China orders second slaughter of dogs

Chinese authorities in Jining have ordered a slaughter of dogs for the second time in days in response to a rabies outbreak, the Xinhua News Agency said Friday.

Animal lovers were outraged by the campaign blaming the government for its incompetence in handling the spread of rabies.


A security guard holds onto a dog as a ten-day capture of stray dogs is carried out in Fuzhou, east China's Fujian province August 1, 2006. Picture taken August 1, 2006. CHINA OUT REUTERS/Kong Nong via Yahoo News.

"I think this is completely insane," said Zhang Luping, founder of the Beijing Human and Animal Environmental Education Center. "What's more, this really damages our national image and sets a really bad example to show how lazy and inconsiderate those local government officials are."

In Yunnan last week, 50,000 dogs were killed, many beaten to death in front of their owners, after three people died of rabies.

Animal rights groups have called for a boycott of Chinese goods in response to the mass slaughter.

Typhoon Prapiroon hits south China

Typhoon Prapiroon smashed into the coast of southern China Thursday as hundreds of thousands evacuated to temporary shelters.

About 400,000 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Island ahead of the storm, which packed 75 mph winds.


Zhongshan residents are evacuated before the arrival of Typhoon Prapiroon, in China's southern Guangdong province Thursday Aug. 3, 2006. AP Photo/Color China Photo via Yahoo News.

The same area is still recovering from direct hits by Typhoon Kaemi that killed 35 people last week, and Tropical Storm Bilis that killed more than 600 people last month.

Chinese officials estimate more than 1 million homes have been damaged and millions of acres of farmland and forest have been destroyed during this typhoon season.

Curry with onions may help reduce colon cancer

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore said that compounds found in curry and onions may help prevent colon cancer in those at risk.

Patients with pre-cancerous colon polyps took a combination of curcumin, which is found in the curry spice turmeric, and quercetin found in onions, resulting in smaller and fewer polyps.


Curry for sale at a market in Lamno, Indonesia, January 31, 2005. Enny Nuraheni en/JJ/Reuters photo via Yahoo News.

Earlier studies with rats, and observation of Asian cultures that eat lots of curry support the recent test results.

"We believe this is the first proof of principle that these substances have significant effects in patients with FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis)," Dr. Francis M. Giardiello of The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore said in a statement.