Seychelles president lauds medical cooperation with China

Dr. Patrick Herminie, the President of Seychelles, spoke highly of 40 years of Chinese medical assistance to the island country as the two countries are marking their 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship in 2026.

Speaking with China Central Television (CCTV) in an exclusive interview aired on Friday, Herminie, who has an extensive medical background, said the country has benefited a lot from medical cooperation with China over the years.

Since 1986, one after another group of Chinese doctors have come to Seychelles, providing medical aid to local residents.

"I didn't feel any pain. Dr. Zhao is a very trustworthy doctor, reliable one. He is a very attentive doctor also," a resident talked about her thyroid surgery performed by Chinese doctors. Another female resident said that she once contracted a critical intestinal obstruction and had been in grave condition, but a life-saving surgery performed by a Chinese doctor gave her a new lease on life.

"I want to go to China because the Chinese doctor is the one who give me life," she said.

The current Chinese medical team in Seychelles, the 20th group, consists of six doctors, who attend to an average of over 100 patients per day.

"Chinese doctors have good dexterity and they are always open and ready to teach," said a local doctor.

The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark has also visited Seychelles twice, providing free medical service to thousands of residents. Herminie highlighted the significance of bilateral exchanges in public health on providing medical care to residents and training doctors.

"I worked with Chinese doctors while I was practicing medicine. They are very experienced, very knowledgeable. And the Peace Ark shows the confidence that our people have in Chinese medical standard. And as you know that the turnout was the biggest ever in the world per capita. We benefited a lot from your expertise in the field of health. And of course we had a few cases of people, of our students learning oriental medicine, Chinese medicine. You have good universities, you have good hospitals. There again, we can send our young professionals to study," Herminie told CCTV.

Seychelles president lauds medical cooperation with China

The United States and Israel on Saturday launched "major combat operations" against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the objective "is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats" from Iran, and the Israeli Defense Ministry said the country launched a "preemptive" strike against Iran "to remove threats to Israel."

In Tehran, missiles hit areas near the offices of both Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iranian sources said that both leaders remain unhurt.

Israeli-U.S. airstrikes also struck a girls' school in southern Iran, killing at least 60 students, with 80 others injured, Hossein Kermanpour, head of the Iranian Health Ministry's public relations, said in a post on social media. Dozens more are reportedly still trapped under rubble.

Iran closed its airspace while the attacks were ongoing. Mobile phone services have been cut in parts of Tehran.

Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia, among other countries.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special and immediate state of emergency in all areas of Israel. Sirens were sounded across Israel to warn the public to prepare for the possibility of Iranian retaliation. Israeli airspace has been closed to civilian flights, according to Israeli Airports Authority.

In response to the sharp regional escalation, several countries have slammed their airspace totally or partially shut, and multiple airlines have canceled flights to the Middle East.

The attacks against Iran came after the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks concluded in Geneva on Thursday. Tensions between the United States and Iran were soaring amid massive U.S. military buildup in the Middle East and the stalled nuclear talks.

US, Israel launch major attacks against Iran, trigger retaliations