Africa has the greatest variety in human genes anywhere on the planet but the world is failing to capitalise on it, according one of the continent’s leading scientists, Prof Kelly Chibale, a man determined to change that…About 18% of the global population lives in Africa – a proportion set to rise over the next few decades – and it accounts for 20% of the global disease burden. But only 3% of clinical trials take place on the continent, and most of those in just two countries – South Africa and Egypt…Testing a drug in people with a wider variety of genes, rather than the historic standard of a Caucasian man, means the frequency and amount of a drug given to patients can be better calibrated for everyone before it gets to market. Some global regulators now require genetic diversity in trials before they will approve medicines…The 2023 recipient of the Royal Society’s Africa prize, Chibale…leads the H3D research centre at the University of Cape Town, a unit he founded in 2011, which is working on drugs to fight diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, and combat antimicrobial resistance – conditions that predominantly affect people in Africa. (The Guardian)

Kenya’s Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed a decision by an appeals court nullifying the 2023 finance law, a victory for the government after protests forced President William Ruto to withdraw this year’s finance bill. The finance bills form the main vehicle for the government to set out revenue-raising measures, and Ruto’s administration has been relying on the 2023 finance law to continue collecting taxes after the rollback of this year’s legislation…The 2023 law was challenged in court following a round of opposition-led protests last year, after Ruto’s government used it to double the value-added tax on fuel, introduce a housing levy and raise the top personal income tax rate, among other measures. Ruto’s government, which took office in September 2022, sought to impose a new round of tax hikes this year, angering many citizens and culminating in deadly protests in June and July in which more than 60 people were killed. (Reuters)

The war in Sudan has displaced more than 14 million people, or about 30% of the population, since it broke out over a year ago, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis this year, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. Of those, 11 million are internally displaced and 3.1 million have fled to neighboring countries, Amy Pope, director-general of the IOM, said in a press briefing from Port Sudan. The number of the displaced had increased by 200,000 since September, she said. More than half are women and over a quarter are children under 5 years old, according to Pope. “The scale of the displacement and the humanitarian needs are growing every day. Frankly, half of the population now needs help,” she said, noting they have no access to shelter, clean drinking water or health care. (AP)

The correlation coefficient is a statistical measure of the strength of a linear relationship between two variables. Its values can range from -1 to 1. A correlation coefficient of -1 describes a perfect negative, or inverse, correlation, with values in one series rising as those in the other decline, and vice versa. A coefficient of 1 shows a perfect positive correlation, or a direct relationship. A correlation coefficient of 0 means there is no linear relationship.