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ECONOMY
School closure could mean a change in the French
Parliament
Some members of the French Parliament are calling for
the elite Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA) to
be abolished, despite its status as one of the nation's
most sacrosanct and famous academic institutions.
Graduates from ENA, known as "enarques",
often find themselves on a fast track to power - six
of the last nine French Prime Ministers have attended
the school, as have many other ministers in the French
government.
But while "enarques" are responsible for
the success of the French health service and railway
infrastructure, they are also blamed for many of the
ills found within French society.
Their reputation holds them as being inflexible, arrogant,
self-serving and obsessed with political rank.
Two members of Chirac's UMP (Union for the Presidential
Majority) party Jean-Michel Fourgous and Herve Novelli
have tabled an amendment to a spending bill to cease
funding the ENA.
Founded in 1945 to help rebuild the country after WWII,
the ENA accepts only 100 young men and women each year.
GOVERNMENT
Turkey's new government off to a tough start
Turkey's general elections resulted in an overwhelming
victory for the newly founded Islamist Justice and Development
Party (AK Party), resulting in a single-party rule for
the first time in 15 years.
However, the party's battles are not yet over as the
political establishment is unhappy with the skeletons
rattling around in the AK Party's past and present.
Party leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has a history of
imprisonment for inciting religious hatred, and is consequently
not eligible to take the yet to be filled post of Prime
Minister.
As well, former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing,
who is drafting up an EU constitution to cover the next
50 years, is opposed to Turkey's proposed entry into
the European Union as it would spell "the end of
the European Union".
Giscard d'Estaing told France's Le Monde newspaper
that Turkey should not be classed as a European country
because its capital is not in Europe and 95% of its
population resides outside European boundaries.
Other EU leaders were dismissive last month of Turkey's
EU inclusion, as Turkey had not yet made sufficient
progress with political and human rights reforms for
membership talks to begin.
Officially recognised as a candidate for membership
in 1999, Turkey is pushing for a date to begin accession
talks next month.
HEALTH
New technique gives osteoarthritis patients some
relief
Dr. Juergen Toft, at the International Alpha Klinik
in Munich, Germany, has pioneered a new technique for
treating osteoarthritis in the knee.
He estimates that the operation, which can usually
be carried out using relatively non-invasive keyhole
surgery, will help patients to stay active for up to
15 years longer.
The technique, called abrasion arthroplasty, involves
removing all cartilage from damaged joints. This stimulates
the body into producing a totally new cartilage layer,
which can fully regenerate in as little time as 3 months.
Cartilage is the protective tissue present in joints
to prevent the bones from rubbing against one another,
and is the primary tissue damaged in osteoarthritis.
If effective, the new technique could eliminate the
need for painful knee replacement surgery.
SCIENCE
Man from Mars to Venus
 The
European space agency (ESA) Science Programme Committee
agreed unanimously to start work on the Venus Express,
which will reuse the Mars Express spacecraft design
and is expected to be ready for launch in 2005.
The project began in 2001 when the ESA issued a call
for ideas to reuse the Mars Express spacecraft design
for a quick, low cost mission. Among the constraints
was that the new mission had to use the industrial teams
already in place for Mars Express and that meant a quick
development period.
A large number of good ideas were submitted, but the
EPA chose the mission to Venus because of its great
scientific value. Venus is not well explored and scientists
are eager to learn why it developed in radically different
ways from its twin planet, Earth.
In November 2001, ministers from ESA's member states
restricted the ESA Directorate's budget thereby reducing
the chance of survival of the Venus Express. However,
on July 11, 2002 it was decided that the mission was
possible if the launch date was set for November 2005.
"The Venus Express mission has now taken a big
step towards realisation." stated Prof. David Southwood,
ESA's Director of Science. " I am glad to see that
the Cosmic Vision programme moves closer to its original
shape. If we can get Venus Express confirmed…the
ESA will be the only space agency in the world with
current plans to visit each planet in the inner solar
system."
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