Chargin' Common Style!

The maddening scramble to find the right charger for your smartphone could soon be coming to an end, for European politicians have backed a regulation that will force smartphone makers to use just one type of charger. On Thursday, MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the regulation, which will see a common charger used for smartphones by 2017. The regulation was drawn up to help consumers and to cut down on the amount of electronic waste. "This serves the interests both of consumers and the environment," said MEP Barbara Weiler in a statement. "It will put an end to charger clutter and 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually." The regulation is still only a draft law and must be approved by Europe's council of ministers. However, that body has already given its informal backing to the law, suggesting it will win final approval. Once that's done, European member states will have until 2016 to translate the regulation into national laws and manufacturers will then have 12 months to switch to the new design, which will use a Micro USB connector - a format used on many handsets and other devices already. But enough about that because Roger Federer has a simple message for those wanting to "revamp" tennis by allowing on-court coaches: he hopes he will have retired by then if it ever happens.