Society catergory

Paris, France | AFP | Bits of plastic have been detected in the faeces of people in Europe, Russia and Japan, according to research claiming to show for the first time the widespread presence of plastics in the human food chain. All eight volunteers in a small pilot study were …

Scientists explain why they haven’t found an HIV vaccine yet Madrid, Spain | FLAVIA NASSAKA | A global HIV conference opened on Oct.22 in Madrid, Spain bringing together researchers to discuss strides made in prevention of infections. Dubbed HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) 2018, the week long event which  happens …

When some women develop extreme fear of childbirth Kampala, Uganda | FRANZISKA WADEPHUL, CATRIONA JONES & JULIE JOMEEN | Childbirth can clearly be a scary prospect. For women who have not given birth before, it is the great unknown. Research into women’s concerns and fears suggests that women may be anxious …

A new study in the Journal of Sleep Research, examines unconscious activity Kampala, Uganda | ANA SANDOIU |  A short daytime nap could do wonders for our brains’ ability to process information, suggests a new study. Sleep is key in both memory formation and the consolidation of new information. Cutting-edge …

The facts and the fiction Kampala, Uganda | MOTORING GURU | Regarding fuel consumption, Ugandan motorists can be grouped into two; those that watch the fuel gauge and those that drive on empty. Both carry tiny jerry cans in readiness for a dash to the fuel station whenever they run out. …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is deeply worrying, but does not yet merit being labelled a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. “Based on the current context… the committee recommended that the current Ebola outbreak in DRC …

Findings on obesity and economic status Soweto, South Africa | SHUKRI MOHAMED & TILAHUNHAREGU | Africa is experiencing a demographic and nutrition transition. More and more people are moving to urban areas. Slum communities currently constitute about 56% of the urban population in sub-Saharan Africa. That’s more than 200 million …

Soweto, South Africa | AFP | In a classroom in the South African township of Soweto, girls listen carefully, knowing they need to learn how to avoid the threat of rape that hangs over their daily lives. “You are going to pretend that it is the rapist’s testicles,” says trainer …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A second wave of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where an initial outbreak has already killed 125 people, a minister said Saturday. The latest wave is centred in Beni, a town in North Kivu near the border …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Humanitarian workers are struggling to calm community fears in strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where 125 people have died of Ebola, and cases of the virus are spreading fast. The World Health Organization said Friday that 200 cases of the deadly virus have been …