Opting Against Ebola Drug for Ill African Doctor
By
The doctor who had been leading Sierra Leone’s battle against the Ebola outbreak was now fighting for his own life, and his international colleagues faced a fateful decision: whether to give him a drug that had never before been tested on people.
Would the drug, known as ZMapp, help the stricken doctor? Or would it perhaps harm or even kill one of the country’s most prominent physicians, a man considered a national hero, shattering the already fragile public trust in international efforts to contain the world’s worst Ebola outbreak?
The treatment team, from Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization, agonized through the night and ultimately decided not to try the drug. The doctor, Sheik Umar Khan, died a few days later, on July 29.
Gaza, Ebola, Iraq ... are we approaching disaster overload?
As high-profile conflicts jostle for public and media attention, other humanitarian crises are pushed off the news agenda
Reflecting on the responses to the number of man-made emergencies detonating or still smouldering around the world earlier this year, from Syria to Ukraine and from Nigeria and South Sudan to Central African Republic (CAR), Kofi Annan appeared uncharacteristically weary.
“You sometimes have a feeling that the global community – and even the big powers – can only focus on one crisis at a time,” the former UN secretary general said.
“We’ve moved from Syria to Ukraine. Look at how the focus on Ukraine has eclipsed what is going on in Syria and in other places. The only crisis that has got a bit of attention and been able to break through the Ukrainian dominance is [Boko Haram’s kidnapping of] the girls of Nigeria.
Doubts over Russian ‘aid’ as convoy nears Ukraine
Moscow insists Kiev has allowed 287 trucks head to rebels' battle-scarred strongholds
Daniel McLaughlin
Russia insisted it has permission from Kiev to drive 287 trucks of humanitarian aid to the strongholds of pro-Kremlin rebels in eastern Ukraine, despite international fears over Moscow’s intentions.
Ukraine’s government and its western allies fear Moscow may use the convoy for stealthy intervention in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, where Kiev’s forces are gaining the upper hand over separatist gunmen who want the regions to join Russia.
United Nations agencies say more than 700,000 people have fled Ukraine for Russia in recent months, and more than 100,000 have been displaced in Ukraine during fighting that has killed some 1,500 people.
The Spoils of War: Violence in Gaza Leads to Youth Radicalization
The most recent cease-fire appears to be holding in the Gaza Strip, but vast damage has already been done. In addition to the appalling loss of life and destruction of property, the war has pushed even morePalestinians to the radical fringes.
A piece of a bed frame dangles from a lemon tree. Next to it hangs the remains of rattan shelves, destroyed and catapulted into the small yard by the explosion of a bomb. The detonation decimated the home of Hassan Khalil Ibrash, knocking over the mandarin-colored walls and transforming his bedroom into a terrace -- one with a grotesque view. His eyes revealing his exhaustion, Ibrash stands in flip-flops among the charred remains. Next to him, 12 stairs climb skyward like an incomplete sculpture.
Alleged trafficker fathered 15 babies through 11 surrogate mothers in Thailand
August 13, 2014 - 3:59PMLindsay Murdoch
South-East Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media
Bangkok: Thailand’s “baby factory” scandal has widened with revelations a suspected human trafficker fathered 15 babies through 11 surrogate mothers.
Mitsuoki Shigeta, 24, a client of the most popular surrogacy clinic in the Thai capital for Australians, is believed to have fathered nine babies aged six months to one year taken from a Bangkok condominium last week whom DNA tests show were fathered by one man.
Records in Bangkok show that 15 children have been registered as children of Mr Shigeta, who left Thailand within hours of police raiding the condominium and finding the babies and a pregnant Thai woman.India’s Modi accuses Pakistan of waging a proxy war. Will it deter peace talks?
Stern remarks from India’s prime minister could hurt efforts to restart peace talks over Kashmir, which are scheduled for later this month.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused Pakistan of waging a “proxy war” and vowed to strengthen his country’s armed forces in a speech during a rare visit to disputed Kashmir.
But Mr. Modi also stressed the need for reconciliation with Pakistan. What does he really want? Unclear. But the tough side of his talk on Kashmir, disputed by India and Pakistan for over 60 years, indicates a breakthrough isn't imminent.
Modi said that Pakistan was using militants to attack India and foster unrest. Pakistan “has lost the strength to fight a conventional war but continues to engage in the proxy war of terrorism,” he told Indian soldiers in Kashmir's Leh District.
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