Cuts to a major U.S.-funded AIDS program have forced clinics to close, staff to lose their jobs, and HIV services to collapse across dozens of countries, according to a report released Tuesday. The report was produced by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. It examines the fallout from disruptions to PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Launched in… Read More

The head of UNAIDS is calling for what she describes as a “radical change” in how Africa funds healthcare, following deep cuts to international aid. Speaking at the African Union health summit in Ghana, Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said African governments must take greater responsibility for financing their own health systems after major donors, including the United States and several… Read More

Uganda has launched an emergency food relief operation for the drought-stricken Karamoja region, where prolonged dry conditions have triggered widespread crop failures and worsening hunger. The government says more than 313,000 households across nine districts will receive maize flour and beans as part of a 9.4 million-kilogram relief package. Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the assistance is aimed at helping… Read More

Africa’s top public health agency is urging the United States to lift travel restrictions on Uganda, arguing the country has brought its Ebola outbreak under control. Speaking at the African Union health summit in Ghana, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Uganda has gone three weeks without a new Ebola case and discharged its last patient earlier this month. He… Read More

The mosque-mausoleum of the ruler of the Mamluk Sultanate has reopened after years of restoration in Cairo. Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, the Charge d’affairs at the US Embassy in Egypt Robert Silverman and the founder of Archinos Architecture Agnieszka Dobrowolska attended an official opening ceremony on Monday. The work, which was carried out between October 2022… Read More

The West African bloc ECOWAS has urged Guinea-Bissau’s military-led government to unconditionally release all detained political figures. In a statement at the end of a summit of heads of state in Sierra Leone, it said this would “bolster the credibility” of the country’s transition process. The release would include freeing opposition leader and former prime minister, Domingos Simões Pereira, who… Read More

It’s a larger-than-life epic tale with an equally impressive box-office opening. Christopher Nolan’s big-budget adaptation of The Odyssey launched with just shy of $265 million in global ticket sales. It’s an even better debut than the 2023 best picture-winner Oppenheimer and his best opening since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. With a production budget of $250 million, The Odyssey is… Read More

Southern Africa is not a part of the world one would automatically associate with skiing, but a resort in Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains offers people in the region the opportunity to enjoy the winter sport. The country’s high elevation and mountainous terrain combine to make it the coldest country on the continent, with temperatures in the highlands typically plunging to minus… Read More