Angry Birds-themed activity parks are set to be constructed around the world.
The mobile game’s Finnish developer Rovio has paired up with the playground equipment specialist Lappset Group to create and maintain the parks.
They will feature interactive content and “exclusive” downloads. The first will be built in Finland this summer, with UK locations to follow.
An unauthorised Angry Birds park opened in China last year, but this marks the first official licensing deal.
The game – in which players use a slingshot to fling outsized birds at pigs hiding in destructible buildings – …

Professor Stephen Hawking has filmed a cameo for US sitcom The Big Bang Theory, due to be aired next month.
The famous physicist will appear in a scene with socially awkward scientist Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons.
Producers had asked Professor Hawking, best known for his best-selling book A Brief History of Time, to appear on the show before, but he had been too ill to take part.
He previously recorded voice-overs for animations The Simpsons and Futurama.
Last year, he fronted his own TV series Brave New World for Channel 4, which …

Arm Holdings has unveiled what it describes as the “world’s most energy-efficient microprocessor” design.
The Cortex -M0+ architecture is designed to provide chip-makers with the means to build microcontrollers that require “ultra low power” but are capable of 32-bit processing.
Arm says it paves the way for “the internet of things” – the spread of the net to a wider range of devices.
Two firms have already licensed the technology from the British firm.
They are NXP Semiconductors and Freescale.
“It opens up all devices to the potential of being connected all the time,” Freescale’s …

A 41-megapixel Nokia smartphone was among the new technology on show during the opening day of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The 808 Pureview offers enhanced low-light performance as well as sophisticated image compression designed to help users share pictures.
Nokia hopes to regain ground lost to Google and Apple in the mobile market.
However, some have criticised Nokia’s decision to use its own operating system, Symbian, on the device.
Nokia’s other smartphones typically run on Microsoft’s Windows Phone software.
Symbian, which first appeared on Nokia phones in the 90s, is widely regarded as inferior …

Silent movie The Artist has triumphed at the Oscars, winning five awards including best picture, best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin.
Director Michel Hazanavicius – winning on his first ever nomination – thanked the dog, Uggie, who appears in the film but added: “I don’t think he cares.”
Dujardin said of his character: “If George Valentin could speak, he would say ‘Wow! Victorie! Genial! Merci!’”
The film also won the Oscars for best original score and best costumes.
Martin Scorsese’s Hugo also won five Oscars, mainly in technical categories.
Meryl Streep won best …

Scottish research has shown it could be possible to reverse the muscle damage seen in children with a form of motor neurone disease.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) – “floppy baby syndrome” – is the leading genetic cause of death in children.
It affects one in 6,000 births, but 50% of those with the most severe form die before the age of two.
The University of Edinburgh mouse study suggests a drug could boost levels of a protein and so reverse muscle damage.
Children with SMA experience progressive muscle wastage, loss of mobility and motor …