Health & Science

• Monday, May 11th 2009 - 08:59 UTC

  Flu scare: Canadian officials cull 500 animals in pig farm

  

  Canadian officials in the province of Alberta culled 500 hogs from the pig farm where the new swine flu virus, A/H1N1, was detected, but it was not because the animals were sick, the province’s chief veterinarian said Saturday.

• Monday, May 11th 2009 - 08:26 UTC

  Ice patrol HMS Endurance dilemma disclosed

  

  The details of HMS Endurance’s struggle for survival last December has up until now been kept from the public domain. In this month’s edition of Navy News, however, details of the challenges overcome by the ship and crew have finally been released.

• Saturday, May 9th 2009 - 07:30 UTC

  Uruguay imposes sanitary controls at Argentina and Brazil borders

  

  Uruguay extended sanitary controls to borders with Argentina and Brazil following the confirmation of several cases of the influenza A/H1N1 in its neighbouring countries, the first to be reported in Mercosur.

• Friday, May 8th 2009 - 10:11 UTC

  FAO, OIE, WHO reiterate statement on A/H1N1 and safety of pork

  

  To avoid any misunderstanding FAO, WHO and OIE reissued Thursday their joint statement referred to the safety of pork originally issued on 30 April.

• Thursday, May 7th 2009 - 13:38 UTC

  Canadian scientists complete genetic sequence of H1N1

  

  A team of Canadian scientists have completed the genetic sequencing of three H1N1 viruses taken from Mexico, Nova Scotia and Ontario, the first complete sequencing of the human swine flu, it was announced Wednesday.

• Thursday, May 7th 2009 - 05:32 UTC

  EU/US reach provisional deal on hormone-treated beef

  

  United States and the European Union have reached a provisional deal to end a dispute over an EU ban on US hormone-treated beef. The move should prevent the US from implementing 116.8 million US dollars in new retaliatory duties on European products such as French cheese.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 13:06 UTC

  Antarctic continental shelf survey could help predict sea-level rise

  

  Motorway-sized troughs and channels carved into Antarctica's continental shelves by glaciers thousands of years ago could help scientists to predict future sea-level rise, according to a report in the May issue of the journal Geology.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 02:56 UTC

  Mexico furious with countries restricting its imports alleging flu

  

  Mexico says it has written to the World Trade Organization (WTO), demanding an explanation from countries which have restricted its imports over A/H1N1 flu.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 02:53 UTC

  Magallanes Region stocked for the event of a flu pandemic

  

  Punta Arenas in the extreme south Magallanes Region of Chile has received several lots of seasonal flu vaccines which will be available in clinics and health centres as of tomorrow Wednesday announced local sanitary authorities.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2009 - 11:08 UTC

  Mexico announces reopening of schools, gradually returns to normality

  

  Mexican officials lowered the influenza A (H1N1) virus alert level in the capital on Monday and said they will allow universities, cafes, museums and libraries to reopen this week, even as the number of confirmed cases topped 1,200 worldwide.