Washington, United States | AFP | US Senate Republicans suffered a second stinging setback in as many days Wednesday in their efforts to uproot Obamacare, when a plan to repeal the health care law — with no replacement at the ready — failed to advance in the chamber. The washout …
Read More »ARTS: Scenes of contrast
Romantic Lamu and easy Kisenyi Kampala, Uganda| DOMINIC MUWANGUZI |Lamu, a beautiful idyllic Island located along the Indian Ocean coastline in Kenya is a popular holiday resort. The island boasts of sandy beaches and Afro-Arabian culture depicted in the architecture, cuisine, language and costumes of the habitants. Like any coastal town …
Read More »The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand
The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand Jaipur, India | AFP | All-female police units are shaking up the male-dominated force in conservative northwest India, hitting the streets to combat sex crimes and a pervasive culture of silence around rape. One such squad in Jaipur has …
Read More »Love hotels targeted to fight HIV among Cameroon’s teens
GUIDER, Cameroon | AFP | The two big maps show the districts of the northern Cameroonian town of Guider along with its brothels, nightclubs and other seedy spots to identify places from where AIDS could spread among adolescents. Cameroon, a country of 23 million that hugs Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, …
Read More »Candidate AIDS vaccine passes early test in Uganda, Rwanda
Paris, France | AFP | The three-decade-old quest for an AIDS vaccine received a shot of hope Monday when developers announced that a prototype triggered the immune system in an early phase of human trials. Tested in 393 people in the United States, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa and Thailand, the …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: Africa’s Industrialization & Prosperity
Book Review: David Sseppuyya on ‘Why no prosperity in Africa?’ Title: Africa’s Industrialization & Prosperity: From Esau Syndrome to Structural Adjustment Author: David Ssepuuya Publisher: Mwesigwa Foundation Available: Leading Bookstores Why is Africa, which is always said to be so endowed with natural resources, so poor? In a new book …
Read More »COFFEE: Want to live longer?
Drinking coffee could be your secret elixir, scientist says Here’s another reason to start the day with a cup of coffee: Scientists have found that people who drink coffee appear to live longer. Drinking coffee was associated with a lower risk of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, …
Read More »S.Africa circumcision ritual: a dangerous route to manhood
S.Africa circumcision ritual: a dangerous route to manhood Coffee Bay, South Africa | AFP | Naked, covered in white clay mud, and with his penis wrapped in leaves, Abongile Maqegu, 20, sits in a hut in South Africa recovering from his circumcision — a traditional ritual that can prove …
Read More »SCIENCE: AIDS in 10 dates
Paris, France | AFP | From the start of the AIDS epidemic in 1981, here are 10 dates in the history of the disease. – 1981: First alert – On June 5, 1981, US epidemiologists report the first deaths among young homosexuals from a mysterious immune-wrecking disease later named acquired …
Read More »Five key numbers on AIDS
Paris, France | AFP | Someone is infected with the AIDS virus every 17 seconds in the world, and the disease has killed the equivalent of the population of Canada, figures released Thursday by UNAIDS show. Here is a numerical snapshot of the disease. – 17 seconds – Roughly 1.8 …
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