Jerusalem site security measures removed

Source: BBC, July 27, 2017

All security measures recently introduced outside a key Jerusalem holy site, sparking Palestinian uproar, have been removed, Israeli police say.

Railings and scaffolding were removed on Thursday morning, two days after metal detectors were taken away.

Oil bounce, results keep stocks on high

 Source: Reuters, July 26, 2017

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil's rise back above $50 a barrel helped prod stock markets higher on Wednesday and company results and economic data continued to soothe worries that the world economy may be ripe for a another slowdown.

European stock markets were mainly higher, led by energy and commodity-linked companies after Brent crude topped the $50 mark for the first time since early June.

A slightly less bullish performance in Asia pulled the MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 46 countries, off all-time highs overnight. But early in the European session, it was up 0.1 percent on the day.

Kaduna residents celebrate two years of uninterrupted electricity

Source: BBC, July 26, 2017

People in remote villages in Kaduna, north-western Nigeria, are celebrating a rare two years of uninterrupted electricity, reports Punch Newspapers.
The newspaper adds that two remote villages managed this by going off-grid, using solar power mini-grids.

Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group - Bahrain PM

Source: AL-Jazeera, July 6, 2017.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa has called the Muslim Brotherhood movement a "terrorist" group, amid an ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis, where four countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar.
Last month Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar – accusing it of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and harbouring "terrorism" in the region. Qatar has strongly denied the charges.

Mars covered in toxic chemicals that can wipe out living organisms, tests reveal

 Source: The Guardian, July 6, 2017

The chances of anything coming from Mars have taken a downward turn with the finding that the surface of the red planet contains a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals that can wipe out living organisms.
Experiments with compounds found in the Martian soil show that they are turned into potent bactericides by the ultraviolet light that bathes the planet, effectively sterilising the upper layers of the dusty landscape.

Extreme gardening to help tackle malaria

BBC, July 5, 2017

A team tested their idea in nine villages in the arid Bandiagara district of Mali, West Africa.
Removing flowers from a common shrub appeared to kill off lots of the older, adult, female, biting insects that transmit malaria.
Without enough nectar the "granny" mosquitoes starve, experts believe.