More than 1,000 deaths from the H1N1 swine flu virus were officially reported in the past week, a sharp rise which brings the global total to at least 7,826, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The number of HIV positive people in China probably stands at around 740,000, up from the estimated 700,000 who had the virus in 2007, the country's health minister said yesterday.

A small bar of dark chocolate a day can keep stress at bay, according to a small study by international researchers.