2 h. ago Spain deploys military to control African swine fever outbreak after pigs catch virus from ‘infected sandwich’

African swine fever, while harmless to humans, spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar and poses a significant economic risk to Spain

Events

7 h. ago Spanish swine fever outbreak may be linked to food eaten by boar, say officials

Hundreds of police, rangers and military personnel deployed to tackle virus threatening pork export industrySpanish authorities have deployed hundreds of police officers, wildlife rangers and military personnel in an effort to contain an outbreak of highly infectious African swine fever (ASF) outside Barcelona before it becomes a major threat to the country’s €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry.Officials believe the virus, detected in the municipality of Bellaterra, may have begun to circulate after a wild boar ate contaminated food that had been brought in from outside Spain. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago UK to block imports of pork from Spain due to outbreak of swine fever

Pork products are to be held at border control posts after Spain recorded cases of ASF in the Catalunya

Politics

1 week ago US and Russian officials draft plan to end Ukraine war based on capitulation from Kyiv

It is unclear if Trump administration backs deal that would mean Kyiv giving up territory and slashing size of militaryUS and Russian officials have quietly drafted a new plan to end the war in Ukraine that would require Kyiv to surrender territory and severely limit the size of its military, it was reported on Wednesday as Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least 25 people in the city of Ternopil.The draft plan, which was reportedly developed by Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would force draconian measures on Ukraine that would give Russia unprecedented control over the country’s military and political sovereignty. The plan is likely to be viewed as surrender in Kyiv. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago US reports bird flu infection with H5N5 strain of virus never seen in humans before

Health officials in the US have reported the detection of the H5N5 bird flu strain in a human

Science

2 w. ago 'Biological weapon' virus warning as several dead and hundreds infected by it

A deadly virus once eyed by the US as a potential biological weapon is now sweeping through West Africa, with the World Health Organisation warning it has already killed 42 people

Events

2 w. ago Trump Gaza plan: Hamas rejects resolution for international stabilisation force approved by UN security council

UN body quickly passes resolution that also includes reference to a future Palestinian state; Hamas says the plan favours Israeli occupationThe US is planning for the long-term division of Gaza into a “green zone” under Israeli and international military control, where reconstruction would start, and a “red zone” to be left in ruins.Foreign forces will initially deploy alongside Israeli soldiers in the east of Gaza, leaving the devastated strip divided by the current Israeli-controlled “yellow line”, according to US military planning documents seen by the Guardian and sources briefed on American plans. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago US military planning for divided Gaza with ‘green zone’ secured by international and Israeli troops

Exclusive: Almost all Palestinians have been displaced to ‘red zone’ where no reconstruction is plannedThe US is planning for the long-term division of Gaza into a “green zone” under Israeli and international military control, where reconstruction would start, and a “red zone” to be left in ruins.Foreign forces will initially deploy alongside Israeli soldiers in the east of Gaza, leaving the devastated strip divided by the current Israeli-controlled “yellow line”, according to US military planning documents seen by the Guardian and sources briefed on American plans. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Virus that infects 95% of world population triggers devastating autoimmune conditions, groundbreaking study finds

Scientists have long suspected that the virus might play a role in autoimmune diseases and researchers at Stanford University recently investigated this link.

Science

3 w. ago ‘The tigers are hungry’: endangered but deadly, the world’s largest big cat is sowing fear in Siberia’s villages

The spread of African swine flu among the wild boars the animals eat has led to the deadliest winter for attacks on people in the Russian region for decades – and a spike in tiger killingsThe attacks seemed to come from nowhere. At first, the tigers snatched guard dogs on the edge of villages in Russia’s far east, emerging from the forest at night to prey. Others went for livestock, going after horses and cattle.Then the attacks on people began. In January, an ice fisher was mauled at night and dragged away by a big cat, just weeks after a forester had been killed. In March, another man was attacked and partly eaten by a tiger. It was the deadliest winter for tiger attacks in Siberia for decades. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago World’s loneliest elephant died of rare disease after decade of isolation in zoo following death of only friend

AN AUTOPSY report has revealed the cause of death of the world's loneliest elephant - who lived in isolation for over two decades at an Indian zoo. The 29-year-old elephant, named Shankar, is said to have died in September from the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). EMCV is a rare rodent-borne virus that can infect a range...

Events

3 w. ago Officials sound alarm after Rift Valley Fever outbreak kills 42 in west Africa sparking fresh pandemic fears

Officials are desperately trying to contain the killer virus, which began spreading in Senegal and Mauritania in late September.

Events