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AP examines delayed U.S. aid for Haiti reconstruction

"Nearly nine months after the earthquake, more than a million Haitians still live on the streets between piles of rubble. One reason: Not a cent of the $1.15 billion the U.S. promised for rebuilding has arrived," the Associated Press writes in an article examining why this aid has not been delivered.

1 Oct 2010

Food labeling urged to be more stringent

After recent research from campaigning organization Greenpeace found the S-26 Soy brand of infant formula contains GM or genetically modified ingredients that are not disclosed on the product label, two Senators are urging the Federal Government to tighten Australia's food labeling laws.

30 Sep 2010

Two new techniques to identify dissolved cocaine in bottles of wine or rum

In two landmark studies published today in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis (DTA), UK and Swiss research teams reveal two techniques proven to identify dissolved cocaine in bottles of wine or rum. These tools will allow customs officials to quickly identify bottles being used to smuggle cocaine, without the need to open or disturb the container.

30 Sep 2010

Midlife crisis is hitting Britons earlier: Survey

The latest British research shows that the tmidlife crisis that was once thought to hit people on their fifties is now affecting people in their mid-thirties. The changes in the work culture may be the main reason say researchers.

30 Sep 2010

School blood test breached guidelines: Investigation report

According to a report by an Education Department, a Tasmanian teacher who conducted blood tests on 19 high school students breached guidelines. The incident happened last month when a teacher at the Dover District High School took blood samples from the students using just two lancets for a science class experiment. These lancets were cleaned between pricks using methylated spirits. These spirits are inadequate when preventing blood borne viral disease like HIV and Hepatitis say experts.

29 Sep 2010

Asian countries should increase rice reserves to prevent food insecurity, report says

A report released on Monday by the Asia Society and the International Rice Research Institute recommends that Asian countries should increase rice reserves to help stabilize prices and improve food security in the region which is home to about 65 percent of the world's hungry, Bloomberg reports.

29 Sep 2010

Oxygen Biotherapeutics to showcase DERMACYTE oxygen-rich skin care products at Spa & Resort expo

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. will showcase for the first time its DERMACYTE oxygen-rich skin care products at the Spa & Resort/Medical Aesthetics Spa Conference and Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City starting tomorrow.

28 Sep 2010

Cargill introduces Clear Valley omega-3 shortening to help bakers differentiate products

Cargill today introduced Clear Valley omega-3 shortening, an industry-first shortening innovation to help bakeries differentiate their products and out-perform competitive brands, at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) in Las Vegas.

28 Sep 2010

At FAO special meeting, delegates recommend addressing root causes of food price escalation

"Delegates at a special U.N. meeting [in Rome] about high food prices Friday blamed the hikes on speculation, futures markets and national responses to crop failure," the Associated Press/Moscow Times reports (9/27).

28 Sep 2010

Experts predict rise in food prices

With food prices expected to rise by 50 per cent within 10 years experts are planning to discuss the issues in Brisbane. There is to be a three-day summit on food security this week. With the global population touching nine billion by 2050, Australia’s role in feeding the world will be explored.

27 Sep 2010

Victorian health report card

Results from the 2008 Victorian Population Health Survey of more than 34,000 people are out. Broadly the picture is not too pleasing with signs of poor health like weight gain and disease. People are eating less fruit and vegetables, but smoking is down and asthma is less prevalent than it was earlier in the decade.

26 Sep 2010

Task of catastrophe data collection in hands of ordinary citizens

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $65,000 grant to a newly hired Virginia Tech College of Engineering assistant professor who wants to put the task of data collection during a catastrophe such as the recent Gulf Coast oil spill into the hands of ordinary citizens.

24 Sep 2010

LSU researchers receive Rapid Response Grants from National Science Foundation

Since the Deepwater Horizon disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico, experts have debated the potential impact of the oil and the dispersants used to break it up. What will it do to seafood? Or the delicate wetland ecosystems lining the Gulf of Mexico, particularly those already in danger near the mouth of the Mississippi? Two groups of LSU researchers have received Rapid Response Grants from the National Science Foundation, or NSF, to study these and other implications relating to the oil and dispersants now in the Gulf of Mexico.

24 Sep 2010

Pres. Obama unveils new U.S. Global Development Policy at U.N. MDGs summit

During a U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals address in New York on Wednesday, President Barack Obama outlined "changes in how the United States will pursue international development" and "urged wealthy countries ... to maintain development assistance to poor nations," the Washington Post reports.

24 Sep 2010

CNN, Telegraph examine global food security, food price volatility

In advance of Friday's special meeting, convened by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), CNN examines the current state of food security around the world and the outlook over the next few years.

24 Sep 2010

Asbestos found in Queensland schools

Asbestos, known to be the cause of malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer for which there currently is no cure, is still found in the playground of Tewantin State School in Tewantin, Queensland, Australia. Since the beginning of 2009 asbestos has been reported numerous times at the school. Repeated exposures to the toxic material over 20 to 50 years may lead to this cancer.

24 Sep 2010

Tobacco taxes help kick the habit

The hike in Australia’s tobacco tax has had an expected effect with almost 300,000 people quitting the habit. The tax increase arrived this April with a 25% rise in tobacco taxes. Polls now confirm that the cost of cigarettes are a powerful lever for improving public health, with only 16 per cent of smokers stating they would “continue to smoke at any price”.

23 Sep 2010

Kim Hames says case was not euthanasia

Western Australia has been debating euthanasia for a while and in a new development, Health Minister and Deputy Premier Kim Hames has admitted that as a GP he administered the painkiller morphine to hasten a cancer patient's death. He said in his statement that what he had done was legal and not euthanasia – which he opposed. His reasoning was that the pain relieving medication was intended to ease a patient's suffering rather than end their life.

23 Sep 2010

e-IRG workshop to focus on e-Infrastructure governance

The e-IRG workshop organized in the frame of the Belgian Presidency of the EU will have a strong focus on e-Infrastructure governance, also addressing other important topics such as e-Infrastructure services, Energy and Green It, Exascale computing and Data Infrastructures.

22 Sep 2010

ACT people live longer but may have more mental health issues: Report

Chief Health Officer Charles Guest's report on the health and wellbeing of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) population between July 2006 and June 2008 was presented in the Legislative Assembly. It showed that life expectancy rate at birth in the ACT was 80.3 years for males and 84 for women. This was despite the fact that most are overweight and only a minority eats enough fruit and vegetables.

22 Sep 2010