Call For E-Cigarettes To Be Banned Indoors

The World Health Organisation is recommending a ban on using e-cigarettes in public indoor spaces because of fears over second-hand smoke.

In a long-awaited report, the UN health body voiced concern about the control of the $3bn (£1.8bn) market by the traditional 'Big Tobacco' giants.

The report calls for tougher regulation and measures, including a ban on the sale of the electrical devices to minors - warning that they pose a "serious threat" to foetuses and youths.

It also says e-cigarette solutions with fruit, sweet-like and alcohol-based flavours - which may appeal to children - should be taken off the shelves and vending machines should be removed in almost all locations.

French politician Marine Le Pen smoking an e-cig in the EU Parliament

The ban on indoors use should be put in place "until exhaled vapour is proven to be not harmful to bystanders," the group said.

The WHO also said e-cigarette makers should be prevented from making health claims - like they help people quit smoking - until they provide "convincing supporting scientific evidence and obtain regulatory approval".

The report also said the "smoke" from e-cigarettes is not merely water vapour, as is often claimed, and action should be taken to cut levels of nicotine and other toxicants and the risk of bystanders inhaling them.

The report will be debated by UN member states at a meeting in Moscow in October.

The WHO launched a public health campaign against tobacco a decade ago, agreeing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005. 

It has been ratified by 179 states but the US has not joined it.

The treaty recommends price and tax measures to curb demand as well as bans on tobacco advertising and the illicit trade in tobacco products.

Prior to Tuesday's report the WHO had indicated it would favour applying similar restrictions to all products containing nicotine, including smokeless ones.

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Scotland Debate: The Facts Behind The Arguments

Full Fact - an independent fact checking organisation - checks the statements made by both sides during the second Scottish referendum debate.

CURRENCY:

Alex Salmond: "No-one can stop us using the pound sterling, it's an internationally tradeable currency."

Full Fact: He is not wrong - an independent Scotland could continue to use the pound without the agreement of the UK government. Salmond would prefer to keep it in a formal currency union, aiming to give the Scottish government some influence over interest and exchange rates. That would require the agreement of the UK government, something that's been ruled out by all main UK parties. If there is no agreement, Scotland is left with three other options: it could keep the pound informally without agreement, adopt the euro or introduce a new Scottish currency.

PENSIONS:

Full Fact: Scottish government proposals mean the new state pension could be more generous in an independent Scotland. It would keep some pension benefits that are being stopped and may not increase pension age to 67 as soon as in rest of the UK. The new state pension level would initially be as high or higher than the UK amount and would have the potential to increase by more each year than in the UK.

One reason they think this could be affordable is that pensioners in Scotland have a lower life expectancy than those in the rest of the UK. Nevertheless, it all costs money and it could be more because Scotland's population is ageing faster than in the rest of the UK.

TAXES:

Full Fact: In terms of taxes generated per person, Scotland either generates just under the UK average or significantly over the UK average, depending on the oil and gas division.

Spending per person in Scotland is also higher than the UK average.

That is because it runs at a deficit which means it spends more than it generates in taxes - much like the UK does and like 26 other countries in the OECD did in 2013.

REPRESENTATION:

Full Fact: Alex Salmond signed off by saying it was an opportunity for people in Scotland finally to get the government they voted for. He has a point: if you look at Scotland alone, Labour's won every general election since 1959. Meanwhile in Westminster the Conservatives and Labour divided the spoils evenly, winning six elections each, and two hung Parliaments.

TRUST:

Full Fact: We asked Ipsos MORI Scotland how easy or difficult people were finding it to get trustworthy information about the referendum. They polled 1,006 Scots between July 28 and August 3. The reaction to these results on twitter suggests the debate didn't solve the problem.

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Alibaba Shoppers Can Net New Home Discounts

China's extraordinary e-commerce boom has hit new heights, with Alibaba shoppers now able to claim massive discounts on new homes to help boost sales.

The cross-promotion between housing developer China Vanke - the country's biggest - and Alibaba's Taobao Marketplace is worth the most to the biggest spenders.

At the top end of the offer, people who spent more than two million yuan (£196,000) on Taobao over the past year are able to net two million yuan off selected properties at 23 Vanke developments across China.

The lowest possible discount was 50,000 yuan (£5,000) and, according to China Business Daily, there had been more than 140 people taking advantage of the offer in its first few hours.

The promotion was seen as a way of not only boosting sales for both groups but also demonstrating the potential for their combined financial clout to negate the effects of the country's economic slowdown.

The properties on the Taobao site vary from country villas to city flats

A crackdown on lending, amid concerns over a consumer debt burden, has forced China's property firms to cut their prices.

Sales fell by more than 10% in the first seven months of the year and prices have fallen steadily since May - accelerating last month.

A glut of new properties, particularly apartments, are reportedly standing empty - a situation which has prompted many developers to slash prices further in the hope of securing occupants.

The most expensive of the 23 developments offers villas at 60,000 yuan (£6,000) per square metre.

They are located on the outskirts of the city of Hangzhou, a famous tourist city in eastern China, and offer access to a golf course and a membership-only club.

But Chinese consumers took to the country's equivalent of Twitter, Weibo, to voice doubts about the promotion.

One user said: "How many people do you think can spend as much as two million yuan on Taoabo?

"And do you really think these people would lay their eyes on houses worth this little?

"Rich people's game, we don't understand".

Another asked "Does it mean the property bubble is going to burst"? 

Vanke may have used the success of car sales through Taobao as evidence that selling homes may prove popular too.

China's Geely, the owner of London's Black Cab, and VW have been among the companies reporting strong demand through their official online shopping stores in Taobao.

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Ballots Sent Out After Fiery Scotland Debate

Ballot papers have been sent out in the Scottish independence referendum - as polls say Alex Salmond won last night's final TV debate.

There were angry exchanges over North Sea oil, the NHS and currency - but snap polls gave Scotland's First Minister the edge over the former Chancellor Alistair Darling - the leader of the 'Better Together' campaign.

Postal ballots are now being sent out ahead of the September 18 poll.

The 90-minute debate, hosted by the BBC in front of an audience of 200 at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, offered both men a key opportunity to appeal to voters.

Answering questions on the currency union, Mr Salmond said: "No one can stop us using the pound sterling, it's an internationally tradeable currency.

"I'm seeking the best option for Scotland, so our prosperous economy keeps the pound sterling."

Mr Salmond ventures out from behind his rostrum to make a point

Mr Darling replied: "You are taking a huge risk if you think it is just all going to fall into place.

"I think the currency union would be bad for Scotland because our budget would have to be approved not by us, but what would then be a foreign country."

Both men also clashed over a "plan B" if a currency union failed, with Mr Salmond claiming he had three alternative options, including a Scottish currency, a flexible currency union and a fixed exchange rate, and also hinting at a refusal to meet debt obligations if a formal agreement could not be reached.

Mr Darling also admitted Scotland could still use sterling, even if an agreement failed.

During the debate, Mr Salmond used the tactic of walking out from behind his rostrum to answer questions put by members of the audience.

Mr Darling attacked his opponent as having "no plan B" on currency union

Sky News Political Editor Faisal Islam tweeted: "The first minister has gone walkies, abandoning the rostrum, whilst riffing on currency union... Sensational!"

Mr Darling questioned North Sea oil revenue figures provided by the Yes campaign, and said: "You are promising all sorts of things on the basis of a revenue that is very volatile.

"To rely so much on something ... it is gambling our children's future which is totally unacceptable."

Both men had promised to create a fairer Scotland in their opening statements at the start of the debate.

Mr Salmond said: "We are a rich nation, a resourceful people. We can create a prosperous nations and a fairer society, a real vision for the people of Scotland.

"This is our time, it's our moment, let us do it now."

North Sea oil was at the centre of the debate again

The former Chancellor replied: "I know people want change, but they also want security on jobs, on pensions, on their children's future.

"A good line is not always a good answer, it's answers now we need."

He had questioned Mr Salmond on currency plans for an independent Scotland in the first TV debate on August 5.

Mr Salmond also targeted his opponent's links to the Westminster establishment, accusing the life-long Labour politician of being "in bed with the Tory party".

Mr Darling drew on his experience as Chancellor to warn of the risks of going it alone - including over-reliance on unpredictable oil revenues and vulnerability to economic turmoil like that of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Polls put the Better Together campaign in the lead ahead of the referendum

Voters have to register to cast postal ballots by September 3, meaning some could cast their votes within days.

After the debate, a Sky News poll carried out on Twitter saw more than 2,000 retweets for a Salmond win, compared to under 500 claiming Darling had topped the debate.

A Guardian/ICM poll gave the debate to Mr Salmond with 71% of the vote.

Mr Darling was widely judged to have won the first.

A poll of polls, carried out by Sky News before the debate, put 39% in favour of Scottish independence, with 50% against and another 11% undecided.

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Amazon Buys Streaming Site Twitch For $1bn

Amazon has bought gaming streaming site Twitch for $970m (£584m).

The cash acquisition for the website – which lets gamers stream their gameplay for non-playing viewers to watch - is one of the largest in Amazon's history.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said: "Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month.

"Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community."

Twitch was founded just three years ago but has quickly grown into the most popular game streaming site on the web.

Twitch also hosts gaming events, and sells advertising to generate income.

One of the major selling points of the site is the length of time viewers stick around.

Each visitor averages 106 minutes each day, putting it in the same league of streaming video sites like Netflix.

Twitch is also integrated into Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One, allowing gamers to easily play online.

The deal has already been approved by Twitch's shareholders, and it is expected to be closed by the end of the year.

Google had also shown interest in buying Twitch, according to reports, but the deal did not materialise.

Amazon is pushing to capture a large share of the streaming audience market.

The online retailing giant is already pressing hard to add users of its streaming movie service.

The costliest-ever takeover by Amazon was online shoe store Zappos, valued at $1.2bn (£720m) in 2009 but partly in shares.

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Facebook Cracks Down On News Feed 'Clickbait'

Facebook is cracking down on "clickbait" articles which feature eye-catching headlines but very little substance.

Because they get a lot of clicks, the posts get shown to more people and are displayed higher up in the news feed.

But Facebook said a survey of its users found they preferred "headlines that helped them decide if they wanted to read the full article before they had to click through".

To weed out clickbait, Facebook said it will tweak its algorithms to focus on how long users spent on an article once clicking through to it from Facebook.

In a blog post it said: "If they click through to a link and then come straight back to Facebook, it suggests that they didn't find something that they wanted.

"With this update we will start taking into account whether people tend to spend time away from Facebook after clicking a link, or whether they tend to come straight back to news feed when we rank stories with links in them."

The number of comments and likes will also influence how prominently a story is displayed.

"If a lot of people click on the link, but relatively few people click like, or comment on the story when they return to Facebook, this also suggests that people didn't click through to something that was valuable to them," Facebook said.

It warned clickbait culprits their audience reach through the social network was likely to decline.

"A small set of publishers who are frequently posting links with clickbait headlines that many people don't spend time reading after they click through may see their distribution decrease in the next few months," it said.

"We're making these changes to ensure that clickbait content does not drown out the things that people really want to see on Facebook."

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Private Data Of 27 Million Web Users Stolen

The private data of more than half the people living in South Korea has been compromised in a series of major hacking attacks.

A 24-year-old - known only by his surname Kim - is reported to have received 220 million data records of 27 million people.

The Korea Joongang Daily said a cache of login credentials for online services and games was given to Kim by a Chinese hacker he met in an online game forum in 2011.

Using the information, Kim reportedly hacked several online services including websites selling items ranging from ringtones to cinema tickets.

Stolen personal information records - including bank details - were then sold to mortgage fraudsters and illegal gamblers for less than the equivalent of 20 pence each.

In total he made the equivalent of £235,000 before giving a cut to the Chinese criminal.

Some 16 people, including Kim, have been arrested but police continue to hunt seven other suspects.

Detectives are also investigating which of the compromised data records are still circulating.

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Burger King Faces US Tax Backlash On Takeover

Burger King's decision to move its tax base from the US to Canada has resulted in boycott threats from angry US customers.

Its takeover of the popular Tim Hortons coffee-and-doughnut chain, which is being part-funded by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, will see Burger King's corporate headquarters shift to Canada.

While investors showed great appetite for the deal - with shares in both firms rising more than 20% on Monday when news of the tie-up first emerged - some of the burger chain's US customers found the so-called tax inversion aspect hard to swallow.

The deal, which creates the world's third-largest fast food restaurant firm with 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries and about $23bn in sales, will aid the expansion of both brands as it will significantly cut Burger King's tax burden.

A recent report by KPMG found total tax costs in Canada are 46.4% lower than those in the US.

Facebook users vent their fury on Burger King's page

President Barack Obama and Congress have criticised inversions because they mean a loss of corporate tax revenue for the US government.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest would not comment on Burger King's announcement on Monday, but said the president generally believed it was unfair for companies to pursue a tax inversion merely to pay less in taxes.

By Tuesday morning, Burger King's Facebook page had more than 4,500 mostly negative comments about the deal.

One customer, Monica Marsh, wrote: "I eat at Burger King about twice a month or so, but if you buy Tim Hortons and move your headquarters to Canada to reduce how much you pay in American corporate taxes, I will reduce how much I spend of my American dollars and find a new burger joint to frequent."

A representative for Burger King, Miguel Piedra, said the comments on Burger King's Facebook page represented a small fraction of the company's more than seven million followers on the social media site.

A growing number of politicians also joined the criticism, with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) calling for a boycott.

Burger King is not the first company to face fallout over a tax inversion.

Pharmaceutical firm AbbVie and Valeant Pharmaceuticals have recently pursued such deals to cut their costs.

Earlier this month, Walgreen abandoned plans to pursue a tax inversion after negative publicity about the planned move.

Burger King said its purchase of Tim Hortons would result in the combined firm's stock being traded on the New York Stock Exchange in a dual listing in Toronto though they would continue to operate as separate brands.

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Govt Fined Over Lost Prisoner Data Hard Drive

The Ministry of Justice has been hit with a £180,000 fine after a back-up hard drive containing confidential information about prisoners was lost.

The data watchdog issued the punishment after the storage device was lost at HMP Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire in May last year.

The drive was not encrypted and contained sensitive and confidential information about 2,935 prisoners.

Details such as links to organised crime, health information and drug use was contained on the drive, along with details of victims and visitors.

An investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office found data was routinely being handled without encryption at all 75 prisons in England and Wales.

The loss of the Wiltshire hard drive followed a similar case in October 2011, when the ICO was told of the loss of another unencrypted hard drive containing the details of 16,000 inmates at HMP High Down in Surrey.

In response to the Surrey incident, the Prison Service provided new hard drives to all prisons.

But the ICO found the Prison Service did not realise the encryption option on the new hard drives needed to be turned on to work correctly.

This meant highly sensitive information was insecurely handled for more than a year.

ICO head of enforcement Stephen Eckersley said: "The fact that a government department with security oversight for prisons can supply equipment to 75 prisons throughout England and Wales without properly understanding, let alone telling them, how to use it beggars belief.

"The result was that highly sensitive information about prisoners and vulnerable members of the public, including victims, was insecurely handled for over a year."

He added: "We hope this penalty sends a clear message that organisations must not only have the right equipment available to keep people's information secure, but must understand how to use it."

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RBS Hit By £15m FCA Mortgage Advice Fine

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will on Wednesday add to the list of misconduct for which it has been fined since it was bailed out by British taxpayers when it pays millions of pounds for giving poor advice to mortgage customers.

Sky News has learnt that RBS is to pay in the region of £15m as part of a settlement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The penalty imposed by the watchdog's enforcement division is understood to relate to inadequate advice given to consumers who took out mortgages with RBS after the Government became a major shareholder in 2008.

The news threatens to embarrass Ross McEwan, RBS chief executive, who took on responsibility for the bank's retail operations in 2012 and has since vowed to clean up the lender in an effort to restore trust among customers.

People close to RBS insisted that the misconduct to which the fine related was "historic" and that Mr McEwan had already taken significant steps to improve staff training and advice given to customers.

Insiders said that there had been a brief period last year when RBS had effectively ceased selling mortgages while staff were retrained although it is unclear whether this related directly to the FCA fine being levied this week.

The penalty will be only the latest of a string of fines with which RBS has been hit by the FCA and its predecessor, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), since it was rescued from the brink of collapse almost six years ago.

The bank has paid out hundreds of millions of pounds for its role in the global Libor rate-rigging scandal; been fined for failing to report transactions properly; compensated customers of Coutts, its wealth management operation; and settled with regulators in the UK and the US for failing to comply with anti-money laundering requirements.

Last month, Mr McEwan and Sir Philip Hampton identified ongoing litigation risks as among the most significant threats to RBS's continuing recovery, which saw it bring forward its half-year results announcement because the underlying figures were better than the City had been expecting.

A settlement with the FCA's enforcement division over an IT systems failure in 2012 is expected within months, while huge fines for manipulating foreign exchange markets could hit RBS and other banks before the end of the year.

The FCA and RBS both declined to comment.

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