World

Giant Robot from Japan? Not *Quite* Yet

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Elderly or disabled people with mobility problems in Japan are now able to rent a robotic suit that will enable them to walk. Agence France-Presse reports that a company called Cyberdyne is making the suit, which detects electrical signals through the skin, then relays them to mechanical braces that lift the user’s limbs for them. The suits, which will first be leased to patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, are said to enable even paralyzed people to walk. Several countries are interested in renting the suits, which are available for up to five years. The HAL suit, or Hybrid Assistive Limb, weighs 24 pounds, although officials say the user won’t notice the robot’s weight.

World

Skype In … On Your Chat About China

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Canadian researchers have discovered that the Chinese wing of Skype, Ebay’s Internet communications company, has been monitoring its users’ text chats and scanning for sensitive keywords, including the word “democracy.” The Register, a British technology publication, reported that a text filter scanned messages for the sensitive phrases that, if found, were uploaded and stored on servers in China. Skype said that its Hong Kong-based partner, TOM Online, had put the text filter in place surreptitiously, and apologized for the breach of privacy. The Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto, exposed the surveillance and created a list of words that triggered the text filter, the article said. The filter looks for words like Taiwan independence, earthquake and milk powder — the latter referring to China’s recent tainted milk powder scandal.

Economy

Credit Crisis Doesn't Break Scandinavian Ice

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The current financial crisis may be affecting economies around the industrialized world — but there’s one region that doesn’t seem overly worried: Scandinavia. Sweden and Finland, which suffered through a similar financial mess in the early 1990s, are apparently now well-positioned to survive the current woes — and despite the struggles facing Iceland and other neighboring nations. “Let me be clear that Sweden differs from some other European countries,” Swedish finance minister Anders Borg told London’s Financial Times. “We don’t have any failed banks and thus reconstruction needs are not as great.” Next door, Norway is feeling the pain — up to a point.

World

Hundreds of Immigrant Children Missing in Italy: Report

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Of the 1,320 unaccompanied minors who entered Italy illegally from the southern island of Lampedusa this year, hundreds have disappeared, according to the charity Save the Children. The group believes that the missing children may have fallen prey to human traffickers or criminal groups. Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper reported that approximately 400 minors between the ages of 15 and 17 have vanished from their host communities in southern Sicilian provinces. According to Adnkronos International news, a Save the Children spokesperson said there is no clear evidence of what happened to the youth. The organization has been monitoring the issue since June and will report the exact number missing later this year.

Economy

Icelandic Economy Headed for Deep Freeze?

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Iceland is selling off foreign-owned assets in an attempt to ward off national bankruptcy. An article in the Telegraph newspaper said all of Iceland’s banks and investment firms have been blocked from the national stock market and urged to get rid of overseas investments and assets. Iceland’s currency — the Krona — has lost “more than half” its worth over the last few months. In a televised address, Prime Minister Geir Haarde said, “There is a very real danger, fellow citizens, that the Icelandic economy in the worst case could be sucked with the banks into the whirlpool and the result could be national bankruptcy.” The country’s bank debts — most of which are related to foreign investments — are more than eight times the national gross domestic product.

World

Dim Views on War on Terror

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Respondents in 22 of 23 countries surveyed think U.S. action has failed to weaken terrorist groups, according to a BBC World Service poll. According to the poll, only 22 percent of 23,937 respondents said al Qaeda has been weakened. Roughly 30 percent believe the ‘war on terror’ has had no effect, while the same percentage of respondents think U.S. efforts have made al Qaeda stronger. Roughly half of those surveyed believe neither side is winning the conflict, while 61 percent feel negatively toward al Qaeda. France and Mexico had the highest number of participants who believe U.S.led action has empowered terrorists.

Environment

A Different Shade of Green Revolution

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While much of the developed world is talking about environmentally sustainable “green” technology, Africa is desperately seeking a green revolution of a different kind. The original Green Revolution was a wave of new agricultural technology and government policies which are often credited with ending starvation in Asia in the second half of the 20th century. Although more recently linked with pollution and disease from pesticides and other chemicals, its successes have been much discussed in recent news reports about hunger in Africa. There is even an organization called The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, seeking to build a continent that can feed itself. In a recent op-ed article about the food crisis in Ethiopia, United Nations top relief official John Holmes wrote, “Africa, and Ethiopia, need a new Green Revolution — one that is agriculturally productive, economically profitable and environmentally sustainable.”

World

Attack on Muslim Cemetary Comes Amid Rightist Gains

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The Times of London reports that over 90 graves in a Muslim cemetary were “severely damaged” in Traun, Austria, during a general election that saw big gains for anti-immigrant political parties. Austrian police attribute desecration to far-right extremists, whom officials say attempted to shield themselves from association with the crime by spraying Jewish symbols over some of the graves. The Freedom Party and The Alliance for Austria’s Future captured almost 30 percent of the vote, boosted by young populist voters concerned about what they deem as an ongoing “Islamisation” of Austria and Europe. The Freedom Party campaigned against headscarves, burkas and ethnic foods, while both pledged to ban the construction of mosques and minarets. The International Herald Tribune reported that mainstream parties such as The Social Democratic Party and the People’s party remain prevalent, but are increasingly unpopular.

Economy

Zimbabwe Currency Crisis Peaks

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More than 600 shops and services are now licensed to trade using foreign currency in Zimbabwe, the southern African country with the highest rate of inflation in the world. The International Herald Tribune reported that Zimbabwe’s Central Bank authorized the use of foreign moneys, such as the U.S. dollar and South African rand, which are already common in the black market. Zimbabwe’s government, still reeling from a long-term economic crisis, hopes the move will build up supplies of food and basic necessities in local markets. An inflation rate of 11 million percent has caused many Zimbabweans to cross the border into neighboring countries to buy corn meal, medicine, cooking oil and fuel. Commodities are in such short supply, the article said, that aid agencies fear close to two million Zimbabweans will need food supplies in October.

World

Burma Underground Simmers

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A growing number of young activist monks in Burma (Myanmar), frustrated by years of suppression, are considering taking up arms as a way to fight the military junta. Writing for the Christian Science Monitor, Anand Gopal said younger monks are more educated about human rights theories and think the Buddhist teachings on nonviolence aren’t bringing about the changes they want. This change in thinking comes after the harsh crackdown in 2007 on large anti-government protests led by thousands of monks and nuns. The military junta responded harshly with strict crackdowns that left some dead and hundreds imprisoned. “Last September the Army proved too powerful for us and defeated our nonviolent tactics.