>> At 2 am on March 11, 2007 (0700 GMT), the US pushed forward the hands on its clocks by an hour. The shift came three weeks earlier than usual. Normally US clocks "spring forward' on the first Sunday of April and "fall back' on the last Sunday of October. This year, however, they were forwarded on the second Sunday in March and accordingly will wind back on the first Sunday of November. This early shifting has come about as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was approved by the US Congress to save energy. Backers of this move hope the US will gain four weeks of additional daylight savings time this year, which means more energy savings. This will remain in place in future.

>> Spain's Valencia has come up with an innovative plan to develop orange juice fuel. It plans to produce bioethanol by using citric acid from the wastes of orange and lemon. Valencia produces 4 million tonnes of oranges a year, which generates 240,000 tonnes of waste. According to city authorities, once successful, the project could reduce the region's dependence on petrol by up to 40 per cent.

>> Thirteen new cases of bird flu have been detected in Afghanistan over the past week, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 17. Nine dead birds were also diagnosed with the virulent H5N1 strain in five districts of eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.