By Alice Park Monday, Aug. 09, 2010

A new study suggests that young girls are increasingly reaching puberty earlier — between 2004 and 2006 twice as many Caucasian girls showed breast maturity at age 7 as compared to 1997. The percentage of African-American girls showing the same early sign of puberty remained constant over the same time period.

The analysis, conducted by researchers collaborating in the multicenter Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers, adds to the growing evidence that the onset of puberty in girls may be shifting earlier and earlier, possibly due to obesity or exposure to environmental chemicals.
(See how to prevent illness at any age.)

4 August 2010 Last updated at 13:46
 
Technology reporter, BBC News

A network of thousands of compromised computers that is being used to harvest online banking details has been uncovered in the UK.

The so-called botnet is made up of around 100,000 machines, according to researchers in Israel.

Cyber criminals in Eastern Europe, who have control of the machines, are collecting personal data from the PCs.

Published: Tuesday August 3, 2010 MYT 12:31:00 PM

HONG KONG: The latest Young Asians survey by global market research firm Synovate shows the lives of Asia's youth revolve around their mobile phones, as personal ownership of mobiles has increased from 60% in 2008 to 64% in 2010.

According to China's Xinhua news agency, it also showed that Hong Kong jumped from 82% to 87% of youth owning a mobile, while Singapore went from 80% to 85%.

2010/08/04
Reports by Eileen Ng

FAILURE to repay vehicle, business and personal loans top the list of people declared bankrupt between 2005 and May this year.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said in that period, the Insolvency Department handled 80,348 bankruptcy cases.

Of the total, 31,950 cases or 39.76 per cent involved Malays, 26,805 cases (33.6 per cent) were Chinese, 7,661 cases (9.53 per cent) were Indians while the rest at 13,932 (17.34 per cent) were from other races.

New research from industry regulator Ofcom reveals that broadband speeds are typically delivering just 58 per cent of the tariff internet service providers are advertising

By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
Published: 7:01AM BST 27 Jul 2010

Householders are receiving less than half the the broadband speed they are paying for, according to an official report.

The average customer is now charged for a speed of up to 11.5 mbit/s, but receives just 5.2 mbit/s, Ofcom, the industry regulator found.
The findings are the latest indication that consumers are being regularly short-changed by their broadband companies for a service now considered “as essential as a utility”, by the majority of consumers. This is despite paying up to £30 a month for the service.