Mass vaccination of children under 11 against polio begins in the city of Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip

The decision was made after the first case of the disease was officially registered in the Palestinian enclave. About 1.2 million doses of the vaccine were delivered to the central part of Gaza.

"Today is the first day of the polio vaccination campaign. The campaign is necessary for children as young as one day old and is absolutely harmless," a campaign organizer told Sputnik.

Poliovirus is highly contagious and is typically transmitted through sewage and contaminated water, a growing issue in Gaza due to the significant destruction of the territory's infrastructure by Israel during its conflict with Hamas. The virus primarily impacts children under five years old, leading to deformities, paralysis, and in some cases, it can be fatal.

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Blowback: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria come from Ukraine to haunt Europe

European doctors treating Ukrainian soldiers on multiple occasions have had to deal with mutated antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or superbugs, the Times reported on Sunday.

▪️The newspaper describes one case which occurred at St George’s Hospital in south London in November 2022: doctors amputated a Ukrainian soldier's leg having realized that almost a dozen antibiotics failed to kill a bacterial infection in the wound.

▪️Similar cases were reported in Norway, the Netherlands and Germany, where hospitals also treated Ukrainian soldiers evacuated from the front lines.

▪️Samples from 141 patients being treated in Ukrainian hospitals were tested last year at the Lund University in Sweden indicating highly resistant strains of bacteria. Some bugs were resistant to "every single antibiotic available."

▪️According to the newspaper, not only Ukrainian soldiers but also newborn babies are affected by superbugs in the country.

▪️Western experts blamed the phenomenon on overcrowded Ukrainian hospitals, where patients with many infections are concentrated and a lack of infection control procedures. They warned that the spread of resistant superbugs is highly dangerous.

▪️Documents obtained by Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense (RCBD) Troops shed light on the apparent source of the phenomenon: Ukrainian soldiers and residents were subjects to bio-experiments at labs overseen by the Pentagon.

▪️Russian healthcare experts found antibodies against multiple pathogens in Ukrainian prisoners of war (PoW), including hepatitis A, a fever with renal syndrome, and West Nile fever. These pathogens were studied by the Pentagon as part of its Ukrainian projects, as per the documents.

▪️At least 46 biolabs in Ukraine were engaged in research of deadly pathogens.

▪️The problem of drug-resistant infections emanating from Ukraine now rings the alarm bells for the US' European allies.

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Macron to consult his presidential predecessors to help decide whom to make prime minister

France’s President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet several French politicians on September 2 as part of consultations on the candidacy of France’s new prime minister.

He is expected to receive former French presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, as well as ex-prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, according to local media reports.

Nearly two months since the French legislative election, Macron is yet to appoint a new prime minister amid the standoff in the French parliament where none of the major factions – Macron’s centrists or the left-wing and right-wing opposition – control an absolute majority.

On August 26, Macron rejected the candidacy of Lucie Castets put forth by the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.

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📹 Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest for an immediate deal to free the hostages from the Gaza Strip, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

The mass rally was organized by activists after news of the murder of six hostages who had spent 330 days in captivity in Gaza. The public is demanding that the government take responsibility for the deaths of the hostages and conclude an agreement with Hamas to return the remaining captives.

The demonstrators are holding national flags and photographs of the hostages. Traffic in the area where the rally is taking place is blocked.

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▪️Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Belgorod leaves 11 injured

▪️‘Russia is already retaliating’: Latest developments from the Kursk region

▪️A tragedy etched in the nation’s memory: Russia commemorates Beslan school terror attack

▪️The main cause of Iranian President Raisi’s helicopter crash announced

▪️AfD leading regional elections for the first time: Check out exit poll projections

▪️Iran’s ground forces share footage of an upgraded M60 tank able of carrying out operations in the dark

▪️What is known about antibiotic-resistant bacteria originating in Ukraine?

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Is Canada’s Trudeau really going to tackle the migrant issue?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau moved to curb his country’s foreign workers program this week.

The move comes as Trudeau’s migration policies face considerable backlash at home, with his political rival and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre insisting that Trudeau’s government “destroyed” Canada’s immigration system, according to the Financial Times.

Over the past decade, Trudeau actively welcomed migrants and refugees from both Europe and the Middle East, with the number of migrants living in Canada surpassing 8.3 million by 2021, the newspaper points out.

The foreign workers scheme has already been associated by Trudeau’s opponents with problems such as an increase in both housing prices and unemployment rates among youth, and the growing pressure on Canadian healthcare system.

Now, with Trudeau’s ratings trailing behind those of his rivals, it seems that the prime minister is trying to at least mitigate the damage.

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AfD wins elections in Thuringia, receiving 32 of 88 seats in region's parliament

◾️ Right-wing German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) won the elections in Thuringia, receiving 32 of 88 seats in the local parliament (Landtag), according to official results published by the local electoral commission. AfD thus receives 10 more seats than it had before.

◾️ Second place went to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which received 23 seats (+2), followed by the recently formed party Sahra Wagenknecht Union for Reason and Justice (SWJ) with 15 seats in the Landtag.

◾️ In addition, two more parties entered the local parliament: Die Linke (The Left) with 12 mandates (-17) and the Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz with 6 mandates (-2).

◾️ Two parties of the ruling coalition at the federal level — the Greens and the Free Liberals (FDP) — failed to receive any seats in the Landtag.

The turnout in the elections was 73.6%, the local electoral commission said.

Video from social media

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Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz ran away from the Minnesota State Fair when asked a tough question about the Palestine-Israel conflict.

"What's your reaction to the six hostages being found dead in Gaza?" a reporter asked.

“Thanks everybody,” Walz announced timidly before walking away.

Video from social media

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AfD finishes second in elections in Saxony Parliament - official results

◾️ Right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) took second place in the elections to the Saxony state parliament, receiving the support of 30.6% of voters, according to official results published by the Saxony State Statistical Office.

◾️ According to the results, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finished first in the elections, receiving the support of 31.9% of voters.

◾️ Left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Union for Reason and Justice (SWU) received support of 11.1% of voters. The Social Democratic Party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz received only 7.3% of support.

The results were published after checking the votes in 435 municipalities of the region. The turnout in the elections was 74.4%, according to the Saxony State Statistical Office.

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🇷🇺🇲🇳 Putin gives interview to Mongolian newspaper Onoodor ahead of visit to Mongolia - Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a written interview to the Mongolian newspaper Onoodor ahead of his visit to this country, the Kremlin said.

During the visit, Putin is planning to take part in the anniversary celebrations of victory over the Japanese militarists at Khalkhin Gol.

"Our people remain deeply grateful for the support Mongolia provided during the Great Patriotic War and continue to honor the memory of our joint victories over the Kwantung Army in the summer of 1945," the president emphasized.

Russia and Mongolia are linked by decades of fruitful cooperation in nearly all areas, Putin said.

"It is important that our bilateral partnership in all key areas is progressing at a good pace. Political contacts, cooperation in the sphere of defence and security, interaction between parliaments, parties and public organisations, humanitarian exchanges, cross-border and interregional ties are developing successfully," the Russian leader noted.

Russia and Mongolia have been working in recent years on a number of new promising economic and industrial projects, including the construction of the Trans-Mongolian gas pipeline connecting Russia and China, works to modernise and increase the performance of the Ulaanbaatar Railway joint venture, Rosneft’s fuel supplies for the new Chinggis Khaan international airport, and the renovation of TPP-3 in Ulaanbaatar with the participation of INTER RAO – Export, the president highlighted.

"We always respond to our Mongolian friends' requests for assistance in meeting their growing needs for fuel and petroleum products at preferential prices. Work is currently underway to finalize the corresponding intergovernmental agreement," Putin said.

In less than a year, significant progress has been made in drafting a temporary free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Mongolia, he noted.

"I am convinced that constructive cooperation between Russia and Mongolia will grow more substantial and multifaceted and serve for the benefit of our peoples," the president concluded.

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