Information on the vaccination status and details of antiviral treatment were not available at the time of reporting, the WHO added
Updated 12 June 2024
Reuters
NEW DELHI: The World Health Organization on Tuesday said a case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old child in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.
The patient was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital due to persistent severe respiratory issues, high fever and abdominal cramps in February, and was discharged three months later after diagnosis and treatment, the WHO said.
The patient had exposure to poultry at home and in his surroundings, and there were no known person reporting symptoms of respiratory illness among his family and other contacts, the agency said.
Information on the vaccination status and details of antiviral treatment were not available at the time of reporting, the WHO added.
This is the second human infection of H9N2 bird flu from India, with the first in 2019, the agency said.
While the H9N2 virus typically tends to cause mild illness, the United Nations agency said that further sporadic human cases could occur as this virus is one of the most prevalent avian influenza viruses circulating in poultry in different regions.
An immediate response from the Indian health ministry was not available during late hours.
’Life-threatening cold’ hits parts of US following deadly weekend flooding
The National Weather Service is warning of life-threatening cold as wind chills drop to minus 60 Fahrenheit in parts of North Dakota
Extreme cold warnings have been issued for an 11-state swath of the US stretching from the Canada border to Oklahoma and central Texas
Updated 16 sec ago
AP
BISMARCK: Harsh cold descended on the nation’s midsection Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains on the heels of weekend storms that pummeled the Eastern US with floods, killing at least 14 people. The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 60 Fahrenheit (minus 51 Celsius) in parts of North Dakota on Monday and minus 50 F (minus 46 C) in parts of Montana. Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder. Extreme cold warnings were issued for an 11-state swath of the US stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits by midweek. Meteorologists had predicted that parts of the US would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are pushing chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the US and Europe. Kentucky, Appalachia battered by flooding with at least 13 dead The death toll in flood-battered Kentucky rose to 12, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday night. Two fatal vehicle crashes were connected to the severe weather, he said, and at least 1,000 people stranded by floods had to be rescued. Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia. In West Virginia, where there was one confirmed fatality with several people still missing, Gov. Patrick Morrisey asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for a 13-county region ravaged by flooding. Near Logan, West Virginia, authorities responded Monday night to the spill of acidic water from an abandoned coal mine. The mine blowout damaged a road, making it impassable, fire officials said. In Atlanta, a person was killed when a large tree fell on a home early Sunday. Flood warnings were extended Monday across most of Kentucky and portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio. Rockies, Midwest, Northeast hit with snow storms In Nebraska, where much of the state was under a winter weather advisory, a state trooper was killed Monday morning while responding to a crash on Interstate 80 near the town of Greenwood. The trooper’s name and further circumstances of the fatality were not immediately released. Ice and snow made travel treacherous in large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon. Authorities in Colorado reported eight people were killed in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine’s Day and warned drivers to be cautious. Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains, with the danger rated high in portions of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. The Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning Monday for areas of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Two ice climbers were rescued in the White Mountains on Sunday after triggering an avalanche that partially buried one of them, officials said. Part of Detroit is submerged in water after pipe burst Parts of a southwest Detroit neighborhood were submerged after a nearly century-old water main burst Monday, flooding streets, sidewalks and yards under several feet of water. Firefighters used a ladder to help one person from the roof of a car in waist-deep water and a bulldozer was used to navigate a flooded street and help people leave a home, according to the fire department. The 54-inch (137-centimeter) transmission main was built in 1930, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority. Crews were attempting to isolate the break. It was not clear what caused it, but overnight temperatures had been well below freezing. No injuries have been reported. Mayor Mike Duggan says people impacted by the flooding can shelter in place if they have power and feel safe. Those who want to leave can call 911 and fire crews will help them from their homes and take them to a temporary shelter. Extreme cold gives the US a taste of the Arctic This is the coldest month of the year for many locations, and air temperatures may approach record lows in some areas, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Anglin in Bismarck. People should cover exposed skin and limit time outside to avoid frostbite, which can happen in minutes in such low temperatures, Anglin said. Neighbors should check on each other and those who are vulnerable and monitor heater vents to make sure they don’t ice up. Due to the frigid conditions and a “lack of adequate heating fuel,” North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Monday waived hours-of-service requirements for commercial-vehicle drivers hauling propane and petroleum products. The waiver is for 30 days. The cold snap in North Dakota was expected to reduce oil production by about 5 percent, or about 50,000 to 80,000 barrels a day — pretty typical for such conditions, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said. It takes about a week once temperatures warm up for volumes to rebound, he said. Death can happen in minutes for animals in such cold, said Julie Schirado, a founder of the Bismarck-based Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue animal shelter. The shelter works with other rescues, and uses floor kennels, heated garages and basements to house animals, she said. “We see death a lot but when the cold temperatures hit, then it’s jumped up some more. We lose kittens, puppies that are out in this weather ... Frostbite can be wicked,” Schirado said. People should bring their pets indoors in extreme cold. At the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, which closed last weekend due to cold, critters such as bison, elk and bighorn sheep don’t mind the temperatures as they munch food to stay warm and have shelters to enter, Director Terry Lincoln said. And staff are still out, breaking through ice for their water, he said. Lincoln, who lives at the zoo, said he walked to his office on Monday morning “and I had an ice-cream headache halfway there. You know it’s cold when you have an ice cream headache without eating ice cream.”
UN nuclear chief to view soil removed from Fukushima
Updated 55 min 17 sec ago
AFP
TOKYO: The UN nuclear watchdog chief arrives in Japan on Tuesday for a trip that will include his first visit to storage facilities for soil contaminated in the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
It is the fifth official visit to the country by Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The organization is monitoring the decades-long process to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which went into meltdown after being hit by a tsunami in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Workers at the wrecked plant on Japan’s northeast coast last week began dismantling wastewater storage tanks to free up space for tons of nuclear debris.
Grossi will tour the site on Wednesday, and will also be shown the contaminated soil that the government is currently discussing how to handle.
After the disaster, about 13 million cubic meters of soil and about 300,000 cubic meters of ash from the incineration of organic material was removed from the wider Fukushima region, as part of decontamination efforts.
For comparison, the Tokyo Dome arena, where US pop superstar Taylor Swift performed last year, has a capacity of 1.24 million cubic meters.
The soil is being kept at interim storage facilities, over a total area of 16 square kilometers (six square miles).
Japan plans to recycle roughly 75 percent of the removed soil — the portion found to have low radioactivity levels.
If this material is confirmed safe, authorities want to use it for civil engineering projects, including building embankments for roads and railways, the government and the IAEA say.
The remaining soil will be disposed of outside Fukushima region ahead of a 2045 deadline.
The government has said it intends to confirm the disposal site this year, with Fukushima’s regional governor reportedly urging them to come up with a plan quickly.
“Japan’s approach for recycling and disposing of soil and radioactive waste from decontamination activities... is consistent with IAEA safety standards,” the IAEA said in September in its final report on the soil issue.
The Fukushima plant was hit by a huge earthquake-triggered tsunami in March 2011 that killed 18,000 people.
The most dangerous part of the complex Fukushima plant clean-up — removing around 880 tons of radioactive fuel and rubble from three stricken reactors — has only just begun, with one tiny sample removed by a robotic claw.
During Grossi’s visit, experts from the IAEA and neighboring countries including China and South Korea will also take seawater and fish samples “to further increase the transparency” of the process of releasing treated wastewater into the sea, an official from Japan’s energy agency said.
Plant operator TEPCO in August 2023 began discharging 1.3 million tons of collected groundwater, seawater and rainwater, along with water used for cooling the reactors.
The water release has been endorsed by the IAEA, and TEPCO says all radioactive elements have been filtered out except for tritium, levels of which are within safe limits.
But countries including China and Russia have criticized the release and banned Japanese seafood imports over safety concerns.
China in September said it would “gradually resume” importing seafood from Japan but this has yet to begin.
Russia frees American prisoner ahead of talks with US, New York Times reports
Kalob Byers Wayne, 28, had been detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport during a baggage check on February 7, after customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage
Updated 18 February 2025
Reuters
WASHINGTON: The Russian government on Monday released a US citizen that had been detained on charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana, ahead of talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, the New York Times reported.
Kalob Byers Wayne, 28, had been detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport during a baggage check on February 7, after customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage.
The Kremlin’s spokesman said the Saudi-based talks on Tuesday would aim to restore relations between Moscow and Washington, and “so certain events can be viewed in this context,” the Times reported.
Argentine judge investigates fraud case against President Milei over crypto promotion
The case was assigned Monday to Judge María Servini, head of Federal Court No. 1 in Buenos Aires
Updated 18 February 2025
AP
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: A judge in Argentina was selected Monday to investigate allegations of fraud against President Javier Milei for his brief promotion of a cryptocurrency whose value collapsed within hours of its launch last week. Milei distanced himself from the scandal and said he acted in good faith.
Milei and his office denied involvement with creators of the $LIBRA cryptocurrency, saying he initially drew attention to it Friday as an entrepreneurial project that might benefit Argentina but learned more about it later and then withdrew his support.
Lawyers in Argentina filed fraud complaints against the libertarian President on Sunday. The case was assigned Monday to Judge María Servini, head of Federal Court No. 1 in Buenos Aires. She doesn’t have a deadline to finish investigating the allegations.
In a tweet Friday evening that coincided with the launch of the $LIBRA crypto coin, Milei said that it was aimed at “encouraging economic growth by funding small businesses and startups.”
It enjoyed a brief spike in value above $4 billion in market capitalization, although its value began to decline amid comments of critics that it could be a scam. Milei deleted the post a few hours later as the value of the cryptocurrency was collapsing in a downturn that caused millions of dollars in losses to many of its new investors.
The coin, developed by KIP Protocol and Hayden Davis, could be obtained by accessing a link that directed users to a website called vivalalibertadproject.com, referring to the well-known phrase “Viva la libertad!” that Milei uses to close speeches and messages on his social media.
The president’s office said in a statement that Milei was not involved in any stage of the cryptocurrency’s development and decided to remove his post to avoid speculation and limit further exposure, following the public reaction to the project’s launch.
“The president shared a post on his personal accounts announcing the launch of KIP Protocol’s project, as he does daily with many entrepreneurs who wish to launch projects in Argentina to create jobs and attract investments,” the president’s office said.
After deleting the post, Milei said on X he was unaware of the details of the cryptocurrency, and accused his political opponents of trying to exploit the episode.
“I have nothing to hide and I have no problem coming forward and showing my face,” Milei said Monday in an interview with the Todo Noticias channel. “Those who entered there voluntarily knew what they were getting into,” he added. “As volatility traders, they understood the risks involved.”
His office said in the statement that the country’s Anti-Corruption Office, which operates under the executive branch, would investigate the case.
Jonatan Baldiviezo, a lawyer and one of the plaintiffs, said Sunday that the plaintiffs allege that Milei’s actions were part of an illicit association to commit “an indeterminate number of frauds” in the episode.
“Within this illicit association, the crime of fraud was committed, in which the president’s actions were essential,” he said.
Macron says Ukraine peace must come with ‘strong and credible security guarantees’
Updated 18 February 2025
AFP
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that peace in Ukraine “must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees,” following a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron said on social media following emergency talks with European leaders in Paris.
