
Tainted alcohol leaves 13 dead and 21 blinded in Middle East
Kuwait bans the import or domestic production of alcoholic beverages, but some is manufactured in the country illegally in secret locations that lack any oversight or safety standards, exposing consumers to the risk of poisoning.
The Embassy of India in Kuwait, which has the largest expatriate community in the country, said around 40 Indian nationals in Kuwait have been hospitalized in the last few days, without specifying the cause.
"There have been some fatalities, some are in a critical condition while others are recovering," it added in a statement on X, noting that it is seeking further details.

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The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major UK supermarket with 300 stores urgently recalls popular ready meal over dangerous health risk
A MAJOR UK supermarket with 300 stores has urgently recalled a popular ready meal over a dangerous health risk. Farmfoods issued a warning over the Indian-inspired takeaway meal because of allergy fears. 1 Farmfoods has recalled its Ultimate Keralan Chicken Curry meal Credit: Farmfoods Farmfoods is recalling its Farmfoods Ultimate Keralan Chicken Curry because it contains prawns which are not mentioned on the label. The product contains crustaceans (prawns) which are not mentioned on the packing. Farmfoods said it poses a "potential health risk" to "individuals with seafood allergies or intolerances". The recall covers food with the product code L550 in a 400g pack and a best before date of February 13 2026. Shoppers are being asked to return the affected items to their nearest store, where a full refund will be provided. No receipt is needed for you to return the pack. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) added: "For further information, please contact Farmfoods customer services on 0121 700 7160." Farmfoods said in its warning notice: "It has come to our attention that a limited quantity of our 400g Farmfoods Keralan Chicken Curry (product code L550) with 13/02/2026 best-before date were mistakenly produced with prawns. "This ingredient is not declared on the product label, posing a potential health risk to individuals with seafood allergies or intolerances. "If you have this product and have any type of seafood allergy or intolerance, please do not consume the product. Viral 'Dubai-style' chocolate is pulled from UK supermarket shelves over dangerous health risk "Please return the affected product to the store where the product was purchased for a full refund. No receipt is required. "We take consumer safety very seriously and sincerely apologise to our loyal customers for this situation and any inconvenience it may have caused. The best before date is shown on the bottom right corner of the front of pack." The FSA says more than 30 per cent of adults report some types of adverse reactions when eating food. Around 6 per cent of the UK adult population is estimated to have a clinically confirmed food allergy. This equates to around 2.4 million adults in the UK. It comes after a Dubai-style chocolate was pulled from supermarket shelves across the UK, after being found to pose a dangerous health risk. A food alert has been issued to consumers and food businesses warning of the possible health risks the chocolate products present. Dubai-style chocolate products that have been purchased from certain manufacturers were the subject of the recall. Last month, the Food Standards Agency issued a similar warning about the Neosis Schokolade Love of Dubai chocolate too, due to it containing peanuts. Shops were told to immediately stop sales of the product, as this was not mentioned on the label.


Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Tainted alcohol leaves 13 dead and 21 blinded in Middle East
The ministry said in a statement on X late on Wednesday that all those affected were of Asian nationalities, adding that 51 required urgent kidney dialysis and 31 needed mechanical ventilation. Kuwait bans the import or domestic production of alcoholic beverages, but some is manufactured in the country illegally in secret locations that lack any oversight or safety standards, exposing consumers to the risk of poisoning. The Embassy of India in Kuwait, which has the largest expatriate community in the country, said around 40 Indian nationals in Kuwait have been hospitalized in the last few days, without specifying the cause. "There have been some fatalities, some are in a critical condition while others are recovering," it added in a statement on X, noting that it is seeking further details.


Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
International healthcare staff fear for safety after spate of racist assaults, HSE says
Some international healthcare staff are now fearful for their personal safety following a spate of attacks on Indians and are considering moving away, the HSE warned. "This will have a dramatic impact on staff levels and the provision of health services and should be a cause for alarm for people in this country,' Anne Marie Hoey, chief people officer of the HSE, said. "The HSE condemns all racist abuse and assaults of people from abroad, their families and the wider community," Ms Hoey said. "It is unacceptable. People should not be afraid to leave their house or go to work for fear of abuse. 'We are proud of our organisation's diversity and are dependent on all our staff for the delivery of frontline, essential services. We are deeply grateful to international workers who have chosen to move their lives and families to Ireland to work with the HSE and help provide essential care and support for patients.' International workers make up more than 15% of the entire HSE workforce. Nurses and midwives from India, Africa and other Asian countries account for 23% of HSE nurses and midwives. 'The effective operation of many essential health services in Ireland would be seriously threatened without the support of the many thousands of international staff that work in our hospitals and community services every day,' the HSE said in a statement. The HSE is proud of the organisation's diverse workforce, all of whom are critical for provision of services for patients across Ireland. India Day, an event which celebrates Ireland's Indian community, has been cancelled this Sunday due to recent attacks on Indians. An Indian tech worker was stabbed, beaten, robbed and partially stripped by a gang in Tallaght, Dublin last month. Bloodied and alone, he was then filmed and the video was uploaded to social media. The attack followed lies being spread about him on social media. He had only been in Ireland for three weeks and came on a critical skills visa. The Indian embassy in Dublin recently warned of an increase in physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland. It advised Ireland's almost 80,000-strong Indian community to 'take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours'.