Nevertheless
, the WHO admits great challenges remain in North Korea, but a spokesman said improving health for people there would not be achieved by turning the issue into a political football.
Scientists in the US have created a new strain of mosquito that's resistant to malaria, meaning it can't then pass the disease onto humans. But their release into the wild is several years away, as Victoria Gill reports.
Scientists say this is a key step on a long journey towards fighting the disease with genetically modified mosquitos. The researchers used a single genetic tweak to
interfere
with the production of a molecule in the insect's gut. Previous studies have attempted a similar approach, but this is the first time that scientists have completely blocked the development of the malaria parasite inside the mosquito. This
render
ed the insect unable to spread the disease. The ultimate aim is to release these malaria-resistant mosquitos into the wild, but scientists will first need to work on more genetic trickery to give their insects a competitive advantage over their disease-spreading counterparts.
The Mexican army says suspected drug traffickers used a car bomb to attack a police
patrol
in the border city of Juarez on Thursday. Two police officers and two medical personnel answering an emergency call were killed when a vehicle containing 10 kilos of explosive was detonated remotely by a mobile phone. It's thought to be the first such attack since President Felipe Calderon declared war on Mexico's drug cartels in 2006.