• Newborn mortality and malnutrition surges in Gaza, says WHO

    "From different doctors, particularly in the maternity hospitals, they're reporting that they're seeing a big rise in children born with low birth weight, and just not surviving the neonatal period because they're born too small," WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said at a briefing in Geneva.
  • Romania center explores world’s most powerful laser

    The high-tech building housing the center cost $350 million, mainly financed by the EU. Thales bills it as the largest investment ever made in scientific research in Romania.
  • WHO says 9,000 patients need emergency evacuation from Gaza

    "Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments, kidney dialysis and other chronic conditions," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X. It is is up from 8,000 in the WHO's previous assessment at the beginning of...
  • UN ‘disturbed’ as Israeli strikes on health care kills 10 in Lebanon

    "The tragic events of the past 36 hours have resulted in a significant loss of life and injuries in south Lebanon. Up to 11 civilians were killed in a single day, including 10 paramedics," said Imran Riza, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon.
  • Israeli troops shoot dead three Palestinians in West Bank

    Residents told AFP that Israeli forces entered Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp just after midnight (2200 GMT on Tuesday) and raided several houses. The area in the northern West Bank is a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and the frequent target of Israeli military incursions.
  • Gaza health ministry says Israel kills 9 people waiting for aid

    Palestinian Territories - The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli fire on Saturday killed nine people and wounded dozens more as they were waiting at an aid distribution point in the territory's north. "At least nine martyrs and dozens injured by Israeli occupation army tank fire and shells. They...
  • Response Plus net profit surges in 2023

    The Group's profit increased by 68% YoY to $13.52 million.
  • ‘UAE outpaces major nations in human development’

    “These efforts ensure sustainable development across all sectors, promising a bright future for generations to come,” he adds, referring to the 2023-24 Human Development Index report by the United Nations Development Programme in which the United Arab Emirates topped the regional countries.
  • Poorer countries need money before raising climate targets, says COP29 head

    Copenhagen, Denmark - Developing countries should not have to set stricter targets for cutting their carbon emissions before funds are available to help them transition to cleaner energies, the chairman of this year's UN climate negotiations said Thursday. Addressing a ministerial climate meeting in Copenhagen, Azerbaijan's Mukhtar Babayev said "there is...
  • Gaza strike kills 36 relatives in first Friday of Ramadan

    Palestinian Territories - Displaced by Israeli bombardment, the Tabatibi family gathered in central Gaza to eat together during the first Friday night of Ramadan, a scene that soon turned into a bloodbath. An air strike hit the building where they were staying as women prepared the pre-fasting meal, killing 36...
  • Fatah rejects Hamas criticism of new prime minister’s appointment

    Ramallah, Palestinian Territories - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party hit back at criticism by Hamas and other factions over his appointment of a new prime minister they said could deepen divisions as the war with Israel in Gaza rages. Abbas appointed Mohammed Mustafa, a long-trusted adviser on economic affairs, as...
  • Middle East poised to lead global crypto surge as Bitcoin eyes $100,000

    Geneva, Switzerland - A major new study released by The Lancet Neurology shows that, in 2021, more than 3 billion people worldwide were living with a neurological condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) contributed to the analysis of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study (GBD) 2021 data. Neurological...
  • Nervous system disorders surpass heart ailments as top cause of illness

    Paris, France - Conditions affecting the nervous system -- such as strokes, migraines and dementia -- have surged past heart disease to become the leading cause of ill health worldwide, a major new analysis said on Friday. More than 3.4 billion people -- 43 percent of the global population -- experienced...
  • Global child deaths reach historic low in 2022: UN report

    Geneva, Switzerland – The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to 4.9 million in 2022, according to the latest estimates released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). “Behind these numbers lie the stories of...
  • Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank hospital

    Asked about the reported deaths, the Israeli military said soldiers "fired toward armed suspects identified in the area" and that "hits were identified", but did not confirm fatalities. It described the operation as "counterterrorism activity".
  • Man vaccinated for Covid 217 times shows no side effects

    Paris, France - A German man who deliberately got vaccinated for Covid-19 a whopping 217 times did not report any side effects from his many jabs, according to researchers studying possibly the "most vaccinated person in history". The immune system of the 62-year-old man from the central German city of Magdeburg...
  • Israeli troops ‘massacre’ 104 Palestinians at aid distribution point

    More than 750 others were injured after Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians gathered at an aid distribution point in the Palestinian territory. The death toll from the "massacre" in Gaza City "rose to 104 martyrs and 760 injuries due to the bullets of the occupation forces that targeted a...
  • Israeli troops kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank’s refugee camp

    Tubas, Palestinian Territories - Israeli troops killed three Palestinians in an overnight raid in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said on Tuesday. It was the latest in a surge of violence in the restive Palestinian territory since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in...
  • WHO registers eighty percent rise in measles case

    Geneva, Switzerland - The World Health Organization voiced alarm on Tuesday at the rapid spread of measles, with more than 306,000 cases reported worldwide last year -- a 79-percent increase from 2022. "We in the measles world are extremely concerned," said Natasha Crowcroft, a WHO technical adviser on measles and rubella....
  • HMG 2023 net profit $544m

    The rise was due to the hospitals and pharmacy segments.
  • Fear pervades West Bank hospital after deadly Israeli raid

    Jenin, Palestinian Territories - A climate of fear pervades a hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where patients and doctors are reeling from last month's deadly raid by Israeli agents disguised as medics. At the rehabilitation ward at Jenin's Ibn Sina hospital, two patients recalled hearing the screams...
  • 99 journalists killed in 2023, 72 in Israel-Hamas war alone

    "The immense loss suffered by Palestinian journalists in this war will have long-term impacts for journalism not just in the Palestinian territories but for the region and beyond. Every journalist killed is a further blow to our understanding of the world." CPJ has previously attacked what it calls "persecution" of...
  • Displacement, health crisis in Sudan is alarming, says WHO

    GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Acting WHO Representative in Sudan Peter Graaff has said that the humanitarian and health crisis in the African country is alarming. The conflict that started 10 months ago has spread to new areas, resulting in widespread displacement of civilians, some of whom have been forced to move...
  • Relative of freed Israeli hostages appeals for Gaza deal

    Talks have been underway for weeks to secure a second truce in the four-month war, which would see more hostages freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
  • Crippling Israeli restrictions throw West Bank life in disarray

    The number of checkpoints and barriers in the Palestinian territory has greatly increased since October 7, adding hours to already lengthy commutes and forcing residents to either wait at the checkpoints or take long detours. Largely unaffected are the 490,000 Israelis living across the West Bank in settlements -- considered...
  • Czech farmer cull 140,000 birds to halt spread of bird flu outbreak

    Prague, Czech Republic - Czech farmers have killed about 140,000 birds since the start of the year in a bid to halt the spread of a bird flu outbreak, the State Veterinary Administration (SVS) said on Wednesday. The infected birds had the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain, which is potentially transmissible...
  • Mubadala invests in Manipal Health

    Manipal Health offers multispecialty care through 30 hospitals.
  • WHO warns new cancer cases will rise to 35 million by 2050

    Geneva, Switzerland - The number of new cancer cases will rise to more than 35 million in 2050 -- 77 percent higher than the figure in 2022, the World Health Organization's cancer agency warned Thursday. The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution...
  • Average lifespan in Saudi Arabia rises to 77.6 years  

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia reached 77.6 years compared to 74 years in 2016, the Health Sector Transformation Program (HSTP), a component of the Vision 2030 initiative, has revealed. The program attributes the remarkable progress to a series of strategic efforts, notably the incorporation of...
  • GSK profit in 2023 falls

    The drug maker said revenues swelled 3 percent to $38.54bn.
  • Saudi products declared free from artificial trans fats

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) for its efforts in ensuring that food products in Saudi Arabia are free from industrially produced trans-fatty acids (ITFA) or artificial trans fats. This places Saudi Arabia among the top five countries...
  • Israeli troops bulldoze, desecrate Palestinian graves in Gaza

    Palestinian Territories - Even the dead are not spared by the Hamas-Israel war raging in Gaza, with bodies dug up by Israeli troops and hurried burials happening in hospitals and even a school. In Gaza City's Al-Tuffah district, shrouded corpses of Palestinians torn from their graves lay atop muddied earth....
  • WHO urges limiting trans fat across the world

    Geneva, Switzerland - The World Health Organization said on Monday that nearly half the world's population was now covered by solid rules limiting trans fat in foods and urged lagging countries to catch up. The WHO appealed in 2018 for industrially produced fatty acids in foods to be eliminated worldwide by...
  • WHO-Hamas collusion charges harmful, can endanger staff: Tedros

    "WHO refutes Israel's accusation at the executive board meeting yesterday that WHO is in 'collusion' with Hamas and is 'turning a blind eye' to the suffering of hostages being held in Gaza," WHO chief Tedros said on X. "Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our staff who are...
  • Deaf boy can now hear after gene treatment

    The US hospital which carried out the treatment said the milestone represents hope for patients around the world with hearing loss caused by genetic mutations.
  • WHO weighs up AI risks and benefits for healthcare

    Geneva, Switzerland - Generative artificial intelligence could transform healthcare through things like drug development and more rapid diagnoses, but the World Health Organization stressed on Thursday more attention should be paid to the risks. The WHO has been examining the potential dangers and benefits posed by AI large multi-modal models (LMMs),...
  • UN warns of ‘bleak future’ facing Gazans after war ends

    At least 24,448 Palestinians, more than 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents, have been killed in Israeli bombardments and ground assaults, according to the Gaza health ministry's latest figures. "When we talk about rebuilding Gaza, it's not anymore like before, where we had to rehabilitate some shelter and...
  • Gaza couple celebrate wedding amid war and destruction

    Rafah, Palestinian Territories - Surrounded by family and friends, clapping and cheering, Gaza woman Afnan Jibril beams a brilliant smile on her wedding day, determined to celebrate even as war rages. "We are a people that love life, despite death, murders and destruction," said her father, Mohamed Jibril. Relatives were gathered...
  • Hamas says Israeli shelling leaves 60 dead in Gaza

    Health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza said that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 60 people in the besieged territory, which was also grappling with a telecommunications blackout on the war's 99th day. Fears of the conflict widening intensified after US and British forces struck Houthi rebels in Yemen following attacks...
  • Algerian footballer handed suspended sentence over Gaza post

    The comments at issue came in a video of a preacher, Mahmoud Al Hasanat, which Atal posted to his 3.2-million-follower Instagram account five days after Hamas' bloody October 7 assault on Israel.
  • Israel’s Gaza assault to continue throughout 2024, says army

    The Israeli military spokesman said the army was currently "planning the management of the forces operating in the field" in the months ahead. He added some of the 300,000 army reservists would get a break from the conflict, with Israel seeking to boost its war-hit economy.
  • Saudi team discovers genetic disorder, names it Alfadhel syndrome

    RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - A team of Saudi researchers from King Abdullah Children's Specialist Hospital (KACSH) and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) have discovered a new genetic disorder. This disorder has been named Alfadhel Syndrome, after Professor Majid Alfadhel, the leader of the research team. The syndrome has...
  • 45 percent of Saudi employees work over 40 hours per week

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Nearly 45.8 percent of employees in Saudi Arabia work more than 40 hours per week and 39.6 percent of employees work an average of 40 hours per week, according to the Health and Safety at Work Statistics for 2023 issued by the General Authority for Statistics...
  • Gaza ministry says 21,672 killed in war with Israel

    The Hamas-run health ministry here said that at least 21,672 people have been killed in the territory since the war with Israel erupted on October 7. A ministry statement said 165 Gazans were killed over the past 24 hours, while 56,165 others have been wounded in the fighting.
  • Gaza death toll tops 21,507 as Israel continues bombing

    The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 21,507 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since war with Israel broke out nearly 12 weeks ago. The figure includes 187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said. It added that 55,915 people have been wounded...
  • Israeli troops shoot two Palestinians dead in West Bank

    A resident from the camp told AFP that troops stormed the camp from its southern and northern entrances. "The two men were killed just outside their homes," he said, asking to remain anonymous over security concerns.
  • WHO urges pandemic plans as ‘painful’ Covid ends

    Geneva, Switzerland - The head of the WHO said on Tuesday the world needs to properly prepare for future pandemics after finally ending three years of Covid "crisis, pain and loss." In his end-of-year message, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 2023 had marked a turning point in fighting...
  • Israeli army shoot four Palestinians dead in West Bank

    Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians in a West Bank refugee camp, the Palestinian health ministry said. Mohammad Samir Milhem, 17, his brother Hikmat, 24, and Yazan Khatib, 20, were shot in the head by Israeli troops in the Al-Fara camp near Tubas, the ministry said. Rashed Habib al-Aydi, 17,...
  • WHO denounces ‘destruction’ of Gaza hospital

    All health care facilities in the Gaza Strip have been hit hard by the bombardments and ground invasion launched by Israel following Hamas's unprecedented attack October. Israel's retaliatory strikes on the crowded enclave have killed 18,800 people, of which three-fourths are children, according to the Hamas-run health services.
  • Gaza hospital military ‘activity’ over, says Israel

    Israeli forces, according to the Gaza health ministry, fired at "patient rooms" and arrested staff at the Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza City during a "siege" that lasted several days. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said the same day that the hospital director and about 70 other medical staff were...
  • Gaza government runs out of children’s vaccines, warns of ‘catastrophe’

    The announcement came more than two months into the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as international aid organizations have warned about the dire conditions in the crowded Palestinian territory. The ministry did not specify which vaccinations had run out, and its claim could not be independently verified.