Somali pirates kill five crew members on hijacked tanker before rescue

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By Reuters | Posted By TOE Somali pirates killed five crew members of the hijacked MT Honour 25 petroleum products tanker before it was rescued by security ‌forces, Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland said on Tuesday. Puntland’s authorities said they also ‌rescued a second vessel on Tuesday that had been hijacked in May. The deaths aboard the Palau-flagged ship appear ​to be the first at the hands of Somali pirates in over a decade. The ship with 17 crew members was seized by pirates in April during a resurgence of Somali piracy that experts have attributed, in part, to impacts of the Iran war, including elevated oil prices ‌that make tankers more attractive targets. Puntland’s ⁠information ministry said in a statement that a rescue mission had successfully freed the ship and captured 16 pirates. “Before the operation begun, the ⁠pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew. Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one fr...
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Uganda discharges last Ebola patient, starts countdown to be virus-free

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By DPA | Posted by TOE

Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient – a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo who has fully recovered – the Ugandan Health Ministry said on Thursday on X.

It said the Congolese patient can now return home. The discharge triggered a 42-day period required under international guidelines after which Uganda can declare the Ebola outbreak over, provided no new cases occur.

Still, the health ministry urged the public to remain alert for possible Ebola symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding.

Situation in the Congo

While Uganda is hoping for an end to the outbreak, the virus continues to spread in neighbouring Congo. Since mid-May, more than 2,000 people there have been confirmed to have contracted Ebola.

The Congolese Information Ministry said the number of confirmed cases currently stands at 2,073, including 796 deaths. At present, 737 patients are being treated in hospitals and isolation centres.

Ebola fever is a life-threatening disease. The virus is transmitted through bodily contact and contact with bodily fluids.

The current outbreak is particularly difficult to contain, partly because there is as yet neither a specific vaccine nor a specific therapy for the Bundibugyo type of the Ebola virus. Clinical testing of two antiviral therapy approaches has been under way since early July.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/2o6yEch

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