In Brief

Insomniac Russian bears sleep MOSCOW – Russian bears at Moscow Zoo have finally dropped off into their hibernation slumber despite months of insomnia caused by a record mild start to winter, zoo officials said yesterday.

Russia’s arctic winters, which scuttled the occupation plans of both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler, came to an end this year in European Russia with no snow and temperatures so warm that bears were left pacing around and unable to sleep. “The bears have finally fallen asleep and they have not woken up yet,” Natalia Istratova, a spokeswoman for Moscow Zoo, said by telephone.The bears, which usually go into hibernation in November at the latest, finally dropped off at the end of December when a tiny amount of snow fell before swiftly melting, she said.* Rift Valley fever kills 74 NAIROBI – Rift Valley Fever, a highly contagious virus, has killed 74 people in Kenya and infected hundreds more after spreading from the northeastern region to the coast, the health ministry said yesterday.The fever, which is spread through mosquito bites or movement of contaminated animals, causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to death through bleeding.”Seventy-four people have so far died and 219 are infected,” Dr.Shahnaaz Sharif, a chief medical specialist with the ministry of health, told Reuters.He said the disease – which was earlier confined to the northeastern province where nomadic herders crisscross the arid land with their livestock in search of water and pasture – had now crossed over to the neighbouring coast province.A World Health Organisation (WHO) spokeswoman speaking at a regular briefing in Geneva said latest figures showed there were 197 “suspect cases” including 70 deaths.* Plane search focuses on undersea object MAKASSAR – A US navy ship joined the search on Tuesday for an Indonesian airliner that went missing eight days ago with 102 people aboard, with the hunt focusing on a large metal object far down on the sea floor.The object was discovered on Monday by Indonesian ships with sonar technology in water about 1,000 metres deep north of Mamuju in West Sulawesi province.There was no immediate confirmation that it was the Adam Air Boeing 737-400 that vanished in bad weather on Jan.1.The USNS Mary Sears, an oceanographic survey ship, had reached the area being investigated, said First Air Marshal Eddy Suyanto, the Makassar air base commander heading the search.Nampa-Reuters”The bears have finally fallen asleep and they have not woken up yet,” Natalia Istratova, a spokeswoman for Moscow Zoo, said by telephone.The bears, which usually go into hibernation in November at the latest, finally dropped off at the end of December when a tiny amount of snow fell before swiftly melting, she said.* Rift Valley fever kills 74 NAIROBI – Rift Valley Fever, a highly contagious virus, has killed 74 people in Kenya and infected hundreds more after spreading from the northeastern region to the coast, the health ministry said yesterday.The fever, which is spread through mosquito bites or movement of contaminated animals, causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to death through bleeding.”Seventy-four people have so far died and 219 are infected,” Dr.Shahnaaz Sharif, a chief medical specialist with the ministry of health, told Reuters.He said the disease – which was earlier confined to the northeastern province where nomadic herders crisscross the arid land with their livestock in search of water and pasture – had now crossed over to the neighbouring coast province.A World Health Organisation (WHO) spokeswoman speaking at a regular briefing in Geneva said latest figures showed there were 197 “suspect cases” including 70 deaths.* Plane search focuses on undersea object MAKASSAR – A US navy ship joined the search on Tuesday for an Indonesian airliner that went missing eight days ago with 102 people aboard, with the hunt focusing on a large metal object far down on the sea floor.The object was discovered on Monday by Indonesian ships with sonar technology in water about 1,000 metres deep north of Mamuju in West Sulawesi province.There was no immediate confirmation that it was the Adam Air Boeing 737-400 that vanished in bad weather on Jan.1.The USNS Mary Sears, an oceanographic survey ship, had reached the area being investigated, said First Air Marshal Eddy Suyanto, the Makassar air base commander heading the search.Nampa-Reuters