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Three scientists who discovered the Hepatitis C virus have won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology. Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice together with Briton Michael Houghton won the Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2020 for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. Photo: AFP PHOTO / THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY / JOHN ABBOTT / CHIACHI CHANG / NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH / UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA / RICHARD SIEMENS The winners are British scientist Michael Houghton and US researchers Harvey Alter and Charles Rice. The Nobel Prize committee said their discoveries ultimately "saved millions of lives". The virus is a common cause of liver cancer and a major reason why people need a liver transplant. In the 1960s, there was huge concern that people receiving donated blood were getting chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation) from an unknown, mysterious disease. The Nobel Prize committee said a blood transfusion at the time was like "Russian roulette". Highly sensitive blood tests mean such cases have now been eliminated in many parts of the world, and effective anti-viral drugs have also been developed. "For the first time in history, the disease can now be cured, raising hopes of eradicating Hepatitis C virus from the world," the prize committee said. However, there are 70 million people currently living with the virus, which still kills around 400,000 a year. The mystery killer The viruses Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B had been discovered by the mid-1960s. Prof Harvey Alter, while studying transfusion patients at the US National Institutes of Health in 1972, showed there was another, mystery, infection at work. Patients were still getting sick after receiving donated blood. He showed that giving blood from infected patients to chimpanzees led to them developing the disease. The mysterious illness became known as "non-A, non-B" hepatitis and the hunt was on. Prof Michael Houghton, while at the pharmaceutical firm Chiron, managed to isolate the genetic sequence of the virus in 1989. This showed it was a type of flavivirus and it was named Hepatitis C. And Prof Charles Rice, while at Washington University in St Louis, applied the finishing touches in 1997. He injected a genetically engineered Hepatitis C virus into the liver of chimpanzees and showed this could lead to hepatitis. Prof Houghton, now at the University of Alberta in Canada, told the BBC: "We had limited tools available to us then, so it was rather like searching for a needle in a haystack. "The amount of virus present in the liver and the blood was very low, and the sensitivity of our techniques was not high enough, so we were sailing very close to the wind all the time. "We tried a lot of methods, probably 30 or 40 different methodological approaches over seven years, and eventually one worked." Commenting on the announcement, Dr Claire Bayntun, a clinical consultant in global public health and vice-president of Royal Society of Medicine, said the discovery was an "extraordinary achievement". She said: "[In] unlocking the door to the development of effective treatment and screening of blood transfusions, and protecting populations in many regions of the world, millions of lives have been saved." - BBC

The global chemical weapons watchdog, which has been asked by Germany to test samples of what Berlin says was a banned nerve agent used to poison a Russian opposition figure, said on Monday its experts would be prepared to assist Russia in the case. Photo: AFP The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it had received a request from Moscow on 1 October for help in the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and was seeking clarification on what type of assistance Russia wanted. Navalny fell ill on a flight in Siberia on 20 August and was flown to Germany for treatment. German doctors say blood tests show he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. The OPCW has collected its own samples to test at Germany's request. Russia has said it has seen no evidence Navalny was poisoned, and denies any role in any attack. The OPCW said in a statement on Monday its "Technical Secretariat is ready to provide the requested expertise and that a team of experts could be deployed on short notice." The Navalny case is expected to be discussed on the sidelines of a conference of member states at the OPCW starting on Tuesday. Russia has in the past threatened to quit the agency, which was established to enforce the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. Moscow has accused it of pro-Western bias over its work in Syria, where Russia provides military backing to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. - Reuters

Protesters in Kyrgyzstan calling for the country's parliamentary election to be annulled have broken into parliament in the capital, Bishkek. People protest against the results of a parliamentary vote in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Photo: AFP Footage showed people in the office of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, and throwing paper from windows. Parts of the building appeared to be on fire. The break-in follows a day of clashes with police, who initially dispersed crowds with water cannon and tear gas. The clashes come amid allegations of vote-rigging in last Sunday's election. Following the vote, only four parties out of 16 passed the 7 percent threshold for entry into parliament, three of which have close ties to President Jeenbekov. On Monday, police used stun grenades to disperse thousands of protesters in Ala-Too square, before following them into nearby streets. But demonstrators later flooded back into the central square, before storming the parliament building, known as the White House. Video footage shared on social media showed opposition protesters gaining access to the complex, some by climbing fences and others by pushing open the main gates. Later, smoke could be seen billowing out of the building. Demonstrators said they would remain in Ala-Too square until they could meet with political leaders. About 120 people have reportedly been injured, half of whom were law enforcement. Several people are in serious condition, but there have been no deaths, the health ministry said in a statement. Protesters also released Kyrgyzstan's former President Almazbek Atambayev, who was being held in a remand centre at the State National Security Service awaiting a trial for corruption offences, the local AKIpress news agency reported. People protest against the results of a parliamentary vote in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Photo: AFP Groups close to the president have been accused of vote-buying and voter intimidation - claims international monitors say are "credible" and a cause for "serious concern". On Monday, 12 opposition parties jointly declared that they would not recognise the results of the vote. Later, President Jeenbekov's office said that he would on Tuesday meet leaders from all 16 parties that competed in the election, in a bid to defuse tensions. Opposition candidates also called on the Central Electoral Commission to cancel the results of the election. One candidate, Ryskeldi Mombekov, told a crowd of more than 5000 protesters on Monday: "The president promised to oversee honest elections. He didn't keep his word." Mombekov's party, Ata Meken, had been confident of entering parliament, but in the end it was one of the eight parties that missed the threshold. Ata Meken leader Janar Akaev suffered a leg injury in the protests on Monday. Protesters were also calling on President Jeenbekov to resign. Thomas Boserup, head of the election observation mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said in a briefing that although the vote had been "generally well organised", allegations of vote buying were a "serious concern". The two leading parties, which got a quarter of the vote each, were Birimdik and Mekenim Kyrgyzstan. President Jeenbekov's younger brother, Asylbek Jeenbekov, is a member of Birimdik. Mekenim Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, is seen as being closely connected to the powerful Matraimov family. The family's figurehead, Rayimbek Matraimov, was the target of anti-corruption protests last year and is believed to have helped finance Jeenbekov's successful presidential campaign in 2017. Late on Monday, Birimdik announced that it would be open to a re-run of Sunday's election, and called on other parties that had crossed the 7 percent threshold to do the same. - BBC

US President Donald Trump has left hospital to continue treatment for Covid-19 at the White House. US president Donald Trump leaving Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland. Photo: AFP Wearing a face mask, he walked from the hospital to a motorcade which took him to Marine One. After the short flight to the White House, he removed his mask and posed for photos, saluting and giving a thumbs up. Trump was admitted to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland on Friday after testing positive for the coronavirus. In a tweet some hours before his departure he said he was feeling "really good" and he urged people not to be afraid of the virus, nor to let it dominate their lives. His announcement came just before a briefing from his doctors, in which White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley said the president had continued to improve, and had met or exceeded standard discharge criteria. "Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations and most importantly his clinical status support the president's safe return home, where he'll be surrounded by world class medical care 24/7." On arrival from hospital Trump walked up the staircase of the White House South Portico, removed his mask and posed for pictures, at times giving a thumbs-up and others a salute. Photo: AFP He would have a fourth dose of the intravenous antiviral drug, remdesivir, at the hospital and the final dose at the White House, the doctors said. Conley would not say when Trump received his last negative virus test. The normal quarantine period for anyone testing positive for the novel coronavirus is 14 days. Trump frequently downplayed the threat of the pandemic which has now infected 7.4 million Americans and killed more than 209,000. In recent days, he released a series of videos to reassure the public he is recovering from the disease caused by the virus. The coronavirus outbreak around Trump has widened with White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying she had tested positive for the virus. In a statement posted on Twitter, McEnany said she was not experiencing any symptoms and would begin quarantining. "Moreover, I definitively had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday," McEnany said referring to President Donald Trump's adviser whose positive test results were revealed last Thursday, hours before Trump announced he and his wife also had contracted the coronavirus. Kayleigh McEnany says she will begin quarantining after testing positive for Covid-19. Photo: AFP McEnany, a well-known figure at the forefront of the White House's often combative dealings with the media, held a briefing for reporters on Thursday in which she did not wear a face mask. Two others in the White House press office have also tested positive, a source confirmed to Reuters. McEnany said the White House medical unit does not list any members of the press as close contacts. Doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, have been treating Trump, 74, with a steroid, dexmethasone, that is normally used only in the most severe cases. Trump was running a high fever on Friday and had been given supplemental oxygen after his blood oxygen levels dropped, Dr Conley said on Sunday. In the latest briefing he said oxygen levels were normal and it had been 72 hours since the president's last fever. White House physician Dr Sean Conley, centre, arrives for the media briefing before Donald Trump leaves hospital. Photo: AFP White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has defended the decision to allow Trump to leave his suite briefly on Sunday to take part in a drive by to greet supporters outside the hospital. Critics said the action put Trump's security officers at risk. Biden says he will debate Trump if experts say it is safe The Trump campaign said the president intends to participate in the next presidential debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden, scheduled for 15 October in Miami. Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden says he is willing to participate in the scheduled debate as long as health experts say it would be safe. Trump's illness has raised questions about the safety of holding the debates ahead of the 3 November election. "If the scientists say that it's safe and the distances are safe, then I think that's fine. I'll do whatever the experts say is the appropriate thing to do," Biden, who tested negative for Covid-19 over the weekend, told reporters in Delaware before heading to Florida on a campaign trip. A debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Biden's running mate, US Senator Kamala Harris, is still scheduled on Wednesday. They have both tested negative for Covid-19. - Reuters / RNZ

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says she has tested positive for Covid-19 and will begin quarantining Kayleigh McEnany says she will begin quarantining after testing positive for Covid-19. Photo: AFP In a statement posted on Twitter, McEnany said she is not experiencing any symptoms. "Moreover, I definitively had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday," McEnany said referring to President Donald Trump's adviser whose positive test results were revealed last Thursday, hours before Trump announced he and his wife also had contracted the coronavirus. Trump is being treated for Covid-19 at a military hospital outside Washington with the severity of his illness still unclear as his medical team weighs whether he can leave the hospital. Even if discharged, Trump will need to continue treatment as he is still undergoing a five-day course of an intravenous antiviral drug, remdesivir. The normal quarantine period for anyone testing positive for the novel coronavirus is 14 days. McEnany said the White House medical unit does not list any members of the press as close contacts. Another White House communications staffer, Karoline Leavitt, has tested positive for Covid-19, a Bloomberg reporter has tweeted. Donald Trump waves from the back of a car in a motorcade outside of Walter Reed Medical Center, Maryland, on a brief outing to drive by supporters. Photo: AFP Doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, are treating Trump, 74, with a steroid, dexmethasone, that is normally used only in the most severe cases. Trump was running a high fever on Friday and had been given supplemental oxygen after his blood oxygen levels dropped, Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said on Sunday. But the Republican president's medical team, which has painted a rosy picture of his condition, will weigh whether he can leave the hospital later on Monday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox News, adding that he was optimistic Trump would be discharged. Meadows also defended the decision to allow Trump to leave his suite briefly on Sunday to take part in a drive by to greet supporters outside the hospital. Critics said the action put Trump's security officers at risk. Even if discharged, Trump will need to continue treatment as he is still undergoing a five-day course of an intravenous antiviral drug, remdesivir. The normal quarantine period for anyone testing positive for the novel coronavirus is 14 days. Trump frequently downplayed the threat of the pandemic which has now infected 7.4 million Americans and killed more than 209,000. In recent days, he released a series of videos to reassure the public he is recovering from the disease caused by the virus. Biden says he will debate Trump if experts say it is safe Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden says he is willing to participate in next week's scheduled debate with President Donald Trump as long as health experts say it would be safe. Trump's illness has raised questions about the safety of holding the debates ahead of the 3 November election. The second face-to-face encounter for Biden and Trump, who had their first debate last week, is scheduled for 15 October in Miami, Florida. "If the scientists say that it's safe and the distances are safe, then I think that's fine. I'll do whatever the experts say is the appropriate thing to do," Biden, who tested negative for Covid-19 over the weekend, told reporters in Delaware before heading to Florida on a campaign trip. A debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Biden's running mate, US Senator Kamala Harris, is still scheduled on Wednesday. They have both tested negative for Covid-19. - Reuters

The Cook Islands prime minister says he expects quarantine-free travel with New Zealand to be in place by December. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown Photo: Phillipa Webb / Cook Islands News Mark Brown, who became prime minister late last week after Henry Puna stood down, said his country had confirmed formal arrangements for a travel bubble with New Zealand. He said there were still a few finer technical points to iron out, and that officials still had to assess the protocols the Cook Islands had put in place. Brown said that once New Zealand had gone 28 days without community transmission of Covid-19, the two countries would be in a position to initiate quarantine-free travel. He told the Cook Islands News that he expected the arrangement to begin with a trickle of tourists, but that as the Christmas period ensued, the demand to travel to Cook Islands would be "tremendous". The New Zealand government was yet to comment. However, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reportedly discussed a possible bubble arrangement with Brown when she called him last week to congratulate him on becoming her Cook Islands counterpart. Photo: Rafael Ben-Ari/ 123RF In July, talks towards creating an Auckland-to-Rarotonga travel bubble were well advanced, with officials from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to travel to the Cook Islands to make final checks. However the emergence of a Covid-19 cluster in Auckland in early August meant the travel bubble concept was put on ice.

A technical glitch that meant nearly 16,000 cases of coronavirus went unreported has delayed efforts to trace contacts of people who tested positive in the United Kingdom. Women wear masks to protect themselves from Covid-19 in Liverpool. Photo: AFP Public Health England said 15,841 cases between 25 September and 2 October were left out of the UK daily case figures. They were then added to Saturday's figure of 12,872 new cases and Sunday's 22,961 figure. PHE said all those who tested positive had been informed. But it means others in close contact with them were not. The issue has been resolved, PHE said, with outstanding cases passed on to tracers by Saturday. The technical issue also means that daily totals reported on the government's coronavirus dashboard over the last week have been lower than the true number. The BBC's health editor Hugh Pym said daily figures for the end of the week were "actually nearer 11,000", rather than the around 7000 reported. Labour has described the glitch as "shambolic". A security guard checks people's temperatures before they enter a bar in Liverpool. Photo: AFP Meanwhile, the head of the government's vaccine taskforce, Kate Bingham, has told the Financial Times that less than half of the UK population could be vaccinated against coronavirus. "There is going to be no vaccination of people under 18," she said. "It's an adult-only vaccine for people over 50, focusing on health workers, care home workers and the vulnerable." PM warns of 'bumpy' ride Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned it could be "bumpy through to Christmas" and beyond as the UK deals with coronavirus. Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, Johnson said there was "hope" of beating Covid, and called on the public to "act fearlessly but with common sense". On Sunday, the government's coronavirus dashboard said that there had been a further 22,961 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 502,978. Another 33 people were reported to have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday. Public Health England's interim chief executive Michael Brodie said a "technical issue" was identified overnight on 2 October in the process that transfers Covid-19 positive lab results into reporting dashboards. It was caused by some data files reporting positive test results exceeding the maximum file size. "After rapid investigation, we have identified that 15,841 cases between 25 September and 2 October were not included in the reported daily Covid-19 cases. The majority of these cases occurred in the most recent days," he said. "Every one of these cases received their Covid-19 test result as normal and all those who tested positive were advised to self-isolate." He said they worked with NHS Test and Trace to "quickly resolve the issue and transferred all outstanding cases immediately into the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system". Therese Coffey Photo: AFP "We fully understand the concern this may cause and further robust measures have been put in place as a result," he said. Work and Pensions secretary Therese Coffey told BBC Breakfast PHE had identified and rectified the glitch and would ensure it did not happen again. But she was unable to say if contacts of those who had tested positive had been traced and told to self-isolate where appropriate. Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "This is shambolic and people across the country will be understandably alarmed. "[Health Secretary] Matt Hancock should come to the House of Commons on Monday to explain what on earth has happened, what impact it has had on our ability to contain this virus, and what he plans to do to fix test and trace." Bridget Phillipson, shadow chief secretary to the treasury, told BBC Breakfast she wanted to know whether it had had "any impact on government decision making around local restrictions". - BBC