Gaza 'miracle baby' dies over complications, power cuts

31/07/2014 - 18:20

 

Gaza 'miracle baby' dies over complications, power cuts


A premature baby rescued by Gaza doctors from her dead mother's womb last week has died due to complications and power cuts affecting the intensive care unit where she was treated.
The six-day-old baby was born by emergency Caesarean section Friday after doctors at Deir al-Balah hospital in central Gaza managed to save her from the womb of her mother, who died when an Israeli tank shell hit her home.
The mother, 23-year-old Shayma al-Sheikh Qanan, had been eight months pregnant, and the baby was named after her.
But the baby was deprived of oxygen between her mother's death and doctors being able to operate, which meant she had to be hooked up to a respirator at the maternity ward in Khan Yunis hospital in southern Gaza.
"The baby suffered an oxygen deficiency in the womb after her mother's heart stopped," Dr Abdel Karem al-Bawab, head of the maternity ward at Nasser hospital, told AFP Thursday.
"This deficiency caused the baby to asphyxiate unexpectedly, rendering her brain dead," he said of the tragedy, which occurred Wednesday.
"The ongoing electricity shortages played a role because her oxygen tubes did not work properly and we had to resuscitate her more than once manually."
Doctors told AFP earlier this week that her vital signs were stable but said she would have to be on the respirator for "at least three more weeks."
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España evacua temporalmente al personal de su embajada en Libia

  • 31/07/2014 - 17:20

    España evacua temporalmente al personal de su embajada en Libia



    Una columna de humo tras cuatro días de enfrentamientos entre milicias rivales cerca del aeropuerto de Trípoli, el 30 de julio de 2014
    España anunció este jueves la evacuación temporal de su personal de la embajada en Trípoli ante el agravamiento de la situación en la capital libia y dos días después de que 37 españoles y sus allegados lo solicitaran.
    Madrid tomó "la decisión de evacuar temporalmente al embajador y al resto de personal acreditado en la embajada de España en Trípoli", al constatar "el agravamiento de la situación de seguridad" en la capital libia, dijo en un comunicado el ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
    La cancillería aseguró que un funcionario de Archivos aseguraría el funcionamiento de la representación diplomática y reiteró "su llamamiento a un alto el fuego en la mayor brevedad posible".
    Asimismo, el Gobierno español mostró "su apoyo al nuevo Parlamento y su compromiso de seguir trabajando con sus socios internacionales y Naciones Unidas para lograr la consolidación de la democracia y la estabilización del país".
    Trípoli es el escenario de enfrentamientos desde el 13 de julio, que han dejado un centenar de muertos.
    copiado http://www.afp.com/es

UE adota formalmente sanções econômicas contra a Rússia

  • 31/07/2014 - 18:50

    UE adota formalmente sanções econômicas contra a Rússia



    As novas sanções incluem a restrição aos bancos públicos russos de operar no mercado financeiro europeu e a proibição à compra e venda de armamento militar
    A União Europeia (UE) adotou formalmente nesta quinta-feira as sanções econômicas contra a Rússia destinadas a castigar e obrigar Moscou a mudar sua política em relação à crise na Ucrânia.
    Reunidos em Bruxelas na terça-feira, os embaixadores dos 28 países membros do bloco adotaram novas sanções que incluem a restrição aos bancos públicos russos de operar no mercado financeiro europeu, a proibição à compra e venda de armamento militar, assim como restrições à venda de material com dupla utilização (civil e militar) ou destinados à indústria petroleira russa.
    Os europeus também decidiram bloquear os bens de quatro empresários russos ligados ao presidente Putin, acusados de se beneficiar da anexação da Crimeia ou de contribuir ativamente para a desestabilização do leste da Ucrânia.
       copiado  http://www.afp.com 

Serra Leoa e Libéria tomam medidas drásticas por epidemia de Ebola

  • 31/07/2014 - 18:10

    Serra Leoa e Libéria tomam medidas drásticas por epidemia de Ebola



    A presidente liberiana, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, ordeniou na noite de quarta-feira o fechamento de todas as escolas
    Serra Leoa e Libéria tomaram medidas drásticas diante da epidemia de febre hemorrágica, provocada em grande parte pelo vírus Ebola e que causou em sete meses a morte de mais de 700 pessoas nestes dois países e na vizinha Guiné.
    A Organização Mundial da Saúde divulgou novos dados nesta quinta-feira sobre esta epidemia na África ocidental. Dessa forma, até 27 de julho foram registrados mais de 1.300 casos, incluindo 729 pessoas que faleceram na Guiné, Libéria, Nigéria e Serra Leoa.
    Horas após a presidente liberiana, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, ordenar na noite de quarta-feira o fechamento de todas as escolas, seu colega de Serra Leoa, Ernest Bai Koroma, decretou nesta quinta-feira estado de emergência.
    "Os desafios extraordinários exigem medidas extraordinárias. A doença provocada pelo vírus Ebola constitui um desafio extraordinário para nossa nação", declarou Koroma em um discurso divulgado pela televisão.
    "Portanto, proclamo o estado de emergência pública", acrescentou.
    Koroma também anunciou medidas, como colocar em quarentena as áreas afetadas pelo Ebola, mobilizar forças de segurança para proteger as equipes médicas e proibir as reuniões públicas, assim como vasculhar os locais onde acredita-se que possam existir pessoas doentes.
    O presidente também disse que "houve mais de 130 sobreviventes desta doença", ressaltando as possibilidades de cura que as pessoas internadas em centros de saúde têm.
    Fechamento de todas as escolas

    O médico belga Peter Piot, um dos que descobriram o vírus Ebola em 1976 no Zaire (hoje República Democrática do Congo) estimou que as dificuldades que Libéria e Serra Leoa têm para enfrentar a epidemia devem-se porque estes países saem de anos de guerra civil
    Na noite de quarta-feira, a presidente da Libéria havia ordenado o fechamento de todas as escolas em um discurso divulgado pela televisão.
    Além disso, "é ordenado por mim o fechamento até nova ordem de todos os mercados das zonas fronteiriças", disse.
    Sirleaf também afirmou que o dia de sexta-feira era declarado feriado com o objetivo de utilizá-lo para desinfectar todas as instalações públicas.
    O médico belga Peter Piot, um dos que descobriram o vírus Ebola em 1976 no Zaire (hoje República Democrática do Congo) estimou que as dificuldades que Libéria e Serra Leoa têm para enfrentar a epidemia devem-se porque "estes países saem de anos de guerra civil".
    "Libéria e Serra Leoa tentam agora se reconstruir e, portanto, há uma falta total de confiança nas autoridades que, somada à pobreza e aos serviços de saúde medíocres, é, na minha opinião, a causa desta grande epidemia", acrescentou em entrevista à AFP.
    A RDC anunciou novas medidas sanitárias para evitar que voltem a existir casos de Ebola e Quênia e Etiópia também indicaram nesta quinta-feira ter tomado medidas a respeito.
    Os temores de que o surto de Ebola na África se propague a outros continentes aumentaram na quarta-feira. Europa e Ásia permaneciam em alerta, a ONG Médicos Sem Fronteiras advertiu que a epidemia estava fora de controle e os corpos de paz dos Estados Unidos anunciaram que se retiravam da região.
    O vírus Ebola pode matar as pessoas em questão de dias, depois de provocar uma intensa febre e sérias dores musculares, vômitos, diarreia e, em alguns casos, a insuficiência dos órgãos e uma hemorragia incontrolável.
       copiado  http://www.afp.com

Premiê turco compara métodos de Israel em Gaza aos de Hitler

  • 31/07/2014 - 18:00

    Premiê turco compara métodos de Israel em Gaza aos de Hitler


    O primeiro-ministro turco, fervoroso defensor da causa palestina, comparou nesta quinta-feira os métodos utilizados por Israel durante sua ofensiva contra Gaza aos de Adolf Hitler.
    "Diga-me, qual é a diferença entre as operações israelenses e as dos nazistas e de Hitler?", questionou Erdogan em um discurso por ocasião da campanha presidencial em Van (leste).
    "É racismo, fascismo. Tudo o que está sendo feito em Gaza volta a reacender o espírito do mal e perverso de Hitler", declarou Erdogan, favorito na eleição presidencial que acontecerá entre 10 e 24 de agosto.
    Erdogan, que continua a denunciar veementemente a ofensiva sangrenta lançada por Israel em 8 de julho contra o enclave palestino controlado pelo movimento islâmico Hamas, reafirmou que as operações israelenses se assemelham a um "genocídio" contra o população civil palestina.
    O primeiro-ministro turco também criticou os Estados Unidos, sem citá-lo diretamente, por defender as operações do exército israelense e denunciou a inércia do mundo muçulmano.
    "Aqueles que permanecem em silêncio diante deste massacre são tão cruéis quanto os agressores", afirmou Erdogan que defende a causa palestina com fervor e cujo governo tem estreitas relações com a liderança do Hamas.
    Desde 8 de julho, mais de 1.370 palestinos foram mortos e mais de 7.000 ficaram feridos, de acordo com os serviços de emergência. Do lado israelense, 56 soldados e três civis foram mortos.
    As relações entre Israel e Turquia, aliados regionais no passado, estão paralisadas desde o ataque a um navio turco de ajuda humanitária em 2010, que matou 10 ativistas turcos.
      copiado  http://www.afp.com

Juiz americano convoca audiência no caso da dívida argentina

Juiz americano convoca audiência no caso da dívida argentina


1c53613ece0f8027e8f50ed01763b854d617aa47.jpg

Cartazes em Buenos Aires contra o juiz americano Thomas Griesa, em 29 de julho de 2014
O juiz federal americano Thomas Griesa convocou uma audiência para esta sexta-feira dentro do caso de litígio entre a Argentina e os fundos especulativos, indicou nesta quinta-feira um porta-voz judicial à AFP.
A audiência acontecerá às 11H00 local (13H00 de Brasília) no tribunal sul de Manhattan e acontece depois do fim do prazo de quarta-feira para que a Argentina pagasse um parcela de sua dívida reestruturada.
Na véspera, a Argentina e os fundos especulativos não chegaram a um acordo pela disputa em torno de sua dívida soberana, depois de dois dias de discussões em Nova York e da declaração de um default seletivo por uma agência de classificação de risco.
O "default seletivo" significa que o governo argentino segue honrando parte de sua dívida, mas não efetuou o pagamento de bônus específicos.
O anúncio foi feito quando ainda não tinham terminado as negociações em Nova York entre o governo de Buenos Aires e os fundos especulativos, que exigem 1,33 bilhão de dólares por bônus não pagos de 2001.
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Kerry garante que EUA têm "esperanças" em cessar-fogo em Gaza

  • 31/07/2014 - 17:40

    Kerry garante que EUA têm "esperanças" em cessar-fogo em Gaza



    Kerry, em visita a Índia, ressaltou que segue em contato telefônico com os principais atores na crise no Oriente Médio para acabar com o conflito entre Israel e o Hamas
    O secretário de Estado americano, John Kerry, afirmou nesta quinta-feira que tem esperanças em um cessar-fogo na Faixa de Gaza, mas se negou a dizer quando acredita que poderá ser alcançado.
    Kerry, em visita a Índia, ressaltou que segue em contato telefônico com os principais atores na crise no Oriente Médio para acabar com o conflito entre Israel e o Hamas.
    "Os Estados Unidos têm a esperança de que é possível, e quanto antes melhor", afirmou em referência a uma trégua.
    copiado  http://www.afp.com

Combates entre milícias são retomados ao redor do aeroporto de Trípoli

  • 31/07/2014 - 17:40

    Combates entre milícias são retomados ao redor do aeroporto de Trípoli



    países como Espanha, Brasil, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Canadá esvaziaram suas embaixadas
    Violentos combates foram retomados nesta quinta-feira entre milícias rivais ao redor do aeroporto de Trípoli, após dois dias de relativa calma, segundo um responsável de segurança.
    Além disso, os bombeiros tentavam pelo quinto dia consecutivo apagar o incêndio que arrasa um imenso depósito de hidrocarbonetos próximo à Trípoli, provocado por foguetes lançados durante os combates.
    "Os criminosos realizaram uma nova ofensiva contra o aeroporto com armas pesadas e leves", declarou à AFP Al-Jilani al-Dahesh, que se encontra em terra. Durante a conversa telefônica era possível ouvir disparos e explosões.
    Dahesh, que dirige as forças encarregadas da segurança do aeroporto, informou sobre alguns feridos entre seus homens, que enfrentam junto às milícias da cidade de Zenten (oeste de Trípoli) os combatentes da cidade de Misrata (leste da capital).
    Segundo testemunhas, foram registrados outros combates na estrada do aeroporto e a oeste da capital. Um jornalista da AFP ouviu várias explosões no centro de Trípoli.
    No dia 13 de julho tiveram início combates entre facções rivais que provocaram o fechamento do aeroporto internacional da capital. Estes confrontos provocaram a morte de uma centena de pessoas e feriram 400.
    Além disso, países como Espanha, Brasil, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Canadá esvaziaram suas embaixadas. As Filipinas também convocaram seus cidadãos a deixar o país, depois que uma enfermeira desta nacionalidade foi sequestrada e estuprada.
    Desde a queda do regime de Muanmar Kadhafi, em 2011, as autoridades líbias não conseguem controlar as dezenas de milícias que impõem sua lei.
    copiado  http://www.afp.com

ONU alerta que civis em Gaza estão 'à beira do precipício' Sob fogo e sem dinheiro, agência da ONU em Gaza está sobrecarregada Porta-voz da ONU chora ao falar à Al Jazeera sobre direitos dos palestinos Ataque de Israel mata palestinos em escola da ONU Ataque contra mesquita deixa feridos em escola da ONU em Gaza

 

ONU alerta que civis em Gaza estão 'à beira do precipício'


31/07/2014 13h29 - Atualizado em 31/07/2014 13h29


Chefe de agência para palestinos pediu ajuda internacional.
Mais de 1.370 moradores de Gaza já morreram desde início de ofensiva.

Da France Presse
Crianças palestinas coletam água em um campo de refugiados da ONU em Jebaliya, no norte da Faixa de Faza, nesta quarta-feira (30) (Foto: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)Crianças palestinas coletam água em um campo de refugiados da ONU em Jebaliya, no norte da Faixa de Faza, nesta quarta-feira (30) (Foto: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)
Os palestinos da Faixa de Gaza estão à beira do precipício, alertou nesta quinta-feira (31) o chefe da agência das Nações Unidas para ajuda aos refugiados palestinos (UNRWA), Pierre Krahenbuhl, ante o Conselho de Segurança da ONU.
"Acho que a população está à beira de um precipício e peço à comunidade internacional que tome medidas necessárias para enfrentar esta situação extrema", declarou em videoconferência em Gaza.
Os bombardeios israelenses na manhã desta quinta provocaram a morte de sete pessoas, e por isso do lado palestino os números do conflito, que entrou em seu 24º dua, chegam a 1.374 mortos e 7.700 feridos.
A grande maioria das vítimas fatais são civis e entre eles figuram mais de 245 crianças, segundo os serviços de emergência palestinos e a Unicef.


copiado http://g1.globo.com/

Argentina defaults but investors see eventual deal possible

  • Argentina defaults but investors see eventual deal possible 4:55pm BST

    BUENOS AIRES Thu Jul 31, 2014 4:55pm BST

    Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof speaks to the media at a press conference at the Argentine Consulate in New York July 30, 2014.  REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
    Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof speaks to the media at a press conference at the Argentine Consulate in New York July 30, 2014.
    Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri

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    (Reuters) - Argentina defaulted for the second time in 12 years after last-ditch talks with what it called "vulture" creditors failed, though debt insurance prices on Thursday suggested investors believed a deal could eventually be reached.
    After a long legal battle with hedge funds that rejected Argentina's debt restructuring following a 2002 default, Latin America's third-biggest economy failed to strike a deal in time to meet a midnight payment deadline.
    The immediate focus was on whether a group of big banks and funds overseen by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association would declare the situation a "credit event".
    Any such ruling would set off a series of insurance payments and give most of Argentina's current bondholders the right to demand their money back immediately. The deadline is August 4, according to analysts.
    The cost of insuring Argentina's debt against default fell sharply on Thursday, however, data provider Markit said, as investors speculated a deal could be struck, even if only in the long term. The country's five-year credit default swaps fell more than 400 basis points to 1,444 bps.
    "It is still not clear whether the credit default swap of the country will be triggered," said Emiliano Surballe, fixed income analyst at Bank Julius Baer. "The situation that generated the default was a lawsuit, not the failure of the country to transfer the proceeds to pay existing debt."
    Argentina parked with its bankers the money to pay its current bondholders, but a U.S. legal ruling prevented it from doing so unless it paid off the holdout bondholders first.
    "It's probably going to be more a soft default scenario where prices will slide a bit. There is confidence in what the government is going to do," said Rune Hejarskov, senior portfolio manager at Jyske Invest, which holds Argentinian debt.
    The default could get much messier and take longer to clear up if creditors force an "acceleration" for early payment on their bonds. Some investors saw this as unlikely.
    "I don't think at the moment there is a clear answer to whether bondholders will accelerate a deal. It's probably not something most bondholders would like to see," said Olivier De Timmerman, fixed income fund manager at KBC Asset Management in Luxembourg.
    "My expectation is that they will eventually reach an agreement with holdouts. I do not think it will be in the short term, but likely after the foreclosures have expired towards the end of the year," he added.
    The bonds at the centre of the struggle had rallied strongly on Wednesday along with Buenos Aires stocks and the peso as bets on a deal rose, but traders were left up in the air after the talks fell apart.
    "We expect part of (Wednesday's) rally to come back to couple of points ... Discount bond (bonds given to investors when Argentina restructured) prices will come back a bit and we will probably see a fair value around 85." said Hejarskov.
    Even a short default will raise local companies' borrowing costs, pile more pressure on the peso, drain dwindling foreign reserves and fuel one of the world's highest inflation rates.
    "It is going to complicate life for businesses like YPF which were going to look externally for financing," said Camilo Tiscornia, a former governor of Argentina's central bank.
    VERY PARTICULAR DEFAULT
    Argentina had sought in vain a last-minute suspension of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa in New York to pay holdouts $1.33 billion plus interest. He ruled Argentina could not service its exchange debt unless it paid the holdouts at the same time.
    A proposal for Argentinian banks to buy out the hedge funds' non-performing debt also fell through, sources told Reuters.
    But it is a far cry from the mayhem following the crash in 2001-2001 when the economy collapsed around a bankrupt government and millions of Argentines lost their jobs.
    This time the government is solvent. How much pain the default inflicts on Argentina, which is already in recession, will depend on how swiftly the government can extricate itself from its obligations.
    "This is a very particular default, there is no solvency problem, so everything depends on how quickly it is solved," said analyst Mauro Roca of Goldman Sachs.
    Buenos Aires had argued that agreeing to the hedge funds' demands to pay them in full would break a clause barring it from offering better terms than those who accepted steep writedowns in the 2005 and 2010 swaps.
    That clause expires on Dec. 31, however, after which the government would be able reach a deal with the funds. Many investors and economists hope for some solution after then.
    "Our base case is that a default would be cleared by January 2015," said Alberto Bernal, a partner at Miami-based Bulltick Capital Markets. He projected that a default would cause the economy to shrink 2 percent this year compared with a previous market consensus for a 1 percent contraction.
    Failure to strike a deal will not cause financial turmoil abroad because Argentina has been isolated from global credit markets since its 2002 default on $100 billion of debt.
    Argentina has foreign currency restructured debt worth about $35 billion while its foreign exchange reserves stand at $29 billion.
    "The correction will depend on perceptions of how long the default will take to solve," said Roca.
    U.S. ratings agency Standard & Poor's on Wednesday downgraded the country's long- and short-term foreign currency credit rating to "selective default". The default rating will remain until Argentina makes an overdue June 30 coupon payment on its discount bonds maturing in 2033, the agency said.
    Germany, which is Argentina's biggest individual creditor, expects Argentina "to continue to respect its commitments to the Paris club" of sovereign lenders, a spokesman for the German economy ministry said on Thursday.
    He said an initial partial payment equivalent to $650 million had been transferred to creditor states on July 28/29 and that Germany expected the next instalment on existing arrears to be paid at the end of May 2015. "Germany can confirm receipt of such a payment," the spokesman said.
    (Additional reporting by Richard Lough and Eliana Raszewski in Buenos Aires, Spriya Srivastava, Marc Jones and Andrew Winterbottom in London, and Gernot Heller in Berlin; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
     copy http://uk.reuters.com

Ukraine says suspends attacks to let experts reach crash site, rebels deny

Ukraine says suspends attacks to let experts reach crash site, rebels deny 5:50pm BST

KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine - Ukraine said on Thursday it had suspended offensive operations in its military campaign in east Ukraine to help international experts reach the downed Malaysian airliner's crash site but separatists were continuing to attack its positions.

KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:50pm BST

1 of 2. Ukrainian tanks move along a road near Eastern Ukrainian village of Novoselivka Persha July 31, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko
(Reuters) - Ukraine said on Thursday it had suspended offensive operations in its military campaign in east Ukraine to help international experts reach the downed Malaysian airliner's crash site but separatists were continuing to attack its positions.
Kiev said on the Facebook website of what it calls its "anti-terrorist operation" (ATO) against pro-Russian rebels in the east that it was heeding calls by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to stop fighting near the plane crash site.
"On July 31, troops involved in the active ATO phase are not conducting military operations apart from protecting their own positions from attack," it said. "But mercenary fighters of the Russian terrorists are not respecting any international agreements and requests."
The rebels have accused Kiev of blocking access to the Malaysian MH17 flight crash site by fighting in the area.
"Ukraine continued to violate the ceasefire in the MH17 crash area, not allowing OSCE observers and experts from the Netherlands and Australia to enter the area," said Sergei Kavtaradze, an aide to top rebel leader Aleksander Borodai.
"We hope Ukrainians will adhere to the decisions of the U.N., allow observers and experts to reach the crash site and facilitate security of the place," he said.
(Reporting by Timothy Heritage in Kiev and Aleksandar Vasovic in Donetsk; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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Netanyahu vows to complete Gaza tunnels destruction Video: Israel calls up more reservists Israeli troops, with dogs and robots, track Gaza tunnels Video: Gaza shelling hits U.N. school Anti-Semitic incidents rise in UK as Gaza conflict rages


An Israeli army officer gives explanations to journalists during an army organised tour in a tunnel said to be used by Palestinian militants for cross-border attacks, July 25, 2014. REUTERS/Jack Guez/Pool

Netanyahu vows to complete Gaza tunnels destruction

GAZA/JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing international alarm over a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, says he will not accept any ceasefire that stops Israel completing the destruction of militants' infiltration tunnels.  Full Article | Video

GAZA/JERUSALEM Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:25pm BST

An Israeli soldier adjusts sights on a tank at a staging area outside the central Gaza Strip July 31, 2014. REUTERS-Baz Ratner
Relatives of Palestinian girl Layan al-Silk, whom medics said was killed with other family members by Israeli shelling near a market in Shejaia, mourn during her funeral in Gaza City July 31, 2014.  REUTERS-Mohammed Salem
Palestinians gather near the minaret of a mosque that police said was destroyed by an Israeli Air strike in Gaza City July 30, 2014. REUTERS-Finbarr O'Reilly
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 of 8. An Israeli soldier adjusts sights on a tank at a staging area outside the central Gaza Strip July 31, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Baz Ratner
(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing international alarm over a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, said on Thursday he would not accept any ceasefire that stopped Israel completing the destruction of militants' infiltration tunnels.
The Israeli military estimated on Wednesday that accomplishing that task, already into its fourth week, would take several more days.
"We are determined to complete this mission, with or without a ceasefire," Netanyahu said in public remarks at a meeting of his full cabinet in Tel Aviv.
"I wont agree to any proposal that will not enable the Israeli military to finish this important task, for the sake of Israel's security."
Leaving open the option of widening a ground campaign in the Hamas Islamist-dominated Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said it had called up an additional 16,000 reservists. A military source said they would relieve a similar number of reserve soldiers being stood down.
Fighting, however, appeared less ferocious than on previous days this week - more than 100 were killed on Wednesday alone.
Gaza health officials said 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli assaults on Thursday, which included an air strike on a van in the heart of Gaza City, which killed two people.
The Israeli military said more than 60 rockets were fired from the Palestinian enclave, some deep into Israel. One person was moderately wounded by a Gaza projectile that struck in the southern town of Kiryat Gat.
Hamas said it fired one rocket at Tel Aviv, which the military said was intercepted.
 
 
Netanyahu's security cabinet on Wednesday approved continuing operations launched on July 8 in response to a surge of cross-border rocket attacks. Israel also sent a delegation to Egypt, which has been trying, with U.S. blessing, to broker a ceasefire.
Washington has also, however, allowed Israel to tap a local U.S. arms stockpile in the past few weeks to replenish its grenades and mortar rounds, a U.S. defence official said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who failed in a visit to the region last week to secure a ceasefire, voiced support for Israel's operations against the tunnels.
"No country can sit there and live with tunnels being dug under its border, out of which jump people who are carrying handcuffs and tranquilizer drugs in order to kidnap their citizens and hold them for ransom," Kerry said in an interview broadcast on Thursday by India's NDTV.
Gaza officials say at least 1,410 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the battered territory and nearly 7,000 wounded. Fifty-six Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza clashes and more than 400 wounded. Three civilians have been killed by Palestinian shelling in Israel.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned on Wednesday the deaths of at least 15 Palestinians among thousands sheltering at a U.N.-run school. The United Nations said its initial assessment was that Israeli artillery shells hit the facility.
The United Nations' senior human rights official, Navi Pillay, said on Thursday that Israel has attacked homes, schools, hospitals, and U.N. premises in apparent violation of the Geneva Conventions. Pillay said Israel's actions seemed to be in "deliberate defiance of obligations that international law imposes".
Israel said its forces were attacked by guerrillas near the school in northern Jabalya and had fired back. In another incident on Wednesday, 17 people were killed in nearby Shejaia by what Palestinian officials said was Israeli shelling of a produce market. Seven more died of their wounds on Thursday.
The Israeli military said it was investigating.
"Such a massacre requires an earthquake-like response," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, whose group has kept up dozens of daily rocket launches deep into Israel. The Israelis have kept casualties from the salvoes low, using its Iron Dome air defence system to intercept them and air-raid sirens to send people to shelters.
In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, Israeli tank shells landed near another U.N.-run school and at least 30 people sheltering inside were wounded by shrapnel and shattered glass, witnesses and hospital officials said.
Rolling Israeli ground assaults on residential areas, preceded by mass warnings to evacuate, have displaced more than 200,000 of Gaza's 1.8 million Palestinians. The tiny territory's infrastructure is in ruins, with power and water outages.
Israel says it is trying to avoid civilian casualties and blames these on Hamas and other Palestinian factions dug in for urban combat.
Both sides have voiced openness to a truce, but their terms diverge dramatically. Israel wants Gaza stripped of infiltration tunnels and rocket stocks. Hamas rules that out, and seeks an end to a crippling Gaza blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt, which view the Palestinian Islamists as a security threat.
Major General Sami Turgeman, chief of Israeli forces in Gaza, said on Wednesday they were "but a few days away from destroying all the attack tunnels". The army said 32 of the secret passages had been found so far and half of them blown up.
Diplomacy to end the Gaza conflict is further complicated by the fact Israel and the United States shun Hamas as a terrorist group, while the go-betweens - Egypt, Qatar and Turkey - disagree on Gaza policy.
TUNNEL HUNT
In the absence of a deal, Israel has ordered its ground forces to focus on locating and destroying a warren of tunnels through which Hamas has menaced its southern towns and army bases.
"Progress has been satisfactory, and we are completing our treatment of the terror tunnels," Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Thursday. "During the fighting, soldiers are finding new tunnel shafts, and they are also being neutralised."
Three Israeli soldiers were killed on Wednesday by a booby trap detonated as they uncovered a tunnel shaft, the army said. Military losses are more than five times those from the last Gaza ground war, in 2008-2009, but Israeli opinion polls show strong public support for fighting on until Hamas is quelled.
Netanyahu faces intense pressure from abroad to stand his forces down. The United States and the U.N. Security Council have urged an immediate, unconditional ceasefire by both sides in Gaza to allow in humanitarian relief and for further talks on a more durable cessation of hostilities.
On Wednesday, the White House voiced worry at the deaths in Jabalya and other U.N.-run shelters shelled during the clashes.
"We are extremely concerned that thousands of internally displaced Palestinians who have been called on by the Israeli military to evacuate their homes are not safe in U.N.-designated shelters in Gaza," said National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan.
"We also condemn those responsible for hiding weapons in United Nations facilities in Gaza," she said, referring to three cases in which the UNRWA aid agency reported rockets found at its schools.
Israel briefly observed a July 15 ceasefire proposed by Egypt, but Hamas continued attacks, saying its conditions had been ignored. Egyptian officials say they put together a revised truce plan this week that had been provisionally accepted by Israel, though Hamas was still undecided.
(Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Ori Lewis and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Will Waterman)
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Sierra Leone declares a public emergency over Ebola and orders troops to quarantine infected areas as doctors say the virus is 'absolutely out of control'

Sierra Leone declares a public emergency over Ebola and orders troops to quarantine infected areas as doctors say the virus is 'absolutely out of control'

Ebola new preview
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia which will see police and the military restricting movements to and from disease epicentres. Of the 672 deaths so far, the highest number was in Guinea with 319, followed by Sierra Leone (top and bottom right) with 224 and Liberia with 129. Doctors Without Borders earlier said the threat of the disease spreading beyond western Africa, where medics (inset) are battling to contain the virus, is frighteningly real and fear it 'can only get worse'.

Sierra Leone declares a public emergency over Ebola and orders troops to quarantine infected areas as doctors say the virus is 'absolutely out of control'

  • Doctors Without Borders says West Africa not ready to handle Ebola
  • Airports and airlines placed on high alert to prevent disease reaching UK
  • Anyone who slips through will be held in highly secure hospital units
  • Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond declares outbreak 'a very serious threat'
  • Some experts predict 30,000 people could become infected in west Africa
Sierra Leone today declared a public health emergency to tackle the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola and will call in security forces to quarantine areas of the deadly virus.
President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia last night.
Koroma also announced he was cancelling a visit to Washington for a U.S.-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.
The move came as world's premier health charity issued a grave warning about the likely spread of the deadly Ebola virus - an epidemic it fears 'can only get worse'.
Doctors Without Borders (aka Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF]) says the threat of the disease spreading beyond western Africa, where it was first detected in Guinea in February, is frighteningly real and said it was 'absolutely out of control'.
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Crisis: A Médecins Sans Frontières medic treats a suspected Ebola patient in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, where a public health emergency has been declared in an effort to stop the spread of the disease
Crisis: A Médecins Sans Frontières medic treats a suspected Ebola patient in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, where a public health emergency has been declared in an effort to stop the spread of the disease
On high alert: The president of Sierra Leone said the police and military would restrict movements to and from epicentres and provide support to health workers to do their work unhindered
On high alert: The president of Sierra Leone said the police and military would restrict movements to and from epicentres and provide support to health workers to do their work unhindered


'Can only get worse': Of the 672 deaths, the highest number was in Guinea with 319, followed by Sierra Leone with 224 and Liberia with 129, the World Health Organisation said
The latest outbreak of Ebola is the most severe since the disease was discovered in 1976. So far the disease has spread from a village in Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that 1,201 Ebola cases had been reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Of the 672 deaths, the highest number was in Guinea with 319, followed by Sierra Leone with 224 and Liberia with 129, it added.
 
In a speech last night, Koroma said the measures would initially last between 60 and 90 days.
He said: 'I hereby proclaim a State of Public Emergency to enable us take a more robust approach to deal with the Ebola outbreak.
'All epicentres of the disease will be quarantined.'
Koroma said that the police and the military would restrict movements to and from epicenters and would provide support to health officers and NGOs to do their work unhindered, following a number of attacks on healthworkers by local communities.
Growing threat: President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures in Sierra Leone resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia
Growing threat: President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures in Sierra Leone resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia
Grim task: Health workers carry the body of an Ebola virus victim in Kenema, Sierra Leone, where 224 people have been killed by disease
Grim task: Health workers carry the body of an Ebola virus victim in Kenema, Sierra Leone, where 224 people have been killed by disease
Fearing for their lives: Patients wait in a Red Cross ambulance outside a treatment centre in Sierra Leone
Fearing for their lives: Patients wait in a Red Cross ambulance outside a treatment centre in Sierra Leone
Medical personnel at the Doctors Without Borders facility in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, where leading Ebola doctor Sheik Humarr Khan died
Medical personnel at the Doctors Without Borders facility in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, where leading Ebola doctor Sheik Humarr Khan died
He said that house-to-house searches would be implemented to trace Ebola victims and quarantine them.
He also said that new protocols had been established for passengers arriving and departing Lungi International Airport outside Freetown, but he did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, British airports and airlines were placed on high alert to prevent the virus reaching this country.
Passengers thought to have the virus will be barred from boarding flights heading to the UK – and will be held at immigration if they appear ill on arrival.
They will then be quarantined in highly secure isolation units, such as those at the Royal Free Hospital in North London.
But because it takes up to three weeks for symptoms to appear, there are fears some victims will slip through the net.
Doctors have been told to look out for symptoms of the disease and travellers returning from West Africa are urged to seek immediate medical help if they develop flu-like symptoms.
Experts predict 30,000 people could become infected by the incurable illness, which starts with flu-like symptoms before evolving to cause catastrophic internal bleeding, in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
It was the death of a U.S. citizen in the Nigerian capital of Lagos on Friday, that has prompted fears the disease could be on the brink of spreading to the West.
MSF director Bart Janssens told the newspaper Libre Belgique that the world has 'never known such an epidemic'.
MSF director Bart Janssens says the ebola virus is likely to spread out of control
MSF director Bart Janssens says the ebola virus is likely to spread out of control  
'This epidemic is unprecedented, absolutely out of control and the situation can only get worse, because it is still spreading, above all in Liberia and Sierra Leone, in some very important hotspots,' he said.
'We are extremely worried by the turn of events, particularly in these two countries where there is a lack of visibility on the epidemic.
'If the situation does not improve fairly quickly, there is a real risk of new countries being affected.
'That is certainly not ruled out, but it is difficult to predict, because we have never known such an epidemic.'
The death toll for this, the worst outbreak recorded since the Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, stands at 672, while more than 1,200 people have been infected.
A woman quarantined at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong has tested negative for the disease, despite returning from a trip to Kenya with Ebola-like symptoms.
Meanwhile two suspected patients in the UK have also tested negative.



Experts say a vaccine to prevent the deadly Ebola virus is between two to six years away from being available to use
Nigerian health officials are in the process of trying to trace 30,000 people, believed to be at risk of contracting the highly-infectious virus, following the death of Patrick Sawyer in Lagos
Outbreak: Samaritan's Purse medical staff spray disinfectant on a person who died from Ebola in Foya, Liberia
Outbreak: Samaritan's Purse medical staff spray disinfectant on a person who died from Ebola in Foya, Liberia
Concern: Ebola (above) has already killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and infected more than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in February. Symptoms include sudden fever, vomiting and headaches
Ebola (above) has already killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and infected more than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in February. Symptoms include sudden fever, vomiting and headaches
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who chaired a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergency committee on the outbreak yesterday, said Ebola was a ‘very serious threat’.
But he sought to calm fears, saying it ‘most unlikely’ that Ebola could spread within the UK because of ‘frankly different’ standards of infection control here.
He said the logical approach was to tackle the outbreak at its source in West Africa, adding: ‘We do not, at the moment, think this is an issue that affects the UK directly.’
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the NHS was looking at its capability and taking ‘precautionary measures’ but he was ‘very confident’ it will be able to cope if the disease arrived in the UK. In other developments:
  • The Foreign Office said it had not advised against travel to affected areas, but it was monitoring the situation closely.
  • Experts said the survival of anyone who catches the disease was ‘in the lap of the gods’.
  • Public Health England said the outbreak was ‘clearly not yet under control’ and was the most ‘acute health emergency’ facing Britain.
  • A charity warned that the outbreak was ‘speeding up rather than slowing down’ and the EU pledged £1.6million to stopping it spreading.
  • There was speculation the RAF will be called to repatriate any infected Britons from West Africa.
Stopping virus in its tracks: British airports like Gatwick (above) and airlines have been placed on high alert to prevent the virus reaching this country
Stopping virus in its tracks: British airports like Gatwick (above) and airlines have been placed on high alert to prevent the virus reaching this country

'IT SCARES THE JESUS OUTTA ME': OUTRAGE AS NIGERIAN 'NOLLYWOOD' STAR POSTS PICTURE WEARING EBOLA MASK AS HE FLEES LIBERIA

A Nigerian actor has sparked outrage after posting an image of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he flees Liberia.
'Nollywood' star Jim Iyke posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia -  where at least 600 people have already died from the disease.
The image of Iyke sitting on green leather-clad seats in the airport's luxury first class lounge while wearing an expensive designer watch and sunglasses was accompanied with the caption: 'Not ashamed to admit this scares the Jesus outta me #Ebola.'
Nigerian actor Jim Iyke posted this picture on his Instagram account, revealing he had cut short a business trip to Liberia over fears the Ebola virus is spreading in the West African country
Nigerian actor Jim Iyke posted this picture on his Instagram account, revealing he had cut short a business trip to Liberia over fears the Ebola virus is spreading in the West African country
The contrast between Iyke's image of first class luxury is in stark contrast to the thousands of terrified Liberians who are living in fear of contracting the deadly disease.
However, much of the anger about his image stemmed from fear among Nigerian citizens that Iyke appeared to be travelling back to the country without having been tested to see if he was infected.
Twitter user @Avariberry posted a message reading: 'Jim Iyke or Not... he gotta be screened. #TestJimIyke.'
Meanwhile @IcallDibbz_ said: 'Please ooo, James Ikechukwu, aka Jim Iyke, should be quarantined.'
Others picked up on the fact Iyke had an expensive face mask to protect himself, but was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt.
Health campaigners have petitioned U.S. authorities, calling for the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track their approval of a new Ebola drug, which could be the first cure for the disease
Health campaigners have petitioned U.S. authorities, calling for the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track their approval of a new Ebola drug, which could be the first cure for the disease
Professor Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the virus, although deadly, is 'in theory easy to contain'
Professor Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the virus, although deadly, is 'in theory easy to contain'
British Airways flies daily to Lagos and also has regular flights to Freetown in Sierra Leone and Monrovia in Liberia.
Staff at all airlines have the discretion to deny boarding. A BA spokesman said: ‘The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority.
‘We will fully comply with the guidance provided by local health authorities and continue to monitor the situation closely.’
Virgin Atlantic said its staff had been trained to spot symptoms, which range from flu-like fever and malaise initially, to vomiting, diarrhoea and, eventually, bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
It was unclear last night to what extent the UK would follow the practice of some countries and track down and quarantine all passengers on a plane used by a suspected sufferer.
'Precautionary measures': Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is 'very confident' the NHS will be able to cope if Ebola arrived in the UK
'Precautionary measures': Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is 'very confident' the NHS will be able to cope if Ebola arrived in the UK

But the tone of the latest official guidance suggested only those known to be in close physical proximity – five rows of seats surrounding the suspect – will be contacted for checks.
Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England, insisted that airline passengers had little to fear, as direct contact with bodily fluids is needed for the disease to spread.
But he admitted that ‘it is not impossible’ that someone who is infected could arrive in the UK before developing any symptoms.
Heathrow Airport said it had a medical team on constant duty with the power to detain, isolate or send to hospital people with suspicious symptoms.
Dr Derek Gatherer, a Lancaster University expert on disease spread, said: ‘There is no treatment – nothing you can do yourself. It’s in the lap of the gods if you’re lucky to be one of the few who survive.’
Dr Ben Neuman, a Reading University virologist, said Ebola will come here eventually – but predicted it will be caught and shut down by border staff.
The Foreign Office sought to play down the likelihood of an outbreak in the UK, saying the Government ‘is confident the UK has experienced people who are ready to deal with anything if it were to arrive here’.
It comes after Dr Derek Gatherer of the University of Lancaster declared the panic sparked by Mr Sawyer's death is 'justified' says, claiming the virus is as infectious as flu.
He warned each person infected with the disease could spread the virus to at least two other people.
'Anyone on the same plane could have become infected because Ebola is easy to catch,' he said.
'It can be passed on through vomiting, diarrhoea or even from simply saliva or sweat - as well as being sexually transmitted.
'That is why there is such alarm over Mr Sawyer because he became ill on the flight so anyone else sharing the plane could have been infected by his vomit or other bodily fluids.'

VIRUS 'EASY TO CONTAIN IN THEORY' SAYS MAN WHO DISCOVERED IT

Professor Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the scientist who discoverd the Ebola virus in 1976, in Zaire, said the disease, although aggressive is 'in theory easy to contain'.
He told CNN: 'Well it’s spectacular because once you get it, at least with this strain of Ebola, you’ve got like a 90 per cent chance of dying. 
'That’s spectacular by any standard – one of the most lethal viruses that exist. 
'On the other hand, you need really close contact to become infected. 
'So just being on the bus with someone with Ebola, that’s not a problem. 
'It’s also not iatrogenic [ph] so it’s not transmitted through, you know, droplets and so on. So it is really something that in theory is easy to contain.'
Meanwhile, a Nigerian actor Jim Iyke has sparked outrage, posting a picture of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he fled Liberia.
The 'Nollywood' star posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia - where at least 600 people have already died from the disease.
It comes as health campaigners today called for U.S. authorities to speed up their approval of a new drug hoped to be the first cure for the deadly Ebola virus.
They are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States to fast-track their authorisation of the TKM-Ebola drug.
The petition, created on change.org, states: 'One of the most promising is TKM-Ebola manufactured by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals.
'This drug has been shown to be highly effective in killing the virus in primates and Phase 1 clinical trials to assess its safety in humans were started earlier this year.'
In July the FDA put clinical trials on hold, despite the face 14 research participants had already safely tolerated the drug, campaigners said.
Those responsible for the petition added: 'Given that at least one patient has transferred the disease from Liberia to Nigeria by air travel, the possibility of a global pandemic becomes increasingly likely.
'In view of this it’s imperative that the development of these drugs be fast-tracked by the FDA and the first step should be releasing the hold on TKM-Ebola.
'There is a precedent for fast tracking anti-Ebola drugs in emergency cases as happened last year when a researcher was exposed to the virus and received an experimental vaccine.'
Mr Sawyer was put in isolation at the First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, one of the most crowded parts of the city, home to around 21 million people.
A number of patients have been discharged from Ebola treatment centres in Guinea after successfully beating the Ebola virus, says Médecins Sans Frontières
A number of patients have been discharged from Ebola treatment centres in Guinea after successfully beating the Ebola virus, says Médecins Sans Frontières
U.S. citizen Patrick Sawyer, pictured with his daughter Ava, died on Friday in the Nigerian capital of Lagos having become infected with the Ebola virus. His death prompted fears of a global pandemic after he flew from Liberia to Nigeria
U.S. citizen Patrick Sawyer, pictured with his daughter Ava, died on Friday in the Nigerian capital of Lagos having become infected with the Ebola virus. His death prompted fears of a global pandemic after he flew from Liberia to Nigeria
Decontee Sawyer, the wife of Liberian government official Patrick Sawyer, said she shudders to think how easily her husband could have returned to the U.S. carrying the disease
Decontee Sawyer, the wife of Liberian government official Patrick Sawyer, said she shudders to think how easily her husband could have returned to the U.S. carrying the disease
He took two flights to reach Lagos, from Monrovia to Lome and then onto the Nigerian capital.
So far 59 people who came into contact with Mr Sawyer have been identified by Nigerian health officials, and are under surveillance.
But health officials have said they are looking at contacting 30,000 people who could be at risk of contracting the disease.
Professor Sunday Omilabu, from Lagos University Teaching Hospital,  said health officials are in the process of tracing all those people who are thought to have been in contact with Mr Sawyer.
He said: 'We've been making contacts. We now have information about the (flight) manifest.
'We have information about who and who were around.
'So, as I'm talking, our teams are in the facility, where they've trained the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that were closely in contact with the patient.'
Public health adviser, Yewande Adeshina, added: 'We're actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario.
'Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect.'
Tragic: US citizen Patrick Sawyer (pictured with his wife Decontee) died after contracting Ebola in West Africa
Tragic: US citizen Patrick Sawyer (pictured with his wife Decontee) died after contracting Ebola in West Africa
The meeting came as the European Union today allocated an extra two million euros to help fight the Ebola outbreak, bringing total funding to 3.9 million euros.
EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, said: 'The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost.'
The European Union has deployed experts on the ground to help victims and try to prevent contagion but Georgieva called for a 'sustained effort from the international community to help West Africa deal with this menace'.
British airlines are on alert for cases of the deadly virus, after tests revealed a man died in Nigeria from the disease, having been allowed to board an international flight from Liberia.
Fears: Medical staff at Charing Cross Hospital in London became concerned a man in his twenties had caught the virus this week. However, his symptoms were later put down to another bug and Ebola was ruled out
Fears: Medical staff at Charing Cross Hospital in London became concerned a man in his twenties had caught the virus this week. However, his symptoms were later put down to another bug and Ebola was ruled out
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has met global health officials on implementing measures to halt the spread of the disease, as the pan-African ASKY airlines suspended all flights to and from the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
British Airways said it was maintaining its flights to west Africa but would monitor the situation closely.
A British man has also been tested for the Ebola virus, putting doctors on red alert that it could be on its way to the UK.
A spokesman for Hong Kong's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) will be notified if it is confirmed the patient is suffering from the Ebola virus.
In Nigeria health officials said today, they are in the process of tracing 30,000 people at risk of contracting the disease after coming into contact with a Liberian man who died on Friday.
Meanwhile, the British man was taken to hospital in Birmingham after complaining of feeling ‘feverish’ on a flight back to the Midlands from West Africa.
He had been travelling from Benin, Nigeria via Paris, France when he became unwell on Monday.

AIRLINES ON EBOLA RED ALERT

British airlines are on alert for cases of the deadly virus, after tests revealed a man died in Nigeria from the disease, having been allowed to board an international flight from Liberia.
Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s Finance Ministry, had been in Liberia for the funeral of his sister, who also died from the disease, and was on his way back to his home in the US.
The 40-year-old arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 20 and had suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea on two flights. He was put in isolation in hospital and died on Friday.
Nigeria has closed the Lagos hospital where Mr Sawyer was treated and put its airports and ports on 'red alert'.
ASKY airlines, the carrier which flew Mr Sawyer, suspended flights to the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone yesterday.
In Britain, the Department of Transport said UK airlines are 'monitoring the situation'.
Virgin Atlantic told the Daily Express their staff have been trained to spot the signs and symptoms of the virulent disease, which has claimed the lives of 672 people in West Africa since February.
However, after undergoing a number of tests he was given the all-clear for the virus which has already killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and infected more than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in February.
In another scare, medical staff at Charing Cross Hospital in London became concerned a man in his twenties had caught the virus this week.
But his symptoms were quickly confirmed as not being linked to the bug and doctors ruled out the need for an Ebola test.
Fears over the ability to contain the spread of Ebola were augmented last night as it emerged the body of a young stowaway was found hidden in on a U.S. military plane.
The Pentagon said the young boy, believed to be of African origin, was found near the wheel of a cargo plane which landed in Germany.
The plane was on a routine mission in Africa, and had made stops in Senegal, Mali, Chad, Tunisia and the Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily before arriving at Ramstein.
It is thought the boy climbed aboard in Mali, which borders Guinea - where the current Ebola outbreak originated at the end of last year.
It comes as hospitals and medical centres across the UK remain on red alert for the virus, with doctors being told to look out for symptoms of the disease which can go unnoticed for three weeks and kills 90 per cent of victims.
The Department of Health confirmed protections have been put in place to deal with the deadly bug, should it spread to Britain.
A spokesman said: ‘We are well prepared to identity and deal with any potential cases of Ebola, although there has never been a case in this country.’
The Government’s chief scientific advisor also issued a frank warning about the disease, which he said could have a ‘major impact’ on the UK.
Sir Mark Walport said: ‘The UK is fortunate in its geographical position. We’re an island. But we are living in a completely interconnected world where disruptions in countries far away will have major impacts.
‘The most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have emerged from other species,’ he told the Daily Telegraph, referring to the virus originating in fruit bats and monkeys.
He said the Government was ‘keeping a close eye’ on the outbreak and was prepared for the disease spreading to Britain, but insisted any risk was ‘very low’.
He added: ‘We have to think about risk and managing risk appropriately.’
Public Health England has added to fears about the spread of the virus by saying it was ‘clearly not under control’.
Virus: Symptoms of Ebola include high fever, bleeding, damage to the nervous system and vomiting
Outbreak: There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which is spread by contact with infected blood or bodily fluids
Outbreak: There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which is spread by contact with infected blood or bodily fluids
The Government agency’s global health director, Dr Brian McCloskey, said: ‘It is the largest outbreak of this disease to date, and it’s clear it is not under control.
‘We have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in those who have visited the affected area.’
The current outbreak started in Guinea in February and spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone in weeks. Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and damage to the nervous system.
There is no vaccine or cure. It is spread by contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids.
All outbreaks since 1976 – when Ebola was first identified – have been in Africa, with the previous highest death toll being 280.
However, authorities around the world have been put on high alert in recent weeks after an American doctor working in Liberia became infected and passed through an airport.
Nigerian health officials yesterday admitted they did not have a list of all the people who came into contact Patrick Sawyer, prompting fears the outbreak could spread.
But the manifesto appears to have been disclosed as Professor Sunday Omilabu, from Lagos University Teaching Hospital,  said health officials are in the process of tracing all those people who are thought to have been in contact with Mr Sawyer.
He said: 'We've been making contacts. We now have information about the (flight) manifest.
'We have information about who and who were around.
'So, as I'm talking, our teams are in the facility, where they've trained the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that were closely in contact with the patient.'
Public health adviser, Yewande Adeshina, added: 'We're actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario.
'Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect.' 
Spreading: The outbreak has hit Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and has now killed a man in far more densely populated Nigeria. The outbreak is the deadliest ever of the terrifying disease as the death toll crept past 670
Spreading: The outbreak has hit Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and has now killed a man in far more densely populated Nigeria. The outbreak is the deadliest ever of the terrifying disease as the death toll crept past 670
Mr Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s Finance Ministry, had been in Liberia for the funeral of his sister, who also died from the disease, and was on his way back to his home in the US.
The 40-year-old arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 20 and had suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea on two flights. He was put in isolation in hospital and died on Friday.
So far 59 people who came into contact with him have been identified and are under surveillance. But the airlines have yet to release flight information naming passengers and crew members.
Dr David Heymann, head of the Centre on Global Health Security, said every person who had been on the plane to Lagos with Mr Sawyer would need to be traced.
Sierra Leone’s top doctor fighting Ebola died yesterday after he contracted the virus just days ago. Sheik Umar Khan was credited with treating more than 100 patients.
Liberia closed most of its border crossings on Sunday and Nigeria’s airports and borders have been on full alert since Friday.

ARE YOU AT RISK OF CATCHING THE INCURABLE, DEADLY EBOLA DISEASE?

What is Ebola virus disease?
Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90 per cent.The illness affects humans as well as primates, including monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees.

How do people become infected with the virus?
Ebola is transmitted through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals.
In Africa infection in humans has happened as a result of contact with chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead in the rainforest.
Once a person becomes infected, the virus can spread through contact with a sufferer's blood, urine, saliva, stools and semen. A person can also become infected if broken skin comes into contact with a victim's soiled clothing, bed linen or used needles.
Men who have recovered from the disease, can still spread the virus to their partner through their semen for seven weeks after recovery.
The Ebola virus is fatal in 90 per cent of cases and there is no vaccine and no known cure
Who is most at risk?
Those at risk during an outbreak include:
  • health workers
  • family members or others in close contact with infected people
  • mourners with direct contact with the bodies of deceased victims
  • hunters in contact with dead animals
What are the typical signs and symptoms?
Sudden onset of fever, intense weakness,  muscle pain, headache and sore throat. That is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and internal and external bleeding.
The incubation period is between two and 21 days. A person will become contagious once they start to show symptoms.
When should you seek medical care?
If a person is in an area affected by the outbreak, or has been in contact with a person known or suspected to have Ebola, they should seek medical help immediately.

What is the treatment?
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. They need intravenous fluids to rehydrate them.
But there is currently no specific treatment for the disease. Some patients will recover with the appropriate care.

Can Ebola be prevented?
Currently there is no licensed vaccine for Ebola. Several are being tested but are not available for clinical use.
Is it safe to travel to affected areas?
The World Health Organisation reviews the public health situation regularly, and recommends travel or trade restrictions if necessary. The risk of infection for travellers is very low since person-to-person transmission results from direct contact with bodily fluids of victims.

Source: World Health Organisation
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