Latest news with #S
Sky News
14 hours ago
- General
- Sky News
Plane with 48 people on board crashes in Russia's far east
A Russian plane carrying 48 people - including children - has crashed with no survivors, according to reports. The aircraft was flying from the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Russian- Chinese border to the remote town of Tynda, regional governor Vasily Orlov said. "All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane," Mr Orlov said on Telegram, adding all passengers and crew were killed in the crash. An error during landing in poor visibility caused the crash in the eastern part of the Amur region, TASS news agency reported. Unverified video, shot from a helicopter and posted on social media, appeared to show the plane had come down in a densely forested area. It caught fire during its descent, and no survivors were spotted during an aerial inspection of the site, TASS said, quoting a statement from the regional civil defence and fire safety centre. "According to the director of Tynda Airport, the plane caught fire upon impact, and a Mi-8 helicopter crew flying over the area reported no signs of survivors," the statement said. The Interfax news agency, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services, said there were difficult weather conditions in the area. The transport prosecutor's office in Russia's far east reported the site of the crash was 10 miles (15km) south of Tynda, adding in an online statement that the plane was trying to make a second approach during landing when contact with it was lost. Burning fuselage of the plane, which was from the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was found by a rescue helicopter south of Tynda, emergency officials said, adding that rescue crews were rushing to the scene. The Antonov An-24 turboprop plane, built in 1976 according to its tail number, and operated by a privately-owned Siberia-based airline called Angara, disappeared from radar over the area, local officials said. It was believed to be a few kilometres away from its destination when it lost contact, the SHOT news agency reported. The local emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40, while Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said 48 people were on board the flight. It was unclear why numbers differed. Yuliya Petina, an emergency services official, wrote on Telegram: "During the search operation, a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rossaviatsiya discovered the fuselage of the aircraft, which was on fire. "Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident". An investigation has been launched, authorities said.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Knowledge Nugget: AdFalciVax and the fight against malaria — What you must-know for UPSC Exam
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your UPSC Current Affairs Knowledge Nugget for today on AdFalciVax and malaria. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited the country's vaccine manufacturers to partner with it to launch and sell a malaria vaccine, AdFalciVax, that its Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneshwar, has developed. In this context, let's know about this new vaccine and malaria. 1. AdFalciVax is a chimeric recombinant vaccine — a type of vaccine that uses different parts of the genes of a pathogen (in this case, Plasmodium) to create target proteins that trigger an immune response after being injected. 2. AdFalciVax uses two types of target proteins to prevent the spread of infection in two different ways. ↪ It uses the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) to prevent infection in the person who has been immunised. The CSP is produced during the sporozoite stage (when a parasite can infect a new host) and the liver stage (when a parasite enters liver cells, multiplies, and then infects red blood cells) of the parasite. 'Any immune response generated against these stages protects the immunised person from getting the infection.' Subhash Singh, project manager for development of the vaccine at the ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar told The Indian Express. ↪ The vaccine also uses the Pro6C protein, a fusion of parts of two different proteins — Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 — produced by Plasmodium falciparum. This protein prevents the spread of infection in the community. 3. Researchers have found that AdFalciVax provided more than 90% protection against infection in mice. The candidate vaccine has yet to undergo rigorous human trials, and the preliminary results have been obtained only through testing on animals. 4. The ICMR wants to partner with a company that can further develop its candidate vaccine, carry out human clinical trials, and scale up for commercial production. Although the ICMR will share the technology of developing AdFalciVax with the chosen company, it will continue to hold the intellectual property rights. Any intellectual property rights generated during the collaboration will be held jointly by the ICMR and the company. 5. Notably, AdFalciVax mainly targets two parts of Plasmodium falciparum, a pathogen that is the most common source of malaria in humans. In India, however, the disease is caused by Plasmodium vivax against which AdFalciVax is ineffective. To combat malaria, scientists have been working to develop a vaccine for decades but with limited success. Recently, two vaccines—RTS,S and R21—were approved for use, but their efficacy, at 75%, is quite low. That's why the announcement about ICMR's candidate vaccine has given new hope in the fight against the disease. World Malaria Day is observed every year on 25th April by the World Health Organisation to raise awareness and drive action against malaria. The theme for World Malaria Day 2025 is 'Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.' 1. Having claimed millions of lives, malaria has been one of the deadliest diseases in human history. Currently, the disease kills about four lakh people annually, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures. 2. Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquitoes, typically causing symptoms such as fever, chills, night sweats, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In some cases, it can lead to severe complications such as seizures, fluid in the lungs, organ damage, and death. 3. It is most endemic in Africa — Nigeria, Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Niger, and Burkina Faso together account for more than half the yearly deaths. 1. India has demonstrated significant progress in reducing malaria cases and associated mortality in the country's high-endemic states, according to the findings of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 'World Malaria Report 2024′. 2. 'India exited the HBHI [high-burden to high-impact] group officially in 2024 due to significant progress in reducing the malaria incidence and mortality observed in its high-endemic states,' the report observed. 3.'Nationwide, the number of estimated malaria cases in India decreased from 6.4 million in 2017 (the year before the HBHI's introduction) to 2 million cases in 2023 (69 per cent decrease). Similarly, the estimated malaria deaths decreased from 11,100 to 3,500 (68 per cent decrease) during the same period,' it said. 4. The HBHI refers to a targeted WHO initiative aimed at the most acutely malaria-impacted regions of the world, including several countries in Africa. Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria. Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine? (UPSC CSE 2010) (a) Malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium (b) Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection (c) Vaccines can be developed only against bacteria (d) Man is only an intermediate host and not the definitive host (Sources: India registers 'significant progress' in reducing malaria cases: WHO, WHO report says India reduces malaria caseload, deaths by 69% each) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at
New Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
RMRC Bhubaneswar develops advanced malaria vaccine, ready for tech transfer
BHUBANESWAR: In a significant breakthrough, a team of researchers led by the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, has developed a novel and advanced malaria vaccine that can prevent Plasmodium falciparum infection in humans and community transmission. The new recombinant, chimeric multi-stage vaccine code-named AdFalciVax has been designed to protect against the deadliest malaria parasite in humans. It is now ready for technology transfer to manufacturers for production, clinical trials and its commercialisation. Currently, two malaria vaccines are available and cost in a range of `250 to `830 per dose. The efficacy rate is between 33 per cent and 67 per cent. Unlike existing WHO-recommended vaccines RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) and R21/Matrix-M, AdFalciVax offers dual-stage protection and is cost-effective. Scientist-D at RMRC Dr Susheel Singh said the new vaccine can prevent human infection and interrupt transmission in the community. 'AdFalciVax uses a full-length PfCSP, a major protein found in Pf, for broader protection and includes a novel fusion of Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 proteins to produce strong antibodies that stop the transmission,' he said. What makes AdFalciVax stand out among the existing vaccines is its exceptional pharmaceutical stability. The formulation remains potent for over nine months at room temperature, eliminating the need for costly cold chain logistics, which continue to be a major bottleneck in vaccine distribution across remote and resource-limited regions. According to the researchers, the vaccine has been developed with the help of cutting-edge protein engineering using Lactococcus lactis, a safe bacterial host. The pre-clinical validation of the technology has been conducted by RMRC in collaboration with National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) and National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi. RMRC director Dr Sanghamitra Pati said, 'The vaccine's efficacy was sustained for over four months post-boost, which translates to over a decade of protection in humans.' Meanwhile, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi has invited expressions of interest from the eligible organisations, companies and manufacturers for transfer of technology and commercialisation.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jaffa resident turns Iranian missile attack rubble into profit
While families wait to return to their homes, destroyed in the Iranian missile attack, some have seized an opportunity for quick income amid the devastation. A Jaffa resident has been collecting aluminum scraps from the wreckage of buildings that were destroyed by Iranian missiles to sell them to turn a profit, he told Walla on Thursday. There are many families still waiting to return to their homes, destroyed in the Iranian missile attack. S., a resident of Jaffa, walks through the wreckage, collecting aluminum scraps and selling them to traders, earning thousands of shekels a day. "I look like a laborer, wearing an orange vest, and no one asks questions," he says. As the country heals its wounds and evacuees await grants and compensation, some have already moved on to the next stage. In dozens of streets affected inBat Yam, Rishon Lezion, and Tel Aviv, where houses have been reduced to piles of concrete and dust—S. roams daily, collecting anything made of aluminum: windows, doors, frames. "The money is just lying on the ground," he says. "I sell the aluminum for 4.5 shekels per kilogram. On a good day, I earn 2,000 shekels; on a weak day, 500. I finish collecting, traders come, weigh what I've gathered, and pay me on the spot. It's a good, respectable daily wage." When asked about the law, S. explains that he sets clear boundaries for himself. "If I know who it belongs to, I ask. If they don't give it to me, I move on. But if there's no address, no tenant, nothing, I take it. Simple as that," he says. According to him, he's not the only one collecting: "Others are doing it too, but what's annoying is that there are stingy Israelis who prefer to collect on their own and sell it, instead of giving it to me." When asked whether he's referring to residents who've experienced the destruction firsthand and are now forced to wander between hotels and absorption centers, S. doesn't hesitate. "Yes, but so what? They're covered, they'll get money from the state or whoever needs to pay them. I found treasure here. Its not a crime—just a good way to make a living."
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jefferies Trims SentinelOne (S) Price Target, Maintains Buy Rating
SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S) is one of . Jefferies analyst Joseph Gallo has lowered the firm's price target on SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S) to $23 from $25, while maintaining a Buy rating on the shares. The adjustment reflects a broader reduction in price targets across Jefferies' U.S. software coverage, prompted by recent multiple compression and early signs of softening macroeconomic conditions affecting deal-making in the technology sector. Gallo pointed out that these factors could lead to what he describes as another 'mullet' year for software companies, characterized by a challenging first half followed by a stronger second half. Despite this outlook, Jefferies has not yet lowered its earnings estimates for SentinelOne, choosing instead to await further data from upcoming first-quarter checks. The analyst also noted that SentinelOne's recent guidance assumed no significant improvement in market conditions, underscoring the cautious tone from management. As uncertainty continues, many investors appear to be holding back, adopting a wait-and-see approach to gauge how the evolving environment will affect technology spending and deal activity. While the cautious stance has led to a tempered near-term outlook, Jefferies remains positive on SentinelOne's longer-term prospects, keeping a Buy rating on the stock. While we acknowledge the potential of S to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than S and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI NEXT: 10 Best Small Cap Tech Stocks With Biggest Upside Potential and . Disclosure: None.
