Love in the time of Ebola

I have found the geopolitics and epidemiology of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) particularly intriguing. It was first discovered in 1976 in the erstwhile Zaire, the quintessential failed state in Africa. After the brutal assassination of Patrice Lumumba in 1961, Mobutu Sese Seko was installed as a puppet king. A murderous and corrupt tyrant, Mobutu ruled his people with a merciless iron hand for the better part of three decades. Apart from the marble palace he built in his ancestral home village of Gbadolite, Mobutu did not construct a single school or clinic from what the Belgians left during their precipitate exit from King Leopold’s benighted estate.

Martyred Army Soldier Family Criticises Modi Government Over Death

The grieving family members of an Indian Army soldier who lost his life fighting terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir's Kupwara district on Sunday slammed the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of not taking enough steps to protect the soldiers.

The body of 22-year-old jawan Rahul Kumar, a soldier of the 23 Grenadier Regiment, reached his native village in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr on Tuesday morning.

Three Die in Ludhiana Factory Fire

Three people on Monday died in a major fire that broke out in a wool factory in Ludhiana.
Suraj, Raju and Chander were burnt alive inside a factory unit as the owner had locked it from outside, Station House Officer Maninder Bedi said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, he said, adding, the bodies have been sent for post mortem. Factory owner Surinder Singh has been arrested under Section 304 of IPC (unintentional murder), Bedi said.
Ludhiana is a municipal corporation in the district of the same name and a major city in the Indian state of Punjab, is famous for its agriculture and manufacturing industries. It ranks as the biggest city in Punjab. The city is regarded as an important industrial hub in Northern India.

First WHO Worker Stricken With Ebola

For the first time, a worker with the World Health Organization has fallen ill from Ebola, the WHO told CNN on Sunday.
The health worker, a man from Senegal, is in Sierra Leone and receiving care, the WHO said. No further details were given immediately.
When asked how the worker contracted the virus, a WHO spokesperson said officials don’t yet know all the details.
Separately, a British citizen infected with the virus in Sierra Leone is being flown home, the British Department of Health announced Sunday.

Sterling Bank Appoints New Chairman

Sterling Bank Plc has appointed Asue Ighodalo as the new chairman of its board of directors. Ighodalo succeeds S.A Adegunwa who retired from the bank after twelve years of exceptional service.

In a statement by the bank’s chief executive, Yemi Adeola, he commended the outgoing chairman for contributing immensely to the sustained growth of the bank.

During his tenure, Dr. Adegunwa provided purposeful leadership and demonstrated his undivided commitment to ensuring that Sterling Bank occupies its rightful place in the banking industry, whilst bringing his diverse experience in international business to bear on the fortunes of the Bank”, the statement read in part.

No Plan to Review Traffic Law on Okada Operation in Lagos

The Lagos State Government Sunday debunked insinuations, especially in the social media, of a plan to review the State’s Road Traffic Law 2012 as it concerns operations of commercial motorcycles (Okada) saying it has no intention of reversing itself on the matter as the Law was made in response to popular public demand.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Raji, the Government emphasized that it has no plans, either now on in the near future, to reverse itself on the matter of Okada operation in the State pointing out that by that decision considerable gains have been made in the area of protection of life and property in the State.

MDCAN Hails FG Over Fight Against Ebola

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), has commended the Federal Government’s proactive and prompt response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the country.
MDCAN made the commendation in a statement, signed by its President, Dr. Steven Oluwole, at the end of its Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, at the weekend.
The group therefore called on the government to provide better protection for the health personnel in the forefront of the fight against the disease.
MDCAN, however, said that considering the measures being taken by the government in an effort to contain the disease, there was no need for the closure of the country’s border and grounding of flights.