Winner take all vs. local

Winner take all vs. local

Rule 1: If there's no really good reason for a business to be done locally, it will migrate to the web.

Rule 2: Businesses that migrate to the web often have economies of scale, and those businesses quickly coalesce into just a few (or even one) winner.

The winning strategy for the local business or freelancer, then, is:

a. provide a product or service that truly works better when it's local, and

b. do it in a way that works better when it's small, custom, connected and not in search of economies of scale.

'Bulwark against aggression'? US pushes MidEast militarization despite Iran thaw

A U.S. Navy diver cuts himself free after getting entangled with his safety device as he jumps from a USS Navy helicopter to perform a mine-sweeping exercise during the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) in the Middle East Gulf May 14, 2013.(Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed)

Despite the historic Geneva Accord with Tehran, which calls for Iran to curb its nuclear activity in return for sanction easing, Washington is ready to boost military sales in the Gulf, as well as maintain its weighty presence.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Gulf Arab leaders on Saturday the United States was committed to maintaining its vast military forces in the Middle East, as well as supplying its Arab clients with state-of-the-art military equipment.

"I am under no illusions, like all of you, about the daily threats facing this region, or the current anxieties that I know exist here in the Gulf," Hagel told the Manama Dialogue security forum in Bahrain on Saturday. "These anxieties have emerged as the United States pursues diplomatic openings on some of the region's most difficult problems and most complex issues, including Iran's nuclear program and the conflict in Syria."

Hagel confirmed that the US military “will not make any adjustments to its forces in the region — or to its military planning — as a result of the interim agreement with Iran."

The defense secretary’s comments come amid a general reduction of tensions in the region, not to mention the American people’s exasperation with foreign entanglements in an economic downturn. Although the US military is winding down its decades-long, super-expensive wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, US militarization in the region continues unabated.

The Pentagon is fielding more than 35,000 troops in the Persian Gulf, together with tanks, fighter jets and artillery that serve as a “bulwark against aggression,” Hagel said. Exactly where that source of“aggression” derives from, however, he failed to say.

Hagel is attempting to reassure the Arab world, not to mention Israel, that Washington has no intention of alienating the region, even as the United States has shifted its military attention, not to mention the bulk of its assets, to Asia.

Hagel, who told Congress last month that US isolationism is more of a threat than hubris, reminded his listeners of the 40 American warships and aircraft carrier fleet prowling the waters around the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Originally dispatched in late 2011 at the height of tensions with Iran, this massive US naval flotilla does not appear to be going home anytime soon.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks at the IISS Regional Security Summit - The Manama Dialogue, in Manama, December 7, 2013.(Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed)

In the last six months, US warships have traversed the Strait of Hormuz “a total of about 50 times,” he said.

The defense secretary also emphasized America’s “overwhelming” air power in the oil-rich region.

“We have deployed our most advanced fighter aircraft throughout the region, including F-22s, to ensure that we can quickly respond to contingencies,” he said. “Coupled with our unique munitions, no target is beyond our reach."

Hagel, himself a successful entrepreneur, then mixed a little business with diplomacy, saying the US encourages the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to purchase US defense systems.

"Going forward, the Department of Defense will place even more emphasis on building the capacity of our partners in order to complement our strong military presence in the region," he said.

"Our goal is for our allies and partners in this region to be stronger and more capable in dealing with common threats," he said.

Hagel’s figures, which only calculated US military assets without noting the prohibitive cost of these military activities, require the United States to aggressively sell its military weapons to Arab clients in the hope of breaking even. The irony of the situation is that the more weapons procured in the hands of Arab leaders, the higher the risk of some sort of confrontation breaking out.

Meanwhile, Hagel also mentioned the possibility of Arab countries working with the US on missile defense, a project that has been a primary source of contention between Moscow and Washington since the Bush years.

Moscow maintains the system, situated just miles from the Russian border, threatens to upset the strategic balance of power, thereby triggering another arms race.

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, aware of an opening on the geopolitical chessboard, said the thaw in relations with Tehran meant there was no need for a European missile defense system, which Washington has argued is necessary for guarding against an Iranian missile strike.

Now, however, with Hagel discussing the sale of US missile defense systems in the Middle East, at the same time that the Iranian nuclear threat has been neutralized, Moscow, as well as many other countries in the region, has real reason for concern.

No secret deal on Ukraine joining Moscow-led Customs Union – Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych.(AFP Photo / Sergei Supinsky)

Russia’s and Ukraine’s presidents have not discussed Kiev joining the Moscow-led Customs Union, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, denying earlier media reports to the contrary.

Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych held a brief meeting in Russian Sochi on Friday, as the Ukrainian president was returning from his visit to China. The two leaders discussed bilateral trade and other economic issues, but the prospect of Ukraine joining the Customs Union was not on the table, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Saturday.

He was commenting on a report in The Economist, which claimed that Yanukovych and Putin had reached a deal under which Ukraine would join the customs union that currently includes Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The British magazine’s International section editor, Edward Lucas, cited a reliable source as saying that Moscow had convinced Ukraine to join the union before 2015, when Yanukovych’s term in office ends.

In exchange, Moscow allegedly offered at least $5 billion of aid and a significant discount on the price of natural gas, which Ukraine buys from Russia, the report claimed.

Currently Kiev pays just over $400 per 1,000 cubic meters for Russian gas. It is about $100 less than what the standing contract stipulates, due to a discount, which Russia gave back in 2010 in exchange for prolonging the stationing of its Black Sea fleet in Ukrainian territorial waters. The price would be further dropped to $200 under the strategic agreement, the magazine claimed.

Gas trade was indeed discussed at the meeting, Peskov said. But the parties did not arrive at a solution to current differences on the issue. Putin and Yanukovych also discussed cooperation in aircraft building, shipbuilding and space industry and financial cooperation, Peskov added.

Russia is seeking regional economic integration through the Customs Union project, and wants Ukraine to be part of it. The union seeks to eradicate trade barriers and harmonize national regulations for its members. Kiev so far has showed no intention to join the union.

The Association Agreement with the EU, which Ukraine decided last month to suspend talks on signing, has similar objectives, but within the European Union. It would be nearly impossible for Ukraine to integrate both with the EU and with the Customs Union. The Ukrainian government maintains that its aspiration is to go westward, albeit on more favorable terms than what Brussels is offering now.

The failure to sign the EU deal sparked mass protests in Ukraine, with thousands of activists staging daily rallies in Kiev and other large cities. Many EU officials support the protest movement and criticize Ukrainian government for its last-minute U-turn. Russia has called on Europeans to keep their distance, and to let Ukrainians settle their differences on their own.

Pyongyang releases 85-yo US Korean War vet after ‘confession of crimes’

Veteran U.S. soldier Merrill Newman (C), who was detained for over a month in North Korea, arrives at Beijing airport in Beijing, in this photo taken by Kyodo December 7, 2013. (Reuters / Kyodo)

North Korea has deported an 85-year-old former Korean War veteran from the United States who was detained in October during a 10-day private visit to the country. The release came after Pyongyang published a written “apology” for his “war crimes.”

Merrill Newman, who served as a military adviser helping pro-South Korea guerillas during the 1950-53 war, was deported due to humanitarian considerations, North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday. The report cited the veteran’s "sincere repentance," his age and health condition.

The American was sent to China, the destination he had intended to travel to next, when North Korean authorities detained him October 26.

"I'm very glad to be on my way home," Newman told Japanese media on his arrival at the Beijing airport. "I feel good, I feel good. I want to go home to see my wife."

Washington welcomed the news of Newman’s release. "We are pleased that Mr. Merrill Newman has been allowed to depart the DPRK and rejoin his family. We welcome the DPRK's decision to release him," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.

The official used the occasion to reiterate the US’s call for Pyongyang to release another American, Kenneth Bae, who was arrested a year ago and sentenced to 15 years on charges of planning to topple the North Korean government.

"We call on the DPRK once again to pardon and grant Mr. Bae special amnesty and immediately release him as a humanitarian gesture so that he too can return home to his family," Harf said.

Pyongyang set Newman free just hours before US Vice President Joe Biden, who is visiting South Korea as part of his trip to Asia, was scheduled to visit the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.

Biden praised Pyongyang’s decision, adding that he didn’t have a direct role in Newman’s release. He also said he had offered Newman a ride home on Air Force Two, but the veteran declined the offer because there was a commercial flight from Beijing to San Francisco within a few hours.

Newman’s release comes a week after North Korea published a written apology, purportedly written by him, saying that he confessed to “masterminding espionage” and “was involved in killings of service personnel of the Korean People's Army and innocent civilians” during the war. Newman was also shown in a filmed video “apology” for his “crimes.”

During his 10-day trip to North Korea, Newman had intended to meet with surviving soldiers from the war and pray for the dead, his family said.

North Korea has detained at least six US citizens since 2009. Two of them were journalists, who were arrested for trespassing. They were later released after a visit to Pyongyang by former US President Bill Clinton.

Others, including Bae, were Christian missionaries. The Pyongyang government views all Christians with suspicion, apparently linking them with the many Protestant Christian organizations in South Korea who are among the most vocal critics of the North’s regime.

Massive pro-EU protests in Ukraine: LIVE UPDATES

Protesters take part in a rally of the opposition on the Independence Square in Kiev on December 6, 2013.(AFP Photo / Sergei Supinsky)

Thousands of Ukrainians are continuing protests over the government’s suspension of a key EU trade deal. The country risks falling into chaos as the opposition calls for a change of government and police brutality has left hundreds of people injured.

Go to Part 1 of live updates.

Saturday, December 7

09:58 GMT: “Russia and Ukraine didn’t discuss the question dealing with Ukraine joining the Customs Union,” RIA Novosti reported Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss a new strategic partnership agreement, Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told foreign media.

Earlier, the Economist, citing its own sources, had claimed Ukraine had signed an agreement with Russia including Ukraine’s commitment to join the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.

09:30 GMT: “Ukrainian law enforcement forces whose duty is to maintain order in the country faced open violence and provocations,” says Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov.

According to the Ukrainian PM, he raised this issue during the meeting in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, saying that everyone should “abide by the Constitution.”

On Saturday, November, 30 Berkut riot police, using tear gas and clubs, violently dispersed the pro-EU integration protesters on Independence Square in Kiev. At least 35 people were injured in the clashes. However, police say the dispersal and beating of demonstrators came after provocations.

09:07 GMT: “Russia and Ukraine didn’t discuss the question dealing with Ukraine joining the Customs Union,” RIA Novosti reported Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss a new strategic partnership agreement, Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told foreign media.

Earlier, the Economist, citing its own sources, had claimed Ukraine had signed an agreement with Russia including Ukraine’s commitment to join the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.

08:20 GMT: Berkut riot police are guarding Kiev’s main TV center, RT correspondent Irina Galushko reports from Kiev. Local media say at least two busloads of Berkut officers are at the scene, along with several vehicles carrying regular police. The authorities are not commenting on the reason for the deployment.

07:20 GMT: Hundreds of anti-government protesters are resuming their demonstration on Independence Square in Kiev, RIA Novosti reports. The protest, which was sparked by the government’s decision to suspend talks on a trade agreement with the EU, is in its third week now.

07:18 GMT: Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov says he supports the idea of a trilateral commission to investigate the eviction of opposition activists last week, UNIAN news agency reports.

“We are ready to create an independent group which will investigate the controversies,” Azarov said during a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland.

“The commission must be impartial. Its members should abide by the Constitution of Ukraine. And first of all, the protesters should free the administrational buildings [they seized last weekend],” Azarov added.

It was Jagland who suggested the idea of an inquiry into the Kiev violence. The proposed commission would include representatives from the pro-EU opposition, the Ukrainian government and the international community.

06:18 GMT: Two protesters have been arrested by a Kiev court over the violent clashes on Bankovaya Street on December 1, Kiev police said. The court ordered that the activists, from the Road Control (Dorozhnaya Kontrol) opposition group, be held in custody for two months.

Earlier on Friday, another activist from the same group, Andrey Dzindzya, was arrested. He is suspected of stealing a tractor that was used by protesters to try to break through a police cordon near the presidential administration building in Kiev.

During the Friday hearings, scuffles erupted in the courtroom between several opposition MPs and bailiffs. While the court was in session, dozens of protesters blocked the courthouse, demanding the release of Dzindzya.

05:45 GMT: The leader of the opposition party Strike (Udar), Vitaly Klitchko, voiced three key conditions for a start of negotiations with the government, UNIAN news agency reports. He demanded the release 14 Maidan activists who had been arrested by the authorities. The opposition is also demanding the prosecution of police officers responsible for brutality against activists and journalists, and is calling for the resignation of Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko.

Klitchko made a comparison between Ukraine and Latvia, where several senior government officials, including Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, resigned after the deadly collapse of a shopping mall.

“Azarov’s government which led the country into economic and political crisis even doesn’t think about resignation,” Klitchko said.

01:20 GMT: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met to discuss a new strategic partnership agreement, Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told foreign media, Itar-Tass reported.

"The issue on the agenda was drafting a major strategic partnership agreement with Russia, complemented with a road map eliminating disputes over trading and economic issues," Azarov said."Ukraine and Russia are determined to fully eliminate the contradictions that have piled up in bilateral relations over the past three and a half years, including controversies over the gas supply contract and the disruption of industrial cooperation."

Friday, December 6

14:45 GMT: Yulia Tymoshenko has abandoned her hunger strike in protest against the government’s refusal to sign the EU trade deal, which she began on November 25. The news was told by her daughter to UNIAN news agency.

12:50 GMT: A statement from retired security officials says that the country risks falling into a “state of chaos” and condemns all sides for escalating the stand-odd in the country.

“Constitutional standards are being replaced by political or other imperatives, chaos and irresponsibility, as was demonstrated by the excessive use of force by the government, and the occupation of government offices by the opposition,” said an open letter on the official security services website.

12:40 GMT: Supporters of the nine demonstrators arrested following the failed storm of the president’s office on Sunday have staged a 'lie-in' outside the General Prosecutor’s office, demanding their release.

“By overstepping the law, the prosecutors are ‘stepping over’ Ukrainian citizens,” said a statement from the Democratic Alliance party, explaining the symbolism of the protest.

11:13 GMT: The leader of Opposition Batkivschina (Fatherland) party Arseny Yatsenyuk said that the leaders of the opposition, including Yatsenyuk himself, are to be questioned by the prosecutor’s office, the “Ukrainskays Pravda” newspaper reports.

Opposition supporters sleep on the floor in the premises of the City Hall, which they occupy, on December 6, 2013. (AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV)

10:00 GMT: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the West is meddling in Ukraine’s internal business.

“All these issues must be dealt with by the Ukrainian leadership and society – not foreigners, not even Russia. Everyone must behave in a proper manner.”

“Just imagine what our German partners would feel if a Russian FM simply showed up at some public anti-government gathering there. I don’t think they would view that as a very friendly move.”

“To show up somewhere is one thing. But to participate is to meddle in other people’s internal affairs,” the PM said.

Prosecutors ‘coerce’ drug offenders into waiving their right to trial – human rights report

US federal prosecutors often threaten drug offenders with decades of prion time in an effort to intimidate them into waiving their right to trial and agreeing to plead guilty, a Human Rights Watch investigation has determined.

A whopping 97 percent of federal drug defendants agree to a plea bargain, foregoing their constitutionally-protected right to a fair trial. Government attorneys convince them to do so by charging a defendant with crimes that have high minimum mandatory sentences attached, meaning a judge has no choice but to follow the pre-disposed guideline.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a non-governmental organization that lobbies for human rights around the world, found that the three percent of defendants who take their chances with a trial are often disappointed. Federal drug offenders convicted in a trial are given prison sentences that are on average three times longer than those who accept a plea deal, according to “An Offer You Can’t Refuse,” the 126-page HRW report.

“There is nothing inherently wrong with resolving cases through guilty pleas – it reduces the many burdens of trial preparation and the trial itself on prosecutors, defendants, judges and witnesses,” the report stated.

“But in the US plea bargaining system, many federal prosecutors strong-arm defendants by offering the, shorter prison terms if they plead guilty, and threatening them if they go to trial with sentences that, in the words of Judge John Gleeson of the Southern District of New York, can be ‘so excessively severe, they take your breath away.’”

One of the most flagrant examples of alleged prosecutorial overreach is the case of Darlene Eckles. In 2002, Eckles was a single mom who was balancing college courses and a full time job when she took in her homeless brother into her home in an effort to keep him off the streets. She told police that one day, upon arriving home from class, she noticed that her brother – who had a history of drug dealing – was counting money in the living room.

“I’ll help you count it, then I want you to get out,” she said, as quoted by Utah’s Deseret News.

Yet by then police had already been monitoring her brothers for months and Ms. Eckles was soon arrested as part of a 37-member conspiracy. Responsible for raising a young son, Eckles refused a 10-year prison sentence only to be sentenced to 20 years after a trial. Her brother, the ringleader of the drug ring, testified against her at trial and received less than 12 years.

Experts say that drug cases likes Eckles’ have become the norm, not the exception to the rule.

“If we want to solve this problem in our community, we have to stop locking everyone up,” said Jeffrey Goodwin, a magistrate judge in the 10th District of North Carolina. “Incarceration doesn’t just affect that person. It doesn’t just affect the immediate family of that person. It affects extended family members, who may be asked to care for children. It affects the entire community.”

US Attorney General Eric Holder announced in August that he had directed federal prosecutors to cease charging defendants in a way that automatically sets off a mandatory minimum sentence.

For instance, an offender accused of conspiring to sell five kilograms of cocaine could be hit with a 10-year mandatory minimum if the prosecutor wrote that “the defendant conspired to distribute cocaine” without indicating exactly how much cocaine that person was actually carrying.

Holder admitted that such technicalities mean prosecutorial discretion will still be a major factor in sentencing, saying “widespread incarceration at the federal, state, and local levels is both ineffective and unsustainable.”

Jamie Fellner, the author of the HRW report, put the situation more simply.

“Prosecutors give drug defendants a so-called choice – in the most egregious cases, the choice can be to plead guilty to 10 years, or risk life without parole by going to trial,” she said. “Prosecutors make offers few drug defendants can refuse. This is coercion pure and simple.”

Data haul by Android Flashlight app 'deceives' millions

The "brightest flashlight" app was downloaded to millions of Android devices

Tens of millions of Android users have been "deceived" by a developer who covertly gathered personal data, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said.

GoldenShores Technologies took ID and location data from the millions using its Brightest Flashlight app.

The developer shared the data with ad networks but did not tell users about this practice, an FTC statement said.

To settle the charges, GoldenShores has agreed to give users more control over what happens to their data.

In its statement, the FTC criticised GoldenShores for its poor privacy policy, which did not let people know that the app was logging their precise location and a unique identifier for their phone and was then sharing that information with advertisers.

'Left in the dark'

Although the free app offered people an opt-out clause, the FTC said this was "meaningless" because data from all users of the Brightest Flashlight app was shared whether they agreed or not.

"When consumers are given a real, informed choice, they can decide for themselves whether the benefit of a service is worth the information they must share to use it," said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC bureau of consumer protection, in a statement.

"But this Flashlight app left them in the dark about how their information was going to be used," she added.

A settlement deal signed by GoldenShores tightens up its privacy policy and demands that the company change how it handles data. In particular, it must no longer misrepresent how it gathers data and whom it is shared with, and must give consumers meaningful control over what is done with the information.

In addition, it must delete all the data it previously gathered from those who downloaded the Flashlight app.

Ashes 2013-14: Michael Clarke is 'world's best batsman'

Michael Clarke's latest Ashes hundred underlined the Australia captain's status as the best batsman in the world, team-mate Brad Haddin said.

Clarke scored 148 in a partnership of 200 with Haddin as Australia declared on 570-9 before England reached 35-1 on day two of the second Test in Adelaide.

Asked if Clarke was peerless, Haddin, said: "I think so. You can definitely make a good argument for it.

"Since Michael's taken over as captain, his batting's gone to another level."

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The Analyst: Clarke's clever footwork

Clarke's second century in as many Tests, and his 26th in total, put Australia in a commanding position as they look to take a 2-0 lead over England in the best-of five match series.

He has now scored 12 hundreds in 31 Tests as captain at an average of 64.42.

"Once he gets past 20, he seems to go on and get some really big hundreds," added Haddin, who hit five sixes in his innings of 118 as he almost matched his average of 121 at Adelaide.

"His form over the last two years has been as good as anyone in the world. It's been good to watch."

Haddin, who survived being caught behind on 51 when Ben Stokes was pulled up for bowling a no-ball, reserved some praise for Mitchell Johnson.

Analysis

Jonathan AgnewBBC cricket correspondent

"Clarke has now scored three hundreds in his last five Ashes Tests and, in the way he is playing, reminds me of Ricky Ponting's crusade to regain the urn in 2006-07.

"On that occasion, Ponting was smarting from losing the Ashes in England in 2005 and now Clarke is a similar Australia captain scorned, desperate to get the urn back and leading from the front."

• Read more from Aggers

The left-arm fast bowler produced a 94.5mph delivery that swung in the air and straightened off the pitch to bowl England captain Alastair Cook during a ferocious opening burst

"You could tell by his run-up that they were going to come out with some serious pace," said Haddin.

"He just looked smooth, he was coming into the crease and it looked like he was gliding in.

"I noticed up on the board he had the six fastest balls of the day after his first seven or so balls so it's always good having Mitch bowling that sort of pace.

"That ball that got Alastair Cook was a cracker. It swung late and was a very good delivery.

"My worst part of the week is the seven minutes having to face him in the nets. It's always good to have Mitch in your team."

Following Cook's dismissal, Michael Carberry and Joe Root showed some fight to steer England through to the close of day two without further damage.

Clarke in numbers

• Michael Clarke has now scored more Test runs in Australia (4,418) than Don Bradman (4,322).
• Clarke has now passed 1,000 runs in the calendar year 2013 (1,008), averaging 53.05
• He has scored six centuries in nine Tests at the Adelaide Oval, averaging 104.75 - nearly twice his career Test average of 52.78
• The Clarke-Haddin stand of 200 was the highest sixth-wicket Test partnership on this ground

Stokes, who removed Clarke and Peter Siddle for his first Test wickets, said the rest of the team can take inspiration from their efforts.

"The way they both stuck at it was brilliant to watch," said Stokes.

"We know we need to bat long and give them nothing on Saturday and hopefully the day after.

"We have a lot of talent in our batting line-up and we know we have the skills to do it."

Haddin said Australia were now in a position from which to dictate the match.

"There are still three days in the game, but we've put ourselves in a good position to drive the game where we need to," he said.

"It's up to us to bowl well and capitalise on a good score."

Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott's review of the day on the TMS podcast page.

Catch up with a two-minute summary of Test Match Special commentary with Pint-sized Ashes.

For a gallery of images from the fourth day's play go to the BBC Sport Facebook page. 

Rare material shortages could put gadgets at risk

The study looked at many of the elements commonly used in technology

Modern technology is too reliant on rare materials whose scarcity could drastically set back innovation, a new report has warned.

It suggested that as more and more devices are manufactured, supplies of key elements, particularly metals, will be strained.

Potential substitute materials are either inadequate or non-existent, researchers said.

One scientist called the findings "an important wake-up call".

Andrea Sella, of University College London - who was unconnected to the study - told website The Conversation that it was the first time the issue had been explored in such detail.

Researchers at Yale University, led by Prof Thomas Graedel, analysed the use of 62 metals or metalloids commonly found in popular technology, such as smartphones.

Troubling

It found that none of the 62 had alternatives that performed equally well. Twelve had no alternative, Prof Graedal found.

The scope for serious disruption because of material shortages is increasingly troubling technology companies.

Rare materials are expensive to extract, and their processing comes with considerable environmental concerns.

In April 2012, the BBC's Ian Hardy discovered the effect that mass flooding in Thailand had on the technology supply chain

Political factors also play a part: in 2010, China restricted the export of some materials, known as rare earth elements.

It said this was because of environmental issues, but some observers noted that the restrictions had two distinct effects - the price of the elements increased fivefold, and Chinese companies were simultaneously given the upper hand in using the precious materials at lower cost.

Disrupted

Natural disasters bring another unpredictable risk.

In 2011, serious flooding in Thailand disrupted global supply chains as the country is a hub for hardware manufacture.

Shortages of storage devices extended well into 2012, according to research company IHS iSuppli, with hard-drive supplies the hardest hit.

The Yale report concluded: "As wealth and population increase worldwide in the next few decades, scientists will be increasingly challenged to maintain and improve product utility by designing new and better materials, but doing so under potential constraints in resource availability."

US jobless rate falls to 5-year low in November

There has been strong US jobs growth in the past four months

The US unemployment rate has fallen to a five year low of 7% in November, according to the US Labor Department.

203,000 new jobs were created last month, more than predicted, as the world's largest economy displayed more signs of strength.

The monthly non-farm payroll figure is closely watched by economists.

Analysts say these indications of strong growth could mean that the Federal Reserve will start to unwind its massive stimulus programme soon.

However, the November figure could be slightly distorted as some federal workers who were counted as jobless in the October figure, because of the 16-day partial government shutdown, returned to their jobs.

The report also indicated that the October and September non-farm payroll figures, which had also been strong, were even better than their first estimates.

Jobs gains for those two months were revised upwards by 8,000, in the November release.

Nelson Mandela death: Queen leads tributes

Thousands flocked to to see Mr Mandela on his first state visit to the UK in 1996

The Queen has led the UK in sending her "sincere condolences" to the family of Nelson Mandela and to the people of South Africa.

Her Majesty said she was "deeply saddened" to learn of his death.

As books of condolences opened across the country, flags flew half-mast at the request of the Foreign Office.

David Cameron visited the South African High Commission in London to offer his condolences, remembering a man who "will inspire generations to come".

The Queen said the former South African president "worked tirelessly" for the good of his country, adding that his legacy is "the peaceful South Africa we see today".

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "Her Majesty remembers with great warmth her meetings with Mr Mandela".

Writing in a book of condolence at South Africa House in Trafalgar Square, the prime minister said of Mr Mandela: "Your cause of fighting for freedom and against discrimination, your struggle for justice, your triumph against adversity - these things will inspire generations to come.

"And through all of this, your generosity, compassion and profound sense of forgiveness have given us all lessons to learn and live by."

He ended his message with a quote from Matthew 5:9 in the Bible: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God".

A book of condolence has opened for members of the public to sign at St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey. Further books will open at Coventry Cathedral, the city of peace and reconciliation, and at Leeds Civic Hall, after Mr Mandela was made a Freeman of Leeds in 2001.

St Paul's Cathedral is to hold an evensong service in memory of Mr Mandela at 17:00 GMT on Thursday.

Westminster service

A national service of thanksgiving for the life of Mr Mandela is to be held at Westminster Abbey after the state funeral in South Africa.

The Foreign Office said it has requested that all UK national flags across the country be half-masted until 20:00 GMT on Thursday. It also appealed for any foreign flags usually flown on the same stand as the Union Flag to be removed.

Mr Mandela made his first state visit to the UK in 1996, two years after he became South Africa's first black president.

The Prince of Wales said Mr Mandela was the "embodiment of courage and reconciliation".

The prince added: "He was also a man of great humour and had a real zest for life.

"With his passing, there will be an immense void not only in his family's lives, but also in those of all South Africans and the many others whose lives have been changed through his fight for peace, justice and freedom.

"The world has lost an inspired leader and a great man. My family and I are profoundly saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

The Queen remembers "with great warmth" her meetings with Mr Mandela

MPs are to hold a "major event" at Westminster Hall in honour of Mr Mandela

Tributes have been laid outside South Africa House in Trafalgar Square

It was once the scene of freedom vigils for Mr Mandela, whose politics saw him imprisoned for 27 years

'Extraordinary and inspiring'

On Thursday night, Prince William said the death of Mandela was "extremely sad and tragic".

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were attending the premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, a film about the former South African president, when news of Mr Mandela's death broke.

Speaking after the film, Prince William said: "We were just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now."

Prince William on Nelson Mandela: "It is extremely sad and tragic news"

Labour MP Peter Hain, whose family fled South Africa during apartheid, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that parliament's Westminster Hall was to hold a "major event" to commemorate Mr Mandela's life.

He said that it was important not only for MPs to pay tribute to Mr Mandela but "for others to come together and commemorate an incredible life, a person who was a bright beacon of justice and liberty which shone right across the world and sadly [is] now extinguished."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, was among others in the UK to pay tribute to Mr Mandela.

He said: "South Africa has lost its greatest citizen and its father. Nelson Mandela, fighting to the end, is freed to be with his God in joy and reward for his great service and sacrifice."

'Power of love'

Among others in the UK to pay tribute to Mr Mandela:

• MPs paid tribute as plans were revealed for a "major event" at Westminster Hall to commemorate Mr Mandela's life
• Welsh MP and lifelong anti-apartheid activist Peter Hain said Mr Mandela was a "bright beacon of liberty and justice shining across the world"
• Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson said Mr Mandela was "inspirational", adding he had heard of his death with "deep sorrow"
• Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said Mr Mandela had been an "inspiration to countless millions"
• As sporting tributes poured in, England's cricket squad paid their respects by wearing black armbands as they stood for a two-minute silence before the start of the second day of the Second Test against Australia in Adelaide
• The British media has been reflecting on the life of Mr Mandelawith a series of tributes

UK Prime Minister David Cameron: "One of the brightest lights of our world has gone out"

Mr Mandela, 95, had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital.

His death was announced on South African national TV by the country's president Jacob Zuma.

Flowers, candles and other tributes have been left outside the South African High Commission.

One tribute on a card read: "Thank you for the sacrifices you made for all of us."

A second read: "May God shine light on your homecoming in heaven. Rest in Peace Mr Mandela."

The site was the once the scene of freedom vigils for Mr Mandela, who led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s after serving 27 years in prison for his political activities.