In just two days, a Hong Kong zoo is looking into the death of nine monkeys, including three members of a critically endangered species.
Part of the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the oldest in the territory, has been sealed off and disinfected, Hong Kong leader John Lee said in his weekly press briefing on Tuesday.
According to activists, the incident raises questions about whether keeping animals in captivity increases the risk of mpox-related illness reaching humans.
On Sunday, one of eight monkeys died after engaging in unusual behavior, and one more died on Monday.
Necropsies and toxicological tests have been performed by experts.
“Whenever we have any news, if there’s a new development, an announcement should be made as soon as possible, so that everyone can know about the facts”, Lee said.
A De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, four white-faced sakis, and three cotton-top tamarins, all of whom were killed, are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered.
The government held an urgent interdepartmental meeting regarding the deaths on Monday. It said in a statement that another De Brazza’s monkey’s behaviour and appetite were found to be unusual, requiring further observation.
However, all 80 other animals in the gardens were in normal condition, it added.
Zoonotic diseases
In a statement, the animal welfare organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) expressed concern.
“Monkeys in captivity are often exposed to pathogens that cause diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including tuberculosis, Chagas disease, cholera and MRSA”, Jason Baker, senior vice president of PETA Asia, said.
He claimed that putting animals in unsafe conditions and preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases is the only way to stop them.
At least 21 people were killed in an air attack in the north of Israel as a result of its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to health officials, and millions of Israelis found refuge from projectiles fired back across the border.
The south, the east, and the suburbs of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, have been Israel’s main targets for its military offensive in Lebanon so far, respectively.
According to Mayor Joseph Trad, a house that had been rented to displaced families was hit by the strike in the town of Aitou, which has a Christian majority. At least eight people were injured, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
At the site of the attack, rescuers searched through piles of rubble where burned cars and trees could be seen scattered across the ground.
It was the first time the Christian-majority area had been attacked by Israel in a year of hostilities.
Residents of 25 villages in southern Lebanon were told to move to areas north of the Awali River, which is located about 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Israel’s border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue to attack the Iran-aligned movement “without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut,” while visiting a military base in central Israel where four soldiers were killed on Sunday by a Hezbollah drone strike.
Algeria and Cameroon’s chances of winning the 2025 football finals have been overshadowed by Nigeria’s refusal to play their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification match in Libya following alleged “inhumane treatment” of their squad and eventual return home.
After a lengthy “ordeal” at a deserted airport in Libya, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced on Monday that their national team had returned home.
“The Nigeria delegation departed the Al Abraq Airport at exactly 15.05 hours]13: 05 GMT], bound for the city of Kano, and onwards to the Federal Capital, Abuja”, the NFF said in a statement.
NFF director of communications, Ademola Olajire, outlined in a 20-point statement the team’s “ordeal on Libyan soil”, saying the “keenly-anticipated match” had been “relegated to a fiasco by Libyan federal authorities and Football Federation”.
After their chartered flight touched down on Sunday, the Nigerian team was stranded for more than 20 hours in a deserted airport in Libya.
The Super Eagles had been due to land in Benghazi, but their plane was diverted to al-Abraq, 230km (143 miles) away from their intended destination.
Nigeria’s captain William Troost-Ekong had said the team would not make a three-hour bus ride from al-Abraq to Benina, where the qualifier was scheduled to be played on Tuesday, for safety reasons.
In a number of social media posts, he wrote, “As the team captain and the team have decided that we will NOT play this game.”
“Let them have the points”.
Later on Monday, Troost-Ekong confirmed his team’s return home, but insisted “no team should be mistreated this way”.
“Football is about respect, and that starts by respecting ourselves”, he wrote.
BACK HOME ???????? SAFE &, SOUND.
Proud of this team, NAIJA SPIRIT can’t be broken. Throw at us what you want, it’s in our blood to overcome. Nothing like this, which has brought us even closer together, has been something I’ve seen a lot in my ten years with this group. pic. twitter.com/AwGw4aQW2y
Libya denies being a victim of abuse as the CAF launches an investigation.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), whose disciplinary board is currently looking into the incident, has received a formal complaint from Nigeria.
The Nigerian National Football Team’s “unforgettable and disturbing experiences at an airport in Libya” were presented by CAF as “a very serious picture.”
The statement added that the CAF had communicated with the authorities in Nigeria and Libya.
“Appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations”, the statement concluded.
On Friday, Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 in the southern city of Uyo.
They are in Group D with seven points from three matches, while Libya is at the bottom with just one point.
The Libyan Football Federation denied any impropriety, saying in a statement it had the “utmost respect” for Nigeria.
There are no grounds to believe that the Libyan Football Federation or the security teams had purposefully orchestrated this incident, it said.
“Such actions are inconsistent with our values and principles.
We firmly refute any claims that this situation might have involved sabotage or foul play.
The Libyan football organization stated last week that its team “had significant challenges to overcome” when they arrived in Nigeria.
Algeria, Cameroon confirm qualification with wins
Cameroon and Algeria, who both won their respective group games on Monday, secured their spots in the 2025 competition.
The five-time AFCON champions, who have lost to Cameroon’s Boris Enow, 1-0, won and qualified for Group J after Boris Enow’s free kick against Kenya goalkeeper Bryne Omondi outside the area.
Zimbabwe, which is now four points clear of Kenya in the race for the other qualifying spot, defeated Namibia 3-1 to claim second place. The penultimate round of competition will take place next month.
After Ramy Bensebaini converted an 18th-minute penalty, Algeria, the two-time AFCON champion, defeated Togo 1-0 in Lome in Group E.
Equatorial Guinea will likely join Algeria in scoring 12 points from their previous four matches, with Dorian Hanza’s goal in added time allowing his side to win 2-1 against Liberia in Paynesville and to extend their lead by five points to Togo.
Captain Elias” Domingues “Pelembe, who turns 41 in November, opened the scoring for Mozambique in a 3-0 Group I victory over Eswatini. The Mambas were placed first, above Mali.
In a crucial Group F game, four-time champion Ghana will face Sudan in a crucial match.
From 10:00 GMT, Al Jazeera will be broadcast live from the game.
Algeria have confirmed their place in the AFCON 2025 finals]File: Luc Gnago/Reuters]
Thousands of Cubans, led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other leaders of the communist-run island, marched in Havana to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The demonstrators, including some 250 Palestinian medical students living in Cuba, carried a large banner that read “Long live free Palestine”, while the president and his allies wore keffiyeh scarves – an emblem of Palestinian solidarity.
“We are here to support the just claim of the Palestinian people, for their sovereignty, their freedom … and against the genocidal crusade that Israel practices towards the Palestinian people”, said Michel Marino, a 20-year-old international relations student, at the event on Monday.
The march was scheduled to take place on October 7 to mark the anniversary of Israel’s invasion of Gaza following a Hamas-led assault there, but it was postponed due to Hurricane Milton, which last week slammed Cuba and Florida in the United States.
As he addressed the audience, Palestinian student Mohammed Suwan, said, “Our Gaza has not had a single day of peace, not one day of calm, and our people in the West Bank suffer daily aggression while the world is paralyzed and unable to stop this tragedy.”
Jenin, occupied West Bank, Palestine – Muhammad Arrabi’s family, what’s left of it, lives in the heart of Jenin’s Old City in a house the family has handed down for 185 years.
The Arrabi family had numbered 10 – a mother, a father, four daughters and four sons – until the Israeli army took the lives of three of their sons, culminating in its shooting of Muhammad, the third brother to be killed.
Jenin, Old City and new
The stunning homes that have been preserved and still stand today will appeal to visitors to Jenin’s Old City.  , The Arrabi family home is one.
However, almost every home in Jenin has suffered damage in some way, either from residents or the stones themselves.
Known for its history of resistance, Jenin has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Arrabis ‘ home in Jenin]Ola Marshoud/Al Jazeera]
The city and its refugee camp have frequently been raided by the Israeli military, leading to deaths, injuries, extensive damage to infrastructure and fighting.
Deep sorrow still permeates the Arrabi house despite its beauty.
The loss of the brothers left lasting wounds for their 78-year-old mother, Umm Fouad, and five remaining siblings:  , her daughters – Ruba, 52, Suhad 51, Nour, 42, and Reem, 38 – and 35-year-old Fouad.
Mohammed was the youngest brother. After Ruba, Suhad, Nour and Fouad got married, he lived with Reem and their mother for about six years.
Umm Fouad relied on Muhammad for everything.
Muhammad gave his mother her medicine, ran errands and cared for her, but now, she has lost her “hand and foot”, according to Fouad, who used a Palestinian expression to convey the extent of someone’s dependence on another.
The graves of Bassam Arrabi and his three sons]Ola Marshoud/Al Jazeera]
Umm Fouad is still dealing with Muhammad’s death on August 29 and is still dealing with the pain of loss.
Her first loss, however, was her firstborn, also named , Fouad. During the first Intifada known as the Intifada of the Stones, Israel attacked Jenin as a child.
The boys would pelt stones at Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles.
An Israeli sniper shot and killed Fouad in 1988, and the soldiers would then shoot the young people.
In honor of his slain older brother, Umm Fouad gave birth to a boy a year later, and he was given the name Fouad.
In 2003, during the second Intifada, her 29-year-old son Rashad, a Palestinian resistance member, was killed in a clash with the Israeli army near their home, where he tried to take on an Israeli tank.
Rashad had severe injuries, so the army prevented medical personnel from reaching him until he passed away.
The Israeli army opened fire on three young men as they tried to retrieve Rashad’s body, but they each succeeded. Nidal Al-Kastouni, Yousef Al-Amer and Muhammad Fuqaha were killed trying.
When Muhammad was killed in the same location as Rashad, tragedy struck once more last month. While keeping his phone, a sniper shot him to record what the Israeli army was doing in their neighborhood.
The prisoner who “martyr” was.
Muhammad shared a deep bond with his father, Bassam, whom he also took care of.
His father, in turn, relied on Mohammad for everything and was always by his side.
Muhammad was unable to enroll in a university after finishing high school.
The spot in the neighbourhood where Israeli soldiers killed Fouad and Muhammad]Ola Marshoud/Al Jazeera]
Muhammad was detained twice by Israeli forces, and he was imprisoned for three years total.
His first arrest occurred in 2016 when he was 24 and was accused of “incitement” and sentenced to a year and a half. He was detained once more in 2019 and was detained on suspicion of “planning to carry out an act of resistance” for a further year and a half.
While he was in prison, his father’s health deteriorated, and he passed away in 2020 before Muhammad could say goodbye.
This loss deeply affected Muhammad. He frequently addressed friends about how deeply he misses his father and his brothers, Fouad and Rashad, and how difficult it is to carry his father’s funeral.
After his first release from prison in 2017, though, he got a job at Vamos, a local burger restaurant owned by his sister Noor and her husband, Mamoun Al-Yabdawi. He envisioned opening his own restaurant because he enjoyed the work.
Abu Hazim, who worked with him at Vamos, said he misses the joy Muhammad brought to the workplace.
Al-Yabdawi remembers Muhammad’s kindness and how he would sneak a bit of extra food into people’s orders.
Without Mohammed, his neighbor Khaled Abu Ali, who also worked at Vamos, said evening gatherings with neighborhood youth feel unfulfilled.
“Muhammad invited more than 30 neighborhood young men from the neighborhood to a barbecue feast to honor some high school graduates,” he said two weeks prior to Muhammad’s passing.
” Knowing their financial circumstances didn’t allow for a celebration, he wanted to bring them joy. It was his ‘ Last Supper’, “Abu Ali said.
The news of Muhammad’s death was not unexpected. A family in Jenin frequently receives such news.
The Arrabi family, in particular, having lost two sons in the same way, lives in constant fear with every raid on the city.
Abu Ali said the family, or what’s left of it, is changed forever.
” Fouad isn’t the person he once was. He once had a happy and life of his own, but he now never smiles. He is held by sadness. As for his sister Reem, she is heartbroken. She was incredibly close to Muhammad. “
(Al Jazeera)
According to him, Fouad’s real burden right now is trying to protect himself from harm from further pain for his mother and sisters.
Commenting on the loss of his third brother, Fouad reflects:” For 36 years, we’ve sacrificed for the homeland. We sacrifice what is most precious to us – our children’s blood. “
‘ No burial without ceremony, no mourning without burial ‘
After a 10-day military operation, which Israel claimed was aimed at destroying Palestinian fighters’ cells, Muhammad was killed on August 29 when Jenin and its refugee camp were stormed.
In the raids, Israeli forces carried out more than 30 injuries and 22 Palestinian deaths.
They besieged local institutions, including the Jenin Municipality, Civil Defence and the electricity company, ordered the evacuation of buildings, and blew up a house near the Ansar Mosque in the camp.
Military bulldozers destroyed roads, water and sewage systems, electricity poles, homes and vehicles.
A Palestinian protests the Israeli military’s raids by blocking the path of a Palestinian’s vehicle during one of its patrols of the Jenin refugee camp on September 25, 2024 [Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency].
Throughout, Mohammed’s body lay in a morgue in the nearby town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, Fouad insisting that” Mohammed will not be buried without a proper ceremony, and there will be no mourning until he is laid to rest. “
In Palestine, it is customary for people to gather around the bereaved family to offer support, but Israeli snipers and bulldozers blocked the way, isolating Mohammed’s family in their grief.
Once the raid ended, Mohammed was finally buried near his brothers Fouad and Rashad and their father, Bassam.
Thousands of residents of the Jenin governorate were present for the funeral service, and twenty-one of the dead were also interred at the site.
In response to the alleged transferring of missiles and drones to Russia, the European Union has imposed sanctions on more than a dozen Iranians and businesses, including the nation’s deputy defense minister and national airline.
The European Council announced on Monday that seven individuals and as many as seven other individuals would be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze as a result of their involvement in the Russian military’s campaign against Ukraine.
Those targeted include Iranian Deputy Defence Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari, high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ‘ Quds Force, and three Iranian airlines, including Iran Air.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, welcomed the sanctions.
Von der Leyen wrote in a post on X that “the Iranian regime’s support of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable and must stop.”
“It is therefore gratifying that our sanctions against people and organizations were put in place in response to Iran’s sending of drones and missiles to Russia. More is needed”.
Andrii Sybiha, the country’s foreign minister, wrote on X that those who “support aggression must share responsibility and pay the price.”
On Tuesday, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baghaei, disputed Iran’s claim that Tehran had supplied Russian missiles and that the sanctions were against international law.
“Some European nations and the UK have, regrettably, asserted without any proof that Iran has militarily fought this conflict,” according to Baghaei.
The United States announced last month that it had information that suggested Iran had used ballistic missiles against Ukraine, prompting the most recent sanctions.
Tehran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, at the time, denied any weapons transfers to Russia since his administration’s inception in August, citing the possibility that there had been one since then.
