Cholera Outbreak In Sierra Leone Hits Emergency Levels

Many dead as Cholera levels surge in Sierra Leone.

An outbreak of cholera in Sierra Leone has infected more than 10,000 people and killed at least 176, authorities said as they appealed for international assistance.

Underscoring the severity of the situation in the West African country, President Ernest Bai Koroma declared the outbreak an "emergency issue" on Thursday. Minister of Health and Sanitation Zainab Hawa Bangura told The Associated Press that Koroma has set up a task force to prepare a budget that will be needed to stem the outbreak.

"All of this is the aftermath of the 11 years rebel war when we had a huge rural-to-urban migration and a huge population clustered in the urban area where adequate provision has not been made for water and sanitation. This is what we have been witnessing today, " she said.

She said that in the capital, Freetown, there have been about 100 deaths during the past month, especially in congested areas where there is the problem of water and sanitation.

"It is important to request help from the international community in order to spread the mobilization of resources," she said.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said there has been a spike in reported cholera cases since mid-July and the onset of the rainy season. Over the past 5 weeks, 6,000 cases alone have been confirmed and many other cases might not been officially reported.

"This current outbreak of cholera has the potential to be devastating and is proving very difficult to control," said Amanda McClelland, IFRC Emergency Health Coordinator. "We are particularly concerned by the rising numbers in Freetown which suffers from overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of safe water access — all factors which contribute to this deadly disease."

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine, contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or liquids, that can cause acute diarrhea and vomiting and can kill within hours. Neighboring Guinea, parts of Mali and Niger have also been affected by the outbreak, the Red Cross said.


Via Global News

Teen Raises $115K With Lake Ontario Swim To Send Kids With Cancer To Camp

14-year-old Annaleise Carr swam across lake Ontario to raise funds for cancer kids.

As metre-high waves crashed down upon 14-year-old Annaleise Carr in the chilly waters of Lake Ontario in the middle of the night, the money she was raising to send kids with cancer to camp kept her going.

The Ontario teenager, believed to be the youngest person ever to swim across the lake, raised $115,000 with her 27-hour swim from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto for Camp Trillium.

Less than 20 hours after she emerged from the water after her marathon swim, Carr stood before a bank of television cameras to talk about her feat.

"As I got into the water on Saturday I just kept thinking about Camp Trillium and what I was doing it for," she said.

"I didn't want to give up when I thought about how much the kids at Camp Trillium have been through and what they have to go through their entire lives."

Through the night the water started to become wavy and the swim got tougher and tougher, Carr said. When the morning light broke a pacer helped lift her spirits by making funny faces, she said.

"Then I started getting updates on how much money I'd raised and it was going up like crazy," Carr said.

"I got told $50,000 and I was already over my goal and I started swimming harder. I got told $60,000 and I didn't want to stop."

The tally kept climbing and Carr said she knew she couldn't stop.

"When I was about a kilometre away I could hear everyone and start seeing lights. At that time the current was really, really bad and it felt like I was going nowhere," she said.

"That's when I heard that I had gotten over $100,000. I was like really excited."

Donations for Carr's swim will send 115 children to camp for 10 days.

Carr, who is from the tiny community of Walsh in southern Ontario, said it took a while to convince her parents to let her do the 52-kilometre swim.

She wanted to help kids at Camp Trillium, but volunteers had to be 18 years old. The idea to swim across Lake Ontario started as a joke, but her parents got behind it once they saw how many rules and regulations were attached, she said.

Via Global News

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Dies

Ethiopia's Deceased Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's long-time ruler who held tight control over this East African country but was a major U.S counter-terrorism ally, died of an undisclosed illness after not being seen in public for weeks, Ethiopian state television said Tuesday. He was 57.

Meles died Monday just before midnight after contracting an infection, state TV announced Tuesday. Hailemariam Desalegn, who was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs in 2010, is now in charge of the Cabinet, state TV said.

Meles hadn't been seen in public for about two months. In mid-July, after Meles did not attend a meeting of heads of state of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, speculation increased that his health problems were serious.

Ethiopian officials gave no details and said the prime minister was in "very good" health and would return to office soon, but international officials said quietly it was unlikely he would recover.

State TV on Tuesday showed pictures of Meles as classical music played in the background.

Born on May 8, 1955, Meles became president in 1991 and prime minister in 1995, a position that is both the head of the federal government and armed forces.

The U.S. has long viewed Meles as a strong security partner and has given hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over the years. U.S. military drones that patrol East Africa — especially over Somalia — are stationed in Ethiopia.

Though a U.S. ally, Ethiopia has long been criticized by human rights groups for the government's strict control. Dissent is met with a strict government response.

During Meles' election win in 2005, when it appeared the opposition was likely to make gains, Meles tightened security across the country, and on the night of the election he declared a state of emergency, outlawing any public gathering as his ruling party claimed a majority win. Opposition members accused Meles of rigging the election, and demonstrations broke out. Security forces moved in, killing hundreds of people and jailing thousands.

In 2010 Meles won another five years in office while receiving a reported 99 per cent of the vote. Meles is the longtime chairman of the Tigray People's Liberation Front and has always identified strongly with his party.

"I cannot separate my achievements from what can be considered as the achievements of the ruling party. Whatever achievement there might have been, it does not exist independent of that party," Meles once said when asked what he thought would be his legacy.

Meles grew up in the northern town of Adwa, where his father had 13 siblings from multiple women. He moved to the capital, Addis Ababa, on a scholarship after completing an eight-year elementary education in just five.

State TV said funeral arrangements would be announced soon.

Via Global News

Eight Killed In Turkish Car Bombing

Fire fighters work in Gaziantep where at least seven people were killed and dozens wounded when a car bomb blew up on August 20, 2012 in the centre of Turkey's south-eastern city of Gaziantep (AFP Photo / Ihlas News Agency)

Eight people have been reported killed and dozens wounded by a bomb attack close to a police station in southeastern Turkey.

Officials said the blast in the town of Gaziantep near the Syrian border on August 20 was caused by a remote-controlled car bomb.

U.S President Threatens To Attack Syria

US President Barack Obama

US President Barack Obama has a stern warning for the country of Syria. In an address made early Monday, the commander-in-chief confirmed that he has not ruled out an offensive strike on Bashar al-Assad and his regime.
Speaking from the White House, President Obama said that if Syria is able to procure chemical or biological weapons, the United States will follow through with its threat of launching an attack.

Belarus Declared No Kite-Fly Zone

Reuters

Launching a handmade kite may get you in trouble today in Belarus, where it could be considered a national security threat by the military, which is on constant alert after the “teddy-bear assault” carried out by Swedish activists last month.

Anonymous Hackers Take Down UK Government Websites In Assange Protest.

AFP Photo / Joel Saget

Several British governmental websites, including the Ministry of Justice, have been attacked by hacktivists in retaliation for Britain’s handling of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Under the campaign, which was branded “#OpFreeAssange,” Anonymous undertook a mission to take down justice.gov.uk and number10.gov.uk, the official site of the British Prime Minister’s Office. The websites are now operating normally once again.

U.S Man Charged With Nearly Decapitating Brother With Sword, Laying With Brother's Dead Corpse For Two Days

Charles Masters charged for murder.

Charles Masters, a 33-year-old Nashville man was jailed Friday after he allegedly murdered his brother with a sword, then laid next to his brother's body for several days hoping that the brother would "wake up."

According to Metro Nashville Police, officers received a call from Masters around 10:30 p.m. stating that he had a dead body in his apartment.

Egypt's President Accused Of News Censorship

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi slammed for censorship.

Egypt’s president has come under fire for censoring news outlets over charges of 'fueling sedition.' The ruling Muslim Brotherhood party’s move to stifle critics has sparked fears they are adopting the repressive tactics they pledged to abolish.
State prosecutors filed lawsuits against two journalists this week, and an entire issue of opposition newspaper al-Doustour was pulled by state censors.

U.S Woman Faces Charges For Feeding Poor Children

Angela Prattis may be fined $600 for each day she provided free food to poor children.

A woman may be fined $600 for each day she provided free food to children in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood for the past few months.
Angela Prattis, 41, of Chester Township has been distributing free healthy lunches in a neighborhood that has a per capita income of $19,000 a year.
Prattis made no money from the meal distribution, and gave out food provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The “lunch lady” ran the charity out of her garage, to which about 60 children came, five days a week.

Police To Track Cell Phones In US Without Court Warrants

Police allowed to track cell phones in US without court warrants. Image credit RT

The US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Americans have no reasonable expectation of privacy when carrying cell phones, allowing police to track GPS signals without a warrant or probable cause.
The decision came the court ruled in United States v. Skinner that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) abided by the Constitution by using a drug runner’s cellphone data to track his location and determine his identity.

eBay Bans Sales Of Potions, Spells And Curses

Spell book on sale at ebay.

Cursing an enemy with a hex or finding a charm to make your lover forever faithful has just become a little harder, as eBay has banned the sale of all forms of 'magic' through the online auction site, beginning in September.
“eBay regularly reviews categories and updates our policies based on customer feedback. We are discontinuing a small number of categories within the larger metaphysical subcategory, as buyers and sellers have told us that transactions in these categories often result in issues that can be difficult to resolve,” the company announced in a statement.
Still, eBay has plenty to offer buyers with unusual tastes, with users hawking everything from vintage sneakers to fossil bones. Even the weirdest items up for auction often find buyers who are willing to pay out huge sums for strange finds.
Earlier this year, a blob of glue slightly resembling the head of cartoon character Homer Simpson sold for $235,000 on eBay.

Air France Flight Beg Passengers For Gas Money At Landing In Damascus

A plane of French company Air France.

An awkward emergency landing in Syria was bad enough, but the crew of Air France Flight 562 was forced to beg passengers for money to buy more fuel.
The plane, heading from Paris to the Lebanese capital with 185 people on board, was diverted over tensions near the Beirut International Airport. Low on fuel, the flight made an emergency landing in Damascus.
Sanctions against Syria increased the cost of the refueling, an Air France spokesperson said. The asked passengers for cash only as a "precautionary measure" because of the "very unusual circumstances," they said.

Taliban Claim Infiltration Of Afghan Forces

Members of  terrorist group, Taliban.

The spiritual leader of the Taliban said the group's insurgents have succeeded in foisting the ranks of the Afghan security forces, allowing them to attack their fellow NATO service members. The admission comes amidst a rise in friendly fire attacks.
“Mujahideen have cleverly infiltrated the ranks of the enemy according to the plan given to them last year,”

France Bandits Rob ATMs Of Millions Using Forks.

Million stolen in cash from ATM using forks. Image credit RT.

French police are searching for an organized crime ring that has stolen more than 1,000,000 Euros in cash from ATM machines, using only a fork.
Investigators were shocked by the simplicity and ingenuity of the countrywide rash of ATM heists: The gang managed to make the thefts by jamming a fork into the machines' cash dispensers, exploiting a previously unknown security flaw.

South Africans Protest 'Apartheid'-like Violence

Strikers near the South African Marikana platinum mine. Image credit  Reuters, RT/Siphiwe Sibeko

Thousands of protesters gathered at the South African Marikana platinum mine to demand justice after police shot and killed 34 miners. Many demonstrators said the shootings recalled violence from the country's Apartheid era.
The protesters demanded an explanation for why police fired automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns at striking miners on Thursday. Relatives of those killed also complained that police and the mine's management failed to produce a notarized list of those killed.

Band Member's Husband Condemns Pussy Riot Prison Sentences

The seven members of the Rock band, Pussy Riot.

The husband of one of the members of Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot imprisoned for hooliganism in Moscow is leading a chorus of condemnation after a conviction decried as an attack on free speech.
Three young women, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were sentenced to two years in prison Friday after being convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.
They were arrested after performing a song critical of President Vladimir Putin in one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most important cathedrals in February, a flash mob-style act that outraged many of the country's faithful.

Russia Maintains Stand On Gay Pride Events

A participant attends an unauthorized rally staged by LGBT activists on Moscow's Tverskaya Street. (RIA Novosti/Andrey Stenin

Russia's highest Court, The Moscow City Court has confirmed for the second time its ruling banning all LGBT pride events in the Russian capital for the next century.
The court rejected a cassation appeal filed by Nikolai Alekseyev, the leader of a Russian gay rights community and the organizer of previous gay pride events. Alekseyev wanted the case to be passed to the Presidium of the Moscow City Court for reconsideration.

Philippines Interior Secretary Missing In Plane Crash

Philippines Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo takes an oath during a hearing in Manila in 2010. Image credit CNN

Philippines Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo is among three missing after a small aircraft crashed off Masbate Bay, the state-run PNA news agency reported, citing civil aviation authorities.
One person, identified as Robredo's aide, was rescued from the crash site, civil aviation chief William Hotchkiss told PNA.
Robredo was headed to Naga City to attend a political event, the agency reported.

Ramadan Ends.

Indian Muslims offer prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan during a rain shower at the Kharudin Mosque in Amritsar on Friday, August 17. A three-day festival begins after the sighting of a new crescent moon. During Ramadan, devout Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk.Image credit CNN

Mubarak! Ramadan officially ends today!