HARD NUMBERS: Nigerian docs strike, UN closes aid centers in Afghanistan, Russia cuts rates, Ebola emerges again in Congo.
September 12, 2025
A clinic support staff takes blood sample from a child at a clinic operated by Doctors without Borders in Bagega village in northeastern state of Zamfara August 14, 2013. Picture taken August 14, 2013.
REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
5: A large union of Nigerian resident doctors began a five-day strike on Friday over unpaid wages and benefits. The working conditions of medical professionals has been a frequent issue in Africa’s most populous country. In July, there was a mass strike of nurses.
8: The UN office in Afghanistan has closed eight aid centers set up to support Afghan refugees returning to the country, because the Taliban government is preventing female UN staff from entering the facilities. Afghanistan is suffering a refugee crisis as Pakistan and Iran have begun deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghan migrants.
17: Russia’s central bank cut interest rates by a single point, but they are still at a staggering 17%. The central bank is in a tight spot: cautiously trying to prop up flagging economic growth even as inflation remains sky high due to Ukraine-related sanctions and military spending.
32: The WHO says it is still confident that an ebola outbreak in Congo can be contained, but only if prompt action is taken. The country has recently registered 32 suspected cases and 16 deaths. It is the country’s 16th outbreak of the deadly disease.