The UN humanitarian coordinator in Haiti has told the BBC his organization is still preparing for the possibility of a national outbreak of cholera. Nigel Fisher said that while the epidemic may be stabilizing in the Artibonite region, it could still spread across the country. And he hoped people weren’t being complacent. Cholera experts have expressed surprise that the speed with which Haiti’s government moved to say the epidemic’s stabilizing, given the possibility that it could take hold in the crowded capital Port-au-Prince.
The youngest inmate of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp has pleaded guilty to killing an American soldier in Afghanistan eight years ago when he was 15 and was still technically a juvenile. The detainee, Omar Khadr, who is a Canadian citizen, was appearing before a military tribunal of the camp. He’s also admitted planting roadside bombs.
The US says it remains suspicious of Iran’s intentions in making cash payments to the government of Afghanistan. The State Department spokesman P J Crowley said Washington did not question Iran’s right to provide financial assistance or Kabul’s right to accept it, but he added that Tehran had a track record of meddling in its neighbor’s affairs.
We remain skeptical of Iran’s motives, given its history of playing a destabilizing role with its neighbors. We hope that Iran will take responsibility to play a constructive role in the future of Afghanistan.