The American Innovation Center (AIC) teamed up with software giant Microsoft Corp.'s Taiwan branch Tuesday to jointly promote digital learning among Taiwanese young people. The AIC Taiwan is the first of its kind in Asia. It was established by the U.S. Department of State in January this year, offering over 70 courses designed to encourage young people to think innovatively.

The British Library is making digital copies of more than 40,000 classic books available for the iPad. Texts appear in fully digitised form, complete with original page markings and drawings. All of the works date from the 18th and 19th centuries and include novels, poetry and historical accounts. The collection was originally digitised in a project funded by Microsoft.

Chinese Internet company Baidu says it has reached an agreement with Microsoft to provide English-language results generated by the U.S. software company's Bing search engine. The agreement, announced Monday, will automatically direct English search requests to Bing and its results will be displayed in pages in Baidu's search engine.

"...Building on Microsoft's support to NGOs around the world, the Microsoft NGO Connection Day Nigeria 2011 will help fill a huge gap that will improve organizational efficiency while also helping many non-profits save cost," PIN's Executive Director, Mr. 'Gbenga Sesan, said.

Embattled Russian civil society activists were full of rare praise for Microsoft today, which has stepped in to protect nongovernmental groups (NGOs) and independent journalists who experience official harassment.

APDS Blogger: Martha Adams

Green is not just a color. Culturally, green can have contradictory meanings within its spectrum of usage. It is often associated with slang for money or ‘green with envy’, while the opposite end of its range of meaning is closely related to the Old English verb growan or “to grow” [plant life], or more relevant today, sustainable practices and formation of trust.