Study finds Ebola treatment ineffective

NEW YORK • A treatment once considered among the most promising for Ebola patients was not found to be effective in a study performed in Guinea, researchers reported on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The experimental treatment involved transfusions of blood plasma collected from Ebola survivors. But the survival rate among the 84 patients in the study who received such transfusions last year was not significantly better than for patients who had not received transfusions.

NEW YORK TIMES

Venezuela's political standoff worsens

CARACAS • Venezuela's emboldened opposition laid claim on Wednesday to a big legislative majority that could empower it to oust President Nicolas Maduro, who came out fighting and reacted by reshuffling his Cabinet.

The lawmakers' defiant move further deepened a tense political standoff in the country, which is mired in recession and has seen analysts warn of the possibility of unrest on the streets.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Gunmen open fire at tourists in Cairo

CAIRO • Gunmen opened fire on Israeli tourists as they boarded a bus in Cairo yesterday but there were no casualties, security sources said. One gunman was arrested and security forces surrounded the other attacker in the city. The shooting took place on a road leading to the Giza pyramids.

REUTERS