News

The UAE president traveled with a senior delegation covering foreign affairs, trade, industry, defence, national security and advanced technology. It includes Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Al Jaber. Foreign Trade Minister Thani Al Zeyoudi and Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh are also part of the delegation. Several presidential advisers and other senior UAE officials accompanied Sheikh Mohamed to Berlin.

Health

The World Health Organization has urged a wider Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as transmission continues across several provinces. Congo had recorded 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths by Sept. 1, according to the latest government figures. The outbreak has affected 60 health zones in six provinces. Authorities have also recorded 1,439 recoveries, while the case fatality rate stands at 48.6%.

The European Commission has expanded its Ebola response with a €2.1 million purchase of PCR tests for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. The agreement covers open-platform tests that laboratories can use with existing systems. Shipments are due to start in August as health teams confront a large outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and affecting parts of the wider region.

Australian researchers from Adelaide University and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute have identified a novel molecular switch that drives the spread of aggressive tumors. Published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, the breakthrough study reveals that Australian researchers uncover a promising new way to tackle triple-negative breast cancer by restoring a critical regulatory molecule known as miR-342. The discovery opens new avenues to prevent life-threatening secondary cancers in organs such as the lungs and bones.

The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved the release after the government requested doses from the global Ebola stockpile. WHO said 20,000 doses will support a Phase 3 clinical trial focused on Bundibugyo virus disease. The other 50,000 doses will go to frontline and health workers under current vaccination recommendations. WHO and Africa CDC welcomed the allocation, which officials announced on Aug. 20.