photo news: Pride of Britain Awards 2014

\\\

            
\\\

\

\\\\\\ 

Five Most Beautiful Places on Earth

Aogashima Volcano, Japan

Petra, Jordan

Chittorgarh Fort, India

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Venice, Italy

What Texas can learn from Nigeria when it comes to containing Ebola

While devastating reports continue to stream out of West Africa, where the deadly virus has overwhelmed already weak public health systems and left thousands of people dead, and anxiety grips the United States over the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the country, one nation serves as an example of hope: Nigeria, which appears to have successfully contained Ebola.

As concerns spread over U.S. hospital readiness, there are some lessons to be learned from Nigeria, where officials managed to get ahead of the fast-moving virus after it was brought into Africa's most populous country by an Ebola-infected man who'd flown into Lagos. This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the outbreak could be coming to an end in Nigeria, with no new Ebola cases since Aug. 31.

As in the U.S. case, Ebola arrived in Nigeria by passenger plane. But unlike Thomas Eric Duncan — who arrived in Dallas before he became symptomatic and was therefore not contagious during his flights from Liberia to Texas through Brussels and Dulles International Airport — Patrick Sawyer was already symptomatic when he landed in Lagos on July 20. At that point, Sawyer, Nigeria's Patient Zero, was contagious and dying.

It was a nightmare scenario with the potential to spiral out of control, given the bustling city of Lagos, Africa's largest, is a major transportation hub. As Sawyer was placed in isolation, public health officials had to track down every single person who'd come into contact with him, from the flights he'd boarded to the Lagos airport and the private hospital where he went after landing. And they had to do so quickly, making the process known as contact tracing a priority.

"In the whole system approach in beating the war on Ebola, contact tracing is the key public health activity that needs to be done," said Gavin MacGregor-Skinner, who helped with the Ebola response in Nigeria with the Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation. "The key is to find all the people that patient had direct close contact with."From that single patient came a list of 281 people, MacGregor-Skinner said. Every one of those individuals had to provide health authorities twice-a-day updates about their well-being, often through methods like text-messaging. Anyone who didn't feel well or failed to respond was checked on, either through a neighborhood network or health workers.

Nigeria took a "whole community approach," with everyone from military officials to church elders in the same room, discussing how to handle the response to the virus, MacGregor-Skinner said.

Such an approach, and contact tracing in general, requires people be open and forthright about their movements and their health, he said. Stigmatization of patients, their families and contacts could only discourage that, so Nigerian officials sent a message to "really make them look like heroes," MacGregor-Skinner said.

"This is the best thing people can do for Nigeria: They are going to protect and save Nigeria by being honest, by doing what they need to do, by reporting to the health commission," he said. This made people feel like they were a part of something extremely important, he said, and also took into account real community needs. "You got real engagement and compliance from the contacts. They're not running and hiding."

Sawyer had come into contact with someone who ended up in Port Harcourt. That person, a regional official, went to a doctor who ended up dying from Ebola in August. Within a week, 70 people were being monitored. It ballooned to an additional 400 people in that one city.Success stories of people coming through strict Ebola surveillance alive and healthy helped encourage more people to come forward, as they recognized that ending up in a contact tracer's sights didn't mean a death sentence.

In the end, contact tracers — trained professionals and volunteers — conducted 18,500 face-to-face visits to assess potential symptoms, according to the CDC, and the list of contacts throughout the country grew to 894. Two months later, Nigeria ended up with a total of 20 confirmed or probable cases and eight deaths.

The CDC also pointed to the robust public health response by Nigerian officials, who have had experience with massive public health crises in the past — namely polio in 2012 and large-scale lead poisoning in 2010.

When someone is on a contact list, that doesn't mean that person has to stay at home for the entire incubation period of 21 days from the last contact with someone who had Ebola. People on contact lists are not under quarantine or in isolation. They can still go to work and go on with their their lives. But they should take their temperature twice a day for 21 days and check in with health workers.

Officials in Texas began with a list of about 100 names; they have whittled the list down to 50 people who had some contact with Duncan. Of those, 10 are considered high-risk.

The CDC recommends that people without symptoms but who have had direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person sick with Ebola be put under either conditional release, meaning that they self-monitor their health and temperature and check in daily, or controlled movement. People under controlled movement have to notify officials about any intended travel and shouldn't use commercial planes or trains. Local public transportation use is approved on a case-by-case basis.When symptoms do develop, that's when the response kicks into high gear. People with Ebola are contagious only once they begin exhibiting symptoms, which include fever, severe headaches and vomiting.

While four people in Dallas are under government-ordered quarantine, that is not the norm. Those individuals "were non-compliant with the request to stay home. I don’t want to go too far beyond that," Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said Thursday.

On Friday, the four people were moved to a private residence from the apartment where Duncan had been staying when he became symptomatic.

A law enforcement officer will remain with them to enforce the order, and none of the people are allowed to leave until Oct. 19.

Duncan is the only person with an Ebola diagnosis in Dallas, and no one else is showing symptoms at the moment. But, as Nigeria knows, the work 

Obama, advisers weigh extra Ebola screening for travelers at US airports

President Obama is expected to meet with top health and security officials on Monday to consider whether to launch additional screening at U.S. airports for some travelers arriving from Ebola-stricken African nations. 

Two top U.S. health officials confirmed to Fox News on Monday that they were looking at those options as they try to contain the Ebola virus. 

"What will be discussed at the White House is the issue of entry screening," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. 

He explained that the first line of defense right now is for travelers to be screened when they attempt to leave the affected African nations. Officials have said dozens of travelers have been stopped from boarding this way after they exhibited symptoms at these departure points. 

Fauci said the president and his team are now looking at imposing an extra layer of screening -- by instituting new measures at U.S. airports. 

"That's certainly open for discussion," he said. 

Dr. Tom Frieden, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also confirmed that officials are "looking at those possibilities and others as well." 

He confirmed the extra screening might include asking travelers who they had contact with and checking to see if they have a fever. 

Obama is scheduled to get the update on the Ebola outbreak Monday afternoon from his national security team and other senior officials. 

The Obama administration has said that it won't shut down flights from affected countries, particularly those in West Africa, arguing this would be counterproductive by restricting aid flights. 

Fauci reiterated that point Monday, and Frieden also alluded to it on Fox News. 

"Nothing's off the table in terms of keeping Americans safe, except doing things that might actually backfire," Freiden said. 

But some lawmakers have called for the Obama administration to at least consider the possibility of a travel ban, considering the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States was confirmed last week in spite of existing measures. 

Amber Rose opens up on missing Wiz Khalifa: (I feel like my bestfriend died

     

         

ISIS set to capture Kobani, finish major land grab

ISIS fighters pounded the Syrian city of Kobani with tanks and heavy artillery Monday as the extremist group came closer to capturing the key city on the border with Turkey.

The fall of the city would carry huge symbolic and strategic weight, giving ISIS sway over an uninterrupted swatch of land between the Turkish border and its self-declared capital in Raqqa, Syria, 100 kilometers (62 miles) away.

Although the fight was not over, CNN crews on Monday spotted what appeared to be the black flag of ISIS flying from a hilltop on the eastern side of the city. The flag was farther east into the city from one shown flying atop a building in video from Reuters and also seen by the CNN crews.

The Turkish military, which has bulked up its defenses along the border in recent days as the fighting has flared, blocked people fleeing the fighting from crossing the border.

)

"We want to go across!" would-be refugees chanted as they pressed against a border fence.

A civilian in Kobani, who can't be named because of security concerns, estimated that few civilians remain in the city -- maybe 100. They are prepared to die should ISIS take over, he said.

The city's defenders vowed to keep fighting.

"We are afraid of this. We are obliged to defend our home, our town," Kurdish Kobani official Idriss Nassan said. "We didn't choose this war, but we are obliged to fight."

Yet, members of the Kurdish People's Protection Unit, called YPG, and other groups defending the city couldn't move overnight because of ISIS snipers equipped with night vision equipment, a fighter inside the city told CNN

Source:CNN

Former President Olusegun :Chibok girls may never return

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that some of the missing Chibok girls may never return and we'll continue to read about them in years to come. He said this yesterday Oct 5th while speaking at the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation 

"I believe that some of them will never return.  We will still be hearing about them many years from now, some will  give birth to children of the Boko Haram members, but if they cannot take care of them in the forest, they may release them.” 

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to confer with leaders of Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin Republic on further collaboration against terrorism

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will undertake a one-day official visit to Niamey, capital of Niger Republic tomorrow, Tuesday, October 7, 2014 to participate in an Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

President Jonathan and other participating Heads of State and Government are expected to review ongoing collaboration against terrorism and agree on further joint action to curb terrorism and insurgency within and across their national boundaries. 

It will be recalled that President Jonathan and the Heads of State and Government of the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin Republic resolved at a meeting in Paris in May this year to intensify joint efforts to curtail terrorism and violent extremism.

At the Paris Summit hosted by President Francois Hollande of France in the aftermath of the dastardly abduction of the Chibok College girls,  President Jonathan and neighbouring heads of state and government also  agreed to establish joint anti-terrorism patrols and a system of sharing  intelligence to support operations against terrorists and other cross-border criminals.

They likewise agreed to create a dedicated team to draw up and advise on the implementation of a regional counter-terrorism strategy under the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.  

Benin Republic, which participated in the Paris Summit but is not a member of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, has been invited to the Niamey talks.

The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in 1964 by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon with the mandate of sustainably and equitably managing   shared water resources of the Lake Chad Basin and promoting regional integration, peace and security across the Basin.

President Jonathan who will be accompanied to Niamey by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, the Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the Chief Of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Barde and other senior government officials will return to Abuja at the conclusion of the one-day summit.

Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

October 6, 2014

Hollywood Big Wigs Pawns in New Nigerian Money Scam

How would you like to be the assistant to a MAJOR Hollywood producer?  You can get the job now by going online.  You will receive a job offer and an assignment ... that will ultimately screw you out of thousands of dollars, thanks to Nigerian fraudsters.

Here's the fraud by the numbers ...

-- People who want to break into Hollywood post resumes on various websites.  Some of them get an email from people claiming to be major Hollywood players, looking for an assistant.

-- The "players" -- who actually register Gmail accounts using the names of the actual big shots -- offer jobs to the super-eager applicants from all over the country.

-- The "players" give the applicants a start date and a first assignment, to get their feet wet.

-- The "players" actually send the applicants a check to deposit -- usually for $3,000 -- and then purchase pre-loaded debit cards.  The applicants are told to send the cards to several charities near and dear to the "players."

-- But since the applicants haven't even had their first day of work, the "players" tell them to snap a photo of the debit cards with the numbers to prove they followed instructions correctly ... kind of a test.

-- The applicants then dutifully send the pics and the "players" then execute the fraud by draining the cards with online shopping.  

So, by the time the charity gets the cards the account is dry.

As for the checks ... well, they look like the real deal, but they're fake.  So by the time your bank figures out the scam, the money is spent and you're on the hook.

We've confirmed the names of 2 big wigs are being used ... famed director Louis Leterrier and big-time producer Alex Orlovsky -- he made Ryan Gosling.  

Actress Lively Blake is expecting her first baby.

Actress Blake Lively is pregnant and revealed the good news herself by posting a pic of her baby bump on her website, Preserve. The 27 year old married actor Ryan Reynolds on September 9th, 2012. 

Photo: How Iraq Slave Markets Sell Women for $10 to Attract Isis Recruits

Islamic militants in Iraq have created slave markets, trading and selling women and children of Christian and Yazidi groups, according to UN investigators.

At least 2,500 women and children have been imprisoned, sexually abused and sold for around $10 each by Isis slavers.

According to the International Business Times,The slave markets in the al-Quds area of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria have been used as a way of attracting new recruits to Islamic State, the UN said according to a Times report.

Women who were captured at the end of August managed to contact the UN, having kept hold of their mobile phones. They reported being subject to sexual assaults

One 13-year-old Yazidi girl gave a harrowing account of what happened to her after she was abducted by Isis from her village on 3 August.

"She stated that ISIL [Islamic State] took hundreds of women who had not been able to flee to Jabal Sinjar,""The girl stated that she was raped several times by several ISIL fighters, before she was sold to a market."

One Yazidi woman was given to 10 Islamic State men. 

"We were sold for $10 or $12. Who could accept that behaviour? Can God accept that?" the woman told Euronews. "It's a shame to rape a woman, but when she is raped by 10 men... what is this? They are animals, they are not humans. Because of them I am afraid all the time."

She managed to flee her captors with the help of sympathetic local residents and sought safety in Mosul.

A 17-year-old woman said she was being held captive with 40 other Yazidi women by Islamic State fighters.The newspaper was able to interview her by calling her on her mobile phone, after being given the number by her parents, who are in a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"I beg you not to publish my name because I'm so ashamed of what they are doing to me. There's a part of me that just wants to die. But there is another part of me that still hopes that I will be saved and that I will be able to embrace my parents once again,"

We've asked our jailers to shoot us dead, to kill us, but we are too valuable for them. They keep telling us that we are unbelievers because we are non-Muslims and that we are their property, like war booty. They say we are like goats bought at a market."