SUV crash survival more likely

Passengers in SUVs are now known to be more likely to survive a serious crash. A new study conducted by the University of Buffalo in the US has found the driver of the SUV is as much as 10 times more likely to survive in a head-on collision where a passenger car is involved. While automakers have taken steps to improve safety in normal passenger cars, such as changing bumper designs on ...

Spanish surplus figures improve

Spain has reported a trade surplus, the first since 1971. With imports slumping due to austerity measures, the first monthly trade surplus for more than 40 years is being seen as a positive development. However, the country is still suffering from an economic downturn with unemployment in Spain now running at 26.7%. The surplus of 634.9 million euros in March reflects a 15% plunge in ...

Letta may abolish unpopular taxes

Italy's coalition government has promised to abolish some salaries and perks which are handed out to government ministers. A controversial property tax will also be abolished, or frozen, by the new government of Enrico Letta, who has also promised to do away with the double salary received by some parliamentarians. Before the election, it had been mooted by Letta's coalition partners that ...

Famous New York artists bring huge prices

Paintings by Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat smashed all previous auction records at Christie's in New York during the week. In fact, several works by popular artists brought extraordinary prices. The items made $495 million for their owners at the valuable sale of postwar and contemporary art at Christie's. However, a single Andy Warhol Painting of Marilyn ...

Thai phone operators told to lower charges

3G operators in Thailand have all agreed to cut their tariffs. The Thai National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has been pressuring providers to lower all their 2G and 3G tariffs by 15%. The three 3G mobile operators, Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication and True Move have said they will launch new 3G tariff packages to reflect the request by government. It ...