The following will appear in the March 6 issue of The Lancet:

Earthquake hits Chile One of the biggest earthquakes in a century, measuring 8·8 on the Richter scale, hit Chile last week, killing at least 708 people, destroying buildings, and triggering a tsunami that threatened Pacific coastlines. President Michelle Bachelet estimated that the economic damage could be up to US$30 billion, equivalent to about 15% of Chile’s gross domestic product.

Road safety On March 2, the UN General Assembly met to discuss a new resolution on road safety. A proposed plan of action called on member states to tackle rising trends in road traffic deaths and injuries worldwide by increasing resources for road safety, targeting the most common causes of road traffic crashes, and setting targets for reduction of fatalities.

Prescription placebos The formal licensing and government fund­ing of homoeopathic treatments has been denounced by the UK’s Science and Technology Committee. Lack of evidence of the efficacy of homoeopathic treatments means that they should not be labelled as medicines, the Committee declared. Such actions “lend a spurious medical legitimacy to homeopathic products”.

India’s health budget In its 2010–11 budget, the Indian Government has earmarked US$4·82 billion for health (an increase of 8·3% from 2009). An annual health survey will be done to map the district health profile of the rural population. AIDS control, mental health programmes, prevention of diabetes and heart disease, and the shortage of health-care workers were all allocated increased funds.

Science lessons A report by the UK’s Science and Learning Expert Group has called for school science lessons to be made more exciting by adding more experiments to the classrooms. The report, commissioned by ministers, also advises the government to increase the salaries of science and mathematics teachers to attract more specialists into teaching.

Child poverty The number of Egypt­ian children living in poverty is increasing, according to UNICEF and the Egyptian Govern­ment. The country’s economic growth is failing to keep up with the rapidly rising population, leaving 23% of children younger than 15 years with less than US$1 per day. The report calls on Egypt to invest in education and to introduce special laws for the protection of children.

Misuse control Misuse of prescription drugs is on the increase, according to the International Narcotics Con­trol Board. Public ignorance about the risks associated with misuse of pain medication, and the distribution of drugs via illegal internet pharmacies, were highlighted. However, the danger that patients could be denied legitimate pain relief by overly rigorous policies was also recognised.

Drug R&D in Africa African policy makers were urged to improve drug research, production, and access to essential medicines at the African Expert Meeting on Pharmaceutical Innovation in Africa, which took place in South Africa on Feb 18–20. Although around 120 proposals for research and development are in place, initiatives are uncoordinated and long-term plans are scarce.

Going too far? A series of sexually suggestive anti­smoking posters by pressure group Les Droits des Non-fumeurs has sparked controversy in France. The posters, which have been circulated to the press, depict teen­agers in sub­missive sexual positions, and bear the slogan “Smoking is to be a slave to tobacco”. Smoking in 13–15-year-olds increased by 66% in France during 2004–08.

Dengue alert At least 20 years after its last registered case of dengue fever, Queensland, Australia, has announced its first locally acquired case. In an effort to contain the disease within one town, a team of mosquito controllers has been called and the population has been advised to thoroughly clean in and around their homes to reduce mosquito breeding sites.

Lobbying rules The Danish pharma­ceutical industry association, Lif, has issued a new code of conduct for its members to follow when lobbying decision makers such as health technology appraisal bodies. Stakeholders will be encouraged to learn that Lif members must not provide incorrect or misleading infor­mation nor use personal issues to exert pressure.

Round hole, square peg? The Ameri­can Academy of Pediatrics has recom­mended a redesign of the humble hot dog. The fast food results in the choking-related treatment of 15 000 youngsters in the USA every year. Experts say square-shaped hot dogs could save lives. But other foods, such as grapes, also pose a risk, according to the Academy. Sadly, their redesign might prove more difficult.

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