Technolgy strikes another blow for faster communication:

"The rapacious advance of technology has claimed the jobs of more innocent victims: 400 pigeons.

The Orissa state pigeon carrier service in India is cruelly sacking two-thirds of its winged workforce because of the increasing use of the internet and email.

A spokesman for the pigeon carrier service said: "We are going to retrench the pigeons to save the 5.4m rupees (£78,000) we spend annually on them."

Fear not: the practice of "retrenching pigeons" has nothing to do with ovens and pastry. The dole-birds will be handed over to the state's wildlife department, bless their little feathers.”

(with thanks to Jon at Silicon.com)