Nearly 75% of baby rice products marketed at children in the UK contain illegal levels of inorganic arsenic, according to a study.
The study's authors, from the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast warned there could be health implications for children eating baby cereals and rice cakes.
Researchers say chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause a range of health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and damage to the nervous system.
In January 2016, the EU imposed a maximum limit of inorganic arsenic on food manufacturers in a bid to mitigate health risks.
Professor Andy Meharg from Queen's University Belfast said: "First we found the levels of inorganic arsenic in foods destined for young children are above the legal standards set by the European Union.
"Secondly we have shown that when children eat those products they get elevated arsenic in their urine - about five-fold higher after they were weened."
Rice typically has 10 times more inorganic arsenic than other foods, the scientists behind the study said.
The World Health Organisation says the chemical arsenic is found in the groundwater of a number of countries, with contaminated water used for things like rice crops posing the greatest threat to public health.
The Food Standards Agency told Sky News: "There have been strict maximum limits for inorganic arsenic (i.e. arsenic which does not occur naturally) in rice for use in foods for infants and young children since January 2016.
"It is the responsibility of food manufacturers to ensure that products comply with this legislation. Local authorities enforce this legislation in the UK and report any non-compliant results to the FSA.
"We continuously review new evidence and will consider whether this new study from Queen's University adds to the data we already have on exposure to arsenic for young children."
There are now calls for manufacturers to display arsenic levels on packaging to allow consumers to make an informed choice.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Man held by terror cops after landing at Heathrow
A man has been arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of a terror-related offence.
The 30-year-old arrived in the UK on a flight from Istanbul on Thursday evening.
He was detained by the Metropolitan Police's counter-terror squad as he stepped off the plane.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was arrested on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts and terrorist training.
The suspect remains in custody at a south London police station.
Officers have also searched a property in east London.
The 30-year-old arrived in the UK on a flight from Istanbul on Thursday evening.
He was detained by the Metropolitan Police's counter-terror squad as he stepped off the plane.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was arrested on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts and terrorist training.
The suspect remains in custody at a south London police station.
Officers have also searched a property in east London.
Robert Mugabe says Zimbabwe is not fragile but America is
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has insisted that his country is not a failed state - and accused the US of being "fragile".
During a discussion at the World Economic Forum on Africa the leader insisted that despite years of a collapsed economy, the country is highly successful.
Mr Mugabe has presided over hyperinflation, soaring unemployment and plummeting economic output during his 30-year grip.
Yet he told the forum in Durban: "We are not a poor country and we can't be a fragile country. I can call America fragile - they went on their knees to China."
Citing the state's 90% literacy rate, he went on: "Zimbabwe is the most highly developed country in Africa after South Africa."
The country reached a turning point in 2000 when many white-owned farms were seized.
Oxfam's executive director Winnie Byanyima, also on the panel, blamed oppressive leaders for Africa's major troubles.
"Our leaders say we are rich, they say we are developed, they say we have resources but the people do not see that, " she said.
And she added: "Let us give others a chance. It is important that we have elections that are free and fair - that reflect the will of the people."
Mr Mugabe, 93, apparently fell asleep at the end of the discussion.
During a discussion at the World Economic Forum on Africa the leader insisted that despite years of a collapsed economy, the country is highly successful.
Mr Mugabe has presided over hyperinflation, soaring unemployment and plummeting economic output during his 30-year grip.
Yet he told the forum in Durban: "We are not a poor country and we can't be a fragile country. I can call America fragile - they went on their knees to China."
Citing the state's 90% literacy rate, he went on: "Zimbabwe is the most highly developed country in Africa after South Africa."
The country reached a turning point in 2000 when many white-owned farms were seized.
Oxfam's executive director Winnie Byanyima, also on the panel, blamed oppressive leaders for Africa's major troubles.
"Our leaders say we are rich, they say we are developed, they say we have resources but the people do not see that, " she said.
And she added: "Let us give others a chance. It is important that we have elections that are free and fair - that reflect the will of the people."
Mr Mugabe, 93, apparently fell asleep at the end of the discussion.
Old five pound note deadline nears: Spend your fiver this week!
Old paper five pound notes will no longer be legal tender after Friday and people will have until the end of the day to spend them.
Around 150 million of the Bank of England (BoE) notes are still in circulation but 5 May will be the last day they can be spent.
The BoE said some banks and building societies may continue to accept the old fiver, which features prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, but this is at their discretion and people should check what their bank's policy is.
Some of the big banks and building societies have said that customers can continue to deposit old fivers after 5 May but others advised that it was a good idea to hand the notes in by the deadline rather than leaving it until they are no longer legal tender.
Around 150 million of the Bank of England (BoE) notes are still in circulation but 5 May will be the last day they can be spent.
The BoE said some banks and building societies may continue to accept the old fiver, which features prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, but this is at their discretion and people should check what their bank's policy is.
Some of the big banks and building societies have said that customers can continue to deposit old fivers after 5 May but others advised that it was a good idea to hand the notes in by the deadline rather than leaving it until they are no longer legal tender.
Trump's Obamacare repeal bill faces crucial vote
President Donald Trump could be on course to make good on one of his key election pledges when the US House of Representatives votes later on dismantling Barack Obama's signature health reform.
After Mr Trump failed to convince enough of his own party representatives to back him in March, the party now believes it will finally have the votes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
Around 20 million previously uninsured Americans have gained health coverage under Obamacare.
The Republican party, which controls both the House and Senate, has said the scrapping of the health law is a top priority.
However, even if the bill clears the House by a narrow majority, it still faces a steep climb in the Senate, where only a few defections could kill the effort.
Mr Trump has called the scheme a "catastrophe" which had to be overhauled "very, very quickly".
But his first attempt to repeal it - in the first big test of his presidency - failed.
He and his supporters have spent days frantically trying to gather support from politicians who complain either that the reforms go too far or not far enough.
Mr Trump has struggled to balance the demands of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, who want to scrap more of the Affordable Care Act's benefits and insurance requirements, and moderates in the Tuesday Group, who fear the bill will leave millions of Americans worse off.
The legislation's prospects brightened after members of the Freedom Caucus, who played a key role in derailing the original version of the repeal bill last month, said they could go along with a compromise.
Asked whether they had the votes needed to pass the bill, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said: "We have enough votes,"
"It'll pass. It's a good bill," he added.
Called the American Health Care Act, the Republican bill would repeal most Obamacare taxes, including a penalty for not buying health insurance.
It would also cut funding for Medicaid, which provides insurance for the poor.
Medical groups, including the American Medical Association, are opposed to the revised bill and argue millions of Americans will lose coverage or face higher costs.
After Mr Trump failed to convince enough of his own party representatives to back him in March, the party now believes it will finally have the votes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
Around 20 million previously uninsured Americans have gained health coverage under Obamacare.
The Republican party, which controls both the House and Senate, has said the scrapping of the health law is a top priority.
However, even if the bill clears the House by a narrow majority, it still faces a steep climb in the Senate, where only a few defections could kill the effort.
Mr Trump has called the scheme a "catastrophe" which had to be overhauled "very, very quickly".
But his first attempt to repeal it - in the first big test of his presidency - failed.
He and his supporters have spent days frantically trying to gather support from politicians who complain either that the reforms go too far or not far enough.
Mr Trump has struggled to balance the demands of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, who want to scrap more of the Affordable Care Act's benefits and insurance requirements, and moderates in the Tuesday Group, who fear the bill will leave millions of Americans worse off.
The legislation's prospects brightened after members of the Freedom Caucus, who played a key role in derailing the original version of the repeal bill last month, said they could go along with a compromise.
Asked whether they had the votes needed to pass the bill, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said: "We have enough votes,"
"It'll pass. It's a good bill," he added.
Called the American Health Care Act, the Republican bill would repeal most Obamacare taxes, including a penalty for not buying health insurance.
It would also cut funding for Medicaid, which provides insurance for the poor.
Medical groups, including the American Medical Association, are opposed to the revised bill and argue millions of Americans will lose coverage or face higher costs.
'Last African dinosaur' discovered in Morocco mine
Scientists have discovered one of the last dinosaurs living in Africa before they became extinct 66 million years ago.
The Chenanisaurus barbaricus is extremely rare and is a smaller African contemporary of the North American T rex.
A rare fragment of a jaw bone was studied by Dr Nick Longrich at the University of Bath after it was found in a phosphate mine at Sidi Chennane in the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco.
Dr Longrich, in collaboration with colleagues in Morocco, France and Spain, identified it as belonging to an abelisaur - which was a two-legged predator like T rex and other tyrannosaurs, but had a shorter, blunter snout and even smaller arms.
The tyrannosaurs dominated in North America and Asia, but the abelisaurs were the top predators at the end of the Cretaceous period in Africa, South America, India and Europe.
Dr Longrich told Sky News: "This find was unusual because it's a dinosaur from marine rocks - it's a bit like hunting for fossil whales and finding a fossil lion.
"It's an incredibly rare find - almost like winning the lottery. But the phosphate mines are so rich, it's like buying a million lottery tickets, so we actually have a chance to find rare dinosaurs like this one.
"We have virtually no dinosaur fossils from this time period in Morocco - it may even be the first dinosaur named from the end-Cretaceous in Africa.
"It's also one of the last dinosaurs in Africa before the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs.
"It's an exciting find because it shows just how different the fauna was in the southern hemisphere at this time."
The newly-discovered dinosaur stood on two legs and had stumpy arms, say scientists.
Dr Longrich said: "Abelisaurs had very short arms. The upper arm bone is short, the lower arm is shorter and they have tiny little hands."
Scientists say the teeth from the fossil were worn as if from biting into bone, suggesting that, like T rex, Chenanisaurus was a predator.
Dr Longrich added: "The odd thing is it's a terrestrial animal found in marine rocks. It was possibly drowned and washed out to sea and was floating in the ocean."
The Chenanisaurus barbaricus is extremely rare and is a smaller African contemporary of the North American T rex.
A rare fragment of a jaw bone was studied by Dr Nick Longrich at the University of Bath after it was found in a phosphate mine at Sidi Chennane in the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco.
Dr Longrich, in collaboration with colleagues in Morocco, France and Spain, identified it as belonging to an abelisaur - which was a two-legged predator like T rex and other tyrannosaurs, but had a shorter, blunter snout and even smaller arms.
The tyrannosaurs dominated in North America and Asia, but the abelisaurs were the top predators at the end of the Cretaceous period in Africa, South America, India and Europe.
Dr Longrich told Sky News: "This find was unusual because it's a dinosaur from marine rocks - it's a bit like hunting for fossil whales and finding a fossil lion.
"It's an incredibly rare find - almost like winning the lottery. But the phosphate mines are so rich, it's like buying a million lottery tickets, so we actually have a chance to find rare dinosaurs like this one.
"We have virtually no dinosaur fossils from this time period in Morocco - it may even be the first dinosaur named from the end-Cretaceous in Africa.
"It's also one of the last dinosaurs in Africa before the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs.
"It's an exciting find because it shows just how different the fauna was in the southern hemisphere at this time."
The newly-discovered dinosaur stood on two legs and had stumpy arms, say scientists.
Dr Longrich said: "Abelisaurs had very short arms. The upper arm bone is short, the lower arm is shorter and they have tiny little hands."
Scientists say the teeth from the fossil were worn as if from biting into bone, suggesting that, like T rex, Chenanisaurus was a predator.
Dr Longrich added: "The odd thing is it's a terrestrial animal found in marine rocks. It was possibly drowned and washed out to sea and was floating in the ocean."
Teenage body fears influenced by social media - report
More than half of teenagers have felt or do feel insecure about their appearance, according to research.
Nearly half of girls have tried to lose weight by the age of 17 and a third of boys have felt under pressure to be muscly.
The research was commissioned by youth empowerment programme National Citizen Service who surveyed 1,000 teenagers across England.
It also showed that 40% said their appearance was influenced by what they see on social media compared to 24% who said celebrities were a bigger influence.
There was also evidence of the darker side of social media, with 58% saying they have felt jealous, negative or insecure because of social media and 24% saying they felt negative about themselves because they did not look like their friends.
Thirty-two percent of girls admitted they were "obsessed" with getting likes on social media.
Nearly half of girls have tried to lose weight by the age of 17 and a third of boys have felt under pressure to be muscly.
The research was commissioned by youth empowerment programme National Citizen Service who surveyed 1,000 teenagers across England.
It also showed that 40% said their appearance was influenced by what they see on social media compared to 24% who said celebrities were a bigger influence.
There was also evidence of the darker side of social media, with 58% saying they have felt jealous, negative or insecure because of social media and 24% saying they felt negative about themselves because they did not look like their friends.
Thirty-two percent of girls admitted they were "obsessed" with getting likes on social media.
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