Gulfnews

An ever-growing number of patients have been flocking to a Goma hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), where a rapidly-spreading epidemic of mpox has erupted in recent months.Between 5-20 people are walking each day into Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital in North Kivu to consult overburdened medical teams at an outdoor isolation centre, fearing they are ill with the virus.The disease can spread from animals to humans, but also human-to-human through sexual or close physical contact.Dr Tresor Basubi inspected the breathing and heartbeat of a calm little girl whose body was covered in skin lesions caused by the disease, which has killed 541 people so far this year.Cases have now surfaced in all provinces of the DR Congo , a country of 100mn people.“This is just the start, the child is not asthenic, she does not show severe symptoms, she can walk on her own,” said Basubi as he examined the girl.In benign cases, which make up the great majority of infections, t...

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is finalising plans to visit the US in late September for the UN General Assembly and a possible meeting with President Joe Biden, the Yomiuri newspaper reported yesterday.The visit may take place for several days starting on Sept 22, the report said, citing multiple government sources it did not identify. The Japanese Foreign Ministry, in response to a request for comment from Reuters, said “nothing has been decided yet”.Kishida on Wednesday dropped out of the leadership race for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, meaning he will step down as prime minister when his term as party leader ends in late September. The date of the LDP election is not yet set. It could be as early as Sept 20, in which case Kishida would likely address the General Assembly after Japan’s parliament, where the LDP has a majority, has chosen his replacement as prime minister, according to the Yomiuri.Some in the Japanese government think it best if Kishida’s succ...

Thousands of Indians marched through the streets of Kolkata on Friday demanding justice after the rape and murder of a doctor, channelling nationwide outrage at the chronic issue of violence against women. Alongside the fury of ordinary Indians, doctors stepped up their own demonstrations and strikes on Friday, with protests also held in the capital New Delhi and other cities over the brutal killing. The discovery of the 31-year-old’s bloodied body on August 9 at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata sparked nationwide protests. “We want justice,” doctors chanted during the protests in Kolkata, waving handwritten signs that read: “No safety, no service!” Protester Sumita Datta, 59, said she was disgusted that such a brazen and violent attack could have been carried out “in a well-known hospital in the heart of the city”. “So many people are out here to take part in the protests,” Datta added. “It feels like hope is being reignited.” Those in government hospitals acros...

Four people have been arrested after a knife attack on the father of young Spanish football star Lamine Yamal in Catalonia, local police told AFP yesterday.The attack took place at 1910 GMT on Wednesday in a car park in the Catalan town of Mataro, around 30km from Barcelona, in the Rocafonda neighbourhood where Lamine Yamal is from, said a spokesman for the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force.Yamal’s father Mounir Nasraoui was stabbed several times the police said, and is being treated at the Can Ruti hospital, who could not be reached by AFP for comment.“Thanks to everyone for your support, I’m already doing better, a big hug for everyone,” wrote Nasraoui in a post on Instagram yesterday afternoon.A source close to the family told AFP that Nasraoui is now “out of danger” and “remains under observation” but in a “stable” condition.Asked about the events and the victim’s possible release date from hospital, the source did not wish to say more.Yamal was pictured leaving ...

Flights were suspended at two airports after an environmental activist group launched protest actions at several German airports on Thursday.The activists infiltrated the airports of Berlin-Brandenburg, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Cologne-Bonn, with an average of two activists per airport.According to a German police spokesman, air traffic at Nuremberg Airport has been suspended until further notice.For his part, a spokesman for Cologne-Bonn Airport announced that air traffic at the airport had been halted due to the protest, explaining that unauthorized persons had managed to reach the flight area on the airport grounds.On Aug. 1, cargo flights were halted for about three hours at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany, due to a protest by climate activists.The Last Generation movement has listed several countries across Europe and North America where similar disruptions are planned as part of a protest campaign calling for the German government to pursue a global agreement to exit oil, gas a...

Japan announced Thursday the cancelation of hundreds of flights to and from Tokyo's Haneda airport and Narita airport, close to the capital.Days after Tropical Storm Maria dumped record rains, Typhoon Ampil was set late Thursday to skirt the capital, which has a population of almost 40 million, before sweeping the Pacific coast on Friday and Saturday.East Japan Railway Co. said parts of the Tohoku, Joetsu, Hokuriku and Yamagata shinkansen services will be suspended Friday, as will operations between Nagoya and Tokyo stations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line.In the 24 hours from Thursday morning, the typhoon is forecast to bring up to 150 mm of rain to the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes Tokyo, 100 mm in the Tokai region, and 80 mm in the Tohoku region, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.The JMA warned residents of eastern regions of possible severe storms, flooding, river overflows, and landslides. source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/688674/international/japa...

Greece yesterday counted the cost of devastating fires outside Athens that claimed one life, forced thousands to flee their homes and took three days to control.With the smoke still to clear, civil protection officials said the fire devoured 10,000 hectares, destroying about 100 homes as well as many other buildings and cars.While isolated fires still burned, there were no major active blazes, but some 570 firefighters and 174 vehicles were monitoring events, said the fire service.“We are still in the area but there is no (threat). Some pockets of fire spring up but are dealt with,” a fire service spokesman told AFP.The fire broke out on Sunday at Varnavas, near the historic town of Marathon, 40km northeast of Athens.Investigators think a faulty electricity pole may have been the cause, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.Strong winds fed the flames, turning it into the worst wildfire this year in Greece.As the flames approached the suburbs of the capital, teams from France, Italy, the ...