Briefly

INDIA

2 dead, 700 more test positive for Nipah virus

The southern Indian state of Kerala shut some schools, offices and public transportation on Wednesday in a race to stop the spread of the rare and deadly Nipah virus, which has killed two people. Two adults and a child were still infected in hospital, and more than 700 people were being tested for the virus, spread via contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs or people, a state health official said. The state government on Wednesday evening said at least 706 people, including 153 health workers, were undergoing tests to check the spread of the virus. Experts have fanned out in Kerala to collect samples of fluid from bats and fruit trees.

DENMARK

3rd attempt to free cruise ship fails

Another attempt to pull free a Bahamas-flagged luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground in the world's northernmost national park in Greenland has failed after trying to use the high tide, authorities said. It was the third attempt to free the MV Ocean Explorer. Earlier this week, the cruise ship made two failed attempts to float free on its own during high tide. The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle on Monday in Alpefjord, which is in the Northeast Greenland National Park. The park is almost as much land as France and Spain combined, and approximately 80 percent is permanently covered by an ice sheet.

Agencies Via Xinhua