Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news35~1.htm/text0005.txt

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>South China Morning Post, Internet Edition, 29 Mar 97

     Ban on pork imports upsets weapons deal
     JASPER BECKER in Beijing

     As President Jiang Zemin prepares to make a state visit to Moscow next
month, China's huge purchases of Russian military hardware have run into
unexpected difficulties, diplomatic sources say.

 This week Russian negotiators have been in Beijing trying to calm their
angry Chinese counterparts after veterinary inspectors from the Russian
Ministry of Health imposed a ban on Chinese pork imports in December.

 Russia was to buy thousands of tonnes of Chinese pork as part of a barter
deal which has allowed China to buy about 100 Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets.

 Although details of the arms deal have been kept secret, sources said China
agreed to pay for three-tenths of the cost in exports of consumer products
and the rest in hard currency.

 With meat in high demand in Russia, Chinese pork deliveries were supposed
to account for a large share of the barter deal.

 The meat is bought by Rosvoorujenie, the state arms export monopoly, which
then re-sells it to processing plants where it is cured or turned into sausages.

 Last year, Russian veterinary inspectors arrived in Sichuan province to
examine Chinese slaughterhouses and subsequently banned Chinese pork exports
on undefined health grounds.

 China has refused to open its abattoirs to the foreign inspectors, saying
this is interference in its internal affairs and is not authorised in any
international agreements.

 "There has now been a deadlock for three months," a diplomatic source said.

 Some sources suspect a gambit on the part of the Russian bureaucracy to
block Chinese imports in preference to pork from other countries such as
suppliers in western Europe.

 Others claim the Russian move is justified because swine fever and
foot-and-mouth disease are far more widespread than the Chinese authorities
admit.

 China has recently cited veterinary concerns to halt imports of numerous
American agricultural products including fruit and wheat.

 However, this is the first time such a dispute has disrupted a major arms
deal, which some fear may help alter the balance of military power in
eastern Asia.

 China claims that its purchases of Russian hardware and technology are not
aimed at any third country but many assume that Beijing needs better planes
and submarines to threaten Taiwan.





Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 13:11:26 +0800 (SST)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (HK) Drive to keep rare animals out of medicine targets
  consumers
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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>South China Morning Post, Internet Edition, 29 Mar 97

     Drive to keep rare animals out of medicine targets consumers
     FIONA HOLLAND

     Consumers will be the target of a new campaign aimed at putting a stop to
the use of endangered species in traditional medicine.

 The British-based Investigative Network, which has investigated underground
trafficking in bear parts, will launch its drive in Hong Kong in May.

 The founder of the conservation agency, Peter Knights, said the aim of the
campaign was to work with the traditional Chinese medicine community rather
than criticise them.

 "Essentially, the message is that when the buying stops the killing can
too. It is very much trying to put the responsibility on the consumer to
make them realise their actions are actually causing the problem," he said.

 The network plans to team up with local animal welfare group EarthCare to
spread its message.

 "What we are trying to do is make the consumption of endangered species
socially unacceptable in Asia - that is the goal," Mr Knights said.

 Despite strict rules governing the trade, the territory remained a key
centre for illicit wildlife trade, he said.

 Endangered animals listed in the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna, are banned from trade.

 Mr Knights said the fact that trade in some species was banned, but
allowed, via a permit system, for others, had sparked confusion.

 "There is a still a grey area about bears which in my experience has raised
a lot of problems and [it sends] a mixed message to the public," he said.

 The network supports a global ban on trade in bear gall bladders because Mr
Knights said efforts to regulate their sale had failed.

 "There is virtually no legal trade going on at the moment. Wherever there
is a permit system or any legalised trade it is just used as a laundering
process.

 "We tried legal trade but no one wants to play ball because that is not the
nature of the traditional Chinese medicine industry," he said.

 Mr Knights said enforcement in Hong Kong was compromised by a lack of
trained undercover investigators. A spokesman for the Agriculture and
Fisheries Department said illegal trade in endangered species had been
"contained" after enforcement was stepped up.

 Last year the department seized 10 gall bladders, four bear paws and 22.6
grams of bile.






Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997 21:58:44 -0800
>From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: More on human guinea pigs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Safeguards increased for human guinea pigs in radiation experiments

Copyright ⌐ 1997 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (Mar 28, 1997 1:13 p.m. EST) -- President Clinton Friday took
steps to protect those who participate in secret, government-sponsored
experiments from mistreatment and assure they are full informed of the
risks.

The administration also said it is settling -- for an undisclosed sum --
claims by four more families of victims of radiation experiments
conducted in the 1940s.

The plans for giving greater protection to research participants were
prompted by recommendations made more than a year ago by a presidential
commission that investigated the government's use of humans in radiation
research during the Cold War years.

The advisory panel warned that past excesses might be repeated unless
there are new safeguards.

The White House said Friday that Clinton had signed a memorandum
strengthening the rights and protections afforded individuals who agree
to be subjects of secret, government-supported research.

The White House said a review by an inter-agency task force uncovered no
government-supported classified human research at this time. But
officials acknowledged that formal accounting for such research needs to
be improved.

Meanwhile, the White House said it had settled claims with 16 families
of individuals who were given plutonium injections as part of
experiments in the 1940s. Two other victims have not been identified and
their families have not come forward. The government in November
announced a settlement with 12 families totaling $4.8 million.

The government has said it is prepared to provide compensation to the
families of 52 other individuals who the advisory commission had said
were believed to be subjected to improper radiation experiments. The
identity of those 52 are not known, and so far no families have come
forward, according to the White House.

Under the new presidential directive on human research, agencies must
develop new rules that clearly require scientists to obtain informed
consent form all potential subjects of secret experiments.  Currently
such consent may be waived under some circumstances.

The president also ordered that any research subject be told the
identity of the sponsoring agency and whether the experimentation is
classified. The new rules also would require the head of the
agency to approve such research and develop a more independent review
process than currently provided.

Also in response to the October 1995 findings by the Advisory Committee
on Human Radiation Experiments, the president said he will:

--Ask Congress to broaden a 1990 law that allows compensation to
underground uranium miners who became ill because of exposure to
radiation. Under the current law, hundreds of miners are not eligible
for compensation.

--Will propose legislation to make veterans' health care benefits
available to airmen and sailors who were subjects of radioactive nasal
treatments more than 50 years ago. The treatments were to prevent broken
eardrums during flight or in submarines.

--Will seek broader epidemiological studies to determine the long-term
health impact of nuclear bomb testing during the Cold War to military
personnel and civilian populations near the test areas.
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997 22:00:39 -0800
>From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Glowing lambs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Glow in the dark lambs keep foxes at bay

Reuter Information Service

LONDON (Mar 28, 1997 1:07 p.m. EST) - British farmers have found a novel
new way to outsmart hungry foxes -- with lambs that glow in the dark.

Researchers discovered that coating the lambs with phosphorescent paint
discourages hungry predators prowling the fields during the lambing
season.

The paint is laced with a foul-tasting substance which also puts off any
fox in search of a speedy meal.

"Foxes will quickly come to associate the light with a terrible taste.
It has a taste so horrible that even a hungry fox will never become
accustomed to it," said a spokesman for the manufacturers of the new
Repel spray.
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 00:47:52 -0800 (PST)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA] McDonald's in the classroom
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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CTV National News tonight reported that McD's, Burger King, Pepsi and other
multinational corporations are queing up to place advertising in the class room.

Parents at cash-strapped schools in Brampton, Ontario, have reluctantly
agreed to having the ads - in the form of screen savers on classroom
computers - on a trial basis.

If successful, the ads may be placed onto computers throughout Ontario.

The cash crisis has come about as a result of massive public spending cuts
by the provincial government and even schools in relatively well-off areas
are finding it hard to pick up the ever-growing expense of buying books and
other essential supplies.

Most of the parents interviewed had reservations about the trial, but
accepted that "something had to be done."

One also believed that children already heavily watching TV were able to
differentiate between the ads and other information they got from the computers.

As a condition of the trial, some of the advertising space is taken up by
informational material.



Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 00:48:59 -0800 (PST)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Zoo to hold inquiry into deaths of two gorillas
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>From The Electronic Telelgraph - Saturday, March 29th, 1997

Zoo to hold inquiry into deaths of two gorillas

                  VETERINARY experts are trying to identify a bug that
claimed the lives of two gorillas at Belfast Zoo.

                  Keke, a male silverback and Asali, a pregnant female, died
within two days of each other this week. Post mortem examinations are being
conducted and one body has been being flown to a laboratory in England. It
is thought that the animals died from a virus.

                  Staff at the zoo, which is well known for its primate
collection, said the loss of the two breeding animals was a blow to their
conservation efforts for the species. Three remaining gorillas are in
isolation being monitored for signs of illness.

                  Hugh Smyth, a member of the zoo committee and a former
Belfast Lord Mayor, called for an inquiry into the deaths, which bring to
six the number of animals to have died in the past year. Two camels died
while being moved under anaesthetic and two zebras also perished. "I am
amazed at the number of animals we have lost," he said.

                  A zoo spokesman said: "Since those deaths we have had
eight births as well." The zoo is preparing its own report which will be
published next month.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 00:49:24 -0800 (PST)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] A bunny isn't just for Easter, parents told
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>From The Electronic Telelgraph - Saturday, March 29th, 1997

A bunny isn't just for Easter, parents told
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor

                  THE cuddly image of the Easter bunny has a dark side, vets
warned yesterday, with thousands of pet rabbits being abandoned when owners
realise how expensive they are to keep.

                  Rabbits are now Britain's fourth most popular companion
animals, gaining steadily on dogs and cats. Many are house-trained, earning
promotion from garden hutch to living room. But about 15,000, many bought as
Easter presents, were handed to animal rescue centres in 1995 because their
owners could not cope with them.

                  Last year's abandonment figures, which are still being
compiled, are "much higher", the British Houserabbit Association said
yesterday.  "The problem is more acute after Easter when hundreds are sold
as children's pets," it said.

                  Urging people to be careful before parting with a few
pounds to buy a rabbit, the association said: "Most people think of rabbits
as inexpensive, undemanding pets. They should think again."

                  Vaccinations against myxomatosis or viral haemorrhagic
disease cost between ú10 to ú20 each. Suitable hutches can cost from ú80 and
castrating bucks to prevent them spraying can cost about ú40. Spaying a doe
to prevent bad temper at sexual maturity costs around  ú60. This operation
is strongly advised to prevent uterine cancer which kills 80 per cent of
females. Rabbits also need regular dentistry to prevent their teeth becoming
overgrown.

                  Luci Wheeler, a 25-year-old project co-ordinator for a
promotions company in London, is typical of the modern rabbit owner - and,
despite the gloomy warnings of the experts, she would not be without her
pet. She and Puddle, an 11-week-old German dwarf lop, live in her
ground-floor flat in Hammersmith. The hutch is in the yard, but the rabbit
spends a lot of time indoors.

                  "He's so sweet and no trouble at all," she said yesterday.
"He likes to snuggle up to me. I kept rabbits at our family home so I'm used
to them. Puddle goes in the car when I visit my parents. He doesn't mind a bit."

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 00:49:46 -0800 (PST)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Random tests for the pigeons that get too high
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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>From The Electronic Telelgraph - Saturday, March 29th, 1997

Random tests for the pigeons that get too high
By Maurice Weaver

                  DRUG tests for homing pigeons are to be introduced
following concern that unscrupulous fanciers are feeding anabolic steroids
to their birds.

                  The Royal Pigeon Racing Association said the checks were
needed because of the substantial prizes now offered in the sport. Large
cash sums and even cars are regularly given away. A new rule banning
steroids and beta-agonists has been approved by the RPRA
and owners caught doping their birds will face a three-year ban from
competition.

                  The tests, which start next month, will include sampling
pigeon droppings from members' lofts and random checks after major races.
Although the Queen has her own prize birds, the sport in Britain has a
mainly "cloth-cap" image and has always treasured its clean reputation.
There are about 80,000 British fanciers.

                  Having released their birds, the most successful of them
traditionally persuade the pigeons to speed home with the promise a good
meal or a pretty hen waiting in the loft. Corruption, when it has occurred,
has been fairly unsophisticated, mainly involving tampering with the
time-clocks that register the moment when homing birds are released
and when they come fluttering back to base.

                  The possibility of drug abuse did not arise until about
three years ago when a scandal broke among Belgian fanciers who were found
to have been administering steroids to the birds by eye drops. Drug tests
are now standard on the Continent. A spokesman for the Cheltenham-based
association said: "The steroids and beta-agonists build up muscles and make
the birds fly further and go through the pain barrier. Competition is
fierce. We have no evidence of drug-taking here but tests have not been
available until now.

                  "We hope the random tests will be a deterrent to anyone
thinking of using drugs. It is essential that honour and dignity be
maintained, just as with any human contest. The message is: if you are
doping your pigeons you had better stop."

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 09:02:32 -0500
>From: marcia <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Are ANY Animal Tests "Required by Law"?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Hi All,

I see conflicting information on whether *any*
animal tests are required by law: (1) for
any type of cosmetics or household products
(which I need so my e-mail to Proctor & Gamble
is accurate), and (2) for any medical usages
(which I need for my own knowledge).

If anyone has a definitive answer, I'd appreciate
your posting it quickly so I can get an accurate
e-mail off to P&G today.  If you have a cite to
an authoritative source, that would help.

Thanks!
Marcia
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 09:19:33 -0500
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Are ANY Animal Tests "Required by Law"?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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