The Ohio power company under the spotlight following the biggest blackout in America’s history has said there were problems, including strange voltage fluctuations, in the Midwest power grid hours before its transmission lines failed.

America and Canada have formed a joint task force to investigate what caused the huge North American power blackout, and prevent it from happening again.

A World Health organisation spokesman today confirmed that the agency is reconsidering the travel warning it issued last week for Toronto, Canada’s largest city, due to Sars.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien has called a Cabinet meeting in Toronto instead of Ottawa to show the World Health Organisation erred in warning against travel to Canada’s largest city because of Sars.