Russia has opened a criminal case in the poisoning death of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko and for the attempted killing of associate Dmitry Kovtun, the Prosecutor General’s office said today.

Chocolate makers Cadbury today insisted there was no link between a food poisoning outbreak and the mass contamination of their products with the same bacteria.

THE Government is to ask visitors from countries worst affected by outbreaks of SARS not to travel to Ireland for next month’s Special Olympic games.