1.     1.  Apple Inc plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan, people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple keeps other dimensions proportional. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007. Early production of the new screens has begun at three suppliers: Korea's LG Display Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Japan Display Inc, a Japanese government-brokered merger combining the screen production of three companies.  It is likely all three of the screen suppliers will get production orders from Apple, which could begin as soon as June. That would allow the new iPhone to go into production as soon as August, if the company follows its own precedent in moving from orders for prototypes for key components to launch.
Apple's decision to equip the next iPhone with a larger screen represents part of a competitive response to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Samsung unveiled its top-of-the line Galaxy smartphone with a 4.8-inch touch-screen and a faster processor earlier this month. With consumers becoming more and more comfortable using smartphones for tasks they once performed on laptops, like watching video, other smartphone manufacturers have also moved toward bigger displays. 

2.      2.Consumers went back to using their credit cards in March to keep spending while student and new-car loans shot up as the value of outstanding consumer credit jumped at the fastest rate since late 2001, data from the Federal Reserve showed on Monday. Total consumer credit grew by $21.36 billion - more than twice the $9.8 billion rise that Wall Street economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast. That followed a revised $9.27 billion increase in outstanding credit in February. Analysts expressed some reservations whether the date reliably signaled a real pickup in demand, something that would normally fuel stronger growth, or just a need to rely more on credit in an economy generating anemic job-growth.

"The optimistic read is that consumers' improved outlook on the economy and employment prospects led them to feel comfortable spending on credit, while a more downbeat interpretation is that credit is needed for consumers to keep up," Nomura Global Economics said in a note afterward. The March rise in consumer credit was the strongest for any month since November 2001 when it soared by $28 billion. That was shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks when big automakers were offering zero-percent financing and other incentives to lure consumers back to their showrooms. New-car sales and production were a key influence on the 2.2 percent annual rate of economic growth posted during the first three months this year. The government estimated that about half of that growth came from increased new car production.

3.    The Coastguard Agency says people should not swim if they feel unwell, for at least an hour after a meal, if they have been drinking alcohol or if they are cold and tired. They also warn against swimming alone, swimming too far out to sea and snorkling if you have breathing problems. And you should avoid cliff edges, even on gentle slopes, when they have been dampened by sea spray. One organisation that aims to help swimmers who get into trouble is the UK's answer to Baywatch, the Surf Lifesaving Association of Great Britain. Founded in 1955 and based on an idea originated in Australia, it now has 81 branches and has made 17,500 rescues. The association has three types of member: Nippers (aged eight to 12), Junior (aged 12 to 16) and Seniors and Masters. Its motto is 'Vigilance and Service'. All members are surfers trained in lifesaving skills.They paddle out across the waves to save struggling swimmers. Most of their money comes from fundraising events, but local councils also provide some funding. Another danger on the beach is pollution. A recent survey of UK beaches showed more than 10% are failing to meet minimum standards for clean water.The Marine Conservation Society said raw sewage was still being pumped into the sea in some areas and was findiing its way onto beaches. But the water companies say the society's standards are too tough and that 90% of British beaches pass European standards.