New Zealand space launch is first from a  private site

An American company has launched a rocket into space from New Zealand, the first from a private launch facility.

Rocket Lab's 17m-long (56ft) Electron lifted off from the Mahia Peninsula, in the North Island, the firm said.

The test flight was the first launch from New Zealand and is a major first step in an emerging market: launching cheap disposable rockets to carry small satellites and other payloads.

The company plans to start frequent commercial launches later this year.

The launch was conducted with no media or spectators permitted, but the company released a video of the lift-off on its Twitter page.

"It was a great flight," chief executive Peter Beck said in a statement after the launch, adding though that the rocket did not quite reach orbit, the path on which its future cargo would embark on its revolution of the Earth.

"We'll be investigating why, however reaching space in our first test puts us in an incredibly strong position to accelerate the commercial phase of our programme, deliver our customers to orbit and make space open for business."

The test launch, one of three planned, did not carry a payload as such, although it was packed with sensor equipment to help engineers understand how the flight performed.

Eventually, Rocket Lab says it will be lofting payloads up to 150kg (331lbs) into a 500km-high orbits that go from pole to pole.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThere was no public or media access to Mahia Peninsula to witness the launch

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Analysis: Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News

We're on the cusp of something quite exciting. Innovative companies are packaging really capable technologies into very small, low-cost satellites.

Their data will drive myriad new services - from helping city officials keep track of urban development to giving farmers information about the performance of their crops. But if this new wave is to succeed it needs cheaper access to space.

At the moment, the economics and flight schedules of these small satellites are still being defined by the availability and price of a ride on a big rocket.

Rocket Lab aims to change that. And there others, such as Richard Branson's LauncherOne project. Rocket Lab's second vehicle is already built and set to fly in the next couple months.

Keep an eye on the end of the year too because this US/NZ outfit even has a contract to send a small lander to the Moon.

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Why New Zealand?

Rocket Lab's founder and chief executive Peter Beck is from New Zealand and the firm has a New Zealand subsidiary.

The country has less air traffic, compared to say the US, so there is less need for flights to be rerouted every time a rocket is sent to space.

Image copyrightDIGITAL GLOBE

Image captionThe launch site is located on North Island's Mahia peninsula

New Zealand is also positioned well to get satellites into a north-to-south orbit around Earth.

The trajectory takes the rocket out over open water, far from from people and property.

The country hopes these favourable factors will help it become a low-cost space hub.

Nice touch: The Electron has nine engines on its first stage and one engine on its second stage. They are called Rutherford engines - after the great New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), who famously split the atom in 1917.

Why is the launch significant?

Private and commercial rocket launches are becoming more and more common - the most famous example being Elon Musk and his SpaceX Falcon rockets.

But the SpaceX vehicles are huge and are aimed at following in the footsteps of Nasa missions, delivering cargo to the international space station and eventually sending people to Mars.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionThe rockets SpaceX sends into orbit are a different league from the Electron

Rocket Lab's goal is to launch what, by comparison, is a tiny rocket for a fraction of the price, but with much more frequency.

The Electron is a mere 17m long and 1.2m in diameter. Each launch only costs about $5m. Rocket Lab wants to conduct 50 or more a year.

Just to put this all into perspective: SpaceX's current Falcon rocket is a towering 70m and can carry 22,800kg into low-Earth orbit for a standard price of $62m.

Rocket Lab's website already allows you to book a slot for your satellite. The cheapest deal is a small cubesat on a rideshare option - prices start at $77,000 (£59,280).

Image copyrightROCKET LAB

   Apple's Jonathan Ive says immigration      vital for UK firms

The UK must keep its doors open to top talent from around the world if its technology firms are to thrive, Apple's chief designer has told the BBC.

Sir Jonathan Ive, who has just been appointed Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, also said that technology hubs like Silicon Valley had a "tremendous cultural diversity".

The iPhone designer did not comment on efforts to curb UK immigration.

Some technology firms fear they may lose access to talent after Brexit.

"That general principle [on access] is terribly important for creating a context for multiple companies to grow and in a healthy way explore and develop new products and new product types," Sir Jonathan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Fabulous tradition

The Briton has led Apple's design team since 1996 and is responsible for the look and feel of its devices such as the iPhone and iPod.

Sir Jonathan said the UK had a "fabulous tradition of design education", but that it needed to do more to become a technology hub on a par with Silicon Valley in California, where the likes of Apple, Facebook and Google are based.

"I think Silicon Valley has infrastructures to support start-up companies ... ranging from technological support through to funding," he said.

"And there is the sense that failure isn't irreversible, so very often people will work on an idea, and there isn't the same sense of stigma when one idea and perhaps one company doesn't work out."

The region also prided itself on its diversity, allowing "like-minded" people from around the world to join forces to create new products.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionSir Jonathan designs the look and feel of all Apple hardware, including the iPhone

"I think at Apple we've been very clear on how important it is that we have a diverse pool of talent that we can hire from," Sir Jonathan said.

Some UK technology firms have warned that they could lose access to the international talent they need after Britain leaves the European Union.

Cities such as Berlin also hope to coax tech firms away from London, which has been considered as Europe's leading tech hub, after Brexit occurs.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said earlier this year he was "very optimistic" about the UK's future outside the EU.

"Yes there will be bumps in the road along the way but the UK's going to be fine," he told Prime Minster Theresa May at a meeting in Downing Street.

Apple also plans to build a new UK headquarters in London.

Sir Jonathan was knighted in 2012 for services to design and enterprise

BBC

   Google AI defeats human Go champion

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionChinese Go player Ke Jie has lost two games to AlphaGo

Google's DeepMind AlphaGo artificial intelligence has defeated the world's number one Go player Ke Jie.

AlphaGo secured the victory after winning the second game in a three-part match.

DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis said Ke Jie had played "perfectly" and "pushed AlphaGo right to the limit".

Following the defeat, Ke Jie told reporters: "I'm a little bit sad, it's a bit of a regret because I think I played pretty well."

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionKe Jie eventually resigned

In Go, players take turns placing stones on a 19-by-19 grid, competing to take control of the most territory.

It is considered to be one of the world's most complex games, and is much more challenging for computers than chess.

Tea-making

AlphaGo has built up its expertise by studying older matches and playing thousands of games against itself.

The company says the eventual plan is to deploy its artificial intelligence "in areas of medicine and science".

Prof Noel Sharkey, a computer scientist at Sheffield University, said it is still a long way from creating a general intelligence.

"It is an incredible achievement and most experts thought an AI winning at Go was 20 years away so DeepMind is leading the field but this AI doesn't have general intelligence. It doesn't know that is playing a game and it can't make you a cup of tea afterwards."

Prof Nello Cristianini, from Bristol University, added: "This is machine learning in action and it proves that machines are very capable but it is not general intelligence. No-one has built that yet."

The types of intelligence exhibited by machines that are good at playing games are seen as very narrow. While they may produce algorithms that are useful in other fields, few think they are close to the all-purpose problem solving abilities of humans that can come up with good solutions to almost any problem they encounter.

Prof Cristianini added that while competition at a gaming level is fine, it should not govern how we view our relationship with intelligent machines going forward.

"We should focus on the good things that we can get out of them and be careful not to create situations in which we put ourselves in direct competition with machines."

Both experts agreed that such algorithms could be adapted to other fields, such as health care.

DeepMind has already begun working with the UK's national health service to develop apps and other tools for diagnosis.

BBC 

                      'I had a stroke at 14'

When 14-year-old Brenna Collie from Aberdeenshire told her mother she was having a stroke she was told to stop being a "drama queen".

Brenna, from Strichen, was too young and too healthy to have a stroke, her mother thought.

She has since learned that about 400 UK children have a stroke every year, leaving many with severe physical and mental impairments.

Experts say early recognition is important to minimise the risk of severe long-term health problems.

Brenna told BBC Scotland's John Beattie programme: "I had a bug the day before so I was off school

"I had blurry vision throughout the day and I thought that I was just feeling ill and tired so I just went up to my room to lie down and sleep.

"I woke up and I had a message on my phone. I picked up my phone and my left hand just went straight and dropped it.

"I was like 'ok, that's not right'. I thought I was just dehydrated so I went to have a drink but I dropped that as well."

Brenna says that she tried to speak and "I did not sound right".

She went to get her mum and had to hold on to the walls because "my legs were missing the floor".

The 14-year-old says she remembered a TV advert about strokes and told her mother she was having one.

"My mum was like 'no, you are being so dramatic Brenna'," she says.

Her mother says: "She made a massive entrance into the room and threw herself on to the bed and I thought 'typical teenager, big drama entrance'.

"But then I had a look at her and I thought 'oh no, something's definitely not right.

"Her left side was jerking and moving really weirdly. I thought there's something definitely not right here and it was just horrific to see."

Brenna says they went to see their GP who thought it might be a stroke and she was taken by ambulance to Aberdeen for a CT scan.

"Once they got a CT scan they saw the blood clot at the back of my neck or my brain," she says.

They performed emergency thrombolysis to break down the blood clot in Aberdeen before flying her to a specialist neurological unit in Edinburgh.

Her mother says: "To start with we did not know whether she would walk again, it was just horrendous.

"For the first week or so she was just lying in bed and we just thought 'is this going to be it?'.

"She slowly came to and it was just an amazing journey we have had with her and I don't think I would have been able to do what she has done.

"The first time she stood up with the physiotherapist, it was just so emotional, I'm nearly tearing up just thinking about it."

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Guidelines on childhood stroke

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has issued new guidelines for diagnosis, management and rehabilitation of children suffering from a stroke.

Dr Vijeya Ganesan, a paediatric neurologist who was involved in drafting the guidelines, said the causes in children were different to adults, where smoking and high blood pressure were often responsible.

She said: "I think a really important factor is infection. It seems that affected children are often predisposed to respond to infection in an unusual way, which can result in a stroke.

"However, the signs of stroke in children are very similar to the signs in adults - weakness at the side of the face, difficulty in speaking, difficulty moving one side of the body.

"Stroke in children can have more subtle features, such as fitting affecting one side of the body or sudden severe headaches, for instance."

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Two months after the stroke, Brenna says she is starting to get back to where she was.

She says: "Just now I'm doing half days at school again and I'm back to my swimming and I'm back to my archery.

"I'd say the next goals I would have would be to return to full days at school and to return to my hockey."

Kathleen says her daughter has been "absolutely amazing from start to finish".

"She's completely determined. Her thrawn side, as we put it, has played in her favour."

BBC

Manchester attack: Bomber not acting alone, says Amber Rudd

   Manchester attack: Bomber not acting        alone, says Amber Rudd 

The man who carried out a suicide attack in Manchester was "likely" to have not acted alone, Home Secretary Amber Rudd says.

Salman Abedi killed 22 and injured 64 when he blew himself up at the Manchester Arena on Monday night.

Police arrested three men in Manchester on Wednesday. Abedi's 23-year-old brother was arrested on Tuesday.

The UK terror threat level is now up to its highest level of "critical", meaning more attacks may be imminent.

It means military personnel are being deployed to protect key sites.

The Palace of Westminster has been closed to the public following police advice, and will not re-open until further notice, a statement on its website said.

And the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace has been cancelled on Wednesday to allow for the redeployment of police officers, the Ministry of Defence said.

Mrs Rudd said: "[Monday's attack] was more sophisticated than some of the attacks we've seen before, and it seems likely - possible - that he wasn't doing this on his own."

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said that the bomber is thought to have been a "mule", using a device built by someone else.

• Manchester attack: Latest updates
• Special report on Manchester concert attack

Who are the victims?

The victims include Nell Jones, 14, eight-year-old Saffie Roussos, Alison Howe, Lisa Lees, Jane Tweddle-Taylor, 50, Martyn Hett, 29,Olivia Campbell, 15,Kelly Brewster, 32, John Atkinson, 28, Georgina Callander - thought to be 18 - and Marcin and Angelika Klis, a Polish couple from York.

The injured are being treated at eight Greater Manchester hospitals. Of those, 20 are in a critical condition, and some have lost limbs.

The wounded include 12 children aged under 16.

Several people are still missing, including Eilidh MacLeod, 14, from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19.

Eilidh's friend, Laura MacIntyre, 15, who was also reported as missing, was later identified as one of the seriously injured in a Manchester hospital.

Greater Manchester Police said it was "confident" that officers know the names of all those killed. It said that it had made contact with all of the families.

It would formally name the victims after the post mortems, a process likely to take four or five days.

A hotline has been set up for people concerned about loved ones - 0800 096 0095.

• Victims of the attack
• Arena victim was Corrie 'superfan'

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What does a 'critical' threat level mean?

 soldiers would be placed in key public locations to support armed police in protecting the public. These include Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, embassies and the Palace of Westminster.

Military personnel may also be seen at other events over the coming weeks, such as concerts, Mrs May said, working under the command of police officers.

The prime minister said she did not want the public to feel "unduly alarmed" but said it was a "proportionate and sensible response".

Mrs Rudd said 984 troops had been deployed in the first instance. Up to 3,800 are available.

She said she "absolutely" expected the raising of the threat level to critical to be temporary, adding that the bomber had been known "up to a point" by the intelligence services.

Mrs Rudd also said there would be an "uplift" in Prevent, the government's anti-radicalisation programme, after June. This had already been planned before Monday's attack, she added.

The highest threat level, which is decided by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre - a group of experts from the police, government departments and agencies - has only been reached twice before.

The first time the threat level was raised to critical was in 2006 during a major operation to stop a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners with liquid bombs.

The following year, security chiefs raised it once more as they hunted for the men who had tried to bomb a London nightclub, before going on to attack Glasgow Airport.

The Metropolitan Police says it has increased its presence across London.

These include specialist police officers who are trained "to spot the tell-tale signs that a person may be carrying out hostile reconnaissance or committing other crime... based on extensive research into the psychology of criminals and what undermines their activities".

• The next steps for police and MI5
• UK 'irritated' by US leaks about bomber

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Who was the attacker?

The change in terror threat comes after investigators were unable to rule out whether the bomber, named by police as Salman Abedi, had help carrying out the attack.

He is understood to be a 22-year-old born in Manchester to parents of Libyan descent, and a former Salford University student.

He attended Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester between 2009-11.

Hamid El-Sayed, who worked for the UN on tackling radicalisation and who now works at Manchester University, said Abedi had a "really bad relationship" with his family.

He said, according to a family friend, that Abedi's parents had tried to "bring him back on the right path and they failed to do that".

"Eventually he was doing very bad at his university, at his education, and he didn't complete, and they tried to take him back to Libya several times. He had difficulties adjusting to European lifestyle."

• Abedi blew himself up in Manchester Arena's foyer shortly after 22:30 BST on Monday.
• Fans were beginning to leave a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.
• Witnesses at the arena described seeing metal nuts and bolts among the debris of Monday's bomb, and spoke about the fear and confusion that gripped concert-goers.
• The arena bombing is the worst attack in the UK since the 7 July bombings in 2005, in which 52 people were killed by four suicide bombers.
• So-called Islamic State has said - via IS channels on the messaging app Telegram - it was behind the attack, but this has not been verified.

A former classmate of Abedi's has told the BBC that "he was a very jokey lad" but was at the same time was "very short tempered", becoming angry at "the littlest thing".

"He had a short temper but apart from that was a very sound lad," said the man, who did not want to be identified.

He said that Abedi was "away at random times throughout the year. but I don't know if that was because he was out the country or just didn't show up to school, because he did hang around with the wrong crowd and was very, very gullible."

"You could tell him anything and he would pretty much fall for it."

He said that, before leaving the school in 2011, Abedi became "more and more religious" and that this might explain why he cut ties with former classmates.

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What's happening with the investigation?

Apart from the three arrests in south Manchester on Wednesday, Abedi's older brother Ismael was arrested in Chorlton, south Manchester, in connection with the attack.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who is the national counter-terrorism policing lead, said the investigation was "fast-moving and making good progress".

"However, a critical line of inquiry is whether the dead terrorist was acting alone or part of a group," he said.

"We still have critical lines of inquiry they're chasing down which has led to a level of uncertainty."

Anyone with information about the attack can call the anti-terror hotline on 0800 789321.

Meanwhile, a man with a knife has been arrested near Buckingham Palace, but Scotland Yard said this incident was not believed to be terror related.

• Who was the suspect Salman Abedi?

• What we know so far

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How has Manchester reacted?Thousands of people turned out for the vigil in Manchester and to hold a minute's silence to remember those who died. Vigils were also held elsewhere.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Commons Speaker John Bercow stood on stage alongside Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins.

Manchester metro mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC that the attack had been the city's "darkest hour but also you say the best of Greater Manchester".

He said: "I was in the hospitals late last night and I was hearing stories that porters, cleaners, surgeons, nurses, came in from not being on shift to help out. The public were bringing food. The people really did pull together and I think we should take a great deal of pride in that."