News in Brief

Ebola death toll passes 3,000: WHO
Afp, Geneva

The death toll in the world's worst-ever Ebola epidemic has now soared past 3,000, with the virus killing almost half of the more than 6,500 people it has infected, according to World Health Organization figures released Saturday. In its latest update, the UN health agency said a total of 6,574 people had been infected across five west African countries and that of those, 3,091 had died.

Afghan new leader's inauguration today
Afp, Kabul

Afghanistan will host a grand presidential inauguration today, with former US-based academic Ashraf Ghani taking power as Nato troops end their 13-year war without defeating the fierce Taliban insurgency. Ghani succeeds outgoing President Hamid Karzai after a three-month standoff over disputed election results that fuelled the insurgency and worsened Afghanistan's dire economic outlook.

British minister resigns over 'explicit photos'
Afp, London

A British minister announced his unexpected resignation as a Sunday newspaper reported he had sent an explicit photo of himself online, in the latest setback to David Cameron's Conservative-led government. The Sunday Mirror reported the 56-year-old married father of five exchanged a series of sexually explicit photos online with a freelance male reporter who was posing as a young female activist.

Police officers shot at in Ferguson
Afp, Washington

Two police officers were shot at, leaving one wounded, in the city of Ferguson, where the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen triggered race riots and national outrage. Ferguson has seen large protests take place since Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead on August 9 by a white police officer. The college-bound teen was shot at least six times by police officer Darren Wilson and his body was left in the street for several hours before it was removed.

23 Pak militants killed
Afp, Peshawar

At least 23 militants have been killed in a US drone attack, raids by jet fighters and a gunfight in Pakistan's restive northwestern tribal areas, officials said yesterday. The military has been fighting since June to destroy longstanding bases of the Taliban and other militants in the tribal areas. More than 1,000 militants and 86 soldiers have been killed in the assault so.