Ebola & the $1bn question

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Like Boko Haram’s crazy insurgents who kill their victims and the soldiers who fight to protect them, the Ebola Virus Disease kills its victims along with some medical personnel who battle to save their lives. These are the twin devils of the season.  The twin scourges of 2014 share many other characteristics. Their roots date back to decades, but their ravages of human souls across the sub-Sahara Africa only peaked this year, even as a disbelieving world is left agape by their ferocity.

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Ebola: FG employs 490 environmental health officers

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The Federal Government on Wednesday assured Nigerians so it would recruit 490 trained environmental health officers who will soon be deployed in borders within strategies being employed to fight the deadly Ebola Virus Disease.  The  government also pledged to educate people on the best way to stop the spread of the illness and other related diseases in the country.

400,000 displaced in North-East -NEMA

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The National Emergency Management Agency has said that about 400,000 persons have been internally displaced in the troubled North-East region of the country from January 2014 till date.

Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Wednesday, the information officer of the North-East zonal office of the agency, AbdulKadir Ibrahim, said the number of Internally Displaced Persons from January to July 31 in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states before the explosion of recent attacks in Gwoza and Doron-Baga stood at 360,462.

Ebola: Why Patrick Sawyer travelled to Nigeria – Wife

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The widow of late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian who brought Ebola into Nigeria, has defended her husband’s decision to travel to Africa’s most populous country, saying he did so in desperate search for a country with better healthcare system than his own country.

In an article published earlier today, TMZ Liberia Magazine quoted Decontee Sawyer, who is a radio host in New York, as explaining that Mr. Sawyer had no trust in the healthcare system in Liberia and had possibly headed to Nigeria with the hope of receiving better treatment for his ailment.
Mrs. Sawyer shared her thoughts on her Facebook profile from which TMZ Liberia sourced it for publication.

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Africa’s last polar bear Wang dies

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A polar bear considered to be the last in Africa has died at a South African zoo, a couple of months after his long-time mate passed away. “Africa's last polar bear Wang must be put  down because of liver and heart failure,” Johannesburg Zoo said in a statement on Wednesday. The bear, considered 28-years-old, stumbled on Johannesburg in 1986, as part of a conservation exchange program with a zoo in Japan. In 2010, Wang was identified as having liver ailments. 

Ebola: ‘Nigerian nurse fled quarantine centre’ & returned to her home in Enugu

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One of the nurses who had previously had contact with the Liberian Ebola patient Patrick Sawyer, fled her quarantine center in Lagos and returned to her home in Enugu, exposing about 20 people who she came in contact with to the deadly virus. Information Minister Labaran Makuwho disclosed this said the nurse and the  20 others people who she came in contact with are all under surveillance in Enugu. ..189 people are now being monitored in Nigeria. Three have died from the disease: Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American businessman who collapsed in Lagos, an attending nurse, and an ECOWAS staffer who worked with Sawyer.

 

Source: Sahara Reporters

Pres. GEJ appoints new Head of Service Of the Federation !

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President Jonathan has appointed a new Head of Service of the federation. He is Dr Danladi Irmiya Kifasi. Until his appointment, Dr Kifasi was a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum resources. He succeeds Mallam Bukar Goni who retired recently.

Confab: Withdraw draft constitution, Northern delegates tell Kutigi

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Northern delegates have further expressed their anger over the national conference’s proposed ‘draft constitution’ by petitioning the Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi.

They have asked him to withdraw the document from circulation, stressing that its content should not be debated at the plenary.  This was contained in an open letter the northern delegates sent to Kutigi in Abuja on Wednesday.
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15 suspected cultists arrested in Edo

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The Edo State Police Command has arrested two 13-year-old boys and 13 others for allegedly belonging to secret cult groups and engaging in suspected cult activities. PUNCH Metro gathered that the 15 male suspects were apprehended on separate occasions and locations in the state. According to the Command, eight of the suspects, all of whom were teenagers, were nabbed in Unewa, Uromi, in Esan North East local government area of the state on August 8 for belonging to a secret cult group known as ‘Hallah of the Night’, while a battle axe was recovered, after “they confessed to be members of the cult group.”
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Ebola Update: FG says 198 Nigerians quarantined

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The Federal Government on Wednesday said a total of 198 persons are currently being quarantined for the Ebola Virus Disease. It said while 177 are being quarantined in Lagos where the index case was reported, 21 persons are being attended to in Enugu. Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents of the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Brazil presidential candidate’s plane crashes

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An airplane reportedly carrying the Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos has crashed in a residential part of the port city of Santos, in Brazil's Sao Paulo state. The plane was frequently utilized by Campos who's running for president for the Brazilian Socialist Party. Party members said he was on board  during the time of the crash. Firefighters said there have been 10 “victims” but didn't clarify if the 10 were injured or dead. 

 A police spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that there were “fatalities but we still do not have a number confirmed”. Locals said the sky was cloudy and it was raining at the time of the crash. Police and emergency workers are at the scene in Santos, which is located 70km (43 miles) south-east of Sao Paulo. The Cessna 560XL plane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro’s domestic airport and was heading to the city of Guaruja, near Santos, the Brazilian Air Force said. According to Air Force officials, air traffic control lost contact with the plane after it could not land in Guaruja due to bad weather.

Gov.Oshiomhole pledges support for local, foreign investments

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Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday said their state government would continue to supply the needed incentives to attract and support both local and foreign investments into state. Oshiomhole made this known at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Edo Trade Fair in Benin. He explained though land was a fundamental challenge facing potential investors, his administration had reformed the procedure of land acquisition and documentation for economic purposes, thus, attracting investors thinking about exploring the state's resources. 

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I did not order killings, says ex- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Mubarak

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Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has told a court he didn't order the killing of protesters in 2011. Mubarak, 86, was speaking for the first time in court, at a reading in his retrial on charges of conspiracy to kill a huge selection of demonstrators. Mubarak admitted he had made mistakes, but he explained he did his better to fulfil his duties as president. He was overthrown in an uprising in February 2011 after nearly 30 years in office. 

 Mubarak resigned after 18 days of public protests, where at the least 365 people died. The proceedings have now been adjourned to September 27, when a verdict in case is expected. During Wednesday's court statement, which lasted nearly 25 minutes, Mubarak sat in the dock in a wheelchair. 

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Nigerian Navy hands over 20 suspected oil thieves to EFCC

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The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy with headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has handed over 20 suspected crude oil thieves to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The handing over of the suspects took put on Wednesday at the command's Forward Operating Base, Formoso, Brass, Bayelsa State. Commanding Officer, FOB Formoso, Capt. Noel Madugu, said the suspects were arrested at Sangana river in Brass Local Government Section of the state.

Beware of monkeys, bats, Jonathan’s doki warns Villa workers

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As the nation grapples to contain the spread of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease in the country, workers in the Presidential Villa, Abuja have been warned to be wary of the presence of bats and monkeys. The two animals with large presence in the Villa have been linked to the virus therefore causing panic among workers. The warning to members of staff was contained in an internal circular dated August 12 and issued by the Chief Physician to the President, Dr. Fortune Fiberesima. In the circular, Fiberesima cautioned State House personnel against contact with the two animals, either dead or alive. He warned them to avoid using hands to clear animal faeces on parked cars. He further warned car owners to water-hose vehicles parked under trees (with or without animal droppings on them) properly before washing them. He also urged them to sanitise or wash their hands with soap and water as often as possible.

Landslide derails Swiss train

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A train has derailed after a landslide near the Swiss ski resort of St Moritz, in what police describe as a “serious” accident. Swiss national radio reported that one carriage had plunged into a ravine and another was hanging from the rails. The extent of casualties is unclear but officials say the injured have been taken to hospital by helicopter and ambulance.
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Nigeria approves use of experimental drug, Zmapp, on Ebola patients

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The National Health Research Ethics Committee, Nigeria, has approved the use of an experimental Ebola drug, Zmapp, for treatment of patients infected with the virus. The committee, which composed research scientists, is a national body under the Federal Ministry of Health.

The endorsement is contained in a statement issued to newsmen by Prof. Clement Adebamowo,Chairman of the committee on Wednesday in Abuja. Continue...

The decision by the committee is coming on the heels of Tuesday’s approval by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the use of Zmapp for treatment of Ebola patients.

Day I Signed Autograph On Married Woman’s Chest — Orits Wiliki

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Veteran reggae singer and music producer, Orits Wiliki, who recently celebrated 30 active years on stage, has disclosed that one of his shocking moments of his career was when a lady unbuttoned her dress for him to sign an autograph.

Orits Wiliki explained that the incident happened at a Chinese restaurant where he went to celebrate with his friend.
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Enugu Deputy Gov, Onyebuchi who rears chicken in gov. house, slumps before Impeachment Panel

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The deputy Governor of Enugu state, Sunday Onyebuchi today August 13th slumped prior to the impeachment panel set up to investigate allegations of gross misconduct and unlawful rearing of chickens in his official  residence leveled against him by the State House of Assembly.  In accordance with Vanguard, the Deputy governor arrived the panel sitting at about 9am in company of his wife Mrs Nneka Onyebuchi, his children in addition to his legal team. He started his testimony facing the panel around 9.30am but three hours later, around 11.35am, he slumped and was immediately rushed from the premises to a healthcare facility where he's receiving treatment.

REVEALED! How Liberian Govt Cleared Patrick Sawyer To Travel To Nigeria, Though Carrying Ebola

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AVAILABLE documents indicate that Mr. Sawyer’s employers, ArcelorMittal, an iron mining company, suspended him from work and isolated him after it became aware that he had contact with his sister who died of the virus on July 8. The company also issued an internal memo to staff of the company informing them that Mr. Sawyer had been referred to the Liberian Health ministry for testing and close observation.

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