IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Zambia

Vice-president is interim leader

Zambian Vice-President Guy Scott has been named the interim leader of Africa's second-largest copper producer, a government minister said on Wednesday, a day after President Michael Sata died in London aged 77.

Russia

Putin cancer rumors blasted

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Wednesday ridiculed US media reports that the Russian strongman may be suffering from cancer, saying he was fine and that journalists should "shut their trap".

Dmitry Peskov blasted those behind speculation that the 62-year-old Putin was in ill health. The New York Post on Friday cited "sources" as saying Putin was suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Somalia

UN chief calls for urgent aid

UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Wednesday that Somalia risks returning to famine without urgent aid, as he visited the war-torn country three years after more than 250,000 people died of hunger. "Over 3 million Somalis are in need of humanitarian assistance and unfortunately that number is growing. I urge donors to step up contributions to avert another famine in Somalia," Ban said in the capital Mogadishu.

United Kingdom

Appeal made for anti-Ebola funds

Britain's Disasters Emergency Committee launched an appeal for money to help stop Ebola in West Africa on Wednesday, the first time the charitable group has sought to raise money in response to a disease. The DEC, made up of 13 of the country's biggest aid charities, including Oxfam and the British Red Cross, said the Ebola appeal reflects the fact that the disease is causing a humanitarian catastrophe. Historically the DEC's appeals have focused on disasters such as floods, famines, earthquakes, typhoons and war. The Ebola outbreak that began in March has killed nearly 5,000 people, according to World Health Organization figures.

Reyters - AFP

(China Daily 10/30/2014 page11)