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Malaria Diagnosis Revolution with Artificial Intelligence

Professor Seedahmed Sharif Mahmoud - AI-Powered Microscope: A Milestone in Global Healthcare (Asharqalawsat)
Professor Seedahmed Sharif Mahmoud - AI-Powered Microscope: A Milestone in Global Healthcare (Asharqalawsat)
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Malaria Diagnosis Revolution with Artificial Intelligence

Professor Seedahmed Sharif Mahmoud - AI-Powered Microscope: A Milestone in Global Healthcare (Asharqalawsat)
Professor Seedahmed Sharif Mahmoud - AI-Powered Microscope: A Milestone in Global Healthcare (Asharqalawsat)

In a groundbreaking development, a team of brilliant researchers at Shantou University in China, led by Professor Seedahmed Sharif Mahmoud and Professor Qiang Fang from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, unveiled an innovative microscope driven by artificial intelligence.

This microscope aims to revolutionize malaria diagnosis in resource-limited regions of Africa and Asia.

The traditional method of diagnosing malaria requires skilled experts to manually count parasites and white blood cells, a challenge in such areas.

According to Mahmoud, this newly developed AI-powered microscope provides a revolutionary solution.

By harnessing the power of smartphones, this advanced technology integrates real-time algorithms capable of automatically detecting malaria parasites and counting white blood cells.

This achievement marks a significant leap towards swift and precise malaria diagnosis, particularly in resource-constrained regions.

Moreover, Mahmoud, the Director of International Collaboration in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Shantou University, brings a wealth of experience to this project.

With over two decades of expertise in academic research involving electrical, electronic, and biomedical engineering, he has made significant contributions in various fields.

His innovative research in signal processing for biomedical purposes and the development of optical fiber sensor devices has led to a Chinese patent, national and regional awards, and the enhancement of his reputation as a trailblazer in these domains.

Additionally, Mahmoud’s efforts in machine learning for perimeter intrusion detection systems have resulted in three international patents, further solidifying his position as a leader in this field.

Professor Mahmoud, of Sudanese descent, has actively participated in numerous research projects, authored scientific papers and books, and acquired multiple patents, underscoring his commitment to advancing scientific knowledge.

His contributions continue to shape the landscape of cutting-edge research and innovations.

The aforementioned AI-driven microscope innovation stands as a testament to the immense potential of this technology in healthcare. Through this invention, Mahmoud and his team lead a revolution in malaria diagnosis, paving the way for a brighter and healthier future for communities in need of assistance.

 

 

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Varieties

Prince Harry and Others Ordered to Pay Initial £9.54 million over Failed Lawsuit

FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
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Prince Harry and Others Ordered to Pay Initial £9.54 million over Failed Lawsuit

FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)
FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)

Prince Harry and other high-profile claimants must make an interim payment of £9.54 million towards the legal costs of the Daily Mail publisher after losing their privacy lawsuits, London's High Court ruled on Friday.

Last month, judge Matthew Nicklin comprehensively rejected the case brought by King Charles' younger son, singer Elton John and five other figures, rejecting allegations that the Mail titles had engaged in widespread unlawful activities, such as phone hacking.

Friday's judgment on costs also delivered another damaging blow to Harry and the others, ruling that the outstanding amount should be paid on an "indemnity basis".

This means that as the losing party the prince and the others must pay towards Associated's costs without the publisher needing to show these were reasonable and proportionate.

Associated had said after the judge's initial ruling that it was an overwhelming victory for its newspaper and journalists, and "for a free press generally", while the prince, 41, described the ruling as a "complete and obvious whitewash".

 

 

 

Varieties

UK Met Office: El Nino to be 'Biggest for Over a Century’

FILE PHOTO: The London skyline is seen with the financial district in the background, in London, Britain, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes./File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The London skyline is seen with the financial district in the background, in London, Britain, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes./File Photo
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UK Met Office: El Nino to be 'Biggest for Over a Century’

FILE PHOTO: The London skyline is seen with the financial district in the background, in London, Britain, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes./File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The London skyline is seen with the financial district in the background, in London, Britain, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes./File Photo

This year's El Nino weather pattern will be the biggest in over a century, warming sea surface temperatures to an "unheard-of" level, Britain's national weather agency predicted Friday.

The El Nino weather pattern is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5C above the baseline average, triggering worldwide changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall patterns, and causing warmer global temperatures overall.

Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, told the BBC that "We are expecting the biggest El Nino for over a century, peaking at something over three degrees -- that is unheard-of in modern climate records."

According to AFP, he called it "an unprecedented event", adding that "I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts."

The anomalous warmth, which is "up to nearly two degrees already,” will have particularly strong effects throughout the Tropics, Scaife said, "where we expect really severe droughts in places like South America, and the West Pacific.”

Temperatures in the region are currently running about 2.6C above a rolling 30-year average, according to the Climate Brink dashboard.

"These are not short-term weather forecasts. We're talking about really long-term, persistent conditions here. There are well-known impacts on other systems including food, food security," said Scaife, a physicist who specializes in climate modelling.

The weather pattern is also expected to cause "increased rainfall and storminess in the autumn here in the UK around November time,” Scaife said.

Varieties

Europe’s Hottest Town Says Climate Change Is Reshaping Daily Life

A drone view of the Sicilian town of Floridia where five years ago a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature officially registered in continental Europe, was recorded, Italy, August 19, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view of the Sicilian town of Floridia where five years ago a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature officially registered in continental Europe, was recorded, Italy, August 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Europe’s Hottest Town Says Climate Change Is Reshaping Daily Life

A drone view of the Sicilian town of Floridia where five years ago a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature officially registered in continental Europe, was recorded, Italy, August 19, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view of the Sicilian town of Floridia where five years ago a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature officially registered in continental Europe, was recorded, Italy, August 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Five years after Floridia registered Europe's highest-ever temperature, residents say extreme heat is no longer measured by records but by its impact on daily life, keeping people indoors, reducing social interaction and threatening livelihoods.

The August 2021 record of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 degrees Fahrenheit) turned the Sicilian town into a symbol of Europe's warming climate as the continent emerged from COVID-19 restrictions.

Today, increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves are driving people indoors, leaving streets and piazzas deserted and prompting some residents to compare the extreme heat to a new form of lockdown.

The shift is visible across the town of 20,000 on the outskirts of Syracuse, the ancient Greek city on Sicily's southeastern coast. Piazza del Popolo, long Floridia's social hub and lined with cafes, palm trees and municipal buildings, is nearly empty for much of the day.

The ‌heat lingers well ‌into the evening, disrupting a cherished local tradition known as "pigghiari u frescu", when families pull ‌kitchen ⁠chairs outside their ⁠homes to catch the breeze and socialize.

"It's awful because many people end up shut indoors. In a way, we are all experiencing another kind of lockdown," Floridia's culture councilor Serena Spada told Reuters.

"Even people with small children find themselves in this situation. Children cannot go to the park or play outside because, until late afternoon, temperatures are genuinely hostile."

A WARNING THAT DID NOT GO AWAY

On August 11, 2021, Sicily's Agrometeorological Information Service (SIAS) measured a temperature of 48.8 C in Monasteri, a rural district about 5 km (3 miles) from Floridia's center. In 2024, the World Meteorological Organization certified it as the highest temperature ever recorded in continental Europe, a mark that still stands.

"As ⁠I walked, I began struggling to breathe and thought: 'I could die here in the street, ‌with no one around to help me'," said resident Ugo Tomasello.

Many residents assumed ‌the record would prove an isolated event. Instead, hot summers became the norm.

"It turned out to be a very sad warning ‌sign," Spada said.

While the temperature record drew international attention, climate scientists say individual extremes are less significant than the steady ‌rise in average temperatures.

Reuters Climate Monitor data showed Floridia reached 33.3 C (92 F) on August 12, 2026, 4.1 C (7.4 F) above the average for the 1961-1990 historic norm.

"It is really the increase in average temperatures that worries us," SIAS director Luigi Pasotti said.

"We are no longer talking about extreme temperature peaks lasting one or two days, as happened in 2021. We are talking about entire weeks, even months ‌during which temperatures remain consistently high."

Night-time temperatures are climbing too, leaving little respite from the daytime heat.

"This year in particular, we are recording exceptionally high numbers of tropical nights in ⁠some parts of Sicily, as ⁠well as super-tropical nights," Pasotti said.

FOR BEEKEEPERS SUMMER HAS BECOME A SEASON TO DREAD

Across Europe, climate change has been linked to increasingly frequent and intense weather extremes, from drought and wildfires to torrential rainfall.

Sicily has emerged as one of Europe's climate frontlines.

In January, Cyclone Harry produced a record 16.66-meter (55-foot) wave between Sicily and Malta. Wildfires have taken a growing toll with the island accounting for roughly 70% of southern Italy's burned area between January and July, according to a Legambiente analysis based on EFFIS-Copernicus data.

Agriculture, a pillar of the island's economy, is increasingly vulnerable to climate change.

In 2021, more than 3,000 beehives were lost in the area of Floridia and honey production plunged by 80%.

"The decline in bee populations and the number of beekeepers, together with the loss of pollinators due to climate change and the widespread use of pesticides, is leading to a reduction in biodiversity and lower quality and yields in agricultural production," agronomist Francesco Bellomi said.

For beekeepers in Floridia, summer has become a season of anxiety.

"There's much more concern about getting through the summer than there used to be," said beekeeper Francesco Pappalardo, 33, who began working with his father as a child.

"The heat can cause individual colonies to collapse and sometimes entire apiaries can be lost, as happened to me in previous years."