A gas explosion has sparked a fire at a Russian bioweapons facility which stores viruses including Ebola, smallpox and Anthrax.

The blast occurred on Monday after a gas cylinder exploded during scheduled repair work on the fifth floor of the six-story Russian State Centre for Research on Virology and Biotechnology, commonly known as Vector, the facility said in a statement.

No biological material was held in the sanitary inspection room where the explosion occurred, and no structural damage was caused to the concrete laboratory building, the center added.

One worker was taken to hospital and is being treated in intensive care for burns, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. A fire, covering 30 square meters was later extinguished by fire fighters.

The bioweapons facility, located in Koltosvo, in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia, is known for being one of two centers in the world housing samples of smallpox. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the only other center i..

An American cancer survivor has made history after becoming the first person to swim the English Channel four times non-stop.

Sarah Thomas began her historic 130-mile feat (209 km) early on Sunday morning and finished just over 54 hours later on Tuesday morning at about 6:30am, according to her GPS tracker.

Thomas, from Colorado, was met with cheers by a small crowd and given champagne and chocolate as she reached the shore at Dover for the final time, the Associated Press reported.

She told AP she felt “a little sick” after 54 hours in the water and thanked her husband and supporters for their encouragement.

The 37-year-old was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in November 2017 and underwent chemotherapy, surgery and radiation last year. Thomas had booked her turn to swim the English Channel before her diagnosis and has been pushing towards the marathon swim since her first round of chemotherapy.

Thomas admitted she was scared before the marathon swim. “I’ve been..

(WASHINGTON) — Activists involved in the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong appealed to U.S. lawmakers Tuesday to support their fight by banning the export of American police equipment that is used against demonstrators and by more closely monitoring Chinese efforts to undermine civil liberties in the city.

The activists, including several young people who have emerged as prominent figures in a leaderless movement, testified before a U.S. government commission set up by Congress to monitor human rights in China.

Republicans and Democrats on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China expressed their support Tuesday for protests that began in June with a since-withdrawn bill to extradite people arrested in the semiautonomous Chinese territory to China for prosecution.

“The heart of the discontent is that Hong Kong’s political leaders do not represent and are not accountable to the people. Instead, Hong Kong’s leaders are beholden to the Chinese government,” said Rep. James McGov..

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis began voting Tuesday in an unprecedented repeat election that will decide whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power despite a looming indictment on corruption charges.

Netanyahu, the longest serving leader in Israeli history, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, and fifth overall. But he faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose centrist Blue and White party is running even with Netanyahu’s Likud.

Both parties could struggle to form a majority coalition with smaller allies, though, forcing them into a potential unity government.

Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as a statesman who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through challenging times. Gantz has tried to paint Netanyahu as divisive and scandal-plagued, offering himself as a calming influence and an honest alternative.

Tuesday’s vote marks their second showdown of the year after drawing even in the previous election in April.
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