Ebola: Guinea Facing 'Unprecedented Epidemic'

Doctors Without Borders has said a deadly Ebola outbreak in Guinea has become an "unprecedented epidemic", as neighbouring Liberia confirms its first cases.
In a statement, the charity, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the geographic scale of the epidemic was unmatched.
MSF coordinator Mariano Lugli said: "We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases in the country."
Mr Lugli said previous outbreaks handled by MSF were "much more geographically contained and involved more remote locations."
He added: "This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic."
Medics must wear sealed biohazard suits when caring for the victims
Guinea's health ministry has reported 122 suspected cases, with at least 78 deaths linked to the virus. Of those there are 22 laboratory confirmed cases.
Some of the cases are in Guinea's capital Conakry. Liberia also confirmed its first cases overnight on Sunday.
One of two women who tested positive for the virus has died, while the other, her sister, has been isolated in a medical centre outside the capital Monrovia.
Sierra Leone is investigating five suspected cases, although none have yet been confirmed.
Macenta was one of the first towns in Guinea to report the virus
It is not only the geographic scale which makes this outbreak more severe.
There are five recognised strains of Ebola - four of which are deadly to humans.
The Guinean government says the strain it is currently observing is the 'Zaire' strain - the most aggressive of the five. It kills roughly 90% of its victims.
There is no known treatment or vaccine.
Ben Neuman, a virologist with the University of Reading, told Sky News: "The real worry is that this virus has been found in Conakry.
"This is a city where the population density is getting close to 10,000 per square kilometre and setting one of these at least mildly contagious viruses loose in that kind of population centre really has the makings of a humanitarian disaster."
Aid workers are transporting tons of medical equipment to affected areas
The outbreak has also spread panic among other countries in the region.
Senegal has closed its border with Guinea and suspended weekly markets near the border to prevent the virus travelling further.
Sierra Leone has introduced a screening process on its border with Guinea, while regional airline Gambia Bird has delayed the launch of services to Guinea's capital.
MSF has sent dozens of aid workers into Guinea in an attempt to prevent a further spread.
It said a total of 60 people, experienced in working on haemorrhagic fever, will be in the country by the end of the week.
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GM Hires Attorney To Advise On Recall Victims

Updated: 6:45pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

The US House Energy and Commerce Committee has compiled a timeline of events leading up to General Motors' ignition switch recalls.

Here are some events highlighted by the committee:

:: 2001 - A pre-production report for the 2003 Saturn Ion identifies issues with the car's ignition switch. The report indicates that a design change fixed the problem.

:: 2002 - Ignition switch manufacturer Delphi submits a document indicating GM approved switches despite sample testing falling short of the car maker's specifications.

:: November 2004 - GM opens engineering inquiry following complaint that 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt can be "keyed off with knee while driving".

:: March 2005 - GM rejects proposed solution for ignition problem, citing long lead times and high costs.

:: July 2005 - A 2005 Chevy Cobalt crashes in Maryland killing 16-year-old driver Amber Marie Rose.

:: August 2005 - A probe into the July crash finds that the car's airbag system did not deploy after the vehicle lost power.

:: December 2005 - GM issues a bulletin to its dealers identifying a problem with ignitions in the Cobalt, Chevy HHR, Saturn Ion and Pontiac Solstice. GM recommends that drivers remove heavy items from key rings.

:: April 2006 - GM engineer authorises Delphi to implement ignition switch modifications. Changes meant to increase torque performance, and began to appear in 2007 models.

:: October 2006 - A 2005 Cobalt crash in Wisconsin kills two teenagers. GM updates 2005 bulletin to include additional models, and provides key inserts to nearly 500 customers who brought their cars to the dealer for service.

:: March 2007 - GM begins probe into accidents involving failed airbag deployments. By the end of the year, the car maker identifies at least four instances when the car's ignition had been in the off position at the time of the crash.

:: November 2007 - A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) official recommends an investigation into failed airbag deployments prompted by 29 complains, four fatal crashes and 14 field reports.

:: April 2009 - A 2005 Cobalt crashes in Pennsylvania, killing the driver and front passenger.

:: February 2010 - Calspan Crash Data Research Center releases findings from 2009 Pennsylvania crash, saying it was unable to determine why air bags did not deploy.

:: August 2011 - GM initiates a Field Performance Evaluation to examine frontal impact crashes involving 2005 to 2007 Cobalts and the 2007 Pontiac G5.

:: May 2012 - GM engineers test the torque performance of ignitions switches on over 40 cars across a range of make and models. Engineers find that the majority of vehicles from model years 2003 to 2007 exhibited torque at or below below the car maker's specifications.

:: April 2013 - GM hires outside engineering firm to conduct a thorough ignition switch investigation.

:: January 2014 - Mary Barra named GM's new chief executive.

:: February 2014 - GM announces recall of 2005 to 2007 model year Cobalts and Pontiac G5 vehicles. Recall later expanded to include 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2007 Chevy HHR, Pontiac Solstice and 2007 Saturn Sky.

:: March 2014 - NHTSA launches probe into GM's handling and reporting of safety-related issues.

:: March 2014 - GM again expands the ignition switch recall to cover all model years of the Cobalt, HHR, Pontiac G5, Solstice, Saturn Ion and Sky in the US.

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Torture 'Did Not Lead To Bin Laden'

Waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods provided no key evidence in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, a Senate investigation has concluded.
The report by the Senate intelligence committee examined the treatment of several high-level terror detainees and the information they provided on the man widely considered to be responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
The CIA disputes the conclusions and the intelligence agency is locked in a fight with the committee over the case.
Former Bush administration figures and top CIA officials said trailing bin Laden to his compound in Pakistan was vindication of the "enhanced interrogation techniques" they authorised after the September 11 attacks.
But Democratic and some Republican senators have called that account misleading, saying waterboarding – where a detainee is subjected to simulated drownings - sleep deprivation and other such practices were cruel and ineffective.
The 6,200-page report backs the latter. The document is still secret but a congressional vote on Thursday may look to declassify a summary.
The Abbottabad compound where bin Laden was tracked down and killed
The most high-profile detainee linked to the bin Laden investigation was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is of accused of masterminding 9/11 mastermind and who was waterboarded 183 times.
Mohammed confirmed after his 2003 capture that he knew an important al Qaeda courier with the nom de guerre Abu Ahmed al Kuwaiti.
The Senate report concludes such information was not critical.
Mohammed only discussed al Kuwaiti months after being waterboarded, while he was under standard interrogation, according to congressional aides familiar with the report.
And Mohammed neither acknowledged al Kuwaiti's significance nor provided interrogators with the courier's real name.
The courier eventually led US intelligence to the Pakistani military town of Abbottabad, where bin Laden was hiding.
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty, the movie on the hunt for bin Laden
There, in May 2011, Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in a secret mission.
The issue of whether torture was instrumental in leading US officials to bin Laden was also hotly debated after the release of the Oscar nominated movie Zero Dark Thirty, a dramatisation of the hunt for the terror chief.
The movie shows torture to have played an important role in finding bin Laden, but group of US senators disputed that view.
Critics also said the movie endorsed torture, though this was dismissed as "absurd" by star Jessica Chastain and others involved in the film.
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The 21 Facial Expressions We All Pull Revealed

Scientists have identified 21 facial expressions we all pull, more than three times the number previously thought.
Researchers at Ohio State University used computers to map the full range of human expressions.
Until now, experts based their work on six basic emotions - happy, sad, fearful, angry, surprised and disgusted.
It is hoped the findings will be a breakthrough for cognitive scientists tracking the genetic and chemical pathways that govern emotion in the brain.
Dr Aleix Martinez, who led the research, said: "We've gone beyond facial expressions for simple emotions like 'happy' or 'sad.'
"We found a strong consistency in how people move their facial muscles to express 21 categories of emotions.
"That is simply stunning. That tells us that these 21 emotions are expressed in the same way by nearly everyone, at least in our culture."
The scientists took photos of mostly student volunteers - 100 male and 130 female - making faces in response to verbal cues.
The phrase "you just got some great, unexpected news", produced a "happily surprised" expression, while "you smell a bad odour" was met with a "disgusted" face.
A body language analysis database called the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) was then searched for similarities and differences in the 5,000 images produced.
The research team looked closely at key points on the face for muscles, such as the corners of the mouth or outer edge of the eyebrow, as they worked to match movements to emotions.
A "happy" face appeared the same way with 99% of volunteers, who drew up their cheeks and smiled, while surprise involved widening the eyes and opening the mouth 92% of the time.
But the study - published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - identified hybrid emotions, such as "happily disgusted", which involved scrunching up the eyes and nose while also smiling.
Dr Martinez said it would be the emotion people feel when something "gross" but hilarious happens.
The new computer model could potentially help with the diagnosis and treatment of mental conditions like autism and post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers said.
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FBI Confirms Probe Into High-Speed Trading

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York CorrespondentThe Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating high-speed trading firms for “several months”, Sky News has confirmed.
High frequency or high speed trading involves the use of extremely fast computer networks to shave fractions of a second off the time it takes companies to place electronic orders, potentially giving them a huge advantage over traditional rivals.
Companies using the technology can, for example, identify a large, slower order for stock from an ordinary investor, buy that stock ahead of them, and sell it back at a profit.
The practice accounts for about 50% of trading on New York stock exchanges, and is not illegal.
But the FBI wants to know if companies are using their speed advantage in an illegal way.
According to an FBI spokesman the ongoing, wide-ranging investigation includes a number of different companies and concentrates on practices including the front running of shares, 'spoofing' shares, phantom trading, insider trading and other market manipulation.
The FBI is not the only authority investigating the issue.
Among others, the SEC and the New York Attorney General’s Office are also probing how it works and whether in some circumstances it is illegal.
News of the FBI’s criminal investigation comes at the same time as high-profile financial author Michael Lewis released a book revealing details of the high-frequency trading market.
He told CBS’ 60 Minutes programme that the stock market was “rigged”, and high frequency traders were profiting at the expense of ordinary investors.
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Drone Crashes Near Disputed Korean Border

An unmanned drone has crashed on a South Korean island close to the disputed maritime border with the communist North.
The unidentified aircraft fell on Baeknyeong island on the same day as artillery fire was exchanged in the area between forces from the North and South.
The South Korean military are reported to be examining any possible link to spying operations by Pyongyang.
An official is reported as saying the drone is up to 10 feet long, with a Japanese engine and Chinese parts, along with a small camera.
North Korean "drones" on show at a military parade last year
The drone is similar to another found in a border city last month.
North Korea released footage last year of practice drones modified to crash into set targets, but is not thought to have unmanned craft capable of carrying out air strikes or long-range surveillance flights.
The discovery is likely to further heighten tensions in the area after Pyongyang carried out live firing drills that saw more than 100 shells fall in South Korean waters.
Seoul responded to what it branded "premeditated provocation", with its own artillery and scrambled fighter jets.
The US also condemned North Korea's actions as "dangerous and provocative".
Anxious residents sought refuge in shelters on Yeonpyeong island, where North Korean artillery killed four South Koreans in 2010.
The US and South Korea are carrying out joint military exercises
The de facto maritime border between the two countries - the Northern Limit Line - is not recognised by Pyongyang.
The artillery exchange came a day after North Korea warned it had not ruled out a fourth test of its nuclear deterrent in retaliation for the US conducting "madcap nuclear war" exercises in South Korea this month.
Every year the US and South Korea conduct joint battle exercises involving around 12,500 US and as many as 200,000 South Korean troops.
The annual drills are regularly condemned by the North as preludes to a US invasion, though Washington insists the exercises are defensive.
China called for calm, while Russia said it was "worried" by Pyongyang's declaration it may conduct a further nuclear test.
North Korea last week tested two missiles capable of hitting Japan.
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Truck Driver Killed In Long Island Bus Crash

The driver of a pickup truck has been killed after a head-on collision with a charter bus on Long Island.
Police say the crash took place around 9am local time at Albertson, in Nassau County, New York.
A police spokesman said the truck driver may have crossed a double-yellow line prior to the crash.
One person is taken away from the crash scene on a stretcher
Pictures from the crash site showed emergency services working to free the bus driver from the wreckage.
Several ladders were perched on the side of the bus, reaching into the vehicle through the windows.
The bus appeared to have crashed into a tree after colliding with the truck.
Police say the truck driver may have crossed a double-yellow line
At one point during the rescue operation, a stretcher is passed through a window.
One person has been taken from the scene of the crash on a stretcher.
The identity of the truck driver has yet to be released.
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Facebook's Zuckerberg Makes $3.3bn In One Year

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg made $3.3bn (£2bn) last year from the sale of stock options, it has been revealed.
The 29-year-old has now exhausted his supply of stock options as a result of Facebook's public offering, but still owns 426.3 million Facebook shares currently worth $25.7bn (£15.42bn).
His salary for 2013 fell to $1 (60p), in line with other technology figures such as Google's Larry Page.
Total compensation for the year was $653,165 (£391,840), which Facebook said was spent mainly on flights on private jets.
The figures emerged in the company's latest regulatory filings.
The documents showed Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's second-most senior executive, has sold more than half her stake in the company.
However her stake is still worth around $1bn (£600m) and makes her one of the largest individual investors in the social networking company with a 0.5% stake.
Her compensation package fell to $16.2m (£9.7m) from $26.2m (£15.7m) in 2012.
Chief financial officer David Ebersman made $10.5m (£6.3m) in compensation, down from $17.5m (£10.5m) in 2012.
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Obamacare Enrolment Exceeds Seven Million

President Barack Obama says 7.1 million Americans have signed up for mandated health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Monday's deadline for online enrolment saw a surge of consumers applying for health coverage on the federal website Healthcare.gov.
The Obama administration had set an enrolment goal of seven million people, but reaching that number appeared in doubt following the troubled launch of Healthcare.gov in October.
The president praised the achievement in light of the lost weeks at the start of the enrolment period.
He said: "As messy as it's been sometimes, as contentious as it's been sometimes, it's progress."
"Millions of Americans finally had the same chance to buy quality, affordable health care and the peace of mind that comes with it," he added.
Americans wait in line to get online enrolment assistance in Florida
The White House has not provided a demographic breakdown of the enrolment numbers and it was not immediately clear how many of the enrollees actually paid their premiums.
Also unknown is how many were previously uninsured, which is seen as the real marker to determine the success of Mr Obama's health care overhaul.
Although March 31 was the official sign-up deadline, millions of people are potentially still eligible for extensions granted by the administration.
Among those are people who were unable to complete the enrolment process for various reasons, including glitches to the federal website.
As the deadline approached on Monday, critics of the president's health care reforms continued to express opposition.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel argued that the law was harming Americans.
He said: "Every promise the president made has been broken: Health care costs are rising, not falling.
"Americans are losing the doctors and plans that they like - especially seniors suffering under President Obama's Medicare cuts.
"Small businesses are afraid to hire new workers, hobbling our economic growth. That's why we must replace this fundamentally-flawed law with patient-centred solutions that will actually lower health care costs and help create jobs."
Mr Obama fired back at critics as he touted the enrolment figures from the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday.
He said: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act here to stay."
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Dating Site In Firefox Boycott Over Gay Rights

Dating site OkCupid has asked its users to boycott the Firefox web browser over its CEO's 2008 opposition to same-sex marriage.
Users accessing the free site from a Mozilla Firefox browser are met with a full-page message, urging them to switch to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Opera.
It begins: "Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience."
It says Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples and that OkCupid "would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software" to access the site.
OkCupid posted a full-page statement on their website
The statement adds: "Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there's a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs."
It says OkCupid has spent a decade "bringing people together", adding: "If individuals like Mr Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked too hard to bring about would be illegal.
"OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead force misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure."
In a statement Mozilla said: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples.
"No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally.
"OkCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts."
In 2008 Mr Eich made a $1,000 (£600) donation to the campaign in support of California's Proposition 8, a voter-backed initiative in 2008 that banned same sex marriage in the state.
Three members of Mozilla's board resigned when he was promoted to CEO last week.
In a blog post following his appointment, Mr Eich said he wanted to "express my sorrow at having caused pain".
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Missing Plane: Pilots' Conversations Revealed

Updated: 12:36pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

A transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been released.

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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GM Hires Attorney To Advise On Recall Victims

Updated: 6:45pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014The US House Energy and Commerce Committee has compiled a timeline of events leading up to General Motors' ignition switch recalls.
Here are some events highlighted by the committee:
:: 2001 - A pre-production report for the 2003 Saturn Ion identifies issues with the car's ignition switch. The report indicates that a design change fixed the problem.
:: 2002 - Ignition switch manufacturer Delphi submits a document indicating GM approved switches despite sample testing falling short of the car maker's specifications.
:: November 2004 - GM opens engineering inquiry following complaint that 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt can be "keyed off with knee while driving".
:: March 2005 - GM rejects proposed solution for ignition problem, citing long lead times and high costs.
:: July 2005 - A 2005 Chevy Cobalt crashes in Maryland killing 16-year-old driver Amber Marie Rose.
:: August 2005 - A probe into the July crash finds that the car's airbag system did not deploy after the vehicle lost power.
:: December 2005 - GM issues a bulletin to its dealers identifying a problem with ignitions in the Cobalt, Chevy HHR, Saturn Ion and Pontiac Solstice. GM recommends that drivers remove heavy items from key rings.
:: April 2006 - GM engineer authorises Delphi to implement ignition switch modifications. Changes meant to increase torque performance, and began to appear in 2007 models.
:: October 2006 - A 2005 Cobalt crash in Wisconsin kills two teenagers. GM updates 2005 bulletin to include additional models, and provides key inserts to nearly 500 customers who brought their cars to the dealer for service.
:: March 2007 - GM begins probe into accidents involving failed airbag deployments. By the end of the year, the car maker identifies at least four instances when the car's ignition had been in the off position at the time of the crash.
:: November 2007 - A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) official recommends an investigation into failed airbag deployments prompted by 29 complains, four fatal crashes and 14 field reports.
:: April 2009 - A 2005 Cobalt crashes in Pennsylvania, killing the driver and front passenger.
:: February 2010 - Calspan Crash Data Research Center releases findings from 2009 Pennsylvania crash, saying it was unable to determine why air bags did not deploy.
:: August 2011 - GM initiates a Field Performance Evaluation to examine frontal impact crashes involving 2005 to 2007 Cobalts and the 2007 Pontiac G5.
:: May 2012 - GM engineers test the torque performance of ignitions switches on over 40 cars across a range of make and models. Engineers find that the majority of vehicles from model years 2003 to 2007 exhibited torque at or below below the car maker's specifications.
:: April 2013 - GM hires outside engineering firm to conduct a thorough ignition switch investigation.
:: January 2014 - Mary Barra named GM's new chief executive.
:: February 2014 - GM announces recall of 2005 to 2007 model year Cobalts and Pontiac G5 vehicles. Recall later expanded to include 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2007 Chevy HHR, Pontiac Solstice and 2007 Saturn Sky.
:: March 2014 - NHTSA launches probe into GM's handling and reporting of safety-related issues.
:: March 2014 - GM again expands the ignition switch recall to cover all model years of the Cobalt, HHR, Pontiac G5, Solstice, Saturn Ion and Sky in the US.

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Stiletto Murder Trial: Man 'Stabbed 25 Times'

A prosecutor has told a court that a Houston woman killed her boyfriend by stabbing him with her stiletto heel 25 times in the face.
Ana Trujillo, 45, is on trial in the Texas city for murdering Alf Stefan Andersson.
Prosecutors say she killed him during an argument at his condominium in June.
Trujillo's lawyer said she was attacked by Mr Andersson and that she defended herself using the only weapon she had available.
Mr Andersson was originally from Sweden
Mr Andersson, 59, was a native of Sweden who had become a US citizen and was a University of Houston professor and researcher.
Sarah Mickelson, the leading prosecutor in the case, said Trujillo had a history of being angry and aggressive in her contentious on-again, off-again relationship with Mr Andersson.
On the night Mr Andersson was killed, the couple were out drinking before they returned to his apartment, where the two began arguing, according to the prosecution.
Ms Mickelson told jurors during the confrontation, Mr Andersson was injured and fell on his back.
The court heard Trujillo sat on him, preventing him from getting up, and repeatedly struck him in the face and head with her shoe.
The shoe was described by prosecutors as a size nine, closed-toe blue suede pump, with a five-and-a-half inch (14cm) heel.
"The one thing we can be sure of in this case is that Ana Trujillo is not a victim," Ms Mickelson said.
Trujillo says she acted in self-defence
"Ana Trujillo struck Stefan Andersson 25 times with the heel of her shoe while he lay on the floor and bled out."
Trujillo's attorney, John Carroll, described Mr Andersson as an alcoholic who would become violent toward his girlfriend.
He said on the night of Mr Andersson's death, Trujillo planned to leave him and go to a friend's house, but Mr Andersson slammed her against a wall, grabbed her and threw her over a couch.
"She couldn't breathe. And she was begging and begging (Andersson) to let her go," the lawyer said.
"He started suffocating her. She did the only thing she could do, take a weapon at her disposal, which was a shoe, and started hitting him."
Trujillo is currently free on a $100,000 bond.
The trial continues.
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Frankie Knuckles 'Godfather Of House' Dies

Frankie Knuckles, the so-called 'Godfather of House Music', has died aged 59.
Knuckles was born in New York City but moved to Chicago where he developed and popularised house music in the 1980s.
His influence was felt across the Atlantic and the DJ played at London's Ministry of Sound on Saturday March 29, just two days before his death in Chicago.
Knuckles' most famous track is Your Love
Knuckles was due to play at Gatecrasher in Birmingham on April 12, alongside David Morales and Todd Terry.
Fellow house music legend Morales tweeted: "I am devastated to write that my dear friend Frankie Knuckles has passed away today. Can't write anymore than this at the moment. I'm sorry."
DJ Pete Tong wrote: "R.I.P #GodfatherOfHouse Frankie Knuckles R.I.P gentleman genius groundbreaker inspiration blessed to have worked with you. Sad news."
Another DJ to give his tribute was The Roots drummer Quest Love, who tweeted: "Frankie Knuckles was so under-appreciated. he was the dj that dj's aspired to be. true dance pioneer."
In 2004, August 25 was declared Frankie Knuckles Day in Chicago after help from then-senator Barack Obama.
Knuckles' most well-known track was Your Love, released in 1987, which was later used as the basis of the Source's hit You've Got The Love.
Mixmag declared it the greatest house record ever made.
Knuckles' work was exposed to a wider audience in 2004 when Your Love was used in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The Grammy winner was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
In 2008, he had his right foot amputated after a skiing accident years earlier had lead to the bone disease osteomialitis.
The cause of Knuckles' death has not been confirmed.
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Dating Site In Firefox Boycott Over Gay Rights

Dating site OkCupid has asked its users to boycott the Firefox web browser over its CEO's 2008 opposition to same-sex marriage.
Users accessing the free site from a Mozilla Firefox browser are met with a full-page message, urging them to switch to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Opera.
It begins: "Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience."
It says Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples and that OkCupid "would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software" to access the site.
OkCupid posted a full-page statement on their website
The statement adds: "Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there's a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs."
It says OkCupid has spent a decade "bringing people together", adding: "If individuals like Mr Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked too hard to bring about would be illegal.
"OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead force misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure."
In a statement Mozilla said: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples.
"No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally.
"OkCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts."
In 2008 Mr Eich made a $1,000 (£600) donation to the campaign in support of California's Proposition 8, a voter-backed initiative in 2008 that banned same sex marriage in the state.
Three members of Mozilla's board resigned when he was promoted to CEO last week.
In a blog post following his appointment, Mr Eich said he wanted to "express my sorrow at having caused pain".
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Tesla Car 'Can Be Unlocked By Hackers'

Basic computer hacking techniques could be used to unlock a high-tech Tesla car, a security expert has warned.
Security researcher Nitesh Dhanjani, speaking at a Singapore technology conference, pointed out the alleged security flaws in the Tesla Model S.
The car can be locked and unlocked using an iPhone app, which is accessed using a basic six-character password.
Users are not frozen out after a certain number of login attempts, meaning it is open to 'brute force' hacking attacks where thousands of password combinations are automatically entered using specialist software.
Mr Dhanjani also pointed out the system is also vulnerable to phishing attacks to obtain the password.
Once in, an attacker could pinpoint the car's location and unlock it. Mischief-makers could also do relatively innocuous things like draining the battery, honking the horn, and tracking the owner's whereabouts.
Mr Dhanjani said: "Tesla should address the issue of using static passwords with low complexity requirements.
"Tesla owners should be aware of risks based on the current situation and take precautions."
Several car models can be controlled using a phone app, but Mr Dhanjani focused his research on the all-electric car because it is seen as the market-leading computerised vehicle.
A Tesla spokesman said: "Our customers' security is our top priority, be that in developing a car with the highest safety rating or doing everything we can to protect them against online security breaches.
"We protect our products and systems against vulnerabilities with our dedicated team of top-notch information security professionals, and we continue to work with the community of security researchers and actively encourage them to communicate with us through our responsible reporting process."
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FBI Confirms Probe Into High-Speed Trading

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating high-speed trading firms for “several months”, Sky News has confirmed.

High frequency or high speed trading involves the use of extremely fast computer networks to shave fractions of a second off the time it takes companies to place electronic orders, potentially giving them a huge advantage over traditional rivals.

Companies using the technology can, for example, identify a large, slower order for stock from an ordinary investor, buy that stock ahead of them, and sell it back at a profit.

The practice accounts for about 50% of trading on New York stock exchanges, and is not illegal.

But the FBI wants to know if companies are using their speed advantage in an illegal way.

According to an FBI spokesman the ongoing, wide-ranging investigation includes a number of different companies and concentrates on practices including the front running of shares, 'spoofing' shares, phantom trading, insider trading and other market manipulation.

The FBI is not the only authority investigating the issue.

Among others, the SEC and the New York Attorney General’s Office are also probing how it works and whether in some circumstances it is illegal.

News of the FBI’s criminal investigation comes at the same time as high-profile financial author Michael Lewis released a book revealing details of the high-frequency trading market.

He told CBS’ 60 Minutes programme that the stock market was “rigged”, and high frequency traders were profiting at the expense of ordinary investors.

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iPhone 6 'To Go Into Production Next Month'

Apple suppliers could begin manufacturing displays for the next iPhone as early as next month, according to supply chain sources.
The Reuters news agency cited unnamed insiders who say the next iteration of the smartphone will come in two sizes - both larger than the iPhone 5s.
A 4.7-inch is set to be the first off the production line in time for an autumn launch, followed by a 5.5-inch version.
The latest iPhone model's screen measures just four inches, and is significantly smaller than some other rival smartphones from the likes of Samsung.
The current iPhone 5s
Both of the new Apple devices are expected to continue to use the in-cell touch panel technology, which allows for a thinner phone.
But difficulties with the technology in larger displays prompted a decision to delay production of the 5.5-inch versions, the sources said.
Japan Display will reportedly be the first supplier to start production at its plant at Mobara, east of Tokyo, as early as May.
The others are due to begin output around June.
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Connected Tech In The Hospitality Industry

By Tom Platt, Technology ProducerThe connected home is quickly becoming a reality, with apps on your iPad that can control music systems, televisions and lighting.
Google's acquisition of Nest for £2bn - a company which manufactures smoke detectors and thermostats that feed information to your tablet - was seen as an endorsement of future tech that monitors and communicates with us about our homes.
But it's not just houses which are seeing the tablet creep in and improve efficiency.
Whilst consumer growth in the tablet market is slowing, its use in the commercial sector is increasing.
By 2018, nearly one-fifth of tablet use is forecast to be by small, medium and large companies around the world.
Tablets are used to control disco lights in the hotel
Businesses are equipping armies of staff with iPads to streamline and perfect both the customer experience and back-of-house operations.
On London's Regent Street, hotel Café Royal has armed porters, chambermaids and receptionists with devices that monitor every element of the guest experience. From the moment a client logs in during the car ride from the airport, they are tracked and prepared for by staff.
Employees communicate with each other to prepare room keys, requirements and requests - all before the guest arrives.
In one of the suites an iPad controls the blinds, the TV and sound system and even disco lighting.
It puts the bling bling in the palm of a user's hands.
Cleaners and other staff can tick off tasks during the day
The technology is ostentatious - and a sign of the expectations of luxury clients in the hospitality industry.
Reception manager Gosia Mendes said: "It's very important for our guests. It creates the bespoke service we would like to deliver, the luxury experience our guests are coming for.
"It is really tailoring their needs for their stay."
Behind the scenes, technology is also being used to streamline work operations.
The hotel's cleaning staff are able to report faults directly to maintenance via an app.
Complaints and problems can be relayed instantly
Rooms are checked and boxes ticked, shaving off valuable time during day to day chores.
Figures from the US show that customers are also increasingly willing to use technology in restaurants.
Some 39% of those surveyed said they would use an iPad to order food or look through a wine list.
Businesses are obliging, seeing technology as a way of making sure the diner gets exactly what they want, and that allergies or special requests are properly translated to chefs.
Executive chef Andrew Turner has put tablets in his kitchen. His team follow recipes on iPads, referring to pictures and videos to make sure they achieve a certain level of quality.
iPads in the kitchen help improve consistency
He said: "We want to have a paperless kitchen. Staff can access any recipe or cookbook without me having to be there.”
Chefs can spread themselves further, without sacrificing quality.
To what extent, though, is all the technology wizardry an expensive gimmick?
Turner says: "Some of the leading hotels and restaurateurs are already using them - we're just using them as a tool - it's no different to me having a notepad."
The difference is, of course, that tablets are making it easier to share, store and communicate information than paper alternatives.
If tablet technology is shown to improve customer experience and behind-the-scenes operations, it will only become a more important part of the hospitality industry in the future.
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The 21 Facial Expressions We All Pull Revealed

Scientists have identified 21 facial expressions we all pull, more than three times the number previously thought.
Researchers at Ohio State University used computers to map the full range of human expressions.
Until now, experts based their work on six basic emotions - happy, sad, fearful, angry, surprised and disgusted.
It is hoped the findings will be a breakthrough for cognitive scientists tracking the genetic and chemical pathways that govern emotion in the brain.
Dr Aleix Martinez, who led the research, said: "We've gone beyond facial expressions for simple emotions like 'happy' or 'sad.'
"We found a strong consistency in how people move their facial muscles to express 21 categories of emotions.
"That is simply stunning. That tells us that these 21 emotions are expressed in the same way by nearly everyone, at least in our culture."
The scientists took photos of mostly student volunteers - 100 male and 130 female - making faces in response to verbal cues.
The phrase "you just got some great, unexpected news", produced a "happily surprised" expression, while "you smell a bad odour" was met with a "disgusted" face.
A body language analysis database called the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) was then searched for similarities and differences in the 5,000 images produced.
The research team looked closely at key points on the face for muscles, such as the corners of the mouth or outer edge of the eyebrow, as they worked to match movements to emotions.
A "happy" face appeared the same way with 99% of volunteers, who drew up their cheeks and smiled, while surprise involved widening the eyes and opening the mouth 92% of the time.
But the study - published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - identified hybrid emotions, such as "happily disgusted", which involved scrunching up the eyes and nose while also smiling.
Dr Martinez said it would be the emotion people feel when something "gross" but hilarious happens.
The new computer model could potentially help with the diagnosis and treatment of mental conditions like autism and post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers said.
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Nag, Nag, Nag! Will New Gizmo Trend Backfire?

A new trend in technology, dubbed "nag tech", which tells you to do things like brush your teeth properly, appears to be growing rapidly.
Developers are increasingly coming up with gadgets which inform us what do, how to do it and when to do it, by linking to apps on our phones and tablets.
Among the devices are forks that alert us when we are eating too quickly, toothbrushes which make sure we are cleaning our teeth correctly and shower plug devices that warn us if we use too much water.
There is also a product called Mother which can monitor every facet of your life via sensors placed around your home, enabling it to send you countless notifications about things such as when you are running out of coffee, or if you have forgotten to take your vitamins.
The new tech might sound like a great way to better ourselves, but in reality, how many of us really want to be told what to do by a gizmo?
This app warns users when they are slouching
Technology and behaviour expert Nir Eyal suggests feeling micromanaged can backfire.
"When your freedom feels a little bit threatened - that sensation is called 'reactance' and interestingly enough our gadgets can inflict the same response and that negative feeling is something that people do not like to feel and with time people will actually divorce these technologies."
But Kieran Alger, who uses a plethora of devices every day to track various parts of his lifestyle, including his weight, body fat, exercise, diet, calories, sleep and even his posture (a belt which vibrates when he slouches), certainly does not seem to feel threatened.
"Really I think we all like to secretly have a life coach ... They give you more knowledge that in the past you probably would have had to have paid quite a lot of money for.
"At the end of the day it's down to your willpower ... The minute the nagging becomes irritating I ignore it and the whole thing becomes useless. Eventually, you always get back to you."
Future technology could be able to change people physically, it is claimed
But in years to come, when virtually everyone and everything becomes wi-fi connected, technology will not just be able to change our behaviour, it may be able to change us physically, according to an expert in Silicon Valley.
Dave Evans, chief futurist for Cisco, believes that by 2035 we will start to replace, by choice, perfectly good biological parts with electronic technology.
"Imagine for example being able to download a new skill over the network, download a new language because you need it because you're travelling, maybe you swap out a perfectly good eye for an artificial eye that gives you zoom vision."
So perhaps there will not be a place for "nag tech" in the future, although many might question whether there is a place for it now.
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Mobile Banking Doubles As Branches Struggle

Mobile banking transactions doubled last year, further increasing the risk to traditional high street branches.
According to a study by the British Bankers' Association (BBA), the number of transactions carried out on smartphones and tablets reached 18.6 million per week.
It said the pace continued to accelerate and would likely more than double again to two billion transactions this year - more than five million a day.
With desktop and laptop online banking also on the increase, high street branch usage is expected to decline even further.
As an example, the BBA said transactions at Royal Bank of Scotland branches has fallen by nearly a third in five years.
BBA boss Anthony Browne said: "A revolution is underway in how people spend, move and manage their money.
"This is not just about the phenomenal growth of mobile banking, which has already allowed millions of British customers to make billions of transactions from the palm of their hand.
"Make no mistake, the branch will remain integral to banking services in the 21st century - especially for those big moments in life such as arranging a mortgage.
"But the day-to-day use of branches is falling and part of that is because there is a ground swell of people who now find that banking on the move is fast, easy and convenient."
The 2013 digital banking report said more than 12.4 million bank apps have been downloaded and nearly 40 million mobile and internet transactions made every week during 2013.
It added that 28.4 million debit and credit cards were now fitted with contactless technology and that 457.7 million SMS balance alerts and other text messages were issued during 2013.
The report comes as the latest quarterly phone purchase figures were released by Kantar Worldpanel.
It said smartphone penetration has now reached 70% in Britain, with 86% of devices sold in the last three months being the hi-tech devices.
It added that Motorola had gone from virtually no presence to a 6% market share, on the back of its budget Moto G device.
The Motorola surge has helped the Android operating system remain Europe's most popular, with 68.9% of the market.
In Britain, it had 58.3% of the market at the end of February, followed by iPhone with 29%, Windows with 6.7% and Blackberry with 5.1%.
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Microsoft Office: Word Tops iPad App Chart

Microsoft Word has jumped to the top of the Apple Store free app chart, after releasing an iPad version of its Office software.
New chief executive Satya Nadella announced the move at his debut launch event.
Within hours Word, Excel, Powerpoint were the top-ranking free apps and allow users to read documents.
However for users who want to create and edit items an Office 365 subscription is required.
The UK Office 365 Home subscription costs a third more in the UK than in the United States.
The British price is set at £79.99 but the app costs just $99.99 (£60) in the US.
Microsoft's OneNote was ranked number four in the chart, allowing auto-cropping of whiteboards and document photographs.
A significant number of iPad users have grumbled previously about not being able to use Microsoft's signature software on Apple's flagship tablets.
Mr Nadella said he hoped it helped people "to be productive across all devices".
"We are taking great focus and great care to make sure Office on any device shines through."
It is now expected Microsoft will speed up future releases of app versions for other mobile computing devices.
The company's former CEO Steve Ballmer released an iPhone version of the Office suite last year.
Industry analysts expect there to be near parity this year between tablets and the PC/laptop market, at around 275 million in both sectors.
More than half of Microsoft's operating profit, around £10bn, has come from the Office suite on the back of a resurgent business sector requiring its software.
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Npower Hatches Nest Deal As Energy Row Rages

One of Britain's biggest energy companies has struck a deal with a Google-owned smart technology provider amid the raging debate about rising energy prices.
Sky News understands that Npower, which is owned by the German utility RWE, will announce this week a partnership with Nest Labs, a connected devices-maker which was acquired by Google for more than £2bn.
The alliance will see Npower become the exclusive energy company partner of Nest in the UK, and comes as the big energy suppliers step up their investment in smart-metering technology.
Npower, which has acquired an unspecified number of the Nest thermostats, is expected to unveil plans for a series of new 'bundled' packages similar to those available in the mobile phone and pay-television industries.
These will include specific gas and electricity tariffs combined with Nest's smart thermostats, which claim to reduce home energy wastage.
The Nest partnership could be extended to other RWE operations across Europe over time, a source said.
The move to establish such agreements in an attempt to drive down domestic energy consumption reflects the anxiety felt by the big six utilities as competition authorities kick off a probe of the sector.
The inquiry is unlikely to be concluded until after next year's General Election.
Nest is run by Tony Fadell, one of the architects of the iPhone and iPad during his stint working for Apple.
The company's products will be sold in the UK through John Lewis and B&Q stores, as well as the Apple Store.
A rival smart home energy control product called Tado also launches in the UK this week.
It has secured distribution agreements with Dixons and Maplin Electronics, underlining the land-grab by the manufacturers of such products to secure prime space on the UK's high streets.
Tado claims to save consumers up to 26% of their domestic heating bills annually once the device is installed and the app is enabled on a smartphone.
British Gas, the biggest energy retailer, has a similar product called Hive Active Heating.
Last year, a report published by British Gas and Oxford Economics, a consulting firm, said that the gross savings of the UK’s smart-metering programme between 2012 and 2030 would amount to more than £25bn,
A spokesman for Nest refused to comment on Tuesday.
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Facebook's Zuckerberg Makes $3.3bn In One Year

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg made $3.3bn (£2bn) last year from the sale of stock options, it has been revealed.
The 29-year-old has now exhausted his supply of stock options as a result of Facebook's public offering, but still owns 426.3 million Facebook shares currently worth $25.7bn (£15.42bn).
His salary for 2013 fell to $1 (60p), in line with other technology figures such as Google's Larry Page.
Total compensation for the year was $653,165 (£391,840), which Facebook said was spent mainly on flights on private jets.
The figures emerged in the company's latest regulatory filings.
The documents showed Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's second-most senior executive, has sold more than half her stake in the company.
However her stake is still worth around $1bn (£600m) and makes her one of the largest individual investors in the social networking company with a 0.5% stake.
Her compensation package fell to $16.2m (£9.7m) from $26.2m (£15.7m) in 2012.
Chief financial officer David Ebersman made $10.5m (£6.3m) in compensation, down from $17.5m (£10.5m) in 2012.
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Full Transcript Of Last Contact With MH370

A transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been released.

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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Obamacare Enrolment Exceeds Seven Million

President Barack Obama says 7.1 million Americans have signed up for mandated health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Monday's deadline for online enrolment saw a surge of consumers applying for health coverage on the federal website Healthcare.gov.

The Obama administration had set an enrolment goal of seven million people, but reaching that number appeared in doubt following the troubled launch of Healthcare.gov in October.

The president praised the achievement in light of the lost weeks at the start of the enrolment period.

He said: "As messy as it's been sometimes, as contentious as it's been sometimes, it's progress."

"Millions of Americans finally had the same chance to buy quality, affordable health care and the peace of mind that comes with it," he added.

Americans wait in line to get online enrolment assistance in Florida

The White House has not provided a demographic breakdown of the enrolment numbers and it was not immediately clear how many of the enrollees actually paid their premiums.

Also unknown is how many were previously uninsured, which is seen as the real marker to determine the success of Mr Obama's health care overhaul.

Although March 31 was the official sign-up deadline, millions of people are potentially still eligible for extensions granted by the administration.

Among those are people who were unable to complete the enrolment process for various reasons, including glitches to the federal website.

As the deadline approached on Monday, critics of the president's health care reforms continued to express opposition.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel argued that the law was harming Americans.

He said: "Every promise the president made has been broken: Health care costs are rising, not falling.

"Americans are losing the doctors and plans that they like - especially seniors suffering under President Obama's Medicare cuts.

"Small businesses are afraid to hire new workers, hobbling our economic growth. That's why we must replace this fundamentally-flawed law with patient-centred solutions that will actually lower health care costs and help create jobs."

Mr Obama fired back at critics as he touted the enrolment figures from the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday.

He said: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act here to stay."

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Truck Driver Killed In Long Island Bus Crash

The driver of a pickup truck has been killed after a head-on collision with a charter bus on Long Island.

Police say the crash took place around 9am local time at Albertson, in Nassau County, New York.

A police spokesman said the truck driver may have crossed a double-yellow line prior to the crash.

One person is taken away from the crash scene on a stretcher

Pictures from the crash site showed emergency services working to free the bus driver from the wreckage.

Several ladders were perched on the side of the bus, reaching into the vehicle through the windows.

The bus appeared to have crashed into a tree after colliding with the truck.

Police say the truck driver may have crossed a double-yellow line

At one point during the rescue operation, a stretcher is passed through a window.

One person has been taken from the scene of the crash on a stretcher.

The identity of the truck driver has yet to be released.

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Stiletto Murder Trial: Man 'Stabbed 25 Times'

A prosecutor has told a court that a Houston woman killed her boyfriend by stabbing him with her stiletto heel 25 times in the face.

Ana Trujillo, 45, is on trial in the Texas city for murdering Alf Stefan Andersson.

Prosecutors say she killed him during an argument at his condominium in June.

Trujillo's lawyer said she was attacked by Mr Andersson and that she defended herself using the only weapon she had available.

Mr Andersson was originally from Sweden

Mr Andersson, 59, was a native of Sweden who had become a US citizen and was a University of Houston professor and researcher.

Sarah Mickelson, the leading prosecutor in the case, said Trujillo had a history of being angry and aggressive in her contentious on-again, off-again relationship with Mr Andersson.

On the night Mr Andersson was killed, the couple were out drinking before they returned to his apartment, where the two began arguing, according to the prosecution.

Ms Mickelson told jurors during the confrontation, Mr Andersson was injured and fell on his back.

The court heard Trujillo sat on him, preventing him from getting up, and repeatedly struck him in the face and head with her shoe.

The shoe was described by prosecutors as a size nine, closed-toe blue suede pump, with a five-and-a-half inch (14cm) heel.

"The one thing we can be sure of in this case is that Ana Trujillo is not a victim," Ms Mickelson said.

Trujillo says she acted in self-defence

"Ana Trujillo struck Stefan Andersson 25 times with the heel of her shoe while he lay on the floor and bled out."

Trujillo's attorney, John Carroll, described Mr Andersson as an alcoholic who would become violent toward his girlfriend.

He said on the night of Mr Andersson's death, Trujillo planned to leave him and go to a friend's house, but Mr Andersson slammed her against a wall, grabbed her and threw her over a couch.

"She couldn't breathe. And she was begging and begging (Andersson) to let her go," the lawyer said.

"He started suffocating her. She did the only thing she could do, take a weapon at her disposal, which was a shoe, and started hitting him."

Trujillo is currently free on a $100,000 bond.

The trial continues.

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Russia Scraps Ukraine's Large Gas Discount

Ukraine has lost a discount on its supply from Russian gas firm Gazprom, meaning it will have to pay as much as 40% more for its supplies.

It came after Kiev upset Moscow by approving the holding of joint military exercises with Nato close to Russia's newly annexed region of Crimea.

Alexei Miller, the head of state-owned Gazprom, said the price for the second quarter of the year would be $385.50 per 1,000 cubic metres, up from $268.50 per 1,000 cubic metres.

The Russian discount was part of a financial lifeline Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine's previous president, Viktor Yanukovych, after his decision to ditch a pact with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Moscow. 

The loss of the discount is expected to eventually hit Ukrainian consumers hard. Household gas prices in Ukraine are set to rise 50% from May 1.

The Russian parliament has also moved to annul agreements with Ukraine to rent Russia's Black Sea Fleet's base in Crimea until 2042 for $98m (£59m) a year and discounts for Russian natural gas.

Ukrainian prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk has said the country will need energy from the EU to protect it from the repercussions of its standoff with Moscow, on which it depends for over half its oil and gas. 

Russia also warned Ukraine against integrating with Nato, reminding Kiev on Tuesday that its previous attempts to move closer to Nato had unwelcome consequences.

But Nato foreign ministers meeting in Brussels used the gathering to reinforce the message that Russia's annexation of Crimea will not be condoned.

NATO general secretary Rasmussen speaks to FMs of other countries

They unanimously agreed to suspend Nato's military and civilian cooperation with Russia, describing its move on Crimea as a "flagrant breach of Russia's international commitments."

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called it the "greatest threat to European security in a generation."

Mr Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of forces from the Ukrainian border region on Monday, but US officials have said they believe there are still tens of thousands of troops on the eastern side of the country.

The Nato chief and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both said they could not confirm whether Russian troops had withdrawn from the Ukrainian border.

The Ukrainian parliament has also voted to order police to disarm all illegal armed units. 

It came after a police raid on the central Kiev hotel headquarters of a far right nationalist organisation that was instrumental in the February rise to power of Ukraine's new pro-European leaders.

Balaclava-clad members of Pravy Sector (Right Sector) are regularly seen roaming around Kiev - a presence Russia has used to delegitimise Ukraine's new authorities.

But there are fears that attempts to clamp down on a sizable nationalist component in Ukrainian politics could provoke a further uprising.

Last week one of the leaders of Right Sector was shot dead while resisting police.

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Missing Plane: Pilots' Conversations Revealed

Updated: 12:36pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

A transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been released.

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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Obamacare Enrolment Exceeds Seven Million

President Barack Obama says 7.1 million Americans have signed up for mandated health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Monday's deadline for online enrolment saw a surge of consumers applying for health coverage on the federal website Healthcare.gov.

The Obama administration had set an enrolment goal of seven million people, but reaching that number appeared in doubt following the troubled launch of Healthcare.gov in October.

The president praised the achievement in light of the lost weeks at the start of the enrolment period.

He said: "As messy as it's been sometimes, as contentious as it's been sometimes, it's progress."

"Millions of Americans finally had the same chance to buy quality, affordable health care and the peace of mind that comes with it," he added.

Americans wait in line to get online enrolment assistance in Florida

The White House has not provided a demographic breakdown of the enrolment numbers and it was not immediately clear how many of the enrollees actually paid their premiums.

Also unknown is how many were previously uninsured, which is seen as the real marker to determine the success of Mr Obama's health care overhaul.

Although March 31 was the official sign-up deadline, millions of people are potentially still eligible for extensions granted by the administration.

Among those are people who were unable to complete the enrolment process for various reasons, including glitches to the federal website.

As the deadline approached on Monday, critics of the president's health care reforms continued to express opposition.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel argued that the law was harming Americans.

He said: "Every promise the president made has been broken: Health care costs are rising, not falling.

"Americans are losing the doctors and plans that they like - especially seniors suffering under President Obama's Medicare cuts.

"Small businesses are afraid to hire new workers, hobbling our economic growth. That's why we must replace this fundamentally-flawed law with patient-centred solutions that will actually lower health care costs and help create jobs."

Mr Obama fired back at critics as he touted the enrolment figures from the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday.

He said: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act here to stay."

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