Europe
Novel dual-action drug can tackle hypertension
March 30, 2010 6:27 am | by European Commission | News | CommentsNew international research shows that patients suffering from hypertension can tolerate and even significantly drop their blood pressure levels when treated with a new dual-action drug called LCZ696. Presented in The Lancet journal, the study compared this new drug to the established...
Statistics : Annual inflation rate in OECD area drops slightly to 1.9% in February 2010
March 30, 2010 3:25 am | by OECD | News | CommentsConsumer prices in the OECD area rose by 1.9% in the year to February 2010, down from 2.1% in January. This small decrease in inflation rates mainly reflected the slowing down of energy prices, which increased by 8.4% in February, compared with 10.6% in January.
High ride with Maxus-8
March 26, 2010 9:03 am | News | CommentsESA’s Maxus-8 sounding rocket was launched today from Kiruna in northern Sweden carrying four microgravity research modules on a hectic 12-minute space voyage. The ultimate results may include improved turbine blades for aircraft engines.
News Corp to charge for UK Times online from June
March 26, 2010 5:15 am | News | CommentsNews Corp will charge readers for online versions of its UK Times and Sunday Times newspapers from June, becoming the first media firm to test consumers' appetite to pay for mass-market news online. Access to two new websites for the two titles will cost 1 pound ($1.49) per day or 2 pounds for a week.
Suspected Twitter infiltrator: 'I'm a nice hacker'
March 26, 2010 5:08 am | News | CommentsHe's unemployed and isn't much of a computer expert. The Frenchman accused of infiltrating Twitter and peeping at the accounts of President Barack Obama and singers Britney Spears and Lily Allen says he wanted to reveal just how vulnerable online data systems are to break-ins - and he says he didn't mean any harm.
Germany : Innovation, education and stronger competition key to a more balanced economy
March 26, 2010 2:27 am | by OECD | News | CommentsInnovation, education and more competition in the domestic market would help Germany emerge from the economic crisis with a stronger and more balanced economy. Labor market policy should now pave the way for necessary structural changes while fiscal policy needs a specific exit strategy...
UK police asks Internet cafes to monitor customers
March 25, 2010 11:16 am | News | CommentsInternet cafe users in the British capital may want to watch what they download. Scotland Yard is advising administrators of public Web spaces to periodically poke through their customers' files and keep an eye out for suspicious activity.
Italian swaps physics for writing and wins plaudits
March 25, 2010 8:27 am | News | CommentsWorking long days in a particle physics laboratory at the University of Turin, doctoral student Paolo Giordano wanted an escape from the academic rigors of numbers. So he wrote about love and misunderstanding with a sprinkling of science and unwittingly became a literary sensation.
French police arrest alleged Twitter hacker
March 25, 2010 8:20 am | News | CommentsFrench police say they have detained a 25-year-old who allegedly hacked Twitter accounts of numerous well-known figures, including Britney Spears and President Barack Obama. Police said Wednesday the suspect, who went by the pseudonym "Hacker Croll," was caught following a joint operation with the FBI and arrested Tuesday in the Puy-de-Dome region of central France.
More women in top jobs key to economic growth, says EU report
March 25, 2010 3:27 am | by European Commission | News | CommentsOnly one in 10 board members of Europe's biggest listed companies is a woman and all central bank governors in the EU are male. The economy would benefit by having full representation of both men and women in top positions, says a new report presented by the European Commission today. It...
Turkey - OECD welcomes efforts to tackle bribery in international business deals
March 25, 2010 12:25 am | by OECD | News | CommentsTurkey has made significant progress in its efforts to combat bribery in international business deals by fully implementing all but one of the recommendations made by the OECD Working Group on Bribery since 2007, earning praise from the other 37 countries that are Party to the OECD...
UK military incorporates Virtual Reality Parachute Trainers
March 24, 2010 10:34 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe UK’s Ministry of Defence has purchased Virtual Reality Parachute Trainers (VRPT) for the Parachute Training School at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. The contract with Gloucestershire-based Pennant Training Systems Limited is for the design, manufacture, and installation of eight Virtual Trainers.
ESA highlights online games as key future technology
March 24, 2010 7:30 am | News | CommentsVideo gaming has become one of the globe’s most popular pastimes. Fans say games are often educational, their detractors answer they are anything but. Might ESA have something to learn from gaming? A new Agency study says the answer is yes.
To Mars and back – as real as it gets
March 24, 2010 7:27 am | News | CommentsA crew of six, including two Europeans, will soon begin a simulated mission to Mars in a mockup that includes an interplanetary spaceship, Mars lander and martian landscape. The Mars500 experiment, as long as a real journey to Mars, is a test of human endurance.
Greece - Quick action needed to tackle rising youth unemployment, says OECD
March 24, 2010 3:26 am | by OECD | News | CommentsYoung people in OECD countries have been hit hard by the economic crisis. In Greece, the already high youth unemployment rate could rise further in the coming months, according to a new OECD report.
Britain to set up new space agency
March 23, 2010 8:39 am | News | CommentsBritain will set up a new space agency next month to exploit an industry that appears to have defied the recession and shows huge potential for growth, the government said on Tuesday. The UK Space Agency will oversee the development of satellites, robotics and other advanced technology and may one day join international missions to explore Mars, the Moon and asteroids.
EU to seek publication of anti-piracy deal
March 23, 2010 8:37 am | News | CommentsThe European Union said Monday it wants the United States and others to publish a draft global anti-piracy deal to end rumors that it advocates cutting off Internet access for illegal downloaders. European Internet service providers said last month that they were alarmed by leaked details of the secret talks that they feared could lead to criminal sanctions and "three strikes and you're out" cease-and-desist orders...
China - OECD head calls for more social spending, flexible exchange rate
March 23, 2010 5:29 am | by OECD | News | CommentsIn a speech at the China Development Forum in Beijing, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría recommended that China boost public spending on social infrastructure, including education, health, pensions and social assistance, in order to reduce inequalities, and suggested a more flexible...
HAPTIMAP targets sense(ible) solutions
March 23, 2010 5:28 am | by European Commission | News | CommentsTechnological advances have done people a world of good, but they can also be nerve-wracking at times. Having to look at mobile device screens for information is not always a realistic or even safe thing to do, and poor eyesight can make it difficult for users to see key details. The...
ZigBee Alliance Looks to Europe
March 22, 2010 11:06 am | News | CommentsThe ZigBee Alliance today announced its intention to expand its participation in the European Union’s various standardization efforts.
ESA and Thales Alenia Space enter negotiations for MTG
March 22, 2010 7:37 am | News | CommentsThe tendering process that will result in the supply of Europe's next series of meteorological satellites, Meteosat Third Generation, has reached an advanced stage as ESA invites Thales Alenia Space to enter formal contract negotiations.
Scientists hide gold with 3D invisibility cloak
March 22, 2010 7:35 am | News | CommentsGerman scientists have created a three-dimensional "invisibility cloak" that can hide objects by bending light waves. The findings, published in the journal Science on Thursday, could in the future make it possible to make large objects invisible, but for now the researchers said they were not keen to speculate on possible applications.
Microsoft's browser loses market share in Europe
March 22, 2010 7:32 am | News | CommentsMicrosoft's Internet Explorer has lost market share in major European markets, such as France, Britain and Italy, after the U.S. software firm started to make it easier for European consumers to use competing browsers.
Web inventor to lead British research institute
March 22, 2010 7:30 am | News | CommentsBritain's prime minister says the scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web will lead a new Internet research institute. Tim Berners Lee, who developed the Web in 1990, will head up Britain's Institute of Web Science.
France obtains micro UAVs
March 22, 2010 6:43 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe French Special Forces Command is now equipped with an unspecified number of Skylark 1 and Wasp Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The French Armament Procurement Agency (Direction générale de l'armement, DGA) made the handoff on March 8th...
