In brief

Prince Philip on mend, back at Balmoral

LONDON -- Prince Philip left a Scottish hospital Monday after five days of treatment for a bladder infection.

The 91-year-old husband of the Queen was hospitalized Wednesday with a recurrence of an infection he suffered earlier this summer.

Philip was discharged from the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in northeast Scotland. He returned to the nearby Balmoral estate, where the Royal Family is on vacation.

Deaths prompt scrubbing in Quebec City

QUEBEC -- The deaths of three people from legionnaires' disease have prompted officials to urge a scrubbing of cooling systems in tall buildings near the legislature.

Thorough inspections are planned for almost two dozen cooling systems in buildings in the area where the outbreak is believed to have originated.

Dr. Francois Desbiens, regional director of public health, said Monday the bacterial infection has resulted in 40 cases of the respiratory illness in Quebec City since July. Two men and one woman have died.

The bacteria grow in the cooling units used in large buildings before circulating in the air-conditioning system.

Police close in on body parts ID

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- Police are linking several body parts found in east Toronto to a woman's head, foot and two hands discovered in a river west of the city -- and investigators believe they're closing in on her identity.

Investigators said two calves, a thigh and an arm that were found Saturday and Sunday in east-end Toronto are likely connected to the gruesome discovery of a right foot, head and a pair of hands earlier in the week in Hewick Meadows Park, which is about 45 kilometres away.

Lettuce recalled over E. coli fears

ALINAS, Calif. -- A California produce supplier is voluntarily recalling romaine lettuce shipped to 19 states and Canada over fears about possible E. coli contamination.

Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle said the recall is limited to a single lot of its Field Fresh Wrapped Single Head Romaine that was available at retail stores starting Aug. 2. The lettuce is packed in a plastic bag with the UPC number 0-27918-20314-9. It may have a "best by" date of Aug. 19.

Groups call for drug-management plan

TORONTO -- Ottawa needs to take the lead in formulating a national plan to manage Canada's prescription drug supply and deal with ongoing unpredictable medication shortages, argues an editorial jointly published Monday in two medical journals.

The editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the Canadian Pharmacists Journal says the federal government needs to make it mandatory for pharmaceutical companies to report impending drug shortages.

As with most countries, Canada has been experiencing shortages of critical medications.

The drug shortage was compounded early this year when Sandoz Canada cut production at its Quebec plant.

Syrian regime kills 100 during holiday

TEL RIFAT, Syria -- Government forces pummelled the battered city of Aleppo with airstrikes and tanks and shelled parts of Damascus and southern Syria Monday, killing at least 100 people during a major Muslim holiday, rights groups and activists said.

The violence escalated dramatically after a one-day lull on Sunday, the start of the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The renewed fighting shows President Bashar Assad is not letting up on the drive to quell the 17-month-old uprising out of respect for the occasion.

-- from the news services

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 21, 2012 A8