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The World Health Organization took a highly unusual step of recommending that an unproven drug be distributed to fight the outbreak. ”The group of 12 international experts convened by the WHO concluded it was ethical in the situation in west Africa to offer unproven treatments with as yet unknown efficacy and adverse effects, either as treatment or prevention. But they made clear high ethical standards must be observed. There must be complete transparency about the implications of the treatment and patients and their families must give informed consent – which means they must understand the risks as well as the possible benefits. There must also be freedom of choice, confidentiality, respect for the person, preservation of dignity and involvement of the community, the WHO said in a statement. (Guardian http://bit.ly/1l0V0ZU)
Africa’s Youth Population to Swell…If present trends continue, by 2050 Nigeria will account for one in every 10 births globally. A new report from UNICEF for International Youth Day. “Africa’s under-18 population will swell by two-thirds to reach almost a billion by 2050, a new UN report says. The findings show a “massive shift in the world’s child population towards Africa”, it says. Its projections indicate that by 2050, about 40% of all children will be in Africa, up from around 10% in 1950. This is despite the fact that child mortality rates in Africa will remain high, it says. The continent currently accounts for about half of child mortality globally and the proportion could rise to around 70% per cent by 2050, according to the Generation 2030/Africa Report released by Unicef, the UN’s child agency. BBC http://bbc.in/1l0VvmO
Africa
There are reports that South Sudan’s warring factions are arming themselves for another bout of fighting, a delegation from the U.N. Security Council said on Tuesday, threatening both sides with sanctions amid growing fears of a man-made famine. (Reuters http://reut.rs/Y2uYef)
An ECOWAS official has died from Ebola in Nigeria, the West African regional bloc said on Tuesday, taking the total number of deaths in the country from the virus to three. (AFP http://bit.ly/Y2u4ys)
What Uganda can teach west Africa about the ebola outbreak. (BBC http://bbc.in/1l0WinF)
On a lighter side, here’s a list of the African airlines that are most likely to lose your bags. (Mail and Guardian http://bit.ly/1l0TEOL)
South Africa’s ex-President Thabo Mbeki has called for a boycott of Israeli goods to show solidarity with Palestinians. (BBC http://bbc.in/1l0WpQi)
Spain picked up more than 700 African migrants trying to enter the country by boat on Tuesday, while hundreds more tried to scramble over a border fence into the Spanish territory of Melilla (AFP http://bit.ly/Y2ua9a)
MENA
An Iraqi army helicopter crashed on its way to deliver aid to stranded IDPs in Iraq. The pilot was killed and several passengers, including a New York Times journalist and a Parliamentarian, were injured. (NYT http://nyti.ms/1l0WaVe)
Yazidi Refugees in Turkey recount their harrowing escape from ISIS (HuffPo http://bit.ly/1l0TEOL)
Iraq’s new prime minister-designate won swift endorsements from uneasy mutual allies the United States and Iran on Tuesday as he called on political leaders to end crippling feuds that have let jihadists seize a third of the country. (Reuters http://reut.rs/1l0UoDI)
Asia
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused Pakistan of waging a “proxy war” and vowed to strengthen his country’s armed forces in a speech during a rare visit to disputed Kashmir. (CSM http://bit.ly/1l0VPC0)
The Americas
A shallow 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Ecuadoran capital Quito Tuesday, triggering landslides that killed at least two people and violently shaking buildings and homes. (AFP http://bit.ly/Y2tXmn)
A Chilean woman became the first legal medical marijuana patient in Latin America (NBC http://nbcnews.to/1l0WJOV)
Opinion
Improving sexual and reproductive health for young adolescents in Kenya. Gates Foundation/Impatient Optimists http://bit.ly/Y2uFjJ
An interactive series about the history of USAID. (Devex http://bit.ly/Y2vY1Q)
Despite America’s pledge to invest $33 billion in Africa’s economies, federal trade laws must change to further improve U.S.-Africa trade relations, says former under secretary of state for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer in Forbes http://bit.ly/1l0UFXb