SARS-CoV-2: WHO-China report dismisses lab-origin hypothesis as being ‘extremely unlikely’
This article has been updated. Latest update: 2/5/2021. The report of the ‘Joint WHO-China Study’ of the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 holds no surprises. Its main messages – that a lab origin […]
MH370: seven years on, next of kin call for the search to resume
It’s been seven years since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board and the next of kin say they are no closer to knowing what happened to the plane […]
Jaipur Literature Festival engages online audiences with a stellar line-up of speakers from around the world
Conversations from JLF 2021, Part 1 This year’s virtual Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) had none of the vibrant hustle and bustle of the previous on-site editions, but, over ten days, there were more […]
Freedom in the forest: ten Bornean orangutans are released into the wild
The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) has released ten rehabilitated orangutans into the wild. They are the first releases the BOSF has been able to carry out since the Covid-19 pandemic began. […]
Digital Diggi: Jaipur festival transforms into a virtual extravaganza of literature, performance, and debate
The on-site Jaipur Literature Festival had to be cancelled this year because of Covid-19, but the 14th JLF is going ahead online from today (Friday) until February 28, with a stellar virtual […]
Covid-19: as millions are vaccinated, adverse effects and virus variants cause concern
This article has been updated. Latest update 8/5/2021. The Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford, and Moderna vaccines are being administered under emergency use authorisations in the UK. The FDA in the US issued emergency use authorisations […]
Nóra Quoirin’s parents seek high court revision of inquest verdict
This is an expanded version of my article in The Irish Times. Update: the application for revision of the verdict was filed on February 5. The parents of Franco-Irish teenager Nóra Quoirin […]
World’s rarest great ape species ‘in more trouble than previously thought’
The world’s rarest and most threatened great ape species, the Tapanuli orangutan, is in greater danger of becoming extinct than conservationists feared, a group of researchers warn in a new report. The […]
Nóra Quoirin’s family ‘utterly disappointed’ by Malaysian coroner’s verdict
Malaysian coroner Maimoonah Aid has ruled that no third party was involved in the death of Franco-Irish teenager Nóra Quoirin. She said it was “more probable than not” that Nóra died by […]
Covid-19: new report says cognitive dysfunction strikes long haulers in all age groups
Ths is a rejigged and updated version of an earlier article. Latest update 9/1/2021. Cognitive dysfunction and memory loss affect young Long Covid sufferers as much as those aged seventy and above, […]
Covid-19: vaccine race front runners rush to obtain emergency use authorisations
This is a rejigged and updated version of an earlier article. Latest update: 29/1/2021. The FDA in the US has issued emergency use authorisations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNTech […]
Covid-19: as companies vaunt vaccine trial results, concerns mount over fast tracking
This article has been updated. Latest update: 11/12/2020. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is now being given to members of the public in the UK under emergency use authorisation. The elderly are being prioritised. […]
Nóra Quoirin’s parents give evidence at the inquest into the teenager’s death in Malaysia
Nóra’s parents said they heard muffled sounds in their chalet the night Nóra disappeared. Sebastien Quoirin said Nóra lacked the stamina and skills to survive alone in the jungle for seven days. […]
Covid-19: concerns increase over fast tracking as SARS-CoV-2 vaccine race accelerates (audio digest)
Covid-19: concerns increase over fast tracking as SARS-CoV-2 vaccine race accelerates
This is a rejigged and updated version of an earlier article. Audio digest of this article (not updated). See article for the latest announcements by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and the developers of […]
SARS-CoV-2: lab-origin hypothesis gains traction (audio digest)
The audio digest of ‘SARS-CoV-2: lab-origin hypothesis gains traction’ is now online:
SARS-CoV-2: lab-origin hypothesis gains traction
This article has been updated. Latest update 29/3/2021 Audio digest (before updates): French translation (before updates) @ France Soir. Researchers say there’s evidence within the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that suggests the virus […]
Covid-19 long haulers call for urgent action to address persistent health problems
This article has been updated. The health problems faced by Long Covid sufferers need to be addressed urgently, say six women in Britain who have just published an open letter drawing attention […]
Covid-19: concerns mount over fast tracking as SARS-CoV-2 vaccine race accelerates
This article has been updated with the news that AstraZeneca has resumed trials of AZD1222 and with information about the pausing of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine trial. A rejigged, updated version of […]
Conservationists organise online hangouts to mark International Orangutan Day
Conservationists around the world are today (Wednesday) joining forces to mark International Orangutan Day and raise awareness about the critically endangered primate whose DNA is 97 percent the same as humans. The […]
