Liberia is still Ebola free, but the other two hardest hit countries are experiencing an upsurge. “A rise in Ebola cases on the border of Sierra Leone and Guinea has sparked fears that efforts to rid the countries of the deadly virus are ‘back to square one.’ The spike in infections comes weeks after the World Health Organization reported a 10-month low, with just nine cases in both countries in the week ending 10 May.

“But, since then, the WHO has said: ‘Both the intensity and the geographical area of Ebola virus disease transmission have increased.’ In its latest situation report, it said 31 confirmed cases of the virus had been reported in the week ending 7 June – 16 cases in Guinea and 15 in Sierra Leone. ‘This is the second consecutive weekly increase in case incidence, and the highest weekly total number of cases reported from Sierra Leone since late March,’ it said.” (Guardian http://bit.ly/1FLWJXw)

So far from Japan

The new center-right Finnish government has decided to cut development aid by 43 percent, prompting furious reactions from NGOs and fears other EU countries will follow its example. (Guardian http://bit.ly/1B5FuUu)

Envoy out

The U.N. special envoy to the Great Lakes region has quit his role facilitating talks between rival factions in Burundi’s political crisis but is staying on in his broader regional position, a U.N. official said on Thursday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1I3GZj6)

Quote of the day:

“Evidence from two peacekeeping mission countries demonstrates that transactional sex is quite common but underreported in peacekeeping missions,” concluded a U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services draft. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1B5FSlS)