Virgin Media signs video Web understanding with Brightcove

LONDON Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:02am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - British cable TV operator Virgin Media has chosen online video publisher Brightcove to provide and support short videos for its more than 11 million monthly website visitors.

Technology

The two firms said in a statement that Virgin Media would use the Brightcove platform to carry its online news, music and entertainment content alongside adverts.

The Nasdaq-listed British cable firm, which has recently launched an online music video service, said Virginmedia.com would be at the heart of its entertainment line-up.

Media companies around the world are increasingly making their content available online, to reach new users and the advertising money that is available on the Web.

Brightcove has said it has also seen an increase in companies asking about their services since the start of the economic downturn, as they look to launch new services but hold back the costs.

Brightcove, which is privately held, already has partnerships with British broadcasters ITV Channel 4, Five, BSkyB and STV. The firm last week announced a deal with Turner Broadcasting to support its content throughout Europe.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

Technology

Sarahs Law to be lengthened nationally subsequent year after successful hearing

Fathers worried about the new boyfriends of the mothers of their children are using the controversial "Sarah"s law" to check up on them, it was revealed today.

Figures show they made the largest number of queries during a year-long pilot of the warning system, which the Government today said is now going nationwide.

The new disclosure rules allow worried parents, relatives and neighbours to ask police if a person they were concerned about has a history of child sex abuse.

It was predicted many of the requests for information would come from women concerned about the history of their new partners.

But police found nearly one in five applications were from fathers asking about a new lover in their former partner"s life.

Deficit fears have harm argent Bank warns

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Britains open necessity is unsustainable and the bruise has suffered from worries about what the Government will do to residence it, according to Charles Bean, the Bank of England emissary governor.

In a wide-ranging debate to alumni of Cambridge University, Mr Bean additionally discussed the risk of serve inauspicious shocks to Britains economy and pronounced that the liberation would be bumpy.

He pronounced that the Governments impulse measures had helped to pillow the economy from the misfortune of the retrogression but had presented policymakers with a dilemma. Any preference to tie the open purse strings would break made at home demand, but a disaster to do so could pull up long-term seductiveness rates and additionally strike demand.

The necessity right away looks set to be around twelve per cent of GDP this year, that is unsustainable in the middle term, Mr Bean said. The new debasement of argent appears to owe something to heightened fears about the UKs mercantile prospects.

Related LinksCharles Bean reliable as Bank"s Deputy GovernorOn borrowed time: shock necessity threatens UK liberation

The timing of necessity cuts has turn a key domestic bridgehead prior to the ubiquitous election, that is at large approaching to be hold on May 6.

The Labour Government and the Conservative antithesis both determine on the need for mercantile movement but remonstrate about how fast it should be enacted.

Mr Bean welcomed Britains move out of retrogression but pronounced that the liberation was vulnerable. Banks were still demure to lend and the liberation of Britains main trade markets appeared to be fragile.

The highway forward is expected to be rough and there is still the risk of serve inauspicious shocks, Mr Bean said. All we can do on the Monetary Policy Committee is mount ready to conflict to those risks if and when they crystallise, possibly resuming item purchases if serve kick is required, or tightening process by Bank rate increases and in conclusion item sales.

Mr Bean discharged calls, from the International Monetary Fund between others, for executive banks to accept a higher turn of inflation. In the face of a once-in-a-century financial predicament such a move represented a unsure process of on condition that room for manoeuvre, he said.

He additionally mounted a powerful counterclaim of the stream one-target system of administration and pronounced that there was a risk in awaiting financial policymakers to grasp cost fortitude and financial fortitude simultaneously.

With dual objectives, one needs dual eccentric equates to of achieving them, he said.

There might be times when financial process will need to work to one side regulatory process in sequence to curb extreme credit and item cost growth, even though the feat of the acceleration aim might not rught away crop up threatened.

In my view, that is most appropriate facilitated by maintaining the distinctness of the benefaction remit, rather than muddying the waters by introducing an additional design for financial policy.

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Call lady ring of 350 women related to purported crime over Rome G8 contracts

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A harlotry ring related to purported crime in the awarding of open functions contracts for the G8 limit in Italy concerned as most as 350 women, questioning magistrates pronounced yesterday.

The strong scale of the sex for favours affair, that was formerly pronounced to engage 3 or 4 women, is a serve blow to the centre-Right Government of Silvio Berlusconi.

Investigators pronounced that they had intercepted write calls and unclosed alternative justification that valid that the women concerned in the G8 crime review together with Russians, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Brazilians and Cubans as well as Italians had been paid about €700 (640) for encounters at in isolation parties and apartments opposite Italy, with a little charging €5,000.

The call girls were allegedly postulated to open functions officials by businessmen behest for remunerative contracts related to the G8 summit, together with allegedly Diego Anemone, a Rome construction contractor, who is underneath detain on guess of corruption.

Related LinksProtests as Berlusconi regains "immunity"Silvio Berlusconi loses rage with publisher Berlusconi blames idiots after check equate failure

Mr Berlusconi primarily programmed the G8 limit for Sardinia, where a limit formidable was erected at a cost of €600 million. He after changed the venue to LAquila to demonstrate oneness with the victims of the Abruzzo trembler last April, at a serve cost of €327 million.

The formulation was entrusted to Guido Bertolaso, head of the Civil Protection Agency and the Prime Ministers right-hand man, who was placed underneath review last month after magistrates pronounced tapped phone conversations referred to that he had perceived passionate favours sheltered as massages at a Rome health and sports centre. Mr Bertolaso has energetically denied this, observant that he usually had physiotherapy for a bad back.

Last week end Mr Bertolaso, who became a inhabitant favourite over the Abruzzo trembler rescue bid and progressing oversaw throng carry out for John Paul IIs wake in 2005, was postulated an assembly with Pope Benedict XVI, who thanked him for his open service.

In further to Mr Anemone, Angelo Balducci, the former head of open works, and dual alternative open officials are underneath arrest. All 4 repudiate any wrongdoing, and no charges have nonetheless been laid opposite them.

Last week Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 40-year-old Nigerian part of of a Vatican choir, was sacked after striking phone conversations tapped during the G8 review referred to that he had organised masculine prostitutes for Mr Balducci, who has close ties to the Vatican and is a pope usher, or Gentleman of His Holiness.

Franco Coppi, Mr Balduccis lawyer, pronounced that the allegations were shameful.

We are articulate about things that are personal and private, he said. Mr Ehiem told Panorama repository that he had supposing Mr Balducci with men trimming from rugby players to actors and seminarians.

Mr Berlusconis allies pushed a argumentative magnitude by Parliament yesterday that shields him for the subsequent year and a half from charge in dual stability trials.

In one he is charged with carrying since David Mills, his former British taxation counsel and disloyal father of Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, a cheat to distortion for him in justice in crime cases in the 1990s. In the second, his Mediaset radio association is indicted of taxation rascal over the squeeze of Hollywood movie rights. He denies both allegations.

hair wig

President Zuma chooses a mother to encounter the Queen

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For hundreds of years, universe leaders have agonised over practice at state banquets with the Queen. The President of South Africa additionally faced a some-more personal dilemma: that mom should I take?

Jacob Zuma has opted for newness and he arrived in London currently with his fifth and majority new mom Thobeka Madiba. Mr Zuma, thought to be the father of twenty children, has 3 stream First Ladies, the ultimate of whom he tied together in January.

This is roughly a honeymoon for her. They did not have time for one in Jan so hes motionless to take her to London with him, pronounced Jonathan Clayton, Africa Correspondent for The Times.

Multiple marriages are authorised in South Africa and form a piece of Zulu culture, the largest genealogical organisation in the country. However, a array of scandals and a rape claim have dented the credit of Mr Zumas surprising lovelife.

Related LinksZuma apologises over fathering 20th childPresident Jacob Zuma weds for a fifth timeZuma faces riots over "failed" promises

Some South Africans are broke by the Presidents made at home arrangements but he has pronounced that he would select in between his wives for opposite duties on merit, Clayton said.

His initial mom is comparatively elderly and doubtful to suffer long-distance travel, whilst theres a feeling that the second mom is angry with the President after she unsuccessful to attend his new wedding.

One of his wives, Kate Mantsho, the mom of five of his children, committed self-murder elderly 44.

Another wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 60, the mom of 4 of his children, divorced him in 1998. She is right away home affairs apportion in Mr Zumas government.

The newlyweds landed at Heathrow this sunrise forward of a three-day state visit. The President looked loose as he walked opposite the tarmac in a dim suit, whilst his mom wore a bluish skirt and relating jacket.

The integrate and their environment were greeted at the airfield by Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting, on interest of the Queen.

Speaking after his arrival, Mr Zuma pronounced that he would make use of his revisit to urge Britain to dump sanctions imposed opposite the system of administration of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

Britain, the European Union and the United States have all imposed targeted sanctions opposite Mr Mugabe and comparison total in the statute Zanu-PF party. But, after the antithesis Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) assimilated a togetherness supervision a year ago, there has been flourishing vigour to rivet with Harare.

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BBC 6 Music: fans and stars stick on flourishing criticism Media The Guardian

David Bowie: "For new artists to lose [6 Music] would be a good shame." Photograph: Erik C Pendzich/Rex Features

The quarrel to save BBC 6 Music continues to benefit movement as one believer launched a criticism strain on YouTube and some-more than 100,000 people sealed up to online campaigns to save the station.

Songwriter Dan Bull urged BBC bosses in Dear Auntie (An Open Letter to the BBC): "You need to interest to the people that feel John Peel, and wish to keep it real. So greatfully flattering Beeb, we interest for a new deal."

The strain was at the centre of a carol of criticism about the BBC"s preference to mattock the song station.

A Save 6 Music Facebook organisation captivated some-more than 88,000 members, and an additional online request to sealed up roughly 25,000 signatures.

On Twitter thousands of opponents of the BBC"s proposals combined a badge to their form design arguing the hire was an "oasis in a sea of mainstream mix and stand in glazing, it has no blurb alternative". The criticism done "Save6music" one of the majority renouned trends of the day on the micro-blogging service.

The debate has additionally captivated multiform high form backers. David Bowie has thrown his weight at the back of efforts to run the BBC over the closure, saying: "For new artists to lose this hire would be a good shame."

Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis urged song lovers to stick on the campaign, propelling her supporters on Twitter to hit the corporation"s trust, adding: "Don"t let them do it."

Radio 5 Live presenter Richard Bacon said: "6 Music is staffed by gifted people on condition that "distinctive" programming that values "quality over quantity". Exactly what this restructure is ostensible to be about."

He went on: "6 Music is particular and serves an assembly not catered for by the blurb sector. What happens when folk have use of whatever motive they have come up with to clear the 6 Music preference and request it to alternative tools of the BBC?"

One of the station"s own broadcasters, Danny Wallace, said: "Today I fell a small bit out of love with the world"s majority illusory organisation, that is right away less fantastic."

Phill Jupitus, who was the launch breakfast show presenter for 6 Music, pronounced he was "just gutted" by the proposal.

Radio 1 presenter Edith Bowman pronounced fans should have their participation felt: "The BBC Trust have the decisions, we can still fool around a piece in saving 6 Music."

The service, that launched in Mar 2002, aims to interest to song fans by focusing on acts "outside the mainstream". It additionally facilities repository recordings of marks from the 1960s onwards.

Presenters embody Lauren Laverne, Shaun Keaveny and Steve Lamacq, as well as musicians such as Elbow"s Guy Garvey, Jarvis Cocker and Cerys Matthews.

According to the BBC"s annual report, it cost £9m to run the have use of in 2009.

Yesterday Bull, who got his initial mangle on 6 Music, summed up the feeling of most of the protesters in his lyrics arguing the BBC was "spending income similar to it was never ending" on big name presenters.

"Pay me half what you compensate Clarkson – I"ll be shouting similar to I can"t keep a true face. Straight up. If there is a budgetary necessity to have up. Then arise up and give Jeremy a compensate cut."•To hit the MediaGuardian headlines table email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all alternative inquiries greatfully call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

• If you are essay a criticism for publication, greatfully symbol obviously "for publication".

Lack of clarity undermining first preparation in Africa Katine

Pupils attend lessons at Katine delegate propagandize in Uganda. Photograph: Guardian

A vivid miss of mutual burden in between first schools and parents, bad monetary jot down keeping and bad supervision is melancholy the peculiarity of simple preparation in 7 African countries, together with Uganda.

A inform by Transparency International (TI), published today, found schools in Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Madagascar and Niger had bad governance systems and practices, with singular accessibility of monetary await at district preparation offices and schools, that was stopping swell in achieving the 6 aims of the Education For All (EFA) beginning and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The consult additionally suggested a miss of seductiveness by relatives in the using of schools.

The report, Africa Education Watch: Good governance lessons for first education, carefully thought about first preparation supervision structures in the 7 African states, analysing interpretation from 8,500 questionnaires finished by parents, headteachers, the heads of primogenitor clergyman associations (PTAs) and district preparation officers.

The report"s announcement comes as the three-day EFA high turn organization assembly opens in Ethiopia. The annual meeting, that runs until Thursday, will move together member from inhabitant governments, NGOs, UN agencies, polite multitude groups and the in isolation zone to plead swell towards the EFA goals and the MDGs. The assembly will cruise recommendations done in the EFA tellurian monitoring report, published in December, that carefully thought about the stroke of the tellurian monetary downturn on education. The inform was rarely vicious of inhabitant governments and the donor community"s joining to assembly preparation targets.

Governance concerns

The EFA report, however, did not residence the issue of governance. Transparency International maintains that but great governance the wanting resources accessible for preparation will be wasted. It believes some-more thought needs to be since to supervision precision and construction imagination locally to safeguard income is well spent.

TI, by the three-year Africa Education Watch (AEW) programme, that began in 2007, assesses the supervision of open supports in the first preparation complement in 7 African countries (countries were comparison formed on the appearance of a TI section in the nation and for amicable mercantile and informative differences). AEW examines possibly decentralised preparation systems have been successful in determining crime and creation first propagandize administrations some-more accountable. Within the last dual decades, all 7 countries referred to in today"s inform have abolished fee fees and have, to a little extent, adopted some-more decentralised executive systems in an try to move preparation closer to the people and to give internal communities some-more contend in how schools are run. Niger has nonetheless to devolve monetary supervision responsibilities to informal or district levels.

Decentralisation in 4 of the countries – Ghana, Madagascar, Sierra Leone and Uganda - has meant that preparation is saved by grants sent from executive to informal offices and that structures identical to propagandize supervision committees (SMCs) and PTAs fool around a incomparable slip role.

The survey"s commentary show that notwithstanding an general concentration on mending entrance to preparation over new years, that has led to higher enrolment rates, existent propagandize systems were opposition progress.

The inform suggests that whilst decentralisation might appear a great idea, the doing is failing, with infancy of the structures not personification their envisaged roles. The outcome has been bad opening in multiform aspects, together with monetary records, that were possibly blank or insufficient in 85% of the schools surveyed.

"Additionally, the unpredictability of when and how infancy appropriation or resources reach schools undermines both formulation and any suggestive monetary oversight," the inform said.

Sources of appropriation were not regularly recorded, that lifted issues about transparency. Overall, 64% of schools surveyed did not tell any budgetary inform at all. Ghana and Senegal were found to be the misfortune in this apply oneself – with 80% and 85% of schools respectively not displaying any information.

But the consult additionally found that, on average, 80% of relatives in the surveyed countries did not try to entrance monetary inform about their children"s schools. Ghanaian relatives were the infancy interested, but still 65% had not attempted to get information. Morocco was the worst, with 93% of relatives display no interest. The figure for Uganda was 82%. "Some feel compelled by their miss of preparation or literacy, but infancy demonstrate a miss of interest, that poses critical questions in conditions of how to have internal slip and adult monitoring of service-delivery a reality," pronounced the report.

Influencing decisions A student at Amorikot first school. Photograph: Dan Chung

The inform highlighted informal differences in the border to that relatives can shift propagandize decisions. In Uganda, usually half of relatives hold that they have the energy to shift decisions, since 96% of headteachers hold that relatives have these powers – if they used them. In Ghana, 71% of relatives believed they have influence, compared with 64% of headteachers. Morocco had the lowest commission for both. Just 20% of relatives believed they hold sway, whilst 37% of heads believed relatives had any power.

The inform additionally found singular appearance between relatives and guardians in SMCs and PTAs, generally between women and poorer womanlike and poorer village members. These bodies tended to be dominated by wealthier men.

The consult additionally found that propagandize systems were influenced by hurtful practices such as piracy of open funds, the pick up of registration fees, notwithstanding their authorised extermination (40% of relatives surveyed reported profitable propagandize registration fees in Uganda. In Morocco the figure was 90%), and abuse of energy by teachers (alcoholism, absenteeism and passionate exploitation of children). The infancy of relatives surveyed in Sierra Leone, Senegal and Uganda believed crime was prevalent, whilst fewer relatives hold this perspective in the alternative 4 states. Independent bodies to fight crime have been set up in Sierra Leone, Madagascar and Senegal; Uganda is now drafting legislation to set up something similar.

Stephane Stassen, comparison programme coordinator at TI, who leads the AEW programme, pronounced augmenting propagandize enrolment was not sufficient to move about lasting change. "To safeguard true, lasting swell in preparation levels and most appropriate make use of of the wanting resources available, slip and burden contingency be improved," she said. "Poor accounting and reported diversions of budgeted supports obviously show that appropriation contingency come with improved supervision genius and burden mechanisms."

The inform called on preparation ministries to explain and proclaim the purposes and responsibilities of informal and district preparation authorities, as well as of parents, SMCs and PTAs and the using of schools.

It additionally argued that relatives indispensable to be done wakeful of the benefits of well-run schools in their communities. The inform pronounced precision for PTAs and supervision committees in, for example, monetary management, was critical, but recognized that the high turnover of SMC members meant that any precision would need long-term commitment. In Uganda usually 53% of SMC members surveyed had been trained, but the incident was worse in Morocco (7%), Madagascar (23%) and Ghana (28%).

"Ministries of preparation and polite multitude organisations should organize inhabitant campaigns to enlarge recognition of the parental purpose in monitoring propagandize performance, together with monetary and apparatus management, and to prominence the purpose of locally inaugurated bodies in guaranteeing burden in schools," the inform recommended.

"Civil multitude organization programmes that commission communities and foster their appearance in propagandize supervision and slip should be upheld and financed by general growth partners, as well as authorised and speedy by ministries of education," it added.

Education in Katine

To a degree, the African Medical and Research Foundation (Amref) has already been implementing a little of these recommendations in Uganda as piece of the preparation member of the Katine project.

Over the last dual years, Amref has organized multiform precision workshops for SMCs and PTAs in Katine sub-county, in north-east Uganda, to inspire larger appearance between relatives in the using of schools. Topics lonesome have enclosed monetary management.

Last month, the headteacher of Amorikot first propagandize in Katine, Moses Emesu, corroborated up the report"s findings. He told the Guardian that relatives indispensable to be improved prepared since they did not show any seductiveness in the affairs of the school.

Amorikot was built in 2008 by the Katine Project, being implemented by Amref and saved by Guardian readers and Barclays, but has struggled, among shrinking await from both relatives and internal government.

Global monitoring

Today"s EFA high turn assembly in the Ethiopian collateral of Addis Ababa will plead the outcomes of the 2010 EFA tellurian monitoring report.

The inform criticised the donor village for the "collective failure" to action on the oath in 2000 to await all countries that were committed to preparation for all.

The inform claimed that abounding countries and monetary institutions had farfetched the volume of assist they had provided. "Rich countries have mobilised a monetary towering to brace their monetary systems and strengthen critical amicable and mercantile infrastructure, but they have supposing an assist molehill for the world"s poor," pronounced the tellurian monitoring report"s director, Kevin Watkins.

The inform additionally called for the remodel of the Fast Track Initiative, determined in 2002 to speed up the value of supports for preparation and give building countries a larger contend in implementing preparation policy. The EFA inform pronounced payout rates were really low and building countries had "a diseased voice" when it came to decision-making.