Huffington Post: A New Beginning, a New Funding Model – The Global Fund has launched a new funding model this week that is built to capitalize on open interaction and information flow. The goal of the new funding model is to achieve greater impact in the lives of people affected by HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. The cornerstone of the new approach is continuous communication, as more open dialogue allows cooperative partners to more effectively confront and ultimately defeat these terrible diseases. The new funding model also provides countries that implement grants with more flexibility around when they apply for funds and more predictability on the level of funding that will be available. (Dr. Mark Dybul)
NYTimes: African Trial of H.I.V. Drugs Fails – On Monday, scientists reported failure in a large African trial of three different ways to protect women against H.I.V. The failure was not due to the methods, but to the fact that the women did not use them consistently. Adherence among the more than 5,000 women participating in the study in South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe was “very low.” Although 95 percent of the women in the study made their monthly clinic visits and 70 percent said they were using the pills or gel, blood test suggest that only 25 percent actually were. The researchers posit that this low adherence rate can be attributed to the fact that young people have a tendency to think “they are invulnerable.” (Donald McNeil Jr)
AP: In Kenya Vote, ICC Indictee Takes Early Lead – Deputy Prime Minister Ukuru Kenyatta, who faces charges at the International Criminal Court, has taken an early lead in the Kenyan presidential election with about a third of the ballots counted. Kenyatta currently has 54 percent of the vote to Prime Minister Raila Ordinga with 41 percent. The vote commission has seven days to release certified results, and either Kenyatta or Odinga need more than 50 percent of the vote to win. Election officials estimate that turnout as about 70 percent of 14 million registered voters.
The Guardian: Kenya braced for fresh cliché crisis – As critical elections loom in Kenya, there is a pressing need not only for clichés, but for colorful phrases, authentic quotes and fresh sources as foreign correspondents fly in to cover the election. Analysts and observers joined diplomats in dismissing fears that coverage of the forthcoming poll will be threatened by a shortage of clichés. Every reporter will be issued with an election package and non-government organizations are understood to have teams on standby, ready to supply quotes about rampant corruption, grinding poverty, and soaring unemployment. Additional sources on standby will include experts, diplomats, witnesses and observers. (Elkim Namlo)
