DR CONGO
‘Disease X’ spreads
More cases of a mysterious flu-like illness labeled “Disease X” were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the WHO has dispatched a rapid response team to help investigate. From Oct. 24 to Thursday, 406 cases of the unidentified illness — marked by fever, headache, cough, runny nose and body aches — have been reported in the Panzi health zone in the southwest, the WHO said in a statement on Sunday. While more than half of the cases involve children under five, a 50-year-old male traveler hospitalized in Lucca, Italy, is suspected to have recovered from the disease, Il Tempo reported. Thirty-one deaths have been recorded, down from 79 reported last week, the WHO said. The outbreak is centered in a remote rural area of Kwango province that is hard to access. All severe cases involve people with severe malnutrition, adding complexity to identifying an infectious source. “Laboratory tests are under way to determine the exact cause. At this stage, it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths,” the WHO said.
PHILIPPINES
Eruption sparks evacuation
Mount Kanlaon in Negros province erupted at 3:03pm yesterday, sending a huge ash column into the sky as the government called for the evacuation of surrounding villages. Rising more than 2,400m above sea level, Kanlaon is one of the nation’s 24 active volcanoes. in the Philippines. “All local government units are advised to evacuate the 6km radius from the summit of the volcano and must be prepared for additional evacuation if activity warrants,” the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement. Video clips posted by residents on social media showed a giant cauliflower-shaped grey mass of smoke billowing above Kanlaon’s crater. The seismology office said the plume rose to 3,000m above the vent, with red-hot ashes and other materials also falling on its southeastern slope.
SOUTH KOREA
Seven killed in sea collision
A fishing boat capsized early yesterday after colliding with a sand barge in waters off the nation’s southeastern coast, leaving seven crew members dead and one missing, the local coast guard and fire departments said. The 29-tonne fishing boat, which had eight passengers — three South Koreans and five Indonesians — capsized after colliding with a 456-tonne barge in waters near the city of Gyeongju, Pohang coast guard official Kim Eul-dong said. Dozens of emergency workers, along with 15 coast guard vessels and six helicopters, were mobilized to search for the missing passenger, who was Indonesian. None of the passengers from the barge were hurt.
THAILAND
Police bust ‘drug party’
Police have detained more than 120 people at a “drug party” in Bangkok, officers said yesterday. Police Colonel Pansa Amarapitak said they were tipped off about the party at a hotel early on Sunday morning. Police photos showed a room full of mostly male suspects in handcuffs and wearing nothing but underpants as officers searched them for drugs. They found 31 of the 124 people arrested were in possession of illegal narcotics, such as crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy and ketamine, Pansa said. All of them were tested for the substances and 66 were found with traces in their system. All except two were men, and about five were foreigners, he said. Police are seeking the courts’ permission to hold those suspected of drug possession for questioning beyond the 48-hour window, Pansa said. The rest have been released.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
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