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ECONOMY
The European Union (EU) has opened its gates to more
economic prosperity by recommending ten additional countries
for membership.
Most of the ten countries are from the former communist
Eastern Europe, and their full membership is scheduled
for 2004.
There was controversy over the decision, however, as
some critics raised fears over job losses and immigration
problems that could occur if the EU were to be enlarged.
Turkey was refused a date for accession talks, a move
which has angered the Turks and snubbed the United States
who had asked for a date for accession talks to begin
with the Eastern Mediterranean country.
The ten nations short listed for full EU membership
are Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
ENVIRONMENT
A total of 10 companies from nine European countries
were awarded prizes at this years European Business
Award for the Environment ceremony, held in Budapest,
Hungary.
The awards were given by the European Union for companies'
efforts to integrate the principles of sustainable development
in four different categories - Management, Processes,
Products and International Cooperation.
Presented by European Environment Commissioner Margot
Wallstrom, the winners were entries from Germany, Austria,
Malta, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Denmark, the
United Kingdom and Luxembourg.
The winners included an energy efficient boiling system
for brewing beer, an environmentally friendly traffic
light, a roof cover that transforms solar energy into
heat, and "Green Car" insurance policy program.
GOVERNMENT
A scheme to certify Italian restaurants across the
globe has been announced by the Italian Government.
The project will attempt to ensure that authentic Italians
serve the Genuine Italian menus. This may seem to be
a somewhat zealous move by the Italian government, however
counterfeit Italian restaurants are believed to make
27 billion euros ($26.6 billion US) each year - a figure
which has spurred the Italians into action.
The certification scheme will be piloted in Belgium
next year.
HEALTH
The first human trials of an experimental gene therapy
for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease (PD) have been
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
and are set to start before 2003.
The new therapy will attempt to "re-set"
specific overactive cells in the brain that cause the
characteristic impaired movement of PD. These cells,
located in the subthalamic region of the brain, become
overactive as a result of a dramatic loss of the nerve
cells producing dopamine.
The loss of dopamine creates a disturbance in the brain's
network activity controlling movement. Studies show
that by dampening the activity of the cells in this
area of the brain, the symptoms of PD can be halted
and even reversed.
A team of scientists from the US and New Zealand have
carried out successful trials on rats, and previous
gene therapy trials on primates have also shown promising
results.
It is hoped that gene therapy will be more effective
and contain fewer side effects than the current treatments
available. It is unlikely this will replace conventional
treatments, but it is anticipated the gene therapy can
be used in patients whose symptoms are no longer affected
by them.
The FDA Phase I trial will be limited to twelve patients
with severe PD who have lived with the disease for at
least five years, and for whom current therapies are
no longer working. Results pending, this may prove to
be a powerful, less invasive and potentially safer PD
treatment.
BUSINESS
The Swiss press has criticized the British newspapers
for insisting that Switzerland share information on
secret bank accounts held by EU nationals.
The Tribune De Geneve said, "Britain's pressure
is inadmissible, as under Swiss law the failure to declare
one's tax return is not a crime but only a fineable
offence."
The paper questions the motivation of the British Government
in threatening reprisals if their demands are not met,
mentioning "Britain's unspoken goals concerning
us" as being the root cause. These goals, The Tribune
De Geneve claims, are based upon Britain's desire to
expand the financial markets in London to the detriment
of its main rival, Switzerland.
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