Science: Surfers are three times more likely to have antibiotic resistant E. coli in their guts than non-surfers, a study has revealed. Surfers swallow 10 times more sea water than sea swimmers, and scientists wanted to find out if that made them more vulnerable to bacteria that pollute seawater, and whether those bacteria are resistant to an antibiotic. The Beach Bums study saw a team at the University of Exeter ask 300 people, half of whom regularly surf the UK's coastline, to take rectal swabs. They then compared the faecal samples to assess whether the surfers' guts contained E. coli bacteria that were able to grow in the presence of cefotaxime, an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections. The study, published in the journal Environment International, found that 13 of 143 (9 per cent) of surfers were colonised by these resistant bacteria, compared with four out of 130 (3 per cent) of non-surfers swabbed. That meant that the bacteria would continue to grow even if treated with cefotaxime.
Researchers also found that regular surfers were four times as likely to harbour bacteria that contain mobile genes that make bacteria resistant to the antibiotic.
Middle East: The Israeli military said it destroyed an attack tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip, through Israel and into Egypt, and that ran past Israeli military posts as well as gas and fuel pipelines. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the 1.5km long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza's main point of entry for humanitarian aid. He said Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated "tools" destroyed the rest. Conricus said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible. The crossing has been closed until further notice.
Philippines: The alert level at the rumbling Mayon volcano has been raised to "level 3" after the Philippines detected lava flow and indications of activity that could lead to eruptions of magma. More than 900 families have been evacuated from villages near Mayon, a tourist attraction on Luzon Island, because of its near-perfect cone shape, following a "steam-driven eruption" on Saturday. Authorities advised people to cover their noses and mouths with a damp, clean cloth or dust mask if they were exposed to ash from the eruptions, and said aircraft must avoid flying close to the volcano's summit.
Two similar "phreatic" eruptions occurred at the volcano in central Albay province yesterday, unleashing more ash.
Australia: Perth is set to be drenched by the tail-end of ex-Tropical Cyclone Joyce with as much as 80mm of rain forecast to hit the metropolitan area over the next few days.
The cyclone has been downgraded to a tropical low, but the Bureau of Meteorology has warned it could still bring severe weather including thunderstorms and flooding.
After soaking up the sun over the weekend, residents in Perth will be hit with five times the average monthly rainfall in 48 hours, with a deluge expected today.
