Five patients infected with a rare strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo have recovered, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday during the inauguration of a new treatment center in the eastern city of Bunia.Speaking at the facility in Ituri province, the center of the current outbreak, Tedros said four patients would be discharged on Sunday, while another had left the hospital two days earlier.“Four people will be discharged today and one was discharged the day before yesterday,” the AP quoted Tedros as saying.“Of course, we are still working on vaccines and treatments but that doesn’t mean people can’t recover from Ebola,” he said.WHO said on Friday that a patient has recovered from the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment. The organization described this as the first documented recovery of a confirmed patient from Bundibugyo during the ongoing outbreak.According to the latest official figures cited by WHO, there have been 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths. Meanwhile, Congo’s neighbor Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, according to the country’s health ministry.The announcement came as aid agencies warned that the outbreak was spreading faster than response efforts. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Saturday called for expanded testing, rapid deployment of aid workers and unhindered access to medical supplies.Health workers have also faced increasing resistance from some communities, angry over strict burial protocols for Ebola victims that have led to at least three attacks on health facilities.During the inauguration ceremony, Tedros urged residents to seek medical care at the first sign of symptoms.“If you come to health facilities when you have symptoms, you can get help and recover, so the key is to come forward as soon as possible and get the necessary help,” he said.Tedros said, “We can stop this Ebola and everyone who has it can recover. But the rules… this is everyone’s business and every citizen should be involved.”“The final message we would like to share with the Ituri community is hope,” said Pierre Aklimali, events manager at Congo’s National Institute of Public Health, during the inauguration of the new treatment centre.

Photo Credit: Agencies

NAXXAR: Malta’s Labor Party won an unprecedented fourth term on Sunday in a victory over outgoing Prime Minister Robert Abela, who had called for snap elections amid geopolitical uncertainties.Fireworks were set off across the small Mediterranean island and excited Labor supporters dressed in the party’s red chanted “Four times!” Raised the slogan of. Officials at the counting house in Naxxar said preliminary results had given the election to the governing party.“I’ve voted Labor since I was a little girl, I’m thrilled they’ve made history,” Margaret Camilleri, 73, told AFP.Abela, 48, sent the country to the polls a year early, saying the government needed a new mandate to save the small, import-heavy island from the Middle East crisis.While Malta’s economy grew 4.0 percent last year, there are concerns that the conflict could have an impact on tourism due to rising aviation fuel costs and rising inflation.Abela campaigned on Labor’s economic record since 2013, promising stability in a period of uncertainty.“All indications show that the Malta Labor Party has made history by winning four consecutive elections,” he said.His main rival was Nationalist Party (PN) candidate Alex Borg, a 30-year-old lawyer and former “Mr. World Malta” beauty pageant winner, who has urged Maltese to vote for change.Borg acknowledged in an address posted on social media on Sunday that he had “personally called Robert Abela to congratulate him” on the victory.Abela has led Malta since 2020, when his predecessor stepped down in 2017 following a political crisis over the murder of reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, who exposed corruption at the highest levels in the country.Malta lags far behind in the fight against corruption, according to a 2025 Council of Europe report – but the issue was not a hot topic during the campaign.population boomMalta’s economic performance outweighed other concerns.Located off the coast of Sicily, Malta is the European Union’s smallest and most densely populated country, with about 550,000 people living in 316 square kilometers (122 sq mi).The island’s economy is largely based on tourism, online gaming and financial services and has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the European Union.But despite the low birth rate, the population has increased by about 30 percent in a decade, mainly due to the contribution of foreigners.This has led to a surge in construction work, filling the skies with cranes, creating traffic snarls and putting pressure on key services.Heritage groups have condemned environmental degradation and threats to UNESCO World Heritage sites in the former British colony.The country has very few natural resources and imports most of its energy, making it vulnerable to external shocks.Labor heavily subsidizes energy bills and has pledged to continue doing so.Malta is also on the front lines of climate change and is at risk of desertification and drought, but none of the main parties has made the issue a priority.There is one Green party, the ADPD, but no third party has held even a seat in the Parliament of Malta since independence in 1964.

TV antiques expert Ian Towning

Celebrity antique dealer Ian Towning has closed his prestigious Chelsea jewelery emporium and decided to leave London after a violent armed robbery left him traumatized.Towning, 78, known for his appearances on TV shows including Dickinson’s Real Deal and Posh Pawn, said he has never fully recovered from a brutal raid on his store in March 2024, during which he was hit over the head with a hammer.

Dealer shocked by violent raid

Towning and her security guard, Mark Simmons, were attacked when armed robbers carrying hammers including sledgehammers stormed her Chelsea jewelry store.CCTV footage of the incident shows the attackers entering the premises, before one of them allegedly attacked the antiquities expert on the head and knocked him to the ground.The gang made away with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery, while Towning and Simmons both suffered injuries during the raid.Speaking about the aftermath, Towning said the attack left her dealing with flashbacks, emotional distress and sleepless nights.He said, “I am almost 80 years old now and it is difficult to recover from such a shock.” He said that this incident has had a very bad impact on his health and well-being.

Conviction came months later

In November 2024, 42-year-old James Dixon and 41-year-old Thomas Loring were convicted of a series of violent robberies and burglaries that took place in and around London, including an attack on Towning’s store.The raid also resulted in additional security costs for the business, which Towning had operated from Chelsea since 1997.

End of an era for Chelsea’s antiques business

The closure marks the end of London’s decades-long association with the antiques trade. Towning was a familiar figure in Chelsea’s antiques scene from the 1970s and built a reputation as a respected jewelery and antiques expert through his television programmes.Reflecting on the decision, he said he had always hoped to continue working at the Emporium for the rest of his career, but ultimately felt unable to recover from the trauma of the attack.The 2024 robbery was the second major violent incident at the store. In 2008, Towning was left bloodied after confronting another gang who reportedly came armed with hammers and guns.

Criticism of London’s crime situation

According to the Daily Mail, Towning blamed London Mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to tackle rising crime in the capital, describing the situation as extremely worrying and claiming there was an increased fear of thefts and robberies among residents and customers.“I think Sadiq Khan has been a disaster for London,” Towning told the Daily Mail. He said, “He only cares about bike lanes and he wants to give money to more youth clubs when someone is stabbed to death. It’s despicable. He’s a joke.”The antiques dealer told the newspaper that security concerns and the impact of repeated criminal incidents contributed to his decision to close the business and leave London.

Street protests have erupted over the legal right of Sikhs to carry sabers in public following the conviction of British-born Sikh Vikram Singh Digwa for the murder of 18-year-old Southampton University student Henry Novak.Around 40 members of protest group Southampton Patriots gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station on Thursday, demanding accountability over the police response to a fatal stabbing in December 2025. Authorities monitored the demonstration, which featured music and was monitored by a police drone.The case has also gained traction among right-wing activists and political groups.UKIP leader and Turning Point UK COO, Nick Marcel Tenconi, joined calls for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to release bodycam footage from the incident, as demands for accountability over the police response continue to grow.

Police apologize after handcuffing victim

The controversy stems from the actions of the police officers who responded to the stabbing. During the murder trial, jurors heard that DeGwa allegedly misled officers by claiming he was the victim of a racist attack.As a result, officers initially treated Henry Novak as a suspect and placed him in handcuffs, despite the teen suffering multiple stab wounds.Deputy Chief Constable Robert France later apologized, saying he was “genuinely sorry” that Henry had been arrested and handcuffed shortly before he became unconscious.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that an investigation into Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s handling of the incident is ongoing.

Murder trial rejects self-defense claim

Novak, a first-year university student from Chafford Hundred in Essex, was walking back to his accommodation after a night out with football teammates when he encountered DeGwa.The 23-year-old used a 21cm ceremonial kirpan, a blade held by some Sikhs as an article of faith, during the attack. Digwa claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging Novak was drunk, racially abused him and removed his turban.However, prosecutors argued that the account was a fabricated “evil lie” designed to avoid responsibility. Evidence presented during the trial showed that Novak’s alcohol level was below the legal drunk-driving limit when he died. The jury unanimously found Digva guilty of murder.Digwa’s mother was also convicted of assisting an offender after helping to remove the weapon after the attack.

Saber exemption becomes political issue

The case has since fueled calls for changes to Britain’s knife laws, particularly the legal exemptions that allow Sikhs to carry kirpans in public for religious reasons.Reform UK chairman Zia Yousaf said the party would end the exemption if it came to power, arguing that no member of the public should be allowed to carry bladed weapons.Yusuf on social media platformThe party has also proposed expanding stop and search powers as part of a wider strategy to tackle knife crime.The proposal has been criticized by politicians and representatives of the Sikh community, who argue that the actions of any one individual should not be used to restrict a long-standing religious practice.Labor MP Sarah Coombs rejected calls for a ban, saying it would unfairly stigmatize the entire religious community.He said, “Both the Tories and Reform are now saying that sabers should be banned. This is completely wrong.”

New footage circulating online shows the Russian military deploying handheld “Yolka” interceptor drone systems in combat, indicating widespread operational use of the low-cost anti-drone weapon designed to target enemy reconnaissance and FPV drones.The latest video shows a Russian soldier launching the compact interceptor from a pistol-like handheld device, before it autonomously tracks and attacks its target.The Yolka system first attracted public attention during Russia’s Victory Day military parade in May 2025, when a security officer standing near President Vladimir Putin was seen carrying a compact drone-like device, which analysts later speculated might be the Yolka system or a related variant.Video evidence of the drone’s use first surfaced in September 2024, highlighting its role as a portable “spot-and-forget” interceptor designed to counter the growing threat posed by battlefield drones.Unlike conventional interceptors, the Yolka does not carry explosive warheads. Instead, it relies on direct kinetic impact to destroy or disable hostile drones, reducing the risk of collateral damage.The interceptor has a cylindrical body with two sets of X-shaped wings and is powered by four electric motors mounted on its rear. Open-source reports indicate that it uses a bi-spectral seeker that combines thermal and optical tracking with an artificial intelligence module.“Once the seeker locks onto the target, the drone transitions to autonomous flight.”The AI-assisted guidance system allows the drone to independently track targets after launch and is reported to be resistant to conventional electronic warfare jamming.According to available specifications, Yolka can attack targets at ranges of up to 3-4 kilometers and reach speeds of approximately 200-250 km/h. The interceptor reportedly weighs between 1 and 3 kg, while the entire launcher system weighs about 6 kg, allowing it to be operated by a single soldier.Open-source assessments estimate each Yolka interceptor to cost around US$500, making it a relatively inexpensive solution against increasingly common battlefield drones.The emergence of systems like Yolka reflects the growing emphasis on portable anti-drone weapons as militaries look for cost-effective ways to counter the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern warfare.