1
World
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Javier Espinosa and Ricardo García Vilanova arrived in Madrid a day after Mr. Espinosa called his newspaper to say they had been handed over to Turkish soldiers.
2
World
Ebola Reaches Capital of Guinea, Stirring Fears
With 13 Ebola cases in Conakry, Guinea’s densely populated capital, residents are on edge, with some carrying bottles of bleach and pharmacies selling out of hand sanitizer.
1 April 2014
Last updated at 15:15 ET
Guinea has so far found 127 suspected cases of Ebola since January
But medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said its spread makes it very difficult to control.
The WHO says 83 people in Guinea have died in suspected cases of Ebola, which is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of its victims.
It has now spread to neighbouring Liberia, as well as Guinea's capital, Conakry, which has a population of two million people.
'Unprecedented' "We need to be very careful about how we characterise something which is up to now an outbreak with sporadic cases," Mr Hartl told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The WHO says the epidemiology of this outbreak is the same as previous outbreaks and remains localised, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.
The organisation adds that cases in Conakry and Liberia can be traced to the south-east of Guinea where the outbreak began.
On Monday, MSF described the outbreak as "unprecedented".
"We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases," said Mariano Lugli, a co-ordinator in Guinea for the medical charity.
"This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic."
The outbreak of Ebola had centred around Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore but it took the authorities six weeks to identify the disease.
Guinea has so far confirmed 122 cases of Ebola since January.
Liberia's Health Minister, Walter Gwenigale, on Monday warned people to stop having sex because the virus was spread via bodily fluids.
This was in addition to existing advice to stop shaking hands and kissing.
Sierra Leone has also reported five suspected cases, none of which have yet been confirmed, while Senegal, which also borders Guinea, has closed its land border.
Saudi Arabia suspended visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia on Tuesday, in a sign of the growing unease about the outbreak
The "preventive" measure came at the request of the Saudi health ministry "due to the danger of the disease and its highly contagious" nature, state news agency SPA reported.
The tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding."
Ebola outbreak in Guinea 'limited geographically' - WHO
Guinea has so far found 127 suspected cases of Ebola since January
The
deadly Ebola outbreak in Guinea, West Africa, remains in a "limited
geographic area", the World Health Organization has said.
WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said it was neither an epidemic, nor unprecedented.But medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said its spread makes it very difficult to control.
The WHO says 83 people in Guinea have died in suspected cases of Ebola, which is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of its victims.
It has now spread to neighbouring Liberia, as well as Guinea's capital, Conakry, which has a population of two million people.
Continue reading the main story
The disease originated in the southern Forest Region where bats, a local delicacy, are thought be carriers of the virus. Their sale and consumption has been banned.
The situation is most worrying in Conakry, where about two million people live. All homes now have bowls or buckets filled with disinfectant at their entrance for both inhabitants and visitors to wash their hands.
The outbreak is also affecting business. Senegal has closed its land borders, leaving many stranded. "Our goods are about to perish," one businessman said.
Funeral corteges, too, are getting smaller because of fear of infection. "I don't go to any funeral now whether it is an Ebola-related death or not, or whether it is my relation that has died," teacher Mariam Mansare says.
Analysis
The traditional handshake is no longer a part of salutations in Guinea as people are really terrified of being infected with Ebola. "I no longer go out of the house just so that I do not have to shake people's hands," retired civil servant Mohamed Barry says.The disease originated in the southern Forest Region where bats, a local delicacy, are thought be carriers of the virus. Their sale and consumption has been banned.
The situation is most worrying in Conakry, where about two million people live. All homes now have bowls or buckets filled with disinfectant at their entrance for both inhabitants and visitors to wash their hands.
The outbreak is also affecting business. Senegal has closed its land borders, leaving many stranded. "Our goods are about to perish," one businessman said.
Funeral corteges, too, are getting smaller because of fear of infection. "I don't go to any funeral now whether it is an Ebola-related death or not, or whether it is my relation that has died," teacher Mariam Mansare says.
Liberia has recorded a total of seven suspected and confirmed cases, including four deaths.
Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the WHO says. 'Unprecedented' "We need to be very careful about how we characterise something which is up to now an outbreak with sporadic cases," Mr Hartl told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The WHO says the epidemiology of this outbreak is the same as previous outbreaks and remains localised, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.
The organisation adds that cases in Conakry and Liberia can be traced to the south-east of Guinea where the outbreak began.
On Monday, MSF described the outbreak as "unprecedented".
"We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases," said Mariano Lugli, a co-ordinator in Guinea for the medical charity.
"This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic."
The outbreak of Ebola had centred around Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore but it took the authorities six weeks to identify the disease.
Liberia's Health Minister, Walter Gwenigale, on Monday warned people to stop having sex because the virus was spread via bodily fluids.
This was in addition to existing advice to stop shaking hands and kissing.
Sierra Leone has also reported five suspected cases, none of which have yet been confirmed, while Senegal, which also borders Guinea, has closed its land border.
Saudi Arabia suspended visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia on Tuesday, in a sign of the growing unease about the outbreak
The "preventive" measure came at the request of the Saudi health ministry "due to the danger of the disease and its highly contagious" nature, state news agency SPA reported.
The tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding."
"2014 Guinea Ebola outbreak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Situation map of the outbreak as of 28 March 2014
|
|
| Date | February 2014 – Ongoing |
|---|---|
| Location | West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone) |
| Casualties | |
 Guinea – 129 cases, 84 deaths[1] Liberia – 6 cases, 5 deaths Sierra Leone – 8 cases, 6 deaths |
|
|
95 deaths / 143 cases (66%) |
|
Initial outbreak in Guinea
In February 2014, the first Ebola virus outbreak registered in the region occurred in Guinea. As of 2 April, the total number of suspected and confirmed cases in the Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) outbreak has increased to 136, including 89 deaths at a case fatality rate of 65%.[3] Suspected cases were reported in Conakry (four cases), Guéckédougou (four), Macenta (one) and Dabola (one) prefectures. The most recent suspected case was admitted to hospital on 28 March.[4] The outbreak spread to Guinea's capital Conakry, a city of about two million inhabitants, and is a major concern according to Ibrahima Touré, Country Director of Plan Guinea NGO: "The poor living conditions and lack of water and sanitation in most districts of Conakry pose a serious risk that the epidemic escalates into a crisis. People do not think to wash their hands when they do not have enough water to drink."[5]Subsequent spread
Sierra Leone identified two suspected cases, both of whom died. All of the confirmed and suspected cases reported by Liberia and Sierra Leone had travelled to Guinea before the onset of illness. Investigations into these suspected cases are on-going. The Ministry of Health of Liberia has provided updated details on the suspected and confirmed cases of EHF in Liberia. As of 29 March, two of those cases have tested positive for the virus and there have been two deaths among the suspected cases.[6]Response
The national authorities of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have activated their national emergency committees, prepared EHF response plans and carried out needs assessments.[4] The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a statement that called for the support of the international community in the fight against the epidemic: "The Board of Mediation and Security of ECOWAS appeals to the international community to provide support in the management of the Ebola epidemic in the region."[7] On 30 March, during the 44th Summit of the heads of state and government of west Africa, ECOWAS disbursed US$250,000 to deal with the outbreak.[8] Sierra Leone has instituted a temporary measure which includes reactivation of its 'Active Surveillance Protocol' that will see all travellers into the country from either Guinea or Liberia subjected to strict screening to ascertain their state of health.[9]Senegal’s Ministry of Interior has ordered all movements of people through the southern border with Guinea to be suspended indefinitely to prevent the spread of the disease, according to a statement published on 29 March by state agency APS.[10] Since 26 March, Mauritania closed all crossings along the Senegal River, the natural border between Mauritania and Senegal, except for the Rosso and Diama points of entry. From 1 April, Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas for the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca to those from Guinea and Liberia. Moreover, Morocco reinforced medical surveillance at the Casablanca airport, a regional hub for flights from and to West Africa.[11][12][13]
The European Commission (EC) is giving €500,000 to help contain the spread of the virus in Guinea and its neighbouring countries. The EC has also sent a health expert to Guinea to help assess the situation and liaise with the local authorities. EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva said: "We are deeply concerned about the spread of this virulent disease and our support will help ensure immediate health assistance to those affected by it. It's vital that we act swiftly to prevent the outbreak from spreading, particularly to neighbouring countries.[14]"
3
World
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4
Automobiles
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5
World
Aging Church Passes Digital Collection Plate
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6
U.S.
Air Force Fires 9 Officers in Scandal Over Cheating on Proficiency Tests
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7
Dining & Wine
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8
Business Day
Another Worrisome Drop in Euro Zone Inflation
A rate lower than economists expected adds fire to the debate about whether the euro zone faces a risk of debilitating deflation.Lowflation and the Two Zeroes
Via the always invaluable Mark Thoma, the IMF blog — yes, the IMF has in effect become an econblogger — has a terrific piece on the problem with low inflation in Europe.
It’s the perfect antidote to the do-nothing voices insisting that
there’s no problem, because we don’t see actual deflation yet.
Part of the IMF analysis concerns debt
dynamics. They don’t put it quite this way, but I’d say that to have
debt deflation — in which falling prices due to a weak economy increase
the real burden of debt, which depresses the economy further, and so on —
you don’t need to have literal deflation. The process begins as soon as
you have lower inflation than expected when interest rates were set.
It’s also noteworthy that inflation rates in the highly indebted
countries are all well below the eurozone average (pdf), with actual deflation in Greece and near-deflation in the rest. So the debt deflation spiral is in fact well underway.
Beyond that, the trouble with low inflation is that it exacerbates the problem posed by the two zeroes — the impossibility of cutting interest rates below zero and the great difficulty of cutting nominal wages.
Is ECB policy constrained by the zero lower
bound? You could argue that it isn’t, since it could cut a bit further
than it has but hasn’t. I’d argue, however, that if nominal interest
rates were much higher — say, 4 percent — but the overall euro macro
situation were what it is, with inflation clearly below target and
unemployment very high, the ECB wouldn’t (and certainly shouldn’t)
hesitate at all about cutting rates substantially. It’s only the fact
that zero is already so close that makes cutting rates seem like a big
deal, an admission that things are looking dangerous (which they are).
Meanwhile, the zero on wages is hugely
important now. The fundamental issue here is that Spain (and other
debtors) needs to reduce its wages relative to Germany, reversing the
runup in relative wages during the bubble years. The argument some of us have been making
for a long time is that it’s vastly easier if this adjustment takes
place via rising German wages rather than falling Spanish wages — partly
because of the debt dynamics, but also and crucially because it’s very
hard to cut nominal wages.
What would you look for if downward nominal
wage rigidity were a seriously binding constraint? A spike in the
distribution of actual wage changes at zero. And sure enough:
International Monetary Fund
To be technical about it: Yowza. This is prima facie evidence that excessively low European inflation is already a huge problem.
The point is that there is no red line at
zero inflation; excessively low inflation is still a very severe
problem, especially given the European situation, even if the number is
positive.
So when people warn about Europe’s potential Japanification,
they’re way behind the curve. Europe is already experiencing all the
woes one associates with deflation, even though it’s only low inflation
so far; and the human and social costs are, of course, far worse than
Japan ever experienced.
This need not lead to a breakup of the euro:
Pessimists on that front, me very much included, misjudged the strength
of European elites’ commitment to the project. But the euro might yet
survive — and be a continuing disaster."
9
U.S.
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10
Opinion
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11
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12
Business Day
European Finance Ministers Approve New Loans for Greece
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13
World
Qatar Finds U.S. Couple Guilty in Daughter’s Death
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14
N.Y. / Region
Conviction of Bin Laden’s Son-in-Law Doesn’t Halt Debate Over Terror Trials’ Venue
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Automobiles
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U.S.
Mississippi: Bill to Shield Religious Practices Passes
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19
U.S.
Bishops Follow Pope’s Example: Opulence Is Out
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20
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