World marks Michael Jackson anniversary

Fans across the globe are paying tribute to singer Michael Jackson on the first anniversary of his death at the age of 50.

Thousands of people are likely to gather at the Los Angeles cemetery where the musician is at rest, along with members of his family.

Jackson's mother Katherine is expected at the family home in Gary, Indiana, where tributes will be paid.

A monument has also been dedicated to the star at London's Lyric Theatre.

In New York, the Apollo Theatre - where Jackson and his brothers won a talent contest and were subsequently signed to Motown Records - there will be a commemoration of his life.

Flowers have been left in tribute to the late star in Tokyo, where 50 fans will have the chance to spend the night in an exhibition of his possessions.

Jackson devotees gathering at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California said they had come to both grieve and celebrate his life.

Evdokia Sofianu, who had travelled from Greece, told the Associated Press: "I came because I love Michael very much."

"I'm just hoping to embrace the fans from everywhere," added Julia Thomas.

Prisoners' tribute

Michael's brother Randy said he would also be at the cemetery to pay his respects.

The star's three children are expected to mark the anniversary along with their grandmother and guardian Katherine at the former family home in Indiana.

The house in Gary is likely to become a major focal point for fans to remember the star one year after his death.

Meanwhile, prisoners in the Philippines are marking the anniversary by staging a version of Thriller for invited members of the public on Saturday.

The inmates of Cebu jail became an internet phenomenon when they were filmed performing the dance in 2007.

Meanwhile, Jackson has been named as the biggest selling artist in the UK since his death last year, with 4.3 million sales.

That exceeds his chart performance during his 1980s heyday, the Official Chart Company has said.

 

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Apple issues advice to avoid iPhone flaw

Apple has released official advice for iPhone 4 owners to overcome the problem of the device losing signal when held by the lower left corner.

Steve Jobs responded to a query about the problem from one owner by saying: "Just avoid holding it in that way."

The official advice is to "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band".

Alternatively, said Apple, customers could buy a case to shield the antenna.

The iPhone 4 went on sale on 24 June, with hundreds of people queuing outside Apple's flagship store in central London for the launch.

Many new owners reported that signal strength dropped when the phone was held.

In a statement, Apple said: "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas."

Steve Jobs issued his response in a message responding to an e-mail from the Ars Technica news site. Mr Jobs wrote that "All phones have sensitive areas".

The problem is thought to be particularly acute for left-handed owners who naturally touch the phone in the sensitive area.

The casing of Apple's latest phone is made of stainless steel, which also serves as its antenna.

Apple sells a rubber "bumper" that shields the sensitive area as do many other firms.

Richard Warner, one of the first to buy an iPhone 4, contacted BBC News, saying that he thought the phone was "useless in its current state".

"Apple have created a phone that has an antenna on the bottom left-hand side of the phone."

"This means that when you hold it in your left hand, the signal bars slowly fade until there is no signal," he wrote.

'Complaints'

A number of videos have been posted on video sharing site YouTube complaining about the reception issue.

One video had an American user running a speed test, with hands on and hands free.

In it, the user 'awington' says that, while holding the phone "it won't even run the test when I am holding the phone... once I let go, it makes a connection and runs the test.

"Hold it a second time, and the upload test will not start."

Social networking site Twitter was full of chatter, with numerous tweets on the reception problems.

The issue might stem from the way the integrated antenna is constructed. One section provides mobile reception, while another is for wi-fi.

Some users have speculated that touching the bottom of the phone bridges this gap, affecting signal strength.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, he described the integrated antenna as "really cool engineering".

 

Swiss graffiti man faces Singapore caning

Swiss man has been sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of a cane for spray-painting graffiti on a train in Singapore.

Oliver Fricker, 32, a software consultant, admitted breaking into a depot and vandalising the train.

The judge called it a serious breach of security.

Caning in Singapore involves being struck with a wooden stick on the back of the thigh, which can leave permanent scars.

Amnesty International called the sentence barbaric.

Accomplice

Judge See Kee Oon said Fricker's actions were "calculated criminal conduct".

"He was fully conscious of the criminal nature of the act and must be prepared to face the consequences," the judge said.

Singapore says it is still hunting for a second man, UK national Lloyd Dane Alexander, who it believes took part in the spray-painting.

Fricker was arrested on 25 May, eight days after the incident and two days before he was to leave for a new job in Switzerland.

Prosecutors said the pair spray-painted the words "McKoy" and "Banos" on two carriages - a signature that has featured in graffiti works in other countries.

It is not clear if the two men are the duo behind the other works, or imitators.

Vandalism in Singapore carries a fine of up to S$2,000 ($1,437) or up to three years in jail, in addition to three to eight strokes of a cane.

 

Mohamed ElBaradei leads Egypt 'police death' protest

Several thousand demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Egyptian city of Alexandria to protest against alleged police brutality.

They were led by the former UN nuclear chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, now a campaigner for reform in his homeland.

It is the latest in a series of protests sparked by the death earlier this month of 28-year-old Khaled Said.

Witnesses say police beat him to death on an Alexandria street. Officials say he suffocated after swallowing drugs.

Pictures of his injured face have appeared on social networking websites, sparking condemnation from human rights groups.

Out in force

The protest happened after Friday prayers in the northern port city of Alexandria.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate, joined in for the first time

Witnesses put the crowd at anything from 2,000 to 5,000 people - making it one of the biggest opposition demonstrations since Mr ElBaradei became involved in the movement - says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo.

It is also the first time he has joined a protest himself, our correspondent says.

Protesters held up signs saying, "Long live Egypt" and "Condolences to freedom".

Some chanted "Down with Mubarak," referring to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Campaigners say Mr Said's death is evidence that Egypt's emergency law has created a culture of police impunity.

The law, which has been in place for nearly 30 years since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat by an Islamic militant, was recently renewed for a further two years.

 

Cameron wants troops home from Afghanistan by 2015

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wants UK troops out of Afghanistan within five years.

Mr Cameron, who is in Canada for the G8 and G20 summits, was asked whether he wanted the troops home by the next general election.

"I want that to happen, make no mistake about it," he said.

But, ahead of talks with US President Barack Obama on Saturday, he said he preferred not to "deal in too strict timetables".

During the election campaign Mr Cameron said he wanted to start bringing troops back in next Parliament, due to last five years.

Interviewed in Canada, he told Sky News: "We can't be there for another five years, having been there for nine years already.

"But one thing we should be clear about - Britain should have a long-term relationship with Afghanistan, including helping to train their troops and their civil society, long after the vast bulk of troops have gone home."

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Our forces will not remain in Afghanistan a day longer than is necessary

Prime Minister David Cameron Four killed in Afghanistan named

His aides said his comments did not suggest any new timetable for bringing troops home.

Mr Cameron spoke as four UK soldiers who died in an accident in Afghanistan on Wednesday were named by the Ministry of Defence.

Pte Alex Isaac, Pte Douglas Halliday, Colour Sgt Martyn Horton and L/Cpl David Ramsden were travelling in a Ridgeback armoured vehicle when it left the road and landed in a canal.

'Some stability'

Mr Obama wants a US drawdown of troops to begin next summer although US General David Petraeus and others have insisted that has to be based on conditions on the ground.

Asked about Mr Obama's preference, Mr Cameron said he preferred not to "deal in too strict timetables" but wanted to get on with bringing "some stability" in Afghanistan so its people can run their own country and troops could come home.

Two weeks ago Mr Cameron told MPs: "Our forces will not remain in Afghanistan a day longer than is necessary and I want to bring them home the moment it is safe to do so."

However he told them that while the threat from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan had reduced - he had been advised it would increase again if international forces left.

 

Animal activists challenged on whale film 'scam'

Norwegian animal welfare organisations have been accused of misleading the public over the "cruelty" of whaling.

Activists recently released a video that they said showed a harpooned whale possibly taking two hours to die.

At the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, the Norwegian delegation said the footage had been packaged in a way as to "misrepresent the facts".

The campaigners, who rejected the allegations, say they were considering their options on how to respond.

The film was shot in May in the Lofoten Islands off the northwestern coast of Norway, the heart of the nation's whaling industry.

Disputed footage

Most hunting is carried out in coastal waters by adapted fishing vessels, so campaigners were able to film from the shore.

The video reportedly shows a boat firing an explosive harpoon at a minke whale, which the video's commentary says occurred at 9.15pm local time.

The harpoon appears to land short of its target; but narrator Carl-Egil Mastad, director of the Norwegian Society for the Protection of Animals, says: "For the next 22 minutes we filmed the whaling vessel apparently pursuing the injured whale".

The boat then disappeared from sight behind a headland; but later, the film crew - the narrative adds - found it again.

"Then at 11.30(pm), we filmed the [boat] firing a second harpoon shot, resulting in a clear kill," Mr Mastad says in his commentary.

"It is possible that this was the same animal which had been struck earlier, meaning it suffered from horrific harpoon injuries for more than two hours before dying."