Spreading the word

The government of Libya is reported to have agreed to provide its 1.2 million school children with a cheap durable laptop computer by June 2008.

The laptops offer internet access and are powered by a wind-up crank. They cost $100 and manufacturing begins next year, says One Laptop per Child, reports the BBC.

The non-profit association's chairman, Nicholas Negroponte, said the deal was reached on Tuesday in Libya.

This is not the same as being online but goes a long way towards it.