World Briefing: Aug 23, 2004

Iris and fingerprint scanning, onetime biometric techniques of the future, may soon be things of the past. The newest trend in high-tech identification scans the veins in your hand. Scientists noticed that vein patterns in the fingers and palm stay in the same place from birth, and the arrangement of veins in each person is unique. By shining a light at the hand or finger and then capturing an infrared digital image, devices developed by Fujitsu, Hitachi and other Japanese firms can ID people in an instant. The first systems will soon appear in Japanese banks to verify the identity of people withdrawing money at ATMs and teller windows. --By Wilson Rothman

NO-FRILL ZONE

Singapore threw its weight behind the nascent Asian low-budget airline industry last month when it approved a new terminal at Changi Airport dedicated to discount carriers. There will be no bells and whistles: travelers will have to walk across the tarmac to board planes after the $26 million terminal opens in 2006. Low-fare carriers have been promised savings of about 20% on terminal-related costs. So far only Tiger Airways has signed on, but authorities hope the terminal will handle about 2.7 million passengers a year. Singapore, however, will face competition from neighboring Malaysia, which is finalizing plans for its own no-frills terminal. --By Hugh Chow

Wine by the Box

Throw away that corkscrew. This month U.S. wine producer Three Thieves releases Bandit Bianco, an Italian white, in a 1L brick. It is the first widely marketed varietal wine in the U.S. to be packaged in Tetra Pak aseptic cartons--layers of polyethylene, paper and aluminum foil more commonly associated with milk. Europeans and South Americans have been drinking wine from them for years. In 2003, packaging company Tetra Pak, based in Switzerland, sold 1.6 billion wine containers globally. They're cheaper than bottles to make, and unopened they keep everyday wine fresh for a year. The time may be ripe for more convenient packaging. Last year the average U.S. adult consumed 2.68 gal. of table wine, an all-time high. Plus, with the recent success of the Sofia Mini can from Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in nightclubs, it seems the younger crowd is open to bucking tradition. --By Kristin Kloberdanz