News in Brief
'Major milestone' in Polio battle
Independent.co.uk
A “major milestone” in the global eradication of polio has been reached, according to the US Centres for Diseases. Its experts think a second of the three forms of poliovirus has been eliminated after mass vaccination campaigns. Wild poliovirus type 3 has not been found for more than two years, while type 2 was eradicated in 1999. Type 1 polio remains endemic in three countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
Tsunami alert sparks panic in Indonesia
Afp, Kota Ternate
A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia yesterday, sparking a tsunami warning and causing panicked people to flee their homes. Small waves generated by the undersea quake were detected in several parts of the sprawling archipelago, local authorities said, although there were no reports of casualties or major damage and the tsunami warning was lifted after a short while.
Algerian president Bouteflika 'hospitalised
Afp, Grenoble
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 77, who has been plagued by ill health since suffering a "mini-stroke" last year, has again been hospitalised in France. The clinic in the southern city of Grenoble did not offer a reason for the hospitalisation.
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