Author: Lester Holt

Children Most AffectedHealth officials and aid workers warn of a sharp rise in diphtheria across Somalia, with children making up more than 97% of those infected. The highly contagious bacterial illness, which can be prevented with vaccines, is spreading quickly due to low immunisation rates and difficult living conditions. Sharp Increase in InfectionsDr Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, head of Demartino Hospital in Mogadishu, reported a dramatic spike. “In 2024, we saw just 49 cases, but in the first four months of 2025 alone, we’ve already treated 497 patients,” he said. Deaths have also climbed from 13 to 42. Rising Nationwide NumbersAccording…

Extreme temperatures escalate fire risk Southern Europe is facing a severe heatwave, intensifying ongoing wildfires. In Spain, one-quarter of weather stations reported temperatures above 40°C, with Cádiz reaching 45.8°C on Sunday. The national weather agency, Aemet, warned that although the heatwave is slowly easing, very high temperatures will persist in eastern and southern regions. Fires ravage land and threaten lives Preliminary data from Copernicus shows that wildfires have burned 348,000 hectares in Spain this year, exceeding the previous record from 2022. In Portugal, 216,000 hectares have been destroyed. Fatalities include four in Spain, including a firefighter, and two in Portugal.…