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QIAGEN to supply point-of-need molecular veterinary diagnostics for disease detection in emerging countries

QIAGEN has been selected to contribute to the fight against infectious diseases in animals in emerging countries by supplying an international pilot project associated with the United Nations with portable devices to perform ultra-fast molecular testing in the field.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 29 Nov 2010

Middle East meeting addresses global food security

At a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council to address global food security, ministers "pledged to a set of recommendations meant to improve co-operation and develop policies that could cope with a sudden interruption of food supplies" and vowed to "improve co-operation with international bodies such as the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on food security matters," The National reports (Detrie, 11/24).

25 Nov 2010

USAID's Shah announces Bureau for Food Security; Bread for the World releases 2011 Hunger Report

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah announced on Monday the creation of a Bureau for Food Security within the agency "to manage the Obama administration's Feed the Future initiative, which Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to turn over to USAID," National Journal Daily reports.

25 Nov 2010

On Thanksgiving Day never mind conflict with the in-laws; it's cake vs. cranberry, pie vs. wine

If you're lucky, it will all be kisses and hugs around the Thanksgiving dinner table, with friends and family near and dear gathered about, and puppies gathered around your feet waiting for table scraps.

24 Nov 2010

Eating Disorder Hope partners with MyPyramid to help eating disorder sufferers

Eating Disorder Hope, a respected independent resource for sufferers of anorexia, bulimia and overeating disorders, has partnered with MyPyramid to help eating disorder sufferers find nutritional and healthy lifestyle support.

24 Nov 2010

Detroit residents could benefit from transforming vacant urban lots into farms, community gardens

Transforming vacant urban lots into farms and community gardens could provide Detroit residents with a majority of their fruits and vegetables.

20 Nov 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

New This Week In The Kaiser Global Health Policy Tracker: The President's Malaria Initiative announced a new focus country and USAID released a new fact sheet on the agency's reform initiative. Kaiser's Policy Tracker provides a timely single reference point for the latest information on congressional and administration action on global health.

20 Nov 2010

FAO report highlights 'alarmingly' high food price increases, forecasts food import bills could exceed $1T in 2010

International food import bills could exceed $1 trillion in 2010, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday in its Food Outlook report, which found that wheat and other food staple prices have increased alarmingly over the past year, the Associated Press reports.

18 Nov 2010

Health officials gather in Uruguay to discuss WHO anti-smoking treaty

"As sales to developing nations become ever more important to giant tobacco companies, they are stepping up efforts around the world to fight tough restrictions on the marketing of cigarettes," the New York Times reports in an article ahead of a conference in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which began on Monday. At the conference health officials are debating guidelines to enforce a global anti-smoking treaty known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) (Wilson, 11/13).

17 Nov 2010

Dutch government awards Innovation Credit of EUR 1.3 million to InteRNA

InteRNA Technologies B.V., a biopharmaceutical company developing pathway targeted microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cancer, today announced that it was awarded an Innovation Credit of EUR 1.3 million from the Dutch government.

16 Nov 2010

Experts call for global agriculture reform to ensure food security as two rice conferences open

Experts attending the International Rice Congress in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday called for imminent action to change inefficient farming methods and expand the global rice supply in order to prevent rising poverty and hunger, Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Nov 2010

Cholera confirmed in Haiti's capital as health ministry says outbreak has killed 544 so far

Haiti's cholera outbreak appears to have spread to its capital, "imperiling nearly 3 million people living in Port-au-Prince, nearly half of them in unsanitary tent camps for the homeless from the Jan. 12 earthquake," the Associated Press/KIRO reports.

10 Nov 2010

Food security conference in The Hague concludes with suggestions for U.N. climate negotiations to incorporate agriculture

Participants in a five-day food security meeting at The Hague "urged U.N. climate negotiators Friday to consider agriculture when drawing up strategies to fight climate change," the Canadian Press reports.

9 Nov 2010

Pres. Obama, Indian PM Singh announce partnership to improve global food security

During a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, President Barack Obama announced a new partnership between U.S. and Indian agriculture sectors to help improve food security globally, Press Trust International/Livemint.com reports.

8 Nov 2010

Global food security fund announces $97M in grants for Ethiopia, Mongolia, Niger

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) has awarded a second round of grants worth $97 million to Ethiopia, Mongolia and Niger for projects aimed at fighting hunger and poverty, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.

8 Nov 2010

Global food prices continue upward trend, but relatively stable cereal prices could prevent riots, FAO economist says

Global food prices rose in October and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index increased "for the fifth month in a row, the FAO said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

4 Nov 2010

Study confirms human excrements contribute to water pollution

Every person emits the equivalent of approximately two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more than 20% of total yearly emissions. That is what a study by the Universidad de Almer-a says, confirming for the first time that human excrements contribute to water pollution, primarily with nitrogen and phosphorus.

3 Nov 2010

IRIN examines MSF'S concerns over U.S. food aid for malnourished children under age 2

IRIN examines the recently launched 1,000 Days campaign and concerns expressed by Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) Emi MacLean that most of the $2 billion the U.S. spends on food aid is for corn soya blend, which lacks animal-source food and is not ideal for children under age 2 or children who are moderately malnourished.

3 Nov 2010

Media outlets look ahead to Obama's trip to India

Several media outlets looked ahead to President Barack Obama's scheduled visit to India later this week, as part of his Asia-Pacific tour.

2 Nov 2010

GlycosBio, Malaysian Bio-XCell enter agreement to build biochemical plant and biotechnology R&D facility

Glycos Biotechnologies, Inc. (GlycosBio), an emerging biochemical company pioneering metabolic engineering and microbiology innovations for the production of sustainable biochemicals, today exchanged definitive agreements with Malaysian Bio-XCell for the establishment of the Company's industrial biochemical plant and biotechnology R&D facility in Malaysia

1 Nov 2010