New WHO report shows Uganda among hardest hit countries in the world Many Ugandans do not know about mental illness – they only know “madness”. They use the word to describe someone who is possibly running wild, throwing stones, attacking people, or engaging in some bizarre and scary activity. But …
Read More »China vows blue skies despite economic challenges
Beijing, China | AFP | China will work to clear its skies by increasing investment in clean energy and punishing polluters, Premier Li Keqiang said Sunday in comments aimed at mollifying public anger over chronic smog. Swathes of northern China were blanketed under toxic smog this winter, affecting more than …
Read More »Thousands rally for England’s health service
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Thousands of protesters marched in London on Saturday in support of England’s state-run National Health Service (NHS). The march called for “no cuts, no closures, no privatisation” in the NHS and demonstrated against pay restraint. The campaigners, who say the NHS is at breaking …
Read More »Canada recalls too strong 81% alcohol vodka
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Canadian authorities on Friday recalled hundreds of bottles of Georgia Bay Vodka after inspectors found that the alcohol level was a whopping 81 percent, twice the amount stated on the label. The batch of 654 bottles were produced “before correct dilution to achieve the stated …
Read More »Zimbabwe journalists arrested over ‘in bad shape’ Mugabe health report
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Two Zimbabwean journalists were arrested Friday over a newspaper report that described President Robert Mugabe as “in bad shape” when he flew to Singapore for what officials called a scheduled medical check-up. Editor of independent newspaper NewsDay Wisdom Mudzungairi and journalist Richard Chidza were released …
Read More »City noise linked to hearing loss
Paris, France | AFP | Urban noise pollution and hearing loss are closely linked, according to rankings of 50 large cities in both categories released on Friday. High-decibel urban areas — such as Guangzhou, New Delhi, Cairo and Istanbul — topped the list of cities where hearing was most degraded, …
Read More »Govt monitoring reported Bird Flu cases in east, western Uganda
Bird flu cases reported in Budaka, Kisoro districts Two more districts Budaka and Kisoro are under surveillance following reports of suspected cases of avian influenza. Scientists in the ministry of agriculture revealed that laboratory tests confirmed the presence of avian influenza -commonly known as bird flu- in samples sent from …
Read More »VIDEO: KCCA, Coca Cola to buy plastic waste in Kampala
VIDEO: Plastic waste material will henceforth be a good source of income, if the public embraces collecting and delivering it to the right places yet to be set up by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). This is after KCCA signed a memorandum of understanding with Coca Cola Beverages to collect and …
Read More »Mugabe, 93 in Singapore for ‘medical review’
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who celebrated his 93rd birthday last week, flew to Singapore on Wednesday for a “scheduled medical review”, his spokesman said. Mugabe appeared frail at his birthday party on Saturday, when he stood for more than an hour to deliver his speech, …
Read More »Elephants are insomniacs, sleeping just 2 hours a night
Miami, United States | AFP | Elephants hardly ever sleep in the wild, getting around two hours of shut-eye per night and only in the wee hours of the morning, researchers said Wednesday. The findings in the journal PLOS ONE are based on two female wild African elephants — living …
Read More »