The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but media reports suggest the price was less than $15 million. A Facebook spokesman said the company would not comment on the terms of the deal.

"The Little Eye Labs technology will help us to continue improving our Android codebase to make more efficient, higher-performing apps," Subbu Subramanian, Facebook's engineering manager said.

The deal, the social networking giant's first in India, could likely boost interest in the country's startups.

Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs' team will move to Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, the company said in a statement on its website. (link.reuters.com/qud85v)

"We released our official version of Little Eye for Android in early April of this year, and since then we have had many Android developers and testers using Little Eye Labs to measure, analyze, and optimize their app's performance," the company said.

Mobile gaming is hugely popular in China, home to the largest number of smartphone users in the world. In 2013, mobile gaming revenue accounted for 11.24 billion yuan ($1.86 billion), or 13.5 percent of the overall Chinese video gaming market, the world's third largest.

Liu Chunning, a former Tencent executive who now heads Alibaba's digital entertainment business, said in a statement the mobile gaming platform would be offered free to developers for the first year.

He did not say, however, when it would be set up and the statement gave few other details.

Alibaba spokeswoman Florence Shih said the platform would be launched in the near future. "We're not making mobile games, we're the platform operator," she added.

A person familiar with the matter said the platform may have its own dedicated app or could be integrated into existing Alibaba apps such as e-commerce app Mobile Taobao or Laiwang, a social messaging app.

Alibaba's platform will have to compete with Tencent, which reported revenue of 338 million yuan ($55.86 million) from mobile gaming in the January-March quarter of last year.

Tencent's social messaging app WeChat, which includes games, is used by more than half of all Chinese smartphone users. The number of monthly active WeChat users grew 124 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2013, and figures from domestic app stores showing Tencent's mobile games are also hugely popular.

In October, Japanese tech and telecoms group SoftBank Corp, which has a 36.7 percent stake in Alibaba, agreed to pay $1.53 billion for a 51 percent stake in Finnish mobile game maker Supercell, valuing the small firm which generated hit games like "Clash of Clans" and "Hay Day" at $3 billion.

It was not immediately clear whether Alibaba would leverage that relationship to its advantage.

Yahoo confirmed that for a four-day period in January, malware was served in ads on its homepage.

Experts estimate that as many as two million European users could have been hit.

Security firm Light Cyber said the malware was intended to create a huge network of Bitcoin mining machines.

"The malware writers put a lot of effort into making it as efficient as possible to utilise the computing power in the best way," Light Cyber's founder Giora Engel told the BBC.

Lucrative market Bitcoin mining malware is designed to steal computing power to make it easier for criminals to accumulate the virtual currency with little effort on their part.

"Generating bitcoins is basically guessing numbers," said Amichai Shulman, chief technology office of security firm Imperva.

"The first one to guess the right number gets 25 bitcoins and if you have a large volume of computers guessing in a co-ordinated way then you have a more efficient way of making money," he added.

Other than a computer running slower, victims will be unaware that their machine is being used in what could become known as a "bitnet".

It is a variation on the traditional botnet, networks of malware-infected computers used to churn out spam or bombard websites with requests in order to knock them offline.

Some experts estimate that such networks could be generating as much as $100,000 (£60,000) each day.

Since bitcoins have risen in value - one bitcoin is now worth £1,000 - it is becoming a lucrative market for online criminals.

"Bitcoin mining malware is the new frontier as criminal gangs look for new ways to make money," said Mr Engel.

Easy target Yahoo acknowledged the attack in a statement earlier this week.

"From December 31 to January 3 on our European sites, we served some advertisements that did not meet our editorial guidelines - specifically, they spread malware," the statement read.

It went on to say that users in America, Asia and Latin America weren't affected but did not specify how many European users were victims.

Fox IT, the Dutch cybersecurity firm which revealed the malware attack, estimates that there were around 27,000 infections every hour the malware was live on the site.

Over the period of the attack that could mean as many as two million machines were infected.

Such attacks may be hard to avoid, said Mr Shulman.

"For an ad platform it is virtually impossible to guarantee 100% malware free ads."

Last year I became a cyborg. At the time it didn’t seem like an auspicious occasion, more a humbling and disorientating experience. But I’ve become excited about being part-robot.

My journey began when my hearing started to falter, due to a combination of unlucky genetics and too many late nights in loud clubs. By the time I was 30, I was losing scraps of conversation in crowded bars, and trips to the movies were nothing but booms and rumbles. Eventually, I relented and booked an appointment with an audiologist, who recommended I be fitted with hearing aids.

With that decision, I joined the millions of people whose mind, body or senses are replaced by technology, from wireless pacemakers to bionic legs. We live in the age of augmentation, and soon we may all choose to be enhanced in some way. After all, many prosthetic technologies do more than just fill in for our body or mind when it falls short – they now offer the potential to become “better than human”.

When I was fitted with hearing aids, I wondered: could I hack them to give me enhanced listening abilities? I explored this question in a BBC radio documentary this week, and discovered that the answer is far from simple. It turns out I don’t actually own my new ears in the way that I thought – and this raises important questions about many other augmenting technologies on the horizon, from retinal implants to bionic arms.

Unlike glasses, which simply focus the world through a lens, hearing aids take a very active role as an augment. They monitor the environment with their tiny microphones, constantly adjusting their output based on what they think is useful sound rather than noise. What I hear is their interpretation of the world around me.

This means these augments offer a very exciting possibility, because I don’t have to settle for hearing that is as good as an ordinary person. I could configure my own devices to extend my senses beyond normal abilities.

I wouldn’t be first to hope for such a thing either: artist Neil Harbisson, for example, has built devices that let him hear what colour sounds like. In my case, connecting my hearing aids to an internet-linked tool such as a smartphone, any conceivable information can be streamed directly to my hearing aids.

The blue arcs in the picture are distant galaxies as they appeared 12 billion years ago - not long after the Big Bang.

The hidden objects are revealed through the "magnifying lens" of the cluster Abell 2744.

The image was unveiled at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Washington DC.

It is the first in a set of super-deep views of the Universe taken by Hubble's Frontier Fields observing programme, and published on the Arxiv preprint server.

Funhouse mirror In the foreground are the colourful spirals and elliptical galaxies of Abell 2744, a massive cluster in the constellation Sculptor.

It is nicknamed Pandora for its strange and violent formation history, which unleashed many new phenomena to astronomers. Abell's immense gravity acts as a lens to warp, brighten and magnify more distant objects lurking in the background.

The long exposure by Hubble reveals almost 3,000 of these background galaxies, interwoven with hundreds in the foreground.

The faintest is 10-20 times fainter than any galaxy ever seen before.

They appear brighter thanks to the lensing phenomenon, but are also smeared, stretched and duplicated - like faces in a funhouse mirror.

The remarkable photograph will be combined with images from Nasa's Spitzer telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory to give new insights into the origin of galaxies and their accompanying black holes.

It was one of three spectacular new findings by Hubble unveiled at the AAS conference.

Four brilliant young galaxies have been pictured as they were 13.2 billion years ago - just 500 million years after the Big Bang.

The brightest was forming stars 50 times faster than our Milky Way does today, but is only one twentieth the size. Although Hubble has previously identified galaxies at this early epoch, astronomers were surprised to find objects 10 to 20 times more luminous than anything seen before.

"These just stuck out like a sore thumb because they are far brighter than we anticipated," said Garth Illingworth of the University of California at Santa Cruz.

"There are strange things happening... we're suddenly seeing luminous, massive galaxies quickly build up at such an early time. This was quite unexpected."

For the first time, the astronomers were able to estimate the masses of these early galaxies, by using Spitzer to measure their total luminosity.

Five days of heavy rebel infighting has shaken the al Qaeda-linked faction, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which lost its main base in the northern city of Aleppo to rival rebels on Wednesday, according to a monitoring group.

The audio statement from the ISIL spokesman was issued late on Tuesday, hours after the head of the al Qaeda branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, called for a truce to halt the fighting.

The clashes have pitted many rebel groups in Syria, including Islamist forces, against ISIL and have been the bloodiest rebel-on-rebel violence since the civil war in Syria began in the first half of 2011.

"Crush them completely and kill the conspiracy in its cradle," said the group's spokesman, known as Abu Mohammed al-Adnani.

While both the Nusra Front and ISIL have roots in the global al Qaeda network and welcome foreign militants, the Nusra Front has focused its goals on toppling Assad instead of creating an Islamic state, which has been the main aim of ISIL.

Nusra forces have also cooperated more with other rebel groups and largely avoided the power struggles that ISIL has faced since wresting control of many opposition-held areas from other groups.

ISIL is the restructured al Qaeda branch of Iraq, but its spread into Syria is opposed by al Qaeda's central leadership, which has recognized the Nusra Front instead.

Adnani said fellow Islamists from the Sunni Muslim sect had been dragged into a conspiracy against it.

"Those who are from battalions raising the flags of Islam, who tricked you? Who implicated you and made you sign to fight against the mujahideen (holy warriors)?"

"PLUCK THE HEADS"

Rebel groups last week launched what appeared to be a series of coordinated strikes against ISIL in northern and eastern Syria after months of increasing tensions with the group, which has alienated many Syrians in rebel-held regions. The fighting was endorsed by the opposition's mainstream National Coalition, which is backed by Western and Gulf states.

Islamist rebels on Wednesday took control of ISIL's main base in Aleppo, a northern city that was once Syria's largest and is now divided between government and rebel forces, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Oliver suffered a brain stem injury in utero and now, at 14, has hundreds of seizures a day. For months, his family has pinned their hopes on a strain of marijuana developed in Colorado that has helped children with similar conditions.

But under an executive order by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday making New York the 21st state to allow medical marijuana, it will remain illegal to grow marijuana or to import specialized plants from other states. The order limits the number of hospitals that can dispense marijuana and allows its use only to treat diseases such as cancer and glaucoma, according to several people briefed on the plan.

Patients will have little say in the marijuana they are prescribed and people like Oliver - who could benefit from a specialized strain known as Charlotte's Web that is high in the compound cannabidiol, or CBD, - would be cut out entirely.

"With this one medication, it's stopping their seizures or dramatically reducing their seizures," said Miller, 49, as her son lay in a playpen in their home near in Atlantic Beach, east of New York City.

While anecdotal evidence gives reasons for patients to be encouraged by the use of the strain, doctors urge caution.

Orrin Devinsky, an epilepsy expert at New York University who has treated Oliver, said data about the safety and effectiveness of "Charlotte's Web" is scant.

"In medicine, the roadside is littered with drugs and compounds and plants that people have sworn by," said Devinsky, who is preparing a clinical trial using a nearly pure form of CBD. "The available data right now in humans is anecdotal - single cases where there could be a tremendous amount of bias in the results."

Cuomo's announcement comes one week after Colorado began allowing the sale of marijuana for recreational use. A second state, Washington, will follow suit later this year.

The move is an about-face for Cuomo, who previously opposed marijuana legalization, but the Democrat has not come under the same pressure as his counterpart in neighboring New Jersey.

There, Governor Chris Christie in September signed a bill loosening rules on medical marijuana access for sick children. Dubbed "pot for tots," by tabloids, Christie approved it one month after he was confronted by the parents of a two-year-old girl who suffers from a form of epilepsy.

The family has since said they will move to Colorado where marijuana is sold in edible form, while in New Jersey it may only be sold in smokable form.

The emails quote a top Christie aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, saying to an executive at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that it was "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," which is at the New Jersey end of the bridge.

The Port Authority executive, David Wildstein, wrote back in an email: "Got it." The Port Authority oversees the bridge that links New Jersey with New York City.

Copies of the emails were obtained and published by the Bergen Record, The New York Times and other media.

The decision to block off two of three local access ramps to the George Washington Bridge created traffic jams in Fort Lee and angered commuters who were caught in major delays.

Wildstein, a long-time Christie ally, admitted ordering the lane closures and resigned in December. A second top Port Authority appointee resigned a week later.

Democrats have accused Christie's Republican supporters at the Port Authority of closing the lanes as political retribution against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, who did not endorse Christie's re-election efforts.

Christie, a Republican widely expected to make a bid for the White House in 2016, has insisted that he and his staff had nothing to do with the lane closings.

Christie canceled his only public event on Wednesday without providing an explanation. A spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The emails were supplied to the media by Wildstein in response to a subpoena issued by a panel of state lawmakers. He is due to testify before the panel on Thursday.

Parature's software helps businesses provide automated customer service, manage online discussion boards and forums, and conduct online surveys.

The company's customers include Ask.com, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, International Business Machines Corp and Saba Software Inc.

Microsoft did not disclose the terms of the deal.

The acquisition will boost Microsoft's Dynamics unit, which makes business software and counts Mattress Firm Holding Corp, Pandora Media Inc and Nissan Motor Co as customers.

Cloud computing, a broad term referring to the delivery of services via the Internet from remote data centers, is a favorite with businesses because it is faster to implement and has lower upfront costs than traditional software.

Oracle Corp said in December that it would buy web-based marketing software maker Responsys Inc for about $1.39 billion to bolster its cloud computing offerings.

Salesforce.com Inc, the biggest maker of online sales management tools, said in June that it would pay $2.5 billion for marketing software maker ExactTarget, which helps companies reach customers on social networks through mobile devices.

Apple reported app downloads of almost 3 billion apps in December, making it a record month for its App Store, which offers 1 million apps for its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.

The LED (light-emitting diode) set was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

LG has also announced a smaller 77in (196cm) flexible TV of its own that is based on OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology.

The firms suggest that a curved screen can enhance the viewing experience.

The tech would allow the sets' owners to determine how bent the screens should be taking into account how many people were watching them and how far away they were sitting. The screens would have the added benefit of being able to be left flat against the wall when not in use.

LG's model will go on view when its show floor booth opens to attendees on Tuesday.

However, industry watchers are unconvinced there is a market for such innovation.

"The challenge for the firms is to demonstrate that the world really needs this," said Martin Garner, a TV tech consultant from CCS Insight who is attending CES.

"They are, however, a nice attempt at differentiation." Will Findlater, global online editor for Stuff Magazine, added: "The jury is still very much out on whether curved displays make much difference to image quality and the experience you have when watching a TV. At this stage it does feel like a bit of a gimmick."

Lost for words Neither of the two South Korean manufacturers have given a projected price or release date for the user-bendable TVs. They both, however, offer versions with a fixed curvature.

The two companies are showing off new giant-sized 105in (267cm) concave-screened versions in the extra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio.

Samsung said such a design delivered the "most immersive viewing experience" possible.

However, a demonstration of the equipment went awry when it invited Michael Bay, director of the Transformers movies, on stage at its press conference.

The Hollywood millionaire complained his autocue had malfunctioned and initially said "I will just wing this."

But when asked what he thought about the new set he found himself speechless, apologised and walked off stage leaving a stunned audience. Joe Stinziano, senior vice president of Samsung Electronics, told the crowd: "Welcome to Vegas, it's a live show folks."

Mr Bay later wrote a blog giving his take on the mishap.

"Wow! I just embarrassed myself at CES," he wrote.

"I got so excited to talk, that I skipped over the Exec VP's intro line and then the teleprompter got lost.

It means agencies will get immediate access to satellite imagery to help them respond to the problems caused by the stormy weather of recent weeks.

It is rare for Britain to activate the charter on its own behalf.

But this is the second time in five weeks that it has made a request for satellite imagery.

A dozen spacecraft have now been tasked with acquiring pictures of various locations in the UK at a range of resolutions and in a spread of wavelengths, from optical all the way through to microwave radar.

UK coastlines have been battered in the storms, and thousands of properties have been flooded as a result of inundations and heavy rains. The Thames barrier in London has also been raised nine times in the past six days to protect the capital's property.

Many of the world's space agencies are signatories to the International Charter [on] Space and Major Disasters.

Initiated back in 2000 by Esa, and the French (Cnes) and Canadian (CSA) space agencies, it provides access now to tens of satellites in space, ensuring that some assets are always in just the right orbit at just the right time to capture vital pictures.

The UK Space Agency is a key player in the charter, too. It works with the Disaster Monitoring Constellation International Imaging (DMCii) company based in Guildford, Surrey.

DMCii currently manages four imaging satellites in its own network, including the UK-DMC2 platform which carries a multi-spectral camera with a resolution of 22m. It provided the before-and-after flooding images of Sussex featured on this page. DMCii also acts as the operations control centre for the charter on a rotational basis, although not this week.

The company's Adina Gillespie is the executive secretary for the UK in the charter. She told BBC News: "The Environment Agency will use the satellite imagery in a variety of ways.

"It will likely be sent out to their local area teams so they can see the extent of the flooding. The information can also be combined with other geo data, such as infrastructure and community information, to identify those areas at risk.