It’s two years since DRC President Joseph Kabila’s mandate ended. He has lost all legitimacy and his authority is disintegrating, yet an election has still to be held. Andrew Edward Tchie warns that there are renewed fears that Kabila will change the rules and run again, raising the real possibility that a violent reaction could spill over into the entire Great Lakes region.
Close to 80% of South Africans over the age of 60 suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension. But only a quarter seek treatment. To change this, a project was launched that involved getting lay health workers to help nurses at clinics. The outcome was both encouraging and disappointing: while the experience patients had was much improved, having lay workers involved didn’t reduce the prevalence of hypertension in the community. Jane Goudge, Felix Limbani, Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive Casas and Margaret Thorogood explain.
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President Kabila’s time in government has shown an inability to bring together the various ethnic groups.
EPA/Michael Kappeler
Andrew Edward Tchie, University of Essex
African leaders need to acknowledge the gravity of the Congo crisis and apply pressure on Kabila.
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Health + Medicine
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Jane Goudge, University of the Witwatersrand; Felix Limbani, University of the Witwatersrand; Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive Casas, University of the Witwatersrand; Margaret Thorogood, University of the Witwatersrand
A new study has found that employing lay health workers at clinics can improve the way patients receive treatment.
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Ashwanee Budoo, University of Pretoria
Laws in Mauritius allow minors to marry while some cultures on the island are tolerant of child marriage.
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Business + Economy
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Sean Gossel, University of Cape Town; Timothy London, University of Cape Town
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to display that wrongdoers of the Jacob Zuma era are going to be held accountable through prosecution.
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From our international editions
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Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong
Leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor and career outsider, won Mexico's July 1 presidential election in a landslide. The US-Mexico relationship is about to change.
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Neil Dagnall, Manchester Metropolitan University; Ken Drinkwater, Manchester Metropolitan University
This is the real reason you believe in superstitions.
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Heather Hendrickson, Massey University
The discovery of molecular rules that regulate the transfer of genetic material between bacteria could help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.
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