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Asia Tightens Airport Screening as Nipah Virus Concerns Rise

  Airport health authorities wearing protective masks monitor passengers from international flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, amid reports of a Nipah outbreak. Airports across Asia are stepping up health surveillance as several countries respond to renewed concerns over the Nipah virus following confirmed cases in India. The virus, known for its high fatality rate and potential for human‑to‑human transmission, has prompted authorities to reintroduce precautionary screening measures to limit cross‑border spread. Health officials in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Nepal, and Taiwan have implemented temperature checks, health declarations, and targeted monitoring of passengers arriving from affected regions. While the number of confirmed cases remains limited, the severity of the virus has led governments to act swiftly. Nipah virus infections are rare but dangerous, with symptoms ranging from fever and headaches to severe respir...

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Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute in Gulf of Oman

 



Iranian navy has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was at the center of a major US-Iran crisis. The vessel was once known as the Suez Rajan and had been involved in a yearlong dispute that ultimately saw the U.S. Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on it. 

The tanker was carrying Iraqi crude oil intended for Turkey. The seizure comes as a response to the previous year’s seizure of the same vessel by the United States. The ship was reportedly confiscated by Iran as the result of a court order. The incident occurred early in the morning in the waters between Oman and Iran in an area transited by ships coming in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. The vessel was boarded by armed men and the ship’s security officer heard unknown voices on the phone . The tanker had been off the city of Basra, Iraq, loading crude oil bound for Aliaga, Turkey, for the Turkish refinery firm Tupras. The ship was identified as the oil tanker St. Nikolas.


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