Daily Highlights:

Monday, 5 April 2004, 5:12 pm
Press Release: BioScience News and Advocate

Daily Highlights: SARS vaccine shows promise Fat busting pill mimics exercise Complementary medicines website available Health Ministry reviews use of human tissue England begins consultation on GM legislation Baby teeth could provide life-saving cells Reduced canola trials to go ahead in NSW Kiwi lifestyle taking its toll Let them eat cake

SARS vaccine shows promise Scientists have developed a vaccine which they say offers protection against the Sars virus. Researchers from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it reduced levels of... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7153

Fat busting pill mimics exercise A fat busting pill which mimics the effect exercise has on the body is being developed by Australian scientists.Scientists at St Vincent's Institute in Melbourne said the fat pill could be taken b... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7132

Complementary medicines website available Cutting through the bewildering array of information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the focus of a new Ministry of Health-funded website launched today.Ministry spokesperson... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7133

Health Ministry reviews use of human tissue The use of human tissue for therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes is being reviewed by the Ministry of Health.The review covers many issues, including informed consent, the safety of tissue-bas... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7139

England begins consultation on GM legislation Consultation has started on legislation to implement and enforce new European regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency and the Department f... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7138

Baby teeth could provide life-saving cells The baby teeth children hide under their pillows for the mythical tooth fairy may one day be used to extract stem cells for life-saving treatments, Australian scientists say. Infant teeth have b... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7142

Reduced canola trials to go ahead in NSW The first commercial trials of genetically modified canola are set to go ahead in New South Wales.But the State Government has approved smaller trials than what was advised by its Gene Technology ... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7144

Kiwi lifestyle taking its toll Bad diets, smoking and sitting around are the country's biggest killers, according to a new report. The Looking Upstream report, released yesterday by the Ministry of Health, lists the top 20 ca... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7143

Let them eat cake For residents of developed countries, the campaign to demonize genetically modified food simply means higher prices at the supermarket, a Wall Street Journal Editorial says.In the Third World, how... More... http://www.BioSciNews.com/files/news-detail.asp?newsID=7151

Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH > >

Sky City : Auckland Convention Centre Cost Jumps By A Fifth

SkyCity Entertainment Group, the casino and hotel operator, is in talks with the government on how to fund the increased cost of as much as $130 million to build an international convention centre in downtown Auckland, with further gambling concessions ruled out. The Auckland-based company has increased its estimate to build the centre to between $470 million and $530 million as the construction boom across the country drives up building costs and design changes add to the bill.
More>>

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RMTU: Mediation Between Lyttelton Port And Union Fails

The Rail and Maritime Union (RMTU) has opted to continue its overtime ban indefinitely after mediation with the Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) failed to progress collective bargaining. More>>

Earlier:

Rail And Maritime Transport Union - Lyttelton Port workers begin overtime ban
Lyttelton Port of Christchurch - LPC operations will continue as usual during overtime ban
Environment Canterbury - Next phase of Lyttelton Port recovery underway

Science Policy: Callaghan, NSC Funding Knocked In Submissions

Callaghan Innovation, which was last year allocated a budget of $566 million over four years to dish out research and development grants, and the National Science Challenges attracted criticism in submissions on the government’s draft national statement of science investment, with science funding largely seen as too fragmented. More>>

ALSO:

NZ Govt - Submissions on future of science system
Science Media Centre - Year in Review: the big science stories of 2014

Scoop Business: Spark, Voda And Telstra To Lay New Trans-Tasman Cable

Spark New Zealand and Vodafone, New Zealand’s two dominant telecommunications providers, in partnership with Australian provider Telstra, will spend US$70 million building a trans-Tasman submarine cable to bolster broadband traffic between the neighbouring countries and the rest of the world. More>>

ALSO:

Spark NZ - New trans-Tasman telecommunications cable plan confirmed
InternetNZ - New cable a positive sign for the future

Scoop Business - ComCom pushes out final decision on Chorus copper pricing
Commerce Commission - Backdating prices for Chorus’ copper lines and broadband
TUANZ - TUANZ welcomes further clarification by Commerce Commission
Spark NZ - Spark New Zealand Moving Ahead in 4g Network Build

Statistics: Current Account Deficit Widens

New Zealand's annual current account deficit was $6.1 billion (2.6 percent of GDP) for the year ended September 2014. This compares with a deficit of $5.8 billion (2.5 percent of GDP) for the year ended June 2014. More>>

ALSO:

Scoop Business - NZ Sept quarter current account deficit near six-year high

Still In The Red: NZ Govt Shunts Out Surplus To 2016

The New Zealand government has pushed out its targeted return to surplus for a year as falling dairy prices and a low inflation environment has kept a lid on its rising tax take, but is still dangling a possible tax cut in 2017, the next election year and promising to try and achieve the surplus pledge on which it campaigned for election in September. More>>

ALSO:

BusinessDesk - Economy can grow faster than thought before inflation bites
Audio - Treasury Forecast Announcement for 2015
NZ Treasury - Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2014
Office of the Clerk - Public Submissions - Budget Policy Statement 2015
NZ Govt - Government focused on surplus in 2014/15 - English: National is focussed on achieving surplus
Labour - Bill English’s face is redder than his books - Failure to diversify puts prosperity at risk
United Future - Dunne Speaks - Christmas Edition
Greens - Irresponsible tax cuts lead to seventh successive deficit
NZ First - Dishonesty Only Thing in Surplus in Forecasts
CTU - Cuts in public services likely from Budget Policy Statement
PricewaterhouseCoopers - New Zealand Government signals reversal of fortune
NZ Taxpayers' Union - Cut Taxes + Cut Waste = Surplus
TV3 Video - Don't blame deficit on tax cuts - English
Earlier - Cuts to Health Suggested

Job Insecurity: Time For Jobs That Count In The Meat Industry

“Meat Workers face it all”, says Graham Cooke, Meat Workers Union National Secretary. “Seasonal work, dangerous jobs, casual and zero hours contracts, and increasing pressure on workers to join non-union individual agreements. More>>