By Nangayi Guyson – World food prices rose to a record high in January, according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) becoming a factor in recent political unrest in both Algeria and Tunisia in the form of anti-government demonstrations, protests which have spread to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. World Bank President Robert Zoellick has asked global leaders to “put food first” and tackle the problem of price volatility. “We are going to be facing a broader trend of increasing commodity prices, including food commodity prices,” he said. Commodities prices have been on the rise generally with copper hitting... Continue Reading
NYANGA, 24 January 2011 (PlusNews) – At first Elizabeth Matambanadzo, 18, did not think she was cut out to be part of a group of young people helping to take care of the sick and elderly. Now, months after joining Family Caring Trust (FACT) in Nyanga in Manicaland Province, she says helping others living with HIV has helped her to come to terms with her own HIV-positive status. “We work mostly with home-based caregivers who help us identify homesteads that need assistance or where there is a sick person. We help out by cooking, washing clothes, fetching water and firewood,... Continue Reading
By Martin Chemhere – The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) and the South African Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering (SAFEAGE) have launched a nation-wide ‘Label GM Food: Our Right to Know’ campaign, to encourage the government to provide meaningful labelling for all genetically-modified (GM) foods in regulations under the Consumer Protection Act. The latest draft regulations on GM food published by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are wholly inadequate and unsatisfactory, since it fails to protect the citizens’ ‘freedom of choice’ of what they eat. The groups argue that the scope of the regulations shortsightedly only apply to... Continue Reading
By Katongole Kiwanuka – Court in Kampala has ordered a news paper the ‘Rolling stone’ to compensate individuals whose names and faces were labelled as gays in one of its editions. This followed the aggrieved individuals through their lawyers Henry Onoria, John Francis Onyango and Ankankwasa Edward to drag the paper to court over violating their right to privacy, the right to human dignity and protection from inhuman treatment. On the 2nd/October/2010, the paper carried a story that was labelled as “Scandal” and under the headline “Hang them; they are after our kids!!!!! Pictures of Uganda’s 100 homos leak.” Some... Continue Reading
By Jack Lundee – In Kenya, the HP technology stipulations include 5 HP data centers associated with 4 existing laboratories. According to HP, within their first year of operation, they are expected to process EID HIV test results for nearly 70,000 infants, as well as provide real-time medical data to health practitioners throughout Kenya. [1] The system also will extend to sustain Kenya’s Ministry of Public Health & Sanitation as it widens its efforts on preventative measures for PMTCT (Mother-to-Child Transmission) services to over 3,000 facilities during the next 2 years. The efforts with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and... Continue Reading
