The practice of female genital mutilation has been banned in a district of eastern Uganda. A community leader in Kapchorwa district said the ritual was no longer considered useful for the community's women.

The Sabiny are the only group in Uganda that practises FGM, which involves cutting off a young girl's clitoris. The local council has submitted legislation to parliament for the ban to become law nationwide. Locals historically believe that women who marry without circumcision would be stricken by illness. Last year, the United Nations passed a resolution that called FGM a violation of the rights of women and said it constituted irreparable, irreversible abuse.

Powerful polio jab offers hope
New research suggests an improved vaccine could wipe out polio in Nigeria. The African country accounts for more than 80 per cent of global polio cases reported so far this year. An Imperial College London team say a recently introduced polio jab protects children far more effectively than former vaccines. But vaccines have to reach more children for the disease to be eradicated. In the north-west zone of Nigeria where the majority of new polio cases are found, 21 per cent of children report never having received a single dose of the vaccine. Nigeria is one of only four countries in the world where polio has yet to be eliminated. Polio is highly infectious and it primarily affects children under five years of age.

Vietnam jails journalist
Two Vietnamese journalists have been convicted for their reporting of a prominent corruption case. One has been sent to prison for two years while the other was given a year's probation and freed after having been deemed to have served the time. The same court also jailed one police officer used as a source in the stories and gave the other officer a stern warning. The two journalists, Nguyen Viet Chien and Nguyen Van Hai, reported on a scandal involving millions of dollars in illegal gambling and embezzlement. The articles forced the resignation of a minister and the prosecution of a deputy minister for corruption. When the deputy minister was acquitted the journalists and their sources were arrested.

Rich fail to deliver aid pledge
An international aid charity has criticised wealthy nations for failing to respond quickly to help poor nations cope with rising food and fuel prices. In a report to coincide with World Food Day, the aid charity Oxfam says less than one billion US dollars of the 12 billion pledged to address the global food emergency has been delivered. The organisation says it is shocked by the response considering that nearly one billion people are now hungry around the world. However, the report also says poor countries have also failed to come up with adequate solutions to rising food prices. In another report, Care International speaks of millions of people facing famine in Ethiopia and Somalia. The tragedy is fast sliding into a full blown humanitarian crisis.

Chile jails 'caravan of death' officers
Chile's Supreme Court has jailed five retired senior military officials over the killing of dozens of government opponents under the country's military rule. The officers were all members of a military committee known as the Caravan of Death, which criss-crossed the country killing suspected leftists after Gen Augusto Pinochet took power in a coup in 1973. Those jailed for between four and six years include Sergio Arrelano Stark, who headed the committee. Mr. Pinochet was put under house arrest in 2001 in connection with the case. Mr. Pinochet, who died in 2006, never faced a full trial for crimes committed during his 17-year dictatorship.

Thai-Cambodia crisis talks
Thailand and Cambodia have today agreed to introduce joint patrols in disputed areas along their border following deadly clashes this week. Thai and Cambodian top army commanders met today for five hours to resolve the growing crisis. Although little progress was made the two sides agreed to curb further troop movements along the disputed areas. Another meeting has been scheduled for next week. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed this week and seven Thai troops injured when a three-month long dispute over land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple boiled over into a shootout. In July, UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to make Preah Vihear temple a UN World Heritage site. Thailand also claims land around the temple.