US bans stem-cell research
A bill banning all cloning of human embryos was passed by the United States House of Representatives by 265 to 162 votes today. An amendment to allow stem-cell research from human embryos was rejected by 249 to 178. The bill has yet to be approved by the Senate.
Students protest at state pay cuts
Students and teachers were among some 10,000 demonstrators who erected barricades in the streets of Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities yesterday in protest at the Argentine senate's approval of president Fernando de la Rua's austerity measures. These include pay cuts of 13 per cent for state employees.
Heart cells grown in lab for first time
Heart cells have been grown in a laboratory for the first time, scientists announced today. Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa grew the tissue from embryonic stem cells.