Tests negative for patient who had returned from Burundi and was treated in isolation
A young man being treated in isolation at Uppsala University hospital in Sweden after suspicion of Ebola contamination does not have the disease, the regional authority has said.
Region Uppsala, which oversees several hospitals and medical clinics north of Stockholm, said a test had been carried out on the patient, who was not identified.
Continue reading...Trio arrested in London on US charges as calls grow for debt claim against Mozambique to be dropped
Three former Credit Suisse bankers have been arrested in London on US charges of alleged involvement in a fraud involving $2bn (£1.6bn) in loans to state-owned companies in Mozambique.
Mozambique’s former finance minister, Manuel Chang, and a senior executive from the shipbuilder Privinvest Group, Jean Boustani, have also been arrested in South Africa and New York, respectively, in recent days.
Continue reading...Girls in Narok County will be made to reveal identities of babies’ fathers and tell police about female genital mutilation
Plans to subject schoolgirls in Kenya to mandatory tests for female genital mutilation and pregnancy are a violation of victims’ privacy, campaigners have warned.
All girls returning to school this week in Narok, Kenya, will be examined at local health facilities as part of a countywide crackdown.
Continue reading...Married off at 13, Maureen lost her education and her health. Her plight is common in a country racked by economic turmoil
The end of Maureen’s days at a primary school in north-eastern Zimbabwe marked the beginning of her life as a wife.
At 13, the brightest student in her class in Mudzi, Mashonaland, she was married to a man three times her age.
Continue reading...Album of apartheid-era songs sung by ex-president labelled a waste of taxpayers’ money
The former South African president Jacob Zuma’s plan to record an album of apartheid-era struggle songs has provoked a political row as opposition politicians labelled the project a taxpayer-funded waste of money.
Zuma, ousted last year amid multiple fraud scandals, is famed for his baritone singing voice and regularly bursts into song at rallies for the ruling African National Congress party (ANC) and at public events.
Continue reading...Children among victims in area hit by ethnic violence in which hundreds died last year
Armed men killed 37 Fulani civilians on Tuesday in central Mali, where ethnic violence cost hundreds of lives last year, the government said.
Violence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali’s semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al-Qaida and Islamic State.
Continue reading...Both opposition and ruling coalition claim victory after chaotic presidential poll
Fears of electoral fraud are rising in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after officials said a total block on internet connections and SMS services imposed after the chaotic presidential poll on Sunday could last for several days.
Both the opposition and ruling coalition have claimed victory in the elections – the third poll since 2002 and the end of a civil war in which millions died.
Continue reading...Finalists for the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize reveal their designs, from gloves that translate sign language into speech to smart lockers that dispense medicines
The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize, now in its fifth year, has shortlisted 16 African inventors from six countries to receive funding, training and mentoring for projects intended to revolutionise sectors from agriculture and science to women’s health. The winner will be awarded £25,000 and the three runners up will receive £10,000 each.
From smart gloves that turn sign language into audio speech, to water harvesting systems that change air into drinking water, five inventors on course to transform the continent for the better spoke to the Guardian about their innovations.
Continue reading...The government has suspended 550 medical staff and ruled the ongoing strikes over pay and conditions unlawful
A month-long impasse between government and doctors over pay and conditions has left Zimbabwe’s health care system in a critical state, after the government suspended more than 500 medical staff last week.
The government refuses to give in to the doctors’ demands and has ordered striking doctors to return to their posts.
Continue reading...Peter Bennett-Jones, who was criticised over tackling of sexual harassment, quits as UN sack aid worker in Uganda
The chairman of Save the Children UK has resigned after complaints by staff that he was not doing enough to address allegations of sexual harassment.
The charity said Peter Bennett-Jones was standing down following objections to remarks he made during recent discussions with staff about the organisation’s future.
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