GAZA  –  A 10-month-old baby has been partially paralysed after contracting polio in Gaza, United Nations officials have said. According to the UN, Gaza, now in its 11th month of war, has not registered a polio case for 25 years, although type 2 poliovirus was detected in samples collected from the territory’s wastewater in June.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he is “gravely concerned” and confirmed that efforts are under way to roll out a vaccination programme in the coming weeks. The 10-month-old, who was unvaccinated, is said to be in a stable condition after developing paralysis in one leg. Poliovirus, most often spread through sewage and contaminated water, is highly infectious. It can cause disfigurement and paralysis, and is potentially fatal. It mainly affects children under the age of five.

Humanitarian groups have blamed the re-emergence of polio in Gaza on disruption to child vaccination programmes and massive damage to water and sanitation systems caused by the war. In order to try to contain the spread, the UN has been pressing for a week-long pause in fighting to carry out a polio vaccination campaign for more than 640,000 children under the age of 10.

UN Secretary General António Guterres said “hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza [are] at risk”. He said that for the campaign to be successful, transport of vaccines and required equipment would need to be facilitated, as well as the entry of polio experts into Gaza.

On 18 August, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said since the beginning of the war, 282,126 vials of the polio vaccine, sufficient for 2,821,260 doses, have been sent to Gaza. It said in the coming weeks, an additional 60,000 vaccines will be delivered to vaccinate over one million children. (BBC)

Photo: A Palestinian girl is examined by a doctor amid fears over the spread of polio after the first case was reported by the Ministry of Health, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (Reuters)…[+]

WASHINGTON DC – Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced at a news conference in Phoenix Friday that he is suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump. “In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path of electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control. So I cannot, in good conscience, ask my staff and volunteers to keep working their long hours, or ask my donors to keep giving when I cannot honestly tell them that I have a real path to the White House,” he said.

Kennedy then said he will now “throw my support to President Trump. Three great causes drove me to enter this race in the first place, primarily, and these are the principal causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump,” he said. Kennedy insisted that he was not ending his campaign, but he noted that he will withdraw his name from appearing on ballots in swing states.

“My name will remain on the ballot in most states. If you live in a blue state, you can vote for me without harming — or helping — President Trump or Vice President Harris. In red states, the same will apply,” he said. “… But, in about 10 battleground states, where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name, and I’ve already started that process and urge voters not to vote for me.”

He also said that he believed he could end up in the White House if there is a contingent election, which would take place if neither of the major party candidates received the 270 votes necessary to win the election. Kennedy running mate Nicole Shanahan praised him following his announcement and urged him to “save our children” in a social media post. Shanahan, who was not in attendance at the Phoenix event, thanked Kennedy for running and called being a part of his campaign “one of my greatest honors.“

“You sparked a movement that millions of Americans had been longing for. It has been one of my greatest honors to run this race with you,” she said. “It has been awe-inspiring to witness the fearlessness you showed in the face of censorship, blatant lies about your character, and even threats against your life. Save our children, Bobby.” Her statement comes after Kennedy said that Trump offered him a role in his administration and suggested the role would oversee a health care portfolio. (CNN)…[+]

GERMANY – A manhunt is underway after three people were killed and four severely injured during a stabbing attack in the north-western German city of Solingen, police told CNN. Police say the attacker is on the run and they are not ruling out terrorism. The attack reportedly occurred at an event to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the city’s founding, according to Germany news agency dpa. Images from the scene showed the police and several ambulances at the scene. (CNN)…[+]

VOLGOGRAD  –  Four prison employees have been killed after prisoners staged a revolt in a Russian penal colony and took eight hostages, federal authorities say. Special forces stormed the IK-19 Surovikino facility in the southwestern Volgograd region after knife-wielding prisoners, who identified themselves as Islamic State (IS) militants, claimed to have taken control of the sprawling complex.

Authorities said the special forces operation had freed some hostages and “neutralised” all the attackers, but later confirmed that four prison employees died in the attack. An unverified image posted on social media appeared to show an inmate holding a knife standing above a bloodied prison guard during the revolt. Russia’s Rosgvardia National Guard said snipers shot four attackers in the rescue operation.

Heavily armed troops were filmed arriving at the prison in footage posted to the Telegram messaging app by the National Guard. The attack began during a disciplinary commission meeting, Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement. During the attack, the attackers slashed guards and wounded several prison staff. Federal prison authorities said eight people had been taken hostage. Some reports in Russian media suggested that the prison’s director and deputy director had been seized.

In dramatic mobile phone footage released by the attackers, they identified themselves as IS militants. The men said they were motivated by the desire to avenge the persecution of Muslims. The video also showed prison officials lying in pools of blood, while in separate clips the attackers roamed the prison courtyard. Volgograd regional governor Andrei Bocharov said earlier that the hostage-taking posed “no threat to the civilian population”.

President Vladimir Putin was filmed taking part in a virtual meeting with security chiefs, during which the Kremlin said he had been updated on the situation. The Volgograd hostage-taking is the second such incident this summer, after six prisoners who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group captured two guards at a facility in the neighbouring Rostov region. Five of the prisoners were killed and a sixth sentenced to 20 years in prison following the attack. Prosecutors said they had opened a case relating to a hostage-taking. IK-19 Surovikino is a high-security penal colony. It is believed to hold about 1,200 inmates. (BBC)…[+]

Photo: This image of the incident appeared on messaging app Telegram. (Telegram)