Tuesday 28 June 2016
Info BBC and new Technology Info: We must bring the country together, Cameron says
Info BBC and new Technology Info: We must bring the country together, Cameron says: David Cameron has said the government has a "fundamental responsibility to bring our country together" in the aftermath of the E...
Saturday 11 June 2016
Gaming extravaganza boots up in LA E3 2016
This year's E3 could prove to be a turning point - not just for gaming, but for the event itself.
Traditionally a place for studios to show off what they have been working on, this year the gaming industry extravaganza has shaped up a little differently.Publisher EA has decided to run a separate event aimed at gamers, while rival Activision is letting the console companies promote its games, rather than having its own showcase.
"Usually it has been a retail show connecting publishers with buyers, but that is less relevant now due to the digital opportunities in gaming," said Piers Harding-Rolls, director of games at consultancy IHS Technology.
"But E3 still has an important role to play. It's where people learn about new products coming to market."
And plenty of studios have capitalised on the excitement around E3 to tease their new releases, many squeezing out announcements before doors open on 14 June.
Of course, if previous years are anything to go by, there are likely to be a few surprises during the week.
Harvey Smith has worked on critically acclaimed games including cyberpunk role-playing adventure Deus Ex, and stealth-action thriller Dishonored, which won the Bafta award for best game in 2013.
The BBC asked him to share the games he's most looking forward to at E3.
We play games for a variety of reasons. Some people play games to demonstrate mastery over systems; some play to marvel at a reality beyond ours; some play to feel a sense of wonder at the ecological grandeur of the world. No Man's Sky promises all of that, seducing us with unknown possibilities.
As one of the people to have participated in the genesis of the Deus Ex brand of dystopia, I am full of hope for the new Deus Ex game. If it's all I want it to be, it will present players with a gritty world gone wrong, challenging moral terrain, and flexible game systems that lead to improvisational "play" in the true sense of the word.
As a fan of often nihilistic zombie fiction, I was really drawn to State of Decay. The original was a gem in the rough. The best thing about the game was the way it kept enabling player-driven stories. So many times, I got into a tight spot of my own making, then managed to get out of it through creative play. Some moments left me sweating and yelling when I got back to home base, and those moments were generally unscripted. If the new game is more polished, this could be really strong.
I grew up watching spaghetti westerns. They're problematic, but they occupy a mythic place in my soul. I loved Red Dead Redemption for its pacing and exploration value - watching a good western is cool, but inhabiting one is another thing entirely. I still miss my beautiful horse, killed by a pair of mountain lions, both of which I shot dead and skinned. I hope the developers took note of the stories players told after engaging with the game.
Hardware reboot
Three short years have passed since the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and Xbox One went on sale, but there is an expectation that both consoles will soon be refreshed.In the past, Microsoft and Sony refined their consoles during their lifecycles with cosmetic changes and occasionally some useful upgrades such as a larger hard drive.
But this time round more significant changes are planned.
Sony revealed to the Financial Times on Friday that it is working on an upgraded PS4 codenamed Neo. It said it would be able to play games in 4K resolution - but would not be ready to unveil at E3.
Sony added it would be more expensive than the basic version, which will continue to be made, but did not say by how much.
"If you look at the type of PC that is required to output 4K games, those are really very powerful devices. I think that would thrust console gaming into a different space in terms of the cost," said Mr Harding-Rolls.
Virtual reality was expected to steal the show at last year's E3, but despite high-profile backing from the likes of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, gamers with VR headsets are still few and far between.
Headsets such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are finally making their way onto gamers' faces, so 2016 could be the year that blockbuster titles that attract the masses are announced.
Sony's PlayStation VR is due out in October - perhaps perfectly timed for the highly anticipated space exploration game No Man's Sky to be revealed as a launch title.
Creator Sean Murray has said it would be a "perfect fit" for VR, and it has been tested in Oculus - but he has yet to reveal more.
Microsoft currently has no VR hardware of its own, instead focusing on its Hololens augmented reality helmet, which superimposes graphics over real-world views.
But the Xbox controller already works with the Oculus Rift headset, and there is speculation that Microsoft will announce a tie-up with the Oculus platform.
Microsoft has been looking at an open approach to VR, inviting manufacturers to use its Windows platform to build their businesses on," said Mr Harding-Rolls.
"I think it would be a stretch to go from those ideas, to announcing an exclusive agreement to bring a particular VR headset manufacturer to Xbox One.
"But it has to put forward strategies to convince Xbox 360 users who haven't converted yet to upgrade."
And for the players?
The PS4 has pulled ahead of Xbox One in the console race, so gamers will be watching Microsoft closely for exclusives. Gaming blogs have suggested two series featuring the undead will be revived.
"We're expecting Dead Rising 4, and State of Decay 2 - both have performed well on the Xbox platform before," said Tom Phillips, deputy news editor at Eurogamer.
Some of last year's biggest announcements - such as first-person shooter Gears of War 4, and role-playing game Scalebound - have yet to be released.
Sony too has yet to deliver on some of its previous announcements, such as The Last Guardian, a fantasy-adventure about a boy who befriends a cat-bird hybrid creature. It was first announced at E3 in 2009.
"The Last Guardian has achieved an almost mythical quality by this point," said Mr Phillips.
"It's finally coming out this year, so hopefully it's the last time we'll see it trailed at E3. But it does feel like when these big games do come out, they are generally well received, as with Uncharted.
"This year, I think we'll see Sony hand over the stage to some of the games it has tie-ins with, such as Call of Duty."
The military-inspired shooter began as a Windows game in 2003, but now offers some add-on content to PlayStation gamers first.
It is one of the bestselling series of all time, but the latest instalment has been repeatedly delayed. First announced in 2014, is now tipped to be a launch title for the NX console, and could end up being the last big home-grown game Nintendo releases for the Wii U.
Not everything promised at E3 is successfully delivered.
Ubisoft was criticised after its 2012 demo of Watch Dogs featured superior graphics to those that appeared in the released console games. A San Francisco-set sequel has been teased ahead of E3.
"First time round there was huge interest in the game, but it didn't quite live up to expectations," said Mr Phillips.
"Ubisoft has a history of having a good idea but not quite getting it right until the second release, as with Assassin's Creed.
"Hopefully with this sequel they have had time to refine it."
Obama officially endorses Hillary Clinton US election:
President Barack Obama has officially endorsed Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party presidential nominee.
His endorsement came after meeting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who has been battling Mrs Clinton for the nomination.Speaking in a video tweeted out by Mrs Clinton, Mr Obama said she may be the most qualified person "ever" for the role of president.
Leading liberal politician Elizabeth Warren also endorsed Mrs Clinton.
"I am ready to get in this fight and work my heart out for Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States," the Massachusetts senator told MSNBC, "and to make sure that Donald Trump never gets any place close to the White House."
President Obama and Mrs Clinton are set to start campaigning together soon.
"I want those of you who've been with me from the beginning of this incredible journey to be the first to know that 'I'm with Her.' I am fired up and cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary," Mr Obama said in the video.
"Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders may have been rivals during this primary, but they're both patriots who love this country and they share a vision for the America that we all believe in."
The two ran against one another for the Democratic nomination in 2008 and Mr Obama later made Mrs Clinton secretary of state.
Speaking to Reuters following the endorsement, Mrs Clinton said Mr Obama's endorsement "means the world".
"It is absolutely a joy and an honour that President Obama and I, over the years, have gone from fierce competitors to true friends," she said.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump tweeted that Mr Obama's endorsement means he wants "four more years of Obama" and "nobody else does".
To which came a much-retweeted reply from Mrs Clinton: "Delete your account."
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| Mr Obama has made his endorsement official |
Barack Obama is now in the game. In a slickly produced video endorsement, the president has thrown his support behind Hillary Clinton's bid to keep the White House in Democratic hands.
Given the high production value of the video, the announcement had obviously been in the works for some time. In fact, astute observers have noted that Mr Obama is sporting the tie he wore on Tuesday.
Bernie Sanders has said he will continue to campaign in Washington DC, leading up to the capital city's primary next week - but expect most Democrats to close ranks quickly. The Vermont senator even struck a more conciliatory tone after a meeting at the White House, saying he looks forward to "working together" with the former secretary of state to defeat Donald Trump.
Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton will make their first joint appearance together in Wisconsin next week. Before that she's visiting Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Democrats clearly view the general election battleground as the industrial Rust Belt states. And for the first time since 1988 there is a popular, scandal-free second-term incumbent president working hard on the campaign trail to preserve his legacy.
Muhammad Ali funeral: Rousing farewell at Louisville memorial
Muhammad Ali funeral: Rousing farewell at Louisville memorial
Rousing tributes have been paid to boxing legend Muhammad Ali at a memorial service in his home city of Louisville, Kentucky.
Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other speakers spoke of his fight for civil rights, while a message from President Barack Obama praised his originality.
The interfaith event took place hours after thousands said farewell as his coffin passed through city streets.
Ali was buried in a private ceremony attended by friends and family.
The ex-heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74.
The service, attended by dignitaries and by several thousand people who acquired free tickets, was held at the KFC Yum! Centre.
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| Former President Bill Clinton described Ali as "a free man of faith" |
- It started with a Koran reading in Arabic. Imam Hamzah Abdul Malik recited Sura Fosselat, Prostration chapter 41 verses 30-35, which includes the words: "Truly those who say our Lord is God and are righteous, the angels will descend upon them saying have neither fear nor sadness but rather rejoice in this paradise that you have been promised."
- Local Protestant minister Kevin Cosby said: "Before James Brown said 'I'm black and I'm proud', Muhammad Ali said 'I'm black and I'm pretty'."
- Rabbi Michael Lerner attacked injustice against black people and Muslims, saying "the way to honour Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today - speak out and refuse to follow the path of conformity."
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| Lonnie Ali, Muhammad's wife, said her husband rewrote the rules he didn't like |
- Ali's wife Lonnie told the crowd: "If Muhammad didn't like the rules, he rewrote them. His religion, his beliefs, his name were his to fashion, no matter what the cost. Muhammad wants young people of every background to see his life as proof that adversity can make you stronger. It cannot rob you of the power to dream, and to reach your dreams."
- Former US President Bill Clinton described Ali as "a free man of faith". He said: "I think he decided very young to write his own life story. I think he decided that he would not be ever disempowered. Not his race, not his place, not the expectations of others whether positive or negative would strip from him the power to write his own story."
- Valerie Jarrett, an aide to President Obama who knew the boxer personally, read a letter from the president describing Ali as "bigger, brighter and more influential than just about anyone in his era... Muhammad Ali was America. Muhammad Ali will always be America. What a man." The president was not there, as he was attending his eldest daughter Malia's graduation.
- Comedian Billy Crystal said: "Thirty-five years after he stopped fighting, [Ali was] still the champion of the world. He was a tremendous bolt of lightning created by Mother Nature. Muhammad Ali struck us in the middle of America's darkest night and his intense light shone on America and we were able to see clearly."
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| A Muhammad Ali action figure sits on the seat of a bicycle as fans await the funeral procession |
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| Well-wishers threw flowers onto the hearse |
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| The pallbearers, including Mike Tyson and Will Smith, loaded the coffin into the hearse for the procession |
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| A Louisville city bus displays the words "Ali - The Greatest" |
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Thursday's prayer ceremony and had been due at the service, but cut short his visit to the US. The reasons for his departure are not clear, though there are reports of differences with the funeral's organisers.
Rose petals
The motorcade procession began at about 10:35 local time (14:35 GMT), more than an hour behind schedule, and took the coffin past Ali's childhood home, then the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard.Onlookers lining the roadside waved, took photos and chanted "Ali, Ali" as a cortege led by the hearse carrying his coffin drove through the downtown area.
Fans threw flowers at the hearse and rose petals were scattered along the route.
In one neighbourhood, several young men ran alongside the vehicle carrying a placard which read: "Ali is the greatest, thanks 4 all the memories."
The cortege then brought the coffin to the Cave Hill cemetery, where Muhammad Ali was buried in a private ceremony. Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis were among the pallbearers.
In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name".
He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam.
In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.
Soon after he retired, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health.
Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.
He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.
He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.
Thursday 9 June 2016
Obama calls for Democratic unity US elections:
President Obama says he hopes the Democrats "pull things together" after Hillary Clinton became the party's presumptive nominee for president.
Her rival, Bernie Sanders, has vowed to fight on despite pressure to step down from party figures.Mr Obama stopped short of calling for Mr Sanders to drop out, instead saying the Vermont senator had made Mrs Clinton a "better candidate".
The two men are due to meet at the White House later on Thursday.
Afterwards, President Obama is tipped to formally endorse Mrs Clinton and call for the party to unite against the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
- Great leap for womankind?
- Why this election will make history
- What an Obama endorsement will mean for Hillary
But he went on to say this was welcome: "It was a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to have a contested primary.
"I thought that Bernie Sanders brought enormous energy and new ideas. And he pushed the party and challenged them. I thought it made Hillary a better candidate."
He added: "My hope is, is that over the next couple of weeks, we're able to pull things together."
Mrs Clinton won four out of six primaries on Tuesday, giving Mr Sanders virtually no path to the nomination.
Mr Trump has pitched to Mr Sanders' supporters: "Bernie Sanders must really dislike Crooked Hillary after the way she played him. Many of his supporters, because of trade, will come to me."
But Mr Sanders said his campaign would not support Mr Trump, "a candidate whose major theme is bigotry".
During his interview, Mr Obama said he was "worried" for the Republicans, saying the US needed a "healthy two-party system".
"The main role I`m gonna be playing in this process is to remind the American people that this is a serious job," he said.
"You know, this is not reality TV. I've seen the decisions that have to be made. And the work that has to be done," he added, in a clear barb aimed at Mr Trump, a former star of TV series the Apprentice.
Wednesday 8 June 2016
Apple's Siri calls ambulance for baby
Apple's Siri calls ambulance for baby
A woman from Cairns, Australia, used Siri to call an ambulance for her one-year-old daughter when she stopped breathing.
Stacey Gleeson grabbed her iPhone and ran to the child's room to help her but dropped it as she turned on the light.She shouted at the handset to activate Siri and told it to get the emergency services on speakerphone as she began CPR.
Ms Gleeson told the BBC she feels it may have saved her daughter's life.
She instructed Siri to call an ambulance on speakerphone and was able to communicate with the emergency services while resuscitating Giana.
The child made a full recovery and doctors have told Ms Gleeson there was no lasting damage, but that every second had been vital.
It happened in March but the story has now gone viral after Ms Gleeson contacted Apple, who alerted Australian news outlet 7 News.
"As cheesy as it sounds I wanted to say thank you," she told the BBC.
"I've only had the phone since the start of the year.
"I had played around with Siri, I thought it was a fun feature. Now I have that feature turned on all the time and it will never be turned off again."
She had previously used it to call her husband Nic, who is in the Navy, on loudspeaker while getting the children ready for bed.
The function doesn't work on all iPhone models but Ms Gleeson has an iPhone 6S.
She said that even if she hadn't dropped the phone, she may have struggled to dial the number in the heat of the moment.
"Saving me the trouble of having to physically dial emergency services was a godsend."
Tuesday 7 June 2016
US election: Clinton set to cement hold on nomination
US election: Clinton set to cement hold on nomination
Hillary Clinton is hoping to claim victory in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after six states have finished holding primaries.
The Associated Press says Mrs Clinton has already reached the 2,383 delegates needed, taking into account pledges of support from so-called superdelegates.She looks set to win New Jersey but the race could be tighter in the other big prize state, California.
Rival Bernie Sanders insists it is too early to call the result.
Republicans are also voting in the same states, except North Dakota, although Donald Trump has already secured the party's nomination.
His recent criticism of a Hispanic judge was condemned on Tuesday by Republican house speaker Paul Ryan as the "textbook definition of racist comments".
'Unprecedented moment'
Voting is taking place in Democratic primaries in Montana (27 delegates), New Mexico (43) and South Dakota (25), with a caucus in North Dakota (23). California has 543 delegates and New Jersey 142.
AP says its count has Mrs Clinton on 1,812 pledged delegates and 571 superdelegates.
US media organisations say this means she will now become the first female nominee for a major US political party.
Superdelegates are party insiders who can pledge their support for a candidate ahead of the convention but do not formally vote for them until the convention itself.
Analysis - Katty Kay, presenter, BBC World News
It has taken a long 227 years to get even this far.George Washington was elected president of a newly independent America in 1789. Forty-two men later (41 of them white) Hillary Clinton makes history today by being the first female nominee for the White House.
So why don't I feel more excited?
The lack of exuberance may come from the fact that this has all been going on for so long.
We've really been reworking a version of the "first viable female candidate for the presidency" story since 20 January 2007, the first time Hillary Clinton declared her candidacy for the White House.
We're exhausted. We've run out of superlatives. We've overused every anecdote from the former first lady, former senator, former secretary's well-covered life.
A woman president would be new, Hillary Clinton is not.
Why aren't we more excited about Clinton?
BBC North America editor Jon Sopel says the AP announcement could actually be a problem for Mrs Clinton, as it may depress turnout in Tuesday's primaries and creates the impression that she has only won because of the superdelegates and not the ordinary voters.
The Democratic Party has a far larger number of superdelegates than the Republicans, meaning a candidate would have to win 58.8% of primary and caucus votes cast under the party's proportional system to win by pledged delegates alone. Mrs Clinton has about 55% of the overall vote so far.
She did not claim victory after the AP announcement, telling supporters in Long Beach, California, on Monday: "We are on the brink of a historic and unprecedented moment but we still have work to do.
"We have six elections tomorrow and we're going to fight hard for every single vote, especially right here in California."
Mrs Clinton received another boost on Tuesday when the influential Democratic politician and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed her for president.
Outsider's campaign
Bernie Sanders is hoping for a victory in California to keep his campaign going to the party convention.
Reacting to the AP announcement, Sanders team spokesman Michael Briggs said the media "is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer."
He said Mr Sanders would attempt to win back superdelegates.
But the BBC's Anthony Zurcher says Mr Sanders has been running an outsider's anti-establishment campaign that has not generated much enthusiasm among the Democratic power players and long-time party stalwarts who comprise the bulk of the superdelegates.
AP reports White House officials as saying that Mr Obama is preparing to endorse Mrs Clinton in the next few days, although the announcement would come after Tuesday's primaries.
Mr Obama telephoned Mr Sanders on Sunday, AP said. The contents of the call have not been revealed.
'Textbook definition'
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has faced a barrage of criticism from within the Republican Party over his comments last week that Mexican-American US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel was biased against him.Mr Trump said Judge Curiel, who is overseeing lawsuits against Trump University, would not treat him fairly because he was a Mexican opposed to his plans to build a wall between the US and Mexico.
Mr Ryan said he regretted Mr Trump's comments, saying "claiming a person can't do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment".
But he said it had not affected his decision to back Mr Trump's candidacy. "We have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him that we do with [Hillary Clinton]," he said.
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