An 11-year-old boy in Ontario has died from rabies months after a bat landed on his face while he slept at a family cottage. The child woke to find the bat covering his nose and mouth, and his father simply removed and released it outdoors without seeking medical help.
Because the boy had no visible bite marks and the bat seemed fine, the family didn't pursue treatment. A case report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal details what happened next.
Nineteen days later, the child developed facial numbness and swelling that quickly worsened. Doctors first thought he had Bell's palsy, then suspected a herpes infection, but neither diagnosis proved correct.
His condition deteriorated rapidly as high fever, difficulty swallowing, confusion and hallucinations set in. He was admitted to intensive care but ultimately died from the virus.
Medical experts say the case shows why anyone exposed to a bat—regardless of visible injuries—must get rabies treatment immediately. The virus is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear.
Spain has received nearly 1.2 million applications from undocumented migrants seeking legal status under a government regularisation programme launched in April. The scheme stands out sharply against hardening immigration stances sweeping across Europe.
Prime minister Pedro Sánchez's government shut the application window at the end of June after receiving 1,174,978 applications, according to the Secretary of State for Migration. More than 600,000 are already being processed.
Colombians made up more than a quarter of applicants, with Latin American migrants accounting for 67 percent of the total. African nationals represented nearly 23 percent, and most applicants were under 45.
The government estimates about 500,000 people will ultimately qualify after meeting requirements like proving a clean criminal record and showing they lived in Spain continuously before January. The applications far exceeded official expectations.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has issued a formal state apology for thousands of forced adoptions carried out over decades following World War II. He called the policy a shameful chapter in British history.
Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 children were taken from unmarried mothers through a system backed by the government and religious institutions. Many of the women, some barely teenagers, were pressured into giving up their babies at church-run mother and baby homes.
Speaking in Parliament, Starmer acknowledged that the state failed to protect vulnerable mothers and families. He offered what he described as a profound apology to everyone affected by the practice.
His statement follows a recent apology from the Church of England for operating institutions where women were frequently separated from newborns against their wishes. The church acknowledged its role in the systematic separations.
At least six people have been killed and more than 20 injured after an explosion tore through a café in central Damascus. Syrian authorities confirmed the death toll from the blast.
