CELL PHONE RADIATION, BRITS TO THE RESCUE?

Worried about the effect of cell phone radiation on your childrens already warped brains? Well, if reports are confirmed, a group of scientists at a British University may have accidentally discovered something useful. Apparently there are also improvements for bue tooth thrown in for free.

Scientists at a British university, taking advantage of their research in GPS (global positioning system location-based technology, have reported a breakthrough in antenna design that could result in safer mobile phones.Engineers at Loughborough University's Centre for Mobile Communications Research (CMCR) say their work may yield a new antenna that will reduce cell phone radiation emissions absorbed into the body. The small-scale antenna initially was designed for devices receiving GPS signals from satellites, CMCR head Yiannis Vardaxoglou told NewsFactor. However, the researchers later discovered that the antenna had a low radiation SAR (specific absorption rate)......

A reduction in the SAR of up to 85 percent was accomplished, Vardaxoglou explained, by creating an antenna using helical, or spiral, copper tracks etched into a small ceramic cylinder. The antenna measures about one centimeter in diameter by one centimeter in length. The antenna also has applications for Bluetooth-enabled devices that use short-range wireless connections. Vardaxoglou said his technology would reduce the interference that often plagues Bluetooth networks that connect several devices in an office.
Source: News Factor LINK Discuss Do Mobile Phones Damage Your Health?

JAPAN CONTINUES ITS DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Japanese shares took a pounding on Monday and the Topix index made its biggest percentage drop this year after a weak performance in New York and London sparked a sell-off. Wall Street recovered some poise in Friday's late trade but on Monday foreign investors exited the Japanese market in droves.
The Nikkei 225 stock average fell 2.3 per cent to 10,644.11 and the more comprehensive Topix index fell 2.7 per cent, its worst one-day drop this year, underscoring the jitters that have hit Tokyo.

Foreign investors were net sellers on Monday, as all sectors declined.

The markets had appeared to ignore a two-notch downgrade of Japan's debt rating by Moody's and focused on expectations of a mild economic recovery. Foreign investors piled back into the Japanese market and were net buyers for eight consecutive weeks from the third week in April. This fed the notion that Japanese shares were no longer following the US lead.But doubts about the strength of the US economy after weak data last week and about a recovery in technology and telecoms stocks spread to Japan and darkened the outlook for the country's export-driven economy.

Disappointment with a government anti-deflation package also helped push shares lower on Monday. Traders said the market was sending a signal that Japan's second set of anti-deflation measures since February lacked effective plans to simulate domestic demand.Mr Lambert of JP Morgan added: "The Japanese market has peaked around May or June for eight of the past 10 years, so we may have seen the peak already, which doesn't bode well."
Source: Financial Times LINK

So, just when you thought it was over...........



















CLASS ACTIONS SPREAD TO SPAIN

I always had the feeling that the 'pelotazo' of Spain's national champions in Argentina would end badly, now the wrath of Argentina's angry masses seems to be reaching back into the belly of the would be behemoth:

Almost 1,000 Argentines have launched a class action suit in Madrid against Santander Central Hispano, Spain's leading bank, demanding the restitution of savings that have been frozen in Argentina since the devaluation of the peso in December.

The lawsuit, which will receive its first hearing next month, will seek to establish whether parent banks are legally responsible for their foreign subsidiaries. It is the first lawsuit of its kind in Spain, and as such, is likely to be followed closely by the country's fledgling multi-nationals."The customers of Banco Ro and Banco Francés thought they were putting their money into Spanish banks," Mr Hernandez (the lawyer presenting the suit)says. "Santander and BBVA made active use of their brands in order to generate confidence in their Argentine subsidiaries. Advertising for fixed-term deposits at Banco Francés carried the phrase 'with the backing of the BBVA Group', while Santander used its logo on Banco Ro products.

Mr Hernandez argues that as international banks, Santander and BBVA should be obliged to repay its Argentine depositors in Spain if they are prevented from doing so in Argentina. "This is a lawsuit about the scope of globalisation," the lawyer says. "It wants to establish the responsibilities of global companies towards their customers, wherever they may be."
Source: Financial Times LINK