Liberian officials report case of Ebola
MONROVIA, Liberia – Health officials in Liberia said Friday they had confirmed a new case of the deadly Ebola disease, more than two months after the West African nation was declared Ebola-free for a second time.
It is a setback for Liberia, one of the three countries hit hardest by the worst Ebola outbreak in history. The country has recorded more than 10,600 cases and more than 4,800 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Liberia was first declared Ebola-free on May 9, but new cases emerged in June resulting in two deaths. WHO declared the country Ebola-free again on Sept. 3.
The new case is a 10-year-old boy who lives in the eastern Paynesville district of Monrovia, said Dr. Francis Kateh, chief medical officer and acting head of Liberia’s Ebola Case Management System. Kateh said the boy was being taken to a treatment center outside Monrovia.
1,111-carat diamond found in Botswana
JOHANNESBURG – A Canadian mining company operating in Botswana says it has found the second largest “gem quality” diamond ever discovered.
The Lucara Diamond Corporation said in a statement this week that the stone measures 1,111 carats, making it the biggest find in more than a century.
The Royal Collection Trust, which oversees British royal treasures, says the largest diamond ever found was the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, unearthed in South Africa in 1905. That diamond was cut into smaller pieces that are part of the crown jewels.
Obama vows to close Guantanamo prison
MANILA, Philippines – President Barack Obama vowed Thursday to work “meticulously” with Congress to try to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, and said he saw no reason for the Paris attacks to derail his long-planned push to make good on an unfulfilled campaign promise.
Speaking to reporters at an economic summit, Obama suggested he still intended to submit a plan to Congress outlining a strategy to close Guantanamo, although he did not offer a time frame. The White House had hoped to send the plan to Congress this week, but the process is stalled over concern about cost estimates, officials said.
“We are going to go through meticulously with Congress what our options are,” Obama after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The comments were aimed at critics who’ve held up the attacks in Paris that killed 129 as fresh evidence that the U.S. cannot risk transferring the detainees either to other countries or a U.S. facility.
Associated Press
