The mood was somber with news that at least 6 conference goers were killed in downed Malaysian Airlines, including a former president of the International AIDS Society. Previous reports of over 100 delegate-goers killed were incorrect. The conference will go-on. On Wednesday, Bill Clinton will give an address on Wednesday.“Other key events include, the plenary session on Monday 21 July with an address on the “Future of Science in the HIV Response” by Tony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, will speak on investment in the HIV response; Helen Clark, Administrator of United Nations Development Programme, will present the future of the HIV response in the post-2015 landscape; and Sean Strub, Writer, Activist, and Director of The Sero Project will moderate a debate on how new prevention technologies affect disclosure, prevention and stigma.” (http://www.aids2014.org/)
A Deadly Day in Gaza for Both Sides; Allegation of a Massacre…More than 400 people have been killed since the conflict began, including over 100 children. “More than 60 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed as Israel shelled a Gaza neighborhood and battled militants on Sunday in the bloodiest fighting in a near two-week-old offensive. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of carrying out a massacre in Shejaia in the eastern suburbs of the city of Gaza and declared three days of mourning. Israel’s army said it was targeting militants from Gaza’s dominant Hamas group whom it alleged had fired rockets from Shejaia and built tunnels and command centers there. The army said it had warned locals two days earlier to leave.” ( Reuters)
Africa
Ebola virus in Sierra Leone is killing dozens by the week. Medical workers have responded by expanding a field hospital, taking extraordinary measures to contain infection. (NPR)
Three years after famine in Somalia killed a quarter of a million people in six months, aid agencies warned Sunday a new catastrophe is looming unless urgent aid arrives. (Yahoo)
South Sudanese rebels and government soldiers clashed in the northern town of Nasir on Sunday, adding to fears that a shaky ceasefire agreement signed in May could totally collapse. (Reuters)
Mediators and participants at the Brazzaville forum to discuss the Central African Republic crisis should reject any calls for an amnesty for serious human rights crimes. (HRW)
Nigeria’s press is traditionally free to write almost anything about anyone – whether it’s true or not. After 15 years of democracy, journalists believe the state is trying to tame the vibrant, prolific media during its faltering campaign to stamp out the militant Islamist group. (Reuters)
MENA
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting late Sunday on the situation in Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll passed 100 in a single day. (Boston Herald)
Flights have resumed from two small airports in Libya triggering a rush of Libyans and expatriates trying to leave the country on Saturday after fighting closed the main international airport a week earlier. (Reuters)
The United States Defense Department has confirmed that it has received reports from US teams sent to Iraq to examine the military and security situation there. But a department spokesman said that it could take some time before any decision is made about what to do next. (VOA)
Lebanon has arrested a man who spurred his two-year-old son to beat up a Syrian child after a video of the shocking blows went viral, state media reported on Sunday. (Yahoo)
Asia
The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in four decades has killed 16 people after claiming at least 94 lives in the Philippines, officials said. (AP)
The death toll from Typhoon Rammasun in the Philippines rose to 94 — with six missing — as another storm brought rains to the ravaged areas, authorities said Sunday. (AP)
The alleged rape of a Buddhist woman by two Muslim men that triggered religious violence in the central Myanmar city of Mandalay was fabricated, authorities said Sunday. (AP)
The Americas
Mexican authorities begin the transfer of children from the House of the Big Family children’s home, as families complain of abuse. (BBC)
With the red and black flags of the Sandinista National Liberation Front waving in the crowd before him, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega this weekend celebrated the anniversary of the revolution he helped lead 35 years ago. (VOA)
Opinion/Blogs
Why travelling for work is awful, and the best (WhyDev)
Is ‘Green Growth’ just the latest development fad? (DevPolicy)
Is Mosul anything like Chicago’s South Side? (Rachel Strohm)
Who’s Right and Wrong in the Middle East? (NY Times)
Facebook and Politics in Zimbabwe: Who is Baba Jukwa? (Africa is a Country)
How to avoid building more bad roads? (Development that Works)
What to Expect at This Year’s International AIDS Conference (CGD)
Can Drones Save Namibia’s Wildlife? (Policy Innovations)
For a deeper dive into the issues on the table this week in Australia, Mark spoke with Erin Hohlfelder of ONE Campaign. (Global Dispatches Podcast)
