■ United States
Bush wants more logging
US President George W. Bush's administration will propose a new plan to open up national forests to more commercial logging. Under the plan, which was to be announced by Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman yesterday, governors would have to petition the federal government to block road-building in remote areas of national forests, replacing a national rule against such projects adopted by the Clinton administration. The Bush administration for nearly two years has been considering ways to change the so-called roadless rule, which blocks road-building in nearly a third of national forests to prevent logging and other commercial activity.
■ Germany
Flip-flops cause impotence
Rubber slippers can make men impotent and damage internal organs, a survey claims -- and the most expensive beach shoes fared worse in tests than cheap ones. Researchers found the shoes contain toxic phthalates, chemicals that can cause men to flop in bed. Phthalates are also suspected of acting like hormones and causing damage to the liver, kidneys and reproductive organs. The German Association for Environmental Protection also found high amounts of lead and poisonous zinc and phosphororganic compounds in flip-flops they tested. Levels of the chemicals were much higher than those shown to affect the immune and hormonal systems of animals in tests.
■ United Kingdom
Radio waves to stop cars
A high-tech device that can bring speeding cars to a halt at the flick of a switch is set to become the latest weapon in the fight against crime. Police forces in Britain and the US have ordered tests of the new system, which delivers a blast of radio waves powerful enough to knock out vital engine electronics, making the targeted vehicle stall and slowly come to a stop. Ex-physics professor David Giri is developing a radio-wave vehicle-stopping system for the US Marine Corps and the Los Angeles police department. Tests show that the system could stop various vehicles from up to 50m away.
■ United States
FDA approves leech use
The latest medical device approved by the US Food and Drug Administration has been a doctor's friend for thousands of years -- the blood-sucking leech. The FDA said the French firm Ricarimpex SAS was the first company to request and receive FDA clearance to market leeches as a medical device in the US. Found in fresh water, the creatures are used as medical devices in skin grafts and surgery, restoring blood flow by removing pooled blood so that circulation can develop. Leeches were used for medical purposes in ancient Egypt and their use peaked in the mid-1880s.
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