Search Results for: Research

BY PHILIP FINE

INTERNATIONAL drinks companies that market flavoured malt beverages (FMB) have ceased overtly targeting underage American consumers, according to a recently released federal government report that praises the efforts of nine major producers for having improved the placement of their advertisements.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has this week (Mon22/10) launched the results of a programme of studies into the health problems caused by indoor pollutants, with paints and coatings named as prime sources. Releasing the reports at the opening of the 13th annual conference of the International Society of Exposure Analysis, at Stresa, Italy, the centre said its data revealed “insights into potential causes of acute indoor symptoms such as allergies, asthma, mucous irritation, headaches and tiredness.”…

BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
CALLS for an injection of foreign investment in the Indian tobacco sector have been opposed by the India Tobacco Corporation chairman, who said he was surprised that the idea is supported by some growers. Y.C. Deveshwar told a discussion session with farmers at the Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry, that he opposed the entry of foreign companies, saying it would “harm the interests of Indian farmers”, the Hindu Business Line has reported.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE NUMBER of fish in the North Sea has increased but the average size of them has got smaller according to a study by the Institute for Fisheries Research of the Netherlands. This does not mean that fish of a particular species have shrunk in size but rather that there are now relatively fewer large fish species and a greater number of fish smaller than 30 cm, such as sprats and whitebait.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
A NEW method of dying fabric that uses electrons instead of chemical reducing agents is said to offer a “cleaner and more cost effective alternative to traditional methods of dying.” The new process – ECDVAT – has been developed by the textile’s department of the University of Innsbruck, Austria in a project funded by EU research and development network EUREKA.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
FINAL agreement has been secured at the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers over an updating of EU food labelling legislation ensuring all potentially allergenic ingredients are named. It has accepted final amendments passed by the European Parliament, so the new directive will now become law.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced that next month it will launch a European Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Technology Partnership, pumping (as yet unspecified amounts) of funds into private, public and mixed sector research and development projects to introduce hydrogen as a fuel on a commercial basis.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL in Paris, ALAN OSBORN in London, MARK ROWE in Singapore, ED PETERS and DON GASPER in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane and ALEX SMAILES in Port of Spain.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EXTERNAL social, environmental and economic costs imposed by nuclear energy are comparatively low, according to European Commission research. Estimated at Euro (cents) per kilowatt hour, nuclear electricity’s costs are below wind energy, but roughly level with hydro, ranging from 0.03 in Portugal and 1 cent in France and Greece.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has called on European Union member countries – including Britain – to adopt an updated and common EU list of illnesses for which workers should be compensated if they contracted them at work.

In a formal ‘recommendation on the schedule of occupational diseases,’ Brussels calls on governments “to introduce as soon as possible” rules covering “compensation and preventative measures” for such medical conditions.…