- Zambian authorities at the weekend acknowledged male circumcision as a preventative measure in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The decision was attributed to recent research indicating circumcision appeared to cut HIV transmission by 60 percent to 75 percent.
Speaking during the launch of a dedicated facility for the procedure, provincial health director for the southern tourist town of Livingstone, Gardener Siakantu, the aim was to explore anti-AIDS interventions other than condoms and abstinence.
"However, the onus is on everyone to ensure that all prevention measures are part of a comprehensive prevention package that includes behaviour change," he told the Zambia News and Information Services.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.