Russian cargo ship fails to dock with space station

The Progress is a Russian cargo vehicle

The Russian cargo vehicle Progress has failed to dock with the International Space Station after an apparent electronics failure.

There was a failure of "telemetry", effectively the radio contact needed to complete the docking, Nasa said.

The spaceship was carrying food, fuel and other supplies.

Unconfirmed reports quoting a Russian cosmonaut, Alexander Skvortsov, said the cargo vehicle was spinning out of control away from the space station.

Further attempts to dock with the space station have been ruled out for today, Nasa said.

The first docking attempt had been due to happen at 1658 GMT. The telemetry failure happened 25 minutes beforehand.

After the problem arose, the Progress was forced to make a "pass" of the space station. The gap between them is currently widening, Nasa said.

It has not yet been revealed what may have caused the equipment failure।

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10495309.stm

iPhone 4 signal fault leaves Apple 'stunned'

By Daniel Emery
Technology reporter, BBC News Steve Jobs holding an iPhone 4 "the wrong way"

Apple says a fault on its new iPhone 4 is causing it to incorrectly display the phone's signal.

Users who gripped the phone on the lower left-hand side noticed the signal strength and reception fell away.

Apple says the problem relates to an error on how the signal bars are displayed, rather than the signal itself.

However some industry experts say that there may be a deeper signal problem than a cosmetic design flaw.

Apple is promising a patch fix "within a few weeks". Users may also choose to get a full refund within 30 days of purchase, the firm has said.

The iPhone 4 went on sale on 24 June.

In a statement, Apple said the iPhone 4 had been "the most successful product launch in Apple's history" and that all phones gripped in "certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars".

"We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising," the statement read.

Continue reading the main story

Changing the display may make some people feel better, but it doesn't really fix the problem

Stuart Miles Editor, Pocket-Lint

"Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong.

"Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays two more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display four bars when we should be displaying as few as two bars.

"Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don't know it because we are erroneously displaying four or five bars.

"Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."

Another way

Apple said it was going to adopt AT&T's formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength.

The theory now is that, once the patch update has been applied, iPhone's bars will report signal strength "far more accurately" providing users a better indication of the reception in a given area.

But Stuart Miles, editor of technology site Pocket Lint, was sceptical.

Speaking to BBC News, Mr Miles said the news raised a few questions.

The iPhone 4 integrates the antenna into the case

"Why, for the first time, has Apple released a bumper for their phone, and why does no one else have this problem," he asked.

"HTC makes metal phones, but they seem to work just fine.

"Changing the display may make some people feel better, but it doesn't really fix the problem," he added.

Apple said the new software to fix this would be released in a few weeks, claiming that as the problem also existed in the original iPhone, it would also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

However, there have been few - if any - complaints about older iPhones losing signal strength when held in a certain way.

Apple's previous advice for iPhone 4 owners to overcome the problem of the device losing signal was to not place your hand on the lower left corner.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said: "Just avoid holding it in that way."

This latest approach is an unusual admission from the company, which has apologised for "any anxiety we may have caused".

The iPhone 4 went on sale on in June, with hundreds of people queuing Apple's flagship stores across the globe.

Continue reading the main story

One of the more embarrassing foul-ups from a major technology company

Rory Cellan-Jones BBC Technology Correspondent Read more on dot.Rory

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

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

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

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

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

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10490572.stm

Wimbledon 2010: Rafael Nadal beats Andy Murray in semi

Wimbledon Championships
Venue: All England Club, London Date: 21 June - 4 July
Coverage: Live on BBC One and Two, HD, Red Button, BBC Sport website (UK only), Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra; live text commentary online and on mobile phones; watch again on BBC iPlayer Full details of BBC coverage

Nadal is through to his fourth successive Wimbledon final

By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal delivered the performance of a seven-time Grand Slam champion to end Andy Murray's hopes of reaching his first Wimbledon final.

Murray had hoped to become the first British man since 1938 to reach the final but Nadal was stronger in the key moments as he won 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

The Spaniard made the decisive move in a superb second set tie-break.

Nadal will meet Czech Tomas Berdych in Sunday's final after the 12th seed beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

"It was a very, very good match for me," the world number one told BBC Sport.

"To beat Andy you have to play your best tennis, it's always a big challenge and it was an amazing victory for me against one of the toughest opponents in the world."

The Majorcan, who was unable to defend his 2008 title last year because of injury, extended his winning streak at the All England Club to 13 matches as he reached his fourth straight final.

The defeat sees Murray miss out for the second year in a row on ending the 72-year wait for a successor to Bunny Austin, Britain's last male finalist, and ensures it will be at least 75 years before there is a successor to Fred Perry as a British Wimbledon men's singles champion.

"I'm disappointed. I had chances in all of the sets, he just played better than me," said Murray.

"I don't think I played a bad match. He played great. That was the difference."

Nadal showed exactly why he is the world number one with a breathtaking display of huge forehands and turning defence into attack.

David Beckham caused a ripple of excitement with his arrival among the Centre Court crowd before the start of the second semi-final but there was already electricity in the air - it felt like the heavyweight contest the tournament had been waiting for.

Both men were sharp from the outset, Murray sealing his second service game with two aces and a lob volley, but he failed to capitalise on the first half-chance when presented with a second serve at 30-30 in game eight and Nadal quickly made him pay.

The Spaniard fired a forehand into the corner to earn the first break point of the match at 4-4 and a nervous Murray forehand into the tramlines gave Nadal the chance to serve out the set, which he duly did after 37 minutes.

Murray continued to hold the edge on serve early in the second set, making an impressive 76% of first serves as he won his first three service games to love, but he could not break Nadal's resistance from deuce at 2-2 and 3-3 as the 2008 champion held him off brilliantly.

Finally, a superb defensive lob earned Murray his first break points of the day at 4-3, 15-40, but a big first serve, a succession of heavy forehands and a vicious backhand winner got Nadal out of trouble.

Nadal wins scintillating rally

The match remained as tight and tense as it had in the opening moments, with every winner feeling like a victory and each error a disaster, and the stakes were raised even further as the second set came down to a tie-break.

Murray had won three of his previous seven matches against Nadal but had never come back from a set down, let alone two, against the Spaniard and it was crucial that he took the chance to level.

A raking backhand return put the Scot into an early 2-0 lead but when he hooked a forehand into the net for 2-2, the better part of 15,000 spectators let out a collective groan.

Nadal's resistance seemed to have finally cracked when he double-faulted at 5-5 but Murray could not find a first serve on set point, and the world number one levelled with a brilliant volley.

He then brought Murray to the net and got a slice of luck with a net cord that helped his backhand pass avoid the Briton's flailing racquet, and a brilliant angled forehand gave Nadal the tightest of sets.

It was a hammer blow for Murray, but Nadal gave his opponent - and the crowd - a huge lift just when hopes were fading by dropping serve to love at the start of the third set.

But it was a long way back for Murray and, as his first serve dipped below 50%, the irrepressible Nadal struck back to make it 4-4.

The former champion was simply unstoppable, a fizzing forehand helping him to match point in game 10, and Murray fired over the baseline to end the battle after two hours and 21 minutes

source

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8778998.stm

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Hillary Clinton says spy claims won't harm Moscow ties

The US remains committed to positive ties with Russia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has insisted, days after the arrest of 10 alleged spies.

The suspects are said to have served Moscow while living in the US.

Amid fears the scandal could cool the warming ties between Moscow and Washington, Ms Clinton insisted the future was positive.

"We're committed to building a new and positive relation with Russia," she said during a visit to Ukraine.

"We're looking toward the future," she added.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a ''resetting of relations with Russia''

The suspects are accused of conspiracy to act as unlawful agents of a foreign government, a crime less serious than espionage but which carries up to five years in prison.

Three of them were due to appear at a bail hearing in Virginia later on Friday.

On Thursday, journalist Vicky Pelaez was granted bail in New York after the judge said she was a US citizen and did not appear to have been trained as a spy.

However, the judge ordered that she should not be freed before Tuesday, allowing time for a possible appeal by prosecutors. She will remain under house arrest under a $250,000 (£165,000) bond and will be electronically monitored.

SPY RING SUSPECTS

Continue reading the main story

• Vicky Pelaez - granted bail in New York
• Juan Lazaro (husband of Ms Pelaez) - bail hearing postponed
• Anna Chapman, Richard and Cynthia Murphy - denied bail in New York
• Donald Howard Heathfield, Tracey Lee Ann Foley - hearing adjourned until 16 July in Boston
• Michael Zottoli, Patricia Mills, Mikhail Semenko - hearing due 2 July in Virginia
• Christopher Metsos - missing after being granted bail in Cyprus

'I married Russian spy suspect' Russia's 'spies' in the 'burbs Row highlights ambivalent ties

Her husband, who goes under the name Juan Lazaro, is said to have admitted to prosecutors that he works for Russia's intelligence service.

Five other suspects remain in custody in the US.

An 11th man, who went on the run in Cyprus on Wednesday after skipping bail, is believed to have fled the island, the Associated Press news agency quoted the Cypriot justice minister as saying.

Christopher Metsos, suspected of being the group's paymaster, was now unlikely to be caught, said Lucas Luca.

Earlier the US embassy denied local media reports that Mr Metsos was being held at its compound.

'Femme fatale'

In the UK, a man has described how he was married to one of the suspects, Anna Chapman.

Alex Chapman was quoted as saying that Ms Chapman had admitted that her father had once been a senior officer in the KGB.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper he had met Ms Chapman at a London party and married her five months later in 2002.

Ms Chapman, 28, has been painted as the femme fatale of the alleged spy ring, with several glamorous photos posted on her page on Facebook.

The US says its investigation into the alleged spy ring has lasted more than a decade.

Moscow initially reacted angrily to the claims but has subsequently said the affair will not harm rela

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10492491.stm