Brazil halts suspect MMR jabs
Brasilia: Government health officials halted distribution of an Italian vaccine for mumps, measles and rubella when 120 patients reported allergic reactions. There were five cases of anaphylactic shock and 115 lesser allergic reactions in children in seven states. Doctors withdrew 5.7 million doses from a national campaign that has vaccinated 1.6 million children since Saturday. The Chiron vaccine was replaced by a local equivalent. (AP)
Wise woman
Berlin: Beatrice Weder di Mauro, 39, became the first woman to be appointed to the German Government’s “Five Wise Men” panel of independent economic advisers. The economics professor replaces Axel Weber, the new Bundesbank president.(AFP)
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Strike shuts zoo
Paris: Civic authorities closed the 70-year-old Paris Zoo yesterday after staff went on strike to protest at its dilapidated condition. Parts of the zoo, at the eastern edge of the city, were closed last month because of debris falling from fake caves and hills. (AFP)
Rush hour gunman shot dead
Toronto: A gunman who wounded a woman and took another hostage was shot dead by a police marksman in a morning rush-hour drama that stopped traffic outside Toronto’s central Union Station.
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It began an hour earlier, when shots were fired in a food shop and a woman was wounded. Another woman on the pavement outside was grabbed as a hostage as the gunman fled from a pursuing policeman while marksmen took cover behind patrol cars. A single shot killed the gunman and the hostage escaped unhurt. The wounded woman was recovering in hospital. (AFP)
Rally rejected
New York: A judge rejected a last-minute plea from anti-war activists who sued city authorities for a permit to hold a rally in Central Park on Sunday, the day before the Republican Party convention, saying that they were too late. (AP)
Hindu nun jailed
Bangalore: A Hindu nun was jailed on charges of inciting Hindu-Muslim riots in India that left five people dead ten years ago. Uma Bharti surrendered to police after stepping down as chief minister of central Madhya Pradesh state. (AFP)
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No resurrection
Johannesburg: A South African man whose family preserved his body for more than eight weeks was buried after a court order. A “prophet” had predicted that Paul Meintjies would return to life. He was buried in Hertzogville. (AP)