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21 May 2012
Last updated at 13:18
According to a poll by Bemilo, 40% of children who own a mobile phone are sleep deprived
Parents will be able to control their child’s mobile phone thanks to a SIM card remotely managed from a computer.
The Bemilo system, to be run on the Vodafone network, offers a service for parents to prevent their children from going online, texting or calling during certain hours.
Unlike an app, a child will not be able to switch the service off.
The UK’s Family and Parenting Institute said the SIM would help protect children from mobile phone bullying.
To have the service, parents would need to buy a “safety pack” with a SIM card inside, install it into the child’s phone and use it on a pay-as-you-go basis, from £2.95 per month.
“It’s a SIM that is just like any other SIM you would buy for any other network, but it enables parents to have full control in the context of safety,” Simon Goff, founder and chairman of Bemilo, told the BBC.
“They can allow or disallow certain contacts to call them, and they can set the times of day the phone can operate.”
For instance, he explained, if parents wanted to switch off the phone during school hours, they could do so remotely from a website on their computer.
But even if nearly all the functions on the child’s phone are disabled, parents can always manage the handset in such a way that they are able to reach their children, and the child is able to contact them.
Parents would also be able to read their child’s texts, added Mr Goff.
Sexting threat
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Today’s generation of children are facing new pressures such as mobile phone bullying, and parents want help in protecting them”
End Quote
Katherine Rake
Family and Parenting Institute
The service could help prevent mobile phone bullying and “sexting” – when a child is subjected to unwanted phone calls or texts.
A recent report commissioned by the NSPCC has found that teenage girls were coming under increasing pressure to text and email sexually explicit pictures of themselves.
It could also prevent a child, especially a teenager, from visiting websites parents deem offensive.
But besides enabling parents to help ensure their children’s safety, they would also be able to control other aspects of their behaviour, said Mr Goff.
“If you put a child to bed, and we’re talking about young adults here, those who are just under 16 years old, the parents often think they’ve gone to bed – but then they find out that they’re texting very late into the night or accessing the web into the night,” said Mr Goff.
According to a survey of 2,000 parents conducted by Bemilo, 40% of children from eight to 16 who own a mobile phone are sleep deprived, and 25% have been subjected to mobile phone bullying.
The new service has been welcomed by a UK independent charity called the Family and Parenting Institute.
“Today’s generation of children are facing new pressures, such as mobile phone bullying, and parents want help in protecting them,” said Dr Katherine Rake, the organisation’s chief executive.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18144038#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Lifted by new drug approvals along with increased mergers and
acquisitions activity and a churning rumor mill to that effect,
biotechnology stocks have been stellar performers in 2012.
Earlier this month,
SP Capital IQ cited those catalysts as
reasons for the biotech group’s sharp year-to-date outpacing of
the broader market
.
“We see an improving trend for FDA first cycle review
approvals, and a rise in the rate of new drug approvals for rare
diseases. We think these trends are helping to boost investor
sentiment toward the agency, after years of criticism stemming
from its inconsistency in making and communicating its decisions.
New drugs approved in 2011 included novel approaches to managing
such diseases as auto-immune disorder lupus and chronic hepatitis
C virus. In early 2012, FDA approved a new treatment for rare
respiratory disease cystic fibrosis, months ahead of its
scheduled action date. We are encouraged by the progress of
additional treatments that we see having potential to further
advance treatment options for hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis,”
SP said in a research note.
Good news indeed, but as is the case with other sectors that
have multiple ETFs tracking them, there are differences among the
various biotech ETFs that investors need to be aware of before
rushing into. We examine those differences here in Benzinga’s
Definitive Guide to Biotech ETFs.
iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (Nasdaq:
IBB
)
The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF is the largest biotech ETF
by assets with almost $1.9 billion in AUM. Home to 118 stocks,
IBB features an expense ratio of 0.48%. While that roster of
nearly 120 stocks would appear to make IBB an excellent play on
the aforementioned biotech catalysts, it should be noted that the
ETF’s top-10 holdings represent over 54% of the fund’s total
weight.
Beyond that, biotech’s Big Four – Amgen (Nasdaq:
AMGN
), Gilead (Nasdaq:
GILD
), Celgene (Nasdaq:
CELG
) and Biogen (Nasdq: BIIB) – account for over a quarter of IBB’s
weight. Additionally, investors should note nearly 30% of IBB’s
weight goes to pharmaceuticals firms, not pure-play biotech
names. We’re not bashing IBB; it is up 15% year-to-date, but
bigger doesn’t always mean better among sector funds.
SPDR SP Biotech ETF (NYSE:
XBI
)
XBI is smaller than IBB in terms of holdings (48) and assets
$558.3 million), but the SPDR offering is also cheaper at 0.35%.
The aforementioned dominant biotech quartet are featured in XBI,
but nearly to the degree of prominence they have in IBB. Only
Biogen is featured among XBI’s top-10 holdings and overall, those
stocks account for less than 13% of XBI’s total weight.
No single stock receives an allocation of more than 4.8% in
XBI. Given the ETF’s focus on biotech firms that are far smaller
than the Big Four, this ETF is arguably more levered to the new
drug approval cycle and perhaps increased MA activity as
well. XBI has slightly outperformed IBB year-to-date.
First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index Fund (NYSE:
FBT
)
By number of holdings (20) and AUM ($248.2 million), the First
Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index Fund is obviously far smaller than
its iShares and SPDR rivals. With annual fees of 0.6%, it’s also
pricier, but the good news is by paying up a bit for FBT,
investors have been rewarded with superior performance. As in FBT
is up almost 30% year-to-date.
FBT’s top-10 holdings include Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:
VRTX
), Incyte (Nasdaq:
INCY
), Affymetrix (Nasdaq:
AFFY
) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:
AMLN
), making it one of the more volatile ETF options in a sector
known for its volatility. On the upside, FBT is intimately
correlated to new drug approvals and MA chatter.
Market Vectors Biotech ETF (NYSE:
BBH
)
This new version of the old Biotech HOLDRs fund is fair in terms
of expenses (0.35%) and features more stocks than FBT with 26.
However, it must be noted that the Big Four dominate this fund,
combing for over 43% of BBH’s overall weight. Amgen and Gilead
combine for over 26%. That hasn’t hampered BBH’s year-to-date
returns as the fund is higher by more than 23%. Overall, this
would be a middle of the pack biotech fund if we were giving each
fund a grade.
PowerShares Dynamic Pharmaceuticals Portfolio (NYSE:
PJP
)
The PowerShares Dynamic Pharmaceuticals Portfolio gets an
Overweight rating from SP Capital IQ and perhaps more than
any of the other funds on this list, this one holds appeal to
truly conservative investors. We say that because along with
Amgen and Gilead, PJP’s top-10 holdings include stocks such as
Abbott Labs (NYSE:
ABT
) and Pfizer (NYSE:
PFE
).
Not surprisingly, the blue-chip pharmaceuticals exposure has
suppressed PJP’s returns relative to the other funds mentioned
here, but that also makes for a less volatile option.
PowerShares Dynamic Biotechnology Genome Portfolio
(NYSE:
PBE
)
This $129 million fund, which features an expense ratio of 0.63%,
is more a of biotech pure-play. At the same time, PBE probably
isn’t for the faint of heart as small-caps account for 52% of the
fund’s weight. Small-caps of all stripes are being sent to the
woodshed in the current market environment and that explains why
PBE is clinging to a year-to-date gain of less than 5%.
PowerShares SP SmallCap Health Care ETF (Nasdaq:
PSCH
)
While it should be noted that PSCH isn’t 100% allocated to
small-caps (mid-caps chime in at about 16% of the total weight),
the exposure to low market cap stocks explains the fund’s recent
struggles and the fact that with a year-to-date gain of just 3%,
this is the worst-performing ETF on our list.
Salix Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:
SLXP
), Cubist Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:
CBST
) and Questcor Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:
QCOR
) are found among the top-10 holdings and in this ETF’s defense,
it is home to several credible takeover targets. Be careful if
this fund trades below $31.
For more on biotech ETFs, please click
HERE
.
(c) 2012 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment
advice. All rights reserved.
Article source: http://articlefeeds.nasdaq.com/~r/nasdaq/categories/~3/q3mgvY9ziQo/the-definitive-biotech-etf-guide-ibb-xbi-fbt.aspx
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Penn Virginia Resource Partners, L.P.
(
PVR
) has completed the acquisition of Chief Gathering LLC, a midstream
natural gas gathering and processing unit of Chief ED
Holdings, L.P for $1.06 billion. Penn Virginia had entered
into the acquisition agreement in April 2012.
Chief Gathering’s portfolio consists of six natural gas
gathering systems. It is active over 300,000 acres in Bradford,
Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wyoming and Greene Counties in the
state of Pennsylvania, and Preston County in West Virginia. The
company is also setting up a new 750 million cubic feet per day
(“MMcfd”) trunkline from northern Wyoming County to Luzerne County,
with a link to Transco’s interstate pipeline. This new pipeline is
expected to be on line in the third quarter of 2012.
The acquisition amount will comprise a cash consideration of
$850 million and an offering of 10.35 million units of a new class
of Penn Virginia limited partner interests. Penn Virginia had
earlier used a combination of equity and debt issuances to meet its
cash requirements.
We view the Chief Gathering acquisition as a positive move, with
respect to Penn Virginia’s midstream operations. This acquisition
will enable the partnership to become a strong midstream service
provider in the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale and Granite Wash
regions. Addition of trunkline and gathering systems will help the
partnership to provide smooth and uninterrupted service and meet
the customer’s midstream requirements.
Apart from midstream pipeline expansion, this transaction will
create cost and operating synergies for Penn Virginia by linking it
with both the Transco and Tennessee interstate pipelines. This will
help to gather additional volume from two of the low cost natural
gas production regions in the U.S.
Penn Virginia’s last few transactions have made it evident that
the partnership is continuously strengthening its pipeline
portfolio. In January 2012, it had acquired an option to purchase a
pipeline easement in Susquehanna County, including a 28.8 mile
corridor in the Marcellus Shale. This transaction is expected
to help the partnership to serve several producers in the
region.
The Chief Gathering acquisition will substantially boost Penn
Virginia’s midstream capacity. This acquisition will add 235 MMcfd
transportation capacity to Penn Virginia’s present capacity of 211
MMcfd in the Marcellus shale area. Besides, Chief Gathering’s 750
MMcfd trunkline is expected to come into operation during the third
quarter of 2012, adding another 255 MMcfd in 2012, and subsequently
increasing to 355 MMcfd in 2013.
Penn Virginia’s decision to expand its pipeline operation bodes
well with the enhanced exploration and production activities in the
region. Besides, we also believe Penn Virginia will reap the
benefit of Chief Gathering’s fee based agreement with larger oil
and gas producers like
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
(
CHK
),
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
(
APC
),
Chevron Corporation
(
CVX
) and
Stateoil ASA
(
STO
), operating in the region.
At the end of first quarter 2012, Penn Virginia failed to meet
our expectations due to a decline in coal royalty volumes and lower
natural gas prices. But, we believe that the partnership’s
continued investments for expansion of its domestic operations,
including the Marcellus, Panhandle and Antelope systems will act as
a positive catalyst for its near-term top and bottom-line
growth.
Penn Virginia Resource Partners, L.P. currently retains a Zacks
#3 Rank, which translates into a short-term Hold rating.
Based in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Penn Virginia Resource Partners,
L.P. is involved in the management of coal and natural resource
properties and gathering and processing of natural gas in the
United States.
ANADARKO PETROL (APC): Free Stock Analysis
Report
CHESAPEAKE ENGY (CHK): Free Stock Analysis
Report
CHEVRON CORP (CVX): Free Stock Analysis Report
PENN VA RESRC (PVR): Free Stock Analysis Report
STATOIL ASA-ADR (STO): Free Stock Analysis
Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
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The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. sued a group of banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank of America Securities and Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) in two actions over mortgage-backed securities.
The FDIC, acting as receiver for two failed banks, filed the suits in New York federal court today seeking $77 million the banks allegedly lost on securities backed by residential mortgages.
Read More http://bloom.bg/JrOxVd
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