AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 29Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130
Pan TGA (CANBERRA)
Hundreds more non-prescription drugs could be added to the biggest medical productrecall in Australia's history.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration yesterday suspended Pan Pharmaceuticals' licencefor six months for safety and quality breaches.
Full-page advertisements are running in newspapers across the country today, listing219 recalled products including vitamins, herbal remedies and over-the-counter painkillers.
The TGA's principal medical officer, Dr JOHN McEWAN, says hundreds more could be addedto the list.
He says the TGA is now asking other pharmaceutical companies whether they've used Panto manufacture their products in the past year.
Herron and Blackmores say they're unaffected.
Parliamentary health secretary TRISH WORTH says Pan first came to the attention ofthe TGA over its travel sickness tablet Travacalm, which was recalled in January.
A Melbourne law firm has launched legal action against Pan after a 10-year-old girlsuffered a severe reaction to the medication.
Pan Mayne (SYDNEY)
Healthcare conglomerate Mayne Group says it's recalling all its products manufacturedby Pan Pharmaceuticals.
Mayne says that while it manufactures most of its own products, Pan produces aboutone-third of its nutraceutical products.
The company says the cost of its voluntary recall could amount to around $15-20 million,including the write-offs of existing stock.
Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says the six-month suspension of Pan's production licencecould be extended.
Mr HOWARD says he's heard suggestions Pan hasn't fully cooperated with the TherapeuticGoods Administration investigation.
He's told Melbourne radio station 3AW that if there's clear evidence of non-compliance,the law will be enforced very vigorously.
The Australian Workers Union, meanwhile, says 250 Pan employees in Sydney will be stooddown and face an uncertain future.
Medicare Howard (CANBERRA)
Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says Labor's description of government reforms as the deathof Medicare is absurd.
The government plans to pay doctors almost $500 million in incentives to bulk-billconcession card-holders although they'll remain free to charge other patients what theywant.
Mr HOWARD's told the Nine Network the pillars of Medicare have been enhanced by theannouncement last week of a 17 per cent increase in hospital funding and the reinforcementof the universal availability of the Medicare rebate.
He says he doesn't believe the Medicare debate is academic since the opposition, AustralianDemocrats and Greens have announced they'll block the reforms in the Senate.
SARS (BANGKOK/TORONTO)
The World Health Organisation says the SARS epidemic has peaked outside of China.
But the WHO's chief of communicable diseases, DAVID HEYMANN, says that until Chinacontains the virus, it can't be removed.
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome emerged in southern China last year and has sofar killed more than 330 people worldwide and infected more than 5000. The mystery virushas no known cure.
China has reported 139 deaths from SARS, although health experts suspect the actualtally could be far higher.
Hong Kong is next hardest hit, with Canada and Singapore also reeling.
Canada's announced plans for an international conference on the illness, after Asianhealth ministers met at the weekend and agreed to step up screening of airport passengers.
Iraq Meeting (BAGHDAD)
Iraqis across the political spectrum say they'll try to set up an interim governmentin one month to elect the first Iraqi government after the fall of SADDAM's brutal 24-yearreign.
Around 250 delegates have reached the agreement during a meeting in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Iraq's former deputy prime minister TARIQ AZIZ has told his American captorsthat SADDAM HUSSEIN is alive -- or at least he was in early April.
A senior Pentagon official says TARIQ is talking, but they don't know how accuratehis information is.
And in northern Iraq, US forces have killed at least four Iraqi fighters in a firefightin the city of Mosul.
Iraq Aust Hill (CANBERRA)
Defence Minister ROBERT HILL says he can't say when Australian troops will return homefrom the Persian Gulf.
And he says the government has NOT made an open-ended commitment to the United Statesfor Australian involvement in postwar Iraq.
Senator HILL, who's in the Persian Gulf, says the US has been thrilled with Australia'scontribution to the combat phase and will readily accept any contribution to the reconstructionphase.
Wheat (ADELAIDE)
A devastating virus with the potential to slash wheat production in Australia has beenfound in a wheat plant breeding centre in Adelaide.
The discovery of the wheat streak mosaic virus in crops at the South Australian Researchand Development Institute's Waite Campus has prompted government officials to place theentire area under quarantine.
The same virus was found in a CSIRO research laboratory in Canberra earlier this month.
Agriculture Minister PAUL HOLLOWAY says the quarantine will affect the movement ofseeds, plants and plant material from within the precinct.
Sex (CANBERRA)
Labor is calling for a wide-ranging judicial inquiry into women and girls being broughtinto Australia for the sex trade.
Opposition Leader SIMON CREAN and opposition immigration spokeswoman JULIA GILLARDsay there've been increasing reports in recent months of girls and women being traffickedinto Australia to work in the sex industry.
They say the Immigration Department has identified more than 130 people who have beenworking without valid visas in the sex industry in just the last 10 months.
They say they can only assume that the size of the trade is much larger than the numbersdetected.
Korea (WASHINGTON)
US Secretary of State COLIN POWELL says the United States is reviewing a North Koreanproposal to give up its missiles and nuclear facilities in exchange for substantial economicbenefits.
The North Koreans delivered the proposal last week in talks in Beijing.
POWELL's described the Beijing meeting as quite useful and says US officials are comparingnotes with South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, Australia and others.
Pyongyang acknowledged for the first time that North Korea possesses nuclear weaponsand might consider exporting or even using them, depending on US actions.
BRIEFLY..........................
Five men will appear in a Sydney court today charged over Australia's largest seizureof pure ecstasy -- 170 kilograms of powder seized from a shipment of domestic freezersimported to Sydney from Malaysia on April 20.
The armed robber who sparked a nationwide hunt after he held up the high roller roomat Melbourne's Crown Casino and got away with more than $130,000 has been jailed for fiveyears.
It's been revealed Queensland Police Commissioner BOB ATKINSON personally advised aSunshine Coast detective to drop out of Big Brother because it would reflect poorly onthe service.
FINANCE..........................
At 11.20am (AEST) the Australian benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was 31.8 points STRONGERat 3,006.3. At the same time the all ordinaries index was UP at 2,965.8.
The Australian dollar was STRONGER at 61.92 US cents, compared with its close in Sydneyyesterday.
The local currency was SLIGHTLY BETTER at 56.40 against the euro compared with yesterday's close.
In Sydney, gold LOST GROUND to $US333.40 per fine ounce.
AND IN SPORT.....................
Cricket Aust (BRIDGETOWN)
Australia has completed its lead-up to Thursday's third Test with a six-wicket winover the University of West Indies Eleven in a tour cricket match in Barbados.
Australia won with more than one session to spare, reaching four for 95 in its secondinnings after the University team was bowled out for 162.
AFL Tribunal (MELBOURNE)
The AFL Tribunal will hear five cases on a busy night tonight.
The AFL decided this morning that the charge against Carlton defender BRET THORNTONfor making contact with an umpire should also be held this evening.
He'll be the last player to front the tribunal tonight, following Geelong's CAMERONLING, St Kilda's STEPHEN MILNE, Western Bulldogs forward NATHAN BROWN and Collingwooddefender SHANE WAKELIN.
League Bulldogs (SYDNEY)
The Bulldogs have been fined $10,000 by the National Rugby League after the club'schief executive, STEVE MORTIMER, made comments to referee PAUL SIMPKINS following theside's 26-22 loss to Canberra on Saturday night.
Squash Fitz-Gerald (SYDNEY)
Australia's SARAH FITZ-GERALD has won the Welsh squash Open overnight with an easystraight sets win in the final.
FITZ-GERALD, the top seed for the tournament, crushed Welsh opponent STACEY PREECE9-5 9-2 9-3 in the decider to take out her third straight Welsh Open.
ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP
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