News From Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture
June 10, 2010 posted in Associations Rosalia Omungo was reflecting on the Canadian Science Writers Association’s 2010 conference during its closing hours on a June evening in Ottawa. ................
Nairobi, July 21, 2010 - THREE Kenyan science journalists have been selected to participate in a mentorship project by the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ). ................
Women's presence in the media is on the rise worldwide but generally women remain significantly underrepresented in the media, claims a new report from the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). According to its findings, women constitute 24% of the individuals interviewed, seen or heard about in mainstream and print journalism—an increase from 17% as found in the 1995 inaugural report. However, only 16% of all stories focus specifically on women. ................
NAIROBI – March 7, 2010 - Kenya’s capacity in handling and mitigating effects of highly infectious agents and life-threatening viruses, receives a major boost this week when leading bio-safety and bio-security experts hold a five day conference at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) from 8th to 12th March, 2010. ................
Solar Powered Weather Stations for Kenya’s Drought-stricken Farmers
ELDORET, KENYA (5 March 2010)—As East Africa recovers from the worst drought in decades, an innovative program launched today will use a low-cost, mobile phone payment and data system, and automated, solar powered weather stations, to offer thousands of farmers in parts of Western and Central Kenya affordable, “pay as you plant” insurance to protect their investments in desperately needed high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, as well as other farm inputs.
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Friday March 5, 2010 - Kenya is considering breaking ranks with its East Africa partners and sign a framework on new economic trade pacts with Europe, citing its disadvantaged position should it fail to do so. “We have been patient for long and the time may have come to put down our feet and sign the framework. ................
MESHA TV personality scoops Global Climate Change Award
MESHA Secretariat has today sent a note of congratulations to one of MESHA members, Ms Rosalia Omungo of KBC’s Chanel One for pulling off another first for the young organization following her selection to be one of the recipients of the 2009 Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) Journalist Fellowship Awards.
“We at MESHA have noted with great pleasure, your nomination to be among only 40 such winners from all over the world from a massive 600 applicants
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Global curbs on overfishing are beginning to work
July 31, 2009 - Scientists have joined forces in a groundbreaking assessment of the status of marine fisheries and ecosystems around the world.
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Linking Buyers to Sellers
Kenyan farmer Henry Wakoli, who grows maize, millet and sorghum in the Webuye District, used to transport all his produce to the local market at Kimilili, 40 km away. The 2 hour journey cost him valuable time and money and tied him to selling everything at one venue
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Red Locust disaster in Eastern Africa prevented
Biopesticides being used on a large scale
24 June 2009, Rome - An international Red Locust emergency campaign in Eastern and Southern Africa has succeeded in containing a massive locust outbreak in Tanzania , FAO said today. It is the first time that biopesticides are being used on a large scale in Africa against locusts.
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Three finalists have been named for the IFAJ Star Prize for print journalism.
One more step towards bringing the debate on agricultural biotechnology closer to the people who stand to gain or lose most from biotechnology was taken recently with the launch of the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Tanzania Chapter.
The next World Conference of Science journalists will be held in Cairo, Egypt, following a successful bid by Arab and American science journalism associations. The winners of the 2011 ..................................
Monday, June 29 2009 at 15:19 - Kenya's health officials have stepped-up surveillance at airports and other points of entry following the confirmation of the first H1N1 flu case in the country. .............................
IPCC chair R. K. Pachauri calls on journalists to maintain focus on the scientific rationale for action in their coverage of climate change. .............................
Africa Analysis: Who needs chief scientific advisors?
Should African governments be following the trend in appointing chief scientific advisors, asks Linda Nordling.
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As they used to say once on BBC radio: This is London Calling! .............................
LONDON – For men with fertility problems, some doctors are prescribing a very conventional way to have a baby: more sex. .............................
NAIROBI – June 29, 2009 - Kenya has joined the global swine fever watch-list after a visiting British student became the first to be diagnosed with the flu. .............................
NAIROBI - The big five, the symbols of the country’s wildlife diversity, could soon be no more if current statistics is anything to go by. .............................
Poachers now target endangered black rhino
NAIROBI - June 30, 2009 - Suspected poachers have killed a Rhino inside Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
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Nairobi, June 25, 2009 - Insights into the experiences of the Kenyan journalists during the post election violence that hit Kenya in early 2008 is the subject of a journalists’ trauma booklet due to be launched in Nairobi tomorrow. Kenyan journalists, especially field based correspondents, went through some of the most harrowing experiences as they covered the post election violence. They were left numb, sick and deeply traumatized. .............................
Meet Oxford University
Scientists - Reception 3 July
3 July – Meet Oxford University scientists
As The Oxford Science Blog (http://www.ox.ac.uk/scienceblog) reports the post-conference trip to Oxfordshire on July 3rd will feature an informal (and free!) reception at Magdalen College, Oxford. The evening event will be hosted by Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, the star of recent TV programmes such as BBC Two's 'Horizon: Alan and Marcus Go Forth' and BBC Four's 'The Story of Maths'. Visitors will get the chance to enjoy drinks in an attractive riverside location and chat with a range of high-profile Oxford scientists including Professor Sir Richard Peto, Professor Lionel Tarassenko, Professor Fred Taylor and Dr Ian Goldin. You'll find more details on the Oxford Science Blog. Free coaches will then take delegates back to London.
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Source: www.wfsj.org - What a dramatic time for science journalists from developing countries! The first epidemic of dengue fever hit Argentina in March. Then, the new flu virus, called A H1N1, was detected on April 24th in the country. It is still affecting more and more children (there were 470 confirmed cases last Friday). Dengue and A H1N1 virus are emerging diseases in Argentina, but they are different. .............................
Beacons of African and Arab Science Journalism
SjCOOP, the flagship project of the World Federation of Science Journalists, has ended. Read the final report of the three-year project in peer-to-peer mentoring in science journalism in Africa and in the Arab World and meet its key actors.
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GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization recommended on Friday that oral rotavirus vaccines be included in all national immunization programs to avert half a million diarrhoeal deaths and 2 million hospitalizations a year. .............................
THURSDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) --Adults who witnessed parental violence while growing up are more likely to suffer mental health problems, according to researchers who studied 3,023 adults in Paris. ..........................
Depression is one of the dark demons of adolescence. Up to 1 in 12 American teenagers is affected, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and three times as many will experience depression at some point by age 18. Studies show that at least 20% of teenagers with clinical depression will go on to develop chronic cases that will haunt them throughout adulthood. That is, if they reach adulthood. Suicide is a significant risk for depressed adolescents and the third leading cause of deaths among U.S. teenagers. .............................
A cancer whose toll is quite unnecessary
Each year, about 8,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported in Tanzania and about 6,000 die of the disease annually. Cervical cancer accounts for 60 percent of all female cancers in the country. Cervical cancer is in fact a largely preventable disease.
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6 May 2009
(Nairobi, Kenya) www.ifaw.org - Twenty-nine elephant tusks and three AK-47 rifles were recovered yesterday after a three-month long sting operation in Samburu East in Northern Kenya, some 450 kilometres from Nairobi. .............................
JANUARY 20, 2009 -In London, today, at the launch of the programme for the 2009 World Conference of Science Journalists which will be held in London next June, Pallab Ghosh .............................
Nairobi, November 18, 2008 - The use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) to protect children from malaria has risen six-fold in the past seven years, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. Despite this success, however, 90 million children still do not have access to this simple protective tool, and remain at risk from the life-threatening disease. .............................
Mali, November 15, 2008 — Recognizing the declining productivity and incomes of small holder farmers in Mali, the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA), has this week launched an ambitious US$2.5 million grant to support 820 rural agro-dealers who are primary contacts for seeds, fertilizers and other farm inputs that are necessary for increased productivity. .............................
Melbourne, Monday, November 17, 2008 - Scientists in Australia have developed a new system to screen for compounds that can inhibit one of the processes that takes place during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. .............................
November 14, 2008 - BEIJING – A dirty brown haze sometimes more than a mile thick is darkening skies not only over vast areas of Asia, but also in the Middle East, southern Africa and the Amazon Basin, changing weather patterns around the world and threatening health and food supplies, the U.N. reported Thursday. .............................
Doctors say marrow transplant may have cured AIDS
BERLIN - November 13, 2008 - An American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the disease 20 months after receiving a targeted bone marrow transplant normally used to fight leukemia, his doctors said.
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Study: HPV vaccine prevents genital warts in males
ATLANTA – November 13, 2008 - For the first time, an expensive vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer in women has proven successful at preventing a disease in men, according to a study released Thursday by the vaccine's maker.
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Embryo preservation often works for cancer patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – November 13, 2008 - Freezing embryos before undergoing cancer treatment that may cause infertility is as successful for women with cancer as it is for women without cancer, new study findings indicate.
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Air New Zealand to trial biofuel in December
WELLINGTON (AFP) Nov 14, 2008 - Air New Zealand said it will conduct its first trial of biofuel on one of its Boeing 747 aircraft on a flight next month.
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Seven or more eggs a week raises risk of death
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Middle-aged men who ate seven or more eggs a week had a higher risk of earlier death, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
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Smokers still puffing in Nairobi
April 9, 2008 - Nairobi - Smokers in Nairobi are back to their old habits. The much talked about ban on smoking in public places seems to be a thing of the past.
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When labour calls and it is a six-hour journey to help
KAGERA – At 40, Stella Fitani has gone through the joys and pains of giving birth all of five times. But it is the memory of Mugisha, her fifth child, now a year old, that remains enduring.
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Floods displace thousands in southern Africa
LUSAKA (Reuters) - Floods in southern Africa have displaced thousands of people, drowned livestock and put large numbers of children at risk from life-threatening diseases, officials said on Tuesday.
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New drug found better at suppressing hep B virus
HONG KONG (Reuters) – January Wednesday 2, 2008 - Two international studies of a new drug, telbivudine, have produced potentially good news for hepatitis B patients, showing that it suppresses the virus that damages the liver faster and better than other treatments.
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New eye bank sheds ray of light for blind
NAIROBI - Millions of Kenyans with reversible blindness can now stare at the future with hope. The much-awaited eye bank is here.
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MEAD Malawi keen to enhance environment, agriculture reporting
An initiative to enhance environmental and agricultural reporting in Malawi has been unveiled..............................
Banana harvesters awarded millions for exposure to pesticide
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Six workers left infertile after exposure to a pesticide used in Nicaraguan banana plantations were awarded more than three million dollars damages by a Los Angeles jury on Monday.
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Repositioning the Bar: More Africans can now volunteer in clinical trials
Africans wishing to volunteer in clinical trials for drugs and vaccines against emerging infectious diseases, including AIDS, TB and malaria, will now have an easier time meeting the set health criteria, as they will no longer be judged against Western standards, or ‘reference ranges. These new ranges will also help clinicians to better monitor the health of trial volunteers and define adverse events in trials.
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Project to boost legume production in Africa and Asia launched
A research and development initiative which seeks to boost production of legumes in Africa and Asia has been unveiled.
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Lake Nyasa, neglected Africa’s treasure
MBEYA, October 25, 2007 - Lake Nyasa, a fresh water source shared by Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi abounds with a myriad of fish species, but lack of concerted development plan by the three countries has denied the local communities any significant benefits from the lake’s abundant riches.
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Young Kenyan woman feted for role in rural development
NAIROBI – Tuesday October 23, 2007 - Mercy Kiyapyap, a young woman from West Pokot district in Kenya, has been chosen for the 2007 Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life, an award sponsored by the Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) to honour women working in rural communities around the world.
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The Incredible Shrinking Radio
A new wireless radio receiver thousands of time slimmer than a human hair could lead to radios far smaller than those of today.
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If it's any consolation, fish get insomnia too
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fish might not have eyelids, but they do sleep, and some suffer from insomnia, scientists reported on Monday.
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Talking Braille: A new tool to teach blind children
Learning Braille can be a formidable challenge in developing countries. Supriya Kumar profiles a new device that's addressing the task.
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Fighting for sight in the developing world
T. V. Padma takes a look at methods that are helping the developing world's blind people see again, and helping them live more easily.
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Biosciences promises foods with inbuilt therapeutic value
NAIROBI - Parliament today has a historic opportunity to vote and pass into law the Biosafety Bill 2007 to enable Kenya, like other countries, to gain from opportunities presented by modern biotechnology.
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Southern Africa's 'Bushmen' face lifestyle threat
TSUMKWE, Namibia (AFP) - They roamed the savannahs and open plains for thousands of years, but the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of southern Africa's San tribes is slowly being squeezed towards extinction.
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English 'pull own teeth' as dental service decays
LONDON (AFP) – Falling numbers of state dentists in England has led to some people taking extreme measures, including extracting their own teeth, according to a new study released Monday.
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GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
Greenpeace launches Forest Defenders Camp in Indonesia with the message ‘Save our forests, save our climate’
Jakarta, 9 October 2007 – Greenpeace today opened the Forest Defenders Camp (FDC) in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, as part of its international effort to protect the world’s remaining forests and the global climate prior to the Kyoto protocol climate negotiations taking place in Bali in December.
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Scientist: Greenhouse gas levels grave
SYDNEY, Australia - Strong worldwide economic growth has accelerated the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere to a dangerous threshold scientists had not expected for another decade, according to a leading Australian climate change expert.
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Conservationists work to save sea bird
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwanese and mainland Chinese conservationists are joining hands to save an endangered sea bird from extinction by urging fishermen to stop collecting and eating the birds' eggs, a Taiwanese birdwatcher said Monday.
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Body blow to larger grain borer
The larger grain borer is taking a beating from CIMMYT breeders in Kenya as new African maize withstands the onslaught of one of the most damaging pests.
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Plant breeders challenged to develop genetically modified (GM) crops
October 2, 2007 - Plant breeders have been challenged to develop genetically modified (GM) crops that are relevant to the needs of developing countries, especially in light of the effects of climate change.
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Wildlife disappearing from famed Nairobi park: study
NAIROBI (AFP) - Wild animals are vanishing Kenya's oldest game reserve which borders the airport at Nairobi, the Kenya Wildlife Service warned in a report unveiled on Friday.
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The Development Industry Should Get Over its Obsession With Bad Sex and Start to Think About Pleasure
NAIROBI – September 6, 2007 - The development industry has emphasised the dangers of sex and sexuality, in relation to population control, disease and violence. This negative approach to sex has
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Children’s TB rise worries experts
NAIROBI - Tuberculosis in children is on the rise globally, especially in Africa where high poverty levels are contributing to this disturbing development.
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Experts warn of increasing cases of rare reproductive disease
Nairobi, September 4, 2007 - Medical experts fear that endometriosis, a leading cause of infertility and chronic pelvic pain among the women, could be rearing its ugly head in Kenya.
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Poverty tourism brings cash to S.African townships
SOWETO, South Africa (Reuters) - Seeing buses full of tourists looking for a glimpse of South African poverty, squatter camp resident Lawrence Rolomana decided to try to earn a share of the cash they were spending.
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Children’s TB rise worries experts
NAIROBI - Tuberculosis in children is on the rise globally, especially in Africa where high poverty levels are contributing to this disturbing development.
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Conventional ploughing is 'skinning our agricultural fields'
Aug. 8, 2007 | Science - Traditional plow-based agricultural methods and the need to feed a rapidly growing world population are combining to deplete the Earth's soil supply, a new study confirms.
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US farmers using prison labour
With tightening restrictions on migrant workers, some farmers are turning to the incarcerated
SOURCE: THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR – CSMONITOR.COM
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In Ethiopia, one man's model for a just society
Awra Amba, Ethiopia - He can't read or write, but Zumra Nuru created a society that would have made Karl Marx proud. The 60-year-old Ethiopian farmer founded and cochairs Awra Amba, a commune where men cook, women plough, and religion has no place.
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Air travel latest target in climate change fight
London - For the hundreds of climate-change activists who've camped out by Heathrow Airport this week, there is just one way to reduce aircrafts' carbon footprint: stop flying.
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Grass-root actors gear up for Web2forDev Conference
NETHERLANDS - The first conference on the use of Web 2.0 for rural development and natural resource management is set to open in a month’s time in Rome. Nearly 40 speakers have been selected from organisations with various backgrounds from both developed and developing countries.
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Climate change devastating wildlife in East Africa
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) says climate change is to blame for increasing conflicts between humans and wildlife across East Africa, and is heightening the risk that animal diseases will spread.
The Biodiversity Research Unit of the KWS warns in its annual report — released last week (10 August) — that unless urgent strategies are developed to counter the effects of climate change, management of wildlife could suffer irreparably.
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MESHA opens doors to corporate partners
Nairobi, August 10, 2007 – Kenya’s Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) has today called on all organizations involved in science and development issues globally to join the association as corporate partners.
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"Fat" hormone sheds new light on obesity: study
LONDON (Reuters) - The hormone that tells us we are full also regulates our desire for certain foods, researchers said on Thursday, in a finding that sheds light on why people gain weight and could lead to new treatments for obesity.
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CGIAR launches Virtual Library
Experts in agriculture can now access thousands of full-text documents related to agriculture, hunger, poverty, and the environment, drawn from some of the most reliable sources using a single website.
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Mabira murder suspects released
Kampala - Court in Kampala yesterday released on bail four suspects in the murder of an Indian national during a demonstration against the proposed giveaway of part of Mabira Forest to the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited.
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Economists Alarmed at Africa’s Looming Rice Crisis
COTONOU, Benin - Participants of the Third Annual Meeting of the Africa Policy Research and Advocacy Group at the Africa Rice Center (WARDA), 25-27 June, in Cotonou, Benin, expressed deep concern about the current world rice situation and its implications for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
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Poor vet services stifle control of avian influenza, expert
Flaws in national veterinary services in developing countries stifle control of avian influenza outbreaks, a leading scientist has said.
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Abbott Fund Expand Commitment to Improving Health Care in Tanzania
Abbot Fund has announced a new multi – million dollar initiative aimed at equipping all the 23 regional hospital laboratories in Tanzania.
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New awareness initiative on biotechnology planned
The government and Biotechnology stakeholders are in the process of launching a National Biotechnology Awareness Creation Strategy (BioAware – Kenya) in a bid to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
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BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: PUBLISHERS COMMIT TO BRING FREE ACCESS TO CRITICAL RESEARCH TO DEVELOPING WORLD
WHO, FAO, UNEP, Yale, Cornell and More Than 100 STM Publishing Partners Extend Commitment Until 2015 as Microsoft Joins Efforts as Technology Partner
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