Use Ebola survivors' blood - WHO

EBOLA review

The blood of patients who recover from Ebola should be used to treat others, the World Health Organization has announced. West Africa is facing the largest Ebola outbreak in history and more than 2,000 people have died. A global group of experts have been meeting to assess the experimental therapies that could contain Ebola. The WHO also announced that Ebola vaccines could be used on the frontline by November.

People produce antibodies in the blood in an attempt to fight off an Ebola infection. In theory, those antibodies can be transferred from a survivor into a sick patient to give their immune system a boost. However, large scale data on the effectiveness of the therapy is lacking.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Cambio valuta di oggi 05 Settembre 2014

Cambi valute

Baht tailandese                41.536   -0.39      05-09-2014

Brasilian Real     2.9079   -0.33      05-09-2014

Corona ceca       27.596   -0.24      05-09-2014

Corona danese 7.4455   -0.02      05-09-2014

Corona norvegese          8.137     0.24       05-09-2014

Corona svedese              9.1813   0.27       05-09-2014

Dollaro australiano         1.3826   -0.73      05-09-2014

Dollaro canadese            1.4085   -0.53      05-09-2014

Dollaro di Hong Kong     10.035   -0.52      05-09-2014

Dollaro di Singapore       1.6252   -0.33      05-09-2014

Dollaro neozelandese   1.5613   -0.33      05-09-2014

Dollaro USA       1.2948   -0.51      05-09-2014

Fiorino ungherese          314.16   0.55       05-09-2014

Franco svizzero                1.2064   0.07       05-09-2014

Kuna croata       7.6263   0.08       05-09-2014

Lev bulgaro        1.9558   0.00       05-09-2014

Lira sterlina        0.7946   0.17       05-09-2014

Litas lituano       3.4528   0.00       05-09-2014

Mexican peso   17.0195                -0.02      05-09-2014

Nuova lira turca               2.8072   0.09       05-09-2014

Nuovo leu romeno         4.4024   0.02       05-09-2014

Peso filippino    56.508   -0.37      05-09-2014

Rand sudafricano            13.9042                0.18       05-09-2014

Ringgit malese  4.1207   -0.29      05-09-2014

Rublo russo        47.834   -0.77      05-09-2014

Rupia Indiana    78.2141                -0.26      05-09-2014

Rupia indonesiana          15224.6699         -0.63      05-09-2014

Sheqel israeliano             4.6705   0.10       05-09-2014

Won sudcoreano            1327.73                0.16       05-09-2014

Yen        136.27   -0.45      05-09-2014

Yuan cinese       7.9515   -0.48      05-09-2014

Zloty polacco     4.1932   0.19       05-09-2014

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Nato rafforza l'est con 5 basi

La NATO e l'EST
Il vertice della Nato ha approvato il nuovo piano di risposta dell'Alleanza (Rap) che include le spearhead, una forza di intervento immediato che avrà cinque basi-deposito nei paesi baltici, Polonia e Romania e che sarà "molto reattiva" e "avrà una presenza continua" nell'est europeo. Lo ha annunciato il segretario Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News (via ANSA AP)

UN Ambassador: Russia is trying to Create 'Ukrainian Transdnestr'

Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine's ambassador to the UN has accused Russia of handing out passports in eastern Ukraine — replaying a tactic it has used in the past to shape frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova to its own advantage.

The appearance of self-proclaimed states run by Moscow loyalists in eastern and southern Ukrainian regions — akin to Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Moldova's Transdnestr secessionist movements — could also provide Moscow with a land connection to Crimea, supposedly easing the financial burden of maintaining the peninsula it annexed this spring, while giving Russia leverage over the Kiev government.

"We are seeing the same thing we observed in [South] Ossetia, in Abkhazia," or in Transdnestr, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations Yuriy Sergeyev said Thursday in an interview with The Moscow Times.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Russia Tightens Screws on Ukraine With Candy Import Ban

Candy and sanctions for Russia

Russia’s consumer rights agency on Friday banned all imports of Ukrainian confectionery, signaling that the country has no plans to stop using trade as a weapon against countries that align themselves against Moscow.

The watchdog said in an online statement it had implemented a blanket ban after finding discrepancies in the labeling of products made by two major Ukrainian candy firms, Konti and AVK.

The move adds candy to a long list of Ukrainian goods banned by Russia, which includes all dairy products, all juices, and certain types of beer. The measures have been perceived by many as a thinly-veiled response to Ukraine's attempts to strengthen its ties with the EU at the expense of its links with Moscow. Other former Soviet republics like Moldova and Georgia have come in for the same treatment in recent years.

Last month, Russia banned food imports worth an annual $9 billion from countries that have sanctioned Moscow over its role in Ukraine, including the U.S. and the EU. The West accuses Russia of assisting separatists in fighting in eastern Ukraine. The latest decision is likely to hit the Ukrainian sweet industry hard at a time when the country’s economy is in free fall. Konti and AVK are two of the country's biggest confectioners and Russia is their biggest market.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

IS Leader's top aide killed in Iraq airstrike

Lider killed

A senior aide of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has reportedly been killed in an airstrike in Iraq.

"Iraqi warplanes carried out a security operation today, resulting in the killing of ... Abu Hajar al-Suri," General Babaker Zebari said.

The attacks in Nineveh province were "based on accurate intelligence information" and the target was destroyed, the army officer added. Suri's death has not been independently confirmed, which could be difficult as the strikes were in an area, between the second city of Mosul and Tal Afar, outside government control.

Two other senior members of the jihadist movement were also killed - an explosives operative and the military leader of Tal Afar - according to reports. IS-led militants launched a major offensive in June, taking over Mosul and then sweeping through much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland in the north.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

BREAKING NEWS - BREAKING NEWS

Ukraine And Pro-Russian Rebels Agree Ceasefire

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko confirmed on his Twitter account that a peace plan had been signed, while pro-Russian rebels also announced the news on the social media site.

Russia's Agriculture Ministry Considers Ban on Grain Export

Russia's agricolture

Russia's Agriculture Ministry has proposed restricting grain exports in the 2014/2015 season as a possible way of balancing the domestic market, Arkady Zlochevsky, head of Russia's Grain Union, said.

Citing a letter from the ministry to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Zlochevsky said the move would unsettle consumers. Russia shocked grain markets with a one-year export ban in 2010 when drought ravaged that year's harvest. The move was a catalyst for a surge in grain prices and political instability in the import-dependent Middle East and North Africa region.

"Even the consideration of a question like this does harm," Zlochevsky said. "There should be no discussion of a ban because it frightens our buyers." 

The authenticity of the letter could not be confirmed.The Agriculture Ministry declined to comment. The government was not available for immediate comment.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Russia Plans New Fines That Could Bankrupt Mass Media

Russia new fines

Media outlets that are deemed to promote extremism, violence, terrorism or pornography could soon be hit with heavy fines in line with a draft bill that journalists fear may bankrupt many Russian publications.

The bill, which was penned by the Communications and Mass Media Ministry, would see media outlets fined between 400,000 rubles ($11,000) to 1 million rubles ($27,000) for breaching regulations over content. The draft was posted online Thursday for public discussion, and Russian citizens will be able to contribute their opinions up until Sept. 19.

While media outlets are already prohibited from promoting the above vices, the government has yet to determine punishment for the transgressions. However, it is allowed to blacklist without a court order websites that promote suicide, child porn, illegal drugs, extremism, terrorism and breach of public order.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Legality of Scotland’s independence referendum

Scottish referendum

Scotland’s independence referendum has sparked debate about similar movements across Europe. In this edition of U-talk Adèle from Paris asks: “Does Scotland have the right to become independent? And what is the legal status of the referendum that Scotland is to hold?”

The response is from Nathalie Duclos, Senior Lecturer in British Studies at the University of Toulouse II in France: “In a nutshell, Scotland has absolutely the right to become independent for two reasons. First London has always recognised, either implicitly or even recently very explicitly, the right of Scotland to self-determination.  “Why is that? Because the UK perceives itself as a voluntary union of nations. And no nation can be maintained in the union against its will. The second reason is that London has recognised the legitimacy of Scotland to hold a referendum since the Scots voted at an absolute majority for the SNP – the main independence party – in 2011.

“The question raised by Adèle is about the legality of the referendum. This question was settled by London and Edinburgh in October 2012. In October 2012, London and Edinburgh signed an agreement called the ‘Edinburgh Agreement’ which addressed this issue. This agreement transferred the legal competence to hold a referendum from London to Edinburgh.

Rottterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Ceasefire in Ukraine agreed

Ceasefire in Ukraine

The Ukrainian government has signed a ceasefire agreement with pro-Russian rebels who have been fighting in the east of the country. The deal was brokered on Friday at talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk and has been confirmed by the Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko.

The European security organisation, the OSCE, also confirmed the deal, which is due to come into force at 18.00 local time in Ukraine, 17.00 CEST. Reuters reported that a source close to the talks said it would include a prisoner exchange and that all armed forces in the region would remain in their current positions. The ceasefire must be observed by the separatists too and be monitored by international OSCE observers, Poroshenko said in a statement published on his website.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Descubierto en la Patagonia argentina el esqueleto de un enorme dinosaurio

Dinosaurio

Un equipo de científicos ha descubierto en Argentina los restos de un enorme dinosaurio que llegaría a medir a medir 26 metros de largo y eso que estaba aún en fase de crecimiento. Los investigadores –liderados por el paleontólogo de la Universidad Drexel de Filadelfia Kenneth J. Lacovara– han bautizado al ejemplar como Dreadnoughtus, palabra que proviene etimológicamente de la frase en inglés dread nothing: que no le teme a nada. El dinosaurio, cuyos restos fueron hallados en la Patagonia, mediría casi 10 de alto y pesaría 60 toneladas cuando murió.

Según las conclusiones publicadas este jueves en la revista Scientific Reports, el Dreadnoughtus vivió hace entre 66 y 84 millones de años atrás. Pertenecía al grupo de los dinosaurios saurópodos, conocidos como titanosaurios. La mayoría de estos gigantescos animales, según explica el informe, se conocían hasta ahora a partir de unos pocos restos encontrados. El pasado mes de mayo, sin ir más lejos, se presentaron en el sur de Argentina los resultados de otro estudio basado en unos restos encontrados también en la Patagonia, entre los que se contaba un enorme fémur de 2,40 metros, perteneciente al que consideran el mayor dinosaurio encontrado hasta ahora en el mundo. El Dreadnoughtus pertenece a su misma especie herbívora.

Sono stati scoperti in Argentina i resti, quasi completi, del più grande dinosauro che sia mai esistito sulla Terra. Si tratta di una nuova specie molto massiccia ed avendo ritrovato il 70% dello scheletro, i ricercatori sono riusciti per la prima volta, a misurarlo con grande precisione. Dreadnoughtus schrani, così è stato battezzato, era alto 26 metri e pesava 65 tonnellate. La scoperta, pubblicata su Scientific Reports, è opera di un gruppo internazionale di ricerca coordinato da Kenneth Lacovara dell’università americana di Drexel a Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. 
Il nuovo dinosauro apparteneva ad un gruppo di grandi mangiatori di piante conosciuto come titanosauri. "I titanosauri sono un notevole gruppo di dinosauri, con specie che vanno dal peso di una mucca al peso di un capodoglio o anche più., Ma i più grandi titanosauri sono rimasti un mistero, perché, in quasi tutti i casi, i loro fossili sono molto incompleti, "ha detto Matthew Lamanna coautore dello studio. Sono stati ritrovati più di 100 elementi dello scheletro tra cui il femore lungo oltre 6 metri ed un omero che hanno dato le maggiori indicazioni per calcolarne le dimensioni. 
Di questo esemplare sono tornati alla luce anche la maggior parte delle vertebre della coda lunga 9 metri, una vertebra dl collo del diametro di oltre un metro, una scapola, numerose costole, dita dei piedi, un artiglio e una piccola sezione della mascella con un solo dente. Nello stesso sito è stato ritrovato anche un esemplare più piccolo della stessa specie ma con uno scheletro incompleto. "Dreadnoughtus era incredibilmente enorme e pesava quanto una dozzina di elefanti o più di sette T. rex", ha detto Lacovara "analisi sullo scheletro ci hanno indicato poi che quando questo esemplare è morto, non era ancora pienamente cresciuto”. Si tratta, secondo il ricercatore, “del miglior ritrovamento di qualsiasi creatura gigante che abbia mia camminato sul nostro pianeta”. 

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News (via ElPais and ANSA AP)

Russia's Ebola Vaccine Ready for Use, Health Minister Says

Ebola vaccine

Russia's experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus successfully passed pre-clinical trials and is ready for use, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova announced on Friday. Skvortsova said the ministry was waiting for the vaccine to be certified, "though in principle we are ready to use it now, just as the Americans are using their [vaccine,]" TASS reported.

The Russian team responsible for researching the deadly virus to create the vaccine includes employees of the Ivanov Institute under the Russian Health Ministry and an employee from Russia's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, Skvortsova said in a separate report in late August. Africa has seen its worst Ebola outbreak in history this year, prompting fears that the virus could spread to mainland Europe for the first time. Fatalities from the virus have been recorded in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, the BBC reports.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

BREAKING NEWS - BREAKING NEWS - Ucraina: siglato accordo cessate fuoco Dalle 18 di oggi.

Firmato a Minsk il protocollo per il cessate il fuoco dalle 18 di oggi. Lo riferiscono media russi e ucraini. Tra i 14 punti del documento siglato in Bielorussia per la cessazione delle ostilità in Ucraina orientale figurano - secondo i media locali - il controllo internazionale del cessate il fuoco e lo scambio dei prigionieri.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News (via ANSA AP)

America goes hungry as fast food workers strike for better pay

USA and McDonald's

Popping out for a quick bite to eat in America was a problem on Thursday as fast food workers in more than 150 cities went on strike for better pay and working conditions. Pressure over pay is mounting on legislators and employers with the economy rebounding. The Democrats want to use low wages as an issue to boost their midterm elections chances, and President Barack Obama has called on Congress to raise Federal salaries. Cities around America are also raising wages for their public service employees. “We’re asking for and we’re demanding15 dollars per hour. We’re not asking for so much, we’re just asking for, about, so much so we can be able to live and survive in New York,” said Michael Gonzalez. The world’s number one fast food chain pays him the equivalent of 6.18 euros an hour. “I’m here for a better salary, a better life, because I want to advance in life. the minimum wage doesn’t allow you to progress. We’re always in the same situation, and one wants to improve their and their family’s lives,” said Jame Izquierdo, who gets by on the same money.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News

Napoli, non si ferma ad alt, ragazzo 17 anni ucciso da Cc

Carabiniere uccide un ragazzo in fuga

Un'auto della Polizia è stata completamente distrutta e un'altra danneggiata dopo la morte di un ragazzo di 17 anni che la scorsa notte, a Napoli, è stato ucciso da un carabiniere durante un inseguimento. Secondo quanto si è appreso ci sono state dure proteste da parte della gente durante le quali sono state distrutte anche le due auto. 
Non si sono fermati all'alt dei carabinieri e, durante la fuga, uno dei fuggitivi, un ragazzo di 17 anni, è stato ucciso da un carabiniere che, secondo la ricostruzione degli stessi militari, ha sparato in maniera accidentale un colpo con la pistola di ordinanza. É successo la scorsa notte nel quartiere Traiano di Napoli.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News (via ANSA AP)

Nato unita contro Isis. Ma Ue esita su sanzioni Russia

Allenaza unita
Gli europei oggi continueranno a preparare il giro di vite sulle sanzioni della 'fase 3' contro Mosca. Washington le vuole coordinate con Bruxelles. Per la Nato vararle subito sarebbe il miglior modo di convincere Mosca. Ma gli europei, che da sempre puntano al "dialogo", vogliono prima verificare se per la prima volta dall'inizio della crisi le parole si trasformassero in fatti. Gli americani, sostenuti da Londra e spinti da baltici e nordici, sono invece convinti che solo un aumento della pressione può convincere Mosca a fermare i carri armati e smettere di giocare con la propaganda.
A dividere, il colpo di scena dell'annuncio che oggi Kiev e separatisti potrebbero firmare a Kiev l'accordo per il cessate-il-fuoco. A unire invece è l'orrore della jihad.

Rotterdam, 05/09/2014-INC News (via ANSA AP)