US cautiously optimistic after no new Ebola cases in five days
With no new Ebola cases in five days, US authorities were cautious but hopeful that the virus has been contained in the United States after a flawed response revealed shortcomings in the system.
The fiancee of a Liberian man who died of Ebola earlier this month in Dallas, Texas, was among nearly 50 people who emerged from three weeks of quarantine without any signs of illness from exposure to the virus that has killed more than 4,500 in West Africa since the beginning of this year.
About 100 more people, most of them health care workers, are being tracked in Texas after coming in contact with the first patient diagnosed in the United States in late September, but officials said it was reassuring that no new infections emerged in recent days.
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ISIS oil output was US$2 million per day before air strikes - research firm
ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) militants were producing about US$2 million (S$2.54 million) worth of crude oil per day in Iraq and Syria before recent U.S.-led air strikes, possibly more than double the amount heard in U.S. congressional testimony last month, the research firm IHS said.
The group of Sunni extremists controlled as much as 350,000 barrels per day of crude oil, but was able to produce only about 50,000 bpd to 60,000 bpd, said IHS, a provider of global market and economic information.
"This fraction of pre-war capacity is the result of warfare, shut-ins and (ISIS) limited technical prowess operating the fields," IHS said in a paper called Spoils of War: Who's in charge of what oil resources in the conflict zones of northern Iraq and Syria.
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Planet sweats through hottest September since 1880: US
Last month was the hottest September for globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces since record-keeping began in 1880, the US government said.
"It also marked the 38th consecutive September with a global temperature above the 20th century average," said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
When combining average temperature over land and ocean surfaces, NOAA found a record high for September at 15.72 Celsius, or 0.72 C above the 20th century average. It said most of the land on Earth was warmer than normal last month, except for central Russia, some areas in eastern and northern Canada, and a small region in Namibia.
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Formula One: Former world champ Emerson Fittipaldi will be on high level investigation panel for Jules Bianchi crash
A high-level panel will investigate the Japan Grand Prix Formula One crash that left French driver Jules Bianchi fighting for his life and propose new safety measures, the FIA said. Among the most-recognised names on the 10-member panel will be former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
The International Automobile Federation said the panel "will carry out a full review of the accident to gain a better understanding of what happened, and will propose new measures to reinforce safety at circuits".
The group, which will start this week and present its findings at the next meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on December 3 in Doha, will also include renowned former Formula One team chief Ross Brawn and former Ferrari team leader Stefano Domenicali.
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Bad sport: Lorde's Royals banned by San Francisco radio stations - for curious reason
Lorde's smash hit Royals is suddenly taking on a renewed - and, to one set of sports fans, unwelcome significance - as a certain Kansas City sports team, the Royals, head to the World Series of US baseball.
At least two Northern California radio stations have pledged not to play the New Zealand artiste's song, in solidarity with the San Francisco Giants during their finals matchup with the Royals, a best of seven series which begins on Tuesday night in Kansas City before heading to San Francisco on Friday for Game 3.
In response, however, a Kansas City radio station vowed to play Royals every hour on the hour from morning until night on Tuesday.
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