London calling

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In an insidious effort to further spread the worst possible global language, the BBC World Service Trust has come up with a diabolical technology to teach English to Bangladeshis. The BBC Janala (Window) service uses low-cost technologies such as mobile phones, television and the internet to offer 250 audio and SMS lessons to the 50.4 million mobile users in Bangladesh.

According to the Financial Times, "More than 300,000 people in Bangladesh have rushed to sign up to learn English over their mobile phones, threatening to swamp the service even before its official launch."

Part of a UK government initiative to help develop English skills in Bangladesh, it marks the first time that mobile phones have been used as an educational tool on this scale.