Google Launches 'Treasure Mode' On April 1

Google is asking millions of users to hunt for buried treasure using a new pirate-style "treasure mode" on its maps.

The company posted a video on YouTube describing how Street View's "underwater team" discovered a chest containing lost maps belonging to pirate William "Captain" Kidd during an expedition to the Indian Ocean.

The video explains how hidden treasure symbols can be unearthed on the maps, which have been digitised by a special 3D nanoscanner.

Google marketing manager Mike Pegg says: "The map is rumoured to contain the clues to Captain Kidd's long lost treasure, however the map contains encrypted symbols and codes and is not readily decipherable.

"Therefore, we're introducing treasure mode on Google Maps and inviting the whole world to come together in the search for clues."

The digitised 'treasure mode' maps

The treasure mode - accessed in the top right-hand corner of the Google Maps window - includes a telescope-style Street View function, with sepia-tinged images of streets across the globe.

Google claims hidden symbols can be uncovered by shining sunlight on a computer screen, by joining phone and tablet maps together like a puzzle, or even by heating a laptop over the hob.

The company's contribution to April Fools' Day follows last year's prank, when it claimed an eight-bit version of Google Maps had been developed for Nintendo's NES games console.

Google also released a YouTube clip ahead of April 1 declaring that the world's most popular video website would shut down at the stroke of midnight.

The three-minute video, intended as a gag, described how the website would wind down as some 30,000 technicians began to trawl through 150,000 clips to select the world's best video.

A computer user has a sniff of the 'Google Nose Aromabase'

"Gangnam Style has the same chance of winning as a video with 40 views of a man feeding bread to a duck," YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar declared, referring to the viral sensation from Korean pop artist Psy that is now the most-viewed video on the site.

Google's video also featured intense discussions between judges, who hotly debate the merits of everything from Citizen Kane to "epic skateboard fail".

While clearly tongue-in-cheek, several YouTube viewers appeared stricken or dumbfounded, while others expressed sadness and regret in attached comments.

Google also added a "Google Nose" feature to its search facility, boasting that it had created the largest ever database of smells that could now be accessed through a computer screen.

Searching the "Google Aromabase" brings up results such as "baked tarmac, lost luggage" in a search for "airport terminal".

The feature was also introduced in a YouTube video, with Google experts explaining: "What does a ghost smell like? Google Nose!"

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Welfare Reforms 'Will Make Benefits Fairer'

The Government is beginning the biggest shake-up in the history of the Welfare State with the introduction of a raft of reforms which it says will make the benefits system "fairer".

Chancellor George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith have dismissed criticism that they say makes the shake-up sound like "the beginning of the end of the world".

From today, 660,000 social housing tenants with a spare room began to lose an average £14 a week in what critics have dubbed a "bedroom tax".

It is part of a package of welfare and tax changes coming into force this month which critics claim will hit poor families and the disabled particularly hard.

Mr Duncan Smith said the changes were about "getting some fairness in the system".

An overhaul to council tax benefit will see bills for an estimated 2.4 million households rise an average £138 a year, with two million paying for the first time, an anti-poverty group said. Administration of the benefit has been handed to town halls to operate, but with a 10% funding cut.

On April 6, working-age benefits and tax credits will be cut in real terms with the first of three years of maximum 1% rises - well below the present rate of inflation.

On April 8, disability living allowance begins to be replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), which charities say will remove support from many in real need.

And later in the month, trials begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on any household's benefits and of the new universal credit system.

George Osborne says the benefits system will now be 'fairer' for all

Pilots for the flagship scheme have been scaled back amid reports - denied by welfare officials - that IT problems have derailed preparations for its roll-out from October.

Labour claims the impact of the measures and other coalition policies have left the average family almost £900 a year worse off.

A coalition of churches has said vulnerable people are paying a "disproportionate price" for the Government's austerity drive and attacked its whole approach.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Osborne and Mr Duncan Smith said: "Our changes will ensure that the welfare state offers the right help to those who need it, and is fair to those who pay for it."

Ending what ministers call a "spare room subsidy" will address the "scandal" of a million people living in overcrowded conditions and millions more on waiting lists, they said.

The three-year, real-terms cut was a hard but "necessary" decision to save the taxpayer £2bn a year as part of austerity deficit-reduction measures, they wrote.

And raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 in two phases starting at the start of the financial year on Saturday was "the biggest tax cut in a generation".

"What we're doing this coming week is making welfare fairer, helping to create jobs, and making sure you can keep more of what you earn."

Mr Duncan Smith has drawn some criticism for saying he could survive on £7.57 per day - the amount given to one benefits claimant who was interviewed by the BBC. The Work and Pensions Secretary told BBC Radio Four's Today programme he could live on £53 a week if he "had to".

Mr Shapps has defended his plans for children to share bedrooms

It came after Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps faced scorn after using the fact that his own two sons shared a room in trying to justify the "common sense" spare room crackdown.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Shapps said: "It is wrong to leave people out in the cold with effectively no roof over their heads because the taxpayer is paying for rooms which aren't in use.

"It's just a common-sense reform which in the end will help house more people. People share rooms quite commonly - my boys share a room."

Sky's political correspondent Sophy Ridge said his comments provoked jibes and criticism from Labour MPs and others on Twitter.

"The problem is the debate over welfare has become so politically charged, emotional even, that some Labour MPs are saying it is not appropriate for Mr Shapps, who is a millionaire, to compare themselves with people on low paid jobs for instance," she said.

Labour said freedom of information responses showed local councils had sufficient one and two-bedroom properties to house only one in 20 of those families with spare rooms.

Responses from 37 authorities across Britain revealed 96,041 households faced losing benefit but there were only 3,688 smaller homes available.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax.

"They say it's not a tax but 96% of people have nowhere to move to. In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape.

"This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector."

:: Changes to the way NHS budgets are controlled are also being introduced from April 1, with the controversial health reforms seeing responsibility for commissioning care transferred from primary care trusts to groups made up of doctors and other clinicians.

And the legal aid system is also being overhauled, with the number of people who qualify cut by 75% and areas including custody battles, divorce and employment law affected.

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Bag-Snatcher Runs Into Glass Door In Getaway

A bag snatcher has been caught on camera knocking himself out after running through a glass door as he tried to make his getaway.

The man had just snatched a purse from a 50-year-old woman at a newsagent in Perth, Western Australia, when he unwittingly hurtled through the pane and fell flat on his face.

CCTV footage shows the confused man lying on the ground outside the shopping centre as bystanders who were unaware of the theft come to his aid.

Shop owner Greg Rice said: "He made a pretty heavy impact. When he actually hit the glass he was knocked out."

Police said the witnesses assisted the man before an accomplice arrived on the scene and threatened them.

The injured man stumbled to his feet before he and his accomplice made off in a stolen green Lexus. They are still at large.

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Guildford Station Murder Probe: Tributes Paid

Tributes have been paid to a 22-year-old man who died when he was hit by a train after a confrontation at a railway station.

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the victim, named locally as Ryan Harrison, suffered fatal injuries at Guildford Station, in Surrey, on Saturday night.

A short time earlier Mr Harrison, from Woking, Surrey, was with a friend when he became involved in an altercation with a number of other men.

Paramedics were called but Mr Harrison was pronounced dead at the scene.

His death is being treated as suspicious, British Transport Police said.

Friend Jake Lund wrote on Facebook: "Cant believe this has happened to such a nice person, rip Ryan."

Sarah Tuffs wrote on Twitter: "R.i.p Ryan harrison, you will be missed by so many, life is too short."

Amir Ahmed also wrote on Twitter: "RIP Ryan Harrison. Still in shock. Gone, but never forgotten."

Two 19-year-old men, from Guildford, were arrested at the scene while a third man, from Cranleigh, Surrey, handed himself into a Guildford police station later.

They all remain in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Miller, the senior investigating officer, said: "Our thoughts are very much with the man's family at this acutely difficult time for them.

"They're trying to come to terms with what has happened and at this stage, quite understandably, they have asked to be left alone to grieve."

The station was sealed off until the early hours of Sunday while forensics officers examined the scene.

Officers are hoping to recover footage from CCTV cameras, but they also want to hear from any witnesses at the station.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Basketball: Players Cry As Kevin Ware Snaps Leg

College basketball player Kevin Ware is in hospital after suffering a horrific double break to his leg during a televised game.

Kevin Ware, circled, at the moment his leg broke during the game

The 20-year-old Louisville Cardinals guard landed awkwardly on his right leg as he attempted to block a three-point shot late in the first half of the NCAA Midwest regional final against Duke Blue Devils on Sunday.

TV cameras caught the moment a bone in his lower leg snapped and he crumpled to the court in agony.

The stricken player, 20, grimaces in pain as medics attempt to move him

Stunned teammates wept on court as the second-year student was placed on to a stretcher and taken to Methodist Hospital.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino wiped away tears as he comforted the player.

He said: "The bone's six inches out of his leg, and all he's yelling is 'win the game, win the game'.

Cardinals players weep on court after witnessing the injury

"I've not seen that in my life."

The injury was so bad that CBS stopped showing replays of the moment his leg broke at the Lucas Oil Stadium. Officials said it had snapped in two places as a result of the impact.

Forward Chane Behanan, Ware's closest friend, covered his face as he realised the severity of the injury. He later changed into Ware's number five jersey near the end of the game.

Ware urges his teammates to win the game as he is put on a stretcher

He said: "The bone was literally out. I saw white, it was literally out.

"I've never seen anything like that. I don't remember the last time I cried."

College officials said the bone was reset and a rod inserted into the player's right tibia after a successful two-hour surgery.

Teammates hold the injured player's jersey after winning the game 85-63

He is expected to remain in Indianapolis, where the game took place, until at least Tuesday.

Louisville, the top overall seed in the tournament, went for more than three minutes without scoring after the accident but the team regained its composure to win 85-63.

They will now face Wichita State Shockers in the Final Four on Saturday.

Ware holding the Midwest trophy in his hospital bed. Pic: Peyton Siva

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North Korea War Training Shown Off In Video

North Korea has released footage of troops in live-fire training exercises - with targets including a cartoon-like drawing of a US soldier.

The video from state TV emerged days after the country warned it was in a "state of war" with the South.

It is not clear when the footage was filmed, but it comes after Pyongyang voiced anger over joint US-South Korean military drills south of the border.

On Sunday, the North's leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to bolster its nuclear capability and described atomic weapons as "a national treasure".

The North's efforts to flex its military muscle are not being ignored

Mr Kim has been in an escalating war of words with the US in recent weeks, which has included him threatening to launch missile attacks on American targets in the region.

Meanwhile, the North has named former premier Pak Pong-Ju - a key confidant of the leadership dynasty who was sacked in 2007 for failed economic reforms - as cabinet chief.

His re-emergence marks a further move by the young leader to reaffirm his grip on power.

The move does however leave Mr Kim, the third of his line to rule the impoverished state, dangerously dependent on his aunt and uncle, who are key allies of Mr Pak.

South Korea's president Park Geun-Hye has promised a strong military response to any North Korean provocation, while the US has deployed stealth bombers to the South as part of its ongoing military exercise.

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Weather: Jet Stream Blamed For UK Cold Snap

As Britain leaves behind what looks to have been the coldest March for more than 50 years, forecasters are warning it will stay cold for another week at least.

Meteorologists are blaming the bad weather on the position of the jet stream, a narrow band of very strong winds which tends to move from west to east across the Atlantic, bringing our weather systems with it.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "The jet stream is currently displaced well to the south of its usual position across the north Atlantic and Europe, located across the Azores, Spain and the Mediterranean.

"So the UK will remain stuck in the cold air to the north and it's set to stay cold for at least another week.

"Daytime highs during this first week of April will remain well below average (9C to 11C for early April) and as the easterly wind strengthens again it will feel bitterly cold. Some snow is still likely, too."

The jet stream is a band of strong winds at around 30,000 feet

However, she said that next week temperatures will start to pick up by several degrees.

"It is still a way off yet in terms of detail but the trend is there for something a little warmer with highs around the average, or even a little above. This is no April fool..."

The position of a jet stream varies within the natural fluctuations of the environment. They are caused by the temperature difference between tropical air masses around the equator and and polar air masses.

Experts argue about why the jet stream is out of position, but it could be caused by a combination of the reduction in Arctic sea ice over the last few decades, climate change, solar activity and natural variability within the climate.

The Met Office says the average temperatures between March 1 and 26 were just 2.5C (36.5F), three degrees below the long-term average.

This would make it the coldest March since 1962 and also the fourth coldest in the UK since records began in 1910.

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US Soldier Stabbed In Neck By Afghan Teen

An Afghan teenager has killed an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck, senior US military officials have confirmed.

Sergeant Michael Cable, 26, was guarding a meeting of Afghan and US officials in Nangarhar province when the attack happened last Wednesday.

The soldier was playing with a group of children outside when the assailant stabbed him from behind.

One of the officials estimated the attacker was around 16-years-old, but he escaped over the border to Pakistan so his age could not be verified.

The official said the youth was not believed to be from the Afghan security forces so the killing is not being classified as an insider attack.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the young man was acting independently when he killed the soldier, but had since joined the Islamic militant movement.

The Pentagon said in a statement last week that Sgt Cable died from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces.

The Philpot, Kentucky, native joined the US Army in August 2007 and arrived at Fort Campbell in December 2010.

He had already served one tour in Iraq and was due to return from Afghanistan in June.

At least 14 US soldiers died in March, compared with four in the previous two months, according to an Associated Press tally.

The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan has dropped sharply as international forces increasingly take a back seat while preparing to end their combat mission by the end of 2014.

But they continue to face dangers ranging from roadside bombs to attacks by their Afghan counterparts or insurgents disguised as government forces.

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James Holmes: Prosecuters Seek Death Penalty

Colorado state prosecutors have announced they are to seek the death penalty against Aurora gunman James Holmes.

The much-anticipated disclosure comes four days after prosecutors publicly rejected an offer by Holmes' attorneys that the former neuroscience graduate student would plead guilty to avoid execution.

Prosecutors had said the defence proposal was not a valid plea bargain offer, although they could still agree to a plea before the case goes to trial.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said: "It's my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes justice is death."

Holmes' attorneys are expected to argue he is not guilty because he was legally insane at the time of the July 20 shooting that killed 12 people and wounded 70 others.

The shooting took place during a screening of a Batman film

They balked at entering that plea last month, saying they could not make such a move until prosecutors made a formal decision on the death penalty.

Survivors and families of the victims are uncertain about what happens next.

If the case goes to trial, "all of us victims would be dragged along potentially for years", said Pierce O'Farrill, who was shot three times.

He said: "It could be 10 or 15 years before he's executed. I would be in my 40s and I'm planning to have a family, and the thought of having to look back and reliving everything at that point in my life, it would be difficult."

Investigators carefully searched Holmes' Denver apartment

Investigators say Holmes methodically stockpiled weapons and ammunition for his assault on a packed midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, and rigged his apartment to explode and distract any police who responded.

The massacre was repeatedly cited by gun control advocates who pushed a hotly contested package through the Colorado state Legislature last month.

The bills include a ban on the sort of high-capacity magazines that Holmes allegedly used to spray the theatre with dozens of bullets in a matter of seconds.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Denver on Wednesday to highlight the legislation as part of his push for more gun control following December's Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

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Sunderland's Di Canio Hits Back In Fascism Row

New Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has hit back after criticism over his appointment, saying it was "stupid" to call him a racist.

Di Canio is a controversial figure who has previously admitted to having fascist leanings, and has been photographed several times making a so-called Roman salute while playing for Italian club Lazio.

In 2005, he told the Italian news agency ANSA: "I am a fascist, not a racist", and his appointment as Sunderland boss prompted David Miliband to quit as the club's vice-chairman "in the light of the new manager's past political statements".

In a statement on Monday, former West Ham striker Di Canio, 44, said: "I don't have a problem with anyone.

"I haven't had a problem in the past and I don't know why I have to keep repeating my story, to be defending  myself on something that doesn't belong to me every time I change clubs.

"Talk about racism? That is absolutely stupid, stupid and ridiculous."

Sunderland chief executive Margaret Byrne said "it's been very disappointing to read some of the reaction to Paolo's appointment".

Ms Byrne added: "To accuse him now... of being a racist or having fascist sympathies, is insulting not only to him but to the integrity of this football club."

Di Canio gestures towards Lazio fans with a so-called Roman salute

Di Canio said the comments that led to Mr Miliband's resignation were from an interview "many years ago" and said his "expression (was taken) in a very, very negative way".

The manager also said in the statement: "What I can say is that if someone is hurt, I am sorry. But this didn't come from me, it came from a big story that people put out in a different way to what it was.

"The people who know me can change that idea quickly. When I was in England my best friends were Trevor Sinclair and Chris Powell, the Charlton manager - they can tell you everything about my character.

"I don't want to talk about politics because it's not my area. We are not in the Houses of Parliament, we are in a football club. I want to talk about sport.

"I want to talk about football, my players, the board and the fans. I don't want to talk any more about politics - I am not a politics person."

Former Swindon chairman Jeremy Wray, who gave Di Canio his first chance in management, dismissed Mr Miliband's stance as a "sad knee-jerk reaction".

David Miliband quit Sunderland FC after Di Canio's appointment

Di Canio replaces Martin O'Neill who was dismissed on Saturday evening following the club's 1-0 home defeat against Premier League leaders Manchester United.

That result left the Black Cats without a win in eight games and just a point clear of the relegation zone.

With seven games remaining, Di Canio faces a fight to keep Sunderland in the top flight, particularly with top scorer Steven Fletcher out for the remainder of the season with an ankle ligament injury.

Unite Against Fascism's joint national secretary, Weyman Bennett, said his appointment was "an insult" to the people of Sunderland who died fighting fascism.

Mr Bennett said: "If he wants to be a manager and wants to be a public figure, he needs to make it clear he accepts these views are completely inappropriate."

Sunderland City Council's deputy leader, Councillor Henry Trueman, called for Di Canio to "leave his politics aside" during his time at the club.

"Everyone has political views but extremism is the last thing we need in football," he said.

Sunderland fan Stan Simpson, a season ticket holder for 40 years and a Sunderland AFC Supporters' Club member, said some fans would be "wary" about the Italian's appointment.

He said: "As long as he doesn't express any political opinions I can cope with it. I've got no problem with him being there.

"But if he expresses those sort of opinions while he's there, he should be sacked, it doesn't matter how or where. It's not acceptable in this country."

Another long-time fan Janet Rowan said: "I think with some people, his appointment probably will leave a bad taste but I hope that the majority of fans are going to put Sunderland football club ahead of everything."

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