BBC News with Marion Marshall.
Researchers developing a vaccine against malaria have published results showing a high success rates so far. The scientists at an American biotech company irradiated mosquitoes to weaken the malaria causing parasites they carry. The enfeebled parasites were then injected into humans to trigger an immune response. Naomi Grimley reports.
“Scientists have known for a while that if a human is bitten by malaria carrying mosquitoes which have been weakened by radiation. That person might build up immunity, but it might take as many as a thousand bites to make that happen. Now an American biotech company in Maryland has built on that knowledge. Researchers irradiated mosquitoes extracted the malaria causing parasites and injected them into volunteers, 12 out of the 15 who'd been given the highest dose, then developed immunity.”
The electoral commission in Zimbabwe has, for the first time, admitted that substantial numbers of voters were turned away from polling stations in last week's elections. It said that more than 300,000 people were prevented from voting and further 200,000 might be influenced in their choice of candidate. But the commission said the mistakes were not enough to prevent victory for President Robert Mugabe. A leading member of the opposition MDC, Tendai Biti, told the BBC that Zimbabweans felt deeply dejected because so many of them have made extraordinary efforts to vote only to be cheated.
“People enlisted en route in just casting their votes, nearly on thousands came from the X people X that things in order to the exist the right to vote. So when they've been taken away from the election like this, there is a problem.”
The United Nations says Colombia has seen a strong reduction in coca plants. The UN office on drugs said the land planted with coca bushes had dropped by a quarter between 2011 and 2012 and was now at its lowest in a decade. Analysts say the fall in coca production suggests illegal groups, which often financed themselves through drug trafficking, may be increasing moving into illegal gold and emerald mining.
A suicide bomb attack, at a funeral of a policeman in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, has killed at least 29 people and wounded more than 50 others. Charles Haviland reports from Islamabad.
“Heavy security in Quetta believed to be the dwelling place of the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar was not enough to prevent the suicide bomber striking at a policeman's funeral. The provincial police chief for Balochistan told journalists that most of those who died were police officers, 21 of them have been identified, they included his colleague, the head of the police operations for the city of Quetta. The blast was captured live on television cameras as the event was being broadcast. An officer said police spotted the suicide bomber and began searching him while upon he blew himself up.”
World News from the BBC
The US State Department has announced that the direct peace talks between Israel and Palestinians will take place in Jerusalem next Wednesday to be followed by a meeting in the West Bank town of Jericho. The negotiations, the first between the two sides for nearly three years were launched with great fanfare by the US Secretary of State John Kerry at a dinner in Washington ten days ago.
A military judge in Texas has ruled that an army psychiatrist who's on trial for a shooting rampage four years ago can continue to represent himself. Major Nidal Hasan has admitted killing 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. He is a Muslim and said he attacked fellow soldiers to stop them being deployed to fight Taliban in Afghanistan. Rajini Vaidyanathan reports.
“Major Hasan admitted he killed 13 soldiers and injured more than 30 others at the army base in Fort Hood, Texas where he was serving. Major Hasan has tried to plead guilty, but under a military law, a not guilty plea is required for death penalty cases. Even though he wanted to represent himself, he's been assigned court lawyers, they had asked to be removed from the case arguing that the Major Hasan wants the death penalty and isn't listening to their legal advice when he comes to defense.”
Hundreds of Ethiopian Muslims have been demonstrating in the capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country against, what they're calling, government interference in religious affairs. Commemorating the festival of Eid, they've also appealed for the release of 28 religious leaders who have been arrested over the past year.
Pope Francis has intensified the fight against corruption in the Vatican by strengthening the supervision of financial transactions at its internal bank. The Pope issued a decree designed to combat money laundering and prevent any financing of terrorism. It's the latest in a series of moves by the Pope to stamp out abuses of the Vatican Bank which handles funds for the Roman Catholic Church.