Health & Science

• Monday, April 4th 2011 - 04:21 UTC

  FAO calls on Asia to tighten FMD controls; outbreak reported in Taiwan

  

  The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO called for veterinary and border control authorities in Asia to be on alert for animals showing signs of Foot and Mouth Disease, FMD. The request follows on South Korea’s culling millions of livestock and vaccinating millions more to stop the spread of FMD, while North Korea also is responding to an outbreak of the disease.

• Monday, April 4th 2011 - 04:19 UTC

  FAO alerts on three pesticides and industrial chemicals

  

  United Nations chemical experts have recommended that two pesticides - endosulfan and azinphos methyl - and one severely hazardous pesticide formulation - Gramoxone Super - be included in the Rotterdam Convention's Prior Informed Consent procedure.

• Monday, April 4th 2011 - 01:55 UTC

  Almost half of China’s dairies closed down following quality inspections

  

  Nearly half of China's 1,176 dairies are being shut down after failing to obtain new licences, the country's quality inspection agency says. It says that 533 dairy producers have been ordered to halt productions after a government safety audit.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2011 - 18:47 UTC

  Desperate call from FAO for aid to North Korea to combat spread of FMD

  

  Around one million US dollars of equipment and vaccines are urgently needed to help stem outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in North Korea, where farm animals are crucial to food security, the United Nations warned.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2011 - 17:43 UTC

  FMD outbreak in South Korea under control, but Seoul now faces bird flu

  

  South Korea is moving to stem future cases of bird flu as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks have been largely put under control, the government.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2011 - 17:36 UTC

  US proposes regulating calorie labelling on menus in chain restaurants

  

  The United States Food and Drug Administration, FDA, issued proposals for regulating calorie labelling on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants, retail food establishments, and vending machines.

• Saturday, April 2nd 2011 - 07:22 UTC

  Chilean researchers discover treasure of fossils and micro organisms in Antarctica

  

  Chilean researchers from the 47th scientific expedition to Antarctica returned to the mainland to present their findings and begin follow-up work on their discoveries.

• Tuesday, March 29th 2011 - 00:49 UTC

  Gold chain found off Key West; could belong to 17th century Spanish galleon

  

  Divers from Mel Fisher's Treasures in Key West, extreme south Florida, have recovered an antique gold chain believed to be from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank during a 1622 hurricane. In 1985, these same treasure hunters had previously found more than 450 million US dollars in artefacts from the wreck.

• Sunday, March 27th 2011 - 05:04 UTC

  Radioactivity levels 1.250 times higher than normal in sea water at Fukushima

  

  Radioactivity levels are soaring in seawater near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan's nuclear safety agency said, two weeks after the nuclear power plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 08:13 UTC

  Deaths and thousands infected with dengue in Paraguay and Bolivia

  

  The dengue disease transmitted by the ”Aedes aegypti” mosquito is again on the attack in most South American countries with Paraguay reporting 18 deaths and Bolivia, 20 and thousands infected so far this year.