Some news items which may be of interest. Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dog slaughter follows pig cull http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_324000/324176.stm Malaysian officials have begun slaughtering stray dogs in an attempt to stamp out a new pig-borne disease that has killed nearly 100 people this year. The authorities also plan to test "every species imaginable" to eradicate the rare form of viral encephalitis. The moves follow the recent slaughter of nearly a million pigs in the states of Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Selangor. Until now pigs were thought to be the only animals to contract the Nipah virus, named after the village where it was first found. But Veterinary Services Department Director-General Nordin Mohd Nor said at least two dogs in Negeri Sembilan had tested positive, raising fears other animals could be carrying the disease. Mr Nordin said the dogs may been infected by eating the carcasses of buried pigs. Soldiers are now killing stray dogs around affected pig farms in the south west of the country and vets are screening pet dogs, he added. All other animal species around the worst-hit areas will also be tested. The authorities have so far taken blood samples from rats, birds, goats, cattle and wild animals including bats....... Oilseed gene leak 'unsurprising' http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/newsid_323000/323383.stm UK Government scientists have cross-pollinated oilseed rape with a species of wild turnip, regarded as a weed by many farmers. The experiment demonstrates a route by which genes in genetically-modified (GM) rape might "leak" into the environment. But the Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, John McLeod, told BBC News Online: "It is not at all surprising that oilseed rape will hybridise with some of its very close relatives." UAE's 'green' death penalty http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/world/middle_east/newsid_324000/324237.stm The United Arab Emirates is considering introducing the death penalty for anyone caught deliberately polluting its environment. According to a government environmentalist, Dr Saad al-Numairy, the measure is aimed at reducing high levels of pollution in the southern Gulf. Marine environmentalists, meeting at Eco Arabia 99, a two-day conference in Dubai, say recent oil spills have seriously damaged the local fragile eco systems. Dr Numairy told the BBC that many sea captains discharge their oil tanks in the sea around the UAE.
