Dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria discovered in Red Sea, Mediterranean
(Representational image)
London: Israeli researchers have found dangerous, antibiotic-resistant Vibrio bacteria in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, raising public health concerns, Tel Aviv University (TAU) said in a statement on Sunday.
These bacteria can cause serious illnesses in humans, including stomach issues, wound infections, and ear infections. They also harm marine animals like corals and shellfish, Xinhua news agency reported.
Vibrio bacteria can share genes, meaning once one becomes harmful, it can turn others into threats too. Warmer ocean temperatures, driven by climate change, are helping these bacteria spread to new areas and infect more people.
In their study published in mSphere, TAU scientists analysed the genomes of 23 Vibrio bacteria samples collected from the coastal waters of Tel Aviv and Eilat.
Their findings revealed a wide range of toxins, secretion systems, and mobile genetic elements that help the bacteria spread traits that boost their survival and virulence.
It was also found that at least 10 bacterial strains caused immune cells to die, and at least 12 could intoxicate competing Vibrio strains.
When tested against antibiotics commonly used to treat Vibrio infections, many samples showed strong resistance, especially to azithromycin.
One strain detected in the Red Sea produces a toxin deadly to shrimp, which has caused damage worth billions of U.S. dollars to shrimp farms worldwide.
According to the team, the results highlight the clear disease-causing potential of Vibrio bacteria in Israeli coastal waters and point to the urgent need for ongoing environmental monitoring to track and manage emerging threats.
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Business Standard
6 hours ago
- Business Standard
31 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site, Israel denies responsibility
At least 31 people were killed and over 170 were wounded Sunday as large crowds were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, health officials and witnesses said. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired toward the crowds just before dawn around a kilometre (about 1,100 yards) from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation. Israel's military denied its forces fired at civilians near or within the site in the southern city of Rafah. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with procedure, said troops fired warning shots at several suspects advancing toward them overnight. The military also released drone footage it said was shot Sunday, apparently in daylight, in the southern city of Khan Younis, showing what it said were armed, masked men firing at civilians trying to collect aid. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video, and it was not clear who was being targeted. "Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza," the statement said. The foundation promoted by Israel and the United States said in a statement it delivered aid "without incident," and released a separate video it said was shot Sunday at the site that appeared to show people collecting aid. The AP was not able to verify the video. The foundation has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent media has no access. It was the deadliest incident yet around the new aid distribution system, which has operated for less than a week. The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement its field hospital in Rafah received 179 casualties, including women and children; 21 of them declared dead upon arrival, the majority with gunshot or shrapnel wounds. It was unclear if any of the dead were militants. "All patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site," the ICRC said, calling it the highest number of "weapon-wounded" people in a single incident since the hospital was set up over a year ago. "Aid distribution has become a death trap," the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a statement. In a separate statement, Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered that more aid sites be established and that troops' ground operation be expanded in unspecified parts of northern and southern Gaza. A new aid system marred by chaos Multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's sites. Before Sunday, 17 people were killed while trying to reach them, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department. The foundation says private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on crowds. Israel's military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation said in a statement it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday "without incident," and dismissed what it described as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. The scene was horrible Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1 km away, at around 3 am, Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said. "There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd. He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded. "The scene was horrible," he said. Most people were shot "in the upper part of their bodies, including the head, neck and chest," said Dr Marwan al-Hams, a Health Ministry official at Nasser Hospital, where many were transferred from the Red Cross field hospital. A colleague, surgeon Khaled al-Ser, said 150 wounded people had arrived, along with 28 bodies. The hospital corridors were filled with patients, "but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men, a spokesperson with medical charity MSF, Nour Alsaqa, said in a statement. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another witness, said the military fired from about 300 meters (yards) away. He said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who died at the scene. "We weren't able to help him," he said. Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and a woman as they headed toward the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest, and his brother-in-law was among the wounded. "They opened heavy fire directly toward us," he said. An AP reporter arrived at the field hospital at around 6 am and saw dozens of wounded, including women and children. The reporter also saw crowds of people returning from the distribution point. Some carried boxes of aid, but most appeared to be empty-handed. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 31 people were killed and over 170 were wounded. This is sinful; enough with the humiliation. They humiliated us for the sake of food, said Ilham Jarghon as fellow Palestinians wept and prayed for the dead. Later Sunday, Israeli artillery shells struck tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, killing three and wounding at least 30, according to Nasser Hospital. The UN says new aid system violates humanitarian principles Israel and the US say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. UN agencies and major aid groups say the new system allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the coastal territory. "It's essentially engineered scarcity," Jonathan Whittall, interim head in Gaza of the UN humanitarian office, said last week. The UN system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its nearly three-month blockade of the territory last month. The groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 people in Hamas-run Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90% of the population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. The latest efforts at ceasefire talks appeared to stumble Saturday when Hamas said it had sought amendments to a US ceasefire proposal that Israel had approved, and the US envoy called that unacceptable. Mediators Qatar and Egypt, in a joint statement Sunday, said they continued "intensive efforts to bridge the gaps in viewpoints" and hoped for "a swift agreement for a temporary ceasefire lasting 60 days, leading to a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United News of India
18 hours ago
- United News of India
31 killed by Israeli gunfire near aid center in S Gaza
Gaza, June 1 (UNI) At least 31 Palestinians were killed on Sunday by Israeli gunfire near a humanitarian aid center in southern Gaza. At least 31 people were killed and dozens of others seriously injured in the morning when Israeli forces opened fire near a humanitarian aid distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza, where residents were gathering to receive aid, Gaza-based health authority said in a statement. Most of the injuries were in the upper body, and the death toll could rise due to the severity of the wounds, said Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Medical Relief Organization in Gaza, adding that ambulances have difficulty reaching the scene due to ongoing Israeli military activities. Eyewitnesses told media that thousands of people had arrived at the aid center since early morning hours when gunfire and explosions erupted. Calling the incident part of a "pattern of repeated targeting" of aid distribution locations by Israel, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said in a press statement that the area was operating in coordination with an American-Israeli company and under the supervision of Israeli forces. Also on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it is unaware of injuries caused by its fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site, and that the matter is still under review. Israeli media cited military sources as saying that Israeli military operations in the area were aimed at targeting "terrorist elements." Israel closed border crossings and curtailed the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza on March 2. Limited access has been permitted since May 22. Israel resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, following a two-month truce with Hamas. Since then, 4,149 Palestinians have been killed and 12,149 injured, according to Gaza-based health authorities on Sunday. UNI XC GNK
NDTV
21 hours ago
- NDTV
How India And Israel Are Reaching For The Stars
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set for the Axiom 4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe helping bring the excitement of space to students at the Indian astronaut's school in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. The two spacefarers, after an interaction at a gathering in Houston, had envisioned a program that would allow Indian students to experience the thrill of space exploration in real time. "Every year, there's a gathering of astronauts in Houston, where NASA's main human spaceflight centre is based. That's where I met Group Captain Shukla. He told me about his mission, and I shared how we had engaged school children in Israel during my time on the ISS. He immediately suggested we reach out to the City Montessori School in Lucknow," Mr Stibbe said. The City Montessori School is where Mr Shukla studied. Plans are now underway to create a parallel "mission control" experience at the school, allowing students to follow Mr Shukla's journey aboard the ISS, watch live feeds from the station, and participate in interactive educational activities. "The idea is to create programs, materials, and excitement," Mr Stibbe, who was part of the Axiom 1 mission in 2022, said. "We want children to ask questions, to be curious. During the mission, they'll be able to watch Shukla at work on the station-not just during interviews, but through continuous camera feeds that show astronauts floating, working, and living in microgravity. It's super exciting," he said. Mr Stibbe, who funded his private mission to space, is passionate about making space accessible to all. His outreach efforts in Israel reached thousands of students, and he hopes to replicate that success in India. "Whatever we did in Israel, we're now extending a hand of friendship to India," he said. "There's a lot we can learn from each other," Mr Stibbe said. "From the educational system, from the missions, and from the science. We're following India's space program closely and hope for more cooperation." The initiative has the potential to draw attention at the highest levels. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are great friends," Mr Stibbe said. "If they get the opportunity, I'm sure they would be happy to join in. We'll definitely extend an invitation." For Mr Stibbe, the mission is personal. "Watching the Earth from space, seeing the sunrise and sunset - it changes you. You realise how fragile our planet is. That's why I believe in sustainability and in inspiring the next generation to care for our world," he said. "India and Israel," Mr Stibbe said with a smile, "the friendship goes beyond Earth - and on Earth."
