iPhone alarms hit by New Year glitch

A glitch on Apple's iPhone has stopped its built-in alarm clock going off, leaving many people oversleeping on the first two days of the New Year.

Angry bloggers and tweeters complained that they had been late for work, and were risking missing planes and trains.
Apple has acknowledged the problem and says it will be fixed by 3 January.
The reason has not been given but the glitch appears to affect single alarm settings on the iPhone 4 and earlier models with software updates.

A similar problem hit the iPhone alarm when the clocks went back in November, again causing many users to be late for work or for transport arrangements.

"We're aware of an issue related to non-repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison said in a statement quoted by Macworld.
"Customers can set recurring alarms for those dates and all alarms will work properly beginning January 3."
'Two days too late'
BBC Technology reporter Jonathan Fildes says the problem is embarrassing for Apple, not only because of previous problems that came to light when the clocks changed, but because the company prides itself on the simplicity of use of its products.
This seems like another simple error, but it cannot afford to have too many before its reputation becomes tarnished, he says.
Apple failed to patch the problem last time - meaning the same alarm bug was reported around the world when the clocks changed in different regions, our reporter says.
Apple should have learnt from that example and seen this one coming, he adds. According to the company, the problem will resolve itself on 3 January, but that is two days late for many people.
More than 1.7m people around the world had bought iPhone 4 handsets by June 2010, in what was the company's most successful product launch.

Government 'poised to scrap control orders'

Control orders imposing virtual house arrest on terror suspects are set to be scrapped after months of wrangling within the coalition, it was reported today.

In what would represent a significant victory for Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Cabinet was said to be ready to approve a plan to end the use of electronic tags and home curfews.

The Sunday Times claimed that terror suspects would be allowed to travel freely within Britain and be allowed to use mobile phones and computers.

A review of counter-terrorism legislation was due to report before Christmas but has been delayed until early 2011 because of ongoing negotiations between ministers.

Mr Clegg's Liberal Democrats fought the general election on a manifesto commitment of abolishing control orders.

Introduced under the former Labour government, they have been strongly criticised by civil liberties campaigners but police and the security services have repeatedly stressed the need to be able to contain suspects they are not able to charge.

The review, also looking at the controversial 28 day pre-charge detention period for terror suspects, was announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in July.

It is being overseen by former director of public prosecutions and Lib Dem peer Lord Macdonald of River Glaven.

Nine people are currently subject to control orders, each with a 16-hour home curfew.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The counter-terrorism legislation review is under way and we will report back shortly. No decisions have yet been made."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "Control orders combine the injustice of punishment without trial with the insecurity of allowing terror suspects to roam around communities or disappear. There can be no slicing, dicing and re-branding of these shameful orders.

"This policy and the coalition promise to restore civil liberties and the rule of law cannot both survive 2011."

Minister praises staff after prison riot

Prisons minister Crispin Blunt today praised staff for their handling of riots at an open prison.

Mr Blunt was given a tour of Ford prison near Arundel, West Sussex, following yesterday's rampage by about 40 inmates.

The prisoners turned violent in the early hours after officers attempted to breathalyse them for contraband alcohol.

The rioters set light to buildings during the night and again at lunchtime, causing extensive damage to six accommodation blocks, a gym, mail room and snooker and pool rooms.

It has been claimed there were only two prison officers and four support staff on duty for a prison population of 496 when the trouble started.

About 150 inmates had to be taken to other prisons because of the damage to the accommodation blocks.

Mr Blunt said there would be two investigations into the events, an internal one by the Prison Service and a criminal inquiry by the police.

He said: "I have spent the last two hours visiting Ford prison, getting briefed by the governor and the prison officers and talking to some of the prisoners who remain at Ford prison.

"Unanimously they are appalled and disgusted by what happened yesterday.

"That goes for the prisoners that remain there, it's their community facilities that have been destroyed and the actions of the prisoners who took part in the incident have therefore absolutely damaged the interests of all the inmates of the prison.

"There are now going to be two inquiries, a Prison Service internal inquiry and there will be a number of issues which will have to be addressed during the course of that.

"I also anticipate that there will be a police inquiry which may lead to criminal prosecutions.

"I hope and expect there will be full co-operation by everyone in Ford prison to make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice."

Praising the prison staff, he said: "The prison officers were exemplary. They were able to re-establish control of the prison without anyone getting hurt which is an important achievement."

A New Year message from the people of Britain

The British people have a New Year's message for their government: set us free. Invited by the coalition to suggest improvements to the way we are governed, thousands drew on their experiences and expertise to tell ministers that what they most want is for a match to be put to a bonfire of all the laws, rules and regulations that restrict the freedom of individuals.

The "Your Freedom" operation, launched last summer, invited suggestions for changes that could chip away at decades of bureaucracy. When the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, unveiled the project's website, he promised that every submission would be read, and urged: "Please use this site to make yourself heard. Be demanding about your liberties; be insistent about your rights."

The public has responded on a scale even he could never have imagined, with almost 14,000 proposals, many aimed at what people regard as unnecessary regulations in every area, from taxation and waste disposal, to multiple criminal records checks and form-filling for small businesses, schools and charities. There are several objections to what many people regard as the "dictatorial" ending of FM radio. There are also deep-seated complaints over apparent abuses of state power, with restrictions on the right to protest, the apparently one-sided extradition treaty with the US, and overbearing quangos coming in for particular criticism.

Ministers have already been ordered to get to work on the best, and later this month Mr Clegg will reveal which suggestions are adjudged sufficiently viable to go ahead, as part of his Freedom Bill. Other ideas may be used in further "citizen freedom" legislation, or changes in regulations.

Last night, officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government claimed they have already incorporated some of the proposals into plans to strip out unnecessary red tape, including an ongoing review of building regulations.

The Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, said: "We need a sensible new approach that makes clear laws are intended to protect people, not overwhelm them with red tape."

The majority of responses amount to thoughtful and insightful attempts to oil the wheels of government. But many contributors betray genuine anger at the way they feel the authorities restrict their freedom.

In a plea for the amalgamation of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks, "suestibbs" complained that she needed separate clearances to work as a school governor, a member of the Youth Justice Panel and with a youth club. She added: "As a boring 63-year-old woman I am not likely to start to offend and the focus should be on specific categories of people, rather than everybody who may come into contact with children. I am going to be being involved with Meals on Wheels, which will presumably entail a further CRB check, in case I am going to start offending against old people."

A self-employed, "small-scale gardener" pleaded for an end to rules that forced him to pay £150 to be registered to carry waste in his van. He said: "If I do not pay this sum and I am caught carrying any waste 'no matter how small', then I may face a fine of up to £5,000."

A series of business people highlighted red tape they claimed stifled their companies and increased costs for customers, including VAT charges on refurbishment work, rules against home-working and infection-control regulations imposed on dentists. Several more objected to rules including restrictions on demonstrations and photographers, and the criminalisation of drugs.

A flurry of calls for the abolition of control orders, which restrict the freedom of terror suspects, threatened to embarrass Mr Clegg. The issue provoked tension between hawkish Tories and the Lib Dems, who opposed them in opposition. It was reported last night that the Cabinet is set to agree a package of "mitigating measures", freeing suspects to leave their homes and use mobile phones and computers. The proposals, reported in the Sunday Times, would represent a victory for Mr Clegg .

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said more than 200 suggestions had been received from the Your Freedom website .

He added: "We have considered all suggestions and taken action where appropriate, but the vast majority would not require regulatory change.

"Many of the contributions were references to the compensation culture or a misunderstanding of regulation in this area. We expect the implementation of the findings of the Young Review [of health and safety] to address most of these issues."

Estonia becomes 17th member of the euro zone

Estonia has become the 17th member of the eurozone - the first ex-Soviet state to adopt the EU single currency.

The changeover from the kroon to the euro started at midnight (2200 GMT) in the small Baltic nation of 1.3m people.
Despite market pressure on the eurozone and the Greek and Irish bail-outs this year, polls suggested most Estonians wanted the euro.
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip marked the event by withdrawing euros from a cashpoint.
"It is a small step for the eurozone and a big step for Estonia," he said, holding the euro notes.
For many Estonians, 20 years after breaking away from the Soviet Union, the euro is proof that they have fully arrived in the West, the BBC's Baltic region correspondent, Damien McGuinness, reports.
Estonia joined the EU in 2004 - one of eight former Communist countries that did so, including its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania.
Two other ex-Communist countries - Slovenia and Slovakia - are already in the eurozone.
Anxiety about prices Estonia's government says the euro will attract foreign investors because devaluation is then ruled out.
However, poorer Estonians fear that prices will be rounded up, and that food will become even more expensive. And the prospect of having to contribute to bail-outs of richer eurozone countries is hard to stomach, our correspondent reports.
In the past year Europe's debt crisis has hit Estonia severely. The tough cuts in state spending, necessary to join the eurozone, have pushed unemployment to more than 16%.
To avoid a last-minute rush, Estonians were able to swap kroons for euros commission-free from 1 December, the AFP news agency reports.
Kroons will be used in parallel with the euro for the first half of January. Banks will swap Estonians' kroons for euros until the end of 2011 and the central bank will carry on doing so indefinitely.
The kroon has been pegged to foreign currencies from the start, first to the deutschmark and, in 2002, to the euro.
The rate of 15.65 kroons to one euro has never changed.

Egypt bomb kills 17 at Alexandria Coptic church

At least 17 people have been killed at a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in an explosion blamed on a suicide bomber with foreign links.

At least 43 people were wounded in the attack. It happened as worshippers were leaving a new year's service at the al-Qidiseen church shortly after midnight.
Coptic Christians and Muslims clashed after the attack, but police moved in and used tear gas to restore order.
President Hosni Mubarak urged Egyptians to unite against "terrorism".
In a televised statement he blamed "foreign hands" for the bombing. "Wicked terrorists targeted the nation, Copts and Muslims," he said.
"It is a terrorist operation that is alien to us... We will all cut off the head of the snake, confront terrorism and defeat it."
Earlier, authorities said the attack was caused by a car bomb.
Foreign connection? So far no group has said it carried out the attack.

The al-Qaeda in Iraq group had recently threatened Christians in Egypt. It cited the case of two Egyptian Christian women who reportedly converted to Islam in order to divorce their husbands. The group said the women were being held against their will by the Coptic Church.
Christians in the Coptic Orthodox Church make up about 10% of Egypt's population, most of whom are Muslims.
After the explosion, angry Copts clashed with police and local Muslims, reportedly throwing stones and targeting a nearby mosque. Some cars were also set ablaze in the turmoil.
Protesters went into the mosque, throwing books out onto the street, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The mosque was also damaged by the bomb and the casualties included eight injured Muslims, the health ministry said.
A large contingent of police rushed to the scene and used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

He says relatives are being denied access to the victims' bodies at the morgue and it is not clear when they will be buried.

Sectarian tensions In recent months Copts have complained of discrimination, while some Muslims accuse churches of holding converts to Islam against their will, our correspondent reports.
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says the Alexandria bombing is likely to intensify the growing feeling among Christians in the Middle East that they are a community under attack.
The blast is deeply embarrassing for the Egyptian police who, despite having draconian powers, have proved repeatedly incapable of anticipating and thwarting such violence, he says.
The mayor of Alexandria, Gen Adel Labib, said on Egyptian TV that there had been recent threats of attacks on churches.
A local priest said the death toll from the blast would have been even higher had the explosion happened minutes later, after more people had left the service.
After the explosion, Christians were seen chanting beside a burnt-out car in front of the church: "We sacrifice our souls and blood for the Cross."
Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city with a population of about four million, has seen sectarian violence in the past.
In 2006, there were days of clashes between Copts and Muslims after a Copt was stabbed to death during a knife attack on three of the city's churches.

Obama's New Year's resolution? Fix the economy

President Barack Obama has set his New Year's resolution high for 2011: repair the struggling US economy.
In his weekly radio and Internet address today, the vacationing president said recent data showed the economic recovery was gaining traction even as millions of Americans are still out of work.
"Our most important task now is to keep that recovery going," Obama said. "As president, that's my commitment to you: to do everything I can to make sure our economy is growing, creating jobs, and strengthening our middle class. That's my resolution for the coming year."
Unemployment of nearly 10 percent and dissatisfaction with Obama's efforts to spur an economic recovery from the worst recession in decades helped fuel Republican victories in congressional elections in November.
Republicans will control the House of Representatives next year and Democrats will have a smaller majority in the Senate, a new political reality that will affect Obama's ability to push through his policy priorities.
The president, who forged a deal with Republicans to extend Bush-era tax cuts in the waning days of 2010, sought to strike a bipartisan note in his address.
"In a few days, a new Congress will form, with one house controlled by Democrats, and one house controlled by Republicans - who now have a shared responsibility to move this country forward," he said.
"I'm willing to work with anyone of either party who's got a good idea and the commitment to see it through."
One area where Democrats and Republicans will be challenged to work together is on deficit and debt reduction.
Senator-elect Kelly Ayotte, a Republican from New Hampshire, said her party was ready to spearhead that effort.
"Congress must get serious about meaningful debt reduction," she said in the weekly Republican address.
"This isn't a Republican problem or a Democrat problem - it's an American problem that will require tough decision-making from both parties. Republicans are ready to lead that fight."