Liberia declared free of Ebola

This past Saturday the World Health Organization declared Liberia free of Ebola virus transmission. More than forty days have passed since the last laboratory-confirmed case was buried on 28 March 2015. The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over. Interruption of transmission is a monumental achievement for a country that reported the highest number of deaths in the largest, longest, and most complex outbreak since Ebola first emerged in 1976. At the peak of transmission, which occurred during August and September 2014, the country was reporting from 300 to 400 new cases every week.

EU seeks UN permissions military action against smuggling

As private rescue operations of stranded migrants continue, the European Union will ask the United Nations for permission to launch military operations against smuggling rings that set off from Libya. The European Union has said it will intensify border protection efforts on the Mediterranean (which currently falls largely on the Italians) but humanitarian groups have said the efforts fall far short of the relief that migrants need to reach safety and have a chance to apply for political asylum.

New York nuclear power plant fire sparks environmental worry

A transformer failure at the Indian Point nuclear power plant caused an explosion and fire at the facility Saturday evening near Buchanan, New York. The fire broke out on the non-nuclear side of the plant, about 200 yards away from the reactor building. No one was injured in the blaze. The following day it was reported that an estimated several thousand gallons of oil spilled into the Hudson River as a result of the fire. The events have sparked concern regarding the environmental damage they may have caused.