Posted by Tiffany O'Callaghan Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 3:14 pm

A recent study examining the potential impact of sin taxes—increasing the cost of junk food, in particular—as a means to promote healthier choices found that, in a lab setting at least, when unhealthy foods cost more, people tended to eat them less. Now, new research attempts to size up the value of sin taxes in the real world. A study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed more than 5,000 people from 1985-1986 to 2005-2006, tracking food consumption habits, as well as height, weight and blood sugar levels. They then compared that data with information about food costs across the 20-year period. Researchers found that, incremental increases in price of unhealthy foods resulted in incremental decreases in consumption. In other words, when junk food cost more, people ate it less.

By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
Published: 7:30AM GMT 10 Mar 2010

Official figures from the trade body UK Payments Association indicated that online banking fraud increased to £59.7 million last year. This was an 18 per cent increase on the year before and more than a doubling since 2007 when there were £22.6 million of losses.

As more and more consumers are persuaded to go online by their banks, criminals have followed them. Most of the fraud has happened by criminals – usually based overseas – attacking consumers' computers without their knowledge.

Almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests.

The survey - of more than 27,000 adults across 26 countries - found strong support for net access on both sides of the digital divide.

Countries such as Finland and Estonia have already ruled that access is a human right for their citizens.

International bodies such as the UN are also pushing for universal net access.

Rebecca Smithers, Consumer affairs correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 March 2010 10.01 GMT
Article history

UK consumers may be the biggest online shoppers in Europe, but we are less inclined to return goods bought via the internet than those purchased on the high street, research reveals today.

A survey for the government found that more than 60% of shoppers were less likely to take back goods purchased online, compared with items purchased direct from shops.

Tellingly, consumers also showed their ignorance and confusion about their legal rights for both types of purchase when it comes to refunds. Many did not realise, for example, that those buying online had the extra right of a seven-day cooling-off period.

Friday March 5, 2010

PETALING JAYA: Six cosmetic products found to contain poisonous chemicals – tretinoin and hydroquinone – are to be removed from the shelves.

The six are Temulawak whitening pearl cream papaya, Ratna whitening cream papaya, Atika beauty renewal night cream, Chatique whitening night cream, NV toner treatment No 1 and NV toner treatment No 2.