Life: Latest news on health and environment

11/02/2013 - FRANCE

French cabinet in emergency horsemeat talks

As the scandal of horsemeat masquerading as beef takes on a pan-European dimension, the French authorities are keen to identify exactly who is responsible for a fraud that threatens lasting damage to the European food industry.

10/02/2013 - FRANCE

French retailers pull Findus amid horsemeat scandal

Several major French retailers have withdrawn Findus frozen food products from sale in the wake of a Europe-wide horsemeat contamination scandal, they announced Sunday, as France promised to have the results of an urgent inquiry by Wednesday.

10/02/2013 - SWEDEN

Findus horsemeat scandal sparks “criminal conspiracy” fears

Britain held emergency talks on Saturday following a contamination scandal that revealed food giant Findus’s beef ready meals contained horsemeat. The Swedish company has withdrawn various frozen meals from France, Sweden and Britain.

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09/02/2013 - BEYOND BUSINESS

Fishy business: pirates plunder local waters

Today we're turning our eye to illegal fishing on a massive scale. It's an industry worth tens of billions of euros annually and one that amounts to theft under the noses of some of the poorest people on earth. Until now, very little has been done to put a stop to it. However, the EU and the US are starting to get wise to this dark side to the global fishing industry.

08/02/2013 - NIGERIA

Health workers killed during polio vaccinations

At least nine health workers were killed by gunmen in two separate shootings as they administered polio vaccinations in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday.

03/02/2013 - HEALTH

Birth control pills: a new health scandal?

France's health authorities have decided that a higher risk of blood clots, strokes and thrombosis in the latest versions of birth control pills pose an unacceptable danger to women’s health. As a result, the government has changed its prescription guidelines for oral contraceptives. The decision could affect 2.5 million women in France and many more overseas, should other countries follow suit.

01/02/2013 - MEDIA WATCH

‘Airpocalypse’ takes over Beijing’s skies

A French MP has called on the government to re-name the “école maternelle” saying the nomenclature is sexist. Sandrine Mazetier prefers “little” or “first” school. In China, heavy smog has prompted one man to sell cans of fresh air. And did she or didn’t she?! Beyoncé won’t say whether she lip-synched at President Obama’s inauguration … but she silences her critics with a second, a capella rendition of the national anthem.

30/01/2013 - FRANCE

France halts sale of 'Diane 35' pill over health risks

France on Wednesday halted the sale of a hormonal acne drug manufactured by Bayer that has also been used as a contraceptive pill. Four women have died in the past 25 years from blood clots attributed to Diane 35.

29/01/2013 - FRANCE

Is this pill making people ill?

France's medical watchdog is to make a decision on whether the Diane 35 drug will be withdrawn from the market. The anti-acne treatment is often prescribed as a contraceptive pill and is currently at the centre of controversy. The pill has been blamed for four deaths and 125 cases of thrombosis.

28/01/2013 - ISRAEL

Sharon shows signs of brain activity after seven years in coma

Seven years after slipping into a coma following a massive stroke, former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has surprised his doctors by displaying “a certain degree of consciousness”.

‘Darth Vader’ demands free land from Ukrainian government