MOSCOW (Anadolu) – Russia has claimed that the U.S. developed a “synthetic coronavirus pathogen based on the omicron strain and the original ‘Wuhan’ variety.” “The modified virus acquired by the Americans killed 80% of infected model animals, causing abnormal neurological signs and significant lung damage. Antibody testing revealed an 11-fold decline in their capacity to neutralize the new virus, as well as the ineffectiveness of current vaccinations,” Igor Kirillov, head of biological and chemical defense troops, said in a news conference. Kirillov said the modified virus was developed by Boston University. He added that the U.S. continues its military biological activities in third countries, and prefers conducting experiments abroad because of the high risk of accidents. Russia, he said, will demand the creation of an effective mechanism for monitoring such activities at the upcoming meeting of the Biological Weapons Convention.

 

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OUAGADOUGOU (AFP) – A roadside bomb killed four troops in northern Burkina Faso, an area wracked by insurgency, the army said, while three civilians died in another strike in the same region. The troops were killed when an improvised explosive device went off as an army escort drove along the Bourzanga-Kongoussi road, the army said in a statement, adding that one person was also wounded. The troops were returning after having escorted an aid convoy into the town of Djibo, a security source told AFP. A security source said armed men attacked the northeastern town of Falangoutou on Friday, killing three civilians. A former lawmaker said militant forces returned to the town on Saturday, attacking local self-defense teams who were organizing themselves to protect it. One of the world’s poorest countries, Burkina has been struggling with a jihadist offensive since 2015. Thousands of civilians and members of the security forces have died and around two million people have been displaced. Disgruntled army officers have carried out two coups this year in a show of anger at failures to roll back the insurgency.

 

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KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has extended a quarantine placed on two districts that are the epicenter of the country’s Ebola outbreak by 21 days, adding that his government’s response to the disease was succeeding. Movement in and out of Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda will be restricted up to December 17, the presidency said late on Saturday. It was originally imposed for 21 days on October 15, then extended for the same period on November 5. The extension was “to further sustain the gains in control of Ebola that we have made, and to protect the rest of the country from continued exposure.” The government’s anti-Ebola efforts were succeeding with two districts now going for roughly two weeks without new cases, the president said. “It may be too early to celebrate any successes, but overall, I have been briefed that the picture is good,” he said in a statement. The East African nation has so far recorded 141 infections. Fifty-five people have died since the outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever was declared on September 20th.

 

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SEOUL (Xinhua) – Five people were killed as a helicopter crashed in the eastern coastal county of Yangyang, Gangwon province, South Korea on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported. The fire authorities have found five bodies after extinguishing the fire, according to Yonhap. The chopper crashed around 10:50 a.m. local time and burst into flames. The helicopter, which was jointly leased by local governments of Sokcho, Goseong and Yangyang, crashed when conducting activities against forest fires. 

 

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MILAN (AP) – Search teams pulled the body of a young girl from her family home on Sunday as they dug through mud for a second day in the search for people still missing after an enormous landslide on the Italian resort island of Ischia. The Naples prefect confirmed that the death toll in the tragedy had risen to two, following also the recovery of the body of a 31-year-old woman from the island on Saturday. A further 10 people remained missing in the port town of Casamicciola, feared buried under mud and debris. “Mud and water tend to fill every space,″ the spokesperson for Italian firefighters, Luca Cari, told RAI state TV. “Our teams are searching with hope, even if it is very difficult.” “Our biggest hope is that people identified as missing have found refuge with relatives and friends and have not advised of their position,” he added. The risks of landslides remained in the highest part of the town, near where heavy rainfall loosened a chunk of mountainside, requiring search teams to enter by foot, he said.