New York Times: Opinion: Imagine a World Without AIDS – For those who did their medical training at the start of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., it is hard to imagine the state of the disease today. “But to even contemplate … the beginning of the end is something that my peers and I never imagined happening in our lifetimes.” (Danielle Ofri)
AFP: Poor S. African kids unlike to escape poverty: World Bank – New World Bank research found that in South Africa, “a child’s gender and ethnicity at birth, combined with a lack of education, largely determine that person’s chances of success in life.” South Africa exhibits a shockingly high and persistent inequality and marginalization for an upper middle-income country. The wealthiest 10 percent of South Africans account for 58 percent of the nation’s income, while the bottom 10 percent accounts for a mere .5 percent. (Sibongile Khumalo)
Wall Street Journal: Ebola Outbreak in Uganda Kills 14 – The world’s first major outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever has hit midwestern Uganda, and it could have spread – even to capital city Kampala –before it was identified. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni issued a warning for individuals to avoid physical contact, as that is how the virus spreads. (Nicholas Bariyo and Betsy McKay)
NYTimes: Op-Ed: Africa’s Third Liberation – The last ten years have produced Africa’s best decade of economic expansion since the end of the colonial era, thanks to “increased commodity prices fueled by Chinese demand,” improved systems of African governance and growing democracy. Converting this growth into development and jobs will require African countries to diversify their reliance on raw materials and to develop a new “growth ideology.” African countries must also develop a more effective educational system that simultaneously reaches as many children as possible while producing a more qualified work force. (Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills)
