Health & Science

Wednesday, August 27th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Listerosis scare in Canada and class action lawsuit

Canadian Maple Leaf Foods faces millions of dollars in demands from a class action lawsuit following an outbreak of listerosis (meat poisoning) linked to the company's Toronto meat plant and which allegedly is responsible for the death of at least 15 people.
Tuesday, August 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Grazing cattle shown to align north-south direction

Have you ever noticed that herds of grazing animals all face the same way? Images from Google Earth have confirmed that cattle tend to align their bodies in a north-south direction.
Tuesday, August 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Tierra del Fuego flock infested with melophagus ovinus

A controversy over the presence of melophagus ovinus (*), or sheep ked in the Chilean Tierra del Fuego flock has broken out between Chilean animal health officials and farmers' organizations.
Friday, August 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Listerosis scare in Santiago's top private clinics and hospitals

Several medical organisations from Chile requested this week the Public Health ministry declare a state of “sanitary alert” following an unprecedented increase in the number of cases of deadly bacteria identified as “Listeria Monocytogenes”, which is transmitted mainly through the food chain.
Friday, August 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Two billion people suffer impact of Hepatitis B virus

The United Nations health agency is launching a new information campaign to highlight the impact of the hepatitis B virus, which is currently found in about 2 billion people worldwide despite being largely preventable by vaccine for more than 25 years.
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Bovine TB outbreak quarantines 20% of Magallanes herd

An outbreak of bovine tuberculosis has forced Magallanes Region in the extreme south of Chile to declare quarantine in 48 paddocks belonging to twelve farms. The number of cattle involved is 30.000 head which is a considerable percentage of the 180.000 herd of the region according to the 2007 census.
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Spain suffers worst air accident in 25 years: 153 killed

A Spanair MD-82 jetliner broke up and caught fire after skidding off the runway at Madrid's Barajas International airport, killing 153 people in Spain's worst aviation accident in 25 years.
Sunday, August 17th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Chile: dioxin traces quarantines four more pork factories

Chile's Health Ministry quarantined four more pork factories last Thursday after Canadian health officials confirmed high levels of the carcinogenic chemical dioxin in their pork meat products.
Sunday, August 17th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
“Fire-safe” cigarettes mandatory in the EU as of 2011

As of 2011 all cigarettes sold in the European Union will have to be self-extinguishing in a bid to combat thousands of fire-related deaths and injuries. EC officials said a meeting of experts from all 27 EU member states was expected to endorse proposals by Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva.
Wednesday, August 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
License for Amazon dam triggers controversy in Brazil

Brazil's environment minister Carlos Minc announced he had granted a license for an Amazon hydroelectric dam but attached stringent conditions to protect Indian reservations and nature preserves. However environmental groups anticipated a long legal battle.