Author: Trainee Reporter

United Kingdom: The University of Oxford has announced the beginning of human testing of an experimental vaccine against the brain-swelling Nipah virus. The virus has been a concern after outbreaks in the Kerala state of India and other parts of Asia. The Nipah Virus was first identified about 25 years ago in Malaysia. Later, the virus had outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore.No vaccines are available for the infection yet.  Human trial began with the first set of participants receiving their vaccine dose over the last week at Oxford University. The shot follows the same technology as in AstraZeneca and…

United Kingdom: Scientists have confirmed the presence of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) or Bird flu for the first time in mammals in the Sub-Antarctic region. The disease was detected in elephant seals and fur seals on the island of South Georgia by experts from the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) in UK. A collective of organisations are working in the area. Working alongside the Government of South Georgia South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS), APHA has been at the forefront of testing for bird flu in mammals in this sub-Antarctic region after it was first suspected…

US: The winter has been brutal in America and forecasts expect a similar situation to continue through the week in certain areas. The forecasters have predicted heavy rains in the east and several feet of snow for parts of the Pacific Northwest. High winds and a few tornadoes passed through parts of the South. Authorities attribute at least three deaths to weather in Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. Tornadoes also caused heavy damage in parts of the Florida panhandle. Heavy rains and high winds hit the majority of the East Coast. The National Weather Service (NWS) informed a forecast of…

United States: Tesla has launched the restyled version of its Model 3 compact sedan in North America. The price of the vehicle remains unchanged. The restyle happened months after it attracted healthy demand upon its launch in China and Europe. The move will refresh Tesla’s ageing vehicle line-up in its biggest market. This comes after a price war last year that helped the company meet its annual delivery goal at the cost of margins. The changes brought an update to the single charge distance travel of the long-range variant. The update enables the vehicle to go 341 miles on a…

United States: Scientists have developed a simple DNA test that can identify 18 early-stage cancers. It could represent a medical game-changer in expert opinion. Cancer accounts for one in every six deaths worldwide. Early detection can significantly improve outcomes. Existing screening tests have drawbacks, including invasiveness, cost and low levels of accuracy for early-stage disease. Researchers in US have designed a test that analyses proteins in the blood. It can pick up 18 early-stage cancers from all main organs in the human body. The researchers said that even though specific blood proteins could already be used for early detection and…

Paris: French Education Minister Mr. Gabriel Attal has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of France. This move by President Mr. Emmanuel Macron before the parliament elections may not necessarily lead to any major political shift, but signals Mr. Macron’s desire to attempt to move beyond last year’s unpopular pension and immigration reforms.  The reform may improve the chances of the Centrist Party, led by Mr. Macron in the June EU ballot. The opinion polls show a difference of around eight to ten percentage points between the leading far right politician, Mr. Marine Le Pen’s party and trailing Mr.…

Taiwan: Authorities has announced that a Chinese satellite had flown over southern Taiwan airspace. An “air raid alert” flashed on every mobile phones in the island warning the user to “be aware for your safety.” Taiwan defence ministry said that the satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province in China at 15:03 local time (12:03 pm IST). A Chinese broadcaster confirmed the launch of a satellite named Einstein Probe from the centre. It added that the launch mission was a “complete success.” Sources reported that Taiwan foreign minister, Mr. Joseph Wu said that launching a…

Thimphu: The people of Bhutan have qued up in the polling stations to exercise their right to vote. The country holds the final round of Parliamentary elections. People are traveling long distances to play their part in the democracy. Bhutan is a country known for the importance it has given to happiness. The happiness index of the country has been affected by the economic issues. The campaigns by two political parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) focus on the “happiness and well-being of the people.” It is considered as a tool to measure the…

United States: Christopher Nolan’s epic film ‘The Oppenheimer’ and the TV series ‘Succession’ have swept the most awards in the much anticipated Golden Globes 2024. The awards were declared at the star-studded Ceremony. The biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist, bagged 5 awards. It was awarded the Best Drama Motion Picture. Cillian Murphy became the Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture through the movie. Robert Downey jr. became the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the feature. Ludwig Göransson received the award for Best Original Score through ‘The Oppenheimer’. In addition, its director Christopher Nolan,…

Japan: An elderly Japanese women in her 90s has been rescued alive amidst the rubbles of a two-storied building which was devastated by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake on New Year’s day. According to the reports, the woman was rescued alive after 124 hours since the earthquake. The rescuers immediately took the lady to the hospital. The doctor informed them that the lady was well enough to have conversations but had injuries in the leg.  Mr. Kume Takanori, a member of the emergency rescue team, told sources that the woman’s knees got stuck under furniture within a very narrow space between…