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Zika virus may spread to Europe in coming months, WHO warns

By Kate Kelland LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) – The Zika virus, an infectious disease linked to severe birth defects in babies, may spread into Europe as the weather gets warmer, although the risk is low, health officials said on Wednesday. In its first assessment of the threat Zika poses to the region, the World Health Organization's European office said the overall risk was small to moderate. It is highest in areas where Aedes mosquitoes thrive, in particular on the island of Madeira and the north-eastern coast of the Black Sea.

Workers at Kenya’s main port strike over higher health costs

MOMBASA (Reuters) – More than 2,000 workers at East Africa’s biggest port in Kenya's coastal city Mombasa went on strike on Wednesday protesting an increase in the amount they will have to pay for state-run health insurance. The port, the biggest in the region, handles imports such as fuel for Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. Interruption of the port activities threatens regional business which heavily relies on cargo passing through the trade gateway.

Futures gain after rally, indexes set for strong week

U.S. stock index futures climbed on Friday, adding to a sharp rally in the previous session that returned the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to positive territory for the year and putting major indexes on track to break a three-week streak of declines. Thursday's advance came after the European Central Bank detailed a bond-buying program to boost the region's sagging economy and fight deflation.

Fukushima rice passes radiation tests for first time since disaster: official

TOKYO (Reuters) – Fukushima rice passed Japan’s radiation checks for the first time since the 2011 nuclear disaster that prompted international alarm over the region’s produce, a prefectural official said. Fukushima official Tsuneaki Oonami said about 360,000 tonnes of rice, nearly all of last year’s harvest, had been checked and none had tested above the 100 becquerels per kilogram limit set by the government. …

West African leaders name Togo’s president to lead Ebola response

ACCRA (Reuters) – West African leaders on Thursday appointed Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe to supervise the region's efforts to contain the deadly Ebola epidemic, which has killed nearly 5,000 people, mostly in the region. The leaders who gathered in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, called for accelerated efforts to make vaccines available against the disease, which has infected some 13,567 people in eight countries. …