French police say 24 children in primary school and pre-kindergarten at two southwest Paris schools have swine flu. A police statement yesterday says all the children are in good health and undergoing treatment at home.

The statement says the first cases turned up last Thursday in a class of 10- and 11-year-olds that recently travelled to Britain. France has had relatively few swine flu cases, with 150 cases nationwide confirmed as of Thursday, and no deaths. The World Health Organisation has declared swine flu a pandemic.

Harvard cuts staff

Massachusetts (AP):

Harvard University is cutting 275 staff jobs as the fallout continues from the school's dropping endowment. The layoffs amount to less than two per cent of Harvard's 16,000 staff and faculty. The school also is reducing hours for 40 staffers. The cuts don't apply to faculty.

The cuts were announced in an email yesterday to faculty and staff from President Drew Faust and Human Resources Vice-President Marilyn Hausammann. Harvard's endowment fell 22 per cent between the end of June and October to US$28.7 billion.

Andres causes havoc in Mexico

Mexico (AP):

Tropical Storm Andres flooded homes and knocked down trees along Mexico's Pacific coast, killing at least one person as it headed towards a likely hurricane-force scrape with land on yesterday.

Mexico issued a hurricane warning for the strip of coast from just south of Manzanillo to near Puerto Vallarta. To the south, the storm dumped heavy rains on Acapulco, where flooding forced about 200 people to evacuate their homes on Monday.

A fisherman drowned when choppy currents overturned his boat in a lagoon Monday in Tecpan de Galeana, between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, a state police report said. The sun peeked through cloudy skies in Acapulco yesterday, but the government closed all schools.

Andres sped up as it headed on a course to graze the port city of Manzanillo at hurricane strength late yesterday, then pushed along shore past towns such as Barra de Navidad that are home to some American and Canadian expatriates. Rain poured down on Manzanillo where authorities opened 14 shelters.