News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Ebola clinical trials to start

It's been announced that clinical trials to try and find an effective treatment for Ebola patients are to start in West Africa next month. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres says 3 of its treatment centres in Guinea and Liberia will host 3 separate research projects. One of them will involve using the blood of recovered Ebola patients to treat sick people. Two antiviral drugs will also be given trials. The research is due to start in December and it's estimated that initial results could be available in February. Dr Bertrand Draguez is a spokesman for MSF: "it's an unprecedented international partnership. It's not acceptable that in the 21st century, people are still dying from an acute disease such as Ebola."

President Obama in Myanmar

The US President Barack Obama is holding talks with his counterpart in Myanmar, Thein Sein, amid concerns that the pace of reform in the country is slackening. Obama is in the country for the East Asia summit. He said that whilst some progress had been made, the momentum for reform had slowed down and that there had been some steps backwards.

New information on comet lander

European scientists are getting new information about the status of a probe that landed on a comet after a bumpy touchdown yesterday. The probe is now reported to be relatively stable after failing to attach itself to the comet's surface. Mark McCaughrean is a spokesman for the European Space Agency: "the critical thing is we know we're on the surface. We're stable, we're not moving. We're not upside down. We know full well that we have at least two of the feet touching the surface. We also know that the bottom of the lander is looking at the ground it's not upside down so that's very good news."

US accuses Russia over Ukraine

The US has accused Russia of undermining the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine following reports of Russian troops and military hardware entering the country. The US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power told the UN Security Council that Moscow "talks of peace, but keeps fueling war." Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Alexander Pankin, dismissed the allegations as propaganda. Russia has repeatedly denied that it has sent money or aid to the separatists in the region.

Two bombs explode in Libya

In Libya, there've been reports of two car bombs exploding in the capital Tripoli. No one was hurt in the blasts which happened outside the Egyptian embassy and that of the United Arab Emirates. Some buildings were damaged. Three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, the country has been experiencing growing unrest as rival armed factions compete for power.

The Weather

It'll be mostly cloudy, with the rain in Salzburg, Carinthia and Styria gradually easing off. Some sunshine in places in Vorarlberg and northern Tyrol and conditions could improve a bit in places in the low-lying areas in the East. Highs will be ranging between 7 and 14 degrees.

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