France facing EU fines over biotech safety standards

  • From Herald news services
  • Saturday, February 4, 2006 9:00pm
  • Business

The European Commission is seeking to fine France more than $200,000 a day for failing to implement safety standards for biotech experiments.

The case primarily involves research and industrial use of genetically modified viruses and bacteria.

The European Union’s executive agency told the EU’s high court Wednesday that France had not adopted legislation the EU passed in 1990. The rules require member nations to set up emergency plans for dealing with accidents in biotech labs and inform emergency services about the hazards.

Some scientists are concerned that without adequate controls, microscopic bugs engineered with novel genes taken from other species could get loose from laboratories and mix with naturally occurring species, creating combinations that could be lethal or unchecked by natural predators.

Plant-based vaccine for chickens approved: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved for use in chickens a vaccine produced by genetically engineered plants, the first time it has signed off on such a plant-based manufacturing process.

Normally vaccinations involve injecting whole viruses that are dead or have their infectious and dangerous elements removed. Here, scientists inserted bits of the genetic material from the virus into tobacco cells to produce a protein that provokes an immune response in chickens to Newcastle disease.

Several biotechnology companies and university researchers are, to save manufacturing costs, splicing human genes into crops such as tobacco and rice to produce drugs to fight cancer and other diseases.

Those projects are still experimental and confined to small plots. Still, these biotech developments generally incite angst among those who fear food crops spliced with animal DNA to produce drugs will accidentally mix with conventionally grown crops, tainting the food supply.

But in this case, Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences LLC teased out the vaccine from tobacco plant cells confined to the factory rather than in whole plants grown outdoors.

Dow doesn’t intend to immediately sell the Newcastle disease vaccine, which would be administered by injection. Dow says the commercial market is already crowded.

We’re getting more mobile: Worldwide shipments of mobile phones reached a record 242 million units in the fourth quarter, surpassing the previous peak of 200 million units during the 2004 holiday quarter, according to research firm iSuppli Corp.

For all of 2005, 813 million units were shipped, up 14 percent from 713 million in 2004.

Finland-based Nokia Corp. led the pack, grabbing a 32 percent share of the market, followed by Motorola Inc. at 18 percent, according to iSuppli. Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Sony Ericsson, respectively, rounded out the top five.

Siemens AG’s mobile phone unit, acquired last year by BenQ Corp., ranked fourth in 2004 with a 6.9 percent share but fell to sixth place in 2005 at 4.7 percent.

During 2005, both Nokia and Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola posted strong gains in share at the expense of smaller, lesser known rivals.

For planning the perfect party: The events invitation site Evite is adding features for planning parties, giving hosts such tools as a drink calculator to figure out how much alcohol to buy based on whether guests are light or heavy drinkers.

Hosts enter the duration of the party and the number of light, average and heavy drinkers attending. They also specify whether they’ll serve beer, wine, liquor or any combination. The tool then calculates the number of cases or bottles needed.

A chart is provided to substitute alcohol with soda or juice, but amounts must be manually calculated.

Another tool lets hosts automatically set budgets for food, drinks, decorations and entertainment, based on the number of guests, duration and the party type – baby showers and birthdays are among the options.

Catch those Super Bowl ads again: Super Bowl party so much fun you’ve missed some of those vaunted TV commercials?

No worries: Just go online.

Yahoo Inc. will feature on its video home page, at http://video.yahoo.com, links to this year’s Super Bowl ads, hosted at MTV Networks’ ifilm.com. There will be a delay from when the ads air but the first of the ads should start appearing before the game ends.

Ifilm is making the ads available at www.ifilm.com/superbowl, where ads from last year’s game are currently kept. Although Ifilm has never acquired rights from advertisers since it began carrying Super Bowl ads in 2002, no one has ever complained, said Roger Jackson, Ifilm’s vice president for content and programming.

“The reality is they love the notion that their ads get recycled for no additional charge,” he said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

A closing sign hangs above the entrance of the Big Lots at Evergreen and Madison on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Big Lots announces it will shutter Everett and Lynnwood stores

The Marysville store will remain open for now. The retailer reported declining sales in the first quarter of the year.

George Montemor poses for a photo in front of his office in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Despite high mortgage rates, Snohomish County home market still competitive

Snohomish County homes priced from $550K to $850K are pulling in multiple offers and selling quickly.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s robotic team, Jack in the Bot, shake hands at the 2024 Indiana Robotics Invitational.(Henry M. Jackson High School)
Mill Creek robotics team — Jack in the Bot — wins big

Henry M. Jackson High School students took first place at the Indiana Robotic Invitational for the second year in a row.

The computer science and robotics and artificial intelligence department faculty includes (left to right) faculty department head Allison Obourn; Dean Carey Schroyer; Ishaani Priyadarshini; ROBAI department head Sirine Maalej and Charlene Lugli. PHOTO: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College.
Edmonds College to offer 2 new four-year degree programs

The college is accepting applications for bachelor programs in computer science as well as robotics and artificial intelligence.

FILE — Boeing 737 MAX8 airplanes on the assembly line at the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash., on March 27, 2019. Boeing said on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that it was shaking up the leadership in its commercial airplanes unit after a harrowing incident last month during which a piece fell off a 737 Max 9 jet in flight. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)
Federal judge rejects Boeing’s guilty plea related to 737 Max crashes

The plea agreement included a fine of up to $487 million and three years of probation.

Neetha Hsu practices a command with Marley, left, and Andie Holsten practices with Oshie, right, during a puppy training class at The Everett Zoom Room in Everett, Washington on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Tricks of the trade: New Everett dog training gym is a people-pleaser

Everett Zoom Room offers training for puppies, dogs and their owners: “We don’t train dogs, we train the people who love them.”

Andy Bronson/ The Herald 

Everett mayor Ray Stephenson looks over the city on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Everett, Wa. Stephanson sees  Utah’s “housing first” model – dealing with homelessness first before tackling related issues – is one Everett and Snohomish County should adopt.

Local:issuesStephanson

Shot on: 1/5/16
Economic Alliance taps former Everett mayor as CEO

Ray Stephanson will serve as the interim leader of the Snohomish County group.

Molbak's Garden + Home in Woodinville, Washington will close on Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Molbak's)
After tumultuous year, Molbak’s is being demolished in Woodinville

The beloved garden store closed in January. And a fundraising initiative to revitalize the space fell short.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center executive director Larry Cluphf, Boeing Director of manufacturing and safety Cameron Myers, Edmonds College President Amit Singh, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 2 celebrating the opening of a new fuselage training lab at Paine Field. Credit: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College
‘Magic happens’: Paine Field aerospace center dedicates new hands-on lab

Last month, Edmonds College officials cut the ribbon on a new training lab — a section of a 12-ton Boeing 767 tanker.

Gov. Jay Inslee presents CEO Fredrik Hellstrom with the Swedish flag during a grand opening ceremony for Sweden-based Echandia on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Swedish battery maker opens first U.S. facility in Marysville

Echandia’s marine battery systems power everything from tug boats to passenger and car ferries.

Helion Energy CEO and co-founder David Kirtley talks to Governor Jay Inslee about Trenta, Helion’s 6th fusion prototype, during a tour of their facility on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
State grants Everett-based Helion a fusion energy license

The permit allows Helion to use radioactive materials to operate the company’s fusion generator.

People walk past the new J.sweets storefront in Alderwood Mall on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Japanese-style sweets shop to open in Lynnwood

J. Sweets, offering traditional Japanese and western style treats opens, could open by early August at the Alderwood mall.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.