The Ebola outbreak in West Africa was first reported in March 2014 and believed by scientists to have started in late December with the death of a 2 year old boy, believed to have contracted the virus from bats in the remote Guinean village of Meliandou. It has rapidly become the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976. The current epidemic sweeping across West Africa has now killed more than all other known Ebola outbreaks combined. Over 9,000 people have been reported as having died from the disease in six countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the United States and Mali.

Fragmented – The Human Cost of War in Ukraine
After the insurrection in Kiev’s Maidan Square, with the rising number of pro-Russian protesters and the creation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, instability, fear, and isolation became part of the daily life in eastern Ukraine. Following the annexation of Crimea by Russia in April, protesters occupying the Donetsk Oblast administrative building declared independence from Ukraine and held a referendum on separating from Ukraine, on May 11, 2014. As officials in Kiev did not recognize their independence, the conflict turned into large-scale hostilities.

Aleppo, a man carries a young girl, injured in a barrel bomb attack by government forces on June 3, 2014 in Kallaseh, a district in the northern city of Aleppo. Some 2.000 civilians, including more than 500 children, have been killed in the Bashar al-Assad regime air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo since January 2014

Kushti is the traditional form of Indian wrestling established centuries ago in Persia. This art is practiced in a type of gymnasium called an Akhara. Wrestlers or “Pelwhans” enter a pit made of clay, often mixed with salt, lemon and ghee (clarified butter). Before every match, each wrestler covers the body of his adversary with this earth whose color varies by region. During combat, the coated bodies meld with the color of the arena. Both shoulders must be pinned to the ground. It is strictly forbidden to strangle or throw punches, yet the swollen ears of seasoned wrestlers are testament to the vigorous contact.

05.12.2014, A sea turtle dives under the three leading triathlon swimmers during the 28th Israeli triathlon championships.