The four men behind the site said they would not pay the fine.

A Swedish court has thrown out a request for a retrial by the four men behind The Pirate Bay website.

The four were found guilty of promoting copyright infringement in April and face jail sentences and hefty claims for damages.

The Pirate Bay’s lawyers called for a retrial when it emerged that one of the judges in the case belonged to several copyright protection groups.

The Swedish court said the judge’s affiliations did not bias the case.

The Svea Court of Appeal said Judge Tomas Norstrom should have declared that he was a member of the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Swedish Copyright Association before the case went to trial.

“The fact that he failed to shed light on this does not however mean that there was any wrongdoing during the proceedings that would require a retrial,” said the court in a statement.

“This was not a case of bias,” concluded the court.

No appeal is allowed against the judgement.

The Pirate Bay is well-known for hosting lists of websites where people can get pirated copies of movies, music, software and TV shows.

The Pirate Bay defended itself saying that it did not infringe copyright because none of the pirated material is stored on its servers.

The court found them guilty because, it said, they continued to operate the service even when they knew users were being pointed to pirated material.

The four men behind The Pirate Bay, Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde, were sentenced to one year in jail and told to pay damages of 30m Swedish kronor (£2.3m, 2.7m euros) to entertainment companies such as Warner Bros and Sony Music Entertainment.

In response to the ruling Peter Sunde said The Pirate Bay would now file charges against Sweden for violating the human rights of the defendants.

Vaccines play a key role in fighting disease

A common immunosuppressive drug may have the ability to boost the power of vaccines, research suggests.

Rapamycin is commonly give to transplant patients to stop their bodies rejecting donor organs.

In tests on mice and monkeys, scientists found it enhanced the response of their immune system to experimental vaccines.

The Emory University study, featured in the journal Nature, also raises hopes of a new generation of potent vaccines.

Rapamycin seems to work by inhibiting a protein called mTOR, which plays a key role in controlling cell growth.

The researchers found that when they switched off mTOR using rapamycin in virus-infected mice, the animals produced a better immune response.

In particular, the treatment seemed to boost the number of ‘memory’ T cells - the cells that are responsible for remembering infections they have encountered before.

The Emory team went on to show that rapamycin could improve memory T-cell responses to experimental vaccines in both mice and monkeys.

The study suggests that mTOR plays a key role in regulating the generation of memory T cells.

Harnessing this knowledge could potentially help vaccine manufacturers find a way to create memory T cells, which in theory may lead to more powerful vaccines against chronic infections and tumours.

Enhanced efficacy

Researcher Dr Koichi Araki said: “Many vaccines need multiple vaccinations to obtain enough immunity to overcome infections because immunity after a single shot of vaccination is often too weak to fight with infection.

“So, researchers are looking for the way to boost vaccine-induced immunity.

“Our approach might become one strategy to enhance vaccine efficacy.

“We believe that rapamycin could be administered at the same time as a vaccine to boost its potency.”

Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Insitutute, said the study was valuable because it enhanced understanding of T cells.

He stressed very few currently licensed vaccines worked through the type of immune responses studied in the research - but new vaccines under development for diseases such as HIV, cancer and malaria potentially would.

“It might be complicated to use an immunosuppressive drug for widespread prophylactic vaccination but this could certainly be tried with some experimental cancer vaccines,” he said.

But he stressed that drugs that successfully modify the immune system in animals fail to work in humans.

Red meat is a source of animal fats

Eating a diet high in red meat and dairy products is linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, a US study has suggested.

Researchers followed 500,000 people who had completed a food diary for an average of six years.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute paper found those who had the most animal fats in their diet had a higher risk of developing the cancer.

UK experts said cutting down on the fats was a way of reducing risk.

There has previously been confusion over whether there was a link between animal fats and pancreatic cancer, with different studies reaching opposite conclusions.

About 7,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year, with smoking being the biggest risk factor.

The prognosis is poor - the time between diagnosis and death is usually about six months.

‘Welcome addition’

This latest research was carried out by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, which felt earlier studies had been too small to give reliable results.

The participants were being followed to see if they developed a range of diseases.

This large study adds to the evidence that pancreatic cancer is more common in people who eat too much fat, particularly saturated fat Josephine Querido, Cancer Research UK

Of the half a million studied, 1,337 developed pancreatic cancer.

Men who consumed the highest amount of total fats had a 53% higher relative rate of pancreatic cancer compared with men who ate the least.

In women, there was a 23% higher rate of the disease in those eating the most fat compared with those who ate the least.

Overall, people who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had 36% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those who consumed low amounts.

Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers led by Dr Rachel Stolzenberg-Solomon, said: “We observed positive associations between pancreatic cancer and intakes of total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat overall, particularly from red meat and dairy food sources.

“We did not observe any consistent association with polyunsaturated or fat from plant food sources.

“Altogether, these results suggest a role for animal fat in pancreatic carcinogenesis.”

In an editorial in the journal, Dr Brian Wolpin, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Dr Meir Stampfer, of the Harvard School of Public Health, said the study was a “welcome addition to the understanding of a disease that is in great need of new insights”.

Josephine Querido, senior science information officer for Cancer Research UK, said: “This large study adds to the evidence that pancreatic cancer is more common in people who eat too much fat, particularly saturated fat.

“Understanding ways of reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer is very important because it can be very difficult to treat.

“Apart from stopping smoking, the best way to reduce your risk of cancer is to eat plenty of fruit vegetables and fibre, and to cut down on fatty foods, red and processed meat and limit your intake of alcohol.”

One person has died and 10 others have been injured in a series of crashes in thick fog on a stretch of the A19 in County Durham.

The first crash, involving two fuel tankers, two lorries and a car happened on the southbound carriageway between Peterlee and Wellfield on Friday night.

While police and fire crews dealt with the incident, there were two further collisions involving 21 vehicles.

It is thought the person killed was in a car trapped between the two tankers.

No details about their identity have been released.

Thick fog on the east coast is thought to have been a contributory factor Durham Police spokesman

The second crash, on the northbound carriageway, involved 18 vehicles, and the third - on the Wellfield Sliproad - involved three vehicles, including a police car.

A police spokesman said: “Thick fog on the east coast is thought to have been a contributory factor in what happened and police are urging drivers to avoid the area.”

David Turnbull, the fire officer in charge, said emergency crews helped rescue five people who were trapped in vehicles.

He said crews stationed close to the scene heard a series of loud bangs.

“When they responded they found absolute devastation on the fly-over adjacent to the fire station - 20 to 30 cars, a large number of HGVs, two petrol tankers and a large number of people trapped.”

He added: “It could have been a lot worse. When you have a scene like that, with so many vehicles involved, it’s surprising more people weren’t seriously hurt.”

The North East Ambulance Service said a man, aged 47, suffered abdominal and shoulder injuries, while a 50-year-old man sustained head injuries.

They were taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital, along with two other men in their late teens and two women with two children, who all suffered minor injuries.

Another man, aged 25, and a 27-year-old man, both with back and neck injuries, were taken to North Tees General Hospital.

Work to clear the wreckage has been ongoing, and crews had to cut away a 20m (66ft) section of the central barrier so vehicles could be pulled away from the crush.

Fire crews were also draining the tankers of fuel to allow them to be moved.

The A19 is expected to remain closed in both directions for several hours.

Demand was high for tickets

AEG Live, the organiser of Michael Jackson’s concerts at the O2 arena, could lose millions from the cancellation of the concerts.

Mr Jackson had been due to perform 50 dates at the London venue.

AEG said full ticket refund information would be released early next week for all Michael Jackson “This Is It” shows.

AEG has advised fans to hold onto their ticket vouchers and proof of purchase. It remains unclear what insurance cover AEG Live has.

As well as fans, thousands of casual staff set to work at the concerts will also lose out from the cancellation.

“On behalf of the entire AEG organisation we extend our deepest condolences to Michael Jackson’s family and friends during this tragic time” said AEG in a statement.

Seeking cover

Around 800,000 people bought tickets to see the pop star for concerts due to start on 13 July.

More than $85m (£52m) worth of tickets have been sold and AEG has spent $30m on the production already, according to a report in Billboard, the American music magazine.

Reports suggest that AEG, which also owns the complex formerly known as the Millennium Dome, has only insured the first 10 nights of the 50-date concerts.

It had proved difficult to get cover as insurers were unconvinced that Mr Jackson would be fit enough to perform all the dates.

Earlier this year, AEG Live’s head Randy Phillips told newspapers that it was prepared “to self-insure to make up the dates”. He later told Billboard that the company was well insured.

On Friday, Lloyds of London said: “We can confirm that some of the insurance for the Michael Jackson concerts are placed with Lloyds market but any losses [are] not likely to be significant.”

Concert promoters have said it could be difficult to find a replacement artist for a venue that big for 50 dates.

About 1,000 staff are employed for each show, most of them on casual or temporary contracts. These staff would have been booked for the 50 shows already and will now need to be cancelled, a GMB union officer said.

AEG Live owns concert venues around the world and is a subsidiary of Anschutz Entertainment Group.

Mr Buffett dines in a steakhouse with the winner

A chance to have lunch with investor Warren Buffett has been sold for $1.68m at a charity auction - 20% down on last year’s winning bid of $2.1m.

The online eBay auction saw a sudden final spurt, as in previous years, with bids rising from $810,000 in two hours.

The auction, in its 10th year, raises money for the Glide Foundation, which offers social services for San Francisco’s homeless and poor.

Despite the economic downturn, this year saw the second-highest bid ever.

The winner - whose name has not yet been announced - is able to take up to seven friends to have lunch with Buffett - the world’s second richest person - at Smith & Wollensky’s steakhouse in New York.

Last year’s winner, Hong-Kong based investor Zhao Danyang who runs the Pureheart China Investment Fund, had his lunch with Mr Buffett on Wednesday.

In May, Mr Buffett’s investment firm Berkshire Hathaway saw its first loss in eight years, following a badly-timed purchase of oil stocks.

Human Rights Watch has accused Iran’s volunteer Basij militia of carrying out night-time raids, destroying property in private homes and beating civilians.

The New York-based group says the raids are an attempt to stop the nightly rooftop chants against the government.

It also says satellite dishes are being confiscated to stop people from watching foreign news.

Meanwhile, on state TV, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again attacked what he said was US and European meddling.

And Iranian media reported that the public relations chief of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi had been banned from leaving the country.

Abolfazl Fateh, who was preparing to travel to the UK to work on his doctorate, told Reuters news agency that he was restricted for his role in post-election developments.

Trashing streets

After being banned from taking to the streets, opposition protesters in Tehran have been chanting anti-government slogans from their rooftops and balconies in the last few days, starting every evening at 2200 local time.

But Human Rights Watch has now complained that members of the Basij militia have been raiding houses to stop the protests.

“Witnesses are telling us that the Basijis are trashing entire streets and even neighbourhoods as well as individual homes trying to stop the nightly rooftop protest chants,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director, in a statement posted on the group’s website.

Videos have also been posted on the internet of the aftermath of the raids, showing damage to satellite dishes.

A man interviewed on the video - which the BBC did not shoot, but which appears to be authentic - said he could not complain to the police because they too were involved in the violence.

Some 17 people are thought to have died in street protests in the past two weeks, and Tehran has imposed severe restrictions on journalists and the internet.

‘No meddling’

The latest developments come a day after US President Barack Obama praised the bravery of protesters in the face of “outrageous” violence.

President Ahmadinejad hit back at Mr Obama on Saturday, repeating his call not to interfere in Iranian affairs.

He said that if European and American officials believed they could affect the way that Iran’s government went about its business, they were wrong.

The Iranian authorities are consistently blaming foreigners for what has happened in Tehran, and have accused Mr Mousavi of being in league with them, the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen in Tehran says.

Mr Mousavi has called for an annulment of the 12 June presidential vote because of “election rigging”.

Iran’s powerful Guardian Council is due to give its final ruling on the election on Sunday, but a spokesman on Friday already insisted there had been no election fraud.

Madoff has admitted fraud and will be sentenced next week

A US court has stripped disgraced financier Bernard Madoff and his wife of their wealth.

Madoff forfeited rights to assets totalling $170bn (£103bn) - the figure prosecutors said passed through his investment firm over the years.

His wife Ruth agreed to forfeit $80m in assets - including property - but was left with $2.5m in cash.

In March Madoff, 71, pleaded guilty to masterminding a $50bn investment fraud and will be sentenced on Monday.

He has asked for a 12-year term, but prosecutors say they are seeking one of 150 years.

Court papers said the figure of $150bn represents the total amount of money that could be connected to the fraud.

Losses identified as fraud currently exceeded $13bn, prosecutors said.

The $80m forfeited by Ruth Madoff - who is not facing charges - includes the couple’s Manhattan home, another also in New York and a house in Florida.

Bernard Madoff has admitted defrauding thousands of investors in a Ponzi scheme he said had been running since the early 1990s.

Search teams have recovered bodies and wreckage from the plane

The Brazilian military says it has ended its search for bodies from the Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic almost a month ago.

Fifty-one bodies have been recovered since the plane went down on 1 June. A total of 228 people were on board.

A Brazilian spokesman said the recovery of any more of the bodies was “impossible”.

But a French-led search for the plane’s black boxes - which will emit signals until at least 2 July - will continue.

The cause of the accident has not yet been established. The Airbus 330 was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it plunged into the sea.

“It has been nine days since we have located bodies,” Brazilian air force spokesman Lt Col Henry Munhoz told journalists.

Searchers had concluded that “it is impossible to recover more dead bodies or remains in the search area”, he said.

Several French vessels, including a nuclear submarine, will continue to listen out for signals from the plane’s flight recorders. They emit signals for at least 30 days after a crash.

The crash was the worst in Air France’s history.

There has been speculation that faulty data on the old-style speed sensors may have been the cause, but French investigators have warned against drawing early conclusions.

An initial report by France’s Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) is to be released on 2 July.

Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC says swine flu may worsen come autumn

US health officials estimate that at least one million Americans have been infected with swine flu since the H1N1 virus emerged nearly three months ago.

The number is far higher than cases actually reported to the authorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said many cases were mild, although 127 people had died.

The CDC based its figures on surveys, rather than laboratory evidence, but the numbers suggest the death rate from swine flu is lower than thought.

“We’re saying that there have been at least a million cases of the new H1N1 virus so far this year in the United States,” said Anne Schuchat of the CDC.

“Reported cases are really just the tip of the iceberg.”

The CDC has based its estimate on mathematical modelling, based on surveys by health officials.

If the figures are correct, it is reassuring news, because it indicates that the fatality rate from swine flu is even lower than thought, says BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh.

However, Dr Schuchat warned that swine flu might exhibit higher infection rates than seasonal flu and could return in a more virulent form in the autumn.

Argentina election

According to the CDC, there have been 27,717 confirmed or probable cases; some 3,000 people have needed hospital treatment and there have been 127 deaths.

Argentina’s hospitals are coming under pressure

Swine flu continues to affect mainly people under 50 years of age, with many of those worst affected having underlying health problems such as asthma or diabetes.

The average age of those who died in the US is 37.

Officials from the CDC and the World Health Organization are watching outbreaks in the southern hemisphere, in particular in Argentina, Chile and Australia, to see how the H1N1 virus has been spreading during the winter months and whether it is likely to become more virulent.

Argentina’s health ministry has registered 26 deaths attributed to swine flu, and 1,587 cases. Officials are advising people to try to leave space between each other as they line up to vote in legislative elections on Sunday.

Chilean health authorities say there have been 6,211 cases and 12 deaths.

In Australia, there have been five swine-flu related deaths, all of patients with existing medical conditions, and 3,677 cases, according to official figures.

The H1N1 virus first emerged in April in Mexico, which has recorded 116 deaths and 8,279 cases, according to the WHO.

On 11 June, the WHO declared a global flu pandemic, meaning that swine flu virus was spreading in at least two regions of the world.

Officials stressed that this did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths.

According to the latest figures from the WHO, there have been 263 deaths and nearly 60,000 cases in some 100 countries and territories.