Harvard Law professor's 'comfort woman' article under review, journal says


An article by a Harvard Law professor who has described the history of “comfort women” forced to serve in Japanese wartime brothels as “pure fiction” is being investigated, the International Review of Law and Economics said. 

File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A controversial article on "comfort women" is under review after complaints from the academic community about the work authored by J. Mark Ramseyer, a professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School.

The International Review of Law and Economics said it has been notified of issues related to the piece, "Contracting for sex in the Pacific War," a week after Harvard Law students denounced the article.

"The International Review of Law and Economics is issuing an Expression of Concern to inform readers that concerns have been raised regarding the historical evidence in the article list above," the journal said in statement Thursday.

"These claims are currently being investigated and the International Review of Law and Economics will provide additional information as it becomes available."

Legal experts have said the article, which has been released online but is not available in print until March, contains incorrect claims about the women, who, according to Ramseyer, were involved in a "consenting, contractual process."

"The economic relationship that was deployed, even according to Ramseyer's own research, is very close to what we would ordinarily call debt slavery," said Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman, according to the Harvard Crimson earlier this week.

Feldman, who said the arrangement is similar to sharecropping contracts in the Jim Crow South, also said they are "designed to and do exploit the vast power discrepancy between different actors and institutions."

RELATED Harvard Law students decry professor's paper on 'comfort women'

Ramseyer's ideas may have little sway on the international stage, where the United Nations has already found conclusive evidence of atrocities against "women victims of military sexual slavery during wartime."

But in Japan, where the government has challenged calls for an apology, the notion the women from Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Netherlands were voluntary sex workers has joined mainstream discourse.

Last month, Ramseyer said in an article published in Japan Forward, a site of Japan's right-leaning Sankei Shimbun, the reports of comfort women were "pure fiction."

The article was published a week after a South Korean court ordered Japan to pay about $90,000 per plaintiff.

Fin whale songs could help map the ocean floor


Researchers say the songs of fin whales -- like the one pictured -- could be used to improve seismic ocean surveys, and in some cases replace the airguns that are generally used by surveyors. Photo by Aqqa Rosing-Asvid/Wikimedia



Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The fin whale is the loudest species in the ocean. The mammal's long, loud, low-frequency vocalizations can travel for hundreds of miles.

Fin whale songs are so strong, in fact, they generate seismic data that can be used to probe the structure and composition of Earth's seafloor.

Scientists described the fin whale's potential as a seismic source in a new paper, published Thursday in the journal Science.

"The idea to study subsurface signals in whale calls was rather a coincidence," lead study author Václav Kuna told UPI in an email.

RELATED Canada bans the captivity of whales, dolphins

"I am a seismologist and I was studying earthquakes at the Blanco Fracture Zone west of the Oregon coast. Accidentally, I found fin whale call recordings in our data and -- given my seismological perspective -- I was wondering whether they could be used similarly as airguns," said Kuna, a geophysicist and graduate research assistant at Oregon State University.

Airguns are the seismic source of choice for scientists mapping the ocean floor, but the massive blasts can be disruptive to marine species, especially whales and dolphins that use sound to communicate with each other and hunt for food.

Conducting seismic surveys using airguns requires time, energy and money -- finite resources. Fin whales all over the world are constantly singing, for free.

RELATED Grieving orca mother releases dead calf after 17 days


Scientists knew fin whales were quite loud, but until now, it wasn't clear that their songs could generate useful seismic data.

"Seismic stations record all kinds of mechanical waves -- earthquakes, ocean wave noise, engines of ships ... and also whale songs," Kuna said. "In principle, all these sources generate the same kind of mechanical wave that can be picked up by the station."

For the study, Kuna and research partner John Nábelek, a professor of seismology at Oregon State, analyzed fin whale song data recorded by a series of seismometer stations positioned on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

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What surprised the pair was not the presence of fin whale songs among data collected by seismometers, but the amount of seismic data generated by the songs.

The sound waves are strong enough that they penetrate several feet into the ocean floor, reverberating off layers of rock and sediment.

Kuna and Nábelek found seismic data generated by the songs was sufficient to constrain the thickness and density of oceanic sediment and basaltic rock layers beneath the stations.

RELATED New study analyzes calls of blue whales

Though fin whale songs won't replace air guns, they can help scientists characterize oceanic crust and gain insights in the composition of oceanic sediments -- information useful to both geologists and climatologists.

The seismic data generated by fin whale songs could also be used for what seismologists call "static corrections," a process that helps scientists more precisely pinpoint the origins of earthquakes.

"Shallow structure -- mainly sediment thickness and velocity -- varies from site to site," said Kuna. "When locating earthquakes, these variations introduce unknown time shifts in arrivals of earthquake waves. If we know the shallow structure, we can correct the records at individual stations, which leads to higher quality of earthquake location."

"The study shows that whale and animal vocalizations carry more information than we thought previously," Kuna said. "I hope that the paper will encourage other scientists to study other animal vocalizations and come up with more potential applications."

Instead of adding more human noises to the ocean, Kuna hopes scientists will take advantage of the sound waves that are already reverberating beneath the ocean surface.

COVID lies, conspiracy theories build on boredom, beliefs

The coronavirus pandemic has shown just how susceptible people are to believing misinformation and conspiracy theories. What are the psychological reasons for this?




More and more people don't believe scientific facts about COVID and think governments want to take away their freedom


These days, many people have a hard time detecting misinformation. Jacqueline F. is one of them. In 2019, she fell for a screenshot of a fake newspaper article posted on Instagram claiming that Chilean police had abused and hung protesters. At the time, the country was in the middle of large-scale protests that began in response to a hike in public transport ticket prices. Jacqueline said she was shocked by the Instagram post and asked herself: "What are these police officers doing?"

Jacqueline eventually realized that she had been duped. Others have become even more likely to believe misinformation and conspiracy theories.

"That depends on a person's predisposition," the University of Bielefeld professor Andreas Zick, who studies conflict and violence, told DW. He said an individual might be more inclined to "believe conspiracy myths if that person already holds certain beliefs" or feels hostile towards certain groups or institutions, such as the police, the government or climate activists.

The internet is teeming with content that will echo and reinforce beliefs, Zick said. People limit themselves to channels that reflect theirs. "This creates more than an echo chamber," he added. "It is more like a parallel universe that caters to all kinds of needs."

Fear plays a major role in such tendencies, said professor Andreas Kappes, a psychology lecturer at City University London. Someone scared of syringes may not want to get vaccinated, he said, and therefor scour the internet for information claiming that vaccinations are dangerous and best avoided. Kappes said the key question was why certain people refuse to accept scientific findings. This is not, he said, a matter of education.

Watch video 03:00 Mistrust curbs India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive

Media literacy

The ability to discern trustworthy from untrustworthy sources plays a key role, the neuroscientist and author Franca Parianen told DW. "Conspiracy theorists tend not to make a clear distinction between expert sources and random YouTube videos," Parianen said. She added that schools are not doing enough to teach media literacy.

People are also more susceptible to believing misinformation if they have experienced a major loss of control at some stage in their life, Parianen said. Misinformation, she added, can give such individuals a sense of stability.

"Suddenly, the world makes sense," Parianen said. "When conspiracy theorists feel unsure about their beliefs, they will try even harder to convince others they are right." After all, Parianen said, having people share their worldview confirms their beliefs.

Shutdown-induced boredom matters, too. "Boredom encourages some people to get lost in conspiracy theories," Parianen said. With ample free time, they find themselves browsing different social media pages and online discussion groups. Identifying with a certain group, she says, can provide a sense of community and counteract loneliness.

Algorithms are also to blame

The dissemination of misinformation can not only be explained by psychological factors. Jens Koed Madsen, a senior research assistant at Oxford University, says social networks are also to blame. A US study found that misinformation spreads much faster on Twitter than real news does. The reason, Madsen says, is that misinformation tends to make use of "emotional language, it's often very sensationalist." Sometimes, he adds, utterly absurd and funny misinformation is shared by individuals who are not even duped by it.

Watch videoV02:49 YouTube youth fight fake news in France

Individuals who believe in conspiracy theories are not immune to rational arguments, says Andreas Kappes. But "if you [simply] disagree, people will not listen." To reach them, he says, you must first find some common ground. Then you can engage in a discussion and reference facts. Kappes says it is important to give these people a sense of stability.

"Findings aspects in life that one can control, or getting involved in democratic organizations, can help," says Parianen. "Establishing stable social bonds also helps." In addition, learning to tell apart trustworthy and untrustworthy sources is essential.

Acquiring this competence can help ordinary people, like Jacqueline F., avoid falling for misinformation. She says she felt somewhat ashamed when they realized she had been deceived. These days, she spends more time researching news stories to find out what is true. "When I am unsure if something is true or false, I search for further information," she says. "I try to use reliable sources and avoid dubious websites."

 

Germany to fine firms for rights breaches in supply chains

The German government has published a draft supply chain law that aims to hold companies accountable for human rights breaches. Ministers have described it as Europe's strongest legislation against worker exploitation.

Myanmar coup: Neighborhood groups block night arrests

Security forces have stepped up late-night arrests of civil servants, doctors and others. But defiant activists came up with a plan to stop them

Watch video 03:41 Myanmar protests may not "make a lot of difference"

Crowds defied curfews in Myanmar during the night into Saturday, following rumors that police were about to launch a fresh wave of raids on anti-coup activists.

The civil disobedience began hours after a seventh consecutive day of nationwide rallies— the largest so far — ended on Friday.

Demonstrators have held huge daily protests across the country after the military ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power on February 1.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other officials from detention. It urged the military government to refrain from using violence on protesters.

Watch video 02:41 Myanmar protesters demand new constitution

What activists did overnight:

Neighborhood groups sprung up to stop arrests of activists, skirting a junta ban on Facebook.

News of such arrests circulated widely on social media, including in memes captioned: "Our nights aren't safe anymore" and: "Myanmar military is kidnapping people at night."

Also on Saturday, the military ordered the arrest of seven well-known backers of the protests for their comments on social media.

Among the seven are pro-democracy activists Min Ko Naing and "Jimmy" Kyaw Min Yu — veterans of the 1988 student uprising. Others facing arrest warrants include a singer, a television presenter, a writer and a political analyst.

In a statement, the military's True News team warned people should report back to police if they see any of the seven listed or risk punishment if they are found sheltering them.

It said the activists could face a sentence of up to two years for comments that the military considers a threat to national stability.

"I am so proud to have a warrant issued along with Min Ko Naing. Catch me if you can," writer Ei Pencilo said to her more than 1.6 million followers on Facebook.

'We are not afraid'

In the nation's business hub, Yangon, people called others outside to gather and protest by banging pots and pans — an action traditionally associated with driving out evil in the country.

"We didn't know who will be taken, but when we heard the sound, we went out to join our neighbors," said Tin Zar, a storekeeper in Yangon's north.

"Even if they shoot, we are not afraid," she told news agency AFP.

One group swarmed a hospital in the city of Pathein, 190 kilometers (almost 120 miles) west of Yangon, after rumors that a popular local doctor would be taken. The group chanted a Buddhist prayer urging protection from harm.

"If I have problems, I will ask for your help," doctor Than Min Htut told the group, flashing a three-finger salute that has come to symbolize resistance to the coup.

Than Min Htut spoke to AFP on Saturday to confirm he was still free and would continue to participate in the civil disobedience campaign.

Airline staff, health workers, engineers and school teachers were among groups protesting on Saturday

'Not isolated incidents'

"Family members are left with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents, and nighttime raids are targeting dissenting voices. It is happening across the country," the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group for political prisoners, wrote in a statement.

The United Nations human rights office on Friday said more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the February 1 coup. The UN noted some faced criminal charges on "dubious grounds."

No let-up from protesters

The protests continued unabated on Saturday in Yangon, the capital Naypyitaw, the second city Mandalay, and other towns.

Airline staff, health workers, engineers and school teachers were among groups protesting.

In Yangon, some protesters held signs commenting on the nighttime disappearances.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper claimed thousands of people had joined pro-military demonstrations in parts of Myanmar on Friday. News agency Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report.

Watch video 03:37 Amnesty International: Myanmar forces use live ammunition

What happens next?

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing has warned striking civil servants to return to work. The new regime has set up a hotline to report government employees joining demonstrations.

So far, the generals appear undeterred by the widespread condemnation on the streets and from the international community.

The junta has proclaimed a state of emergency lasting a year. It had promised to hold fresh elections, but with no precise time frame.

mvb, kmm/rc (Reuters, AFP)

Japan: More than 150 injured in strong Fukushima earthquake

The cleanup is underway from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake off Japan's eastern coast. The tremor came nearly 10 years after a huge quake that sparked a tsunami and nuclear meltdown.



The earthquake caused widespread damage but many people escaped with only minor injuries


The clean-up operation in Japan continued Sunday after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Japan during the night.

Around 150 were injured, according to officials.

Most injuries were reported in the quake-prone Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, close to the epicenter. But tremors were felt as far as capital Tokyo.

"So far we have not received any reports of deaths," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said during an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday morning.

Saturday's earthquake struck just weeks ahead of the 10-year anniversary of a quake that triggered a tsunami, killing 18,000 people, and a meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The earthquake triggered a landslide in Nihonmatsu city, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan

The latest:

Power had been restored by early Sunday. Some 950,000 homes were without electricity initially after the quake.

Some bullet train services remain halted. East Japan Railway Co. said the bullet train on the northern coast will be suspended through Monday due to damage to its facility.

In the northern Fukushima city of Soma, a roof at a Buddhist temple collapsed.

Workers were clearing up a major coastal highway connecting Tokyo and northern cities where a major landslide occurred. Several other roads were also blocked by rocks.

Business continued on Sunday despite the massive earthquake

Experts warned of possible aftershocks. Many residents spent the night at evacuation centers, where tents were set up as part of coronavirus protection measures.

The military was also mobilized to provide water in some areas.

Broadcaster NHK said the government plans to set up a special liaison office to coordinate with affected regions.

Workers cleared debris from fallen buildings in the aftermath of the quake

Were any nuclear power plants damaged?

There were no irregularities at the Fukushima nuclear power plants, or at the Kahiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, owner Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said.

The utility also said there was no change in the radiation levels around its plants.

There were no irregularities at the Onagawa nuclear facilities, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a briefing carried on public broadcaster NHK.

Many bullet trains were cancelled with some cancellations expected to run into Monday

'Ring of fire'

Japan sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The country accounts for around 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

kmm/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP)

African women embrace contraceptives as populations grow

An increasing number of women in Africa are taking advantage of family planning services. While this could be considered a success for governments and international partners, the birth rates are still high


More African women are using contraceptives thanks to consistent campaigns by governments and NGOs

Africa's population is growing rapidly. According to UN estimates, the number of people in the continent is expected to double by 2050 — making it increasingly difficult to provide jobs for future generations.

But there are also positive trends. More and more women are using modern contraceptives. According to the latest Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) report, the number has increased by 66% since 2012 — from 40 million to more than 66 million women and girls.

When governments, UN agencies and private foundations launched the initiative eight years ago, they set an ambitious goal: to get 120 million more people in the world's 69 lowest-income countries to use modern contraceptives by 2020.

Teenagers in Lagos, Nigeria, are a focus of sex education campaigns

The number stands at about 60 million more. In Central and West Africa, the number of female users has doubled, according to FP2020. In eastern and southern Africa, it has increased by as much as 70%.
More access to contraceptives

What's the key to success? "Concrete levers have been applied in most countries," FP2020 director Beth Schlachter told DW.

"Contraceptive supply chains to clinics or community centers have been expanded," Schlachter said.

In the beginning, staff members started by offering birth control pills, condoms, and hormone injections.

The services have improved, Schlachter said: "Health advisers in the communities help women make appropriate choices for their health care." But, she added, it will be crucial to change cultural and religious beliefs to allow women to make decisions about their bodies.

Family planning education is crucial especially for those living in rural areas, experts say

In this respect, Malawi has done an excellent job. "The country has focused on young girls and women and their needs," Schlachter said.

A few years ago, the southern African country had one of the highest rates of child marriages globally. In 2018, the government put an end to this by raising the minimum age of marriage to 18.
Grassroots campaigns

Together with specific governments, FP2020 has developed several other measures. The issue of contraception plays an important role. In particular, young people have become more aware by talking about social norms, distribution of contraceptives in schools, and counseling in villages and communities. "Health care is more in the hands of women, so they don't always have to return to clinics," Schlachter said.

Watch video 04:15 Family Planning: How many kids are too many?

"The desire to have children is changing in most countries with good access to family planning," Catherina Hinz, executive director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, told DW. Her Africa's Demographic Leaders study confirmed this trend, Hinz said. "The more educated the girls are," she added, "the smaller the families."

Hinz said strategies must always run in parallel. More income is vital so that people no longer have to rely on children to provide for them in old age. Political will is also essential to usher in the necessary change in values. "In the cities of many countries, this change has already begun." In rural areas, however, the issue is even more critical.

Family planning agencies are calling for contraceptives to be made easily available
'Condoms on wheels'

Rwanda boasts an innovative idea where the young startup Kasha delivers condoms and contraceptives to villages by moped. The condoms can be ordered by text message — just as in Kenya. 20,000 people are already using the service.

"In Ethiopia, the availability of contraception for young people has grown," Hinz said.

The government has trained 40,000 female health workers to work in health clinics in rural areas. "Family planning is not only aimed at married people; the female helpers are also approachable by young people in the health centers," Hinz added.

Combating child marriages is also considered important in the family planning strategy

In the West African country of Niger, wrestlers are using radio commercials to draw attention to the importance of contraception.

"Prominent athletes there are promoting condoms. The president has recognized the issue of population development and is supporting contraception campaigns. Money is also flowing in from the German Development Bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)," Hinz said.
Involving young people

Schlachter, from FP2020, pointed to successes in Burkina Faso. She said the government had increased spending by 30% and attracted more donations to reduce pregnancies. Young people are to be integrated into family planning counseling sessions early, and contraceptives are to be distributed freely.

The coronavirus pandemic has again made access to contraception more difficult. "We still found that increases in contraceptive use are higher in Africa than in Asian countries," Schlachter said. But there's a simple reason for that: Africa was further behind with its programs.

Watch video 02:35 Child marriage on the rise in Sierra Leone

This article was adapted from German by Chrispin Mwakideu.

Russia: Navalny supporters hold Valentine's Day protests

Protesters across Russia tried a new tactic to show support for the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny without being arrested. People posted photos on social media with the hashtag #LoveIsStrongerThanFear in Russian.


Navalny supporters stood outside for 15 minutes waving flashlights and lighting candles

Supporters of the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalnyheld novel candle-lit minidemonstrations in residential courtyards across Russia on Sunday.

On Valentine's Day evening, people stood outside for 15 minutes. They used the flashlight function on their smartphones and arranged candles in the shape of a heart.

The action went ahead under the motto "Love is stronger than fear."

Organizers described it as a response to the "unprecedented wave of violence and repression" by security forces at past rallies in support of Navalny.

Navalny was arrested last month on his return from Germany. He was being treated there for poisoning with what many Western countries say was a nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union.

The 44-year-old was jailed on February 2 for violating parole on what he said were trumped-up charges.

The small gatherings are intended to avoid the mass arrests at banned larger protests

Supporters of Navalny have attended mass demonstrations in large numbers across Russia in recent weeks.

However, the rallies have resulted in mass detentions of thousands.

Sunday's decentralized and particularly peaceful initiative is meant to make it difficult for the police to take action against it.

Russian law enforcement agencies warned on Thursday that people taking part in unsanctioned rallies could face criminal charges.

Watch video 02:09 Russian police arrest thousands of pro-Navalny protesters

#loveisstrongerthanfear

The Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by Navalny, retweeted tweets from people using the hashtag #LoveIsStrongerThanFear in Russian and English.

The hashtag was trending in fourth place on Russian Twitter on Sunday afternoon.

Leonid Volkov, one of Navalny's close allies, who is now in Lithuania, wrote on Twitter telling people to share their stories of their flashlight demonstrations.

Navalny's team in Moscow tweeted an image of a separate action in support of Navalny's wife, Yulia, and female political prisoners.

Women formed a human chain on a pedestrian street in the capital, carrying hearts and roses.

Vladimir Putin responds

President Vladimir Putin suggested that the recent wave of protests across Russia had been stoked by his opponents abroad against the backdrop of the widespread "exhaustion, frustration and dissatisfaction" arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our opponents or potential opponents have always ... relied on very ambitious, power-hungry people and have always used them," the president said in an interview with Russian media conducted on Wednesday and broadcast Sunday by the public Rossiya 24.

kmm/rc (dpa, Reuters)

Russian women form Valentine's Day chains to protest crackdown

Issued on: 14/02/2021 - 

The opposition is trying different kinds of activism following a government crackdown 
Olga MALTSEVA AFP

Moscow (AFP)

Several hundred women formed human chains in Moscow and Saint Petersburg Sunday, using Valentine's Day to express support for the wife of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and political prisoners.

Around 300 women gathered on Arbat Street in Moscow's historic city centre holding a long white ribbon in temperatures of minus 13 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit).

The gathering came after authorities last week sentenced Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic, to nearly three years in prison and unleashed a crackdown on his supporters.

Female activists said they wanted to express solidarity with Navalny's wife Yulia and other women who have become victims of the crackdown.

"By forming a chain we want to show that we are for love and against violence," Darya Obraztsova, a 22-year-old student, told AFP in Moscow.

"Very brave and nice young women have gathered here," she said, adding she wanted "freedom and justice" for Russia.

In the second city Saint Petersburg, some 100 women formed a similar chain near a monument to victims of political repression.

Some clutched flowers, while others recited poems by Anna Akhmatova, one of Russia's most beloved poets.

"Only love can win over evil," 25-year-old Valeriya Stepanova told AFP in Saint Petersburg.

- 'Love stronger than fear' -

The new form of opposition rallies is similar to human chains formed by female activists in neighbouring Belarus.

Navalny was arrested and jailed upon returning to Russia last month following treatment in Germany for a nerve agent poisoning.

His jailing sparked widespread protests across Russia that have seen at least 10,000 people detained.

After the crackdown Navalny's team postponed mass rallies until the spring or summer, but urged supporters to use Valentine's Day to try out new -- and safer -- forms of protest.

Navalny's right-hand man Leonid Volkov has called on Russians to stage courtyard protests on Sunday evening, lighting their phone flashlights for 15 minutes and posting pictures of the gatherings on social media.

Navalny's team released pictures and video of small-scale gatherings that took place in eastern Russia and Siberia earlier Sunday, with Russians lighting flashlights, sparklers and small lanterns.

"Love is stronger than fear," said an electronic ticker tape on a residential high-rise in the Siberian city of Tomsk, according to a video released by Navalny's team.

Officials have accused the opposition of acting on orders from NATO and warned that anyone violating the law would be punished.

"We will not play cat and mouse with anyone," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

© 2021 AFP

Guinea faces Ebola 'epidemic', health chief says


Issued on: 14/02/2021 -

Liberian President George Weah put the country's health authorities on heightened alert Pascal GUYOT AFP/File

Conakry (AFP)

A top Guinea health official said Sunday that the country has plunged into an Ebola "epidemic situation" with seven cases confirmed in the West African nation, including three deaths.

"Very early this morning, the Conakry laboratory confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus," Sakoba Keita said after an emergency meeting in the capital.

Health Minister Remy Lamah had earlier spoken of four deaths. It was not immediately clear why the new toll was lower.

The cases marked the first known resurgence of Ebola in West Africa since a 2013-2016 epidemic that began in Guinea and killed more than 11,300 people across the region.

The virus was first identified in 1976 in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

A World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Conakry said the agency would send help quickly.

Keita, head of the National Agency for Health Security, said one person had died in late January in Gouecke, southeastern Guinea, near the Liberian border.

The victim was buried on February 1 "and some people who took part in this funeral began to have symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, bleeding and fever a few days later," he said.

Samples tested by a laboratory set up by the European Union in Gueckedou, located in the same region, revealed the presence of the Ebola virus in some of them on Friday, said Keita.

He added that with a total of seven cases and three deaths, Guinea was now in an "Ebola epidemic situation."

- WHO on 'full alert' -

WHO representative Alfred George Ki-Zerbo told a press briefing: "We are going to rapidly deploy crucial assets to help Guinea, which already has considerable experience" treating the disease.

"The arsenal is stronger now and we will take advantage of that to contain this situation as fast as possible.

"The WHO is on full alert and is in contact with the manufacturer (of a vaccine) to ensure the necessary doses are made available as quickly as possible to help fight back," he added.

The WHO has eyed each new Ebola outbreak since 2016 with great concern, treating the most recent one in the DR Congo as an international health emergency.

In Guinea's neighbour Liberia, President George Weah put the country's health authorities on heightened alert Sunday.

Weah "has mandated the Liberian health authorities and related stakeholders in the sector to heighten the country's surveillance and preventative activities," his office said in a statement.

No cases of Ebola had been detected in Liberia so far however, it added.

"The president's instruction is intended to ensure Liberia acts proactively to avoid any epidemic situation, the kind Liberia witnessed in 2014."

Weah also told health authorities "to immediately engage communities in towns and villages bordering Guinea and increase anti-Ebola measures," the statement said.

DR Congo has faced several outbreak of the illness, with the WHO on Thursday confirming a resurgence three months after authorities declared the end of the country's latest outbreak.

The country had declared the six-month epidemic over in November. It was the country's eleventh Ebola outbreak, claiming 55 lives out of 130 cases.

The widespread use of vaccinations, which were administered to more than 40,000 people, helped curb the disease there, however.

The 2013-2016 outbreak sped up the development of a vaccine against Ebola, with a global emergency stockpile of 500,000 doses planned to respond quickly to future outbreaks, the vaccine alliance Gavi said in January.

© 2021 AFP

#SPACERACE2.0

UAE's 'Hope' probe sends home first image of Mars

Issued on: 14/02/2021 -

A handout picture provided by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) taken by the Emirates eXploration Imager (EXI) on board the "Hope" probe - United Arab Emirates Space Agency/AFP

Dubai (AFP)

The UAE's "Hope" probe sent back its first image of Mars, the national space agency said Sunday, days after the spacecraft successfully entered the Red Planet's orbit.

The picture "captured the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, emerging into the early morning sunlight," it said in a statement.

The image was taken from an altitude of 24,700 kilometres (15,300 miles) above the Martian surface on Wednesday, a day after the probe entered Mars' orbit, it said in a statement.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE prime minister and Dubai's ruler, shared the coloured image on Twitter.

"The first picture of Mars captured by the first-ever Arab probe in history," he wrote.

The mission is designed to reveal the secrets of Martian weather, but the UAE also wants it to serve as an inspiration for the region's youth.

Hope became the first of three spacecraft to arrive at the Red Planet this month after China and the US also launched missions in July, taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest.

The UAE's venture is also timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the unification of the nation's seven emirates.

"Hope" will orbit the Red Planet for at least one Martian year, or 687 days, using three scientific instruments to monitor the Martian atmosphere.

It is expected to begin transmitting more information back to Earth in September 2021, with the data available for scientists around the world to study.

© 2021