Health & Science

• Friday, February 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Plane with 46 on board crashes in Venezuela

  A commercial airliner with 46 people aboard disappeared in southwestern Venezuela on Thursday, and authorities feared it had crashed after residents reported hearing a thunderous noise in the mountains.

• Thursday, February 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay: near panic as yellow fever deaths confirmed

  

  A state of panic has taken over the inhabitants of Asunción, capital of Paraguay with thousands queuing for vaccines following the confirmation of seven fatal cases of jungle yellow fever and four more clinically compatible but still undetermined.

• Wednesday, February 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Climate change promotes shift to “green economies”

  

  More and more companies are embracing environmentally-friendly policies and investors are pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into cleaner and renewable energies, according to a new publication released Wednesday by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP.

• Monday, February 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Undercover video forces massive recall of beef in California

  

  The United States Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of approximately 64.000 tons of beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that is the subject of an animal-abuse investigation.

• Monday, February 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  First fatal victim of yellow fever in urban Paraguay

  

  A 17 year old allegedly is the first fatal victim of a yellow fever outbreak in Paraguay, a disease which reappeared after 34 years, according to the country's sanitary authorities. However controversy has emerged following a press report saying that the death toll caused by the mosquito transmitted disease is seven.

• Wednesday, February 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  La Niña current anticipates dry climate for Americas

  

  The current La Niña weather pattern is expected to strengthen and continue through the middle of the year, bringing wetter conditions to Australia and the western Pacific and a drier climate to the Americas, the United Nations World Meteorological Agency (WMO) reported Tuesday.

• Tuesday, February 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Yellow fever threatens Paraguay; epidemics alert

  

  Paraguay declared this week an epidemics alert following the confirmation of five cases of the mosquito-borne viral yellow fever. All medical staff must immediately report to the Epidemics Vigilance Department in the capital Asuncion any suspected case of the disease.

• Saturday, February 9th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil reported 13 fatal cases of yellow fever in eight weeks

  

  Brazil has reported a total of 48 cases of the mosquito borne yellow fever, 13 of them fatal, since mid December, the World Health Organisation said this week. Three states, Goias, Brasilia and Matto Grosso do Sul concentrate the majority of cases.

• Tuesday, February 5th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Strong earthquake shakes Peru-Chile border

  

  A strong earthquake, centered in the Andes mountains, struck Chile Monday afternoon near its borders with Peru and Bolivia.

• Monday, February 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  World Said to Be on Brink of Cancer Epidemic

  

  International health agencies say the world is on the brink of a cancer epidemic. The World Health Organization reports 7.6 million people died of the disease in 2005. It predicts the number of cancer deaths and new cases of the disease will rise astronomically in the coming years, unless action is taken now to reverse smoking trends and provide treatment to patients in developing countries.