Sylvia Anderson, voice of Thunderbirds' Lady Penelope, dies

Sylvia Anderson, best known as the voice of Lady Penelope in the TV show Thunderbirds, has died after a short illness, her family has confirmed.

Anderson co-created the hit science-fiction puppet series, which ran from 1965, with her late husband Gerry.

In a career spanning five decades, she also worked on shows Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet, and for US TV network HBO.

She died at her Buckinghamshire home. Her daughter said she was "a mother and a legend", who would be sadly missed.

"Her intelligence was phenomenal but her creativity and tenacity unchallenged. She was a force in every way," Dee Anderson said.

Her former husband Gerry Anderson died in 2012 after suffering from Alzheimer's.

Puppet pioneers

Born in south London to a boxing promoter and a dressmaker, Sylvia Anderson graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in sociology and political science.

She spent several years in the US and worked as a journalist before returning to the UK and joining a TV production company, where she met her future husband.

When he started his own company, AP Films, she joined him, and the couple began making puppet shows.

They developed a production technique using electronic marionette puppets, called Supermarionation, in which the voices were recorded first, and when the puppets were filmed, the electric signal from the taped dialogue was hooked up to sensors in the puppets' heads.

That made the puppets' lips move perfectly in time with the soundtrack.

In 1963, the couple came up with the idea for Thunderbirds, which told the story of the Tracy family who form a secret organisation dedicated to saving human life, set in the future.

As well as co-creating and writing the series, Anderson worked on character development and costume design.

The character of Lady Penelope, a glamorous agent, was modelled on Anderson's own appearance, and she also provided her characteristic aristocratic voice.

The success of Thunderbirds led to two feature films and a toy and merchandise empire.

Three new programmes were made last year to mark the 50th anniversary of the series.

Charity work

Other shows which the couple worked on include Stingray, Fireball XL5 and Secret Service.

However, the partnership ended when they divorced in 1981.

Sylvia went on to work as head of programming for HBO in the UK, and write several books.

Her last public interview was on the Graham Norton Show on BBC Radio 2 with actor David Graham, who also provided voices for Thunderbirds, in December.

Her family said she had many famous friends, "but would always find time to take care of people who were suffering or in need of support", and worked with many charities, including Breast Cancer Care.

She had a daughter, Dee Anderson, a singer and songwriter, and a son, Gerry Anderson Junior, an anaesthetist.

She also leaves four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Sony Announces Playstation VR Release Date

Sony Playstation users will be able to experience the company's version of virtual reality in October when it launches its VR headset.

The price tag will be £349.99 in the UK and $399 in the US and has been hailed by the firm as "a transformative experience in gaming".

The technology will work with the PlayStation 4 console and it will immerse the headset wearer in 360-degree virtual worlds.

Its launch comes in a big year for virtual reality with Facebook's long-awaited Oculus Rift available in the US on 28 March for $599 and the HTC Vive released on 5 April for $799.

Both require high-end PCs in order for the technology to be used.

However, some experiences aren't as expensive. Google has Cardboard which lets people turn their mobile phones into a reality headset for a few pounds.

Deloitte Global predicts virtual reality will have its first billion dollar (£700m) year in 2016, with about $700m (£495m) in hardware sales and the remainder from games and other VR "experiences."

It estimates headset sales of 2.5 million units this year.

New York Times editor Sam Dolnick: "Part of what's so exciting about it is that there are no rules and no best practices.

"It's still really unclear what this is for and how best to use it. We're shaping that at once in real time."

Sony expects to have more than 50 games available from October's launch until the end of the year.

Andrew House, the president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, admitted the release of the headset was "a bit later than the timeframe we previously stated".

"We wanted to take the time needed to launch with a broad variety of content and a sufficient supply of hardware", he added.

Also included in the £349.99 bundle are headphones and cables.

But what customers won't get for their money is a camera which they will need and is sold separately for about £40.

The bundle also does not include Move controllers, costing about £20 each, which are required for any sort of motion-control games.

Tech website engadget.com said: "It's highly likely what was announced today is just the base configuration for folks who already have those bits collecting dust.

"And that more 'complete' packages will be available, albeit at an almost assuredly higher price."

Chinese hackers turn to ransomware

Chinese hackers are launching sophisticated ransomware attacks - in which they hijack machines and demand payment to decrypt them, according to reports.

Four separate security firms have spotted attacks they believe emanated from China in recent months, reveals Reuters.

There is speculation that the "skilled operators" could be state-sponsored hackers.

The Chinese government said it would investigate if there was reliable proof.

Reliable proof

Dell SecureWorks investigated two ransomware attacks this year - one at a transportation company and one at a technology firm

In the second case, 30% of the unnamed firm's machines were captured by the hackers.

Phil Burdette, who heads an incident response team at Dell said: "It is obviously a group of skilled operators that have some amount of experience conducting intrusions."

Security firms Attack Research, InGuardians and G-C Partners said they had investigated three other similar attacks since December.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters that it would not act on "rumours and speculation" but the ministry itself said that if there was reliable proof, it would treat the matter seriously.

The Chinese government pledged to oppose economic espionage in an agreement with the US last year, with some US firms since reporting a drop in the amount of hacking sourced from China.

It also wants deeper internet security co-operation with the US as hacking continues to be a sore spot in US-China relations.

If the government has reduced its support for economic espionage, that may mean hackers are looking for other means of supplementing their incomes, reports Reuters.

Recently security firms warned about a huge surge in junk mail messages containing ransomware, which was blamed on new malware hitting the market which can avoid being spotted by anti-virus software.

Ransomware has been around for years but better encryption techniques mean it is often impossible for victims to regain access to their files without co-operation from the hackers.

Many ransomware payments are made in the virtual currency Bitcoin, and few firms are open about such attacks.

Deadly bomb blast hits bus in Pakistan

Policemen and rescue officials walk near a bus damaged in a bomb blast in Peshawar on Wednesday [Fayaz Aziz/Reuters]

A bomb planted on a bus carrying government officials exploded in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people. 

Police superintendant Kashif Zulfiqar told Al Jazeera more than 30 people were also wounded. 

The bus was bringing dozens of government employees to work from Mardan when the bomb went off near Sunehri Masjid in Peshawar, a busy area of the northwestern city.

"The blast was really loud ... the windows of the buildings nearby were shattered," witness Usama Hussein told Al Jazeera over the phone.

"The roof of the bus was completely blown off by the bomb, I saw many dead bodies and severely injured people being rushed to the hospital."

The attack was the latest in Peshawar, which has been plagued by bombings and gun assaults by the Pakistani Taliban.

A suicide bomber killed 13 people on March 8 after blowing himself up outside a court in Charsadda, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, about 30km from Peshawar.

Pakistan has fought homegrown fighters since 2004 when the Taliban, displaced by the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, began a campaign in border tribal areas. 

US student Otto Warmbier given hard labour in North Korea

US student Otto Warmbier has been given 15 years hard labour in North Korea for crimes against the state.

Warmbier was arrested for trying to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel while visiting North Korea in January.

He later appeared on state TV apparently confessing and saying a church group had asked him to bring back a "trophy" from his trip.

North Korea sometimes uses the detention of foreigners as a means of exerting pressure on its adversaries.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in South Korea says the 15-year sentence is high compared to those given to foreigners in the past.

This could be due to the particularly high tensions at the moment between North Korea and the US, he says.

State media has not yet reported the sentencing, but China's Xinhua state news agency said it was handed down by the Supreme Court.

'Worst mistake'

Warmbier, 21, and a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested on 2 January as he was trying to leave North Korea. He was accused of committing "hostile acts".

The KCNA state news agency said at the time he had gone to North Korea "to destroy the country's unity" and that he had been "manipulated" by the US government. 

At the end of February, at a tearful press conference in Pyongyang, he said he had "committed the crime of taking down a political slogan from the staff holding area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel". 

"The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people. This was a very foolish aim," he was quoted as saying. 

He said it was the "worst mistake" of his life.

The sentencing comes a day after veteran US diplomat Bill Richardson met North Korean officials at the UN in New York to try to push for Warmbier's release. 

Mr Richardson has previously been involved in negotiations to secure the release of Americans from North Korea detention.

North Korea has ramped up its hostile rhetoric in recent weeks, after the UN imposed some of its toughest ever sanctions. 

The sanctions were a response to the North conducting its fourth nuclear test and launching a satellite into space, which was seen as a covert test of banned missile technology. 

Pyongyang has also been angered by the US and South Korea carrying out their annual military drills, which this year involve some 315,000 personnel.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has threatened "indiscriminate" nuclear attacks against the US and the South, and has said his country will soon test a nuclear warhead. 

However analysts still doubt whether the North has the capacity to carry out a nuclear attack.

Donald Trump knocks out Marco Rubio with Florida win

Trump campaigns in Ohio with his former rival, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie [Reuters]

US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has scored a major win in the Florida primary, dealing a bitter defeat to his rival Marco Rubio, a senator from the state, who dropped out of the race afterward.

The former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, increased her lead in the number of delegates against her opponent Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race.

Trump was aiming to cement his lead on Tuesday and scored big in the winner-takes-all Florida primary, taking all 99 of the state's delegates with nearly 46 percent of the vote, ahead of Rubio on about 27 percent.

His campaign was dealt a blow in Ohio, however, where home-state Governor John Kasich was declared a relatively comfortable winner. 

The New York businessman won in North Carolina, but will split the delegates there with Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

The pair were locked in a tight battle in Missouri, with Trump slightly ahead - 40.8 percent to 40.7 percent - with 99 percent of votes vounted.

Trump also won in Illinois, but it is not yet clear how the state's delegates will be split, as the count is carried out at the congressional district level.

On the Democratic side, Clinton, 68, also captured the Florida primary and won North Carolina, Ohio and Illinois as she put distance between herself and Sanders.

With 99 percent of the votes counted in Missouri, Clinton was holding on to a 49.6 percent to 49.4 percent lead over Sanders in a contest that is still too close to call. 

"We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination and winning this election in November," Clinton told her supporters in Florida on Tuesday evening.  

Trump, the 69-year-old billionaire businessman, was aiming to knock out his two mainstream rivals, Rubio and Kasich, but the latter survived with his win in Ohio. 

"While we are on the right side this year, we will not be on the winning side," Rubio told supporters in Miami.

Cruz the main challenger

Trump's closest challenger nationally is US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, 45, a favourite of the conservative Tea Party. 

At a campaign event in Houston, Texas, Cruz said he was the only candidate who could challenge Trump.

"No one else has any mathematical possibility," he said. "Only one campaign has beaten Trump over and over and over again... Not once, not twice, but nine times, all across the country, from Alaska to Maine."

Trump's loss in Ohio could give new hope to Republicans battling to deny him the nomination and block him from capturing the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination at the party's July convention.

Trump has vowed to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, impose protectionist trade policies and ban Muslims from entering the US. 

Trump said on Tuesday that his momentum was already drawing in establishment Republicans who had previously balked at his candidacy but now see him as the likely nominee. 

"They're already calling," he told television station NBC, without naming names. "The biggest people in the party are calling." 

By capturing Florida, Trump will win all 99 of the state's delegates, giving him a huge lift in his drive to the nomination. 

Rubio's withdrawal leaves Kasich and Cruz as Trump's last opponents. Kasich was declared winner in Ohio, but has not won another state so far. Cruz has struggled to build support beyond his base of evangelical Christians and Republican Southerners.

Marco Rubio, maybe see you in four years

Four years ago, at the Republican convention in Tampa, a young senator from Florida took the stage.

Marco Rubio won his Senate seat after initially going up against the state's sitting Governor Charlie Crist in the Republican primary.

At one point, he was 20 points behind, but harnessing the support of the right wing Tea Party, he forced Crist out of the race.

There were huge expectations on the son of Cuban immigrants. If there was a next generation of conservative politicians, Rubio was close to the front of the line.

And he delivered.

His 2012 convention speech was widely cheered in the Tampa hall. People spoke enthusiastically of his performance, and at the time, I wrote that the only thing that seemed to be missing was the phrase, "I'm Marco Rubio and I'm running for president".

Flash forward three years and that announcement came.

Rubio jumped into a crowded race, believing his youth, his background and his charisma would be enough, even though he was what Republicans had spent eight years accusing Obama of being: a one-term senator with little experience.

Still, he was Hispanic, a group the Republicans knew they had to reach after their defeat in 2012, and he was conservative enough to appeal to the base of the party. And he was articulate.

But for all of his strengths, there were two moments which damned his presidential campaign.

The first came after a respectable finish in the first nominating contest in Iowa, where he finished third, exceeding expectations and gathering vital momentum. He, and many analysts, painted that result as a "win".

And he moved on to New Hampshire.

But there on the debate stage, in just 90 seconds, he unravelled.

He was attacked by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who accused him of repeating himself - of using the same consultant-approved, focus-tested sound bites. And Rubio responded by repeating himself. He looked and sounded like a robot.

He went from a potential second place finish in New Hampshire to fifth. He told his supporters the loss was down to him and it would never happen again. And to be fair, on the debate stage it didn't.

But his campaign took the strategic decision that if it was going to win, it had to go after Trump.

And the political adage is: If you go to kill the king, you better succeed. He went on the attack and he got personal. He criticised the way Trump looked, suggesting his "little hands" meant other parts of his anatomy were small.

But there on the debate stage, in just 90 seconds, he unravelled.

He was attacked by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who accused him of repeating himself - of using the same consultant-approved, focus-tested sound bites. And Rubio responded by repeating himself. He looked and sounded like a robot.

He went from a potential second place finish in New Hampshire to fifth. He told his supporters the loss was down to him and it would never happen again. And to be fair, on the debate stage it didn't.

But his campaign took the strategic decision that if it was going to win, it had to go after Trump.

And the political adage is: If you go to kill the king, you better succeed. He went on the attack and he got personal. He criticised the way Trump looked, suggesting his "little hands" meant other parts of his anatomy were small.