GlaxoSmithKline is seeking approval for the world’s first malaria vaccine.
Testing of the drug with African children showed it cut the number of malaria cases. The trial showed an approximate 25% decrease in cases among infants. Tests also showed that 18 months after vaccination, children up to age 5 had a 46% reduction in infections.
Worldwide, a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. It is the leading cause of illness and death in the world. At least 800,000 people every year die from the mosquito-borne parasite.
“Malaria is not just one of the world’s biggest killers of children, it also burdens health systems, hinders children’s development and puts a brake on economic growth. An effective malaria vaccine would have an enormous impact on the developing world,” UK International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone told the BBC. “We welcome the scientific progress made by this research and look forward to seeing the full results in due course.”
A report in the Independent newspaper in London shows that the British government authorized the export of two chemicals that can create Sarin gas to be sold and shipped to Syria last year.
Business Secretary Vince Cable is now facing an inquiry by British members of parliament about the sale and approval. Continue reading →
The National Farmer’s Union of Great Britain says the country’s wheat harvest could be over 30% smaller than last year due to the extreme weather that has battered the country since last fall.
Flooding, severe rain and snow has caused significant damage to crops. A figure released in April showed that the area planted with winter wheat was already ¼ lower than the previous year. Continue reading →
London police have announced the arrest of another man in connection with the terrorist murder of a British soldier on a London street. The 22-year-old man makes the total number of men being held in the terror attack to six. Continue reading →
As the shock begins to wear off from the murder of a British soldier on a London street by Islamic terrorists, British counter terror officials have arrested two more people for suspected connections to the killing. Continue reading →
Two Islamic terrorists almost beheaded an off-duty British soldier on a London street and demanded witnesses record the attack on their cell phones.
The UK’s Counter Terrorism Command is heading up the investigation of the murder. Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters in France where he had been meeting with French President Francois Hollande that the UK will “never buckle” in the face of terror. Continue reading →
Four men who plotted to blow up a British Army base by placing a bomb inside a toy car have been jailed after pleading guilty to the plot.
Zahid Iqbal, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, Umar Arshad and Syed Farhan Hussain all will be spending at least five years behind bars for their roles in the conspiracy. Iqbal and Ahmed were sentenced to 16 years, 11 in jail, after the judge called them a “continuing risk” to the public. Continue reading →
Britain’s chief medical officer is warning that the world could find itself “in a health system not dissimilar to the early 19th century at some point” as more bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
Dame Sally Davies is calling for urgent action not only in the UK but around the world. She reported a worldwide increase in e coli and klebsiella, which causes pneumonia. Continue reading →
The summer of unusually wet weather has created a large impact on British crops that is going to lead to heavy increases in food prices.
The National Farmers Union announced that wheat yields in the country are down almost 15% lower than the country’s five-year average. The British Retail Consortium said that food prices, already high due to the drought in the U.S. and a heatwave in Russia, which lowered corn and wheat production. Continue reading →
The recession in the UK officially deepened after reports of the country’s gross national product falling .7% between April and June. The fall was more than double the .3% drop in the first three months of 2012.
The fall marks the fourth negative quarter in five quarters for the UK with the latest the worst of the four declines. It’s the largest fall in GDP growth since a 1.6% fall in the first quarter of 2009. Continue reading →
