Displays have been on display in Tokyo - and the latest flat-panel screen technology is getting thinner and more flexible. This so-called ‘e-paper’ not only allows users to read the latest edition of a favourite news paper electronically, it also means pages in e-books can be changed, or documents amended much more easily than using a traditional pen. And, most importantly, the technology saves real paper - and therefore, real trees.
After repelling an attack by Darfur rebels on Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, the Sudanese government has broken off diplomatic ties with Chad whom it accuses of supporting the revolt. The two sides fought a pitched battle in a suburb of the city yesterday. It was the first time fighting had reached the capital in decades of conflict between the Arab-dominated government and rebels from peripheral regions. (more…)
It is a defining moment for Serbia as the country votes in a general election that will shape future relations with Europe. Serbs are deeply divided over how to respond to the West’s recognition of Kosovo’s independence. (more…)
Newly elected PM Silvio Berlusconi has promised to tackle the crisis
A mountain of uncollected waste in Naples has prompted the EU to announce it is taking Italy to court.
More than 1,000 tonnes of rubbish is rotting on the city’s streets, and the EU argues not enough has been done to get rid of it.
“The Commission is not convinced that this issue will be solved quickly enough,” said an EU official.
Italy could face a heavy fine if the European Court of Justice decides that Rome has infringed EU laws on waste. (more…)
More than 22,000 killed and 41,000 missing, Myanmar radio reportsA Myanmar government radio station said Tuesday that more than 22,000 people are dead and 41,000 missing after the catastrophic cyclone that battered the country.
Buddhist monks move branches from an uprooted tree blocking a street in Yangon.
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That’s what Haitian Renald Deraz, 27, e-mailed Beloiter Debbie Fischer after his brother starved to death. (more…)
Four Hightower students being investigated after scores were changed for 60Four high school students are being investigated on suspicion of breaking into the Fort Bend Independent School District’s computer network and changing the grades of at least 60 students, according to court documents and school officials. (more…)
Sony Corp prototyped a fuel-cell system small enough to fit in one hand. The size of the system is about 50 × 30mm, which was realized by combining a fuel cell, Li-polymer secondary battery, control circuit and so forth.
This is the first time that Sony revealed the prototype of a practical fuel-cell system including, for example, a secondary battery and control circuit. The company exhibited the evaluation results of the system at Small Fuel Cells 2008, which takes place from April 30 to May 2, 2008, in Atlanta, Ga. (more…)
Mars agrees to buy gum maker Wrigley for about $23B with financing help from Warren Buffett CHICAGO (AP) — The Oracle of Omaha is betting that the country’s candy jar is recession-proof. With financing from Warren Buffett, candy maker Mars Inc. on Monday said it is buying confectioner Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for an estimated $23 billion in cash. The deal would marry brands that sweet-toothed Americans have munched on for decades: Mars owns Snickers and M&Ms; Wrigley’s gum brands include Juicy Fruit, Orbit, Extra and Big Red. (more…)
Parisians have been ordered to get rid of rats in their homes and businesses or face prosecution under an official campaign to fight a plague of rodents.
Less than a year after the animated cartoon Ratatouille turned Rémy the French rat into a loveable culinary hero, the city’s residents have been ordered to eradicate his real-life counterparts. They are also being asked to denounce insalubrious neighbours responsible for the infestation. (more…)