KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) — King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) has performed the world’s first liver transplant using a single-port robotic system in a six-year-old boy suffering from recurrent acute liver failure.
The transplant was made possible after the child’s father donated the left lobe of his liver. The procedure was completed successfully, with the child showing good early recovery, the liver graft functioning well and no complications observed.
According to KFSHRC in a statement, the patient had Wolcott-Rallison syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that causes early-onset diabetes and recurrent episodes of acute liver failure, placing him at repeated, life-threatening risk.
The transplant addressed the disease’s most serious complication, offering the boy a chance at a more stable life while easing the medical and emotional burden on his family. He will continue to receive follow-up care for his underlying genetic condition and diabetes.
A single-port robotic system allows surgeons to introduce precision surgical instruments and a high-definition 3D camera through one small incision, unlike conventional multi-port robotic surgery, which requires several access points.
Working through this single port, surgeons carried out the most delicate stages of the transplant inside the child’s body, where the confined surgical field required extremely precise handling of blood vessels and bile ducts. The approach helped reduce surgical impact, ease pain, and shorten recovery time and hospital stay.
This milestone builds on a pioneering path KFSHRC began in 2023 with the world’s first fully robotic liver transplant, which has since grown into an integrated programme with 165 cases performed to date, supported by experience from more than 1,700 robotic living-donor liver resections.
This accumulated expertise reflects the hospital’s ability to turn landmark achievements into advanced clinical programmes that change the course of entire families’ lives, expanding the use of robotics in highly complex transplant surgery and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position in medical innovation and healthcare excellence.
Ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 12th globally among the world’s top 250 academic medical centres for 2026, KFSHRC was also recognised as the most valuable healthcare brand in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for 2026 by Brand Finance. It was also listed by Newsweek among the World’s Best Hospitals, World’s Best Smart Hospitals and World’s Best Specialised Hospitals for 2026.
Analysis of nearly 133 million airline booking transactions finds bookings departing from Cairo carried the world’s highest fraud rate this quarter, while departure cities across the United States and Australia posted among the lowest fraud rates
ITASCA, Ill., July 16 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Accertify, a leading fraud decisioning provider whose Predictive Yes Platform helps merchants say yes to more good customers, more revenue, and more growth, today announced the release of its Global Air Travel Fraud Report: Q2 2026, a quarterly analysis examining how fraud pressure varies across global airline markets based on departure city at time of booking.
Based on analysis of 132.9 million airline booking transactions processed between April and June 2026, the report evaluates prevented fraud rates across 537 departure cities that each processed at least 10,000 transactions during the quarter, providing airlines with a data-driven view of where Accertify’s Predictive Yes platform intervened most frequently at booking.
The Q2 findings reveal that fraud pressure continues to vary significantly by market, with the most notable shift occurring across the Middle East and Africa. The region’s average prevented fraud rate more than doubled quarter over quarter, from 0.95% to 2.03% — the highest of any region analyzed, against a global average of 0.29% — while bookings departing from Cairo, Accra, Tunis, and Casablanca posted the four highest fraud rates worldwide (Source: Accertify client data, Q2 2026). Meanwhile, departure cities across the United States and Australia continued to register some of the world’s lowest booking-stage fraud rates, reflecting the more mature fraud-prevention practices commonly found in those markets.
Key findings from the Accertify Q2 2026 Global Air Travel Fraud Report include:
Middle East and Africa recorded the highest average fraud rate of any region. The region’s average prevented fraud rate reached 2.03%, up from 0.95% in Q1 and well above the global average of 0.29%, with bookings departing from Cairo, Accra, Tunis, and Casablanca recording the four highest fraud rates worldwide.
Cairo reached the highest fraud rate in the world this quarter. The fraud rate on bookings departing from Cairo rose from 1.43% in Q1 to 6.57% in Q2 — moving it from 15th to the highest globally in a single quarter.
The United States and Australia reflected some of the world’s lowest fraud rates. Both remained well below the global average of 0.29%, with bookings departing from U.S. cities averaging 0.07% and bookings departing from Australia and Pacific cities averaging 0.08%.
East Asia posted the largest proportional improvement of any region. Its average prevented fraud rate nearly halved year over year, falling 43% from 0.20% to 0.11% — a steeper percentage decline than any other region, though Latin America + the Caribbean’s rate fell by more in absolute terms (0.91% to 0.69%).
Quarter-over-quarter rankings provide new insight into changing fraud patterns. For the first time, the report tracks how individual departure cities move within the global rankings from one quarter to the next, providing airlines with additional context into where fraud pressure is accelerating or easing over time.
The report underscores that fraud pressure is highly localized, often varying significantly between departure cities within the same region. By examining prevented fraud at the point of booking, airlines can better benchmark their own performance, identify emerging areas of elevated risk, and adapt fraud prevention strategies as booking patterns evolve.
Note on methodology: Fraud rate figures reflect prevented fraud – bookings denied for a fraud reason before travel occurred – denoted by departure city, the point of booking. Regional and global averages are calculated as the mean of each qualifying departure city’s individual fraud rate.
Accertify enables commerce by doing one thing extraordinarily well: pinpointing fraud. The company’s Predictive Yes Platform helps businesses say yes to more – more good customers, more revenue, and more growth – without getting burned. It’s a precise, confident, data-backed yes, made possible by joining signals across the entire customer lifecycle through unmatched data volume, layered AI-powered models, and a consortium approach that protects clients from bad actors spotted anywhere in the network while unlocking business with good actors verified anywhere in the network. With more than 10 billion transactions and over $1 trillion in commerce processed in 2025 alone, Accertify delivers the intelligence and precision that fraud and payments teams need to say yes confidently and enable growth. That’s the More Yes difference. Learn more at accertify.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260715427770/en/
Joint Press Statement by MMA, APHM, LIAM, MTA, AND PIAM
KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) — The Healthcare Partners Protocol & Solutions Committee (HPPSC) implemented two initiatives* and continues to drive a series of strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing a seamless communication and improving operational efficiency among doctors, hospitals, insurers and takaful operators (ITOs), enhancing the overall customer experience across the healthcare ecosystem.
Key Initiatives by HPPSC
1. Improving Communication Between Medical Practitioners and ITOs To facilitate more efficient and timely medical and health insurance and takaful (MHIT) claims for patients, the HPPSC has recommended for the establishment of a dedicated “doctor-to-doctor” hotline by ITOs. In response to this recommendation, the hotline was implemented and has been operational since 30 April 2026 to support and address claims enquiries, as well as enable direct discussions between medical practitioners and the medical advisory team at ITOs. Such discussions are often necessary to understand case-specific matters such as treatment pathways and the use of new technologies or drugs. *https://www.liam.org.my/news/press_details.aspx?ps=11166&ct=3, Healthcare Budget Planner
This initiative is expected to strengthen communication, improve mutual understanding and support better coordination between medical practitioners and ITOs. This is intended to result in faster resolution of claims queries that will lead to better patient care and treatment decisions.
2. Enhancing Transparency in Panelling and Review Processes for Cashless Facility The HPPSC has established a transparent and streamlined governance framework to support the panelling review and appeal processes relating to healthcare providers participating in cashless facility arrangements under MHIT products. The framework establishes a structured panelling review and appeal processes with clear guiding principles to promote fair and impartial assessment, continuous engagement, consistent decision-making and ongoing oversight. This initiative aims to strengthen confidence while improving governance and stakeholder engagement to promote prudent healthcare spending, strengthen governance, and enhance the overall integrity and sustainability of the MHIT ecosystem.
3. Improving MHIT Claims Management Operational Efficiency As part of ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency and consistency in claims management, the HPPSC is undertaking several initiatives relating to clinical protocols and policy coverage.
These initiatives include:
(a) Claims Management Processes Developing processes to guide ITOs in managing clinical queries involving treatments recommended by medical practitioners that may not be directly aligned with or covered under existing Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) issued by MOH through Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS).
(b) Best Practices for Emerging Medical Technologies and Treatments Developing best practices recommendations to support ITOs in assessing and determining MHIT coverage for new procedures, diagnostics, treatments and medicines, including emerging medical technologies such as robotic surgery, genetic testing and new cancer therapies.
(c) Cancer Drug List Alignment and Awareness Endorsing a cancer drug list developed in alignment with the MOH’s prescribed formulary prior to publication by MOH (NPRA). This initiative is intended to ensure healthcare providers remain updated on the MOH’s current prescribed cancer drug formulary.
The above initiatives will also include: • Collaboration with the MOH, hospitals, treating specialists and relevant medical associations to facilitate alignment and resolution; and • The implementation of mechanisms to disseminate outcomes, protocols and solutions arising from such engagements to all ITOs to promote greater consistency in application.
4. Streamlining the Guarantee Letter (GL) Issuance Process HPPSC will work towards simplifying and improving the Guarantee Letter (GL) issuance process to support timely issuance and more effective communication between ITOs, TPAs, medical practitioners and hospitals.
This initiative aims to reduce administrative inefficiencies, improve coordination among stakeholders and enhance patients’ overall experience during hospital admissions and treatment.
The initiatives undertaken by HPPSC reflect the Committee’s ongoing commitment to fostering greater collaboration, transparency and operational efficiency across the healthcare ecosystem.
Commenting on the progress and significance of these initiatives, the Co-Chairs of HPPSC shared the following:
Chief Executive Officer of LIAM, Mark O’Dell said “HPPSC reflects what can be achieved when all stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem come together with a shared purpose. These initiatives are designed to strengthen communication, improve operational efficiency and enhance transparency, ultimately benefiting patients and policyholders. As healthcare needs continue to evolve, it is important that insurers, takaful operators, healthcare providers and regulators work collaboratively to develop practical and sustainable solutions that support timely access to care while ensuring the long-term affordability and sustainability of medical and health insurance and takaful coverage for Malaysians.”
Dr Gunalan Palari @ Arumugam Palari of Malaysia Medical Association added “Effective patient care depends on strong collaboration and mutual understanding among all parties involved in the healthcare journey. Through HPPSC, we have established a constructive platform that enables healthcare providers and healthcare financiers to address operational challenges, improve communication and develop solutions that support better clinical and patient outcomes. The implementation of initiatives such as the “doctor-to-doctor” hotline demonstrates our collective commitment to ensuring patients receive timely, appropriate and coordinated care.”
Commitment to Continued Collaboration The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM), Life Insurance Association (LIAM), Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA), and General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) reaffirm their commitment to constructive collaboration and continuous engagement in strengthening the sustainability, transparency and efficiency of Malaysia’s healthcare financing ecosystem.
The HPPSC will continue to serve as a platform for practical problem-solving, constructive engagement and industry collaboration in support of better healthcare access and patient outcomes for all Malaysians.
The Committee brings together representatives from healthcare providers and healthcare financing stakeholders, including MMA, APHM, insurers and takaful operators (ITOs), as well as third-party administrators (TPAs), with observers from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). It is co-chaired by MMA and LIAM, with the support of PIAM and MTA, reflecting a shared commitment to collaborative solutions.
Issued jointly by: • Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) • Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) • Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) • Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) • Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM)
SOURCE: Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: MMA: Name: Mr Darren Atkinson Press Officer Malaysian Medical Association Level 4, MMA House 124 Jalan Pahang 53000 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03 4041 1375 / +60 12-295 5042 Fax: 03 4041 8187 Email: secretary@mma.org.my Website: mma.org.my
APHM: Name: Muhammad Badri Hussin CEO Associations of Private Hospitals of Malaysia A-17-01 Menara UOA Bangsar 5, Jalan Bangsar Utama 1 59000 Kuala Lumpur Tel : 603 22841701 Email : badri@aphm.org.my / aphm@aphm.org.my Website : https://aphm.org.my
LIAM: Puan Norizan Hassan Head of Corporate Communications Life Insurance Association of Malaysia Level 6, AICB Building No. 10, Jalan Dato’ Onn 50480 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 603-2691 6168 / 6628 / 8068 Email: liaminfo@liam.org.my Website: http://www.liam.org.my Facebook: LIAM – Life Insurance Association of Malaysia Instagram: @liamalaysia
MTA: Name: Puan Siti Nor Kamariah Ishak Head, Corporate Communications 18th Floor, Main Block Menara Takaful Malaysia Jalan Sultan Sulaiman 50000 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 018-355 1427 Fax: +603-2031 8170 Email: mtasecretariat@malaysiantakaful.com.my
PIAM: Name: Ms. Susanna G. Simon Manager, Communications Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM) Wisma PIAM 150, Jalan Tun Sambanthan 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Tel: 03-2274 7399 Fax: 03-2274 5910 Email: susanna.simon@piam.org.my Website: http://www.piam.org.my
KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) — The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is calling for a new global health ambition through Vision Zero, a future free from the burden of allergy and asthma.
As allergic diseases continue to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and place growing pressure on healthcare systems, this vision will serve as the central theme of the four-day EAACI Annual Congress 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye, beginning June 12.
The congress will bring together thousands of clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals to discuss the latest scientific advances and the future of allergy and asthma care, according to EAACI in a statement.
“Vision Zero reflects our determination to move beyond disease management and towards disease prevention and burden reduction. Through collaboration across research, clinical practice and public health, we can work towards a future where allergy and asthma no longer limit the lives of millions,” said EAACI President, María Torres.
EAACI believes scientific innovation, prevention strategies and coordinated policy action can significantly reduce the impact of allergic and respiratory diseases on individuals, families and societies rather than accepting them as an inevitable and growing public health challenge.
The congress will showcase emerging research and clinical developments in immunotherapy, environmental and genetic factors, digital health technologies, precision medicine and preventive approaches. Discussions will also address health equity and the need to ensure that advances in allergy and asthma care are accessible to patients worldwide.
Allergic diseases are among the most common chronic conditions globally, and their burden extends beyond healthcare to affect education, productivity, quality of life and mental wellbeing.
Against this backdrop, EAACI’s Vision Zero initiative seeks to encourage long-term thinking about what is possible when scientific discovery is matched by effective implementation and policy support. The congress is expected to bring together experts worldwide to accelerate progress towards substantially reducing the burden of allergy and asthma.
Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China from May 19 to 20, CGTN has published an article examining the evolution of China-Russia relations at a historically significant moment.
The piece highlights how sustained head-of-state diplomacy has strengthened political mutual trust and how China and Russia have developed a model of major-country relations characterized by mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, offering a clear example of stability and continuity in a turbulent world.
BEIJING, May 18 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China from May 19 to 20, a fresh demonstration of the close high-level exchanges that have become a distinctive feature of China-Russia relations in the new era.
Putin’s visit comes at a historically significant moment. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as well as the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
Over the past decade, head-of-state diplomacy has played a central role in steering bilateral ties through a rapidly changing global landscape. Since 2013, Xi and Putin have maintained frequent interactions. Xi has visited Russia 11 times, while Putin has traveled to China 13 times, underscoring the enduring strength and strategic nature of bilateral relation
“The frequency and depth of their interactions are rarely seen anywhere else in the world,” said Zhao Long, a research fellow at the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
He noted that the two leaders have met more than 40 times over the past decade, and that head-of-state diplomacy has become a strong pillar of the high level of mutual trust and a key driving force behind practical cooperation across a wide range of sectors.
In March 2013, Russia became the first country Xi visited after taking office as Chinese president. In 2019, the two sides upgraded bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, the highest level in the history of bilateral relations.
In 2025, Putin visited China to attend the SCO summit and commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On February 4 this year, Xi and Putin held a video meeting to discuss future development of bilateral ties and their coordination on international platforms.
Under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia have continuously deepened political mutual trust and firmly supported each other on issues concerning their core interests, including sovereignty, security and development. The two sides have also strengthened coordination on major international platforms such as the United Nations, SCO, BRICS, APEC and the G20, jointly opposing unilateralism and contributing to build a multipolar world.
Xi has previously stated that China and Russia have explored a new path for neighboring major countries to get along with each other, characterized by non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party, setting an example of a new type of major-country relations.
Practical cooperation reaches new heights
With deepening political mutual trust, the two countries have achieved fruitful results through extensive practical cooperation across fields such as trade, energy, and culture.
Faced with global headwinds, the two countries’ economic and trade cooperation has continued to expand, with the two sides actively advancing the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union. More than 70% of China-Europe freight trains under the BRI pass through Russia en route to Europe, with the number of trips continuing to reach record highs.
China has remained Russia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. According to the latest data from China’s Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade reached $227.9 billion in 2025, surpassing the $200 billion mark for the third consecutive year. In the first quarter of this year, bilateral trade totaled $61.2 billion, up 14.7% year on year.
People-to-people exchanges have also continued to flourish. The two countries have jointly organized a range of exchange programs over the years, including language years, tourism years, youth exchange years and cultural years.
During the 2024-2025 China-Russia Years of Culture, the two countries held a series of cultural exchange activities. The original Chinese dance drama Wing Chun was performed at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, while performances in China by Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and the Bolshoi Ballet were met with overwhelming demand. In 2025, China and Russia also introduced a mutual visa-free policy, triggering a tourism boom between the two countries.
From deepening political mutual trust to expanding practical cooperation and growing people-to-people exchanges, China and Russia have continued to strengthen their bilateral friendship.
Against a backdrop of growing global uncertainty, the upcoming meeting between the two heads of state is expected to further advance bilateral ties, deliver greater benefits to the two peoples, and contribute more stability and positive momentum to a changing world.
