Sierra Leone Begins 3-Day Nationwide Lockdown Amid Hopes, Fears September 19, 2014 News Summary News outlets report on the start of a three-day lockdown in Sierra Leone, as the nation attempts to educate residents about and contain the Ebola outbreak. Agence France-Presse: Sierra Leone launches controversial Ebola shutdown “Sierra Leone on Friday launched a controversial three-day shutdown to contain the deadly spread of the…
Ebola Impacting Local Economies In Sierra Leone, Liberia September 19, 2014 News Summary News outlets report on Ebola’s economic impacts in Sierra Leone and Liberia. IRIN: Ebola’s economic impact hits Sierra Leone citizens “As the World Bank predicts billions of dollars could be drained from Ebola-affected countries by the end of next year, IRIN spoke to Freetown residents to gauge how the crisis…
White House Calls For Task Force To Devise Strategy To Tackle Antibiotic Resistance September 19, 2014 News Summary News outlets report on President Barack Obama’s executive order to set up a task force aimed at combating the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, setting a deadline of February 15 for its members to submit a strategy. CNN: President signs order to fight superbugs “The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria could lead…
Airborne Ebola Virus Unlikely But Possibility Exists, Experts Say September 19, 2014 News Summary News outlets report on the possibility that Ebola could mutate into an airborne virus. Reuters: Scientists see risk of mutant airborne Ebola as remote “The Ebola virus raging through West Africa is mutating rapidly as it tears a deadly path through cities, towns, and villages, but the genetic changes are…
Small Ebola Clinic Opens In Rural Liberian County With 183 Documented Cases September 19, 2014 News Summary Washington Post: The tiny Ebola clinic that offers a ray of hope for rural Liberia “…The Bong Ebola Treatment Unit is a modest collection of blue tents, connected by gravel paths, near the site of a former leper colony. But when the camp opened Monday, it provided the first 10…
U.N. Climate Summit Next Week In New York; U.S. Surgeon General To Speak At Event Preview September 19, 2014 News Summary News outlets report on what to expect at the upcoming United Nations Climate Summit, which will take place in New York City on Sept. 23. Deutsche Welle: Figueres: “If we want to prevent conflicts, we have to address climate change now” “U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited world leaders from…
U.S. National Intelligence Strategy Says Climate Change, Water Scarcity Will Be Sources Of Conflicts September 19, 2014 News Summary Foreign Policy: Water Wars “To the long list of the world’s woes, add another: the growing impact of climate change, which could heighten tensions among nations and even spark new wars. That’s the grim assessment of the government’s new National Intelligence Strategy, which lays out what America’s top spies think…
Senate Approves Stopgap Spending Bill Before Adjourning September 19, 2014 News Summary National Journal: Senate Approves Spending Bill and Syria Measure, Heads for Exits “…Congress completed its last preelection task Thursday as the Senate voted to send President Obama a stopgap spending bill coupled with an authorization to arm and train Syrian rebels for combat against the Islamic State. And then senators…
Obama Announces New Aid To Ukraine, Including $7M For Humanitarian Assistance September 19, 2014 News Summary The Hill: Obama to offer $53M in new aid to Ukraine “President Obama will announce a new $53 million aid package on Thursday as he meets with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the Oval Office. The package includes $7 million for international relief organizations providing humanitarian aid to civilians impacted…
Gaps In Donor Commitments Hold Back Progress In Reaching MDGs, U.N. Says September 19, 2014 News Summary U.N. News Centre: Gaps in commitments by developed countries hamper progress on MDGs — U.N. “Despite improvements in the lives of millions of people around the world, the United Nations today reported that persistent gaps between promises made and those delivered by developed countries are holding back greater progress on…