LONDON: The World Health Organization on Wednesday classified the EG.5 coronavirus strain circulating in the United States and China as a “variant of interest” but said it did not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other variants.
The fast-spreading variant, the most prevalent in the United States with an estimated more than 17 percent of cases, has been behind upticks in the virus across the country and also has been detected in China, South Korea, Japan and Canada, among other countries.
“Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating omicron descendent lineages,” the WHO said in a risk evaluation.
A more comprehensive evaluation of the risk posed by EG.5 was needed, it added.
COVID-19 has killed more than 6.9 million people globally, with more than 768 million confirmed cases since the virus emerged. WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic in March 2020 and ended the global emergency status for COVID-19 in May this year.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said EG.5 had an increased transmissibility but was not more severe than other omicron variants.
“We don’t detect a change in severity of EG.5 compared to other sublineages of omicron that have been in circulation since late 2021,” she said.
Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deplored that many countries were not reporting COVID-19 data to WHO.
He said that only 11 percent had reported hospitalizations and ICU admissions related to the virus.
In response, WHO issued a set of standing recommendations for COVID, in which it urged countries to continue reporting COVID data, particularly mortality data, morbidity data, and to continue to offer vaccination.
Van Kerkhove said that the absence of data from many countries was hindering efforts to fight the virus.
“About a year ago, we were in a much better situation to either anticipate or act or be more agile,” she said. “And now the delay in our ability to do that is growing. And our ability to do this is declining.”
WHO classifies EG.5 as COVID-19 ‘variant of interest’
https://arab.news/4jz3v
WHO classifies EG.5 as COVID-19 ‘variant of interest’
- WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said EG.5 had an increased transmissibility but was not more severe than other omicron variants
NATO defense buildup must ‘outpace Russia’: US envoy
“NATO allies must outpace Russia. We have no other choice. Let me be clear, the time is now“
BRUSSELS: NATO’s push to ramp up defenses must outstrip Russia’s rearmament drive as Moscow is already gearing up for its “next move” beyond Ukraine, the US ambassador to the alliance said Wednesday.
The warning came ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers Thursday that will seek to forge a deal on hiking military spending for a summit later this month.
US President Donald Trump has called on Washington’s allies to commit to spending five percent of their GDP on defense.
NATO chief Mark Rutte looks on track to secure a compromise deal agreement at the upcoming summit in the Hague for 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure.
“The urgency of this moment is undeniable as the Russia-Ukraine conflict grinds on, Moscow is already preparing for its next move,” US ambassador Matthew Whitaker told journalists.
“We are already seeing the Kremlin aims to rebuild its military. NATO allies must outpace Russia. We have no other choice. Let me be clear, the time is now.”
Whitaker said “the United States expects every ally to step up with concrete plans, budgets, timelines, deliverables, to meet the five percent target.”
“This is not going to be just a pledge. This is going to be a commitment. Every ally must commit to investing at least five percent of GDP in defense and security, starting now again, this is not a suggestion,” he said.
The US envoy said that Washington remained committed to NATO’s Article Five mutual defense clause — but expected allies to step up their spending.
“We will defend every inch of allied territory, and we will do it from a position of unmatched
strength,” Whitaker said.
NATO ministers will sign off at their meeting in Brussels on new capability targets for the weaponry needed to face the threat from Russia.
“We are going to take a huge leap forward,” Rutte said.
“These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities the allies need.”
Rutte said he was “absolutely, positively convinced” that NATO countries would agree to a new spending deal in The Hague.
The NATO chief insisted that the United States “have made totally clear their commitment to Article Five.”
He similarly insisted that Washington remained committed to backing Ukraine despite defense secretary Pete Hegseth skipping a meeting of Kyiv’s backers in Brussels on Wednesday.
Indonesia weighing buying Chinese J-10 fighter jets
- Indonesian minister says will factor in reports Pakistani J-10 shot down multiple Indian jets in May
- Indonesia has in recent years embarked on efforts to modernize its aging military hardware
JAKARTA: Indonesia is weighing buying China’s J-10 fighter jets, given their relatively cheaper price and advanced capability, as it also considers finalizing a purchase of US-made F-15EX jets, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Southeast Asia’s most populous country has in recent years embarked on efforts to modernize its aging military hardware.
In 2022 it bought 42 French Rafale jets worth $8.1 billion, six of which will be delivered next year.
“We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates,” said Deputy Defense Minister and retired Air Marshal Donny Ermawan Taufanto.
“We’re evaluating J-10,” Taufanto said, adding that Jakarta was reviewing system compatibility and after-sales support as well as pricing.
A potential purchase has been considered for over a year, before the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, but Taufanto said Indonesia would factor in reports that a Pakistani J-10 plane shot down multiple Indian jets last month.
Jakarta also continues to consider whether to proceed with the next step for its purchase of F-15EX fighters, he said, following the defense ministry’s deal with planemaker Boeing for the sale in 2023.
Taufanto said the US jets’ capabilities were well recorded, but suggested the offered price of $8 billion for 24 planes remained in question.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta last week that they had signed a preliminary defense pact that could lead to new orders of French hardware including Rafale jets.
“We’re considering (France’s) offer. We’re considering our own budget, we’re evaluating, especially given we have other options like J-10, F-15,” Taufanto said.
Ukraine’s Zelensky suggests truce until meeting with Putin can be arranged
- “We propose to Russians a ceasefire until the leaders meet,” Zelensky told a briefing in Kyiv
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday proposed implementing a ceasefire until such time as a meeting can be arranged with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“My proposal, which I believe our partners can support, is that we propose to Russians a ceasefire until the leaders meet,” Zelensky told a briefing in Kyiv.
June 2 peace talks with Russia in Istanbul made little progress toward ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine, apart from an exchange of proposals and a plan for a major swap of prisoners of war, which Zelensky said would take place this weekend.
’Why this hatred’: French town reels over killing of Tunisian man
- Tributes have poured in from shocked neighbors and friends mourning the murder of Hichem Miraoui
- His killer posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack
PUGET-SUR-ARGENS, France: The murder of a Tunisian man by his French neighbor in southern France, which is being investigated as a terror crime, has horrified the local community and raised alarm over rising racism in the country.
Tributes poured in from shocked neighbors and friends mourning the murder of Hichem Miraoui, with more than a dozen bouquets placed outside the barbershop where he worked in the quiet town of Puget-sur-Argens.
“I don’t understand why he was killed. Why all this hatred?” said Sylvia Elvasorre, a 65-year-old pensioner who lives next to the hair salon, tears in her eyes.
Marwouen Gharssalli, 43, echoed her disbelief, saying his friend was generous and willing to lend a helping hand.
“He even cut hair for free when people couldn’t pay... he regularly used to cut my son’s hair,” said Gharssalli, a welder in the southern town.
A card signed by fellow shopkeepers said the death of Miraoui — remembered as hard-working and warm — would “leave a void.”
Christophe B., a French national, shot and killed Miraoui, 46, on Saturday evening before injuring another neighbor, a Turkish national. The suspect, born in 1971, was arrested after his partner alerted police.
He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier.
A silent march is planned in Puget-sur-Argens on Sunday to affirm the city’s “absolute rejection of hatred and our commitment to respect, tolerance and fraternity,” said a town hall statement.
The shooting followed the murder of a Malian man in a mosque in April, also in southern France, while the burning of a Qur'an near Lyon at the weekend has further fueled concerns over rising anti-Muslim attacks in the country.
“People are stunned that a racist crime like this could happen. This kind of thing is not part of Puget’s culture,” said Paul Boudoube, the town’s mayor.
Miraoui was in a video call with family planning for the major Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, when he was shot
“He was joking with our sick mother when I heard him grunt and the call ended,” said Hanen Miraoui, the victim’s sister.
According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect in Miraoui’s murder said he “swore allegiance to the French flag” and called on the French to “shoot” people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media.
Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation into the case, the first such racist attack linked to the far right to be dealt with as “terrorism” since their office was set up in 2019.
“It means that investigative resources will be devoted to analizing the political motives behind this act and how this person became radicalized,” said the legal head of the anti-discrimination group SOS Racisme, Zelie Heran, who praised the referral.
Following the murder, political and religious leaders have sounded the alarm over growing anti-Muslim acts in France, which increased by 72 percent in the first quarter, with 79 recorded cases, according to interior ministry figures.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is taking an increasingly hard line on immigration issues, has faced accusations of not being firm enough against such crimes and even fueling a racist climate.
But he said on Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was “clearly a racist crime,” “probably also anti-Muslim” and “perhaps also a terrorist crime.”
Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, called on French President Emmanuel Macron to speak out.
“It is time to hold accountable the promoters of this hatred who, in political and media circles, act with complete impunity and incite extremely serious acts,” said Hafiz.
“Remind people of the reality that we are citizens of this country,” said Hafiz.
France is home to the largest Muslim community in the European Union, as well as the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States.
There has also been a rise in reported attacks against members of France’s Jewish community since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Israeli military responded with a devastating military offensive on the Gaza Strip.
France’s Holocaust memorial and three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalized with paint on Saturday.
Barred for Gaza speech, MIT grad becomes symbol of courage for Indian students
- Indian-American 2025 class president calls out MIT for ‘aiding and abetting genocide’
- Her speech and MIT’s reaction gained global attention and media spotlight in India
NEW DELHI: When Megha Vemuri denounced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for ties to Israel’s military, she was barred from the university’s graduation — an incident that resonated in her ancestral India, where students say she inspires them to stand up for Palestinian liberation.
The Indian-American class president of 2025, Vemuri addressed an MIT commencement ceremony last week.
“Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza. We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth. And it is a shame that MIT is a part of it,” she said, wearing a keffiyeh over her gown.
Without naming Vemuri, the MIT said in a statement right after the event that the “graduating senior” would not be permitted at the degree ceremony the next day.
While the speech got her barred from campus, it soon gained global media attention.
In India, Vemuri’s ancestry put her in the media spotlight, at the same time drawing attention to Israel’s ongoing deadly onslaught on Gaza — where, over the past year and a half, tens of thousands of people have been killed, critically wounded, and starved by Israel’s daily attacks and aid blockades.
“A lot more of the Indian media covered it, and people get to know and hear what’s happening … more and more people are realizing that this is not something you can be silent about,” Sreeja Dontireddy, a student at the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad, told Arab News.
“I think what Megha Vemuri did was commendable and necessary at the same time … If you are given such a platform … and if you do not speak about Palestine, it would be a grave injustice.”
Vemuri said in a statement to the media that she was not disappointed that she did not get to walk the stage with her classmates.
“For two entire graduation seasons, over two years now, thousands of bright Gazan students should have been able to walk across a stage and receive their diplomas. These students did not get to walk because Israel murdered them, displaced them from their homes, and destroyed their schools,” she said.
“I am, however, disappointed that MIT’s officials massively overstepped their roles to punish me without merit or due process, with no indication of any specific policy broken. These repressive measures are proof that the university is guilty of aiding and abetting genocide … They want to distract from what is happening in Palestine and their role in it.”
For Akriti Chaudhary and Himanshu Thakur, recent history graduates from Delhi University, their MIT peer’s protest was something that inspired them to raise their voices more.
“Being a politically aware person, I feel really, really proud and really happy about people speaking up for the Palestinian cause,” Chaudhary said.
“It was difficult to digest the fact that she was barred from her own graduation ceremony … They want to curb all kinds of protest and all kinds of dissent. But it never works that way. It only inspires people to step in and talk about the situation.”
It also inspires them to call things what they really are, “to speak about (the Israeli) occupation, and to call a spade a spade, to call occupation an occupation,” Thakur added. “We need more such voices to come forward, not only in the US but also in India … We need more Meghas in our campuses.”
The opportunity created by Vemuri’s MIT speech is also one for renewed momentum in activism in India.
Priyambada, a physics student and coordinator of BDS India — a group advancing the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign in the country — believes their efforts will be strengthened.
“How can you punish someone for speaking against genocide?” she said.
“This is giving strength to students across the world and giving us the opportunity to stand by Megha and Palestinian liberation … All colleges and universities, students from everywhere and people who believe in justice should come forward.”
