AFRICA

Abuja, Nigeria | Xinhua | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday faulted the travel ban imposed on his country and sister African nations by some Western countries in the aftermath of the discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 by South African scientists. Ramaphosa, while attending a joint press conference …

Harare, Zimbabwe | Xinhua | Zimbabwe on Monday launched a national HIV/AIDS strategic plan which is set to guide resource allocation and implementation of the country’s HIV response for the next five years, the state broadcaster ZBC reported. The strategic plan running from 2021-2025 will guide the country toward ending AIDS …

Kinshasa, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | DRC and Uganda have confirmed that they have started targeting ADF camps with aerial and artillery fire. “As announced, targeted and concerted actions with the Ugandan army began today with airstrikes and artillery fire from Uganda on the positions of ADF terrorists in the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Leading Ugandan poultry industry players have urged the government to hold talks aimed at resolving the persistent trade wrangles, the latest being the continued ban on egg imports by Kenya. Kenya issued the ban in January this year affecting all poultry products including eggs and …

Museveni: Petroleum important for 40 more years despite war by conservationists Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | The private sector, specifically those in businesses relating to the oil and gas industry, want the governments of Uganda and Tanzania to lift some national laws that hinder companies from trading …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Despite a growing number of countries impose flight bans on southern African nations due to concerns over the new Omicron variant, World Health Organization (WHO) urges countries to follow science and the International Health Regulations. In a statement, the organization warns that travel bans may …

Cairo, Egypt | Xinhua | The Egyptian government suspended direct flights with a number of southern African countries due to concerns over the new COVID-19 variant Omicron. The decision was made late on Friday after a meeting of the ministerial crisis management committee headed by Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, according …

Vaccination remains a key tool to prevent severe cases and deaths from COVID-19 infection Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Friday urged African health authorities to intensify COVID-19 prevention measures amid the emergence of a new variant. The Africa CDC …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Tanzania’s national flag carrier, Air Tanzania, resumed daily flights to Kenya on Friday after a hiatus of more than 20 years amid renewed business relations between the two east African neighbors. The arrival of the Airbus A220-300 at 6:45 a.m. local time in Nairobi marked the …

Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) classified on Friday the latest variant B.1.1.529 of SARS-CoV-2, which was first reported from South Africa, as a “Variant of Concern” (VOC), and asked countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts. South Africa has seen …