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Net giants challenge French law

The French government wants access to a range of data stored by Google, eBay and others

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Google and Facebook are among a group of net heavyweights taking the French government to court this week.

The legal challenge has been brought by The French Association of Internet Community Services (ASIC) and relates to government plans to keep web users’ personal data for a year.

The case will be heard by the State Council, France’s highest judicial body.

More than 20 firms are involved, including eBay and Dailymotion.

The law obliges a range of e-commerce sites, video and music services and webmail providers to keep a host of data on customers.

This includes users’ full names, postal addresses, telephone numbers and passwords. The data must be handed over to the authorities if demanded.

Police, the fraud office, customs, tax and social security bodies will all have the right of access.

ASIC head Benoit Tabaka believes that the data law is unnecessarily draconian. “Several elements are problematic,” he said.

“For instance, there was no consultation with the European Commission. Our companies are based in several European countries.

“Our activities target many national markets, so it is clear that we need a common approach,” said Mr Tabaka.

ASIC also thinks that passwords should not be collected and warned that retaining them could have security implications.

“This is a shocking measure,” added Mr Tabaka.

The main aim of the legal challenge, which will be launched later this week, is to see the law cancelled.

Both Facebook and Google have run into privacy-related problems in the past.

Facebook was forced to overhaul its privacy settings following criticism that they were too complex.

Google was criticised for lack of privacy in its Buzz social network, which it linked to Gmail accounts without seeking prior permission from users.

The search giant eventually agreed to submit to annual privacy audits as part of a settlement reached over the controversy.

France took tough action against Google when it accidentally collected personal data during the setting up of its Street View service.

The French privacy watchdog, CNIL, was one of the only bodies to fine the company. The £87,000 fine was the largest ever handed out by CNIL.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

‘Soldier’s slip triggered bomb’

Bombardier Robinson enjoyed walking in the Welsh mountains

An inquest is being held into the death of a Welsh soldier who became the 100th member of UK forces to be killed in the Sangin area of southern Afghanistan.

Bombardier Sam Robinson, of 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, died in an explosion on 8 July 2010 while on foot patrol.

The 31-year-old, from Carmarthen, was on his fourth operational tour of Afghanistan.

A physical training instructor, “Robbo” was a keen swimmer and hill walker.

At the time of his death, 11 years after he joined the army, his family said: “Sam was doing the job that he loved and was proud to be doing it.

“We are all very proud of him and we will miss him for ever.”

Lt Col Richard Hayhurst, commanding officer 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, described Bombardier Robinson as a “courageous” man who held the respect of all that knew him.

“His strength of character, professionalism, and outright robustness made him a force to be reckoned with,” he said.

“He was the perfect role model for the rest of the regiment and in particular the young members of 4/73 Battery.

“He was special and will be sorely missed. His tragic loss has come as a shock to us all and my greatest sympathy goes out to his family and to his friends.”

The inquest will be held at the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner’s court in Trowbridge.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Murray to work with coaching team

Andy Murray will turn to the likes of Darren Cahill and Sven Groeneveld on a part-time basis as he continues to search for a full-time coach.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Migrant boat capsizes off Italy

The BBC’s Emma Wallis in Rome: “Coastguards are not giving up on the missing people yet”

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A search is under way for 150 migrants missing in the Mediterranean after their boat capsized in rough seas off the Italian isle of Lampedusa.

Italian rescue vessels and a helicopter saved 48 refugees from the boat, which had been carrying about 200 people.

The boat was found some 70km (40 miles) from Lampedusa, which has struggled to cope with thousands of migrants from Tunisia this year.

Rescuers have spotted 15 bodies at the scene, the AFP news agency reports.

The Italian Coast Guard responded to a distress call from the boat at about 0400 local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday.

Three Coast Guard vessels are involved in the search, along with two planes and a helicopter.

Italian officials say the rescue was initially hampered by the darkness and bad weather, with strong winds gusting in the area.

The Lampedusa port authority says the migrant boat probably came from war-torn Libya, judging from its position south-west of the tiny island, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper reports. The migrants’ nationalities have not yet been established.

The rescue is being co-ordinated with the Maltese authorities.

Italy and Tunisia agreed measures on Tuesday to stop large numbers of illegal immigrants arriving on Lampedusa from Tunisia, which has been in turmoil since a revolution in January.

Italy says it will give six-month residency papers to some 20,000 migrants already in Italy, but new arrivals will be deported.

The accord followed talks between Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Tunisian ministers in Tunis on Monday. Mr Berlusconi also visited Lampedusa last week and pledged to tackle the island’s migrant influx.

Italy has moved many migrants from Lampedusa to the mainland, because the migrants on the island outnumbered locals and overwhelmed the holding facility there. Unhygienic conditions, with dozens of migrants sleeping rough outdoors, created a health risk.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

‘Stop now’ officer’s killers told

GAA players and police officers were among mourners in the funeral procession

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has told mourners at the funeral of Ronan Kerr his murder was “an evil deed, an offence against God”.

Constable Kerr who was 25 was killed in Omagh on Saturday by a bomb under his car.

Cardinal Sean Brady said since the murder people have been saying to the killers: “We do not want this. In God’s name stop – and stop now.”

“Choose life, I say, choose goodness, choose peace,” the cardinal added.

Among the mourners at the funeral in Beragh, County Tyrone, are the Northern Ireland first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott.

Police officers and members of Constable Kerr’s Gaelic Athletic Association club the Beragh Red Knights formed a guard of honour and helped carry the coffin.

The GAA’s joint involvement with the PSNI in the funeral service is unprecedented and has been described as highly symbolic.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but dissident republicans have been blamed.

Lousie Cullen, BBC Newsline reporter

Mourners were gathering in the village of Beragh from early morning.

A mixture of children from local schools, young people wearing the GAA shirts of the Red Knights, Ronan’s team.

In a particularly symbolic gesture, police officers in uniform, members of the Red Knights team and GAA officials shared the duty of carrying the coffin on the journey from the family home to just outside the church where it was handed over to members of the family.

Addressing mourners at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Cardinal Brady said people “should not glamorise the dreadful pain and sorrow of the past”.

“Parents and grandparents, I beg you, plead with your children and with your grandchildren, not to get involved with violence.

“Never let them be deceived by those who say that Ireland will be united or the union made more secure by war.

“They are wrong. It is an illusion. Violence has nothing, absolutely nothing, to offer except misery and destruction.”

Players from the Beragh Red Knights GAA team formed a guard of honour with PSNI officers

In his homily, Father John Skinnader, Mr Kerr’s second cousin, said: “Ronan loved life – from an early age when he was in the cot at the bottom of the bed where Cathair (his brother) slept – he would get Caithair to pull him out of the cot in the morning so that both of them could begin a day of high mischief.

“Seeing him sitting behind the wheel of the police car last weekend – I thought to myself – there is the symbol of the new Northern Ireland.”

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday morning, Irish prime minister Enda Kenny strongly condemned the attack.

“To those who think they are doing something for Ireland, this is a warped mentality,” he said.

“It is the mentality of the past, a very dark and violent past and it has no part in the future.”

Dissident republicans remain opposed to the police and have repeatedly targeted officers in both gun and bomb attacks.

Constable Kerr, who joined the police in May 2010, is the second officer to have been killed since the Royal Ulster Constabulary became the PSNI in 2001.

Constable Stephen Carroll was shot dead in a gun attack in Craigavon in March 2009. His widow is among the mourners at Constable Kerr’s funeral.

Constable Kerr is survived by his mother, Nuala, a widow, two brothers, Cathair and Aaron and a sister, Dairine.

1. March 2009, Massereene Barracks, County Antrim: Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey are killed as they collect pizzas outside their barracks. The Real IRA said it carried out the attack

2. March 2009, Craigavon, County Armagh: Constable Stephen Carroll, 48, is shot dead as he and police colleagues answer a call for help. The Continuity IRA says it shot the policeman

3. February 2010, Braehead Road, near the Irish border: The naked and bound body of 31-year-old dissident republican Kieran Doherty is found close to Londonderry. The Real IRA says it abducted and murdered him

4. April 2011, Omagh, County Tyrone: Constable Ronan Kerr is killed after a bomb explodes under his car outside his home. Dissident republicans have been blamed

Source: BBC News reports (court cases and incidents south of the border not included)

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Wikileaks founder appeal date set

Julian Assange denies allegations of sexual assault in Sweden

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s appeal against extradition from the UK to Sweden on sexual assault allegations is to begin on 12 July.

A two-day hearing has been listed at the High Court.

After February’s ruling at Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court, Mr Assange said the extradition was due to a “European Arrest Warrant system run amok”.

Lawyers for the 39-year-old, who denies the charges, argued the case breached his human rights.

He has been granted bail and is living at the home of journalist Vaughan Smith at Ellingham Hall, a 10-bedroom property set on 600 acres of land near Bungay on the Norfolk-Suffolk border.

Mr Assange has suggested the case was politically motivated because of Wikileaks’ publication of sensitive material – including leaked US diplomatic cables – from governments and high-profile organisations that has made headlines worldwide.

He said he feared he could be handed over to the US authorities.

But in the ruling ordering the extradition, District Judge Howard Riddle said no evidence was provided to support that claim.

The judge also said he did not accept defence claims that that Mr Assange would not get a fair trial in Sweden or that the allegations against Mr Assange were not extraditable offences.

He did, however, find that there had been “considerable adverse publicity in Sweden for Mr Assange, in the popular press, the television and in parliament”.

Mr Assange’s legal team has indicated this issue would be central to their appeal against the decision.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

VIDEO: MoD sells Ark Royal carrier on web

Armed Forces minister Nick Harvey is asked about UK security with the announcement of the Ministry of Defence offering former carrier Ark Royal for sale on a website.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Woman in £5m ‘smear test claim’

Helen Mcglone claims her hysterectomy could have been avoided

A woman who had a hysterectomy after smear tests did not lead to a cervical cancer diagnosis has been told she can continue a £5m damages action.

Helen McGlone, 31, claims that if her tests had been correctly interpreted she could have been treated earlier, avoiding the need for radical surgery.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde claimed this would have made no difference.

A judge has backed Ms McGlone’s case, clearing the way for further hearings to decide the size of any award.

Ms McGlone, who now lives in Falkirk, gained first class honours in physics and applied mathematics at Glasgow University and also has a PhD in particle physics.

After her studies she went to CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland, to work on research projects there.

At an earlier hearing, the Court of Session in Edinburgh heard how Ms McGlone was diagnosed after a general health check in Geneva in January 2008.

She decided to arrange the appointment after she cut her finger by accident in the kitchen of her home, prompting her to realise she had health insurance.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde contested the case

Ms McGlone said Swiss doctors were surprised to discover she had cervical cancer as previous tests in December 2005 and March 2006 had not alerted Scottish medics to the symptoms.

By that time her tumour had reached a stage where a hysterectomy was the only option.

She now fears she will be unable to have children and claims that the cancer effectively ended her hopes of a high-earning career.

Ms McGlone claims the smear tests of December 2005 and March 2006 show “pre-invasive” cancer which would have needed less serious treatment.

She says the hysterectomy in May 2008 left her physically incapable of working and she was allowed six months leave of absence.

She also claims her qualifications and research would have enabled her to work in the banking industry and she had intended to seek a job with an investment bank or other large financial organisation – earning a substantial salary and big bonuses.

Ms McGlone says her compensation should include the cost of re-training to work with children’s charities and for the private medical treatment she has undergone.

This has included fertility treatment at a private clinic in the USA because she has not given up all hope of having children.

The ruling by Lord Tyre clears the way for further hearings to decide the size of any award payable to Ms McGlone.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has admitted mistakes were made with smear tests carried out at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary and at the Sandyford Clinic.

It contested the action, however, claiming that the errors had no bearing on Ms McGlone’s eventual treatment because her cancer was already at an advanced stage.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Labour bid to end ‘jobless youth’

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray will launch his party’s manifesto

Scottish Labour’s election manifesto is expected to spell out how it can eradicate youth unemployment.

Leader Iain Gray will present Labour’s pledges ahead of the 5 May poll.

Before the Clydebank College launch, Mr Gray said: “For Labour, the key issue in this election is jobs and particularly for our young people.”

He added that his party had a manifesto which planned to get Scotland working again and would end the joblessness suffered by young people.

Labour will be the third of the four main parties in Scotland to publish its manifesto since the election campaign began on 23 March.

The manifesto is expected to outline how the party will prioritise the creation of green jobs in renewable technologies and introduce a new Scottish living wage of £7.15 an hour, piloted in the public sector.

It also wants to put literacy teachers in classrooms to drive up standards in literacy and numeracy across Scotland and create Scotland’s first “victim’s fund”.

The Tories launched their manifesto on Monday and that was followed by the Liberal Democrats on Tuesday.

The SNP is expected to make its manifesto public next week.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Row over tax and benefit changes

Mr Balls argues that tax and benefit changes will hit families across Britain

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Labour says benefit cuts coming into force later will make it a “Black Wednesday” for families across Britain.

As the new tax year begins, a series of tax rises and benefit cuts come into force aimed at tackling the budget deficit, estimated at £146bn this year.

Labour highlights the freeze in child benefit, changes to tax credits and the way benefits are linked to inflation.

But the Treasury says the poorest 80% of households will, on average, gain from the changes.

A series of tax and benefit changes begin on Wednesday – including a 1% rise in employees’ National Insurance contributions. Credit Action, a financial education charity, has calculated they will leave households £200 a year worse off.

Labour are focusing on the changes to the way benefits are linked to inflation – they will be uprated in line with the consumer price index, rather than the retail price index – which is usually higher.

And they have flagged up changes to working tax credits, child tax credit and the freezing of child benefit for three years.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said reductions to what parents could claim in childcare costs through the working tax credit alone would leave some families worse off by up to £1,560 a year.

“This little noticed change will have a huge impact on hundreds of thousands of families but particularly women with children who work part-time and on low pay.”

He accused Chancellor George Osborne of going “too deep and too fast” with spending cuts and said they would hit families on low and middle incomes “hardest of all”.

“All the pain, all in one go, aimed at families with children, is not just deeply unfair it will hamper our economy too.

“By going too deep and too fast George Osborne is damaging consumer confidence – which is now at a near 20-year low – and holding back an economy which should be growing strongly this year.”

Other changes due to come into force on Wednesday include a £1,000 rise in the threshold at which people start paying income tax, a freeze in the inheritance tax threshold, an extra 5% on stamp duty for homes worth more than £1m and restrictions on tax relief on pension contributions for those on more than £150,000 a year.

The Treasury accepted that the average impact across the population of all the changes was a “marginal loss” but said the figures were “heavily skewed” by the losses at the top of the income range.

It said that the top 10% of households would suffer the most as they do not gain from the increase in personal allowances and would pay the most increased NI contributions.

Treasury Minister Justine Greening said: “Labour left behind a complete mess with no plan to deal with it apart from run up more debts for the next generation to pay off. They want to hand over their financial mess to our children, when instead what we need to do is start sorting out the problem now.”

She added: “This government has come up with a credible plan to reduce the deficit which is keeping interest rates lower and managing to ensure that the burden falls on those with the broadest shoulders.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

VIDEO: Japan plugs reactor leak into sea

A leak of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been stopped, its operator reports.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

VIDEO: Young German jockey rides a cow

A teenage girl in Germany has taken to riding an unusual steed after her parents refused to buy her a horse.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Cable warns universities on fees

Mr Cable is angry that many universities are declaring their intention to charge the highest rate of tuition fees

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Business Secretary Vince Cable has hit out at universities in England planning to charge students the £9,000 top rate.

Mr Cable threatened to take places away from universities that failed to fill places as a result of the higher fees.

Addressing vice-chancellors at a conference, he said: “Think carefully about what you believe students are prepared to pay for your services.”

His warning comes as many universities have announced plans to charge the full tuition fees of £9,000 from 2012.

On Tuesday, the University of Central Lancashire – a former polytechnic – said it would charge £9,000 a year.

On the same day, the University of Portsmouth and London South Bank University, both former polytechnics, announced they would charge £8,500, and £8,390 respectively.

All fees will have to be approved by the Office for Fair Access (Offa).

Speaking at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) conference in Birmingham, Mr Cable said many students had had intensive teaching in sixth-forms and would have high expectations of university teaching.

“The biggest mistake a university could make is to underestimate its consumers,” he said.

“Students will search for value for money and compare the offers of different universities.”

In a veiled attack on less prestigious institutions, Mr Cable told vice-chancellors the government set the higher amount at £9,000 “to allow increased investment in our world-class universities.”

“Attempts by universities to pitch their charges near the top of the range is a zero sum in terms of available resources.

“It is economically irrational on a collective basis – and it’s very likely irrational in individual cases too.”

The University and College Union (UCU) said rushing the original vote through for £9,000 fees and then looking at the details later down the line had always been a recipe for disaster.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “The government’s fee regime is in complete disarray and its sums clearly do not add up.

“It quickly became clear that all English universities would have to charge more than £6,000 a year just to break even, following devastating funding cuts.

The union criticised Mr Cable for suggesting places would be cut from universities which fail to fill places because they are charging the full fee.

“Vince Cable was wrong at the time to suggest that a fee in excess of £6,000 would only be charged in exceptional circumstances,” said Ms Hunt.

“He is wrong now to suggest that universities or students should be punished for the government’s mistakes.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

RAF jets join Libya ground attack

Four RAF Typhoon jets will begin ground attacks in Libya

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More British warplanes are moving from policing the no-fly zone in Libya to begin ground attacks in the country, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Four Typhoon jets will join 16 RAF ground-attack aircraft already under Nato command.

They are all based in southern Italy as part of an international coalition to enforce a no-fly zone against Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

Meanwhile, RAF missiles hit 12 targets around rebel-held Misrata and Sirte.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Sales of food keep M&S positive

M&S sales had been expected to fall

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Marks and Spencer sales did not fall in the past three months, as had been expected, as rising food sales made up for falls in other areas.

Its like-for-like sales, which ignore new store openings, rose 0.1% in the 13 weeks to 2 April.

General merchandise fell 3.9%, but that was cancelled out by a 3.4% rise in food sales.

New chief executive Marc Bolland said it had been “a good fourth quarter in a challenging trading environment”.

He added that although sales of clothing had fallen, the retailer’s share of the market had risen.

Marks and Spencer’s sales had been widely expected to fall, following a succession of poor results from other retailers.

HMV, Next and Dixons Retail, which owns Currys, all said that trading had been difficult since the start of the year.

M&S results for the full year to 2 April will be released on 24 May.

The company’s statement was cautious about the coming year, saying that pressure on consumers’ budgets and rising commodity prices would make conditions “increasingly challenging”.

Despite rising costs, M&S predicted that the profit it takes from every pound will be 0.25 percentage points higher than it was last year, although it did not specify how it plans to achieve the cost cutting that will require.

The company added that it was planning to increase its store space in the UK by about 2% and overseas by about 10%.

Last week, it announced plans to return to the French market, 10 years after closing its stores in Western Europe.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.