Canada on Thursday confirmed its second case of mad cow disease in as many weeks – and seventh since 2003. Shipments of cattle to the United States were halted in 2003 after the first reported cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Canada. Trade in cows younger than 30 months resumed last July. The latest case was of a 50-month-old dairy cow from a farm in western Alberta, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would send an inspector to aid in the investigation into the death.
Switzerland: Slide misses resort
A large section of stone broke away and tumbled down a famous Swiss Alps mountain Thursday, shrouding a resort in dust but causing no injuries, officials said. Stone from the east face of Eiger mountain fell hundreds of feet in a thundering, 15-minute avalanche, a rescue chief said. The more than 20 million cubic feet of stone came to rest on a mountainside, sending up a cloud of dust that shrouded nearby Grindelwald resort for hours. He said no one was injured and no buildings were hit in the rock fall.
Britain: Shakespeare-book auction
A rare complete copy of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, widely regarded as one of the most important books in the English language, sold for $5.2 million at auction Thursday. Simon Finch Rare Books of London purchased the book – still in its original 17th-century calfskin binding – during a sale at Sotheby’s. The book is one of about 40 complete copies known to exist and one of the few in private hands. Its value was estimated at between $4.6 million and $6.4 million.
Brazil: Six die in gang violence
Gangs torched buses and attacked banks and police stations across Sao Paulo on Thursday, deepening crime fears as a wave of rampant violence entered its third day. At least six people have been killed in nearly 100 attacks on police and civilian targets since Tuesday night in what authorities believe is retaliation for a possible transfer of gang leaders to Brazil’s first federal penitentiary. More than 50 buses have been set on fire since Tuesday, authorities said.
From Herald news services
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