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Cholera Comes to Cameroon…”A cholera epidemic has hit northern Cameroon, killing more than 200 people in less than a month. The government of the central African nation and aid agencies say some of the affected persons are refugees fleeing the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.” (VOA http://bit.ly/1n32XYF)
Ebola Watch
In the midst of a national doctors’ strike, Nigerian authorities are now working to prevent an outbreak of Ebola, after the country’s first patient died last week. (VOA http://bit.ly/1uH23ef)
Nigerian health authorities are in the process of tracing more than 30,000 people who could be at risk of contracting Ebola, after the virus surfaced in Lagos. (VOA http://bit.ly/1uH4Tjg)
The 39-year-old doctor leading the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone has died from the virus. The country’s chief medical officer says Dr. Umar Khan died Tuesday afternoon. (VOA http://bit.ly/1uH4cXb)
Britain on Wednesday held a top-level government meeting to discuss the spread of the highly-contagious Ebola virus in West Africa, saying the outbreak was a threat it needed to respond to. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1uH9BgQ)
Africa
Ugandan activists opened a petition Wednesday at the constitutional court seeking to overturn tough anti-gay laws that have been condemned by rights groups as draconian. (AP http://yhoo.it/1zvwwe0)
The controversial South African politician Julius Malema has released a book entitled The Coming Revolution. The book and political ambitions of the young militant is causing worry within political circles. (VOA http://bit.ly/1uH1W25)
PEPFAR, the biggest funder of HIV programmes in Kenya, is set to significantly scale down its funding, a move activists and government officials believe could negatively affect the country’s fight against the disease. (IRIN http://bit.ly/1n3d8MJ)
Girls and young women who allege they were sexually abused by a British Airways pilot in African schools and orphanages plan to sue the airline, a law firm representing them said on Wednesday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1uHb4nB)
Human rights and gay rights activists urged President Barack Obama to ensure that the issue of anti-gay discrimination in Africa is on the agenda at next week’s summit in Washington with more than 40 African leaders. (Yahoo http://yhoo.it/Xft4Xo)
MENA
Lebanese authorities have started to enforce new measures that would limit the number of Syrians entering Lebanon as part of efforts to reduce the more than one million refugees from the war-shattered nation already within their borders. (VOA http://bit.ly/1uH5em3)
After days of fighting, Islamist groups in Libya have seized the headquarters of the Libyan special forces in the eastern city of Benghazi. (VOA http://bit.ly/Xfq25d)
Asia
More than 150 people are feared trapped after a landslide swept through a village in western India. Officials in Maharashtra state said the mudslide buried at least 40 homes in a village near Pune early Wednesday. (VOA http://bit.ly/1uH4Pjy)
A United Nations-backed tribunal has begun the second trial of the two surviving senior members of the Khmer Rouge. (VOA http://bit.ly/1n35P7O)
The effort to end polio is taking a toll on Pakistan’s already overstretched health system. With more children dying of measles and diarrhea, some question whether the focus on polio is worth it. (NPR http://n.pr/1n37fzo)
Health workers in Pakistan are trying to convince parents to let their children take a vaccine, but the program faces violent opposition. Researchers from Harvard polled the parents; the results surprised them. (NPR http://n.pr/1uH5zW3)
The Americas
Argentina is in default, says S&P. (Guardian http://bit.ly/1u1rHpU)
A US federal appellate court rejected arguments that women could seek abortions outside the state, saying no state can farm its constitutional duties out to its neighbors. (NPR http://n.pr/1uH5wt5)
The US imposes travel restrictions on Venezuelan government officials it says are linked to human rights abuses during recent protests. (BBC http://bbc.in/1zvyU4E)
Opinion/Blogs
Why I have become more pessimistic about Israel (Vox http://bit.ly/WN2Qvt)
“But they have a space programme!”: untangling the foreign aid debate (New Statesman http://bit.ly/1uH11Pm)
How to End the Gaza War (IPS http://bit.ly/1uH5GAK)
Somalia Food Shortages Worsened By NGO Policy and Anti-Terrorism Laws (African Arguments http://bit.ly/1zvze3s)
Diving Into The Challenge (850 Calories http://bit.ly/1uHlraM)
Is cash king? The revival of the cash versus food transfers debate (Impact Evaluations http://bit.ly/1uHn6NK)
Letters Left Unsent (book review) (Aidnography http://bit.ly/UBzZsd)
Why I think the fatality rate in the current Ebola epidemic suffers from undercounting (haba na haba http://bit.ly/1uHnUCl)
Watch the men who harvest cocoa try chocolate for the first time (Humanosphere http://bit.ly/UBAEK2)
Research/Reports
The United Nations is calling for an end to Human Trafficking as it marks the first World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The plan focuses on preventing trafficking, prosecuting offenders and protecting victims. It calls on states to set up national programs that implement these measures. (VOA http://bit.ly/1n36Bll)
A “pretty good” malaria vaccine is on track to be the first to market. It only prevents infection about one-quarter to one-half the time, so it’s not as good as most vaccines. (VOA http://bit.ly/1n35x0F)
New study shows ‘what works’ in terms of operational leadership in humanitarian agencies (ALNAP http://bit.ly/1n36V3y)
Sharply higher interest rates around the world could combine with weaker growth in emerging markets to slice as much as 2 percentage points off global growth in the next five years, the International Monetary Fund said. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/XfrPrb)