Washington, United States | AFP | A cheap, portable device can warn of a person’s vulnerability to infectious diseases like measles, which kills tens of thousands of people each year, mainly in developing countries, researchers said Wednesday. The test, called the Measles-Rubella Box (MR Box), uses a finger-prick volume of …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new exploration window for oil exploration in the Lake Albert Basin will be in 2019. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Robert Kasande, revealed this at the 4th Oil and Gas Convention ongoing in Kampala. Giving an update on …

Miami, United States | AFP | Gorillas and chimpanzees may be twice as numerous in West Africa as previously thought, but the apes are still endangered, declining fast and in dire need of protection, an international study found Wednesday. Prior estimates were based on nest counts taken from isolated areas …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The roads to critical oil spots and installations will be in at least motorable state by the First Oil in 2020. This assurance has been given by UNRA’s Director of Design and Projects, Eng Isaac Wani, at the 4th Annual Oil and Gas Convention ongoing …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The United Nations on Wednesday gave a cautious welcome after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) allowed some anti-government protests to go ahead in the runup to crucial presidential elections. The demonstrations on Tuesday were seen as a key political barometer in one of …

Paris, France | AFP | WhatsApp has raised its minimum age for users in the European Union to 16 years, as the bloc prepares for a new online privacy law to come into force next month. In an update to its terms of service on Wednesday, WhatsApp said the minimum age …

Paris, France | AFP | Billionaire French industrialist Vincent Bollore is being questioned in Paris over allegations that his conglomerate used corrupt connections in Africa to win port contracts. Founded in 1822, the Bollore Group, which is majority owned by the Bollore family, has diverse interests ranging from logistics and energy …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Several thousand protestors marched through Johannesburg Wednesday to demonstrate against a proposed minimum wage, a new test for President Cyril Ramaphosa who took office in February. South Africa, which is suffering record unemployment, is due to introduce the 20 rand ($1.60) hourly minimum wage, but …

Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter reported its second consecutive quarterly profit Wednesday in a positive sign for the short messaging service after years in the red. The San Francisco-based social network earned $61 million in the first three months of the year, boosted by strong growth in advertising revenue …

Adonias Ocom’s halos fall on unusual suspects Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | Normally, a saint is a holy or pious person. In ordinary speech, it might mean someone known to be good or morally upright. Not so, says Adonias Ocom. The painter sculptor has an ongoing exhibition at Afriart Gallery, …