Light News (LN)

  The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has a fatality rate of up to 50 percent and no approved vaccine as yet. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the latest outbreak of a rare strain of the  Ebola  virus in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda is a “public health emergency of international concern”. No vaccine or treatment exists for the new Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a disease whose strains have killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half-century. The previous Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which lasted between 2013 and 2016, killed at least 11,000 people,  according to  the National Library of Medicine. So, how quickly can a vaccine be developed to contain the latest strain? Here’s what we know: What is the situation so far? The epicentre of the latest outbreak is in DRC’s northeastern province of Ituri, close to the borders with Uganda and South Sudan, whose status as a gold-mining hub leads to people regularly crossin...

  Israeli officials and media indicate renewed conflict with Iran is being actively considered despite a shaky deadlock. While the United States backs away from threats to resume bombing Iran if it does not agree to a peace deal, Israel’s political establishment is reportedly itching for war. Shimon Riklin, an anchor for the right-wing Israeli Channel 14,  blurted  out apparently confidential plans about a renewed attack on Tehran, which included the location of what he claimed was a uranium storage facility that could be targeted. Members of the Israeli parliament roundly criticised Riklin’s supposed revelations, leading the anchor to say his comments were purely hypothetical. Still, despite broad agreement that Israel is eager to restart hostilities, it is unlikely to be able to do so without US permission. That does not look like it will be quick in coming. Reports of a call overnight between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump over ...

DRC’s public sendoff in the capital was also cancelled before their departure for the FIFA World Cup. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) football team have cancelled a three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned public farewell to fans in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an Ebola outbreak in the east of the country. DRC are scheduled to play World Cup warm-up games against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on June 3, and Chile in southern Spain on June 9. Both matches are going ahead as planned, team spokesman Jerry Kalemo told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “There were three stages of preparation: In Kinshasa to say goodbye to the public, Belgium and Spain with two friendly matches against Denmark in Liege and Chile in Spain, and the third stage from June 11 in Houston, United States. Only one stage was canceled – the one in Kinshasa,” Kalemo said. The team’s pre-tournament preparations will now take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known...

  The Russian and Chinese leaders agreed on bilateral cooperation during Putin’s visit to China. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have signed a joint declaration following their  meeting  in Beijing, focusing on building a “multipolar world and a new type of international relations”. The two countries also announced that they had signed a large package of deals solidifying bilateral cooperation in the future. The meeting came just days after United States President Donald Trump completed his own visit to China for a  two-day summit  with Xi. Here are what statements from Beijing and Moscow say about five key issues following the Russia-China summit. Establishing a ‘multipolar world’ On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: “The two countries will also issue a joint statement on advocating for a multipolar world and a new type of international relations.” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described this declar...

  Set pieces, a mean defence and unorthodox motivation methods are some of the key factors behind Arsenal’s success. Arsenal have ended a 22-year wait to be crowned  Premier League champions  after Manchester City were held 1-1 by Bournemouth. Mikel Arteta’s men  held off the challenge  of Pep Guardiola’s second-place City on Tuesday night to seal a long-awaited triumph with one game to spare. Here are the key factors that helped the Gunners finally get over the line after three seasons as runners-up: Back to basics Arsenal’s title-winning campaign has been ugly at times. For a couple of seasons, Arteta’s Arsenal have been the emblem of a more back-to-basics approach in English football. The era of pretty passing under Guardiola and heavy-metal football under Jurgen Klopp has given way to set pieces, long throw-ins and long balls from the back. It is a world Arsenal have mastered with Gabriel Magalhaes a menace at corners, Declan Rice key with his pinpoint throw...

  Numbers are expected to rise, the WHO warns, as European officials emphasise that the risk of a European outbreak is low. The number of suspected Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has risen to 600, with 139 suspected deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. The WHO Emergency Committee met in Geneva on Wednesday, where Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed to reporters that the virus remains a public health emergency of international concern, but not a pandemic emergency. “The WHO assess the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels and low at the global level,” Tedros said. Previous figures  reported  by DRC officials were an estimated 131 deaths from 513 suspected cases. The outbreak has arisen just five months after the DRC declared its previous epidemic over. WHO emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu said at the same news conference that the organisation’s “absolute priority now is to identify ...