Debenhams Optimistic Despite Sluggish Sales

Debenhams says it still expects to meet annual profit forecasts despite a dip in quarterly sales.

The department store chain has reported a 0.2% fall in like-for-like sales in the 15 weeks to 11 June, saying demand for clothes had been weak.

It said uncertainty within the UK trading market, particularly the clothing sector since the start of the year, contributed to the drop.

Despite the drop in third quarter sales, the company insists that full year pre-tax profits will be within the range of current market forecasts.

Under the direction of chief executive Michael Sharp, the retailer has developed its health and beauty categories and reduced its reliance on discounting and non-clothing sales and this has helped boost profits.

Mr Sharp will be replaced by Sergio Bucher, an Amazon fashion boss, when he steps down after five years at the helm on Friday.

He said he was leaving the company in very strong hands.

"Our strategy remains unchanged, with further progress in driving our non-clothing mix, continuing to improve service for multi-channel customers, and offering a wider choice in products and services," he said.

Paranoid, Mark? Zuckerberg Puts Tape Over Webcam

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg celebrates Instagram's latest milestone

Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his laptop's webcam and microphone jack - a move typically used to thwart potential snooping hackers.

He shared a photo of himself celebrating the success of Facebook-owned Instagram, which now has 500 million users.

But people quickly noticed that the MacBook sitting on his desk in the background had been crudely modified with tape.

Light-coloured tape covers the webcam that sits just above the display, and it appears that black tape has been used to cover the microphone jack on the left-hand side of the device.

Many users noticed the laptop in the background

The idea of a hacker taking control of a laptop and watching the user via their webcam is not far-fetched: the director of the FBI uses a similar tactic to thwart prying eyes.

James Comey gave a speech in April in which he said: "I put a piece of tape - I have obviously a laptop, personal laptop - I put a piece of tape over the camera. Because I saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera."

Security is understandably important to the tech mogul, who is worth an estimated $35.7bn (£24.3bn) and is therefore the fourth-richest person in the world.

FBI boss James Comey says he covers his own webcam

A team of around 16 people are tasked with protecting him, costing Facebook more than $16m (£10.9m) over the past five years.

In February he was pictured in Berlin, jogging through the streets with a trainer and several bodyguards in tow.

The Palo Alto, California, home he shares with wife Priscilla and daughter Maxima is understood to be fitted with panic alarms and other security features.

Paranoid, Mark? Zuckerberg Puts Tape Over Webcam

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg celebrates Instagram's latest milestone

Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his laptop's webcam and microphone jack - a move typically used to thwart potential snooping hackers.

He shared a photo of himself celebrating the success of Facebook-owned Instagram, which now has 500 million users.

But people quickly noticed that the MacBook sitting on his desk in the background had been crudely modified with tape.

Light-coloured tape covers the webcam that sits just above the display, and it appears that black tape has been used to cover the microphone jack on the left-hand side of the device.

Many users noticed the laptop in the background

The idea of a hacker taking control of a laptop and watching the user via their webcam is not far-fetched: the director of the FBI uses a similar tactic to thwart prying eyes.

James Comey gave a speech in April in which he said: "I put a piece of tape - I have obviously a laptop, personal laptop - I put a piece of tape over the camera. Because I saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera."

Security is understandably important to the tech mogul, who is worth an estimated $35.7bn (£24.3bn) and is therefore the fourth-richest person in the world.

FBI boss James Comey says he covers his own webcam

A team of around 16 people are tasked with protecting him, costing Facebook more than $16m (£10.9m) over the past five years.

In February he was pictured in Berlin, jogging through the streets with a trainer and several bodyguards in tow.

The Palo Alto, California, home he shares with wife Priscilla and daughter Maxima is understood to be fitted with panic alarms and other security features.

Paranoid, Mark? Zuckerberg Puts Tape Over Webcam

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg celebrates Instagram's latest milestone

Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his laptop's webcam and microphone jack - a move typically used to thwart potential snooping hackers.

He shared a photo of himself celebrating the success of Facebook-owned Instagram, which now has 500 million users.

But people quickly noticed that the MacBook sitting on his desk in the background had been crudely modified with tape.

Light-coloured tape covers the webcam that sits just above the display, and it appears that black tape has been used to cover the microphone jack on the left-hand side of the device.

Many users noticed the laptop in the background

The idea of a hacker taking control of a laptop and watching the user via their webcam is not far-fetched: the director of the FBI uses a similar tactic to thwart prying eyes.

James Comey gave a speech in April in which he said: "I put a piece of tape - I have obviously a laptop, personal laptop - I put a piece of tape over the camera. Because I saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera."

Security is understandably important to the tech mogul, who is worth an estimated $35.7bn (£24.3bn) and is therefore the fourth-richest person in the world.

FBI boss James Comey says he covers his own webcam

A team of around 16 people are tasked with protecting him, costing Facebook more than $16m (£10.9m) over the past five years.

In February he was pictured in Berlin, jogging through the streets with a trainer and several bodyguards in tow.

The Palo Alto, California, home he shares with wife Priscilla and daughter Maxima is understood to be fitted with panic alarms and other security features.

Paranoid, Mark? Zuckerberg Puts Tape Over Webcam

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg celebrates Instagram's latest milestone

Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over his laptop's webcam and microphone jack - a move typically used to thwart potential snooping hackers.

He shared a photo of himself celebrating the success of Facebook-owned Instagram, which now has 500 million users.

But people quickly noticed that the MacBook sitting on his desk in the background had been crudely modified with tape.

Light-coloured tape covers the webcam that sits just above the display, and it appears that black tape has been used to cover the microphone jack on the left-hand side of the device.

Many users noticed the laptop in the background

The idea of a hacker taking control of a laptop and watching the user via their webcam is not far-fetched: the director of the FBI uses a similar tactic to thwart prying eyes.

James Comey gave a speech in April in which he said: "I put a piece of tape - I have obviously a laptop, personal laptop - I put a piece of tape over the camera. Because I saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera."

Security is understandably important to the tech mogul, who is worth an estimated $35.7bn (£24.3bn) and is therefore the fourth-richest person in the world.

FBI boss James Comey says he covers his own webcam

A team of around 16 people are tasked with protecting him, costing Facebook more than $16m (£10.9m) over the past five years.

In February he was pictured in Berlin, jogging through the streets with a trainer and several bodyguards in tow.

The Palo Alto, California, home he shares with wife Priscilla and daughter Maxima is understood to be fitted with panic alarms and other security features.

Daring Antarctic Rescue Mission At South Pole

A plane has landed at the South Pole after a nine-hour journey over the icy continent to evacuate a sick worker from a remote science station.

The aircraft set out from Rothera - a British base on the Antarctic peninsula - according to the National Science Foundation , which runs the American outpost.

The pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and medical worker will rest for at least 10 hours before refuelling and making the marathon 1,500-mile journey back to Rothera, said NSF spokesman Peter West.

The worker - whose medical condition has not been disclosed - will then be flown out of Antarctica for treatment.

"It went all according to plan," said Mr West.

A second worker is also ill, but officials have yet to decide whether that patient will also fly out.

The workers are employees of Lockheed Martin, which deals with logistics at the station, but they have not been named.

Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. Pic: NASA

The NSF tweeted a webcam image of the rescue plane at the US outpost, where the temperature on Tuesday afternoon was -60C.

The Twin Otter plane can fly in temperatures as low as -75C, said Mr West, who added that the aircraft's fuel needs to be warmed before any takeoff.

He said a "light sensitive" camera plus additional light from the moon had helped capture a clear image of the mission, despite it being nearly pitch black.

There are 39 men and 9 women currently at the NSF station.

Workers at the South Pole are isolated from February through to October, the coldest and darkest months, when it is considered too risky for routine flights.

"The air and Antarctica are unforgiving environments and punish any slackness very hard," said Tim Stockings, operations director at the British Antarctic Survey in London.

"If you are complacent it will bite you. Things can change very quickly down there."

There have been three emergency evacuations from the Amundsen-Scott station since 1999 where 48 people - 39 men and nine women - are currently based.

North Korea Test-Fires Two Mid-Range Missiles

North Korea has launched two mid-range missiles off its eastern coast, even though such attempts are banned by the UN.

South Korean and US officials have said the first rocket failed over the Sea of Japan.

A second missile was test-fired hours later, and reportedly flew for 400km (248 miles) before it fell.

Pyongyang has now unsuccessfully attempted to launch six Musudan missiles, which could be capable of striking targets across South Korea and Japan, as well as US military bases as far away as Guam.

The rockets have a range of anywhere between 1,550 and 2,500 miles.

Japanese politicians have described the tests as a "grave provocative action", with the country's prime minister warning such ballistic missile launches "clearly cannot be tolerated".

The US has stressed the missiles never posed a threat to North America, but a State Department spokesman condemned the launches. 

Meanwhile, South Korea's presidential office is holding a security meeting to discuss the launches. 

Defence officials in Seoul say Pyongyang's previous attempts have resulted in the missiles crashing or exploding in mid-air shortly after launch.

North Korea is banned from using any type of ballistic missile technology, but has regularly fired short-range rockets from its eastern coast.

The isolated state has been trying to intimidate neighbours with its ongoing nuclear weapons programme, which is said to have the ultimate aim of developing a missile that could reach the US.

Intelligence suggests North Korea has more than 30 Musudan missiles in its arsenal, yet it hasn't attempted to test-fire them until this year.

In January, the White House cast doubt on North Korea's claim to have conducted its first "successful" test of a miniature hydrogen bomb.

Pyongyang said the detonation was a "historic" event, but White House press secretary Josh Earnest said US analysis was "not consistent" with the claim.