London, Sept 12 : The microchip, used in devices from cookers to computers to mobile phones, is 50 years old today.

Consisting of a strip of germanium with one transistor and other components all glued to a glass slide, the first working microchip, or integrated circuit, was demonstrated at Texas Instruments by one of the company’s newest employees, Jack Kilby, on September 12, 1958.

His rough device, measuring seven 16ths of an inch (11.5 millimetres) by one 16th of an inch, revolutionised electronics, and the world.

The microchip virtually created the modern computer industry, and the Internet would be unthinkable without it.

Washington, September 12 : Technology under development at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) could offer new hope to farmers in drought-affected and marginal areas by enabling crops to grow using salty groundwater.

The technology is being developed by Associate Professor Greg Leslie, a chemical engineer at UNSW’s UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology, who is working along with the University of Sydney.

The technology uses reverse-osmosis membranes to turn previously useless, brackish groundwater into a valuable agricultural resource.

Washington  - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Washington later this month as the US Congress begins to contemplate the approval of the landmark nuclear deal between the two countries.

President George W Bush formally submitted the nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress late Wednesday as he rushes to complete the deal before he leaves office in January.

Vienna - The UN nuclear agency has raised its long-term projections for nuclear power growth, as countries are seeking stable energy prices and energy security.

Global nuclear electricity production capacity will rise to between 473 and 748 gigawatts in 2030, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its latest annual outlook on nuclear power, which it released in Vienna on Thursday.

In 2007, 439 nuclear reactors operated worldwide, with a capacity of 372 gigawatts.

Brussels  - European Union officials in Brussels on Wednesday said Google's decision to halve the amount of time it stores internet users' personal data is "a good step in the right direction."

The search engine giant announced this week that it would be storing unique PC addresses, known as Internet Protocol (IP) numbers, for nine months rather than 18.

The move comes on the back of growing pressure from the EU, which is seeking to protect its citizen's privacy and would like internet search engines to retain users' personal data for a maximum of six months.

London, September 11 : Researchers at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia, have developed a computerised system that can prevent unnecessary graffiti, the removal of which involves huge costs.

Project leader Seng Chu Tan has revealed that the new system is particularly aimed at curbing graffiti that is scratched into surfaces, such as Perspex, which is much more difficult to cope with and usually requires the entire surface to be replaced at great cost.

The researcher says that the new device can hear when graffiti is being carved into surfaces, reports New Scientist magazine.