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The Ebola outbreak is spreading into new areas of the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and is bigger in scale than hitherto detected, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned yesterday.Much more needs to be done to contain the virus, the WHO said, with isolation bed capacity far below the anticipated need, based on how it is spreading.Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, there have been 676 confirmed Ebola cases, including 136 deaths in the DR Congo, according to the latest figures from the WHO.There are a further 119 suspected cases, while 32 patients have recovered.No approved vaccines or treatments exist for the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus responsible for the current outbreak, which is centred on Ituri province, with cases also detected in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.”The outbreak continues to expand both in terms of case numbers but also in terms of geographic spread,” said Olivier le Polain, the WHO’s head of epidemiology and analytics for response.Speaking from Beni in North Kivu, he said that cases were being identified in new health zones within the three affected provinces on an almost daily basis.”That reflects really the scale of this outbreak: a scale that is much bigger than what is being detected, and the high mobility of the population,” he told reporters in Geneva.Le Polain said that while in recent weeks, cases in new areas could be traced back to travel from hotspots, now “we also see local community spread in new areas”.”There are still many blind spots in some areas that are high risk,” he added.Le Polain said contact tracing remained below ideal levels, with just over 70% of contacts being appropriately traced.”That’s a huge improvement from where we were about a week or two ago, but it’s still too low to ensure appropriate control,” he said. “Surveillance can scale up, but if you don’t have any space to put your patients safely, it becomes very difficult.”He said that “compared to where the epidemiology is heading”, the current capacity of 250 isolation beds across the affected provinces would not be enough and needed scaling up “quite rapidly”.The UN children’s agency Unicef warned of a likely rise in cases amongst children via household transmission in the coming weeks.After returning from Ituri’s capital Bunia, Douglas Noble, Unicef’s global incident manager for Ebola, said that in the province, more than half of children aged under five are chronically malnourished.”The point is: these are already very vulnerable children,” he told reporters.”As the outbreak evolves we must be prepared for increasing household transmission, which means we may see more children affected in the days ahead” based on previous Ebola crises.”We are expecting it, and we are taking steps in our interventions… to respond to that,” he told reporters.The outbreak has also spread across the border into Uganda, which has recorded 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths.The African Union’s health agency said on Thursday that the situation in Uganda was “under control”.The WHO classifies the Ebola risk as very high within the DR Congo; high for Uganda; high for countries sharing land borders with the DR Congo and Uganda; and low elsewhere.Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said in a report published on Thursday that two people had died of Ebola at a camp for internally displaced people in the DR Congo.The Kpangba camp hosts 30,000 internally displaced people.A Congolese health ministry report seen by Reuters showed that a 60-year-old woman in the camp tested positive for Ebola on May 30.By then, she had broken out of quarantine and could not be traced by teams, the report said.She died on May 31 and her daughter died on June 1, an aid worker with knowledge of the cases told Reuters, adding that their bodies had both tested positive for Ebola after their deaths.Humanitarian workers later discovered the bodies, but community members began pelting WHO vehicles as they tried to approach, the source said.Mistrust of aid groups has been widespread in the nearly month-long outbreak in the DR Congo, with communities sometimes burying highly-contagious bodies in secret to avoid health protocols.Aid workers describe cramped conditions at the camps, where sometimes hundreds of people sharing a toilet and open defecation is common.”We are all really worried that Ebola in these camps will spread extremely quickly and that there will be panic and people will flee all over whether or not they’re contacts, whether or not they’re ill,” Caitlin Brady, country director for the Danish Refugee Council in the DR Congo, told Reuters.The Congolese health report for the Kpangba camp listed eight contacts for the mother, underscoring the risk of further cases within the camp. Source link
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk unveiled the initiative in Geneva, describing it as a direct response to what he called a world “in…
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson during the press conference. (Reuters) New Zealand’s most prolific run-scorer and arguably greatest batsman Kane Williamson announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Friday in the middle of their series against England. The 35-year-old former skipper called time ahead of the second Test at The Oval next week. He played in the Black Caps’ defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, making 0 and 18.”I’ve thought about it for a while, but over the last few days it’s become clear now is the right time,” he said.”I’ve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket, and I take pride in knowing I’ve given it my all in every match I’ve played for New Zealand.”Continuing with anything less wouldn’t be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms,” added Williamson.The timing of Willamson’s announcement, one match into a three-Test series and with a 2026/27 season featuring series against India and Australia to come, was a surprise.But Williamson, speaking later Friday in London, said: “When I look at the dressing room now and I see the talent, and the journey that I think this team’s looking to go on, it just feels like the right time for me to step away.”I feel really good about it,” added Williamson one of the ‘Fab Four’ batsmen of his generation, alongside India’s Virat Kohli, Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson during the press conference. (Reuters) He made his international debut in 2010 and played 378 games for his country, finishing as New Zealand’s all-time leading run-scorer with 19,346 including 48 centuries and six double-centuries.Williamson played 110 Tests, hitting 33 centuries on his way to 9,515 runs at an average of 54.06.His leadership style was much admired and he captained the side in all three formats during a golden period from 2016 to 2024.During that time, New Zealand made two World Cup finals, three semi-finals, and won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.’LEGEND’New Zealand coach Rob Walter paid tribute to Willamson by saying: “Anyone who’s had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a very special player and person.”His numbers and batting skills speak for themselves, but it’s what he means to this Black Caps team, as well as world cricket — that will be his legacy.”Williamson’s retirement is a blow to New Zealand’s hopes of levelling the England series, with Walter telling reporters in London: “You don’t lose Kane Williamson off the team sheet and get stronger, because he’s a legend.”Walter, meanwhile declined to say who will take Williamson’s place at No 3 at the Oval.Henry Nicholls is the reserve batsman in the squad but Rachin Ravindra could move up from No 4.Williamson’s list of accolades is immense, including being named the ICC Cricketer of 2015 and Test player of the year in 2019, while also winning the domestic Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on a record four occasions.New Zealand great Hadlee hailed him as “a wonderful player and fine leader”.”He’s demonstrated a willingness to continually advance his game to the highest level in all three formats and he rightfully finishes as one of the best players of his era,” he said.”The way he prepared himself physically and mentally was perhaps the most impressive part. He was always committed to working hard and developing his technique to ensure he was ready to be a world class player.”He’s been an unflappable leader and the architect of some of our greatest moments in cricket.” Related Story Source link
This aerial photograph shows agricultural fields on either side of the Benapole-Petrapole border crossing between Bangladesh (right) and India in Benapole. (AFP) Bangladesh and India have agreed to deepen co-operation along their shared border with improved intelligence sharing and co-ordinated patrols, according to a joint statement released yesterday, amid strained relations over alleged undocumented migration. Dhaka has accused Indian authorities of attempting to force migrants across the border without due process, complicating efforts to stabilise ties following the 2024 ousting of Sheikh Hasina and India’s broader effort to identify and deport undocumented migrants. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) described the discussions as “cordial, positive and forward-looking”, according to the statement released at the end of a four-day meeting of top border officials in New Delhi. The regular talks also covered “illegal, inadvertent and forcible crossing at border areas,” an increasingly contentious issue in recent months. Bangladesh and India share a more than 4,000-km (2,500-mile) border, one of the world’s longest. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs key border states including Tripura, West Bengal and Assam, has said tackling alleged undocumented migration is a priority and has been trying to push Bengali-speaking Muslims branded “illegal infiltrators” into Bangladesh since last year.Bangladesh has said it has sent more than a dozen letters to New Delhi seeking an end to the practice.The BGB has reported foiling several alleged attempts in recent weeks and has stepped up deployments, intelligence operations and drone surveillance in border areas. Earlier this week, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said that any push-ins without due process were “absolutely unacceptable,” warning they could undermine efforts to improve bilateral ties. Bangladesh said it had intensified patrols and launched awareness campaigns along parts of the frontier to tackle the alleged forced crossings, while India said in May it had asked Dhaka to verify the nationality of more than 2,860 suspected Bangladeshi nationals living in India without formal documentation.The joint statement said the two sides also discussed human trafficking, border deaths, smuggling, infrastructure and implementation of the Co-ordinated Border Management Plan. “Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, tranquillity and stability along the India-Bangladesh border,” the statement said, adding they would strengthen co-ordinated patrols, enhance vigilance, improve real-time information sharing and step up joint action against trans-border criminal networks.The top border officials will next meet in Dhaka in November, the statement said. Source link
The latest strike, which the United States said had been carried out as part of its blockade enforcement operations, involved the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello near…
Top seed Elena Rybakina came within two points of being sliced out of the Queen's Club Championships by defending champion Tatjana Maria but switched on the power to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-7(4) 7-5 6-0 victory on Friday.The Kazakh will be back on court later for her quarter-final against Britain's Katie Boulter as tournament organisers play catch-up after persistent rain washed out play on Thursday to leave a backlog of matches. Boulter beat Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-1 6-3.Britain's Emma Raducanu delighted the home crowd at the prestigious London club as she beat Romania's seventh seed Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-2 to also reach the quarter-finals.She will face Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova, a lucky loser from qualifying, later on Friday after she beat British wildcard Harriet Dart 5-7 6-1 7-5. Donna Vekic, another lucky loser, beat Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-6(9) 6-3. Rybakina lost to veteran unorthodox Maria at Queen's last year and was again baffled at times by the unique style of the 38-year-old German who hits every ground stroke with under-spin.But she eventually solved the puzzle.’I was battling with myself but I found the way and found the rhythm,’ former Wimbledon champion Rybakina said on court.Her level fluctuated wildly in the opening set as she began strongly, then fell 5-3 behind, saved set points as she hit back to force a tiebreak before eventually succumbing.Qualifier Maria had voiced her frustration earlier in the week at not being handed a wildcard despite winning the title last year, and looked determined to make a point as she continued to torment Rybakina in the second set with her undercut strokes skimming low on the lush turf and drawing errors. Fans expecting the usual power rallies from the baseline were entranced as Maria went about her business in her unique way, chopping and chipping, and were clearly just happy to be watching tennis after this week's weather interruptions.They even gave Maria a round of applause for changing her shoe midway through the second set after she snapped a lace.Rybakina leaked errors and at 4-5 0-30 in the second set she seemed set for a repeat of her defeat by the German last year. But she found her range in the nick of time. She held serve, though, and then reeled off eight successive games for the win.The first quarter-final under way was an all-American clash between second seed Amanda Anisimova and teenager Iva Jovic. Source link
A student from MES Indian School, Doha, has brought pride to Qatar by earning an invitation to present her scientific work at Indoor Air 2026, a prestigious conference of International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate to be held in Singapore from June 14 to 18, 2026.Grade 6 student Alima Bint Hashir PK (11) first developed an innovative, low-cost air filter during her Grade 5 school exhibition. Using a simple tiffin box, a car AC filter, and a small DC fan, and inspired by the Corsi–Rosenthal box concept, she created an affordable air-cleaning device aimed at making public awareness about improving indoor air quality using easily available materials.Her project was subsequently featured on the official platform of the Corsi–Rosenthal Foundation (USA), along with her photograph in school uniform, and was widely appreciated and shared by leading international experts in the field.Impressed by her enthusiasm and potential at such a young age, Dr Asit Kumar Misra, Research Fellow at University College Cork, Ireland, mentored Alima in converting her school project into a full research paper. The paper was submitted to Indoor Air 2026 and has now been accepted for presentation at the conference, where she will share the stage with senior researchers, academics, and professionals from around the world.Indoor Air 2026, organised under the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ), is recognised as one of the world’s leading scientific platforms dedicated to healthy indoor environments. Alima’s participation highlights not only her individual talent and dedication, but also underscores the growing role of students from Qatar in global scientific and environmental discourse.The management and staff of MES Indian School, along with Alima’s teachers and family, have expressed immense pride in her achievement. They described her success as a powerful inspiration for other students in Qatar, demonstrating how a simple classroom idea, when nurtured with curiosity, guidance, and hard work, can reach an international stage. Source link
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands as she welcomes Korean President Lee Jae-myung before a meeting at Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome yesterday. (AFP) Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Republic of Korea President Lee Jae-myung yesterday pledged to deepen bilateral ties, signing memorandums spanning technology and development co-operation.The leaders discussed closer cooperation in semiconductors and high-tech sectors including artificial intelligence, space, automotive and energy.MoUs also covered small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperation in the social economy.The countries signed a strategic action plan that included an aspiration to reform the UN Security Council to make it more representative and effective.The leaders also discussed international issues, reaffirming their commitment to Indo-Pacific stability and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.Meloni and Lee are due to meet business leaders later yesterday, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y Lee, Fincantieri Chairman Biagio Mazzotta and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. …
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed alarm on Thursday over the rioting and destruction in Northern Ireland resulting from the attack which went viral…
Released on Friday ahead of World Blood Donor Day on 14 June, the WHO study offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of blood systems worldwide,…