RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced 11 new cases of MERS, including a 13-year-old child, as its acting health minister vowed to keep the public better informed about the coronavirus.

The new cases bring to 272 the total number of MERS infections, including 81 deaths, registered across the kingdom -- worst hit by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome which was first detected in eastern Saudi Arabia in September 2012.

Most of the latest cases are in Riyadh and the commercial hub Jeddah, with one case in the holy city Makka, visited each year by millions of pilgrims from around the world.

Three of the new infections were of health workers, while a 13-year-old Saudi girl is among cases recorded in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

A spike in MERS cases and public fears prompted the Gulf state to dismiss its health minister, Abdullah al-Rabiah, on Monday without an official explanation.

Rabiah last week visited hospitals in Jeddah to calm a public hit by panic over the spread of the virus among medical staff that triggered the temporary closure of the city´s King Fahd Hospital emergency room.

Labour Minister Adel Fakieh, who has taken over as acting health minister, said on Twitter late Tuesday that he had visited the Jeddah hospital.

Fakieh promised "transparency and to promptly provide the media and society with the information needed" on the virus.

At least four doctors at King Fahd Hospital reportedly resigned last week after refusing to treat MERS patients.

The virus is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus which erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.

Experts are still struggling to understand MERS, for which there is no known vaccine.

A recent study said the virus has been "extraordinarily common" in camels for at least 20 years, and it may have been passed directly from the animals to humans.

The World Health Organisation said it had been informed of 253 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS infection worldwide, of which 93 had been fatal.

The WHO in a statement issued in Cairo on Wednesday expressed concern about the rising number of cases, especially in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Its Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said it has offered to help Saudi Arabia and the UAE investigate the current outbreaks "in order to determine the transmission chain of this recent cluster". (AFP)

ANCHORAGE: An Oscar-nominated filmmaker who directed and produced a documentary detailing a 1925 sled dog run in Alaska to deliver life-saving serum has died.

Daniel Anker died Monday at age 50. His wife, Donna Santman, says her husband died of pneumonia, a complication of his lymphoma.

Anker´s film, "Icebound," details the five-day run to Nome following a deadly diphtheria breakout. The film opened the Anchorage International Film Festival in December.

Santman says her husband most recently was working on a documentary about late director Sidney Lumet.

Anker was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001 for another documentary, "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy."

The New York filmmaker is survived by his wife of 12 years and their two children. (AP)

SINGAPORE: Oil prices rebounded in Asian trade Thursday as heightened tensions in Ukraine overshadowed data showing US commercial crude inventories reaching an all-time high.

New York´s West Texas Intermediate for June delivery, was up 30 cents at $101.74 a barrel in afternoon trade, and Brent North Sea crude for June rose 24 cents to $109.35.Both contracts tumbled Wednesday on the US stockpiles data, which indicate softer demand at a time of robust production in the world´s biggest oil consuming nation.

Stocks rose 3.5 million barrels to 397.7 million for the week ended April 18, official figures showed, larger than the 2.4 million expected by analysts.

"While key economic data from US and Europe will be released this week, oil markets will continue to be influenced by geopolitical events," said Sanjeev Gupta, who heads the Asia-Pacific Oil & Gas practice at professional services firm EY.

In Eastern Europe an agreement between Ukraine, Russia and Western powers in Geneva last week to pull the country from the brink of civil war appeared shaky after a gunfight on Sunday killed at least two pro-Moscow rebels.

On Wednesday, Russia hinted it will strike back if its "legitimate interests" in the former Soviet state are attacked after Kiev sent in forces to dislodge militants who have occupied government buildings there.

KARACHI: Senior journalist and Geo News’ anchor Hamid Mir will issue an official statement today (Thursday) pertaining to an attack that left him severely injured with six bullet wounds on Saturday evening, his wife told Geo News on Thursday.

Mr. Mir's wife thanked the nation for praying for her husband’s health and life, and said that it is due to the Almighty’s blessings and peoples’ wishes that Hamid Mir got a new life. She appealed to continue praying for Hamid Mir’s health who is recovering from his injuries at a private hospital in Karachi.

The doctors have extracted three bullets from Mir’s body, however, three bullets are still lodged in his legs and thighs that require major surgeries.

On Wednesday, Karachi police registered an FIR against unidentified assailants into an armed attack on Hamid Mir

The case was registered on behalf of sub-inspector Shahadat Khan under section 15 of Anti-Terrorism Act and 324/34 and 427 of PPO at the Airport Police Station.

It may be mentioned that Hamid Mir was attacked in Karachi on Saturday evening while his car was leaving the airport.

The attack took place when a single gunman wearing shalwar kameez stopped his car right outside the airport and opened fire. The driver of the car sped away but the gunman and his accomplices on two motorcycles and a car followed Hamid Mir and continued firing. The attackers followed Hamid Mir’s car till Karsaz before fleeing. While being chased Hamid Mir spoke to his colleagues over the phone and informed them of the attack.

Gwadar: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Thursday that the civilian and military leadership was on the same page for development in Pakistan.

During a meeting over a development project, Prime Minister Sharif expressed commitment to turn Gwadar into a free port like Hong Kong and Singapore.

Earlier upon his arrival in Gwadar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was welcomed by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif.

The prime minister arrived at the PNS Akram Base alongside federal ministers Ishaq Dar and Ahsan Iqbal. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was greeted by Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and other provincial ministers.

ABU DHABI: Health authorities in the United Arab Emirates have announced 12 new cases of infection by the MERS coronavirus, but insisted the patients would be cured within two weeks.

The health ministry said the cases were discovered during "routine checks" on people who had contact with infected individuals, according to a statement published late Saturday by WAM state news agency.

Those infected by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome are kept in hospitals and "should be cured without a treatment within 10 to 14 days," the statement said.

One of six Filipino paramedics diagnosed with the disease in the eastern city of Al-Ain died earlier this month.

The World Health Organisation said Thursday that it has been informed of a total of 243 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection worldwide, including 93 deaths.

Neighbouring Saudi Arabia remains the worst-hit country, with a total death toll of 76 people, out of 231 cases of infection.

Panic over the spread of MERS among medical staff in the western Saudi city of Jeddah this month forced the temporary closure of a hospital emergency room, prompting Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabiah to visit the facility in a bid to calm the public.

The virus is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.

Experts are still struggling to understand MERS, for which there is no known vaccine.

A recent study said the virus has been "extraordinarily common" in camels for at least 20 years, and may have been passed directly from the animals to humans.

DES MOINES: Lucey is a slobbering 18-month-old pooch whose human family dreams of making her a therapy dog.

Winning a pageant before her second birthday should boost the Iowa bulldog's hopes of joining owner Dr. Tiffany Torstenson, in the health care industry.

Lucey beat out 49 drooling competitors Monday to take this year's "Beautiful Bulldog" pageant, a tongue-in-cheek event designed to kick off the weeklong Drake Relays, an internationally-renowned track and field meet in Des Moines.

"She's just very calm - and she loves people," Torstenson, of Waukee, Iowa, said. "She loves the attention."

Torstenson said she often takes Lucey to work. Lucey's demeanor around doctors and patients helped convince her human family that she'd make a perfect therapy dog, and she will soon start training to become one.

Lucey was certainly a hit with the crowd at Drake's Knapp Center, besting a pair of boys named Lord Nelson and Zuul to capture top honors.

"She's is very docile, and she doesn't get really excited," Torstenson said. "Every room we go into, she's in that room. She likes to sleep in the bed, and hog the bed. And she loves cheese."

Monday marked the 35th anniversary of the Beautiful Bulldog event, which was started in 1979 in an effort to find a real dog to represent the school's mascot, the Bulldogs.

RICHMOND: Smokers are increasingly turning to battery-powered electronic cigarettes to get their nicotine fix. They're about to find out what federal regulators have to say about the popular devices.

The Food and Drug Administration will propose rules for e-cigarettes as early as this month. The rules will have big implications for a fast-growing, largely unregulated industry and its legions of customers.

Regulators aim to answer the burning question posed by Kenneth Warner, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health: "Is this going to be the disruptive technology that finally takes us in the direction of getting rid of cigarettes?"

The FDA faces a balancing act. If the regulations are too strict, they could kill an industry that offers a hope of being safer than cigarettes and potentially helping smokers quit them. But the agency also has to be sure e-cigarettes really are safer and aren't hooking children on an addictive drug.

Members of Congress and several public health groups have raised safety concerns over e-cigarettes, questioned their marketing tactics and called on regulators to address those worries quickly.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has completed eight phase of next-generation cell phone spectrum license auction with no increase in offers after the fourth bid.

Four mobile phone companies offered 903, 920,000 dollars in the bidding process.

Zong offered 306,920,000 dollars, the highest bid, to get 10 MHz 3G and 4G licenses. Similarly, Mobilink got 10 MHz, Telenor and Ufone got 5MHz 3G licences in the auction.

With the arrival of the next generation mobile services, 133.7 million users will be able to have an access to high speed data connections on their mobile devices.

In the first phase, the winning bidders will be bound to start their 3G/4G services in selected cities within a few days and subsequently within the next couple of months.

The qualified bidding parties had already started giving 3G services to their employees in the jurisdiction of their offices in Islamabad on testing basis and found unprecedented speed on cell phone in data communication.

KARACHI: Karachi police have registered an FIR against unidentified assailants into an armed attack against senior journalist Hamid Mir.

The case was registered on behalf of sub-inspector Shahadat Khan under section 15 of Anti-Terrorism Act and 324/34 and 427 of PPO at the Airport Police Station.

According to the FIR, the attack on Hamid Mir was carried out under the Jinnah overhead bridge.

The FIR said the case has been lodged on the behalf of police as the injured journalist was not in a condition to lodge a case.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan said Wednesday it was "encouraged" by comments from arch rival India´s election frontrunner Narendra Modi who stressed cooperation with foreign governments if he was elected prime minister.

Hindu nationalist hardliner Modi and his opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party are expected to vault to power at mammoth elections underway in India after a decade of centre-left Congress party rule.

Critics fear Modi will adopt a tough foreign policy that could see relations deteriorate with traditional rival Pakistan and neighbouring emerging market giant China.

But Pakistan High Commissioner Abul Basit said he welcomed Modi´s comments in a television interview late Tuesday that he would pursue the policies followed by former BJP premier Atal Behari Vajpayee.

"I was very much encouraged. They were very positive. It gives us hope that if he is elected as prime minister we should expect more positive things," Basit told a small gathering of journalists in New Delhi.

Vajpayee sought several times during his tenure to make permanent peace with Pakistan which has fought three wars with India, two of them over Kashmir, since their split in 1947.

Basit said dialogue was the only way to resolve outstanding issues such as Kashmir. He said the Pakistani government wished to change the "narrative" between the two countries into one of "cooperation and trust.

"The Pakistani envoy also said that his government was "keenly looking forward to a government with which Pakistan (can engage) quickly, comprehensively and meaningfully... and move from conflicting relations.

"The envoy added that "terrorism is a common enemy of both countries" and that those who believed Pakistan harbored terrorists "misunderstood the country".

Asked about foreign policy in the TV interview on Tuesday night, Modi asserted that he would follow Vajpayee´s policies.

"I believe mutual respect for one another and cooperation should be the basis for relationships with foreign nations," Modi said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

India´s six-week long elections will end on May 12 with results four days later.