Blog

  • ‘The Long Walk’ Cast And Characters: Who Plays Who?

    ‘The Long Walk’ Cast And Characters: Who Plays Who?

    The Long Walk, adapted from Stephen King’s earliest written novel and sixth published, fits into the dystopian films like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, and the book came out before those series did, reflecting on the United States post Vietnam.

    The titular contest presents a simple task: walk above a pace of 3.1 miles per hour or die. The winner gets a big cash prize and one wish granted. As The Major touts, the competition will make America number one in the world economically once more. 50 young men sign up for the competition, but only one can win — the last one who survives the over 300-mile stretch.

    RELATED: ‘The Long Walk’ Review: Stephen King Adaptation Is Distinctly Dystopian And Disturbingly Prescient

    Meet the brave young men who volunteered for the dark event and see where you may recognize the actors from below:

    Continue Reading

  • PhantomCall unmasked: An Antidot variant disguised as fake Chrome apps in a global banking malware campaign

    PhantomCall unmasked: An Antidot variant disguised as fake Chrome apps in a global banking malware campaign

    IBM Trusteer Labs has uncovered a sophisticated Antidot malware campaign, dubbed PhantomCall, that targets users of major financial institutions across the globe. First observed in April, PhantomCall’s campaign has demonstrated aggressive distribution patterns, with widespread attacks spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. In Southern Europe, the campaign has primarily focused on Spain and Italy, with additional activity observed in France. In North America, targets include users of well-known financial organizations in both the United States and Canada. The Middle East has seen a concentrated wave of attacks, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, while in Asia, India has emerged as a notable target. Among all affected regions, Spain and the UAE stand out as the top two most targeted countries. The UAE experienced a surge in attacks during late June and throughout July, while Spain has faced consistently high attack volumes, with a marked increase beginning in mid-August.

    The investigation revealed that the campaign uses fake Chrome apps to deceive victims into installing the malicious application. These apps act as droppers, allowing the malware to bypass Android’s accessibility service restrictions that were introduced in version 13, which limit installations from sources outside Google Play.

    PhantomCall also enables attackers to initiate fraudulent activity by silently sending USSD codes to redirect calls, while abusing Android’s CallScreeningService to block legitimate incoming calls, effectively isolating victims and enabling impersonation. These capabilities play a critical role in orchestrating high-impact financial fraud by cutting off victims from real communication channels and enabling attackers to act on their behalf without raising suspicion.

    Continue Reading

  • Veer Chotrani, Tanvi Khanna clinch PSA Challenger titles

    Veer Chotrani, Tanvi Khanna clinch PSA Challenger titles

    Top seed Veer Chotrani and Tanvi Khanna clinched the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, at the HCL Squash Indian Tour Mumbai 2025 event at the Otters Club in Mumbai on Friday.

    The 23-year-old Chotrani, world No. 56, outplayed 107th-ranked Wong Chi Him of Hong Kong China 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-7) in the men’s final that lasted 26 minutes.

    The son of two-time national squash champion Manish Chotrani, Veer stormed into the final with a 3-0 win over Hong Kong China’s Tang Ming Hong.

    Chotrani has been in good form this season. At the World Squash Championships 2024–25 in Chicago, he stunned England’s world No. 27 Declan James in the opening round and pushed four-time world champion Ali Farag to the brink, holding game point in the fourth before bowing out 3-1.

    He had earlier sealed his spot at the 2025 World Championships by winning the Asian qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur, alongside Anahat Singh, who skipped the meet in Mumbai.

    The victory in Mumbai added to Veer Chotrani’s PSA collection, which includes a title at the SRFI Indian Tour in Chennai this year.

    Last year, Chotrani secured PSA titles at the White Oaks Cup and MetroWest in the USA. In 2023, Chotrani had bagged three PSA titles, including his maiden win at the MetroWest, the PVD Squash RI Open and the Greenwich Open.

    In the women’s draw, sixth seed and world No. 105 Tanvi Khanna lifted her first title of the season, defeating Egyptian top seed Amina El Rihany (world No. 63) 3-1 (11-9, 11-6, 1-11, 11-8).

    It was the second straight final for the Indian squash player, who finished runner-up at the Jaipur leg of the tour last month.

    Her path to the final was eased after compatriot Akanksha Salunkhe, the second seed and ranked 67th, retired midway in the semi-final. Salunkhe had taken the opening game and was leading in the second when injury forced her withdrawal.

    Squash is all set to make its Olympic debut at LA 2028.

    Continue Reading

  • Got $5,000? 2 Tech Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Long Term

    Got $5,000? 2 Tech Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Long Term

    • Microsoft is positioned to lead the cloud market, as Azure gains market share.

    • Snowflake, with approximately 12,000 customers, currently has around half of them utilizing AI tools on its data cloud platform.

    • 10 stocks we like better than Microsoft ›

    If you have some extra cash you’re looking to commit to a long-term investment plan, there’s never been a better time to start investing. Artificial intelligence (AI) is improving at an exponential rate, and investors stand to profit handsomely from holding the right AI stocks.

    The following companies are leaders in cloud services and data management that could deliver excellent returns.

    Image source: Getty Images.

    Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has been the dominant leader in software for decades, and it has translated that advantage to the cloud services market. Its impressive 39% year-over-year increase in Azure cloud revenue last quarter was faster than competitors, indicating significant market share gains.

    Microsoft is second in market share behind cloud leader Amazon Web Services (AWS), but it’s growing more than twice as fast as AWS. Azure hauled in $75 billion of revenue in fiscal 2025 (ending in June). This indicates that Azure is winning large deals, as businesses increasingly turn to cloud services for building, deploying, and managing AI applications.

    Microsoft’s lucrative software business gushes profits that it can spend on cloud and AI infrastructure. It logged $65 billion in capital expenditures last year, partly to expand its data center footprint across 70 regions worldwide. This puts Microsoft in a great position to provide cloud services globally with high-speed performance and low latency.

    Moreover, the integration of cloud services through Microsfot Office software is also driving solid growth in its flagship software products. Its productivity software business reported revenue of $33 billion last quarter, representing a year-over-year increase of 16%.

    Microsoft has multiple revenue streams from software, cloud, gaming, and advertising that make it a resilient buy-and-hold investment. Analysts expect the company’s earnings to grow at an annualized rate of 12%, which should send the stock to new highs in the coming years.

    Growing AI demand is fueling robust investment in data infrastructure. This is benefiting several data intelligence companies like MongoDB, Datadog, and Databricks, which are reporting strong growth. Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) has been reporting over 30% year-over-year quarterly revenue growth, as it continues to see strong demand for AI-driven tools on its platform.

    Continue Reading

  • Ontario Court of Appeal confirms limitation periods apply to shareholder requests for audited financial statements

    Audited financial statements can be expensive, and for this reason, private companies often do not obtain them. However, all companies have a statutory obligation to provide them, unless the shareholders pass a resolution to exempt the company of this requirement.

    What happens when a corporation fails to provide audited financial statements year after year, without a shareholder resolution exempting the company from the requirement? Can a shareholder demand historical statements indefinitely, or does Ontario’s Limitations Act, 2002 impose a time bar?

    In the recent decision of Lagana v. 2324965 Ontario Inc., 2025 ONCA 607, the Ontario Court of Appeal answered this question, confirming that limitation periods do apply to such requests under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (OBCA). This ruling highlights the importance of timely action for shareholders seeking corporate transparency and serves as a reminder that ongoing statutory obligations do not create perpetual claims.

    The Court dismissed the appeal of minority shareholder Carmelo Lagana, upholding the Divisional Court’s finding that requests for audited financial statements more than two years old were statute-barred. The decision clarifies the interplay between shareholder rights under the OBCA and the basic limitation period under s. 4 of the Limitations Act, 2002. For corporations and shareholders alike, the case shows that while shareholder rights are important, they need to be exercised in a timely way in the courts.

    The dispute in Lagana v. 2324965 Ontario Inc.

    The case arose from a real estate development corporation, 2324965 Ontario Inc., incorporated in 2012 by the respondent David Power and Lagana’s father. Following the father’s death later that year, Lagana acquired his father’s shares. The respondents included the corporation and its majority shareholder, David Power, who became the sole director and controlled the board.

    Under s. 154 of the OBCA, non-offering corporations must furnish shareholders with financial statements (including audited financial statements where required) not less than 10 days before each annual meeting (or before written resolutions in lieu). However, the corporation never appointed an auditor, and never provided audited statements. Lagana claimed he repeatedly requested them informally but received only unaudited statements, or none at all.

    In 2021, Lagana requested financial records and received unaudited statements. He then brought an application under ss. 149(8) and 253(1) of the OBCA to appoint an auditor and compel production of audited statements for fiscal years from 2013 onward. The respondents argued that the claim was partially time-barred under the Limitations Act, 2002, limiting relief to statements within the two-year period preceding the application.

    The application judge granted the relief sought, finding that the Limitations Act, 2002 did not apply because the request was not a “claim” under the statute. The respondents appealed to the Divisional Court, which allowed the appeal and held that the limitation period applied. Lagana was entitled to audited statements only for the two most recent fiscal years prior to the application date, as earlier claims were discoverable and thus barred. Lagana appealed, arguing that the statutory duties under the OBCA do not correspond to shareholder rights and thus do not give rise to “claims” under the Limitations Act, 2002, rendering the limitation period inapplicable.

    The Court of Appeal’s reasoning

    The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal and affirmed the Divisional Court’s ruling. The key issue was whether the obligation to provide audited financial statements under the OBCA is subject to the Limitations Act, 2002.

    The Limitations Act, 2002 applies to these compliance claims

    The Court agreed with the Divisional Court that a shareholder’s application under OBCA s. 253(1) to compel audited financial statements asserts a “claim” for a remedial order and is therefore subject to the two‑year basic limitation period in s. 4 of the Limitations Act, 2002. 

    The duty correlates to a shareholder right

    Rejecting the appellant’s position that the OBCA imposes a free‑standing statutory duty, the Court explained that the obligation to provide audited financial statements correlates to a shareholder’s right. Put simply: (i) a rights‑holder (the shareholder), (ii) a duty‑bearer (the corporation), and (iii) the act to be done (provide audited statements). Because the duty corresponds to a private right, a claim arises—and the Limitations Act, 2002 applies. 

    Scope and caution

    The Court cautioned against broad generalizations: the applicability of limitation periods to compliance orders depends on statutory interpretation in the specific scheme at issue. Where obligations correspond to private rights (as under the OBCA), limitation periods apply; where obligations serve public purposes only, the analysis may differ. 

    As a result, the appeal was dismissed and the Divisional Court’s order decision confining relief to the two fiscal years within the limitation period relative to the application date, was upheld.

    Implications for shareholders and corporations

    This decision is a cautionary tale for minority shareholders in closely held corporations. Rights to financial transparency are not indefinite; delays in formal enforcement can forfeit access to historical records. Shareholders should document requests and consider timely applications if informal efforts fail. For those without shareholders’ agreements mandating audits, incorporating such provisions at the outset can prevent disputes.

    For corporations, the decision bolsters the use of limitation defences in governance litigation, particularly where historical compliance lapses are alleged. However, it does not absolve ongoing duties – corporations must still adhere to OBCA requirements or risk fresh claims each year.

    The case is also relevant for the purchaser of shares of a private company. If historical audited financial statements have not been provided beyond the last two years, the purchaser should not be expecting to obtain them by way of a court order. The only remedy in a sale transaction would be to negotiate an obligation by the company to provide the historical audited financial statements.

    In an era of increasing shareholder activism, Lagana reinforces the balance between transparency and procedural fairness. Clients navigating corporate disputes should review their governance documents and act promptly on potential breaches to preserve remedies.

    Continue Reading

  • ISS National Lab Advances Research in Space With Dozens of Experiments on Next Cargo Mission

    ISS National Lab Advances Research in Space With Dozens of Experiments on Next Cargo Mission

    Payloads include edge computing demonstrations, in-space manufacturing, NSF-funded research, biomedical investigations, and space debris mitigation

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Sept. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On September 14 at 6:11 p.m. EDT, NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying more than 15 International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory-sponsored investigations. These projects could help improve medicine production, make the orbit around Earth safer, and enhance technology used in television, computer, and smartphone screens.

    Supported by the ISS crew, these payloads aim to advance research and technology to benefit life on Earth and drive a robust market economy in low Earth orbit (LEO). Below highlights some of the projects launching on this mission.

    • Arizona State University, in collaboration with BioServe Space Technologies, will examine how germicidal ultraviolet light delivered through optical fibers could inhibit the formation of harmful biofilms in water systems. The project, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, aims to provide a safer, more cost-effective alternative to traditional disinfectants. Results could be used to protect life support systems on spacecraft during long-duration missions and in drinking water systems on Earth where water purification infrastructure is not available.
    • Revolution Space will test the performance and safety of an advanced electric propulsion system in LEO. This new technology could provide a more efficient way to maneuver spacecraft and satellites and allow for more precise control.
    • Bristol Myers Squibb is conducting its latest series of crystal growth experiments using Redwire Space’s Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory. The more uniform crystals produced in microgravity can be used to improve the formulation and production of medications on Earth.
    • TransAstra Corporation will utilize Voyager Space’s Bishop Airlock to test the deployment of an inflatable Capture Bag system, a simple and affordable solution to space debris collection. In a growing LEO economy, the ability to capture and control space debris will be crucial to make the orbit around Earth safer for astronauts, satellites, and spacecraft.
    • Voyager Technologies’ LEOcloud Space Edge™ will demonstrate cloud computing infrastructure on the space station and its ability to integrate with terrestrial networks. Space Edge aims to allow users to analyze data in space at speeds that can support research while it’s being done, marking an important step toward advancing the future of human spaceflight, microgravity R&D, Earth observation, lunar exploration, and national security. Sierra Space provided Implementation Partner services to Voyager LEOcloud for this project.
    • In association with Voyager Technologies, the country of Thailand will launch its first-ever investigation to the space station. Researchers from Kasetsart University will study liquid crystal films in microgravity. Results from this research could help improve liquid crystal display (LCD) technology for energy-efficient, high-resolution, thin displays in electronics such as computer screens and smartphones used in space and on Earth.

    These investigations reflect the growing demand for space-based R&D and the expanding role of the space station as a platform for innovation. The ISS National Lab is proud to support these efforts, pushing the limits of science and technology in space to benefit life on Earth.

    To learn more about the science launching on this mission, visit our launch page.

    Download a high-resolution image for this release: Northrop Grumman CRS-23

    About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:
    The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

    As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.

    International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory
    Managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) 

    1005 Viera Blvd., Suite 101, Rockledge, FL 32955 • 321.253.5101 • www.ISSNationalLab.org

    SOURCE International Space Station National Lab

    Continue Reading

  • Franz Wagner, Germany Advance to EuroBasket 2025 Final With Victory Over Finland – NBA

    Franz Wagner, Germany Advance to EuroBasket 2025 Final With Victory Over Finland – NBA

    1. Franz Wagner, Germany Advance to EuroBasket 2025 Final With Victory Over Finland  NBA
    2. Germany’s NBA star breaks all-time EuroBasket record in semi-final vs. Finland  BasketNews.com
    3. Schroder, Wagner help carry Germany into first Final in 20 years  fiba.basketball
    4. [“WATCH”] Germany vs Finland Live 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 FREE Score Updates in EuroBasket Game Semifinals  Powell River Peak
    5. Schroder and Wagner combine for 48 points in EuroBasket Semifinals  Eurohoops

    Continue Reading

  • Global ice sheets released the elements that created life on Earth

    Global ice sheets released the elements that created life on Earth

    A new study ties ice from ancient global freezes on Earth to powerful pulses of minerals pouring into the ocean. The work explains how moving ice exposed deep rocks, freed key elements, and nudged Earth toward conditions where complex life could take hold.

    The idea is simple but bold. When the planet thawed, water rushed across fresh scars in the crust, carrying metals that changed seawater chemistry and set the stage for a livelier biosphere.

    Global ice and “Snowball Earth”


    Lead author Professor Chris Kirkland of Curtin University led the work. The study focuses on Snowball Earth, a time when ice stretched across continents and oceans for long intervals.

    These were not quiet scenes. Thick ice scraped bedrock, carved valleys, and left behind layers of mixed debris that later settled into basins.

    Scientists see a record of that action in Scotland and Ireland. Their sedimentary rocks capture the stops and starts of ancient climate swings that mark the end of global chill and the return to open seas.

    How glaciers changed the crust

    The team shows that large ice sheets did more than sit in place. Climate models indicate that even under near global freeze conditions, thick floating marine ice flows from poles toward the equator.

    A separate analysis shows that sea glaciers were not static but moved at significant speeds while transporting heavy loads of rock and sediment.

    This motion increased erosion and helped channel ground up minerals into massive floods once the ice began to melt. Those floods mattered. 

    “When these giant ice sheets melted, they triggered enormous floods that flushed minerals and their chemicals, including uranium, into the oceans,” said Professor Kirkland. 

    The pulse of elements did not just add new ingredients. It altered how seawater handled oxygen and nutrients at a turning point in Earth history.

    The zircon clue

    To track this action through time, the researchers measured tiny crystals called zircon in sandstone. Zircon locks in age information, so it lets geologists trace where sediments came from and how deep erosion cut.

    The samples include detrital grains, which are pieces of older rocks carried by rivers and ice into new layers. Their ages spread out more in strata tied to glacial episodes, showing that erosion tapped deeper, older crust then.

    The team also dated zircon crystals to tell younger material from older sources.

    A wider spread of ages at glacial horizons points to deeper erosion, consistent with wet based ice that slid, scoured, and then released torrents during melting.

    From ice to land to sea

    These floods did not just carry sand. They delivered uranium and other metals that interact with seawater oxygen and sulfide, changing the chemical balance of the ocean surface and seafloor.

    Evidence from chemical signals in ancient rocks shows that oxygen in the oceans rose after one of the major ice ages in the early Ediacaran period.

    This increase matches the timing when animals began to grow more complex and spread more widely.

    Scientists can track these changes using trace metals such as uranium and molybdenum, which respond to how much oxygen is in seawater.

    Patterns in these metals reveal that oxygen and biological activity kept changing for hundreds of millions of years, stretching from the late Precambrian into the Paleozoic era.

    Where and when

    The rock story comes from the Dalradian Supergroup of Scotland and Ireland, a thick stack that spans several key glacial intervals. These basins sat along a rifting margin as the ancient supercontinent Rodinia broke apart.

    Certain rock layers show clear signs of ancient ice. Layers left by glaciers, followed by smooth carbonate rocks and coarse debris, mark the cycle of freezing and melting in these regions.

    Across those intervals, the spread of zircon ages jumps upward. That jump points to incision into ancient basement rocks during glaciation and renewed river work right after ice retreated.

    Why ice matters for life on Earth

    Oceans react to what rivers carry in. Extra phosphorus from young volcanic rocks increases growth of simple life, while metals like uranium and molybdenum show how oxygen reached the shallow seas where the first animals lived.

    The study connects that chain from crust to coastline. It shows how mechanical erosion, chemical weathering, and sediment routing worked together to change seawater in ways that supported emerging ecosystems. 

    The researchers explained that their findings show how Earth’s natural systems, from land to oceans to climate, are closely connected.

    Seeing oxygen through minerals

    Scientists often infer oxygen conditions using metal enrichments in black shales. Uranium is particularly useful because it is more soluble under oxic waters and more easily buried when conditions turn anoxic.

    As ice ground rocks and floods carried fine particles, uranium rich components could move from land into the sea.

    That movement fits with independent signals that suggest a rising seawater uranium inventory after major glaciations.

    Those shifts in metals were not uniform everywhere. Shelf environments, where early animals lived, likely saw oxygen improve before the deep ocean caught up.

    Glaciers, variance, and cause

    The researchers tested variation in zircon ages statistically. They used a coefficient of variance and saw a first order increase at levels tied to glaciation, a pattern consistent with intensified erosion of old crust.

    Back steps in variance after each event point to rivers reworking the newly exposed debris. That matches a world where ice did the heavy cutting, then rivers sorted and spread the spoils.

    The combined picture is a planet where climate, tectonics, and surface processes were linked. Ice primed the pump, rivers carried the load, and oceans changed in response.

    Ancient episodes like these remind us that Earth can flip between very different states. Big climate swings can reorganize the surface system and rewrite the rules for life.

    “This research is a stark reminder that while Earth itself will endure, the conditions that make it habitable can change dramatically,” said Professor Kirkland.

    The study is published in Geology.

    —–

    Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

    Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

    —–

    Continue Reading

  • Rüdiger medical report – realmadrid.com

    Rüdiger medical report – realmadrid.com

    1. Rüdiger medical report  realmadrid.com
    2. 🚨 Three months out, Real Madrid confirm Rüdiger injury  Yahoo Sports
    3. Real Madrid Rocked By Surprise Injury Ahead of Real Sociedad Clash  Sports Illustrated
    4. BREAKING: Rüdiger out three months his hamstring  Yahoo Sports
    5. BREAKING: Rüdiger out three months with hamstring injury  Managing Madrid

    Continue Reading

  • Hot spots shift in Africa’s mpox battle as cholera activity spikes in Chad and Republic of Congo

    Hot spots shift in Africa’s mpox battle as cholera activity spikes in Chad and Republic of Congo

    Though mpox activity is declining in Africa’s highest burden countries, trends are on the upswing in others, including Kenya, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria, a top official from Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said yesterday at the group’s weekly health emergencies briefing. 

    The World Health Organization (WHO) last week wound down the global mpox emergency, but Africa CDC has continued the public health emergency of continental security due to the fragility of progress over the past several months and the need to keep momentum going until the outbreaks are under control. Also, the African region is battling several other outbreaks, including cholera, measles, dengue, Lassa fever, and most recently Ebola. 

    Ngashi Ngongo, MD, PhD, MPH, who leads the group’s incident management team, said though suspected and confirmed cases were up in the most recent reporting week, the overall trend continues to reflect a decline. Over the past year, cases have already outpaced the total for 2024 and officials have especially been worried about deaths, which rose sharply this year, especially in groups affected by underlying health conditions such as HIV.

    Liberia is seeing significant and sustained activity, with Montserrado County, home to the capital city Monrovia, accounting for 66% of confirmed cases. Ngongo said 88% of the country’s active cases are being managed through home isolation. He said Kenya’s outbreak is still expanding with no sign of a plateau and cases concentrated in three counties: Mombasa, Busia, and Nairobi. 

    Eleven countries have rolled out their mpox vaccination programs, most recently Kenya. Malawi and Zambia are expected to receive doses of the MVA-BN vaccine over the next week.

    CEPI to support LC16 study in the DRC

    The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) yesterday announced up to $10.4 million to support a study on the performance of the LC16 vaccine in use against mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Japan donated nearly 1.6 million doses of the live-attenuated vaccine against smallpox for use against mpox, and the DRC has approved it for emergency use and recently added it to its immunization campaign. Made by KM Biologics, Japan drew the doses from its bioterrorism countermeasure stockpile. Japan used it in 1974 to successfully vaccinate young children, an ag- group hit hard in the DRC’s outbreaks and is not currently eligible for the MVA-BN vaccine. LC16 is administered with a bifurcated needle.

    The study is set to launch this fall, with the International Vaccine Institute as the study sponsor, with support from the DRC’s health ministry and the country’s National Public Health Laboratory (INRB). The INRB is the principal investigator, with the Japan Institute for Health Security as the co-investigator. 

    Sharp cholera rises in Chad and Republic of Congo

    Regarding cholera, Ngongo said Chad and the Republic of Congo are reporting new outbreaks. Ngongo said the drivers in Chad include the movement of refuges from Sudan, overcrowded refugee camps, and hygiene challenges in affected areas. In the Congo, cases are focused on vulnerable areas along the Congo River and places where sanitation is poor.

    Elsewhere, cases are on the rise in Burundi, and to a lesser degree Ethiopia. 

    Though Sudan remains the country with the highest case numbers, he said health officials are seeing some stabilization. Sudan, South Sudan, and the DRC remain the highest burden countries, accounting for 75% of the region’s cases and deaths, he said.

    Twenty-three of Africa’s countries have battled cholera outbreaks this year. As a whole, cholera cases declined by 33% over the past 6 weeks, with deaths down slightly. 

    In a related development, the World Health Organization (WHO) today released its global cholera report for 2024, which reflects that cases rose 5% compared to 2023, with deaths up 50%. 

    “More than 6,000 people dying from a disease that is both preventable and treatable. While these numbers are themselves alarming, they are underestimates of the true burden of cholera,” the WHO said, noting that the rising case-fatality rate in Africa shows gaps in life-saving care and the fragility of health systems.

    Oral cholera vaccine supply constraints eased some in 2024 with increased production and shifts to single-dose campaigns. However, supply constraints have continued into 2025, with 31 countries reporting outbreaks since the beginning of the year.

     

    Continue Reading