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The continuing Ebola epidemic in Guinea has set back the country’s fight against malaria, say experts.

They estimate 74,000 cases of malaria went untreated in 2014 because clinics were either closed or patients were too scared to seek help.

They warn that malaria deaths since the Ebola outbreak began will far exceed the number of Ebola deaths in the country — which now stand at 2,444.

Their report is in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

Both Ebola and malaria cause fever. The authors of the Lancet report say fear surrounding the Ebola virus may have stopped patients in Guinea going to see a doctor to get this symptom checked.

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The White House has announced changes to how the government handles hostage situations that involve US citizens.
President Barack Obama has directed the US government not to threaten the hostages’ families with prosecution if they attempt to pay captors’ ransom.

Mr Obama has drawn criticism for the long-standing policy of prohibiting concessions to militant groups.
The shift raises questions about whether it makes US citizens more lucrative targets for hostage-takers.
The changes come at the conclusion of a review into the US policy, which was ordered after the deaths of several US hostages in the past year.

The fact that many European governments regularly pay ransoms to free their citizens has frustrated US families as they have worked to win the release of their loved ones.
«The families of hostages have told us — and they have told me directly — about their frequent frustrations in dealing with their own government,» Mr Obama said, before admitting that government departments are «not always as well coordinated as they need to be».
He described the problems that the families raised — including the threat of prosecution — as «totally unacceptable».

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Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has launched his bid for the US presidency, joining a large field of Republican candidates vying for the White House.

The Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants, Mr Jindal is known for his policy credentials.
As governor, he overhauled his state’s health and education systems.

However, in recent months Mr Jindal has sought to appeal to conservative voters, taking hard lines on gay rights and Islamic extremism.

He has stood by controversial statements in which he said in January that parts of Europe were «no-go zones» for non-Muslims.
Mr Jindal is the 13th Republican candidate to join race. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker are also expected to run.
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A military vehicle escorting a United Arab Emirates’ diplomatic convoy was hit by a car bomb in Somalia’s capital, killing at least 12 people, police say.

The UAE ambassador survived the suicide attack as he was riding in a bullet-proof land cruiser vehicle, the BBC’s Mohamed Moalimu reports from Mogadishu.

The militant Islamist group al-Shabab says it carried out the attack, to target «a foreign enemy».
Al-Shabab is battling Somalia’s government for control of the country.

On Sunday morning, a suicide car bomber and gunmen attacked a training centre for the national intelligence agency.
The militants have vowed to intensify attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Wednesday.

Islamic State (IS) militants are reported to be shoring up the defences of Raqqa, the northern Syrian city that acts as the group’s headquarters.

The move follows the capture on Tuesday by Kurdish fighters of a strategically -important town and nearby military base only 50km (30 miles) to the north.

The Kurds said on Wednesday that trenches were being dug around Raqqa.
The prices of basic supplies are also said to have risen in the city because key supply routes have been cut.
IS has suffered a string of defeats to the Kurds in areas along the Turkish border since being forced to withdraw from Kobane in January after a four-month battle.

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