London, Mar 22 : Scientists are developing a robotic octopus that will be able to search the seabed with the same extraordinary dexterity as the real eight-legged cephalopod.

With no solid skeleton, the robot would be the world''s first entirely soft robot, say researchers.

The trouble with today''s remote-controlled subs, says researcher Cecilia Laschi of the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, is that their large hulls and clunky robot arms cannot reach into the nooks and crannies of coral reefs or the rock formations on ocean floors.

London, Mar 22 : Taking a special vitamin supplement during pregnancy can keep hydrocephalus, one of the most common birth brain defects, at bay, claim researchers.

According to scientists, who conducted tests on rats to reach the conclusion, results have shown a combination of folates dramatically reduces the rates of hydrocephalus - in which fluids build up in the brain''s chambers.

However, it's too early to say anything further, say researchers in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology.

London, Mar 22 : A leading professor is sucking all the fun out of the puzzle phenomenon - by revealing a formula to solve any Sudoku problem.

James Crook, an emeritus professor in South Carolina, will tomorrow publish his "pen-and-paper algorithm for solving Sudoku puzzles" on the website of the American Mathematical Society.

The algorithm boils down to five logical steps.

Sudoku fans, however, are aghast by the idea, reports The Times.

Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse crime novels and a puzzle enthusiast, said: "I'm sorry to hear somebody's discovered how to do it. It's like using a computer program to work out crossword anagrams - it takes all the fun and struggle out of it."

London, March 22 : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has asked celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to prepare a 10-course meal for President Barack Obama and other world leaders when they visit London in April for the G20 meet.

The British chef had won the support of many for his role in campaigning against the use of processed foods, especially in national schools.

London, Mar 22 : To bring the Taliban into the Afghan political process in order to achieve a peaceful resolution to the war in Afghanistan, the United States has signalled a new initiative.

The US Ambassador to Kabul said that America would be prepared to discuss the establishment of a political party, or even election candidates representing the Taliban, as part of a political strategy that would sit alongside reinforced military efforts to end the increasingly intractable conflict.

William Wood, the outgoing US ambassador to Afghanistan, said that "insurgencies, like all wars... end when there is an agreement."

London, March 22 : A British diner tried to ease his conscience by paying for a meal in an Indian restaurant 13 years after he fled the eatery.

The anonymous customer left the restaurant in Mumbles, Swansea, without settling his 10-pound meal in 1996.

He later sent police 60 pounds in cash along with a type-written letter, requesting them to clear up his debt and apologise on his behalf to the owner.