PHILADELPHIA – From the moment she was born, much of the country assumed Jaimee Drakewood was doomed. Her mother had her in the throes of a crack cocaine addiction. She was, as the politicians dubbed it, a crack baby. “I immediately get defensive,” Drakewood, now 25, says about hearing the …
Read More »Healing Cameroonians Chinese style
Yaounde, Cameroon – On the day Hu Guang was supposed to fly back home to China’s Si Cuan Cheng Du province, she checked the weather. The forecast? Heavy snow and frigid temperatures. That’s the day Huang decided to remain in the dependably warm African country of Cameroon, with its mountainous landscapes and sunny …
Read More »Ebola-related deaths pass 10,000 mark
The tally of Ebola-related deaths has passed the grim milestone of 10,000, mostly in West Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. The UN health agency said on Thursday that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone alone had reported 10,004 confirmed, probable and suspected deaths from the virus since the beginning of the biggest-ever Ebola outbreak …
Read More »Gaza fishermen: A life under attack
Gaza City – Abu Mohammad el-Hissi spent his whole life working on fishing boats before eventually becoming head of the Gaza-based Palestinian Fishermen’s Society. Due to the eight-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza, the 70-year-old Hissi says Palestinian fishermen can no longer make a decent living. “This work isn’t enough to …
Read More »Russia cuts interest rates as rouble crisis eases
Russia’s central bank has cut its key interest rate by one percentage point to 14%, as concerns over inflation recede as Russia’s economy falters. The move, which was widely expected, comes as the rouble stabilises following its radical 46% decline in 2014. That drop prompted the bank to increase rates …
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