A glance at the week that was
Horn of Africa
A traditional South African musical instrument intended to enhance the stadium atmosphere or an incessant drone? The vuvulzela’s dominance of stadium noise was almost surpassed this week by its dominance of World Cup news. After 545 complaints from viewers, the BBC said it was trying to reduce its impact on broadcasts, while the GAA banned it from its grounds. Sainsbury’s, the UK supermarket chain, announced a run on the horns; it expects to sell out of its original order of 70,000.
Ring of radiation
On the subject of irritating noises, mobile phones made US news this week when the San Francisco city council took a step towards requiring mobile-phone retailers to display the amount of radiation the devices give off. The council voted 10-1 to approve a new law that would make those selling phones obliged to show details of the levels of radiation emitted next to each handset. The law, which must be signed into law by the city’s mayor, Gavin Newsom, has raised objections from the mobile-phone industry, which says studies show mobile-phone radiation is not harmful to people.
We now know
The genetic make-up of women may leave them more sensitive to stress and more vulnerable than men to stress-related illness, research on male and female rats has revealed.
High levels of vitamin B6 in the blood may cut the risk of lung cancer even in smokers. A new study of 400,000 people suggests that plenty of vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine cut the risk by half.
Three-quarters of Irish adults believe Cardinal Seán Brady should resign because of the sex abuse scandals, an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll has revealed.
£67m
the legal costs of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. The total cost was £200 million.
€799,928
the tax settlement paid by Donegal County Council after an audit by the Revenue Commissioners found it had undeclared PAYE and PRSI
44
the percentage increase in the number of immigrants who voted in last year’s local elections
"Pele should go back to the museum"
Argentine soccer coach Diego Maradona on reports that the Brazilian said he had taken the manager post for money
