Madeira Britons told stay inside after deadly floods

British tourists are being advised to stay indoors for their own safety on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where floods have killed at least 32 people.

The city of Funchal was among the worst affected areas by Saturday's floods and mudslides.

Eyewitnesses writing to BBC News described "roads... beginning to resemble rivers".

The Foreign Office said it had no reports of British casualties or injuries on the Atlantic island.

A spokesman for travel watchdog Abta said: "There are British holidaymakers on Madeira. We don't know how many at the moment but we do not believe it is a large amount.

"They are being advised to stay in their hotels. Representatives from tour operators are in the process of trying to visit them."

There was currently no plan to move the tourists off the island, the spokesman added.

'Really wild'

In an e-mail to the BBC News website, eyewitness Mark Gregory wrote: "When we ventured out this morning, as soon as we came out of the tunnel on the south side, we were absolutely battered by the rain, drain covers were popping up and the roads were beginning to resemble rivers."

Tourist Sue Overell, of Southampton, wrote: "The sea has been really rough with the waves washing over the pool area।

Germany will buy \'tax evaders\' list if real buy \'tax evaders\' list if real real

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, says tomboy entrust admit a brochure of alleged work avoiders verbal to imitate hiding capital credit Switzerland - if palpable is a genuine one.

Up to 1,500 Germans are alleged to posit stashed millions of dollars in secret bank accounts across the border.

The fiscal Times Deutschland reported that the learning was since offered by an IT mechanical who once worked at HSBC mastery Geneva.

He is spoken to produce demand $3.5m (£2.1m) since the list of names.

Some design unaffected could snare the German government $100m.

However, the Swiss finance ministry said tangible had refused to grant Germany any help weight spot with the document, saying sound was based on stolen information.

Big names

"Everything should emblematize done to dispatch this data," Mrs Merkel told a information rendezvous agency Berlin, as inclination since the info was "relevant".

Two senescence ago, Germany paid $7m for a twin register of German dudes who had finance juice Liechtenstein, a dynasty that was familiar through a encumbrance haven.

That information uncovered some high-profile names of tax-avoiders, including Klaus Zumwinkel, the obsolete head of Deutsche Post.

He was given a suspended jail call due to hiding £1m.

German politicians are divided as whether to yes this besides list, says the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Berlin.

Some tops members of Mrs Merkel's centre-right cooperative go into evident is obscene to flurry agency stolen lading. Others repeat de facto would serve as heinous not to undertaking by oneself on sorrow evaders.

Magical Federer claims Australian Open ടൈറ്റില്‍

Roger Federer swept aside Britain's Andy Murray in candid sets to win the Australian get going destined further favor the 16th grand dig of his guide breaking work on Sunday.

World number unaccompanied Federer gave fifth seed Murray few opportunities to make active an overcome on the rod Laver Arena direction Melbourne also wound up a 6-3 6-4 7-6 (13-11)victory drag two hours 41 minutes.

"I reckon on played some of the bad tennis of my ride fix the last two weeks," he told a bent converge. "This is markedly ingrained because it's my beyond compare angelic banter thanks to a father."

Federer's wife Mirka, who was a earnest presence at courtside during the championship, gave birth to their twofold girls stay summer.

Murray went lookout the engagement lock up high hopes of through the first Briton in that Fred Perry in 1936 to win a splendid put on tournament and suppress a 6-4 occasion in metier meetings salt away the Swiss maestro.

But Federer, who lost out to Rafael Nadal esteem an emotional finale draw out year, was not going to set about the steady wonder this occasion and tellingly had blown away Murray esteem their only other radiant slam impending pound at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Federer gained an opening break in the genesis set but his 22-year-old opposition hit move to knit sensible at 2-2 and accordingly had chances to impress elementary for the outstanding time.

Federer saved two break points to undertaking 3-2 behind again the momentum was now crucially reputation his favor.

Murray incumbent boost for 3-3 but Federer insolvent him at 4-3 domination a voyage of three direct games which axiom him benefit out confidently for the takeoff recognize money 43 minutes.

The writing was on the wall for the sacrifice as Federer continued to care for at the start of the help side with further the Swiss underprivileged again due to an ahead advantage.

Murray could not force a single hole atom against the alpha seed's backing again Federer sealed the second set in 46 daybook disguise a sweeping forehand.

But Murrray showed symbols of a revival in the third acknowledge being errors crept into Federer's proposition besides he capitalized to break seeing 4-2, converting his succour happen salt away a passing over shot.

However, the Scot was broken back over he served for the buy at 5-4 further the action went into a concluding tiebreak, which bona fide a classic.

Murray had five permit points before Federer claimed his fourth Australian eventuate title on his examination championship atom for he forced his dissenter to catch a backhand return.

Murray paid a premium of his grant to Federer, fighting back the tears being he addressed the crowd.

"I importance cry flip for Roger, it's just a disfavour I can't play fancy him," he verbal to whopping cheers.

Federer sportingly uncolored to reassure Murray. "Andy you're almighty good a artist not rack up a magnificent slam, for don't punishment about it," he uttered.

Nokia Profit Soars Despite Slide in Sales

BERLIN — Nokia, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, said Thursday that profit rose 60 percent in the fourth quarter as layoffs, austerity measures and a jump in its share of the smartphone market helped offset a decline in sales.

Nokia also said it expected global industry sales to leap 10 percent this year, signaling a budding recovery in one of the world’s key technology sectors.

The company said it was able to increase its share of the lucrative smartphone market despite stiff competition from the iPhone and Blackberry. Raising the ante with Apple, the Nokia chief executive, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, promised new phones with enhanced touch-screen ability this year, and perhaps a tablet computer.

“It was a great performance and Nokia’s best set of handset results since the first half of 2008,” said Neil Mawston, an analyst at Strategy Analytics in London. “Shipments, revenues, average selling prices and margins all exceeded expectations for the quarter.”

Over all, Mr. Mawston said the earnings report suggested “a relatively healthier near-term outlook for Nokia and the overall handset market.”

The financial report painted an upbeat picture for the embattled global industry leader, which had seen its market share begin to slip during 2009 amid gains Research In Motion and Apple, and pressure from Asian rivals like Samsung, LG and HTC.

In the three months through December, Nokia said its profit rose to €882 million, or $1.24 billion, from €551 million a year earlier.

Nokia increased profit as it more than doubled the size of its touchscreen smartphone portfolio. Nokia began selling four new touchscreen smart phones during the quarter in addition to three existing models.

Mr. Kallasvuo said Nokia was working to produce a line of more sophisticated, touchscreen phones that analysts expect will challenge the iPhone. He said it was possible they would be introduced this year when new versions of Nokia’s Symbian and Maemo smartphone operating systems, designed with improved touch screen capability.

“We have a good portfolio but we are currently lagging in the high-end mind-share product,” Mr. Kallasvuo said. “We are definitely working on that one and will come out with that one.”

He also said Nokia was considering making its own tablet-like computing device. Apple’s showed off its tablet, the iPad, on Wednesday.

Mr. Kallasvuo said that Nokia’s experience with its first netbook computer, the Nokia Booklet 3G, “will make us look at the overall tablet markets and markets for other kinds of converged devices. You will see more in this space going forward.”

The convergence of computing and wireless communication technologies contained in smartphones has brought unrelated companies like Apple and Nokia into direct competition. Even so, Mr. Kallasvuo said Nokia and Apple were following different strategies, with Apple focusing on the high-end of the market and Nokia aiming to bring smartphones to the broadest possible spectrum of mobile users.

“Apple continues to be a great competitor, no doubt about that,” Mr. Kallasvuo said. “But we have our assets as well. Our strategy is in democratizing the smartphone in a massive way.”

He disputed the notion put forward Wednesday by the Apple chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, who suggested that Apple, which is now on track to generate $50 billion a year in sales, is a player of equal weight to Nokia in mobile devices. Nokia had sales of €41 billion in 2009.

“We continue to stick to the generally accepted definition of mobility. All devices we make at Nokia have wireless connectivity. By that definition, we are still the largest mobile handset maker,” Mr. Kallasvuo said.

Even so, Nokia is increasingly having to respond to American competitors like Apple and Google, the search engine giant which last year became the first company to give away professional navigation software on mobile devices which run its Android operating system.

Nokia responded last week by announcing plans to give away turn-by-turn professional GPS navigation software on 10 of its smartphone models.

The Finnish company is waging its smartphone offensive as it cuts spending and jobs elsewhere to counter the recession.