent and overseeing her village of extended families, sharing their concerns over drinking water, latrines, and night-time raids by robbers.
Still smiling
I am touring the tented sites with Deidre Grant of the Irish NGO, Haven - shelter experts already working in Haiti when the earthquake struck.
There are improvised neighbourhoods everywhere you look. They range from shanty-towns grown out of salvaged wood and curtains, to lines of donated geodesic domes, as neat as a Scouts' jamboree.
Some people still have their old neighbours as neighbours under canvas. For others, it's a whole new community.
By day, the men go looking for work, or guard their ruined property. The women cook, mind the children, sweep out the tents. The children tend to those younger than them, carry water, and rice bags.
"For Haitians, tended hair is a sign of retained dignity "
We head deep into Port au Prince city to investigate an urgent call for latrines.
The owner of an ice factory has given up the space around his site, and facilities are needed for the hundreds of people staying there in abandoned cars, or in shelters made from sheets of plastic held down by rubble.
But children with tidy plaits - their hair reddened from malnutrition - are still smiling.
Retaining dignity
At a Turkish Red Crescent camp, we distribute hygiene kits, which include shampoo.
At every site, I see women braiding hair, and barbers trimming.
For Haitians, tended hair, rather than make-up, is a sign of retained dignity.
Kamel, the camp's organiser, was part of the relief team for the 1999 Turkish earthquake. He shows me around the neat streets of pristine cream tents.
His "five star" camp has four basketball teams. Kamel hopes his team - "Haitian 50 cents team" as he calls them - could play against other camps.
He proudly explains his site had once been a garbage dump. He had it cleared, constructed a wall for security, and pitched 166 tents.
Kamel introduces me to the psychologist on his team: "Women," he tells me, "are more seriously affected by the earthquake because when it happened, in late afternoon, so many of them were at home."
I look at the touching signs of domesticity - earthquake rubble fashioning a kind of front yard, boulders used to demarcate a wall, women proudly brushing their space with brooms.
Aftershocks
Kamel said many are calling their tent their house: "Now, I'd like to show you a special one," he said, stopping in front of an outdoor kitchen where Madame Faviola is cooking.
I am ushered inside. Madame has installed a carpet, and fashioned a bedroom space with deep pink netting, and a chain of paper hibiscus blooms. A wind-up radio is playing ballads.
Furniture, salvaged from the wreckage of her home, includes a sideboard on which are arranged precious things, gathered from the rubble, including framed baby photos, and tiny china ornaments.
Kitchen utensils are neatly arrayed underneath. Everything is spotless.
Tented villages are only meant to be temporary, but many of the people I meet say that with the continuing aftershocks they feel safer out in the open - as I found out over two nights of "mild" quakes - magnitude 4.7 or so - while staying with the Haven team at their "safe" house in the suburbs.
I lie rigid with fear as the building shudders, lurches, and sways. I had given away my tent but wish I, too, was out in the open. Indoors, 10 seconds seems an eternity.
People in the camps tell me the next day they had stirred at the new tremors, then slept on, safe in these brave, new communities formed out of disaster.
Where home-made kites fly alongside Haitian flags, washing dries on lines strung between tents, footballs are driven into makeshift goals, spaghetti bubbles in outside pots, and people gather for church services on Sundays, dressed in dazzling whites - and heels, if they have them.
How to listen to: From Our Own Correspondent
BBC Radio 4: Saturdays, 1130. Second weekly edition on Thursdays, 1100 (some weeks only)
BBC World Service: See programme schedules
Download thepodcast
Listen oniPlayer
Story by story at theprogramme website
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.