It is a spectacular vision: European households will be supplied with clean energy from african deserts. The Club of Rome has been busy thinking about this idea for a long time with its Desertec-Initiative, and now 20 corporations want to get down to business in the fight against climate change. In two to three years, these corporations (Siemens and Münchner Rück amongst them) plan to have a technological and economical concept for solarenergy out of Africa. But the hurdles seem to be ...

The highest appeals court in Turkey has ruled that virginity is a prerequisite for marriage. A man had sued and wanted to nullify his marriage because his bride hadn't been a virgin... sheesh! Why doesn't the man have to be a virgin too? What about a widow that remarries? Turks (and arabs) and their sexist ideals about marriage and honour.. thank god I wasn't born there.