Egypt bolsters defenses against cholera threat

Egypt has introduced new measures to tackle cholera despite having not recorded any recent cases, amid growing reports of outbreaks in neighboring countries, including Sudan. (AFP/File Photo)
Egypt has introduced new measures to tackle cholera despite having not recorded any recent cases, amid growing reports of outbreaks in neighboring countries, including Sudan. (AFP/File Photo)
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Updated 31 August 2024
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Egypt bolsters defenses against cholera threat

Egypt bolsters defenses against cholera threat
  • New guidelines for diagnosis, treatment issued as outbreaks continue across region
  • Cairo ‘fully prepared to respond to any emergency,’ health official says

CAIRO: Egypt has introduced new measures to tackle cholera despite having not recorded any recent cases, amid growing reports of outbreaks in neighboring countries, including Sudan.

The guidelines for diagnosing and treating the disease were announced by the Ministry of Health and Population.

“We have implemented health surveillance measures, particularly for passengers, transport and goods arriving from countries affected by cholera,” ministry official Dr. Gamal Hussein told Arab News.

“The first step is screening passengers and crew on all regular, charter and cargo flights coming from cholera-affected countries, directly or indirectly.

“Suspected cases will be referred to a designated hospital for evaluation and the preventive medicine department, general administration of quarantine and the relevant health affairs directorate will be notified immediately,” he said.

“We will implement the highest level of infection control measures when handling suspected cases.”

Any food and beverages entering the country would be destroyed unless stored in sealed, tamper-proof containers and not suspected of contamination, Hussein said.

“If a suspected case is found, the means of transport will be disinfected and any waste from the transport will be treated as hazardous and disposed of safely under quarantine supervision.”

Egypt was also ready to care for anyone who might arrive in the country already infected with the disease, he said.

“Patients infected with cholera will be admitted to fever hospitals, where contact isolation precautions will be enforced and they will be placed in a single room with a dedicated bathroom.

“The situation in Egypt is safe at present but we are fully prepared to respond to any emergency.”

Health Ministry spokesperson Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said: “Cholera is a severe bacterial infection. It can lead to rapid dehydration and loss of salts from the body within hours if not treated promptly.

“Most people infected with cholera show no symptoms or have only mild symptoms and they can be effectively treated with oral rehydration solutions.

“In the 19th century, cholera spread globally from its original reservoir in the Ganges Delta in India, leading to six worldwide pandemics that caused millions of deaths,” he told Arab News

According to a statement from the Health Ministry, there are between 1.3 million and 4 million cholera cases reported each year around the world, with 21,000 to 43,000 deaths.

The rapid spread of outbreaks is primarily attributed to its short incubation period of between two and five days, it said.

In the first seven months of this year, 307,233 cases and 2,326 deaths were reported to the World Health Organization, the ministry said.


Lebanese factions revive bid to fill presidency as Israel attacks

Lebanese factions revive bid to fill presidency as Israel attacks
Updated 03 October 2024
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Lebanese factions revive bid to fill presidency as Israel attacks

Lebanese factions revive bid to fill presidency as Israel attacks
  • Israel is waging a major offensive against Hezbollah which has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon since Sept. 16 and uprooted one million

BEIRUT: Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon has prompted a renewed bid by some leading Lebanese politicians to fill a two-year-long presidential vacuum, an effort to revive the paralyzed state as it grapples with an escalating conflict.
Lebanon has not had a president or a fully empowered cabinet since October 2022 due to a power struggle in which Hezbollah has played a big part. Along with its allies, the heavily armed Shiite Muslim group has insisted the post, reserved for a Maronite Christian, go to their Christian ally Suleiman Frangieh.
With Hezbollah reeling from the killing of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the presidency came into renewed focus this week when Shiite Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, indicated flexibility on the matter, telling Prime Minister Najib Mikati he supported the election of a president who doesn’t represent “a challenge” to anyone.
A Hezbollah official told Reuters the group had delegated Berri to negotiate on its behalf over the presidency.
The presidency is decided by a vote in Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament. No single political alliance has enough seats to impose its choice, meaning an understanding among rival blocs is needed to secure the election of a candidate.
Following a meeting on Wednesday with Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Mikati — a Sunni Muslim — read a joint statement calling for the election of a “consensus president who will reassure everyone and dispel their concerns.”
The statement did not name any candidates.
Israel is waging a major offensive against Hezbollah which has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon since Sept. 16 and uprooted one million.
Wael Abu Faour, a senior lawmaker from Jumblatt’s faction, told Reuters the election of a consensus president would send “a message to the outside world that there is a strong government in the country ready to negotiate” over a ceasefire.
He said the meeting of the three leaders did not represent the formation of a new alliance and that factions including Christian parties were being engaged in discussions on the presidency.
The Lebanese Forces party, a major Christian faction and fierce Hezbollah opponent, on Monday called for the election of a president, saying this was the only way for “the state to assume its responsibilities on its own” — implicit criticism of Hezbollah over its possession of a massive arsenal of weapons.
Lebanon’s last president, Michel Aoun, was a former army commander and a political ally of Hezbollah.
A senior Western diplomat who did not wish to be named said Western and Arab nations had been urging Lebanon’s politicians to elect a president, adding that it was also in the interest of Hezbollah for the political conundrum to be resolved so the state could take more of the “weight” of the Israel crisis.
Abu Faour said the three leaders also discussed avoiding internal tensions in Lebanon as a result of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from Hezbollah-controlled areas into other parts of the country.


In music and dance, Sudanese performers transport refugee audiences back home

In music and dance, Sudanese performers transport refugee audiences back home
Updated 02 October 2024
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In music and dance, Sudanese performers transport refugee audiences back home

In music and dance, Sudanese performers transport refugee audiences back home
  • A band with 12 Sudanese members now lives with thousands of refugees in Egypt
  • The troupe, called “Camirata,” includes researchers, singers and poets who are determined to preserve the knowledge of traditional Sudanese folk music and dance

CAIRO: As the performers took the stage and the traditional drum beat gained momentum, Sudanese refugees sitting in the audience were moved to tears. Hadia Moussa said the melody reminded her of the country’s Nuba Mountains, her family’s ancestral home.

“Performances like this help people mentally affected by the war. It reminds us of the Sudanese folklore and our culture,” she said.

Sudan has been engulfed by violence since April 2023, when war between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out across the country. 

The conflict has turned the capital, Khartoum, into an urban battlefield and displaced 4.6 million people, according to the UN migration agency, including more than 419,000 people who fled to Egypt.

A band with 12 Sudanese members now lives with thousands of refugees in Egypt. The troupe, called “Camirata,” includes researchers, singers and poets who are determined to preserve the knowledge of traditional Sudanese folk music and dance to keep it from being lost in the ruinous war.

Founded in 1997, the band rose to popularity in Khartoum before it began traveling to different states, enlisting diverse musicians, dancers and styles. 

They sing in 25 different Sudanese languages. Founder Dafallah El-Hag said the band’s members started relocating to Egypt in recently, as Sudan struggled through a difficult economic and political transition after a 2019 popular uprising unseated longtime ruler Omar Bashir. Others followed after the violence began. El-Hag arrived late last year.

The band uses a variety of local musical instruments on stage. El-Hag says audiences are often surprised to see instruments such as the tanbour, a stringed instrument, being played with the nuggara drums, combined with tunes of the banimbo, a wooden xylophone.


Biden won’t support a strike on Iran nuclear sites as Israel weighs response to Iran missile attack

Biden won’t support a strike on Iran nuclear sites as Israel weighs response to Iran missile attack
Updated 02 October 2024
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Biden won’t support a strike on Iran nuclear sites as Israel weighs response to Iran missile attack

Biden won’t support a strike on Iran nuclear sites as Israel weighs response to Iran missile attack
  • “The answer is no,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would support such retaliation
  • The US and allies are urging Israel to show restraint as it weighs retaliation against Iran for Tuesday’s attack

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program in response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
“The answer is no,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would support such retaliation after Iran fired about 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday.
Biden’s comments came after he and fellow Group of Seven leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom spoke by telephone about coordinating new sanctions against Iran.
The US and allies are scrambling to keep the Mideast conflict — sparked by Iran-backed Hamas militants’ in Gaza’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel— from spreading further. They are urging Israel to show restraint as it weighs retaliation against Iran for Tuesday’s attack.
Israel is now carrying out what it has described as limited ground operations across its northern border with Lebanon to dig out Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, after carrying out a series of massive air strikes that killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and decimated its leadership.
Last month, thousands of explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated, killing dozens of people and maiming thousands, including many civilians. Israel is widely believed to be behind the attack
Biden stated his opposition to Israel hitting Iranian nuclear facilities as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed a range of options in how to respond to Tuesday’s attack. It was the second such attack by Iran on Israel in less than six months.
Israel’s choices range from a largely symbolic strike— similar to how Israel responded after Iran launched a barrage of missiles and attack drones in April— to hitting oil facilities and other infrastructure.
Targeting Iran’s controversial nuclear program is seen as perhaps the most provocative action that Israel could take. It’s one that the Democratic president believes could further enflame a Mideast conflict that he already worries could develop into a broader regional conflict.
The White House said in a statement that G7 leaders “unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel” and that Biden reaffirmed America’s “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people.”
Biden added that he supports Israel’s right to defend itself and “there are things that have to be done” in response to the Iranian barrage. He said he expected sanctions from the G7 nations to be announced soon.
“We will be discussing with the Israelis what they are going to do,” Biden told reporters before heading to the Carolinas to see the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. “All seven of us agree that they have a right to respond.”
The office of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that the leaders expressed “strong concern for the escalation of these last hours” and emphasized that “a conflict on a regional scale is in no one’s interest.” Italy holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group of industrialized democracies.
Biden said that he planned to speak with Netanyahu “relatively soon.”
Biden’s administration has signaled that it is urging Israel to display restraint in how it responds to Iran’s missile attack, which Biden said was “ineffective and defeated.”
The US military helped Israel defend against the attack that Iran carried out in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed leaders of Lebanese Hezbollah.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said there “must be a return message” to Iran. He said the US and Israel officials continue to discuss their response.
“At the same time, I think we recognize as important as the response of some kind should be, there is a recognition that the region is really balancing on a knife’s edge,” Campbell said at forum hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Wednesday with his counterparts Britain, France, Germany, and Italy to discuss the situation in the Middle East.


Israeli army crosses into Lebanon, clashes with Hezbollah

Israeli army crosses into Lebanon, clashes with Hezbollah
Updated 02 October 2024
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Israeli army crosses into Lebanon, clashes with Hezbollah

Israeli army crosses into Lebanon, clashes with Hezbollah
  • Hezbollah says it destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with rockets near border town of Maroun El Ras
  • Losses are deadliest suffered by Israeli military on Lebanon front in the past year of border-area clashes

BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army Command confirmed on Wednesday that “an Israeli enemy force breached the Blue Line for approximately 400 meters inside Lebanese territory in the areas of Khirbet Yaroun and Bab Al-Adaisseh, and withdrew after a short period.”

The incursion, justified by the aim of eliminating Hezbollah, resulted in three confrontations with the group — along the road to Adaisseh, in the town of Maroun Al-Ras, and on the road to Yaroun.

Videos documented the process of transferring the injured from the site in Adaisseh to Rambam Hospital in Haifa and Ziv Hospital in Safed.

Israeli Army Radio reported that “the rescue operation was extremely complex and took place under difficult conditions and amidst gunfire.”

According to Hezbollah’s account, “an Israeli infantry unit infiltrated the Adaisseh road three days ago, where Hezbollah members merely observed their movements. The Israeli force subsequently retreated, only to attempt another incursion into the same area on Wednesday, mistakenly believing it to be secure.”

The group added: “Unbeknownst to the Israeli soldiers, they had fallen into a well-planned ambush, as Hezbollah operatives opened fire with both machine guns and rockets, resulting in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers and injuries to 20 others.”

Hezbollah said in a press release that its operatives “targeted a large infantry force in the settlement of Misgav Am, opposite the town of Adaisseh, using rocket and artillery fire, resulting in a direct and precise hit.”

The group said that “another clash occurred with a force from the Israeli army that was infiltrating the town of Maroun Al-Ras from the eastern side,” adding that it inflicted “several casualties among the force. The Israeli army acknowledged the death of a division commander, while Israeli media reported that 35 soldiers were injured.”

In an attempt by an Israeli force to encircle the town of Yaroun, Hezbollah reported that its members “detonated an explosive device, resulting in casualties among all members of the force, both dead and injured.”

The Israeli army reported that “commando forces, including fighters from the Egoz unit, successfully located and destroyed a combat center belonging to Hezbollah, which housed a rocket launch platform, a stockpile of explosives, and other combat equipment.”

It said that “to date, more than 150 terrorist infrastructures have been destroyed through airstrikes, including the headquarters of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, weapon depots, and rocket launch sites.”

According to the Israeli army, “additional armored forces joined the units involved in a limited ground operation in Lebanon.”

The Israeli army targeted Lebanese border towns, most largely uninhabited, with airstrikes, as well as towns in northern Bekaa.

An airstrike destroyed a house in the town of Debel in the Bint Jbeil district, resulting in the deaths of three people.

Another strike hit a residence in Alma Al-Shaab, leading to the destruction of a home and injuries to a Syrian family of seven.

Additionally, a military drone attacked a vehicle belonging to the Civil Defense team affiliated with Hezbollah while they were assisting the injured, resulting in the deaths of four paramedics.

An airstrike targeting the town of Borj Qalaouiye resulted in two deaths and one injury.

The Lebanese army was engaged in efforts to clear the road connecting Kawkaba and Marjeyoun, which had been obstructed by Israeli shelling.

During this operation, an Israeli drone launched two missiles at the army, one of which detonated, causing minor injuries to a soldier.

The Israeli army repeated its evacuation request to the residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday night before launching airstrikes.

Residents surrounding the southern suburbs woke to the smell of smoke and the sight of flames rising from the buildings that had been reduced to rubble by the intense airstrikes.

Israeli warnings disseminated through social media gave residents about 20 minutes to evacuate before the targeted site was bombed.

A tour organized by Hezbollah on Wednesday for journalists revealed the extent of the destruction caused by 17 Israeli airstrikes from Tuesday night to Wednesday, spanning an area from Chiyah to Choueifat.

Hezbollah media official Mohammed Afif, who accompanied about 200 journalists, said: “The targeted buildings are inhabited by civilians. The objective of the Israeli attacks is to destroy landmarks in the suburbs and incite supporters of Hezbollah against it.”

The influx of displaced individuals into Beirut from the southern suburbs continued.

Evacuation operations expanded to include neighborhoods adjacent to the southern suburbs due to the damage inflicted on their homes by the force of the explosions caused by the missiles.

During a tour of neighborhoods in Beirut, one could witness a number of people seeking refuge at the entrances of buildings, accompanied by their children and possessing only a few belongings.

Dozens of displaced people took refuge in the unoccupied offices of the Azarieh building. They made use of the storefronts that had sustained damage from the port explosion four years ago.

Hundreds of men fled their homes along the sidewalks up to Bechara Al-Khoury Street. They watched the news on screens in the storefronts, in cafes, and on cell phones.

“I am an electrician and now I am out of work. I learned that my house was hit by an Israeli raid. I lost everything I had in the blink of an eye. I don’t know where this war is taking us next,” said Al-Majed, from Khirbet Silm. He only gave his surname.

“My family and I took refuge in the public school nearby. Men are staying on the streets to give more space to women. My house in the town that I never left before was destroyed. There is no roof to protect me and my family. Was this war really necessary? Why did we do this to ourselves?” Al-Bazzi, another displaced man, said.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati informed the Cabinet that the number of shelters has increased to 874.

This announcement was made after the Cabinet meeting to address the unprecedented displacement of nearly 1 million refugees which, according to Mikati, is “the largest displacement movement that may have happened” in Lebanon.

The Forum de Beirut exhibition center also opened its doors to displaced people.

“The majority of the people in the streets are non-Lebanese,” said Mikati. “We are cooperating with UNHCR to take care of them in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs. The fact that people are staying in the streets is not acceptable.”

Mikati directed the security forces to protect private properties. These directives were issued after displaced people walked into empty residential buildings and occupied apartments.

“The limited violations that have been committed were addressed,” Mikati said.

Based on its estimations, the Lebanese government needs $427 million to cover the shelter and relief operations for the coming three months.

“We received the immediate approval of international organizations to grant us about $200 million, a sum that must be delivered through the UN via a clear and transparent mechanism,” Mikati said.

Nasser Yassin, head of the government’s emergency committee, said that most schools in Beirut and Mount Lebanon reached maximum capacity, and that “we are trying to direct the displaced people toward the north.”


Hamas claims Tel Aviv shooting attack that killed seven

Hamas claims Tel Aviv shooting attack that killed seven
Updated 02 October 2024
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Hamas claims Tel Aviv shooting attack that killed seven

Hamas claims Tel Aviv shooting attack that killed seven
  • “The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades takes responsibility for the heroic Jaffa operation carried out by the fighters from the (occupied West Bank) city of Hebron,” the group said
  • The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades named the attackers as Mohammed Misk and Ahmed Al-Haimoni

JERUSALEM: Hamas’s armed wing claimed responsibility on Wednesday for the killing of seven people in a shooting and stabbing attack in Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv the previous day.
The attack — one of the deadliest in the country since the October 7 Hamas onslaught — came as Iran fired about 200 missiles at Israel, sending hundreds of thousands of people into public shelters.
“The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades takes responsibility for the heroic Jaffa operation carried out by the fighters from the (occupied West Bank) city of Hebron,” the group said in a statement, referring to the attack near the Tel Aviv light rail station in Jaffa on Tuesday.
“The attack coincided with the painful strikes in the heart of the entity (Israel)... executed by Iran,” it said, referring to Tuesday evening’s missile barrage.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades named the attackers as Mohammed Misk and Ahmed Al-Haimoni, who managed to “infiltrate into our occupied lands.”
Israel and Hamas have been at war in Gaza since October 7 when the Palestinian militant group carried out its attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 41,689 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations has said the figures are reliable.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli police said seven people had been killed in the Jaffa attack, with one of the victims succumbing to his wounds overnight.
On Tuesday, Israeli police said 17 others had been wounded.
Police said the alleged assailants “began their killing spree when they entered the carriage of the light rail train that stopped at the station and fired at passengers.”
They were armed with an assault rifle and a knife, and continued on foot until police “neutralized” them, it added.
One of the attackers was shot dead and the other was seriously wounded, police added.
Overnight, the Israeli security agency and the army arrested several suspects in Hebron and Jerusalem believed to have aided the suspects.
Israeli media identified three of the dead as Israelis and one as Georgian. The others were Greek and Moldovan, their governments said.
The identity of the seventh victim has not been released.
Palestinian militants have carried out several attacks on Israelis since October 7, killing at least 23, according to Israeli official figures.
Violence in the West Bank has also surged. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 682 people in raids or attacks in the territory since October 7, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and its troops regularly make incursions into Palestinian towns and cities, which often result in heavy clashes.