An ambitious global plan to drastically cut malaria deaths around the world received a fillip when world leaders who had gathered for an anti-poverty summit on Thursday pledged to commit nearly three billions dollars for the purpose.

The funds, which include 1.1 billion dollars from the World Bank, will be used to support rapid implementation of the first ever Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP), a new strategy that can save more than 4.2 million lives between 2008 and 2015, sponsors s…

The European Commission announced Thursday that the export of mercury will be banned in the European Union from 2011 in order to reduce health risks.

Alongside the ban, which includes mixtures of metallic mercury with other substances, the new rules to be introduced in March 2011 will oblige all mercury already in Europe to be “safely stored” so as not to cause a hazard.

“Mercury poses a threat to human health and the environment in the European Union and globally,” said …