the latest headlines... the british prime minister's deputy, damian green, has been sacked for making misleading statements about pornography found on his parliamentary computer. theresa may said it was with deep regret that she had asked him to resign. he's denied wrongdoing. donald trump's overhaul of the us tax system — the biggest in three decades — has been formally approved by both houses of congress. he's been celebrating his first big legislative win. he says it will boost economic growth and create jobs. democrats argue it will inflate the deficit and mainly benefit rich republican donors. voting takes place in catalonia later, in a key election that could resolve spain's political crisis. pro—independence parties are up against those who want to remain part of a unified spain. the country was plunged into constitutional turmoil when catalonia's parliament illegally declared independence in october. it has just collapsed it 30 a.m. 0n

the morning, that means it is time for click. —— gone 3:30 am. this week: the wired world of 360 video. the artistic world of marina abramovic. and the strange world of quantum computers. imagine a computer that could crack the world's most secure codes in minutes, design extraordinary new medicines, even pave the way to intelligent machines. big tech companies like google, ibm and microsoft are all trying to be the first to achieve a breakthrough in the field of quantum computing. but we're not quite there yet.

at the moment, if you want a quantum computer, you need all of this. you need your ionising lasers, your cooling lasers, and your processor. you need all of this, and currently all this can do is add a zero and a one. but it does do it in a really cool way. quantum computers harness weird and wonderful phenomena seen only at very small scales. the data in an ordinary computer is represented as bits, each of which can either be zero or one. a quantum computer, instead, uses quantum bits, or qubits. now, these qubits can be both zero and one at the same time. this is called superposition, and it is a key feature of a quantum computer's unique powers. so, when a quantum computer adds

zero and one, it is also adding one it is also adding one and zero, and one and one, and zero and zero, all at the same time. so numbercrunching could in theory be done much faster on a quantum computer. there are a few really important things that we know they will be able to do, if we can ever build them. so one thing is searching through a data base. let's say you have a list of a million items, say, and you want to find one particular item on that list. well, all an ordinary computer can do is look through that list one item at a time, the first item, the second item, and the third item, until eventually, you find the item that you're looking for. a quantum computer can in some sense look at all those items simultaneously. we know that quantum computers will be able to help artificial intelligences learn better, learn faster. 0ptimising things, designing things — if you're trying to design, let's say, the shape of a car so that air will flow over it in exactly the right way, that's an optimisation problem.

it looks like quantum computers are going to be extremely good at that. and then there's code—breaking. if you give an ordinary computer a code to break, it will try every possible combination, one at a time. but give a quantum computer a code to break, and it can try all the codes at once. this is a huge area of application of quantum computers, and it's financially the driving force in putting money into the industry, and persuading people to try to build these things. the first government which has a functioning quantum computer which can break into secret messages is going to be at a big advantage, and maybe will want to try and hide away the fact that they've got those capabilities. and, if superposition wasn't weird enough, a quantum computer's qubits can be paired up, or entangled, and then can instantaneously affect each other from anywhere else in the universe. well, that's all very well in theory, but it is really

hard in practice. at sussex university, researchers are preparing for the challenge of scaling up their prototype quantum computers, to take them from handfuls of qubits on the lab bench to an industrial scale. so what you see here is an actual working quantum computer. as we are filming this, you can literally see an atom, for example, being in one state and another state simultaneously. and what you see on this screen is the evidence that that really occurs. that really is the atom is in a very strange and counterintuitive state. so quantum computers have been on the way for a long time, the holy grail of science, and with that, it actually seemed nearly impossible to build them. so people felt maybe it's just never possible to build such a machine. the reason why it's so hard is because, to control quantum effects in such a way, allowing us to build a large—scale quantum computer, is tremendously hard. quantum effects, like that an atom

can be in two different places at the same time, or entanglement, which einstein referred to as spooky, is so hard to control. at the moment, these prototypes offer a glimpse of how these computers might work in the future. but how will we use them when we have them? what does a quantum computer programme looked like? —— look like? the basic building blocks of a quantum computer programme are really very alien to us. they're things like superposition and entanglement. those are the right high—level concepts to put into our quantum computer programmes, but it's very hard for the human brain to understand what entanglement is, and what its consequences are. thinking of qubits connected by pieces of string actually works extremely well, to help us design and predict quantum programmes, and predict what they will do. so perhaps a high—level quantum

programme manager of the future could look like a knot, or could look like children's game of untangling fishing lines and seeing who has which fish. you can imagine having all these strings going up and down, and coiled around, and the pattern of how those strings interact has a bearing on your quantum programme. i do feel the programmers have a little bit of time to sort their software out, though, because the hardware is also still a work in progress. i've gone underground to see 0xford university's quantum computer. the lab is a wizard's paradise of lasers, vacuum chambers, and traps for atom—sized particles. it's an ion trap. in the lab, they've achieved a world—record level of control over their quantum bits. they can even show off by making a single qubit glow in morse code. c-l-i-c-k. click.

what will your quantum computer look like? it won't be this size? so ideally, it looks incredibly boring and incredibly small. so it takes an optic cable, two metres by one metre high. we think we can get this down to something the size of a shoebox in the next five years. once you have everything in the right place. once we have everything the right place, machined down, optimised — and rather than made by physicists, made by engineers. rather than having knobs, when you have enough people twisting them. you're not looking to put more and more qubits into the same box, are you? what we want to do is build some devices which can contain five or ten qubits, but build many of these devices. so it's the same as if you have a supercomputer. nowadays, you don't have one big computer. you have lots of small computers hooked together in a data centre,

and data centres humming with lots of different machines. that's what we envisage these things are. it does seem like it is not the most efficient design, if you're plugging lots of these things together with optic fibre, rather than making a quantum computer that has 50 qubits in one place. yes, the most efficient device we could ever build would have all the qubits being able to talk to every other qubit. that's ideally where you'd want to be. but you always get to the point where you can't put any more qubits in the device. at that point, we want to have a network we can build up. so, once you've got as big as you can with these techniques, you can then network them together to build bigger networks. the huge potential of quantum computing has attracted big tech players. google told us it will have something big to announce in march 2018. ibm has a 20—qubit quantum computer that researchers can programme over the internet. both these companies are trying to build reliable quantum computers of around 50 qubits.

why i don't like the phrase is that, when you cross that boundary, nothing instantaneously magical happens. it's just the point at which you can't predict what the machine would do. it's the point that the machine might be useful for something. but to be honest, we haven't worked out anything that, say, a 60—qubit quantum computer could usefully do. so it's into the uncharted territory, very exciting, but it's not the point at which the quantum hardware is supreme. you should not throw away your phone or your laptop or your desktop and have a quantum computer instead. so, with more tech companies getting serious about quantum computing, there is now a place for them to show off their ideas. it is the quantum technologies fair, in london, and kat has been along to see what is on the quantum horizon. when it comes to quantum computing, a lot of the research seems to be happening in academia. but i wanted to find out how much

of it is being taken away from the lab bench, for applications in the real world. every stall at this fair is using the same tech used in quantum computing — the principles of trapping, manipulating and measuring tiny, atom—sized particles. but the practical applications here are creative, and potentially life—changing, from diamonds used in heart disease sensing, to capturing individual virus particles. they're really designed to be able to measure very, very sensitively, at very small lengths. so it's idealfor things like nanoparticles, like viruses, and indeed, for measuring chemical signatures, as well. use the mouse to move that scale back and forth, it should be fairly obvious, when it flashes really bright. there you go, that's it. when it wiggles around, that's when you've got a particle trapped in your resonator. the ultimate aim is that viruses could be picked up using this diagnostic tool. but the main focus now, for most people here,

is on overcoming the engineering challenge of making large, bulky systems a lot, lot smaller. heavy industry, all the way through to defence and security, transport, and air technologies. —— healthcare technologies. it is incredible to see how many stalls here are researching so many different areas when it comes to quantum technology. and they're all working together, with an open—source mentality, along with a lot of investment. the british government spent £270 million over the last five years on quantum technology research. the collaborative element, especially the number of things that npl is involved in, because we have a lot of the core technology and science, and we're just looking at what are the actual applications in the uk business world. from afar, a lot of the applications here still look like complex machinery, but anne curtis has been looking at its potential in an important area, far, far away. so one of the main applications

we can use for quantum technologies is quantum sensors. and what we're doing in this experiment is we want to sense greenhouse gases, and measure how much there is, how that's changing over time. and one good way to monitor large—scale systems is from space. to put something properly on a satellite, it has to go through all the space qualifying tests, so every item in there would have to be space qualified. most of the fibre technology isn't so good in space, due to radiation effects. but there's no reason why this couldn't be miniaturised and put up into space. it's just the next stage of funding. it's so hard to be here today and not feel excited about quantum technologies, but one thing everybody has said to me is that their particular real—world applications are a few years in the future still. so, when it comes to quantum computing, it is still very much a case of watch this space. hello, and welcome to the week in tech.

it was the week that the federal communications commission in america voted to repeal rules on net neutrality, which had stopped internet service providers from offering different speeds and priorities for traffic online. the extraordinarily elongated asteroid called 0umuamua was being checked for signs of alien technology. and, here on earth, the faces of 2 billion people can be compared in a matter of seconds with a minority report—style system, dragonfly eye, unveiled in china. it was also the week that netflix was caught up in a creepy viewing controversy, after revealing on twitter that 53 subscribers watched the holiday film a christmas prince every day for 18 days in a row. netflix defended the tweet, saying it represented overall trends and not specific individuals. the city of san francisco has banned the use of delivery robots on most of its sidewalks, stating not all innovation is all that great for society. meanwhile, dutch police say it may not have been such a good idea to use eagles to catch drones after all. who could have guessed?

seen here on click, the birds were trained to snatch the machines from the sky. but the cost of keeping them was too high, and they didn't always do what they were told. and finally, if you're missing harry potter, don't despair. artificial intelligence may have a solution for you. a new chapter has been created for a book called ‘harry potter and what looked like a portrait of a large pile of ash'. its plot twists include harry dipping hermione in hot sauce, and ron turning into spiders and trying to eat hermione‘s family. wizard. earlier in the year, we looked at some of the 360 cameras which have taken off in 2017. earlier in the year, we looked at some of the 360 cameras which have taken off in 2017. dan filmed with the new kid on the block, the insta one in berlin. and he came back very pleased with it. easy to use, lots of features, including this bullet—time mode, a bit like the film the matrix, where you can get a picture of yourself from all angles.

but what have the more established names in photography got to offer us? well, with christmas just around the corner, this time we sent dan to a suitably festive place to put two pro—sumer 360 cameras through their paces. the ancient city of bath hosts a very traditional christmas market, one that i want to catch in the round. i've got two cameras for the job. one is from kodak, the other is nikon's. they look pretty similar, with two ultra—wide—angle lenses capturing everything, before the two images are stitched together in—camera. but look closer, and you will see

the kodak sporting two different lenses, one smaller than the other, superwide 235—degree lens. it also has the tiniest remote control in the world, and a slightly higher price tag than the nikon. 0ur producer has the kodak, while i'm putting the nikon through its paces. now, we don'tjust want to test these cameras out in the daylight, when all the conditions are absolutely perfect. for these cameras, we want to test them out to see what they're like as it starts to get dark. will the bright lights be a problem, and will we see all of the detail? time to go for a wander and see whose 360 is best. please dive in, ladies. don't let me get in your way. and, in no time at all, i found the festive liquor stand. not just wine, but flavoured vodka here, and the nikon is not put off by those flashing lights.

but the image is a little dark, so we will brighten it for you in postproduction. there you go, and now you can see the other problem. the image stitching means i've almost lost my head, before touching a drop. the kodak's image is brighter than the nikon, but we found that the quality from that super—wide—angle lens was softer than the smaller lens on the other side of the device. of course, you're best off with a stick attached to both of these cameras, otherwise your hands get sort of in the way. now, to make the test fairer, we decided to see how these cameras fared back to back. 0r front to front. 0r back to front. well, it's difficult to tell, to be honest. we shot them side by side. look at this. we found a 360 globe for a 360 camera. and it's the nikon showing off more natural colours, benefiting from a more accurate light balance, although some might prefer the warmer kodak results, because it is very christmassy. at the chilled cider shop, the kodak warmed things up, while nikon kept things more natural and crisp. both cameras struggled to stitch their shots together perfectly. this is the raw footage,

with no touching up, and the nikon has done a reasonablejob. the stitching point is more visible on the kodak, partly because of the different qualities of those two lenses. 0n the upside, it's kodak that offers the ability to play with how the images are stitched together in its free software, something the nikon's more basic offering lacks. for sheerfun, the kodak also offers greater flexibility when playing back what you shot. this is little planet mode. and, if you want to do it on the nikon, then you'll need some third—party 360 software, which may mean additional cost. finally, the thing everybody forgets when they use a camera — sound. it is very odd being filmed by two cameras. we're being filmed as well, it is 360. 0h, goodness me. you can tell she's had too much cider, because hers moves around a bit. i'm just cold! we reckon both do a greatjob, but the nikon is slightly clearer, although the kodak offers the possibility of attaching an external mic. so which camera will enthusiasts be hoping santa brings them this year? we think the kodak edges it for easier post—production, while the nikon has a better shot. but, if you're hoping

for a trouble—free, cinematic, seamless result for under £1100, you may have to wait until something else takes off. at least for now. this is acute art, a virtual reality arts platform, and a gallery without walls. and it's about to launch, with vr works by some of the world's leading contemporary artists. amongst these works is one by marina abramovic, the self—confessed grandmother of performance art, who pushes her own body to the limits to challenge and move people. 0k, well, there's marina, in a tank of water. well, she seems to want to talk to me, but the water is rising up her body. immersive player, in real life, where someone rescues another person, or offers aid of any kind, there is a transfer of energy. approach the water. i think she wants me

to touch the glass. make contact. 0h. 0h, 0k, right. now i'm somewhere very cold, and everything seems to be going wrong. as always, with vr, you really get a sense of scale. i mean, that ice shelf looks absolutely enormous, and it's crashing down right in front of me. this work is an expression of marina's fear that humans will not survive the consequences of climate change, if we don't change our behaviour. i'm being covered in spray. and now there's a note. i will walk instead of drive. i will reuse what i can. i will reduce the waste i create. marina wants to leave the participants with a feeling that they should do something good for the planet. we have to save this planet

that we are living on, because what i'm interested in is to create a literal contract with the planet earth, and give my word of honour that i will do something to save it. screaming. you are pretty well—known for pushing your body further than most people would want to push their bodies. here, you appear virtually in a tank of water, but i get the sense that you still did some pretty real stuff, to make it seem as real as possible? you know, actually, to do this, i have to really be in the water. and then we have to really be in a swimming pool, with two divers holding my legs, so i can really go in and see can feel like i would actually die, if i didn't have any more air to breathe. so it's funny that you have to do

something which is virtual, but you still have to do it physically. before, you've said that you don't think your performances can be captured adequately with photos or videos, because you need to be there, you need the experiences, it is about actually physically being there. and i wonder if virtual reality is close enough to being there, that is why you chose it? because it's almost being there, isn't it? it is very important, the energy dialogue between the audience and the performer. and the only thing that can catch it, before it was video with sound and movement. virtual reality is really another step further, because you can go around the objects, you can interact, you can do this. but still, i think it's so much

a question of how much energy and charisma actually can transfer from the real performance into the virtual body. the rather mesmerising marina abramovic. we will hear more from marina in next week's programme, which is the christmas show, so expect tons of sensible journalism and no fun whatsoever. maybe. in the meantime, you can follow us on facebook and on twitter, where we live at @bbcclick. thanks for watching, and we will see you next week for christmas. hi there. the cold weather that we had during the first half of december is a long way behind us, and, really, for the run—up to christmas, including christmas day, the weather looks pretty mild. at the moment we've got a weather front wiggling its way across central areas of the uk. extensive cloud being wafted across the uk on westerly winds — those winds are fairly light. and we've got some mist and fog patches around the coast and the hills across england and wales.

some patches of light rain and drizzle to start the day as well. a risk of that for northern ireland, for england and wales. slightly drier weather for scotland although the far north again could see a bit of rain. so one way or another, as we start off thursday morning, it's going to be a murky start to the day with fog around the coast of wales and south—west england. up over the hills of the downs and chiltons, a few patches of light rain or drizzle tending ease away quite quickly during thursday morning. some damp weather as well, there or thereabouts in northern ireland. but further north in scotland, for many areas, it's a dry and bright start to the day. high cloud in the sky and there should be some hazey sunshine coming through that across many areas. through the rest of thursday, this wiggling weather front is going to push its way a little bit further northwards and eastwards. it's just going to stay cloudy for most of us. the cloud perhaps thinning a little bit through the afternoon, to allow brighter spells in the east. but always, the thicker cloud across wales, north—west england, northern ireland, threatening some spots of rain. the brightest weather across scotland but this is where we've got the slightly cooler air. temperatures 6 or 7

degrees in the north. otherwise, for most of us, it's a day of double—figure temperatures. and those mild conditions continue through thursday night and on into the first part of friday morning. the cloud though is going to thicken up then through thursday night. with a bit of rain working in again across wales and southern counties of england, on into the midlands for a time, too. cooler across the far north—east of scotland. then for friday, again, it's a rather disappointingly cloudy kind of weather picture. weather becomes drier and brighter for most of us through the afternoon. with a bit more in the way of wind blowing across the mountains of scotland, it is probably the eastern side of scotland that will have the best of any limited breaks in the cloud. for many of us it's a mild one, though. temperatures, what, 10, 11, 12 degrees celsius across western areas. that mild theme set to continue as we head into the weekend and indeed for christmas day, with the winds generally coming in from the west or the south—west. to start off the weekend, again, it's a lot of cloud around for most of us. thick enough to give us a few spots of light rain across western coasts and hills. perhaps something

a little bit more wet across the north—west of scotland. slightly stronger winds, so again a better chance of seeing some cloud breaks for eastern scotland, running into eastern england and then, right up to christmas day itself, it stays mild, but often cloudy perhaps a little bit brighter for most of us for christmas day itself. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: britain's prime minister theresa may sacks her deputy, one of her closest allies, over allegations that he lied about pornography on his work computer. he's calling it "a big, beautiful tax cut" — donald trump gets his first major legislative win as republicans approve the biggest tax overhaul in a generation. we report from barcelona, ahead of crucial elections that could decide the catalan independence debate. we sneak a peek at emma, the so—called ‘snow baby', born from an embryo frozen for a record 25 years.