Washington, Oct 28 : In a new project, scientists have used laptops to detect several earthquakes, taking the help of small accelerometer chips inside the machines.

The project is known as the project Quake Catcher Network (QCN).

Scientists have found out that the tiny accelerometer chip is a pretty good earthquake sensor as well, especially if the signals from lots of them are compared, in order to filter out more mundane sources of laptop vibrations, such as typing. 

The project has about 1500 laptops connected in a network that has detected several tremors, including a magnitude 5.4 quake in Los Angeles in July this year. 

New Delhi, Oct 28 : Diwali, the festival of lights, is being celebrated across the country with traditional fervour and zeal today.

It was celebrated in the southern part of the country on Monday.

Diwali is being celebrated with full fervour and gaiety in Delhi. The Delhi police has made elaborate security arrangements for the occasion. 

In Madhya Pradesh, people are opting for eco-friendly crackers and the Chinese make are no longer in demand. The State Pollution Control Board is continuously monitoring the air and noise pollution levels.

Diwali is also being celebrated in Jammu region with religious fervour and enthusiasm.

Gaya, Oct. 28 : An Australian lady, who has adopted Gaya as her second home, is resolutely making a difference in the lives of many village girls in a Naxal affected area here. 

Katrina Mount, the Australian native presently residing in Gaya’s Guraru Block, has taken to social service here. She has dedicated herself to enable the village girls of her locality to become self-dependent through fashion designing and thus training them to be so.

These 25 village girls are local residents of Gurau Block, an area facing neglect of the District administration which contends it is a naxal-dominated area and hence unsafe to work.

Stockholm  - A majority of Swedes favour keeping the Swedish currency, but opposition has declined to introducing the joint European currency, the euro, a report said Tuesday.

The poll commissioned by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper showed that 47 per cent opposed the euro while 42 per cent favoured such a move, the poll commissioned by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper said.

The survey indicated that 11 per cent were undecided.

In a referendum five years ago, 56 per cent of Swedish voters said they wanted to keep the krona while 42 per cent favoured the euro.

Polling institute Sifo interviewed some 1,000 Swedes by telephone October 20 to 23.

Vienna  - Soon-to-be privatized flag carrier Austrian Airlines AG reported Tuesday it lost 16.4 million euros (20.5 million dollars) in the third quarter, down from a profit of
29.2 million euros in the same period last year.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Russian domestic carrier S7 have both submitted bids to take over the 42.75-per-cent stake in Austrian Airlines which is currently held by the government.

Operating income showed a deficit of 9.4 million euros between July and September, due to high fuel costs, lower earnings on long- distance routes and price pressure from budget carriers, the report said.

Manila  - The United Nations and the European Union launched Tuesday a 15-million-euro joint initiative to promote migration and help protect migrant workers amid the global financial crisis.

Amid warnings that the global crisis could force countries to restrict the entry of migrant workers, the UN-EU initiative aims to highlight the "positive impact of migration" on development.

The programme was launched on the sidelines of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Manila, which will be addressed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday.

Under the programme, financial grants will be provided to projects dealing with migrant communities, migrant rights, capacities of migrants and migrant remittances.