Now for the good news - death rates are falling. Cancer charities were dismayed but not surprised by yesterday's record number of breast cancer cases. The rise has affected all regions and all parts of the developed world - but is lower in less developed countries of eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. [News Source]

Appetite for fish spells disaster for sea life. For millennia Europeans have harvested the oceans with little thought to the future, but over-fishing, illegal catches, wasteful methods and destructive techniques are turning once plentiful waters into barren seas. [News Source]

Vitamin D Compound May Fight Blood Clots in Cancer Patients (HealthDay via Yahoo! News) THURSDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Calcitriol, the activated form of vitamin D, helped reduce bloods clots in cancer patients, U.S. researchers report. [News Source]

Coffee: A little really does go a long way. Caffeine is a drug with pros and cons. Caffeine can help put us in a good mood in the morning or help us focus on a task at hand. But it can also make us anxious and interfere with sleep. [News Source]

New York trans-fat plan could spur nationwide oil change. A proposal to phase out artery-clogging artificial trans fats from the foods on the menus of New York City restaurants could help spur the nation's restaurant chains to move more quickly to change their oils. [News Source]

Norfolk obesity study launched. A pioneering study of 2,000 Norfolk schoolchildren is being launched to help save a generation of youngsters across Britain from the scourge of obesity [News Source]

FCC to study link between TV ads, childhood obesity. Concerned that a steady diet of TV ads is putting too many pounds on American children, the FCC plans to study links between the ads, viewing habits and the rise of childhood obesity. [News Source]

BASF to Increase Prices for Terluran and Luran Styrenic Plastics, PUR-Catalysts, and its Vitamin B2 Feed Grade Products (ChemPoint) LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany, September 26, 2006 -- For the month of October this year BASF will raise its European prices for the styrene polymers Terluran®(ABS) and Luran® (SAN) by €100 per metric ton. This measure is necessary against the background of increased raw material and energy costs. [News Source]

NBTY readies vitamin buy (Long Island Business News) BOHEMIA – Zila Inc. on Thursday said that its shareholders have approved the previously announced sale of its Zila Nutraceuticals unit to NBTY for 37.5 million. [News Source]

Zambia: Zambia Gains Support for Decision to Fortify Maize Meal With Vitamins, Minerals (AllAfrica.com) THE Government of the Republic of Zambia supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is about to begin implementing a three-year project to start fortifying all commercially milled maize meal in the country with vitamins and minerals. [News Source]

Sciele Pharma Launches Ostiva (AP via Yahoo! Finance) Sciele Pharma Inc., a maker of prescription drugs focused on cardiovascular, metabolic and women's health issues, said Thursday it launched Ostiva, an oral prescription nutritional supplement with Metafolin, calcium and vitamin D designed to help maintain healthy bones in women. [News Source]

Royal DSM Plans to Repurchase EU750 Million in Shares (Update1) (Bloomberg.com) Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Royal DSM NV, the world's largest maker of vitamins, plans to repurchase 750 million euros ($953 million) in stock, a move that will increase earnings per share for ordinary shareholders by about 10 percent. [News Source]