Medical staff members of the Ebola treatment unit at Mubende Regional Hospital, Uganda, September 24, 2022. BADRU KATUMBA / AFP

The Ebola epidemic in Uganda has killed 29 people, including four health workers, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, concerned about the ineffectiveness of vaccines against the so-called “Sudanese” strain of the virus.

“Vaccines that have been used successfully to contain the recent Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not effective against the type of Ebola virus responsible for this outbreak,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a conference in Uganda. “However, several vaccines against this virus are in various stages of development, two of which could begin clinical trials in Uganda in the coming weeks, pending regulatory and ethical approvals from the Ugandan government,” he said.

Also read articles reserved for our Tapi subscribers Among survivors, the Ebola virus may wake up and cause a new epidemic

Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, explained that there are about six vaccine candidates against the Sudanese strain of the Ebola virus, “mostly in very early stages of development”. “But three of them have human, immunogenicity and safety data so they can be used in the field as part of a ring vaccination campaign, as was done for the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a few years ago,” she said.

On September 20, the Ugandan Ministry of Health announced the Ebola virus “outbreak” in Uganda following the death of a 24-year-old young man. According to WHO-Africa, this case comes from a “relatively rare” so-called Sudanese strain, which had not been reported in Uganda since 2012. The cases and treating the symptoms greatly increase the chances of survival.

Raised over $2 million

So far, 63 confirmed and probable cases have been identified, including 29 deaths, said Dr. tedros 10 health workers were infected and 4 died. “When there are delays in detecting an Ebola outbreak, it is normal for cases to first steadily increase and then decrease as life-saving interventions and epidemic control measures are implemented,” the WHO chief said.

Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, Uganda’s health minister, announced the death of a 58-year-old anesthetist on Twitter early Wednesday. Uganda has seen outbreaks of Ebola, a disease discovered in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976. In 2000, 200 people died in Uganda during an epidemic in the north of the country.

Also Read: Uganda Announces Death From Ebola Virus

Beginning in December 2013 in southern Guinea, the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history swept through West Africa until 2016, killing more than 11,300 people. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced more than a dozen epidemics since 1976, but these were caused by the “Zaire” strain, against which vaccines are effective. This hemorrhagic fever is transmitted to humans from infected animals. Transmission to humans occurs through bodily fluids with the main symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea.

dr Tedros said the WHO released $2 million from its emergency reserve fund to help fight the outbreak in Uganda. The organization works with its partners to strengthen healthcare by sending specialists and medical supplies.

Also read: Democratic Republic of the Congo: The government confirms a case of Ebola in the east of the country

President Yoweri Museveni ruled out a lockdown last week and said the country was able to contain the outbreak. The first cases were recorded in Mubende district in the center of the country before spreading to neighboring districts of Kassanda, Kyegegwa and Kagadi. Mubende is about a two-hour drive from the capital, Kampala, and is on a busy road that leads into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to WHO Africa, there are gold mines in the region that attract people from different parts of Uganda and other countries.

In order not to miss any news from Africa, subscribe to the “Monde Afrique” newsletter via this link. Find news and debates covered by the editorial staff of “Monde Afrique” every Saturday at 6am for a week.

The world with AFP

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for an end to violence in Iran and the release of imprisoned protesters.

Borrell said on Twitter on Thursday that he also stressed to his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, that those responsible for the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini must be held accountable.

The right to freedom of expression and assembly must be guaranteed, Borrell demanded. “The EU is considering all options,” he said, referring to possible EU action to quell protests in Iran.

https://twitter.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1577928236448862208

Tehran warns EU

Tehran, for its part, warned the European Union not to take hasty measures because of the demonstrations. “Peaceful protests are among the basic rights of Iranian citizens, but arson attacks on banks, ambulances and public facilities have nothing to do with protests,” Amirabdollahian said. The case of the late Amini is being investigated. But the EU must not take inappropriate measures, said the Iranian foreign minister. “But if that happens, Iran will respond appropriately,” he warned – without elaborating.

The trigger for the ongoing demonstrations in Iran was the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September. The moral police arrested her because of her alleged “anti-Islamic clothing”. What happened to Amini after that is unclear. The woman slipped into a coma and died in a hospital on September 16. Critics accuse the police of morality of using violence; the police deny it. Since the woman’s death, thousands have demonstrated across the country against the Islamic Republic’s repressive course and mandatory headscarf.

PHOTO GETTY IMAGES

The tea market on the planet is nearly $70 billion.

Sylvain Charlebois Senior Director, Agrifood Analytical Sciences Laboratory, Dalhousie University, special collaboration

Did you know that tea is one of the beverages we drink the most? And judging by the latest stats, its popularity isn’t going to wane anytime soon.

Posted at 6:30am

After water, tea is the beverage that we drink the most around the world. The tea market on the planet is nearly $70 billion and in Canada we hardly ever talk about it. The largest tea producers are in China and India, with the latter producing mostly for themselves. Kenya is the largest tea exporter, followed by other countries like Sri Lanka and Argentina.

Canada still has a farm on Vancouver Island that produces tea, but our national production amounts to that. Tea tolerates light frosts and cooler climates, but tea bushes do best in humid weather with heavy rainfall, so Canada does not offer an ideal climate for production.

In Canada, the tea market is worth around $1.8 billion and is expected to grow 8% to 10% in 2022 and 2023, according to Restaurants Canada. Tea has always been perceived as a product for the “little old people”, but the image of this drink is gradually changing.

Per capita tea consumption in Canada ranks 20th in the world. Not too bad considering the choices we have. According to the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, Canadians drink twice as much tea as Americans.

But young people are more interested in tea and drink it more and more often. According to Statista, the majority of tea drinkers in Canada are between 35 and 44 years old. Tea is becoming increasingly popular among young people for its taste, but above all for its health and environmental benefits. Unlike other beverages, tea has a very good reputation for well-being and sustainability. Production is not affected by crime or cartels like other types of production. Then young people could create a new generation of tea drinkers!

With work at home, the demand for tea explodes. When I think about it, tea is good for a more domestic life, at home, living and working in peace. Tea is quick and easy to prepare, and there is a wide range of types and flavors to choose from. Working from home encouraged other types of drinks, but not necessarily tea. Drinking tea is often a more personal, intimate experience, and working at home provides the perfect context for tea.

But tea has not yet reached its full potential. It remains an affordable drink, maybe even too affordable.

Before Starbucks, few consumers said they were willing to shell out $5 to $7 for a coffee. 30 or 40 years ago, coffee drinkers were associated with smokers congregating in a little corner coffee shop, nothing more. Now many of us don’t even think about it. Coffee inherited a champion who decided to change the image of coffee.

For tea, however, DavidsTea has modulated the deal with its trendy approach that attracts young people. Stepping into a DavidsTea store is a bit like visiting a popular bar. However, as its model is primarily based around physical and experimental business, several of its establishments have closed. DavidsTea is beginning its virtual transition which will hopefully help the channel survive.

Still, there are many occasions to drink tea, but tea needs a champion like coffee did at Starbucks. In fact, the “pumpkin spice” scent, which many people love or hate depending on how infatuated they are with this fall craze, was heavily promoted by Starbucks nearly 20 years ago.

At least 38 people, most of them young children, were killed in a shootout at a kindergarten in the city of Uthai Sawan in northeast Thailand’s Nong Bua Lamphu province on Thursday, according to a police spokesman. A security agency statement later reported that the perpetrator of the shooting is a former police officer identified as Panya Khanrab, who committed suicide after perpetrating the massacre. Among his victims are his wife and son. A dozen people were injured. According to initial investigations, the author of the shots bought the gun legally.

The Thai government and police had previously reported that the attacker was being followed, but Thai media broke the news, which was later confirmed by police on their Facebook account, that the perpetrator of the massacre committed suicide after killing his family and had killed the other victims. This 34-year-old former police officer was expelled from the force in 2021 for drug possession.

Former police officer Panya Khamrab, suspected perpetrator of the school massacre, in a photo from the Thai investigative authority. HANDOUT (AFP)

About 30 children were at school when the gunman entered at lunchtime, Thai official Jidapa Boonsom told Portal. The man initially fired an automatic rifle at four or five staff members, including a teacher who was eight months pregnant, Jidapa reported. “At first people thought it was fireworks,” the official added.

After the massacre in this school, which usually takes children between the ages of two and five, the former police officer fled in a van. Later, also with one shot, he committed suicide.

Subscribe to EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without limits.

Subscribe to

Images provided by Thai police show dozens of bodies scattered in different rooms of the education center. Videos posted on social media show bodies of children lying in pools of blood, apparently covered in sheets. Many of the injured were taken to Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital, which local media said has “urged” citizens to donate blood of any kind.

The images and videos circulating on social media also show relatives of the victims frantically walking around the hospital grounds.

Thailand’s gun ownership rate is high compared to other countries in the region, although official figures do not include a large number of illegal guns, many of which were brought into the country through its porous borders.

Shootings in Thailand are rare, but in 2020 a soldier who failed to secure a real estate deal he hoped would go through killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 others in an attack in four different locations.

Follow all international information on Facebook and Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.

The chess prodigy, who has been accused of cheating with vibrating anal beads, has declared: “I will not back down” after winning a US Championship game that required him to undergo a body scan before playing.

19-year-old Hans Niemann was accused of cheating by world chess champion Magnus Carlsen last month after the teenager managed to beat the Norwegian – who is widely regarded as the world’s top chess player – in a seemingly unfocused manner.

Then Chess.com published a lengthy report earlier this week claiming that Niemann “probably” cheated in more than 100 online games, including several cash tournaments – although there was no evidence that he played in over- cheating the board games (OTB), personal games.

Niemann previously stated he would play naked to prove doubters wrong after rumors suggested he may have used vibrating anal beads controlled by a third party to determine the best moves in his match against Carlsen .

But footage emerged yesterday showing the prodigy being restrained outside his US Championship game and forced to stand at attention as a security officer conducted a full-body scan with a hand-held detector.

Niemann’s scan took considerably longer than the other contestants, and the guard even turned him around to scan his butt – which made commentators laugh.

The 19-year-old, who didn’t seem happy with the scan, won his first-round match against a 15-year-old opponent before taking to the mic and lashing out at critics in a post-match interview.

“This game is a message to everyone. This whole thing started with me saying ‘chess speaks for itself’ and I think this game spoke for itself and showed what a chess player I am.

“It also showed that I won’t back down and will play my best chess despite the pressure here.”

The 19-year-old had to undergo a body scan along with other participants at the US championship

It comes after he was accused of cheating with vibrating anal beads

“This game is a message to everyone. This whole thing started with me saying ‘chess speaks for itself’ and I think this game spoke for itself and showed what a chess player I am. It also showed that I won’t give up,” said Niemann after winning a US championship game

A visibly frustrated Niemann quickly stopped the interview after the game, telling the interviewer, “You can leave it to your own interpretation, but thanks, that’s it.”

Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest, accused Niemann of cheating

An obviously frustrated Niemann quickly broke off the interview, telling the interviewer, “You can leave it to your own interpretation, but thanks, that’s it,” before walking out, much to the disbelief of commentators.

His post-game interview was the first time Niemann had publicly commented on cheating allegations since September 7.

He initially maintained his innocence amid speculation from Carlsen and the chess community that he had cheated in their game, admitting that he had already done so twice as a youngster but had learned from his mistakes and vowed not to do so again do.

There is no evidence that Niemann cheated in OTB games.

However, a comprehensive investigation of Neimann’s online play by Chess.com found he likely broke the rules in tournaments as late as 2020, noting “many notable signals and unusual patterns in Hans’ journey as a player,” according to a 72-page report became .

The document alleges that Niemann likely received assistance in more than 100 online games using illegal computer aids.

It also showed the prodigy privately confessing to Chess.com that he had cheated on numerous occasions, while also revealing that he was banned from the site – although this was never made public.

The report states that Niemann confessed to Chess.com COO Danny Rensch about his cheating during a Zoom call and then in writing during a Slack chat.

Many of the tournaments that Chess.com said Niemann cheated on included cash prizes, the report said, including Chess.com prize events, Speed ​​Chess Championship Qualifiers and the PRO Chess League.

How much prize money Neimann has won in his short career is unclear.

Niemann defeated world chess champion Carlsen on September 4 in the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, the infamous tournament where the 19-year-old was accused of using vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach.

Niemann vehemently denied Carlsen’s allegations, saying that he only cheated twice in his life – aged 12 and 16 – and that both offenses were among the biggest regrets of his life.

“Except when I was 12 years old, I never, never, never – and I would never do that, it’s the worst thing I could do – cheated in a tournament for prize money,” said Niemann afterwards.

“I’ve never cheated in streaming.”

“Remember, I was 16 years old, I never wanted to hurt anyone, these were random games. I would never do it in a real game – could only imagine it.”

The damning report comes after Niemann made headlines in September when chess champion Magnus Carlsen (pictured) claimed Niemann was a cheat, culminating in rumors the 19-year-old was using vibrating anal beads to communicate with his coach

Professional chess player Hans Niemann in a photo from his Instagram page

The Chess.com report appeared to slander Niemann’s denial, calling the September 4 game “suspicious” and adding “that Hans’s explanation of his victory after the tournament reinforced our suspicions”.

“As for his OTB game in general…we think [there] are obvious anomalies in Hans’ rise in the OTB rating.

“Remarkably, we discuss how Hans, much later in life than his peers, became the fastest rising top player in OTB classical chess in modern recorded history, and did so after we removed him from play on our website in 2020. “

However, it admitted that there is “no direct evidence that Hans cheated at the September 4, 2022 game with Magnus, or prove he cheated at any other OTB [over the board] Games in the past.’

Chess.com explained that they statistically analyzed Niemann’s games and compared his moves to those of a chess engine in the same position. A high correlation between the two strongly indicates fraud.

“Some, often newer, players use a chess engine like Stockfish to decide every move they make. This form of fraud is obvious and easy to spot,” the report said.

“Other players, particularly those playing at Hans level, are much more sophisticated and engage in ‘selective cheating’, using a chess engine to only offer advice at key moments, and often making deliberately sub-par moves to camouflage their engine use. ‘

A new storm is developing in the southeastern Caribbean, a week after Hurricane Ian made a devastating Category 4 landfall in southwest Florida.

Weather models have been struggling to predict the emerging disturbance that hung over the Windward Islands on Wednesday morning. However, it is on the verge of becoming a tropical depression, which would pave the way for it to mature into a named storm or hurricane.

Cone of Confusion: Why some say the iconic hurricane map misled Floridians

It looks like the United States and the Gulf of Mexico are safe from anything that might develop from this disruption, but the risk is mounting for places like Nicaragua, Honduras and Belize.

After a quiet start to hurricane season, a surge in activity has brought this year’s activity closer to average. Fiona and Ian have done the most to make up the storm deficit, and the Atlantic Basin is now just 20 percent behind the mean in terms of ACE, or Accumulated Cyclone Energy. That’s a measure of how much energy storms harvest from warm ocean water and expend on strong winds.

In addition to the young storm near the Lesser Antilles, there is also a tropical depression a little less than 500 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, but it is not expected to strengthen or be given a name.

Development of a potential Caribbean system

From Wednesday morning, the system brought heavy rain over the Windward Islands there and in northern Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago was also drenched, with heavy showers and thunderstorms driven by the tropical wave.

There were a few limiting factors for the storm. There is no “closed circuit”. This means that winds rotate but do not form a complete circle. This weakens the storm’s structure and prevents it from developing easily.

You can see that in scatterometer data — or measurements from a satellite-based instrument that uses the movement of clouds and ocean waves to determine wind speed and direction. We can see that there is an obvious curvature, but there is no westerly “wrap” of the wind. Until then, the system will not be declared a tropical depression.

What is visible instead is a vorticity or spin axis. If part of this rotation along the wind-shift line east of Trinidad and Tobago is stretched vertically by a thunderstorm, it could become the de facto center. Then the storm would organize around this rotational column and likely become a tropical storm.

The system is currently working against strong wind shear or a disturbing wind and/or direction change with altitude to the north. This is a conspiracy to unbalance the storm and hamper its organization. Wind shear is lower in the south, which is why The storm may turn south and scrape along the South American coast.

It is likely to escape this shear in the coming days as it approaches the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) and gradually consolidates.

The National Hurricane Center estimates the disruption has an 80 percent chance of developing. Weather models suggest the system is likely to become a tropical storm by the end of the week as it overcomes shear.

Despite Ian’s recent passage, sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean are still very warm and will be conducive to intensification. What’s different this time, though, is that the upper air pattern won’t be quite as conducive to rapid intensification.

At Ian, a clockwise rotating high-pressure system was in place on the upper levels to aid in the ‘drain’ or exhaust of the storm. The more air that exits a storm from above, the more warm, moist air can enter to fuel the storm. This time the high pressure area appears to be shifting to the north-northwest.

Still, the new system could eventually attempt to become a hurricane, with Julia being the next name on the list. Whatever comes of it should reach Nicaragua by Sunday through Monday. Rainfall totals of 12 to 24 inches are possible, particularly in the higher terrain where mudslides and flooding can be expected.

High pressure at mid-elevations should push the system far enough south that it cannot turn north toward the Gulf of Mexico or the Lower 48.