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Was Steve Jobs' genius also a fatal flaw?   Steve Jobs and Avie Tevanian, seen here at an Apple Worldwide Developer Conference in 1999, had worked together for many years One of Steve Jobs' closest friends and business allies has said the former Apple boss's own self-belief and mindset led him to put off having his cancer treated. Avie Tevanian said Mr Jobs had a "reality distortion field" - a force of will that helped him get people to achieve the impossible. That same belief system caused him to refuse conventional treatment for his cancer in the critical early stages after diagnosis. He decided instead to explore alternative therapies and go on a special diet. “ He was the kind of person that could convince himself of things that weren't necessarily true or necessarily easy”. Avie Tevanian Mr Tevanian said: "Steve was an unconventional person and when it came to treating his illness he was very happy to use non

Picture of China's first refitted warship 'emerges'   The 300m (990ft) carrier began its sea trials in August A commercial US satellite company says it has managed to take a picture of China's first aircraft carrier during its sea trials in the Yellow Sea. If confirmed, it would be the first known photo of the former Soviet vessel recently refitted by Beijing. The warship began its sea trials in August, raising fresh concerns over Beijing's military build-up. China is currently involved in several maritime territorial disputes, particularly in the South China Sea. Stephen Wood, director of DigitalGlobe's analysis centre, said the vessel had been photographed on 8 December off the Chinese coast by one of the company's orbiting satellites, the Associated Press news agency reports. Mr Wood added that he was confident it was the Chinese carrier because of the location and date of the photo. China - which says the carrier is intended for r

Eurozone faces winter recession, Ernst & Young says   European leaders have been met several times this year to solve the eurozone debt crisis The eurozone is facing a "bleak" winter, according to audit firm Ernst & Young. A "mild" recession is likely in the first half of next year, leading to economic growth of just 0.1% for the whole of 2012, it predicted. Ernst & Young also said unemployment in the eurozone was unlikely to fall below 10% until 2015. Meanwhile, Greece - Europe's most indebted country - said that it would have its worst recession ever in 2011. Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned on Wednesday that his country's contraction would be greater than the 5.5% currently forecast. Greece's economy shrank by 4.5% in 2010, when it received its first bailout from the EU and International Monetary Fund. 'Uncertainties' Last week, 26 of the 27 members of the European Union backed new fisc

Nearly 20% of women in the US are raped, study reveals   The study revealed that sexual violence against men is also prevalent Nearly 20% of women in the US are raped or suffer attempted rape at some point in their lives, a US study says. Even more women, estimated at 25%, have been attacked by a partner or husband, the Centers for Disease Control said. The findings form part of the first set of results from a nationwide study surveying sexual violence by intimate partners against men and women. More than 24 people a minute reported rape, violence, or stalking, it says, with 12 million offences reported. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) described the results of the first year of the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey as "astounding". Among the key figures included in the survey's findings were: more than one million women reported being raped in the 12 months prior to the survey more than six million women a

Samaritans eyes Facebook's latest anti-suicide efforts   A new reporting system means help can be offered more quickly than before Support charity Samaritans has said it wants to offer greater help to distressed people via Facebook. The website has improved its system in the US to put suicidal users directly in touch with support workers. Once flagged by worried friends, users can talk to a trained counsellor via the social network's chat feature. A Samaritans spokeswoman said the charity was interested in offering the same help in the UK, but greater resources would be needed. "This is the next stage," Nicola Peckett, head of communications, told the BBC. "We would love to be able to do live chat on Facebook." "It is a goal for us. It's just that we don't have the technology or the resources to do it yet." The charity worked with Facebook in March this year to set up a system under which concerned friends can not

Music service Rara.com aims for digital non-adopters The site is designed to not look like a "spreadsheet", Rara.com said A new song-streaming service is targeting music lovers who do not currently pay for digital tracks. Rara.com, which has launched in 16 countries, said its research suggested that 60% of consumers had never used a digital music service. The organisation aims to simplify the process. For a monthly subscription, users can select and listen to tracks via their standard web browser. Its main competitor is Spotify, which has more than two million paying users. In addition to the UK, Rara.com is available across much of Europe and the US. It will expand to seven further countries, including Canada and Mexico, by the end of the week. After an initial trial price of 99p a month for the first three months, users can pay for either a £4.99 subscription allowing web-only listening, or £9.99 to enable mobile listening on a smart phone. Howe

Apple founding papers sold at auction for nearly $1.6m   Apple's founding documents sold for more than 10 times their estimate Apple's founding papers have been sold at auction for $1,594,500 (£1.03m). Sotheby's had estimated the three typed partnership agreements would sell for between $100,000 and$150,000. The documents were signed by the firm's three co-founders, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne on 1 April 1976. The papers include an amendment added 11 days later when Mr Wayne quit. The buyer was Eduardo Cisneros, chief executive of Cisneros Corporation. His Miami-based firm owns stakes in a range of businesses covering real estate, TV production and telecommunications. Sotheby's said five other bidders took part in the sale. The sale price includes a 12% buyer's premium paid to the auction house Sotheby's for holding the auction. That values the documents themselves at $1.35m. The third man The seller was Wad