Skype says some users can't sign in

Internet phone service Skype says a small percentage of its 170 million users have been unable to sign in to its service.

Skype said the trouble stemmed from corrupted data affecting computers using Windows, Linux or Macintosh operating systems.

The company, based in Luxembourg, said it had released a new version of Skype for Windows to deal with the issue, along with a version for Mac.

Linux users were told to delete a file manually.

Shots rampage suspect moved

The suspect of a shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, has been flown to a prison where mental health experts will rule if he is psycho-logically fit to stand trial.

Jared Loughner (22) will spend up to four months at the jail in Missouri.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the shooting that wounded US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others and killed six people.

Linux users were told to delete a file manually.

Skype said individuals using its service on mobile phones, televisions or other non-computer devices were unaffected.

Skype's service, which allows users to make voice or video calls for free or for low rates, has become a popular way to lower calling costs.

Microsoft Corp, the world's biggest software maker, is buying Skype for $US8.5 billion ($8 billion) in a deal expected to close by the end of the year.

Microsoft believes Skype will help it sell more digital advertising and offer more popular conferencing tools to help businesses save money.

Violent storms swept across America's Eastern seaboard, flooding towns from New England to Georgia, knocking out power and killing at least three people in Atlanta.

About 200 people were forced from their homes in Vermont as rivers burst their banks.

There was also flash-flooding in parts of northern New Hampshire.

In eastern Pennsylvania, a tornado that touched down in Schuylkill County was the second twister to hit the area this week. Another tornado hit Franklin County in south-central Pennsylvania.

Gil, Godfather of Rap, is dead

Musician Gil Scott-Heron, known as the Godfather of Rap, has died aged 62.

He helped lay the groundwork for rap, fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and spoken-word poetry on songs such as The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

Scott-Heron died at St Luke's Hospital, Manhattan, after becoming sick upon returning from a European trip. He had battled drugs problems in recent years but returned last year with the acclaimed I'm New Here.