>> Authorities confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu strain in Suffolk county, the UK, on November 13. An exclusion zone was imposed at the site and about 6,000 poultry were ordered to be culled.

>> China-made toys were once again withdrawn from shops in North America and Australia after scientists found toy beads coated with a chemical, which converts into gamma-hydroxybutyrate when ingested. It is sedative in nature.

>> The world's smallest type of bear, the Sun bear, and the panda have been added to the World Conservation Union's Red List. Of the world's eight bear species, the American black bear and brown bear are the only species still considered robust.

>> A Russian oil tanker split in half in a fierce storm in the Kerch Strait on November 11, spilling about 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil in the Black Sea. The storm also sunk two Turkish freighters and a cargo ship carrying 2,000 tonnes of sulphur.