(Eagle News) — Researchers recently found a promising vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus which was tested in Guinea where it was found to be 100 percent effective, according to the World Health Organization. The vaccine called VSV-EBOV was found to be “highly effective against Ebola” based on the results from an interim analysis of the Guinea Phase II efficacy vaccine trial. The independent body of international experts – the Data and Safety Monitoring Board […]
International
French riot police clear migrants off motorway
(Reuters) — French riot police cleared migrants from a motorway in Calais in the early hours of Sunday (August 2) morning after the migrants sat in the middle of the road to block traffic. A witness to the events, Jason Smith, said 250 migrants tried to enter the Eurotunnel in the evening but were stopped by French police who used tear gas. The migrants then blocked traffic at the Eurotunnel entrance ramp for trucks, […]
Taiwanese demonstrators protest revision of textbooks that promote “One China” policy
(Reuters) — Taiwanese demonstrators marched through the streets of Taipei on Sunday (August 2) to protest against the revision of textbooks they say are aimed at promoting Beijing’s “one China” policy. Hundreds of people, mainly students, chanting and holding banners, marched along the streets around Taiwan’s education ministry on Sunday afternoon, demanding for the withdrawal of the revised curriculum. Some parents participated to support their children. “So we think parents, fathers and mothers, should […]
Bushfire continues to burn in Australia’s Blue Mountains
(Reuters) — A bushfire fuelled by strong winds continued to burn in Australia’s Blue Mountains for a second day on Sunday (August 2). Hundreds of fire-fighters were battling the blaze, assisted by helicopters dropping water onto flames that cannot be easily reached by vehicles, local media said. Although no homes are directly threatened, a Watch and Act alert has been issued for residents to monitor if these conditions change, Australian media reported. “Hopefully we […]
Malaysia says Indian Ocean airplane debris is part of a Boeing 777
(Reuters) — Malaysia said on Sunday that airplane debris that washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion has been identified as being from a Boeing 777, the same model as a Malaysian Airlines plane which vanished last year. Experts hope the 2-2.5 meter (6.5-8 feet) wing surface, known as a flaperon, and a fragment of luggage also found on Reunion could yield clues on the fate of Flight MH370, which disappeared without trace […]
Hiroshima survivors: haunted 70 years on but determined to pass on their memories
(Reuters) — Almost seventy years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the ageing survivors of the world’s first nuclear attack on a civilian population are starting to worry about the legacy they are leaving behind. Seventy-five-year-old Hiroshi Harada still remembers how his leg sank into one of the bodies blocking a narrow Hiroshima street 70 years ago as he fled the spreading fire ignited by the atomic bombing. Later that day, a girl grabbed Harada, […]
Aid arrives into Myanmar’s Sittwe as floods displaces thousands
(Reuters) — Aid from local government and non-government agencies arrived at Myanmar’s Sittwe airport on Friday (July 31), after deadly monsoon rains displaced tens of thousands of people, flooded swathes of rice paddy and prompted fears of dams collapsing. The storms and floods have so far killed 21 people, with water levels as high as 2.5 metres in Sagaing and 4.5 metres in western Rakhine state, according to the government, which on Friday declared […]
Eleven Colombian military personnel killed in plane crash
(Reuters) — Eleven Colombian military personnel were killed on Friday (July 31) when their transport plane suffered motor failure and crashed in the northern province of Cesar, killing all on board, according to a statement from the Air Force. The burned hulk of the plane was found near the town of Codazzi, about 600 kilometres (372 miles) northeast of Bogota near the border with Venezuela. My deepest sympathy and solidarity with this news which saddens […]
Russian granny suspected of killing and dismembering 13 says she wants to live in prison
(Reuters) — A 68-year-old Russian woman was arrested on Tuesday (July 28) in St. Petersburg suspected of killing and dismembering a pensioner neighbour several days before. Police suspect Tamara Samsonova may have also killed a 32-year-old lodger in 2003. The elderly woman’s case drew substantial attention in Russia after police retrieved a diary she kept in three languages – Russian, English and German – detailing 11 other murders. Samsonova confessed to some of the […]
Shell cuts 6,500 jobs as oil prices hurt
JULY 31 (Reuters) — Job cuts and falling profits at Royal Dutch Shell are the latest indication of how prolonged low oil prices are taking their toll. Profits in the second quarter were 37 percent lower than last year. Net income was $3.8 billion, down from more than $6 billion a year earlier, missing analysts forecasts. It’s to axe 6,500 jobs to help mitigate the impact. Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive, Royal Dutch Shell said, […]
Russian state “involved” in ex-KGB agent’s London murder, inquiry hears
(Reuters) — The Russian state must have been involved in the 2006 poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive isotope, which amounted to “a nuclear attack on the streets” of London, an inquiry into the death was told on Thursday (July 30). Kremlin critic Litvinenko died weeks after drinking green tea laced with polonium-210 at London’s plush Millennium hotel. From his deathbed he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his killing but […]
Landslide near Nepal’s popular Annapurna trek route kills 30
(Reuters) — Landslides triggered by torrential rain in Nepal swept through villages on Thursday (July 30), killing at least 30 people, home ministry officials said. The landslides struck the villages near the resort town of Pokhara, 125 km (77 miles) west of Kathmandu shortly after midnight. In the village of Lumle about half of the homes were buried or destroyed by a torrent of mud and rocks. A local resident said the landslide escalated […]