Dozens of people are quarantined in Bangkok to prevent the spread of the deadly MERS virus

In South Korea last year, a single person spread the virus causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) to 186 others, 36 of whom died as a result. Now Thailand, having identified the virus in a visitor from Oman on Jan. 22, has placed dozens of people in quarantine. It's the second MERS case that Thailand has reported in the past seven months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The previous one was reported in June, and also involved an Omani traveler.

“The new case of MERS CoV is a reminder of the continued risk of importation of the disease from countries where it still persists," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director for the WHO in Southeast Asia, in a statement.

MERS is found primarily in the Middle East and especially in Saudi Arabia, where it was first identified in in 2012 and where more than 1,270 cases (pdf) have been reported. The 71-year-old man detected with MERS on Jan. 22 was visiting Bangkok from Saudi neighbor Oman, according to the WHO. He's been transferred to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute, located in the greater Bangkok metro area.

Authorities are attempting to trace anyone who could have been in his contact during his journey to Thailand. At least 32 people have been placed in quarantine for two weeks, including his son, taxi drivers, hotel staff, and passengers on the same plane, a Thai official told reporters. (In South Korea, 17,000 were.)

Approximately 36% of reported patients with MERS have died, according the WHO. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but isn't always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms have also been reported, including diarrhea.

Today Hong Kong issued a travel notice, though it did not warn against travel to Thailand:

 The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (January 26) closely monitoring an additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Thailand, and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of health risks of the places of visit.

Thailand, where the economy is faltering (paywall) under the rule of a military junta, can ill afford a hit on its valuable tourism industry. The industry accounts for 10% of GDP, and this year Thailand anticipates a record 32 million visitors, up from 29.9 million last year.

FOR SALE: Phones, Laptops, Smart TV's, iPads, iPhones, CCTV Cameras, Earphones etc.

I have lots of electronics and home appliances that just arrived from UK yesterday.

1. Latest 2015 Model SMART TV Sets, Ultra HD, IPS 4K with inbuilt Internet, with 50 Freeview HD Channels which includes CNN, BBC, ITV etc. I have these specs in Samsung, LG, Sony and Toshiba. The size is from 40 inches to 55 inches... Both brand new and fairly used.

2. Latest model IPAD Air, white color, 32 gig.

3. LAPTOPS: HP & Toshiba laptops, all brand new and never used before. Their screen size is 15 inches and 17 inches. All HP Laptops are touchscreen, windows 10, ITB hard-drive etc.

I also have brand new HP Pavilion x2 in one detachable laptop that serves as a laptop and tablet at the same time. It goes into tablet mode once the keyboard is removed. The screen size is 10 inches and the model number is 10-n155sa. It has Bluetooth, touchscreen, windows 10, LED IPS Display, 32GB eMMC etc.

4. EARPHONES: Brand new beats by Dre headphones, both wired and wireless with Bluetooth.

5. PHONES: Samsung Galaxy S4 phones, 4G, 32GB.

6. PHONES: iPhone 5S, new and used.

7. CCTV CAMERA: Sannce CCTV Cameras with 8 channels and 8 cameras, 1TB Hard drive, internet, night vision etc.

I have other items for sale like USB flash, digital cameras, designer perfumes, male/female designer clothes, shoes and accessories.

For more info please call or text: 081 221 00975

In the Philippines, airport officials are suspected of planting bullets in passengers’ luggage

Philippine officials at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila have been accused of planting bullets in passengers' bags as they go through security, in a plot to extract hefty fines from tourists and other travelers.

A Japanese tourist and an overseas Filipino worker were the latest to complain last week, according to the BBC, and Philippine news site Rappler has kept a timeline of passenger complaints. In some cases, flyers found with bullets found in their luggage were detained for multiple days and released after paying lucrative fines. Other passengers paid off security guards and were released.

The Aviation Security Group said 30 cases have been recorded this year.

Local government officials are starting to take notice. Alan Peter Cayetano, the senate majority leader of the Philippines, filed a complaint against the Department of Transportation and Communication's head, Joseph Emilio Abaya, for neglect of duty and command responsibilities on Tuesday.

Someone has to be responsible. Someone has to take charge & solve this problem #laglagbala

— Alan Peter Cayetano (@alanpcayetano) November 3, 2015

The mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte, has also spoken out on the issue. CNN Philippines reports that on an episode of his weekly TV show last Sunday (Nov. 1), Duterte said laglag bala ("dropping a bullet into a bag") and tanim bala ("planting bullet into a bag") have been going on for two to three years at the hands of a crime syndicate in Manila.

"I suspect that the very moment they entered NAIA [airport in Manila], right at the cargo hold, the bullets were already planted," he said.

On Tuesday (Nov. 3), Rappler reported that the office of the Philippine president is also looking into whether passengers were merely bringing bullets onboard as amulets.

"I don’t share that cultural thing of bringing amulets, but I understand a number of people do consider bullets as amulets. So that’s also being looked into,” said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, Rappler reported.

Top executive talent is the single biggest challenge for investors in Africa

As Africa's growth continues to attract investors, both foreign and domestic, a key challenge has emerged—a lack of top executive talent to take over the jobs that these investments create, according to a recent survey from Russell Reynolds Associates, a global headhunting outfit.

“Scarcity of talent is very much on the mind of all corporations," a human resources director for a telecom firm told researchers.

Russell Reynolds surveyed 230 senior executives in the continent's key markets of Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, and discovered that the talent gap has proven to be a "make or break" issue for some top companies. Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, is seen as the most challenging market in which to recruit high-level talent.

Traditional management skills are missing in particular, executives say. One explanation may be a lack of high quality education, and particularly top notch business schools on the continent. For example, the University of Cape Town is the only African higher education institution that made it into the Financial Times top 100 MBA programs in the world.

Firms are coming up with creative ways to fill high-level positions. One is to create in-house management training programs, something companies including Diageo, Coca Cola and McKinsey are doing. Another approach is to mine areas of the continent where talents exists and transfer them to countries where there is a dearth of skills. "There is an emerging trend toward pan-African leaders. It is still rare but slowly emerging," one HR executive told the survey.

The African diaspora, estimated to be about 30 million globally, is also emerging as a key source of talent for some of these companies. With the continent's growth, some Africans, who left for better opportunities abroad, are expressing a willingness to return. "The Kenyan economy is growing at a fast pace, increasingly constituting a ‘pull’ factor for diaspora talent," one executive told the researchers.

But this sentiment is not shared everywhere else on the continent. The South African diaspora is less willing to return home, firms believe. Despite being from the most developed economy in the region, economic and political factors in the country are seen as prohibitive, the survey found.

As the private sector continues to grow, companies will face challenges not only recruiting top talent but retaining it. While attractive compensation packages are proven motivators, the potential to rise to the top is more compelling, the survey shows. This gives local companies an edge compared to foreign firms, and explains why Kenyans and South Africans opt to work for local organizations. Nigerians, on the other hand, have shown a preference for multinational companies.

The Top 100 Airports in the world for year 2015

1. SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT

Singapore Changi Airport connects customers to over 200 destinations worldwide, with 5000 arrivals and departures a week by 80 international airlines.
Mr Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group "It is a great honour to be named World's Best Airport by Skytrax for the third year running. This recognition is particularly pleasing for us as it comes at a time of transformation at Changi Airport."

2. INCHEON INT'L AIRPORT

Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea and one of the busiest airports in the world. It is a former winner of the Airport of the Year title at the World Airport Awards.

3. MUNICH AIRPORT

Munich Airport is the second busiest airport in Germany and the secondary hub for Lufthansa German Airlines. Munich Airport has connections to destinations all over the world, but much more besides. With over 150 retail stores and some 50 places where you can eat and drink, it’s like a city center, offering travelers and visitors plenty to see and do.

4. HONG KONG INT'L AIRPORT

Hong Kong International Airport serves over 100 airlines operating flights to about 180 locations worldwide, including 44 destinations on the Chinese Mainland. It is a former, multiple winner of the Airport of the Year title at the World Airport Awards.

5. TOKYO INT'L AIRPORT HANEDA

Boasting both domestic and international terminals, Tokyo International Airport Haneda plays a very important role in furthering Japan’s development as a tourism-oriented nation

6. ZURICH AIRPORT

Zürich Airport is the largest international airport of Switzerland and is the principal hub for Swiss International Air Lines.

7. CENTRAL JAPAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

In 2014,  9.8 million passengers travelled through Central Japan International Airport in Nagoya, better known as Centrair. The airport has a large domestic traffic percentage, with a number of regional routes operated to Asiana cities such as Bangkok and Singapore. Longer haul routes include Helsinki, Frankfurt, Honolulu and Detroit.

8. LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT

London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the UK and busiest airport in Europe by passenger traffic, and having been world’s busiest airport for international passengers, it has recently lost this title to Dubai Airport.

9. AMSTERDAM SCHIPHOL AIRPORT

In 2014, 55 million passengers travelled via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which describes itself as an AirportCity, much more than just a place where you wait until your flight takes off.

10. BEIJING CAPITAL INT'L AIRPORT

Beijing Capital International Airport is the main international airport serving Beijing and from 2014, the second-busiest airport in the world.

The World's Top 100 Airports - 2015

		2014 Rating
1	Singapore Changi	1
2	Incheon Intl Airport	2
3	Munich Airport	3
4	Hong Kong Intl	4
5	Tokyo Intl Haneda	6
6	Zurich Airport	8
7	Central Japan Intl	12
8	London Heathrow	10
9	Amsterdam Schiphol	5
10	Beijing Capital	7
11	Vancouver Intl Airport	9
12	Kansai Intl Airport	14
13	Frankfurt Airport	13
14	Narita Intl Airport	16
15	Auckland Intl Airport	11
16	Copenhagen Airport	17
17	Taiwan Taoyuan	18
18	Helsinki-Vantaa	19
19	Kuala Lumpur Intl	20
20	Brisbane Airport	23
21	Sydney Airport	21
22	Hamad Intl Airport	75
23	Cologne / Bonn	28
24	Johannesburg Airport	26
25	Melbourne Airport	24
26	Cape Town Airport	30
27	Madrid-Barajas	41
28	Durban Intl Airport	32
29	Abu Dhabi Intl Airport	22
30	Cincinnati	27
31	Shanghai Hongqiao	15
32	London City Airport	31
33	Denver Intl Airport	29
34	Dusseldorf Airport	36
35	Lima Airport	37
36	San Francisco Intl	39
37	Barcelona Airport	38
38	Vienna Intl Airport	46
39	Dubai Intl Airport	25
40	London Gatwick	35
41	Gimpo Intl Airport	33
42	Gold Coast Airport	50
43	Toronto Pearson	43
44	Atlanta	45
45	Hamburg Airport	44
46	Bahrain Intl Airport	47
47	Bangkok Airport	48
48	Paris CDG Airport	95
49	Oslo Airport	51
50	Chengdu Airport	94
51	Moscow Domodedovo	55
52	Lisbon Airport	58
53	Haikou Airport	34
54	Seattle-Tacoma	53
55	Athens Airport	56
56	Halifax Stanfield	52
57	Jakarta Intl Airport	60
58	Delhi Intl Airport	59
59	Guayaquil Airport	57
60	New York JFK	61
61	Stockholm Arlanda	65
62	Dallas/Fort Worth	54
63	Adelaide Airport	66
64	Bengaluru Airport	79
65	Porto Airport	63
66	Guangzhou Airport	42
67	Keflavik Airport	73
68	Billund Airport	62
69	Budapest Intl	71
70	Hyderabad Airport	68
71	Istanbul Atatürk	40
72	Shenzhen Airport	83
73	London Stansted	49
74	Xi'an Intl Airport	89
75	Perth Airport	76
76	Christchurch Airport	74
77	Muscat Intl Airport	69
78	Brussels Airport	72
79	Nice Côte d'Azur	77
80	Manchester Airport	78
81	Dublin Airport	92
82	Birmingham Airport	81
83	Sanya Intl Airport	82
84	Moscow Sheremetyevo	88
85	Prague Airport	70
86	Minneapolis-St Paul	67
87	Montréal Trudeau	85
88	Boston Logan	86
89	Panama Airport	84
90	Shanghai Pudong	64
91	Luxembourg Airport	91
92	Chicago O'Hare	96
93	Fukuoka Airport	99
94	Bogota El Dorado	260
95	Geneva Airport	109
96	Detroit Wayne County	87
97	Malta Airport	80
98	Los Angeles Airport	102
99	Raleigh-Durham	93
100	Mauritius Airport	111

Results may only be reproduced by prior agreement of Skytrax

MTN renews its license in Nigeria despite the prospect of a $5.2 billion fine

In the midst of negotiations over the payment of a record $5.2 billion fine to the Nigerian government, MTN has managed to get its operational license for Nigeria renewed and extended for an additional five years.

"With this renewal and extension, MTN’s operating spectrum which was issued along with the Digital Mobile License (DML) in 2001, has now been extended to 31 August 2021,”Africa's largest mobile phone company, said in a statement. The extension will cost the company $94.2 million and the amount needs to be paid by Dec. 31 for the renewal to take effect.

MTN, the leading mobile carrier in Nigeria, is in the midst of its worst business stretch since it entered the country in 2001. The fine issued last week was due to the company's failure to adhere to an edict by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to disconnect users with unregistered sim cards. The deadline to comply with the fine is Nov. 16.

The company is also a subject of an insider trading investigation in South Africa around trades made in the run-up to the announcement of the fine to shareholders. The whole crisis has been immensely costly to MTN. Since news of the fine became public, the company's shares have lost 22% in value, according to Bloomberg. Or put another way, over the course of a week, the company lost over $5 billion in market cap.

The decision by the regulator to renew MTN's operating license may be the Nigerian government's way of calming down jittery foreign investors. Ever since the fine's announcement, some analysts have suggested that the decision could undermine investor confidence about Africa's largest economy. "However way this ends, the lag effects will alter investors’ perceptions about the business environment in Nigeria," Manji Cheto, vice president of Teneo Intelligence, told Quartz.

By re-issuing MTN with a license, the Nigerian government may be saying to prospective investors that, as long as you follow the law, you are welcome to do business.

Nigerian Ebola doctor, Dr. Ada Igonoh has given birth in USA to a baby girl

Dr. Ada Igonoh, a Nigerian doctor who survived Ebola last year, has given birth to a baby girl. Igonoh—now a public health advocate and motivational speaker—detailed contracting, living with, and eventually recovering from the disease, providing one of the first accounts of surviving Ebola. Her new girl weighing 9 pounds 1 ounce was born at the Greater El-Monte Community Hospital, California and was certified Ebola-free. The World Health Organization says Igonoh is the only female medical doctor to have survived the deadly disease.

.@AdaIgonoh, the Nigerian doctor who survived Ebola last year, gave birth to a baby girl this morning. Congrats Ada! pic.twitter.com/5agttUgjvx

— tolu ogunlesi (@toluogunlesi) November 3, 2015

Igonoh was one of the physicians who treated Nigeria's first Ebola patient, Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian. She tested positive for the disease soon after Sawyer died late July, 2014. She was taken to an isolation ward, where she spent 14 days praying and reading the bible, drinking oral rehydration salt (ORS) fluids, and researching Ebola from her iPad. When she was declared Ebola-free, she called her husband who couldn't stop shouting on the phone, she wrote in her account, published in local media as well as on Bill Gates' blog:

"I still believe in miracles. None of us in the isolation ward was given any experimental drugs or so-called immune boosters. I was full of faith, yet pragmatic enough to consume as much ORS as I could, even when I wanted to give up and throw the bottles away. I researched on the disease extensively and read accounts of the survivors. I believed that even if the mortality rate was 99 percent, I would be part of the 1 percent who would survive.

I read that Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who contracted Ebola in Liberia and was flown out to the United States for treatment was being criticized for attributing his healing to God when he was given the experimental drug, Zmapp. I don't claim to have all the answers to the nagging questions of life. Why do some die and some survive? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where is God in the midst of pain and suffering? Where does science end and God begin? These are issues we may never fully comprehend on this side of eternity. All I know is that I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and came out unscathed."