Month: July 2014

The head doctor fighting the deadly tropical virus Ebola in Sierra Leone has himself caught the disease, the government said. The 39-year-old Sheik Umar Khan, hailed as a "national hero" by the health ministry, was leading the fight to control an outbreak that has killed 206 people in the West African country. Ebola kills up to 90 percent of those infected and there is no cure or vaccine. Across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, more than 600 people have died from the illness, according to the World Health Organisation, placing great strain on the health systems of some of Africa's poorest countries.

In 1990 I lost more than 100 pounds. … I discovered "The Choose to Lose Diet: A Food Lover's Guide to Permanent Weight Loss," a low-fat, weight–loss diet. … They made a boatload of bucks (and still do); I jeopardized my health.

Recent outbreaks of encephalitis in India have killed more than 150 people, with health officials on alert fearing the death toll could rise further, state government directors said. Some 102 people have died in West Bengal state from the mosquito-borne virus which affects mainly malnourished children and can cause brain damage and seizures, said medical education director Sushanta Banerjee. "We have alerted health officials across the state to take preventive measures to stop Japanese encephalitis from spreading to newer areas," Parthajyoti Gogoi, regional director of health and the family welfare department in Assam, told AFP.

Israel may have committed war crimes by killing civilians and shelling houses and hospitals during its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said on Wednesday. Pillay, opening an emergency debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars by Palestinian militants into Israel. Citing cases Israeli air strikes and shelling hitting houses and hospitals in the coastal enclave, she said: “These are just a few examples where there seems to be a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes. Its main ally the United States, a member state, has also said Israel is unfairly singled out.

GENEVA (Reuters) – Israel and the Palestinians accused each other of war crimes at an emergency debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday, and both said their actions during Israel’s assault on Gaza were within the rules of international law. “Israel will destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” Israel’s ambassador to the body, Eviatar Manor, told the debate, referring to the Palestinian militant group controlling Gaza. “However, the Gaza residents are not our enemy. Israel is fully committed to international law,” he added. …

Prime Minister David Cameron called on Tuesday for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation and child marriage as he launched the first UN-backed "Girl Summit" on issues that affect millions around the globe. Cameron announced that parents in Britain would face prosecution for failing to prevent their daughters from being subjected to FGM, while setting out steps to tackle both practices in developing nations. "Our aim is to outlaw FGM and child marriage everywhere for everyone," Cameron told the summit in London, to applause from an audience of experts and campaigners from around the world. FGM, which affects tens of millions of women, particularly in the Horn of Africa, ranges from removal of the clitoris to the mutilation and removal of other female genitalia.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Undercover investigators using fake identities were able to secure taxpayer-subsidized health insurance under President Barack Obama’s health care law.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In rapid succession, six federal judges on two appeals courts weighed in on a key component of President Barack Obama's health care law. Their votes lined up precisely with the party of the president who appointed them.