A plan to feed starving African orphans with dog food from New Zealand has led to outrage in famine-hit Kenya. Dog food maker Christine Drummond says she can deliver 42 tons of the life-saving mixture at a time when as many as 3.5 million people face starvation from drought.

A 72-year-old man claims a ski trip to Italy cured his profound deafness. Derek Glover used hearing aids for 15 years before taking the trip but threw them away when his hearing came back with a loud pop at 7,000 feet.

An Australian state plans to ban students from wearing denim to school because it’s linked to fun activities. The ban on denim in Western Australia’s secondary schools will begin in 2007.

The Environmental Protection Agency has moved to stop production of a chemical used in Teflon and other non-stick coatings, claiming it may cause cancer and reproductive problems. The EPA has asked manufacturers who make perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, to reduce production by 95 per cent by 2010 and to stop using it completely by 2015.

Richard Hatch, who won $1 million in the debut season of the reality show Survivor, was found guilty Wednesday of failing to pay taxes on his winnings and taken to jail. Hatch faces up to 13 years in prison. An accusation of perjury during his trial could also lead to more time spent behind bars.

A FDA panel has recommended approval for the over the counter version of Orlistat, a weight-loss drug that works by keeping the body from absorbing fat. Orlistat is currently sold by prescription only under the brand name Xenical. If approved, the new drug, which will be called Alli, would be the only FDA-approved weight loss medication available for OTC sales.

A Humane Society investigation has discovered that the business of killing cats and dogs for fur is thriving in the Czech Republic and other Eastern European countries. The Humane Society estimates more than 2 million dogs and cats are killed annually for the fur, mostly in Asia.