NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

US/ RESEARCH SHOWS MONKEY HIV VACCINE IS "EFFECTIVE": A new vaccine can protect macaques against the monkey equivalent of HIV and could provide a fresh approach to an HIV vaccine, a new study suggests. US researchers say the vaccine offered protection to 13 of 24 rhesus macaques treated in the experiment. In 12 of the monkeys, the vaccine was still effective 12 months later. They claim the work, published in the journal Nature, could "significantly contribute" to the development of an effective HIV/Aids vaccine. The researchers gave 24 healthy rhesus macaques a vaccine containing a genetically modified form of the virus, rhesus cytomegalovirus (CMV). The vaccine was engineered to produce antigens to attack simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the monkey equivalent of HIV. It was shown to offer complete control against SIV within 13 of the monkeys, with 1/2 the monkeys still protected a year on. The vaccine worked by stimulating the production of a particular type of blood cell, called "effector memory T-cells", which can remain vigilant in the body long after an infection has abated, providing long-term protection. There was also evidence that the vaccine all but eradicated traces of SIV in the monkeys, something which researchers said was "unprecedented" in HIV vaccine research. Researchers in the field welcomed the research, but said safety issues would need to be addressed before similar approaches could be tried in humans. Full details can be found in the Nature journal.

US/ DELAWARE CIVIL UNIONS BILL SIGNED INTO LAW: Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed Delaware's civil unions bill into law last evening, before a jammed and cheering crowd. Effective January 1, the law will provide legal protections and benefits for same-sex couples who solemnize their relationships. With the signing, Delaware becomes the 8th state to grant comprehensive same-sex relationship rights, either through same-sex marriage laws, civil unions or domestic partnerships. The law does not change federal law, which restricts marriage benefits to opposite-sex couples. "Tonight, we say to loving and committed couples across the state who want the law to endorse the promise that they made long ago in their hearts, 'Your love is equally valid and deserving, your family is now equal under the law,' " Markell told the crowd. After decades of struggle with the gay rights debate, the civil unions bill seemed to fly through the Legislature, moving from its filing date to final passage April 14 in less than 4 weeks. Lawmakers passed the bill in both chambers by margins of almost 2-to-1.

WORLD/ DEADLY QUAKE ROCKS LORCA, SPAIN: Thousands of people spent the night outdoors in the southern Spanish town of Lorca after a rare earthquake struc last evening, killing at least 8 people. The magnitude-5.2 tremor toppled several buildings after striking at a depth of just 6 miles, 120km SW of Alicante. Lines of cars lay crushed under tons of rubble after Spain's worst earthquake in over 50 years. Last evening's quake came about 2 hours after a 4.4-magnitude tremor. Regional officials put the official death toll at 8 this morning, but cautioned that may rise.It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens, with some in a critical condition. Shocked residents and workers rushed out of buildings and gathered in squares, parks and open spaces after the quake struck at 6:47pm, local time, in the town in Murcia region. Spanish TV captured dramatic images of a church bell tower crashing to the ground, landing just inches from a cameraman. The interior ministry says 225 emergency military units and 400 workers, including rescuers with dogs, have been sent to Lorca. As night fell, many of Lorca's 90,000 residents were either unable or still too afraid to return to their homes. The Mayor of Lorca said as many as 1/3 of the population slept outside. "We know we live near a fault line but we never thought this would happen," said a Lorca resident in an interview. "People are afraid. No one here has ever seen anything like this before". Spain has hundreds of earthquakes every year but most of them are too small to be noticed. Murcia is the country's most seismically active area and suffered tremors in 2005 and 1999. It is close to the large faultline beneath the Mediterranean Sea where the European and African continents meet.