Russia has recorded the world’s first cases of humans being infected with the H5N8 strain of bird flu. The cases were confirmed by Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, on Saturday. Seven poultry workers in the south of Russia were infected in December but have since recovered and “the situation did not develop
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The huge pile near Gelendzhik on Russia’s Black Sea Coast which Alexei Navalny calls “Putin’s Palace” has a way of coming back to haunt the Russian president. In 2012, Boris Nemtsov, a former prime minister and fierce Putin critic, published a report detailing the wealth and luxurious properties the president had allegedly accumulated in his
NASA has released new images of the Perseverance rover two metres above the surface of Mars as it gave more details of the mission. The space agency’s robot successfully landed on the Red Planet just before 1pm local time on Thursday. Speaking at a news briefing in California on Friday, NASA officials revealed the rover
The UN Commission on Human Rights has asked for proof that Dubai’s missing princess is alive. Princess Latifa is a daughter of one of the world’s richest men, Dubai’s billionaire ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. She has accused her father of holding her hostage in secret videos released to Sky News, following attempts to
Even if space missions normally leave you cold, this one really does matter. The Mars Perseverance rover should help answer one of the most fundamental questions of all: is life on Earth unique? The planet is desolate now. With its thin atmosphere, Mars is cold and sterile. Image: An artist’s illustration of the spacecraft containing
Facebook has been described as a “school yard bully” over its decision to block access to news media in Australia, rather than pay them. Amid a row about licensing, Australians woke up on Thursday to find they could not share or view domestic and international news content on Facebook ahead of new a law which
New details of the forcible return of Dubai’s “missing” princess reveal the moment the royal daughter knew her escape had failed – the sound of boots. Princess Latifa is the daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. She attempted to flee in 2018. Until video messages emerged this week, she had not been heard from since her
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the case of Princess Latifa is “concerning” and the pictures of her are “very distressing”, adding that people want to see that “she is alive and well”. The Dubai princess has accused her father of holding her hostage in secret videos released to Sky News, following attempts to flee
A missing Dubai princess says she is a “hostage” in secret videos released to Sky News. For three years, the world has heard nothing from Princess Latifa, a daughter of one of the world’s richest men, Dubai’s billionaire ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. She attempted to escape her family in March 2018, but was
Myanmar police have filed a second charge against deposed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The military seized power in Myanmar in a coup on 1 February, forcing Ms Suu Kyi into detention. She was initially charged with importing walkie-talkies but lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told local media she was now facing asecond charge –
The arrest of a climate activist for circulating a document on social media supporting recent mass demonstrations by farmers has sparked further protests in India. Disha Ravi, 22, is facing allegations that she helped edit and distribute the document. Supporters have called her detention “an unprecedented attack on democracy”, saying it was designed to “scare
Symptomatic cases of COVID-19 are dropping by 94% after two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, according to the largest study of real-world data from Israel. Research by Clalit, the biggest healthcare provider in Israel, shows that the Pfizer vaccine is equally effective for all age groups, with preliminary data showing a 94% drop in symptomatic
Tensions have risen in Myanmar following mass protests and speculation of an impending internet blackout. Security forces opened fire on protesters at a power plant on Sunday and armoured vehicles rolled into major cities as the new army rulers faced a ninth day of anti-coup demonstrations. Soldiers were deployed to power plants in the northern
New Zealand’s largest city has announced a three-day lockdown following the discovery of three unexplained coronavirus cases in the community. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the move for Auckland after an urgent meeting with her cabinet. She said they decided to take a cautious approach until they found out more about the outbreak, including whether
France’s top health authority has recommended that people who’ve had coronavirus only get one vaccine dose. Those who have recovered from the virus have built an immune response similar to that brought on by a vaccine, said the High Authority of Health (HAS). It said a single shot would “play the role of reminding” the
The theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan has not been dismissed by investigators, the head of the World Health Organisation has suggested. Earlier this week, a WHO-led mission in China said it was not looking further into the question of whether the virus escaped from a lab, which it considered highly unlikely.