4700 EGG FARMS SHUT DOWN IN GERMANY

.BERLIN: Regional authorities in Germany have ordered the closure of 4709 farms because of a dioxin scare, the Agriculture Ministry says.

The BBC reported that officials said the dioxin levels did not pose a risk to humans and the closures were only a precaution.

However, dioxin, a byproduct of burning rubbish and industrial activities, can cause miscarriages, cancer and other health problems in humans.

Most of the farms involved were pig properties in Lower Saxony, in the country's north-west, the ministry said.

Until the farms had been checked and found clear of contamination, they would not be allowed to make any deliveries.

It was in Lower Saxony that 2500 out of the 3000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids at the centre of the alert were delivered in November and December, where they were used as animal fodder.

The firm Harles und Jentzsch, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, is alleged to have supplied up to 3000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids, meant only for industrial use, to about 25 animal feed makers.

POLICE SEIZE 11 TONS OF STOLEN HUMAN BLOOD PLASMA

Polish police recovered 11 tons of human blood plasma that had been stolen from a US company and was on its way to Austria, officials say.

The truck with a freezer unit carrying the plasma, worth more than $1.6 million , was stolen while the driver made a rest stop in Germany, Polish police spokesman Artur Chorazy said on Thursday. It was taken across the border into Poland, where it was seized on Wednesday.

Police footage showed the frozen salmon-colored plasma packed in boxes originating from Harrisonburg, Virginia - the headquarters of BioLife Plasma Services, a collection facility owned by Baxter International Inc.

BioLife spokeswoman Laura Jacobs said the company was working with local authorities to determine how the theft occurred.

"Importantly, the plasma has been recovered and is currently in Baxter's Vienna facility," she said.

Polish police have made no arrests so far, and believe thieves stole it in hopes of selling it elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Chorazy said.

FRANCE AND GERMANY HAVE REFUSED REQUESTS FOR MORE TROOPS.

President Barak Obama hoped that allies would match his troop surge. Britain has already offered an extra 500 troops and Italy has said it will send some, but Poland and other countries are waiting to see what happens in Afghanistan. The leaders want only to send police trainers and civilian aid experts.

McCAIN: TROOPS RETURN FROM WAR "NO, BUT THAT'S NOT TOO IMPORTANT"

McCain said, "We will be able to withdraw, but the key to it is we don't want any more Americans in harms way." So I guess he is o k for a military base to stay permanently there in Iraq.

He mentioned that US forces are still in South Korea, Japan, and Germany long after the wars ended.