From a possible cure for HIV to a new pope in the Vatican to a return to segregation, here are the headlines that caught our eye this morning. Tell us what you think about the news in the comments—and let us know what important updates we missed.
#1 Baby cured of HIV
A baby in Mississippi was pronounced cured of HIV late last week after doctors started an intensive round of antiretroviral drugs shortly after birth. This sort of drug therapy isn’t typically given to infants, The New York Times reports, but if researchers can duplicate the results in other infants, it could become a life-saving technique that could cure the 100 to 200 children born with HIV in the United States each year, and could significantly impact the global AIDS epidemic.
#2 Cardinals flying to Rome
And no, we don’t mean the feathered kind. The leaders of the Catholic Church are heading to Rome this week to begin the process of choosing a new pope, which is called conclave. They haven’t set a date for conclave to begin just yet, but it’s expected to start later this week. The last pope, Benedict XVI, officially resigned his post last Thursday because of health problems. Typically, popes die in office—Benedict is the first post to resign in six centuries. Read more here.
#3 Israel starting a Palestinian-only bus line
The Israeli Transportation Ministry has a new thing this week, Palestinian-only busses. While Palestinians can still board any bus they want, at certain checkpoints, they can and will be asked to board their own buses, according to a bus driver (via The Huffington Post). The ITM says that the new bus lines are intended to serve the increasing number of Palestinian workers, but some are reading racism into the development.
And one more thing…
The city of Karachi in Pakistan shut down today to mourn the loss of 45 victims of a car bombing on Sunday. One hundred forty-six people were wounded and 32 remain in critical condition, the Associated Press reports. The bombing occurred just as people were exiting a mosque after evening prayers. No one has taken responsibility for the tragedy yet, but intelligence groups suspect it was done by a Sunni militant group, as the attack occurred in a largely Shiite neighborhood.
What are your thoughts on these headlines? Tell us in the comments!
BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 3/4/2013 5:14:00 PM
POSTED IN disease, In the News