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U.N.
Says Thousands of Contaminated Industrial and Military Sites in Iraq Need Clean
Up
November
11, 2005
Thousands
of contaminated industrial and military sites left over from wars in Iraq must
urgently be cleaned up to stop them from further harming people’s health and
the environment, a U.N. agency said Thursday. The U.N. Environment Program, or
UNEP, has assessed five contaminated sites during the past 18 months to train
Iraqi specialists to detect the risks, analyze harmful chemicals and eventually
clean up such sites.
Source:
Environmental News Network
TB
Test ‘Could Save Many Lives’
November
12, 2005
A
new diagnostic test for active tuberculosis infection could potentially save
million of lives. The test, developed by Imperial College London, has won a Ł10,000
award for medical innovation.
Source:
BBC News
Celebrities’
Junk Food Ads Face Ban
November
13, 2005
Advertising
campaigns that hire celebrities to promote junk food to youngsters could be in
jeopardy under new proposals to ban the use of famous personalities to sell
fatty, sugary and salty foods and drinks.
Source:
Independence.co.uk
Arianespace
and ESA Meet Potential Vega Customers
November
13, 2005
The
first Vega Customer Day, held in Rome on Thursday to raise awareness of, and
confidence in, Europe’s new small launcher, is a sure sign that Vega is on
track for a qualification launch at the end of 2007.
Source:
European Space Agency
Anti-flu
Drug Linked to Two Deaths
November
13, 2005
The
anti-flu drug Tamiflu can induce strange behaviour leading to accidental death,
Japan’s health ministry has warned, after two teenagers died shortly after
taking the medicine. Neither exhibited psychological problems before taking
Tamiflu, The deaths, and their possible link to the drug will cause second
thoughts in governments around the world.
Source:
Independence.co.uk
Smacking’s
Impact ‘Same Globally’
November
14, 2005
Children
who are smacked are more likely than those who are not to become aggressive and
anxious, no matter what the cultural norm, a study says.
Source:
BBC News
Brain
Deficits Found in Relatives of Autism Sufferers
November
14, 2005
People
can have physical brain abnormalities similar to those found in autistic
individuals without having the disorder themselves. Brain scans show striking
similarities between the brains of autistic patients and those of their
non-autistic parents and siblings.
Source:
Nature.com
Malaria
Vaccine Shows Promise
November
15, 2005
Scientists
are hailing the findings from a malaria vaccine trial as a huge advance in the
fight against the disease. The vaccine, called RTS,S, reduced the incidence of
severe malaria by around half in children in Mozambique. Children in trial are
protected for at least 18 months.
Source:
Nature.com
Late
Deal Avoids Split on Internet Governance
November
16, 2005
A
last-minute deal has avoided a potentially damaging split between the US and
other nations over future control of the internet, ahead of a UN summit aimed at
reducing the global digital divide. The agreement was reached the night before
the start of the World Summit on the Internet Society. Some observers had
suggested that the internet could have been torn into competing or disconnected
networks if the issue of internet governance had not been resolved.
Source:
NewScientist.com
Accident
& Emergency Units Facing Drug Pressures
November
17, 2005
Up
to a million visits to English A&E departments every year could be linked to
illegal drug use, researchers claim.
Source:
BBC News
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