Health & Science

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 05:51 UTC

  Strict cuts and rules for British MPs allowances

  

  British Members of Parliament should no longer be able to claim for their mortgages or employ family members at the taxpayers' expense, the long-awaited report by the standards watchdog has said.

• Monday, November 2nd 2009 - 12:01 UTC

  Satellite to study the Earth’s soil moisture and ocean salinity in orbit

  

  Europe has successfully launched a new satellite to unravel the mysteries of Earth's water cycle, shedding new light on how moisture is absorbed into the atmosphere and the process's link to climate change.

• Saturday, October 31st 2009 - 06:39 UTC

  British government sacks chief drugs’ advisor

  

  The British government's chief drugs adviser has been forced to resign in the wake of the row over the dangers of class A drugs. Home Secretary Alan Johnson asked Professor David Nutt to resign as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), saying he had “lost confidence” in his ability to give impartial advice.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 22:13 UTC

  State of the art HMS Scott takes over Ice Patrol HMS Endurance Antarctica duties

  

  The Royal Navy's advanced deep water survey ship HMS Scott was deployed this week to the Antarctic for the first time. She will take over patrolling and surveying duties in Antarctica and the South Atlantic from Ice Patrol HMS Endurance.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 06:14 UTC

  Argentina’s Air Force Antarctic Marambio base celebrates fortieth anniversary

  

  The Argentine Air Force commemorated on Thursday October 29 the fortieth anniversary of Air Base Vice-Commodore Gustavo Marambio, Argentina’s main logistic support in Antarctica which has seen uninterrupted activity since then.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 03:14 UTC

  China elaborating the “most complete” map of Antarctica

  

  Chinese scientists are expected to conclude the most complete and precise map of Antarctica during their current expedition to the frozen continent. Although much of Antarctica has been chartered and collected in maps by different countries this latest edition to be finished at the end of this year has been described “as the most complete so far”, according to a report in the Global Times.

• Friday, October 30th 2009 - 01:56 UTC

  Higher infertility among men is a growing problem in Chile

  

  A recent study carried out by the InstitutoValenciano de Infertilidad (IVI) has found a higher rate of infertility in Chilean men than in women. In a survey of 1,800 couples who reported having problems conceiving, infertility was recorded in 85% of males compared with 75% of females.

• Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 08:16 UTC

  World health leader impressed by Castro and Cuban medical facilities

  

  Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro “looks wonderful,” World Health Organization director general Margaret Chan said on Wednesday, after meeting the 83-year-old leader who resigned the presidency last year due to ailing health.

• Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 14:26 UTC

  Science explains why red wine with red meat, white wine with fish

  

  A team of Japanese scientists found the scientific reason for one of the rules of thumb about the pairing between wine and food: “Red wine with red meat, white wine with fish”.

• Monday, October 26th 2009 - 09:26 UTC

  US declares H1N1 flu emergency and promises vaccines for every citizen

  

  United States President Barack Obama declared the spreading H1N1 swine flu virus to be a national emergency.