Intriguing: Chinese scientist who discovered Covid causing virus in Wuhan caves studied in France
Founded in 1956 as a branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) initially focused on agricultural pests, a serious concern during the famine that began in 1959. During the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, its research was disrupted, as 229 CAS scientists...
Wuhan’s virus: Did the French have a hand in the origin and spread of coronavirus?
One chilly morning in February 2017, a tall Chinese scientist in his 50s named Yuan Zhiming showed Bernard Cazeneuve, then the French prime minister, around Wuhan’s new high-security pathogen laboratory. Built with French engineering, it was China’s first P4 laboratory, one of several dozen in the world with that highest...
Guinea opposition leader ready to work with putschists, who set free all political detainees
Guinea’s main opposition leader has said he was open to participating in a transition following a military coup over the weekend, as the soldiers who seized power consolidated their takeover. West African countries have threatened sanctions following the overthrow of President Alpha Conde, who was serving a third term after...
Uganda grapples with new wave of grisly murders by machete-wielding gangs police link to opposition
Ugandan police questioned two prominent opposition lawmakers accused of orchestrating a wave of grisly murders by machete-wielding gangs. Villagers in Masaka region have been terrorised by thugs who police say have hacked to death up to 30 mainly elderly people in their homes at night in just two months. Ugandan...
Christiano Ronaldo released early from national duties, joins new Man United teammates in training
Cristiano Ronaldo is gearing up for his return to the Manchester United team. The 36-year-old icon reported for training at the club’s Carrington ground ahead of his potential second debut for the club on Saturday. Ronaldo was released from international duty early after breaking the world record for most international...
Cancer incidence in South Africa expected to double; it’s still viewed as disease for the elderly and whites
The Cancer Alliance, made up of civil society and NGO partners and advocates, has released its Cost of Cancer report looking at the challenges for this decade, reports The Maverick Citizen, an online investigative publication. The newspaper reports that it is the first time that such comprehensive data sets have...
Low Covid morbidity in children: They seem to have an innate response that’s ‘revved up and ready to go’
Early last year, children’s hospitals across New York City had to pivot to deal with a catastrophic Covid-19 outbreak. “We all had to quickly learn – or semi-learn – how to take care of adults,” says Betsy Herold, a paediatric infectious-disease physician who heads a virology laboratory at the Albert...
