Ndombe Opetum: DRC celebrates 9th anniversary of TPOK rumba ‘philosopher’

Ndombe Opetum: DRC celebrates 9th anniversary of TPOK rumba ‘philosopher’

Nine years ago today, Kinshasa bade farewell to rumba legend Ndombe Opetum, the composer and songwriter whose song Nayebi Ndenge Bakolela Ngai had for nearly 30 years been the subject of intense discussion of what the composer intended to convey. It still is.   As a result, there is still...

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Wastewater gives clue of public health, South Africa narrowing it to unit area

Wastewater gives clue of public health, South Africa narrowing it to unit area

The ability of wastewater testing technology to identify coronavirus hotspots is governed by the service area of the treatment plant: the wider the spread, the harder it is to pinpoint small outbreaks and at least one facility serves more than 850,000 people. The technology can provide an unbiased snapshot of...

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US slaps visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials over human rights abuses

US slaps visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials over human rights abuses

The United States has announced visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials accused of fuelling the six-month-old war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, saying those involved had “taken no meaningful steps to end hostilities.” “People in Tigray continue to suffer human rights violations, abuses and atrocities and urgently needed humanitarian relief...

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CovidPoops19 Dashboard: How sewage helps keep finger on pulse of coronavirus

CovidPoops19 Dashboard: How sewage helps keep finger on pulse of coronavirus

Monday is sample-collection day in Cape Town, South Africa and Aqeelah Benjamin is halfway through her shift. At the Green Point wastewater-treatment plant, under the Atlantic coast promenade, she fills a 500-millilitre bottle from a tap of untreated water. She wipes the bottle’s exterior, cleans it with a spritz of...

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