Suspected case of monkeypox reported in Nepal
Kathmandu, Jun 16: A 26-year-old Nepalese national who returned from Dubai was admitted to a tropical and infectious disease hospital here on Thursday after he exhibited symptoms of monkeypox.
According to officials at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, the man was referred to the hospital by health workers at the Tribhuvan International Airport's health desk, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
The man has been suffering from fever for the last week and has rashes all over his body. We have isolated him and begun treatment. Further investigation will be carried out in coordination with agencies under the Health Ministry, The Post report quoted Dr Manisha Rawal, director at the hospital, as saying.
This year, over 1,600 confirmed and almost 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from 39 countries including seven where monkeypox has been detected for years, and 32 newly-affected countries.
The global outbreak of monkeypox is "clearly unusual and concerning", WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday as he announced to convene an emergency committee next week to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
