Day: November 22, 2022

Several more soldiers were wounded in the attack on Bouka-Toullorom island, according to a statement by Chad’s government.

The military unit had been “dispatched as a precursor to setting up an advanced post,” the statement said.

Brah Mahamat, a government spokesman, said the deadly assault indicates that Boko Haram has an “active presence” in the Lake Chad region.

He said Chad’s government will give “an appropriate response,” while also calling on the international community for support against the terrorist group.

Boko Haram launched a bloody insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 before expanding to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

According to UN figures, violence committed by Boko Haram has affected 26 million people and displaced some 3 million in the Lake Chad region, while thousands of lives have also been lost to the insurgency.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A security officer in South Kivu, Lieut. Pecos Menyanga told Anadolu Agency that seven people are missing and the disaster was caused by torrential rain that fell continually since early Monday that lead to the houses collapsing.

“The victims died after their houses collapsed after being buried by the landslides. The houses that collapsed were built below a hill. The hill gave way after heavy rainfall,” said Menyanga.

He said the death toll is likely to rise because some residents are still missing and the fear is that they could be under the rubble.

Menyanga said bodies have been taken to the area community hall and are awaiting a decision on how they should be buried.

Landslides that occur after heavy rainfalls have killed dozens in eastern DR Congo in the past.

Recently, seven people were killed Feb. 22 in Masasi in North Kivu and 14 lost their lives May 21 in the village of Kadutu.

Source: Anadolu Agency

It cited a confidential draft document as saying that Germany wanted a better overall European overview of Chinese investments and investments in critical infrastructure.

Furthermore, cooperation with China should be designed in such a way that risks to the freedom of research and teaching and unregulated know-how and technology transfer are minimized.

The center-left government coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has launched a strategic review of its relations with China as Berlin is forced to cope with its economic reliance on an increasingly belligerent Asian superpower.

At the Scholz urging, the cabinet recently decided that a Chinese company could take a stake in a terminal in the port of Hamburg. However, planned deals by Chinese investors with two German chipmaking companies were stopped by the government.

Meanwhile, the government is also planning to conduct so-called “stress tests” for those German companies that are especially dependent on doing business with China.

“On this basis, we will assess whether affected companies should conduct regular stress tests in order to identify China-specific risks at an early stage and take corrective measures,” the draft said.

“We aim to oblige companies particularly exposed to China to specify and summarize relevant China-related developments and figures, for example in the form of a separate notification obligation, on the basis of existing disclosure requirements,” it added.

China has been Germany’s most important trading partner since 2016, with German carmakers at the forefront of that relationship. For instance, Volkswagen relies on the Chinese market for at least half of its profits.

The German economy’s stakes in China continued to increase in 2022, with a record 10 billion euros in new investments.

Scholz’s coalition government has labeled China a “systemic rival,” and underlined the need for Germany to diversify politically as well as economically by focusing on relationships with other Indo-Pacific countries like India, Japan and South Korea.

Source: Anadolu Agency

“Pediatric intensive care units are full in almost all of Spain, and new patients keep showing up to emergency rooms. We don’t know when the trend will change,” David Andina, a pediatric emergency physician, told the Spanish daily El Pais.

“Normally, the infection rate starts to go up now, and we reach the peak in mid-December. But we’re already seeing very high levels. Hospitals are suffering from the pressure, and we don’t see any signs that infections are slowing down,” said pediatrician and epidemiologist Quique Bassat.

Bronchiolitis is an infection of the smaller airways of the lungs and is usually caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Most people infected with RSV have mild symptoms. But a small percentage of those infected, mainly infants, will have to be treated in a hospital.

A recent study published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine estimates that 1 in 50 deaths in otherwise healthy children under the age of five is due to RSV.

The study also found that 1 out of 56 healthy children in high-income countries will be hospitalized with the virus.

On Monday, the Madrid government authorized hiring nearly 350 backup health professionals, including 27 pediatricians, in public hospitals to deal with the RSV outbreak.

But some healthcare workers say that isn’t enough.

“Today, in Madrid, 25 pediatric emergency departments are collapsed, 25 hospital floors are full and eight pediatric intensive care units don’t have a single bed free,” tweeted Andina on Tuesday.

To make matters worse, Madrid’s primary care pediatricians began an indefinite strike on Monday due to staffing shortages. Consequently, more parents resort to taking their children to emergency rooms.

But hospitals are also overwhelmed across the country. In Aragon, authorities decided to move one pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) to another hospital to fit more beds. The children’s hospital in Barcelona also has its ICU full and is considering opening new spaces to treat patients.

So far, hospitals haven’t had to cancel routine surgeries, but more dramatic contingency plans are being drawn up.

Spain is not the only country experiencing an earlier-than-expected spike in bronchiolitis. Experts say it is occurring in almost all of the northern hemisphere.

“One hypothesis is that the measures to protect people against COVID-19 dramatically reduced the circulation of viruses like RSV, meaning babies didn’t have contact with them. Now that they are exposed, they lack immunity, which could explain the spike in hospitalizations. But that theory hasn’t been proven yet,” explained Bassat.

Source: Anadolu Agency

“Turkey does continue to suffer a legitimate terrorist threat, particularly to their south. They certainly have every right to defend themselves and their citizens,” National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, told reporters.

He said the US has concerns about cross-border operations, which he said would affect the fight against the Daesh/ISIS terror group carried out by another terror organization, PKK/YPG.

The operations “might force a reaction by some of our SDF partners, that would … constrain their ability to continue the fight against ISIS,” Kirby added.

Ankara this week responded to a Nov. 13 Istanbul terror attack by destroying targets of the terror organization with an air operation in northern Iraq and Syria.

Early Sunday, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the YPG/PKK terror group which has illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.

The air operation followed the terror attack on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Avenue that killed six people and left 81 injured.

“We know the identity, location, and track record of the terrorists. We also know very well who patronizes, arms, and encourages terrorists,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in northeastern Artvin province.

Türkiye has done its part by respecting every agreement on the security of its border with Syria, he said.

“Hopefully we will root all the terrorists out as soon as possible,” added Erdogan.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the terror group’s Syrian offshoot.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and attended by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Development Minister Svenja Schulze, according to Spiegel.

The withdrawal of German troops from Mali will begin in the summer of 2023, and will be completed by May 2024, government sources told the magazine.

Germany currently has around 1,150 soldiers in Mali as part of the UN’s MINUSMA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission) in order to help implement the peace process in the West African country.

Previous media reports have indicated Cabinet members have differing views on Germany’s participation in the military mission.

Lambrecht advocated for a troops withdrawal following recent diplomatic tensions with Malian authorities, but Baerbock insisted on keeping troops due to the country’s international commitments, German news agency DPA reported.

The German armed forces suffered serious problems in Mali in the past couple of months after Malian authorities denied clearance to German transport planes and diplomatic tensions between the two countries hindered the troop rotation plans.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will welcome Bermudez in the capital Ankara, and the leaders will discuss the steps to enhance bilateral cooperation, Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Within the scope of the visit, which corresponds to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Cuba, the leaders will also be expected to exchange views on the regional and global issues, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean, it added.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Cuba were established in 1952. Türkiye opened its first embassy in the Caribbean in Havana in 1979.

Source: Anadolu Agency

“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future,” it said. “Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”

Ronaldo was dropped from the team’s Premier League match versus Chelsea in Week 13 as manager Erik ten Hag punished him for leaving Old Trafford during a Tottenham Hotspur match on matchday 12.

The 37-year-old superstar later returned to training with the first team.

Ronaldo told Piers Morgan last week that he felt betrayed by the team, claiming Ten Hag was trying to force him from the team.

In the aftermath of the interview, which was broadcast in separate parts, the English club removed a poster of Ronaldo from the exterior of Old Trafford.

Ronaldo issued a statement on Twitter after his exit was confirmed.

“Following talks with Manchester United, we’ve mutually agreed to end our contract,” he said. “I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. It feels like the right time to seek a new challenge. I wish Man Utd all the best.”

Source: Anadolu Agency