News Briefs

Polio outbreak leads to mass immunizations

Three million people in central Africa are scheduled to be immunized after a sharp increase in polio cases was reported. Most cases have been reported in the Republic of the Congo.

The immunization plan is set to start in Pointe-Noire, a city that appears to be hit the hardest by the outbreak. Males over the age of 15 have accounted for the majority of polio cases and deaths.

Officials plan to immunize every man, woman and child to make sure the deadly disease is eradicated from the area. Unicef and the World Health Organization are among the aid agencies that are helping the area.

Neighboring countries Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also reported cases of polio.

So far over 100 people have died and hundreds more have been paralyzed because of the disease.

The last case of indigenous polio to occur in the Republic of the Congo was in 2000.

Lichtenstein painting sells for $42.6 million

Roy Lichtenstein's "Ohhh…Alright…" was sold in a Christie's auction for $42.6 million, setting a personal record for the pop artist.

The cartoon-style painting features a woman on the phone with a speech bubble containing the title of the work. The famous piece was created in 1964. Fittingly, the winning bid came from a telephone bidder who requested to remain anonymous.

Lichtenstein's work shattered his previous record selling price of $16.2 million for "In the Car."

The auction, held in New York City, featured a number of contemporary and post-war art works. Andy Warhol's "Big Campbell's Soup Can with Can Opener (Vegetable)" was sold for $23.9 million, well short of the expected $50 million. Jeff Koon's sculpture "Balloon Flower" also sold for $16.8 million.

The collection of works totaled $272.8 million.

Dozens arrested as Buffalo Police conduct raids

In the past few weeks, Buffalo Police have been conducting drug raids that have led to many arrests. Dozens have been arrested in various neighborhoods as the city tries to show criminals that their behavior will not be tolerated.

One of the most recent raids took place on Peach Street. Police found crack cocaine and illegal prescription pills. An arrest was also made.

More than a dozen have been arrested in the past week alone. In that time, police have reported the confiscation of two illegal shotguns, three ounces of crack cocaine and a pound of marijuana. A sum of $20,000 in cash was also seized.

No human injuries were reported in any of the raids, but a dog was shot for the protection of the police. Most of the leads for the raids came from members of the community through the police tip line.