Apple on Tuesday invited members of the media to a September 12 event in San Francisco for what is expected to be the debut of a new-generation iPhone.

Email invitations bore the cryptic message, "It's almost here," and a large number "12" casting a shadow that appeared to be the number five, suggesting that the event would spotlight the long-anticipated iPhone 5.

The White House rolled out upgraded "apps" to stay in tune with smartphone and tablet lovers as the Democratic National Convention got under way on Tuesday.

Improved applications for mobile gadgets powered by Apple or Android software were synched with a WhiteHouse.gov overhaul to make the website more conducive to visits from people using smartphones or tablets.

With much of the traditional cinema sector in a state of flux, Venice film festival participants said the industry is looking to a future in which the Internet will play an ever bigger role.

From hosting world film premieres on websites to young directors showcasing their work through the Internet, supporters in Europe say the web should no longer be seen as a money drain of pirated content but as a source of revenue.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics acknowledged Wednesday criticisms of working conditions at its plants in China, but rejected a U.S.-based watchdog's charge that they were "inhumane".

Samsung spokesman James Chung said the company had noted a report by China Labor Watch that found workers at the plants were required to put in excessive overtime and could not sit down while they worked.

Thousands of kilometers from Kuala Lumpur in Cameroon, doctoral student Michael Nkwenti Ndongfack attends his Open University Malaysia classes online and hopes to defend his final thesis by Skype.

A government worker, Ndongfack could not find the instructional design and technology course he wanted in his own country, so is paying a foreign institution about $10,000 (8,000 euros) for the degree instead.

Hyundai Motor's labor union has agreed a deal on wages and working conditions, ending the costliest dispute in the South Korean auto giant's history, company officials said Tuesday.

The union has staged 28 partial strikes since stoppages began on July 13, cutting production by more than 82,000 vehicles valued at 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion).

The buyers of bankrupt Swedish carmaker Saab said Monday they would launch their first model in 2014 using the Saab name, after concluding the purchase of the company for an undisclosed sum.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), a joint venture between China's National Modern Energy Holdings and the Japanese fund Sun Investment, announced it had finalized its acquisition from bankruptcy administrators of the main assets of Saab Automobile, Saab Automobile Powertrain and Saab Automobile Tools.

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it would inspect nearly 250 Chinese firms manufacturing goods for the South Korean tech giant, after a U.S.-based group accused one supplier of using child labor.

Samsung said on-site inspections would be carried out at 105 Chinese firms with exclusive Samsung contracts, while 144 other non-exclusive suppliers would be required to provide documentary proof of their compliance with labor codes.

Move over Wi-Fi, there's a new wireless technology coming.

So-called "Super Wi-Fi," which offers a bigger range than existing hotspots, is being deployed in the United States and generating interest in a number of countries, including Britain and Brazil.

Out of a little garage in northeastern Slovenia, comes a new supercar... and it is already joining the ranks of the world's elite, alongside Lamborghini and Ferrari.

Only six months after presenting his first prototype at Monaco's Top Marques event, Aljosa Tusek, 46, has been invited to London's exclusive Salon Prive car show which runs Wednesday through Friday, and customers from all over the world keep calling him.