International News Desk – At Home: Calgary Zoo closes stingray exhibit – In Foreign News: US Senate Tightens Regulations on Tobacco Companies

International News Desk – At Home: Calgary Zoo closes stingray exhibit – In Foreign News: US Senate Tightens Regulations on Tobacco Companies

At Home: Calgary Zoo closes stingray exhibit

After the deaths of 44 stingrays since last year, the Calgary Zoo is closing the beleaguered exhibit that features the animals.

As the CBC reports, only 12 cownose stingrays remain at the exhibit. Zoo officials told reporters that the exhibit was never meant to be permanent, and that efforts will now go to replacing it.

?Since the exhibit was always intended to be temporary, we have decided to change to a new exhibit rather than invest more in this one,? said Cathy Gaviller, director of conservation, education and research at the zoo.

The first stingray deaths occurred in May 2008, when 41 cownose rays died. Months of extensive testing revealed that the deaths were due to ?a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water.?

At the time, the exhibit was temporarily closed. It reopened in December, but one of the 10 new stingrays died of a parasite just a month later. Following that, another two stingrays died ?due to problems incurred while they were being shipped.?

The 12 remaining rays will be placed in new homes and are expected to leave the Calgary Zoo over the summer.

In Foreign News: US Senate Tightens Regulations on Tobacco Companies

For the first time in their controversial history, tobacco companies face tough new restrictions from Washington. The bill cleared the Senate on June 11, and President Obama is expected to sign it as soon as it reaches his desk.

As the New York Times reports, the bill ?will enable the Food and Drug Administration to impose potentially strict new controls on the making and marketing of products that eventually kill half their regular users.?

Although the surgeon general declared smoking a health hazard over 40 years ago, the powerful tobacco industry has fought government controls on its products. The new law does not allow the FDA to ban smoking or nicotine, but it does give the agency the power to ?set standards that could reduce nicotine content and regulate chemicals in cigarette smoke.? As well, the law bans the addition of most flavourings to tobacco, a move That’s expected to reduce temptation for new smokers.

Along with changes to cigarette contents, the law places new restrictions on tobacco advertising. Colourful ads will be replaced by black-and-white text, and no outdoor tobacco ads will be allowed within 1,000 feet of schools or playgrounds.