Artist uses art to depict beauty, struggles, generosity By Joseph Ondiek On a recent visit to Abien Arts Center in Kigali, we found the proprietor and resident artist, Fabien Akizimana busy on pieces he hoped to present to the panel of The East Africa Art Biennale association (EASTAFAB), from where …
Read More »WHO eyes vaccine trial for Ebola-hit DR Congo
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | An unlicensed Ebola vaccine could soon be tested in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo hit by an outbreak of the virus, the World Health Organization said Thursday. There is no licensed vaccine for the Ebola virus, but a promising candidate vaccine …
Read More »Swallowable balloons work to curb obesity
Paris, France | AFP | Weight-loss balloons swallowed rather than surgically inserted in the stomach were shown to be safe and effective in preliminary trials, according to findings unveiled Thursday at a medical conference. So-called intragastric balloons have been used for decades to help obese patients shed unwanted kilos. Inflated …
Read More »Under police escort, S.African ambulances brave attacks
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | When an emergency call comes in from one of South Africa’s most crime-ridden neighbourhoods, ambulances do not rush straight to the scene but to a police station first to request an armed escort. A surge in attacks on ambulance workers has led to …
Read More »Cyber kid stuns experts by showing toys can be ‘weapons’
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | An 11-year-old “cyber ninja” stunned an audience of security experts Tuesday by hacking into a teddy bear via bluetooth to show how interconnected smart toys “can be weaponised”. American wunderkind Reuben Paul may be still only in 5th grade at his school in Austin, …
Read More »BYANYIMA: A giant retires
What Uganda’s current and future politicians can learn from the life and character of Mzee Byanyima Although I knew he was old (at 96) and was aware of his declining health I was still shocked when I heard the news of the death of Mzee Boniface Byanyima. I have …
Read More »ARTS: Tusiime’s creative mind
His barkcloth paper gives old material new image Dominic Muwanguzi How does someone in Uganda with limited formal education end up collaborating with a top British university on a groundbreaking innovation? That is the questions that Ugandan artist Mathias Tusiime’s collaboration with Newcastle University in England on the subject of …
Read More »HEALTH: C-section delivery
Risks remain whether it’s choice or forced Solomy Mukiibi never planned on delivering through C-section. In fact, she had two normal deliveries before her third baby brought the unexpected. It started when she stopped feeling the rolling sensation of her baby’s movements. “The midwives and obstetrics gynecologists quickly realised something …
Read More »Kamuli gets 391,000 mosquito nets
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has launched a mass distribution of over 390,000 insecticide treated mosquito nets in Kamuli to curb incidents of malaria in the eastern region. The distribution is part of a countrywide effort by the Malaria Control Programme under the Ministry of Health, which commenced in …
Read More »Nigeria says vigilant after DR Congo Ebola deaths
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria on Monday said it had stepped up health surveillance and vigilance was high at entry ports after an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least three people. “The minister has directed the director of health services at the ports to …
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