Extravagant weddings with music and dance were banned by Afghanistan’s Taliban as un-Islamic and now the government plans to again rein in lavish marriage celebrations, but this time to stop grooms going broke

The most prestigious literary prize in the Arab world has unveiled its nominees, riling critics who say it is a politically charged shortlist crafted to appeal to Western audiences

Pompeii mayor Claudio D’Alessio does not want to go down in history linked with Pliny the Younger, the Roman who chronicled the destruction of the ancient city nearly 2,000 ago in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius

The revelation of a novel way to use computers to sabotage an enemy’s lifeline infrastructure suggests a powerful new kind of weapon is moving within reach of weak states, militant groups and criminals, some analysts say

Regierungsrat Alex Hürzeler, Aargau, about his ground-breaking research and about his visions for the future

As governments wish to see a return on nanotechnology, the role of nanometrology comes to the fore, writes Theresa Burke

The New Economy interviews Stefan Engelhart, Head of Industry Business Unit at SAP AG, on smarter solutions to our energy needs

A new kind of test that finds evidence of colon cancer in the stool can also detect pre-cancerous growths

Microsoft Corp’s last-ditch attempt to make an impact in smartphones won favourable early reviews recently

Apple Inc said it will no longer ship Mac computers with Adobe Systems Inc’s Flash player pre-installed

Researchers in Japan have designed tiny beads that detected blood sugar levels when implanted in the ears of mice

Nanoco expects to start shipping the “quantum dots” it produces for use in LEDs in 2011