Science and technology: Kosovo won't get ITU prefix in 2008

07/04/2008

Despite independence, Kosovo will continue to use Serbia's country code for the time being. Also this week: Istanbul police are equipped with noise guns, and scientists warn of desertification in Greece.

For now, +381 is still the code for dialing Kosovo. [Getty Images]

Kosovo will not receive it own country code this year, Kosovo Telecommunications Regulatory Authority director Anton Berisha announced. It will continue to use Serbia's code, +381, until the International Telecommunications Union issues a new one.

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Every third woman in Serbia between the ages of 20 to 82 has osteoporosis, according to a survey by the Belgrade Rheumatology Institute. According to the findings, 2.4 million people have been diagnosed with osteoporosis in Serbia, including 1.9 million women. The disease is in an advanced stage for 430,000 patients.

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City police in Istanbul have been equipped with special noise guns that allow the authorities to enforce the law without firing a single shot. The sound wave generated by the weapon can reach 150 decibels -- slightly lower than the maximum noise level the human ear can withstand.

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Scientists from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and Italy's University of Basilicata have warned that southern Greece and the northern prefecture of Kilkis are facing a risk of desertification caused by climate changes. The experts, who took part in a scientific conference in Thessaloniki on March 31st, called for a strategic soil and water management plan and new cultivation practices.

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Turkey is building observatories at the bottom of the Sea of Marmora. They will be situated between 400m and 1,200m below sea level and will enable better predictions of earthquakes and hurricanes. The astronomy observatory at the Bogazici University, Istanbul's Earthquake Research Institute and the telecommunications company Turk Telecom are collaborating on the project.

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Albania is one of the few countries in Europe without national records in science and technology, Education Minister Genc Pollo said. He made this statement at a seminar on Albania's strategy for scientific research. Pollo said developing a mid-term strategy in the field is a top priority.

(Various sources – 31/03/08-07/04/08)