Learning English

In Beijing this week, people say they're 'living under the dome'. After days on end of heavy pollution, it feels like being trapped under a giant toxic cloud. In Beijing at the moment, both primary and secondary schools have been closed, as have building sites. It feels a bit cabin feverish at the moment; we're all watching the weather reports and waiting for the winds to come along to make this pollution somebody else's problem.

This is one of the most volcanically active places on Earth. But now scientists plan to harness the power of volcanoes, by drilling into the heart of one. This site has been operating continuously for 24 hours a day using this huge piece of kit. In Iceland, towns are already using energy generated from volcanoes, but this new approach could create up to ten times more electricity. And if it works, this technology and the energy it harnesses could be used around the world.

A Japanese firm has come up with a holographic character that is also a smart home device. With ease, she can give you weather updates, and turn on the lights and air conditioning. But the device creators say that Hikari can also be your companion, for when you just need a pal. Social isolation appears to be a growing problem among young people in Japan, very often due to busy lives and heavy work schedules. This venture is aimed at single men who are living alone.