Cellphones may soon form peer-to-peer network to broadcast disaster alerts

October 1st, 2009 MUNICH - The first of two planned satellites for Germany's defence forces blasted off late Thursday from the European space launch centre outside Kourou, French Guiana, officials said. The satellite separated from its rocket and was placed into orbit about 30 minutes after launch.

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - In order to prevent money laundering and terror financing, G20 countries have decided to take counter measures against non-cooperative tax heavens from March 2010. Following up on the decisions taken at the summit in April, the meeting of G20 finance ministers, including India, finalized the steps that could enable governments to extract information from such tax havens.

August 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The new batch at the University of California (UC), San Diego campus has some "green" surprises in store for it, with innovations ranging from Econauts and drought tolerant bio-swale landscaping to organic foods and "hydration stations" that eliminate the need for disposable water bottles. Underlining its reputation as one of the greenest campuses in the US, UC San Diego is initiating a huge housing program with a new 1,000-bed "village" project for transfer students that is tracking LEED silver certification.

August 20th, 2009 LONDON - The BBC's Asian Network is at the center of a race row after Sikhs accused the digital radio station of being insensitive towards their religion. The BBC were forced to remove a show from their website after Adil Ray, a popular Muslim presenter, received threats from Sikh listeners who accused him of denigrating one of their religious symbols, The Telegraph reports.

July 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Reports indicate that the newest supercomputer, which can perform more than 160 trillion calculations per second, is ready to take on problems in areas such as climate science, hydrogen storage and molecular chemistry. The 21.4 million dollar Chinook supercomputer, built by HP, is almost 15 times faster than its predecessor, and has now been commissioned for use by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the (US) Department of Energy.

July 20th, 2009 HAMBURG - The most intense X-ray beam of its type in the world has been generated inside a 2,300-metre circular tunnel under the German city of Hamburg, the Desy research institute said Monday. The machine, which cost 225 million euros ($297 million), was switched on in April, but unlike a light bulb it takes weeks to tune up.

July 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Smokers can immediately improve their cardiovascular health by kicking the butt, according to a study. Researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, NY, say that smoking cessation provides immediate benefits to patients.

July 2nd, 2009 LOS ANGELES - A new satellite designed to allow the convergence of cellphones and satellite phones throughout the US was successfully launched Thursday, mobile communications provider TerreStar announced. Weighing 6,910 kg, TerreStar-1 is the largest commercial satellite ever and was launched by Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana Tuesday.

June 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Peer pressure does help when it comes to conservation programmes. People are more likely to enrol in one if their neighbours do - a tendency that should be exploited to protect the environment, according to a new study.

June 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A University of Missouri researcher says that there is an ever-widening gap between what humans can naturally learn and what they need to learn to be successful adults in today's modern society. David Geary, Curators' Professor of Psychological Sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science, says that schools might have helped bridge the gap between evolution and new knowledge, but more may need to be done.

April 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Cyberbullying has become the biggest trauma for school kids, with almost 10,000 children each week seeking help to cope with online abuse. Terrorised schoolkids are turning to a support website for advice after being subjected to abusive mobile phone texts and emails.

April 5th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists are planning to build a giant telescope that will be powerful enough to identify habitable planets like Earth in distant solar systems. Astronomers claim the European Extremely Large Telescope, which will house a mirror the width of five double decker buses placed end to end, will be the first optical telescope capable of picking out the weak pinpricks of light that are reflected from planets as they orbit stars.

March 13th, 2009 LONDON - Direct sunlight might be bad for you, but it can do wonders to your car. Scientists have developed a new polyurethane material that heals its own scratches in less than an hour when exposed to sunlight.

March 12th, 2009 LONDON - If cellphone networks called botnets have their way, many mobile phones may soon become useless zombies. Botnets are networks of hacked computers recruited to assist in cybercrime without their owners realizing that their cell phones are being hacked.

February 16th, 2009 LONDON - The row over denial of visa to Israel's Shahar Peer by Dubai Tennis Championships organisers is likely to escalate with doubles player Andy Ram, a member of Israel's Davis Cup team, also likely to meet the same fate for the men's championships starting next week. Ram, who won the Australian Open title last year with fellow Israeli Jonathan Erlich, is waiting to hear if his visa application has been granted although it seems unlikely that it will be, reports The Guardian.