Hollywood actress Charlize Theron did not have the consent of South Africa's Nelson Mandela to auction off a meeting with him, his office says.
She reportedly sold a trip to the 2010 World Cup, a meeting with the anti-apartheid icon, and a kiss from her for $140,000 (£85,000) at a charity event.
But the Nelson Mandela Foundation told the BBC it has yet to receive a request from the South African-born actress.
A meeting with Mr Mandela required "a rigorous process", the foundation said.
"Not even the charity foundations Mandela himself established are allowed to auction off time with him," the NMF's chief executive Achmat Dangor Dangor said in a statement.
Kisses
The 34-year-old Oscar-winning star is reported to have taken part in the live auction during a fundraiser for charity in San Francisco on 22 October.
She was initially selling a trip to South Africa, which included World Cup tickets as well as a safari and a meet-and-greet with the 91-year-old former South African president.
Ms Theron upped the stakes when bidding stopped at $37,000 by adding the offer of a seven-second kiss to the highest bidder.
This raised the bids to $130,000 - then a woman offered $140,000 to make it a 20-second kiss from the actress.
Ms Theron agreed, sealing the bid by kissing her in front of the gathered audience.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Net pirates to be 'disconnected'
The UK government has been laying out some of the ways it intends to pursue persistent net pirates.
It comes as Lord Mandelson confirmed that he would introduce tough measures against illegal file-sharers.
Initially pirates could have download caps imposed or have their bandwidth restricted.
If that did not prove effective in reducing illegal file-sharing, the government will consider disconnecting them from the network.
The Department for Business, Skills and Innovation said the legislation will come into force in April 2010, with the tougher disconnection policy introduced in the spring of 2011 if necessary.
It has asked Ofcom to monitor levels of file-sharing.
ISP TalkTalk said the plans were "ill-conceived" and said it was prepared to challenge measures "in the courts".
"What is being proposed is wrong in principle and won't work in practice," the firm said.
"In the event we are instructed to impose extra judicial technical measures we will challenge the instruction in the courts."
Lord Mandelson emphasised that cutting off internet connections would be a "last resort".
ILLEGAL FILE-SHARING
File-sharing is not illegal. It only becomes illegal when users are sharing content, such as music, that is protected by copyrights
The crackdown will be aimed at people who regularly use technologies, such as BitTorrent, and websites, such as The Pirate Bay, to find and download files
There are plenty of legitimate services which use file-sharing technology such as some on-demand TV services
Q&A: Disconnecting file-sharers
"I have no expectation of mass suspensions. People will receive two notifications and if it reaches the point [of cutting them off] they will have the opportunity to appeal," Lord Mandelson told the audience at the C&binet Forum, a talking shop set up by government to debate the issues facing the creative industries.
The pay-off for tough penalties against persistent file-sharers would be a more relaxed copyright regime, Lord Mandelson said.
The details of it would need to be hammered out at European level but it would take account of the use of copyright material "at home and between friends", he said.
It would mean that, for example, someone who has bought a CD would be able to copy it to their iPod or share it with family members without acting unlawfully.
Lord Mandelson praised the UK's creative industries, which are worth around £16bn and employs 2 million people.
But it has been eroded in recent years, he said, by new ways of accessing content.
"I was shocked to learn that only one in 20 music tracks in the UK is downloaded legally. We cannot sit back and do nothing," said Lord Mandelson.
The fact that young people now expect to download content for free was "morally as well as economically unsustainable," he added.
Mere conduits
But he emphasised that "legislation and enforcement can only ever be part of the solution".
The long-term answer was for the industry to educate users and to offer new and cheaper ways to download content, he said. In addition, new copyright laws were needed to lift restrictions on how people moved content on to the various different devices that they owned.
CD and binary code, Eyewire
Anger at UK file-sharing policy
In France the government has just approved a so-called three strikes policy.
Under its system, those identified as illegally downloading content would initially be sent warning letters and, if they failed to comply, could be removed from the network for up to a year.
UK internet service providers have argued that it is not their job to police the network, claiming that there are "mere conduits" of content.
They also say that they should not have to bear the brunt of the costs.
In his speech, Lord Mandelson said that the costs of enforcing the policy would be "shared between ISPs and content providers".
The Internet Service Providers' Association thinks rightsholders should shoulder the burden for all costs, including the reimbursement of ISPs.
"This approach is consistent with the principle of beneficiary pays and would serve to incentivise rightsholders to develop new business models and ensure an effective and efficient use of notifications and targeted legal action," read a statement from ISPA.
ISP TalkTalk said that it would "continue to resist any attempts to make it impose technical measures on its customers".
It has set up a campaign called Don't Disconnect Us to lobby against the plans.
it said that it believed the "three-strikes" rule would lead to "wrongful accusations".
"The unintended consequence of Lord Mandelson's plan will be to encourage more wi-fi and PC hi-jacking and expose more innocent people to being penalised."
The firm recently demonstrated how someone could hi-jack unsecured wi-fi connections to download music illegally.
Dark net
The Open Rights Group, a digital rights lobby organisation, has long been opposed to a disconnection policy.
Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, is disappointed that the UK government is determined to introduce such legislation.
TalkTalk security expert Matt Roxburgh demonstrates the problem to Rory Cellan-Jones
"Even MI5 disagree with Mr Mandelson - they are convinced we will see a rise of a 'Dark Net' of infringers. Nobody at C&binet from an online music service, as opposed to an old media company, thought that peer-to-peer [file-sharing] was a threat to their businesses.
"Yet Mandelson seems determined to push forward with his plans for 'three strikes' - threatening to punish people extremely harshly, threatening their education, businesses and livelihoods for a relatively minor financial misdemeanour," he said.
There has been increasing pressure from the music industry to get tough on pirates.
Lily Allen has been spearheading a campaign against music piracy, with high-profile stars including Gary Barlow and James Blunt behind her.
Lily Allen
Lily Allen has spearheaded a campaign against music piracy
Music industry group BPI welcomed the move.
"The measures confirmed today by government are a proportionate way of encouraging illegal file-sharers to embrace the new services, and will drive further innovation that will benefit online consumers," said Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive.
But not all content providers agree. Fast-growing music streaming service we7 thinks the government has missed the point.
"Piracy is a reaction to an unsustainable situation, where reasonable, legitimate access to music has struggled to match demand," said chief executive Steve Purdham.
"A variety of reasonable and sustainable models for providing music to consumers is key to ending rampant piracy. This is the approach that should be taken by the government rather than criminalising consumers and driving pirates further into the undergrowth," he added.
It comes as Lord Mandelson confirmed that he would introduce tough measures against illegal file-sharers.
Initially pirates could have download caps imposed or have their bandwidth restricted.
If that did not prove effective in reducing illegal file-sharing, the government will consider disconnecting them from the network.
The Department for Business, Skills and Innovation said the legislation will come into force in April 2010, with the tougher disconnection policy introduced in the spring of 2011 if necessary.
It has asked Ofcom to monitor levels of file-sharing.
ISP TalkTalk said the plans were "ill-conceived" and said it was prepared to challenge measures "in the courts".
"What is being proposed is wrong in principle and won't work in practice," the firm said.
"In the event we are instructed to impose extra judicial technical measures we will challenge the instruction in the courts."
Lord Mandelson emphasised that cutting off internet connections would be a "last resort".
ILLEGAL FILE-SHARING
File-sharing is not illegal. It only becomes illegal when users are sharing content, such as music, that is protected by copyrights
The crackdown will be aimed at people who regularly use technologies, such as BitTorrent, and websites, such as The Pirate Bay, to find and download files
There are plenty of legitimate services which use file-sharing technology such as some on-demand TV services
Q&A: Disconnecting file-sharers
"I have no expectation of mass suspensions. People will receive two notifications and if it reaches the point [of cutting them off] they will have the opportunity to appeal," Lord Mandelson told the audience at the C&binet Forum, a talking shop set up by government to debate the issues facing the creative industries.
The pay-off for tough penalties against persistent file-sharers would be a more relaxed copyright regime, Lord Mandelson said.
The details of it would need to be hammered out at European level but it would take account of the use of copyright material "at home and between friends", he said.
It would mean that, for example, someone who has bought a CD would be able to copy it to their iPod or share it with family members without acting unlawfully.
Lord Mandelson praised the UK's creative industries, which are worth around £16bn and employs 2 million people.
But it has been eroded in recent years, he said, by new ways of accessing content.
"I was shocked to learn that only one in 20 music tracks in the UK is downloaded legally. We cannot sit back and do nothing," said Lord Mandelson.
The fact that young people now expect to download content for free was "morally as well as economically unsustainable," he added.
Mere conduits
But he emphasised that "legislation and enforcement can only ever be part of the solution".
The long-term answer was for the industry to educate users and to offer new and cheaper ways to download content, he said. In addition, new copyright laws were needed to lift restrictions on how people moved content on to the various different devices that they owned.
CD and binary code, Eyewire
Anger at UK file-sharing policy
In France the government has just approved a so-called three strikes policy.
Under its system, those identified as illegally downloading content would initially be sent warning letters and, if they failed to comply, could be removed from the network for up to a year.
UK internet service providers have argued that it is not their job to police the network, claiming that there are "mere conduits" of content.
They also say that they should not have to bear the brunt of the costs.
In his speech, Lord Mandelson said that the costs of enforcing the policy would be "shared between ISPs and content providers".
The Internet Service Providers' Association thinks rightsholders should shoulder the burden for all costs, including the reimbursement of ISPs.
"This approach is consistent with the principle of beneficiary pays and would serve to incentivise rightsholders to develop new business models and ensure an effective and efficient use of notifications and targeted legal action," read a statement from ISPA.
ISP TalkTalk said that it would "continue to resist any attempts to make it impose technical measures on its customers".
It has set up a campaign called Don't Disconnect Us to lobby against the plans.
it said that it believed the "three-strikes" rule would lead to "wrongful accusations".
"The unintended consequence of Lord Mandelson's plan will be to encourage more wi-fi and PC hi-jacking and expose more innocent people to being penalised."
The firm recently demonstrated how someone could hi-jack unsecured wi-fi connections to download music illegally.
Dark net
The Open Rights Group, a digital rights lobby organisation, has long been opposed to a disconnection policy.
Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, is disappointed that the UK government is determined to introduce such legislation.
TalkTalk security expert Matt Roxburgh demonstrates the problem to Rory Cellan-Jones
"Even MI5 disagree with Mr Mandelson - they are convinced we will see a rise of a 'Dark Net' of infringers. Nobody at C&binet from an online music service, as opposed to an old media company, thought that peer-to-peer [file-sharing] was a threat to their businesses.
"Yet Mandelson seems determined to push forward with his plans for 'three strikes' - threatening to punish people extremely harshly, threatening their education, businesses and livelihoods for a relatively minor financial misdemeanour," he said.
There has been increasing pressure from the music industry to get tough on pirates.
Lily Allen has been spearheading a campaign against music piracy, with high-profile stars including Gary Barlow and James Blunt behind her.
Lily Allen
Lily Allen has spearheaded a campaign against music piracy
Music industry group BPI welcomed the move.
"The measures confirmed today by government are a proportionate way of encouraging illegal file-sharers to embrace the new services, and will drive further innovation that will benefit online consumers," said Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive.
But not all content providers agree. Fast-growing music streaming service we7 thinks the government has missed the point.
"Piracy is a reaction to an unsustainable situation, where reasonable, legitimate access to music has struggled to match demand," said chief executive Steve Purdham.
"A variety of reasonable and sustainable models for providing music to consumers is key to ending rampant piracy. This is the approach that should be taken by the government rather than criminalising consumers and driving pirates further into the undergrowth," he added.
Curry spice 'kills cancer cells'
An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown.
The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia.
Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab.
Cancer experts said the findings in the British Journal of Cancer could help doctors find new treatments.
Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.
'Natural' remedy
The cells also began to digest themselves, after the curcumin triggered lethal cell death signals.
Dr McKenna said: "Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous and we suspected that curcumin might have therapeutic value."
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: "This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.
"Rates of oesophageal cancer have gone up by more than a half since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease so finding ways to prevent this disease is important too."
Each year around 7,800 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death and accounts for around five percent of all UK cancer deaths.
The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia.
Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab.
Cancer experts said the findings in the British Journal of Cancer could help doctors find new treatments.
Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.
'Natural' remedy
The cells also began to digest themselves, after the curcumin triggered lethal cell death signals.
Dr McKenna said: "Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous and we suspected that curcumin might have therapeutic value."
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: "This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.
"Rates of oesophageal cancer have gone up by more than a half since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease so finding ways to prevent this disease is important too."
Each year around 7,800 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death and accounts for around five percent of all UK cancer deaths.
Warships track 'hijacked yacht'
A yacht has been spotted by the European Union Naval Force Somalia in the search for a British couple thought to have been captured by pirates.
A spokesman said their warships were in "close vicinity' and radar range but were keeping their distance.
Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, sent a distress signal on Friday from the Indian Ocean near the Seychelles.
The Somali government said it was doing everything possible to locate them.
If warships surround us, we shall point our guns at the British tourists
Pirate quoted by Reuters news agency
The European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) said on Wednesday the yacht they were tracking was heading northwest towards the Somali coast.
The BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, said there was no doubt that the yacht was the one belonging to Mr and Mrs Chandler.
"They are being well treated, fed and looked after," he said.
However, Somali pirates have warned Britain not to try to rescue the couple.
A pirate called Hassan told the Reuters news agency: "If warships surround us, we shall point our guns at the British tourists.
"They are old and we will take care of them - that is if we are not attacked," he said.
Earlier, the prime minister of Somalia, Omar Ali Sharmarke, said he had discussed the case with the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and had met the family of Mr and Mrs Chandler.
'Fingers crossed'
Speaking in London, he told the BBC the government would eradicate Somali piracy by 2011.
"The pattern has been that they don't harm the captives, these pirates, because they want money.
"But I want to assure the family that we will not rest until until we see the freedom of this couple."
Mr and Mrs Chandler were heading on a 150 nautical-mile passage south-west to the Amirante Islands en route to Tanzania in their yacht the Lynn Rival when they used the distress beacon.
Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke met relatives of the couple
The route would have taken the couple near Somali waters which are notorious for pirate attacks on ships and smaller boats.
A Somali pirate told Reuters news agency they had captured the couple and they were healthy but ransom demands would follow.
The couple's family have expressed hope that the pair are safe.
Stephen Collett, of Ixworth, Suffolk, who is the brother of Mrs Chandler, said the family were "keeping their fingers crossed".
"It may still be that they're sailing across the Indian Ocean. We're not grossly over-worried at the moment."
Mr Chandler's sister, Jill Marshment, 69, of Bredon, Worcestershire, said the couple were unlikely to have money for a ransom.
"All their money is literally sunk in that boat as far as I know," she said.
"They haven't got wealth, they are just an ordinary couple enjoying early retirement, to do what they've always wanted to do."
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it still could not confirm whether pirates were involved.
Seychelles map
Paul and Rachel Chandler were on a 150 nautical-mile passage south-west to the Amirante Islands
A spokesman said their warships were in "close vicinity' and radar range but were keeping their distance.
Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, sent a distress signal on Friday from the Indian Ocean near the Seychelles.
The Somali government said it was doing everything possible to locate them.
If warships surround us, we shall point our guns at the British tourists
Pirate quoted by Reuters news agency
The European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) said on Wednesday the yacht they were tracking was heading northwest towards the Somali coast.
The BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, said there was no doubt that the yacht was the one belonging to Mr and Mrs Chandler.
"They are being well treated, fed and looked after," he said.
However, Somali pirates have warned Britain not to try to rescue the couple.
A pirate called Hassan told the Reuters news agency: "If warships surround us, we shall point our guns at the British tourists.
"They are old and we will take care of them - that is if we are not attacked," he said.
Earlier, the prime minister of Somalia, Omar Ali Sharmarke, said he had discussed the case with the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and had met the family of Mr and Mrs Chandler.
'Fingers crossed'
Speaking in London, he told the BBC the government would eradicate Somali piracy by 2011.
"The pattern has been that they don't harm the captives, these pirates, because they want money.
"But I want to assure the family that we will not rest until until we see the freedom of this couple."
Mr and Mrs Chandler were heading on a 150 nautical-mile passage south-west to the Amirante Islands en route to Tanzania in their yacht the Lynn Rival when they used the distress beacon.
Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke met relatives of the couple
The route would have taken the couple near Somali waters which are notorious for pirate attacks on ships and smaller boats.
A Somali pirate told Reuters news agency they had captured the couple and they were healthy but ransom demands would follow.
The couple's family have expressed hope that the pair are safe.
Stephen Collett, of Ixworth, Suffolk, who is the brother of Mrs Chandler, said the family were "keeping their fingers crossed".
"It may still be that they're sailing across the Indian Ocean. We're not grossly over-worried at the moment."
Mr Chandler's sister, Jill Marshment, 69, of Bredon, Worcestershire, said the couple were unlikely to have money for a ransom.
"All their money is literally sunk in that boat as far as I know," she said.
"They haven't got wealth, they are just an ordinary couple enjoying early retirement, to do what they've always wanted to do."
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it still could not confirm whether pirates were involved.
Seychelles map
Paul and Rachel Chandler were on a 150 nautical-mile passage south-west to the Amirante Islands
Islamist dies in FBI Detroit raid
The leader of a radical fundamentalist Islamic group has been shot dead in an FBI raid near the US city of Detroit, officials say.
Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, died in a firefight with agents in Dearborn after refusing to surrender, the FBI says.
The agency said it was trying to arrest Mr Abdullah and 10 followers on charges including conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal arms possession.
The FBI says the group's aim was to set up a Sunni Islamic state in the US.
Mr Abdullah, who was also known as Christopher Thomas, had regularly preached anti-government rhetoric, the agency says.
He had also reportedly urged his followers to engage in jihad, or holy war.
Officials said an FBI dog was also fatally wounded during Wednesday's raid in the US state of Michigan.
Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, died in a firefight with agents in Dearborn after refusing to surrender, the FBI says.
The agency said it was trying to arrest Mr Abdullah and 10 followers on charges including conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal arms possession.
The FBI says the group's aim was to set up a Sunni Islamic state in the US.
Mr Abdullah, who was also known as Christopher Thomas, had regularly preached anti-government rhetoric, the agency says.
He had also reportedly urged his followers to engage in jihad, or holy war.
Officials said an FBI dog was also fatally wounded during Wednesday's raid in the US state of Michigan.
Stellar blast is record-breaker
Astronomers have confirmed that an exploding star spotted by Nasa's Swift satellite is the most distant cosmic object to be detected by telescopes.
In the journal Nature, two teams of astronomers report their observations of a gamma-ray burst from a star that died 13.1 billion light-years away.
The massive star died about 630 million years after the Big Bang.
UK astronomer Nial Tanvir described the observation as "a step back in cosmic time".
Professor Tanvir led an international team studying the afterglow of the explosion, using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii.
Swift (Nasa)
Swift detects around 100 gamma ray bursts every year
He told BBC News that his team was able to observe the afterglow for 10 days, while the gamma ray burst itself lasted around 12 seconds.
The event, dubbed GRB 090423, is an example of one of the most violent explosions in the Universe.
It is thought to have been associated with the cataclysmic death of a massive star - triggered by the centre of the star collapsing to form a "stellar-sized" black hole.
"Swift detects something like 100 gamma ray bursts per year," said Professor Tanvir. "And we follow up on lots of them in the hope that eventually we will get one like this one - something really very distant."
Another team, led by Italian astronomer Ruben Salvaterra studied the afterglow independently with the National Galileo Telescope in La Palma.
Little red dot
He told BBC News: "This kind of observation is quite difficult, so having two groups have the same result with two different instruments makes this much more robust."
"It is not surprising - we expected to see an event this distant eventually," said Professor Salvaterra.
"But to be there when it happens is quite amazing - definitely something to tell the grandchildren."
A GAMMA-RAY BURST RECIPE
Artist's impression of GRB production (ESO)
Models assume GRBs arise when giant stars burn out and collapse
During collapse, super-fast jets of matter burst out from the stars
Collisions occur with gas already shed by the dying behemoths
The interaction generates the energetic signals detected by Swift
Remnants of the huge stars end their days as black holes
The astronomers were able to calculate the vast distance using a phenomenon known as "red shift".
Most of the light from the explosion was absorbed by intergalactic hydrogen gas. As that light travelled towards Earth, the expansion of the Universe "stretches" its wavelength, causing it to become redder.
"The greater that amount of movement [or stretching], the greater the distance." he said.
The image of this gamma ray burst was produced by combining several infrared images.
"So in this case, it's the redness of the dot that indicates that it is very distant," Professor Tanvir explained.
Before this record-breaking event, the furthest object observed from Earth was a gamma ray burst 12.9 billion light-years away.
"This is quite a big step back to the era when the first stars formed in the Universe," said Professor Tanvir.
"Not too long ago we had no idea where the first galaxies came from, so astronomers think this is a profound moment.
"This is... the last blank bit of the map of the Universe - the time between the Big Bang and the formation of these early galaxies."
Italian National Telescope Galileo (TNG)
Data from two powerful telescopes confirmed the result
And this is not the end of the story.
Bing Zhang, an astronomer from the University of Nevada, who was not involved in this study, wrote an article in Nature, explaining its significance.
The discovery, he said, opened up the exciting possibility of studying the "dark ages" of the Universe with gamma ray bursts.
And Professor Tanvir is already planning follow-up studies "looking for the galaxy this exploding star occurred in."
Next year, he and his team will be using the Hubble Space Telescope to try to locate that distant, very early galaxy.
In the journal Nature, two teams of astronomers report their observations of a gamma-ray burst from a star that died 13.1 billion light-years away.
The massive star died about 630 million years after the Big Bang.
UK astronomer Nial Tanvir described the observation as "a step back in cosmic time".
Professor Tanvir led an international team studying the afterglow of the explosion, using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii.
Swift (Nasa)
Swift detects around 100 gamma ray bursts every year
He told BBC News that his team was able to observe the afterglow for 10 days, while the gamma ray burst itself lasted around 12 seconds.
The event, dubbed GRB 090423, is an example of one of the most violent explosions in the Universe.
It is thought to have been associated with the cataclysmic death of a massive star - triggered by the centre of the star collapsing to form a "stellar-sized" black hole.
"Swift detects something like 100 gamma ray bursts per year," said Professor Tanvir. "And we follow up on lots of them in the hope that eventually we will get one like this one - something really very distant."
Another team, led by Italian astronomer Ruben Salvaterra studied the afterglow independently with the National Galileo Telescope in La Palma.
Little red dot
He told BBC News: "This kind of observation is quite difficult, so having two groups have the same result with two different instruments makes this much more robust."
"It is not surprising - we expected to see an event this distant eventually," said Professor Salvaterra.
"But to be there when it happens is quite amazing - definitely something to tell the grandchildren."
A GAMMA-RAY BURST RECIPE
Artist's impression of GRB production (ESO)
Models assume GRBs arise when giant stars burn out and collapse
During collapse, super-fast jets of matter burst out from the stars
Collisions occur with gas already shed by the dying behemoths
The interaction generates the energetic signals detected by Swift
Remnants of the huge stars end their days as black holes
The astronomers were able to calculate the vast distance using a phenomenon known as "red shift".
Most of the light from the explosion was absorbed by intergalactic hydrogen gas. As that light travelled towards Earth, the expansion of the Universe "stretches" its wavelength, causing it to become redder.
"The greater that amount of movement [or stretching], the greater the distance." he said.
The image of this gamma ray burst was produced by combining several infrared images.
"So in this case, it's the redness of the dot that indicates that it is very distant," Professor Tanvir explained.
Before this record-breaking event, the furthest object observed from Earth was a gamma ray burst 12.9 billion light-years away.
"This is quite a big step back to the era when the first stars formed in the Universe," said Professor Tanvir.
"Not too long ago we had no idea where the first galaxies came from, so astronomers think this is a profound moment.
"This is... the last blank bit of the map of the Universe - the time between the Big Bang and the formation of these early galaxies."
Italian National Telescope Galileo (TNG)
Data from two powerful telescopes confirmed the result
And this is not the end of the story.
Bing Zhang, an astronomer from the University of Nevada, who was not involved in this study, wrote an article in Nature, explaining its significance.
The discovery, he said, opened up the exciting possibility of studying the "dark ages" of the Universe with gamma ray bursts.
And Professor Tanvir is already planning follow-up studies "looking for the galaxy this exploding star occurred in."
Next year, he and his team will be using the Hubble Space Telescope to try to locate that distant, very early galaxy.
Size zero girls 'less attractive'
Young men find "normal" sized women more attractive than size zero celebrities, research has suggested.
Male students at St Andrews University were asked to rate female faces for attractiveness and health.
The study found that girls with an average weight and build were ranked as being the most attractive and healthy.
Researchers said the findings sent out a strong message to young women who believe being underweight is considered to be attractive.
The research was carried out by a team from the university's Perception Lab, who asked 84 female students a variety of questions on their health, took their blood pressure and photographed them.
People in the normal weight range were judged healthier and more attractive than under or overweight individuals.
Professor David Perrett
University of St Andrews
The photographs were then shown to a group of male students who were asked to rate them for health, attractiveness and weight.
Professor David Perrett, who supervised the project, said: "In our study, people in the normal weight range were judged healthier and more attractive than under or overweight individuals.
"This sends a strong message to all the girls out there who believe you have to be underweight to be attractive.
"The people making judgments in our study were all between the ages of 18 and 26 and they did not rate underweight girls most attractive. They preferred normal weight girls."
Lead researcher Vinet Coetzee said although people often often remark on how healthy or unhealthy someone looks, it can be very difficult to say precisely how we know this.
'Already suffering'
She added: "Scientists have been trying to answer this question for decades, and have made many breakthroughs in our understanding of health and attractiveness, but until now they have tended to overlook the influence of weight."
Ms Coetzee said students who were rated as being overweight reported more frequent and longer-lasting cold and flu bouts, used antibiotics more frequently and had higher blood pressure than the students who were considered normal weight.
"Even at this young age, their health was already suffering because they were overweight, and what is more, other people can spot this in their face," she added.
The findings have been published online by the scientific journal Perception.
Male students at St Andrews University were asked to rate female faces for attractiveness and health.
The study found that girls with an average weight and build were ranked as being the most attractive and healthy.
Researchers said the findings sent out a strong message to young women who believe being underweight is considered to be attractive.
The research was carried out by a team from the university's Perception Lab, who asked 84 female students a variety of questions on their health, took their blood pressure and photographed them.
People in the normal weight range were judged healthier and more attractive than under or overweight individuals.
Professor David Perrett
University of St Andrews
The photographs were then shown to a group of male students who were asked to rate them for health, attractiveness and weight.
Professor David Perrett, who supervised the project, said: "In our study, people in the normal weight range were judged healthier and more attractive than under or overweight individuals.
"This sends a strong message to all the girls out there who believe you have to be underweight to be attractive.
"The people making judgments in our study were all between the ages of 18 and 26 and they did not rate underweight girls most attractive. They preferred normal weight girls."
Lead researcher Vinet Coetzee said although people often often remark on how healthy or unhealthy someone looks, it can be very difficult to say precisely how we know this.
'Already suffering'
She added: "Scientists have been trying to answer this question for decades, and have made many breakthroughs in our understanding of health and attractiveness, but until now they have tended to overlook the influence of weight."
Ms Coetzee said students who were rated as being overweight reported more frequent and longer-lasting cold and flu bouts, used antibiotics more frequently and had higher blood pressure than the students who were considered normal weight.
"Even at this young age, their health was already suffering because they were overweight, and what is more, other people can spot this in their face," she added.
The findings have been published online by the scientific journal Perception.
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