Loyau-Kennet’s only formal preparation for this moment seems to have been a course in first aid for her work as a Brownie leader. Still, she was somehow instinctively able to perform the task of an experienced hostage negotiator, even delicately asking one of the killers if he wanted to give her “what he was holding in his hand”– phrased in less discreet terms, a blood-soaked cleaver. In those few minutes Loyau-Kennet showed something like a super-human fortitude and presence of mind. To many of us, what she did may seem unthinkable. She somehow managed to draw on huge inner reserves of courage, to pull together a lucid understanding of the situation, and to act accordingly. Although, in clinical work, one often hears of people’s surprisingly equanimous reactions to catastrophe, Loyau-Kennet’s behaviour is striking because of the way in which it may have influenced the unfolding of events.

One of the most extraordinary aspects of yesterday’s attack was perhaps the behaviour of everyone involved. The two killers didn’t run away from the scene but stayed to explain themselves to anyone who would listen. One of them even apologised for exposing passersby to such horror. Witnesses later spoke to news cameras with a kind of numbed perplexity. The murder was presented to them as the logical outcome of an unjust situation, not as a bloodthirsty attack. The witnesses themselves apparently weren’t in any danger at the time – although the assault wasn’t necessarily over. The two men let everyone know that they planned to kill police who arrived at the scene. If the onlookers had in any way seemed to side with the law, they may very well have found themselves in trouble. Loyau-Kennet knew better than to show allegiance with the dead or dying soldier by tending to his body. She simply continued to treat the killers as human beings, even showing them kindness.

Hollywood films are full of scenes of heroism in extreme circumstances. We are fed endless representations of brave people doing the right thing. But something about the events in Woolwich doesn’t fit the Hollywood pattern. First, the murderers are too civil, too “normal”, not nearly furtive enough. And secondly, the witnesses appear to be affected by this matter-of-factness. Instead of panicking and running away they stay to speak, listen and even make films.

Of course, it’s impossible to know how one would respond to such an unprecedented situation, but it would seem that the normal reaction to a man holding a bloodied weapon is to escape at speed. This is precisely what didn’t happen yesterday. This must be, in part, because of the highly unusual stance taken by the killers, but also perhaps because of the exceptional nature of some of the people who happened to be there at the time. Rather than the macho, hyper-trained, lean-jawed heroes relentlessly dished up by Hollywood, we saw an exceptionally humane middle-aged mother act in a way that may very well have prevented further tragedy.

In terms of dealing with conflict, and limiting catastrophe in real-time, perhaps Ingrid Loyau-Kennet’s behaviour can teach us a great deal. By acting with phenomenal generosity, grace and understanding, she seems to have helped to contain a situation that may easily have spun out of control. If only politicians and military leaders the world over could be so intelligent and careful.

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/qaaHLjkf0uE/ingrid-loyau-kennet-woolwich

Microsoft has not given its Xbox console a major revamp since 2005; in the interim there has been a digital revolution which is having an increasingly big influence on traditional living room entertainment.

The surge of smartphone and tablet usage has given rise to the “second screen” phenomenon – effectively users looking at other content or interacting with social media such as Twitter and Facebook while watching TV – and the promise of internet-enabled smart televisions meant Xbox One had to be more than just a games console to compete.

Xbox One will allow users to flick instantly between game play and watching TV, or activities such as browsing the internet or Skyping, as well as adding interactivity to programmes, such as fantasy football elements to live NFL matches.

“The key innovation is the overlay with live TV,” says Piers Harding-Rolls, games analyst at research firm IHS. “It is all about maintaining Xbox’s relevance and keeping it at the centre of entertainment by offering lots of games, content and channels. In some ways it is a defensive perimeter because Microsoft, and Sony, need to stop encroachment in the TV entertainment space.”

He points to “ecosystem companies” such as Google, Apple and Amazon which offer products and content across a prolific range of devices, all of which could eventually damage Xbox’s core gaming business by taking a growing slice of people’s spend home entertainment time.

According to data from the BBC in March 8 million requests for TV shows on the iPlayer video catchup service came from people using games consoles, with pretty much zero growth in usage in the past year.

This compares with 81 million programme requests via mobiles and tablets in March, with portable devices growing rapidly from 15% to 30% of all iPlayer usage in the last year.

IHS estimates there were 47m smartphones and 11m tablets in the UK at the end of last year, compared with 8.2m Xbox 360s.

“Smartphones and tablets are increasingly used for viewing – they are good for catchup content and video delivery. All this eats into [Xbox] play time and usage time on TV,” said Harding-Rolls.

While Xbox is aiming to be the gateway point for access to TV, analysts do not consider it to be a threat to broadcasters such as BSkyB.

Microsoft may have announced a big budget programming initiative with Steven Spielberg’s TV series based on the Halo game, but it is considered to be more of a PR stunt to appeal to gamers than the first salvo in the battle to become a major TV content producer and rights owner.

“What Microsoft is doing there around creating exclusive interactive content is very interesting and certainly a draw for consumers,” says IHS TV analyst Richard Broughton. “Unless Microsoft decides to take a big step and buys exclusive rights, which at this stage would be a risky bet and very territory-specific, it will be playing an aggregation role.”

In the UK the Xbox Live service has content from more than 20 content providers including Sky, the BBC’s iPlayer, LoveFilm, music video service Vevo and Channel 4′s 4oD.

By beefing up the XBox Microsoft is also aiming to head off the growing threat of smart TV manufacturers like Samsung aiming to be the gateway for internet and linear content, as well as the threat of cheap rivals such as Android-based TV-meets-gaming console Ouya.

Analysts concur that for all Microsoft’s talk of a making the Xbox One an “all-in-one” entertainment device it still boils down to one thing: games.

With a rumoured price of $400 (£265) in the US, and online games and technology store Zavvi in the UK offering a pre-order price of £400, the Xbox One is considered too pricey to appeal to a mass audience beyond its gaming heartland.

“At the price they are asking the TV elements are not enough to convince a mass audience to buy into it,” said Harding-Rolls. “It all comes down to high-end games – smartphones and tablets can’t replicate them, they are its strongest selling point.”

Microsoft is expected to make major announcements about its games lineup at the E3 trade show in the coming weeks.

“Xbox has gone for a sophisticated approach – it won’t be bringing out another Xbox for maybe 10 years and it has to be prepared,” says Heloise Thomson, a digital analyst at Enders. “It is about how they can make money subsequently, from selling content through the Xbox Live service and building usage. It will come down to games.”

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/DWgCrPIYYRQ/xbox-one-tv-broadcasters

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  Live

  Woolwich terror attack – latest developments

  • Government emergency committee Cobra
  • Two men under arrest in hospital
  • Man brutally killed in broad daylight on London street

• Woolwich attack will only make us stronger, says Cameron

• Woolwich murder: David Cameron’s statement – video

• Ingrid Loyau-Kennett on her confrontation with alleged Woolwich attacker – video

• Woolwich attack victim was serving soldier, police confirm

• Lib Dem opposition to communications data bill ‘putting country at risk’

• Fears of backlash against British Muslims

• Meat cleaver, knife and jihadist claims filmed on mobile

• Witness reports

• 

  ‘He talked about war and killing police’

  Ingrid Loyau-Kennett spoke to the two men who have since been arrested over the attack

• ‘They were hacking at this poor guy’

• Video

• 

  Police investigate meat cleaver attack

  Police cordon off the scene of the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich, south-east London

• Footage of Woolwich suspect

• Amateur footage of crime scene

• EDL protests after Woolwich attack

• Comment analysis

• 

  Why David Cameron is right to reject ‘knee-jerk responses’

  Alan Travis: Security hawks have wasted no time in demanding new counter-terror measures but the PM is right to resist them

• Lone wolf and jihadist theories will occupy security forces

• Let’s try a bit of keeping calm

• Why newspaper editors were right to publish horrific pictures

• Woolwich attack and the far right: three points to consider when the dust settles

• Ken Livingstone: The Woolwich attack will not break London – or its unity

• What we can learn from Ingrid Loyau-Kennet’s grace under pressure

Show all

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/f6V84JS0Ssg/woolwich-murder-aerial-footage-police-search-video

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Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/GXLWDPIwtVM/woman-confronted-alleged-woolwich-attacker-video

On his second day of cross examination, Mark Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, mid-Wales, answered questions about the search for April’s body.

Elwen Evans QC, prosecuting, told Mold crown court on Thursday that after April’s disappearance police mounted the biggest search in British history.

She said police had looked everywhere, and asked Bridger: “Where did you put the body?”

Bridger, who claims his memory has gone blank after he knocked April down in a car accident, said: “I can’t recall. I still believe I have placed her somewhere.”

Evans said April’s body had not been found because Bridger was trying to cover up what he had done.

She said: “Why has April’s body, not any a part of it, been found?”

The defendant replied: “I have put her somewhere where it hasn’t been found.”

Bridger denied putting the body in a carefully chosen place.

Evans said: “It’s just one of those things? That wherever you have put her was just a search site that the police never looked? Is that what you are saying?”

Bridger replied: “You are asking me to speculate here and I can’t do that.”

Evans added: “You really are not going to give us any assistance as to what you did?”

Bridger said he told police at the time about the places he had been and walked, including caves and rivers.

Evans said police had been “up hill and down dale, down mine shafts and not found her anywhere”.

Bridger denies abduction, murder and intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April’s body.

April disappeared on 1 October last year. The prosecution says Bridger snatched and murdered her in a sexually motivated attack.

Bridger says he accidentally killed April when he ran her over and accepts he must have got rid of her body, but he says he cannot remember how he disposed of it because he was suffering memory loss caused by alcohol and panic.

Earlier the trial heard how Bridger viewed images of child pornography on his laptop on the day April went missing and that forensic investigators discovered traces of April’s blood in Bridger’s living room, hall and bathroom.

The trial continues.

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/jTK8y-Qv9Gc/april-jones-murder-mark-bridger-body

It is the first analogue platform for Planet Rock, bought by Bauer for between £1m and £2m from Malcolm Bluemel after a protracted sales process earlier this year.

It confirms speculation that Bauer would replace Kerrang! with Planet Rock, but the magazine spin-off station will continue as a digital-only proposition, Bauer said.

Kerrang! will be aimed at a 15-24 year old audience, younger than the listenership to Planet Rock.

Another Bauer rock magazine, Mojo, will have a new flagship show on Planet Rock called Mojo Rocks.

Steve Parkinson, managing director, Bauer Radio London, said: “Each brand has massive potential to grow and cross-promote through its own particular passion for the genre of rock music.

“We believe listeners will be excited about the enhancements we have planned for these much-loved brands.”

Bauer said Kerrang! was also gearing up for a “refresh of its digital footprint”.

The changes have taken place with immediate effect and come ahead of the launch of a new rock station, Team Rock, from a company headed by former GMG Radio chief executive, John Myers.

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email media@guardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”.

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Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/K3lDsB-Vj44/bauer-media-kerrang-planet-rock

A former home secretary, a former government reviewer of terrorism laws and two ex-security ministers have wasted no time in using Woolwich to attack the coalition’s decision earlier this month to shelve the “snooper’s charter” bill.

Lord West, the former admiral of the fleet and former Labour security minister, is the latest to warn that without the communications data bill it will be more difficult in future for police and intelligence investigators to get hold of terror suspects’ phone records to trace their contacts.

“That information is extremely important for our security services to be able to pin down people, find out who they are linked with, who radicalised them,” he said.

Others have focused on the need to step up the ideological campaign, especially in countering jihadist websites and to restore some of the counter-terror powers that have been scaled back on civil liberty grounds since the coalition came to power.

As Lord Carlile, who happens to be a Liberal Democrat peer but is close to the security establishment, put it: “I hope that this will give the government pause for thought about their abandonment, for example, of the communications data bill and possibly pause for thought about converting control orders into what [are] now called Tpims [Terrorism prevention and investigation measures].”

This is not an academic question. Their public frustration reflects the view inside the security services and the Whitehall counter-terrorism machine.

The home secretary, Theresa May, was not impressed when Nick Clegg earlier this month blocked any further immediate progress on the communications data bill, which would allow the tracking of everyone’s email, internet and mobile text use.

Clegg told her it was unworkable and disproportionate but May has since insisted it is still essential: “This is not about indiscriminately accessing internet data of innocent members of the public, it is about ensuring that police and other law enforcement agencies have the powers they need to investigate the activities of criminals that take place online as well as offline,” remains the Home Office’s public position.

The attorney-general, Dominic Grieve, confirmed to a Liberty conference last Saturday that talks were still going on within the coalition over the fate of the bill. It is now to be expected that May, with the backing of several other powerful supporters in cabinet, will demand that it be put back into this year’s legislative programme.

Clegg has already agreed that work should go ahead on the technical problem of there being many more mobile phones than the unique internet protocol addresses needed to match them to particular individuals. Cameron will now come under severe pressure to revisit the entire question.

May at the Home Office and Eric Pickles, in charge at the Department for Communities and Local Government, are also likely to press for much greater investment to go into the Prevent counter-terrorism programme, especially its relatively successful “channel project” under which more than 200 teenagers believed to be at risk have been turned away from radicalisation.

It is unlikely that Cameron would have made his “no knee-jerk responses” pledge without first talking to Clegg as well as May but the Whitehall security establishment now sees a clear political opportunity to expand their powers that did not exist a few days ago.

However, it is worth reflecting however that the Cobra emergency committee meetings took no decision to raise the current threat level. Despite the Woolwich attack it remains at “substantial”, that an attack is a strong possibility, where it has stood, with the single exception of last summer’s Olympics, since July 2011. That is the third out of a possible five levels. It is now nearly six years since the threat level in Britain has been at “critical”.

The current official reviewer of counter-terrorism laws, David Anderson QC. has warned in the past that terrorism law “gives excessive weight to the idea that terrorism is different, losing sight of the principle that terrorism is above all crime, and that special laws to deal with it need to be justified by the peculiar nature of the crime.”

His criticism was that “elements of the law have been conceived and applied with excessive enthusiasm”. It is worth reflecting that, so far, Woolwich has proved to be a very nasty but one-off terrorist murder and no more. Cameron is right to say he is not in favour of knee-jerk responses.

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/QaWZiUZn6H4/woolwich-attack-cameron-reject-knee-jerk

What happened yesterday in Woolwich has sickened us all.

On our televisions last night and in our newspapers this morning we have all seen images that are deeply shocking.

The people who did this are trying to divide us – they should know that something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger.

Today our thoughts are with the victim and with his family. They are grieving for their loved one and we have lost a brave soldier.

This morning I have chaired a meeting of Cobra.

And I want to thank the police and security services for the incredible work they do to keep our country safe.

There are police investigations and security service operations under way, so obviously there is a limit on what I can say, but already a number of things are clear.

First, this country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror.

We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms.

Second, this view is shared by every community in our country. This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life, it was also a betrayal of Islam, and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country.

There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act.

We will defeat violent extremism by standing together, by backing our police and security services, and above all by challenging the poisonous narrative of extremism on which this violence feeds.

Britain works with our international partners to make the world safe from terrorism, terrorism that has taken more Muslim lives than any other religion. It is an utter perversion of the truth to pretend anything different.

That is why there is absolutely no justification for these attacks and the fault for them lies solely and purely with the sickening individuals who carried out this appalling attack.

Confronting extremism is a job for us all, and the fact that our communities will unite in doing this was vividly demonstrated by the brave Cub pack leader,  Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, who confronted one of the attackers on the streets of Woolwich yesterday afternoon.

When told by the attacker he wanted to start a war in London, she replied: “You’re going to lose. It is only you versus many.”

She spoke for us all.

The police and security services will follow every lead, will turn over every piece of evidence, will make every connection, and will not rest until we know every single detail of what happened and we have brought all of this responsible to justice.

I know from three years of being prime minister that the police and intelligence services work around the clock to keep us safe from violent extremism. I watch their work every week. They do an outstanding job. They show incredible heroism, much of which cannot be reported.

They have my staunch support and the support of the whole country.

The point that the two suspects in this horrific attack were known to the security services has been widely reported. You would not expect me to comment on this when a criminal investigation is ongoing, but what I can say is this: as is the normal practice in these sorts of cases, the Independent Police Complaints Commission will be able to review the actions of the police, and the intelligence and security committee will be able to do the same for the wider agencies, but nothing should be done to get in the way of their absolutely vital work.

After an event like this, it is natural that questions will be asked about what additional steps can be taken to keep us safe.

I will make sure those questions are asked and answered, but I’m not in favour of knee-jerk responses. The police have responded with heightened security and activity, and that is right, but one of the best ways of defeating terrorism is to go about our normal lives, and that is what we shall all do.

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/82BbIgRHgrk/woolwich-latest-developments-live

• Nick Clegg has come under pressure to lift his opposition to the Home Office plans to extend internet surveillance following the terror attack in Woolwich.

• Laurence Buckman, the outgoing chair of the British Medical Association’s GPs’ committee, has launched a strong attack on Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, and his NHS reforms. In a speech to a BMA conference, Buckman said that the NHS was “under real threat”, that the Health Act reforms were undermining quality and that Hunt was scapegoating NHS staff. (See 11.33am.) Later this afternoon Hunt will use a speech of his own to outline his plans to overhaul the way GPs operate. He is going to  propose creating a chief inspector for GPs and ensuring that patients have a named GP responsible for co-ordinating their care at all times.

• Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing has said that the state of community nursing in the NHS in England is “lamentable”. Speaking to the BBC, Carter said: “With this huge reduction in the numbers of district nurses, while at the same time the massive growth in the population and more and more people with complex conditions, I have to say unfortunately we really are failing people who deserve so much more.”

• Two Cumbria police staff suspended last month after details of their police and crime commissioner’s chauffeur-driven travel expenses were leaked to the media have been cleared of any wrongdoing and will return to work.

• The Office for National Statistics has released figures showing that net migration to Britain shrunk by a further 10,000 people to 153,000 in the 12 months to September 2012 compared with the previous quarter.

• Post Office workers have announced their fifth strike since Easter as they warned bosses not to “plough blindly ahead” with deeply unpopular plans to close 70 big high street branches.

• The ONS has released figures showing that 1.09m 16 to 24-year-olds were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the first three months of this year, up 21,000 the last quarter of 2012 but down 101,000 from a year earlier. Stephen Twigg, the shadow education secretary, said the government was “leaving young people on the shelf”.

• The ONS has confirmed that the economy grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2013. The revised figure published today, based on more comprehensive data, is the same as the original figure published last month.

Article source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/uk/rss/~3/6ZdqcrFaZYM/jeremy-hunt-gp-reforms-politics

Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to put together a staggering £100million deal to land Wayne Rooney.

Jose Mourinho wants to sign SIX new players when he arrives at Chelsea – with Radamel Falcao, Hulk, Isco, Marouane Fellaini and Eliquim Mangala on the wishlist.

Napoli want Rafa Benitez and Fernando Torres to form a dream team in Italy’s Serie A.

Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal to bring Spanish striker Iago Aspas to Anfield this summer.

Manchester United are considering a move for Arsenal misfit Thomas Vermaelen as Arsene Wenger ponders selling his skipper.

Liverpool are bracing themselves for European Cup-favourites Bayern Munich to step up their interest in Luis Suarez.

Liverpool winger Stewart Downing is a loan target for Fulham.

Newcastle United will NOT look to re-sign Liverpool striker Andy Carroll this summer.

Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed he will leave Malaga at the end of the season – with Manchester City his next stop.

Everton are ready to join the Premier League’s Porto revolution and make Vitor Pereira their new manager.

Stoke are eyeing Gus Poyet to be their new manager after Tony Pulis’ exit.

Arsenal are ready to make a £19million bid for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. (Daily Star)

Click here to read more Arsenal transfer news.

Tottenham want to sign both Brazil’s Leandro Damiao and Valencia’s Spain international Roberto Soldado
to form a new front line at White Hart Lane. (Guardian)

New Manchester United boss David Moyes is weighing up a £15million bid for Barcelona midfielder Thiago. (The Sun)

Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos has told Tottenham man Gareth Bale he is “Real Madrid-quality” and has urged him to join the Spanish giants. (The Sun)

Chelsea are considering a move for Galatasaray’s Turkey international Burak Yilmaz. (Guardian)

Manuel Pellegrini’s first order of business when he takes over at Manchester City will be talks with Carlos Tevez over his future. (Daily Mail)

Brazilian starlet Neymar has snubbed Manchester City and Chelsea to sign for Barcelona, according to Brazilian media reports. (Daily Star)

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claims Cristiano Ronaldo could follow Jose Mourinho to Chelsea. (talkSPORT)

Juventus are keen on signing Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez. (Daily Express)

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/transfer-gossip-arsenal-set-19m-1905725