Japan’s Warp-Speed Ride to Internet Future
Americans invented the Internet, but the Japanese are running away with it.
Broadband service here is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States — and considerably cheaper. Japan has the world’s fastest Internet connections, delivering more data at a lower cost than anywhere else, recent studies show.

12 South Koreans Freed in Afghanistan
Taliban militants on Wednesday released 12 of 19 South Korean captives they promised to free under a deal struck with the South Korean government to resolve a nearly six-week hostage crisis.

U.S. Troops Release Detained Iranians
Eight Iranians, including two diplomats, were released by U.S. forces Wednesday after being detained because unauthorized weapons were found in their cars, the U.S. military said. An adviser to the top U.S. general in Iraq called the detentions “regrettable.”

UK Tries Pictures to Discourage Smokers
Cigarette packs will be required next year to display such graphic images as diseased organs in a bid to scare smokers into snuffing out their butts, the government announced Wednesday.

Edwards: Americans should sacrifice their SUVs
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards told a labor group he would ask Americans to make a big sacrifice: their sport utility vehicles.

An inconvenient fact
Despite the anti-forestry scare tactics of celebrity movies, trees are the most powerful concentrators of carbon on Earth Dr. Patrick Moore is a co-founder of Greenpeace and chairman and chief scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. in Vancouver.

It’s on: Apple event slated for September 5th
Well the rumors have been floating around for a few days, and now we’ve gotten official word — in the form of the invite you see above — that Apple will be holding a “special event” on September 5th. Let the speculation begin!

NASA shuttle to launch Luke’s lightsaber
When the space shuttle Discovery launches the STS-120 crew in October, the force will be with them.

Your Sat-Nav Nightmares Over… Maybe
New signs are warning motorists to ignore their sat-navs on narrow Welsh lanes - but drivers may have a tricky time working out the symbols on the design.

Wal-Mart owes back taxes, state says
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has avoided millions of dollars in state taxes by paying rent on 87 Wisconsin properties in a way that the state Department of Revenue calls an “abuse and distortion of income.”