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FDA acts to prevent distribution of food from rodent-infested facility

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals seized all FDA-regulated food susceptible to rodent and pest contamination or other filth held at the Durham, North Carolina, warehouse of CFSD, Inc., which does business as Chan's Food Service.

29 Aug 2011

Male gay couples, single parents face significant discrimination in rental housing market

A new University of British Columbia study finds single parents and male gay couples face significant discrimination in the Metro Vancouver rental housing market, compared to straight couples.

29 Aug 2011

Australia steps closer to plain cigarette packaging

This week, the parliament's lower house passed two bills aimed at banning tobacco company product branding. The legislation, which dictates that cigarette packets must be a uniform olive green with the name of the brand in small, standard type, is expected to pass the upper house in the coming weeks.

26 Aug 2011

Flooding in Pakistan kills at least 16, affects 'dozens' of homes

"In what appears to be a repeat -- on a limited scale -- of the 2010 flood disaster in Pakistan with northern areas affected mainly by flash floods sweeping down from the mountains after heavy rain, at least 16 people have died in the remote Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtookhwa Province (KP)," IRIN reports.

26 Aug 2011

Rising numbers of assisted suicides, coroners turning a blind eye: Study

At least 10% of suicides in England are by someone with a chronic or terminal illness, found researchers who tried to obtain information on the subject from local health authorities.

24 Aug 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry tries experimental stem cell therapy

Texas Gov. Rick Perry last month underwent a procedure where stem cells, made from fat taken from his body, were put into his bloodstream to see if they might find their way to help heal the bones in his back.

22 Aug 2011

Stable communities see no influence of alcohol outlets on neighborhood violence

The density of businesses that sell alcohol in a community has been tied to local levels of violence, but new research has found that the influence depends on the nature of the community. More stable communities can see little to no influence but more disorganized communities are not so fortunate.

22 Aug 2011

Bill Clinton on being ‘vegan’

Former President Bill Clinton has revealed that his diet is turning plant-based and heart-healthy. He said he believes the vegan regimen is helping to reverse the damage to his heart and blood vessels caused by cardiovascular disease.

18 Aug 2011

Humanitarian agencies stand by in Pakistan as floods kill 25, displace estimated 50,000 others

"Predictions by Pakistan's Meteorological Department of more rain in the days ahead have raised flood fears, especially in Sindh Province, as the monsoon season peaks," IRIN reports.

18 Aug 2011

Some Muesli fattier than double quarter pounder

According to a consumer organization Choice, a morning bowl of muesli may contain as much fat as a McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder. The consumer organization tested 159 types of muesli and discovered that the popular breakfast meal isn't necessarily a healthy choice.

18 Aug 2011

Tobacco giants sue FDA over ‘shock tactic’ cigarette pack images

The FDA ruled that by Oct. 22, 2012, every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States will carry one of nine graphic, full color, graphic warnings reminding people of just how horrible smoking is for their health. The image might be a pair of healthy lungs next to a pair of blackened and diseased lungs or a man smoking out of a hole in his throat or a mouth with sores on the lips and teeth all yellowed and decayed.

18 Aug 2011

U.S., international support for Somali refugees making a difference

Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, U.S. representative to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, writes about her recent visit to the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya in the State Department's "DipNote" blog.

16 Aug 2011

Somalia famine highlights need for long-term food security initiatives

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (D-Tenn.) write in a USA Today opinion piece about their visit last week to the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, stating, "Amid the devastation, we saw the impact of [U.S. and international] aid. We saw inexpensive oral rehydration packs bring listless babies back to life. We saw children getting vitamins and vaccines that will stop the spread of deadly diseases throughout the camps."

16 Aug 2011

Multi-prong approach needed to fight famine in Somalia

"The Obama administration deserves credit for acting in advance to ameliorate the effects" of drought in East Africa, a New York Times editorial states, noting that USAID has been working since last summer, when the crisis was predicted, to "plac[e] food and other supplies in Kenya, Djibouti and South Africa" and "working on programs to help Somalia and other countries improve food production to avert future crises."

12 Aug 2011

Rising food prices in East Africa exacerbating food shortages, famine, FAO says

"The prices of grain and milk in the drought-hit Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have risen to record highs, exacerbating hardship for the estimated 12.4 million people in the region who are facing severe food shortages and famine in some parts of Somalia," according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's August food price monitor, the U.N. News Centre reports.

12 Aug 2011

Linking U.S. foreign aid to U.N. General Assembly voting

A backgrounder by Jay Schaefer, a Jay Kingham fellow in International Regulatory Affairs at the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, and Anthony Kim, a policy analyst in Heritage's Center for International Trade and Economics, examines the relationship between U.S. foreign aid and U.N. General Assembly voting.

11 Aug 2011

More than 9M Afghans facing food insecurity, WFP says

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that 1.5 to 2 million more people in Afghanistan likely will be pushed into food insecurity later this year because of ongoing drought in the northern, northeastern and western parts of the country, IRIN reports.

11 Aug 2011

Foreign aid community faces difficulties as food prices rise and dollar declines

The Council on Foreign Relations features an interview with Laurie Garrett, a CFR senior fellow for Global Health, in which she discusses the effects of the declining dollar, the struggling global economy and the rise in food prices on food aid pledges for the drought and famine in East Africa.

11 Aug 2011

Springer signs book agreement with the American Physiological Society

Springer has signed a book partnership agreement with the American Physiological Society (APS) to publish titles in three APS book series as well as individual monographs and contributed volumes. The new publications are aimed primarily at researchers and will support Springer’s growing physiology publishing program.

11 Aug 2011

ONE hosts discussion of famine with USAID, WFP officials

"ONE Blog" features an audio recording of a conference call the organization held on Wednesday with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, World Food Programme Executive Director Josette Sheeran and Somali advocate Ali Ali about the famine in Somalia.

6 Aug 2011