Mogadishu, Somalia | XINHUA | Somali lawmakers voted on Saturday to oust Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a vote of no-confidence. Parliamentary speaker Mohamed Mursal said some 170 lawmakers voted in favor of no-confidence vote while eight others voted against it. Mursal called on President Mohamed Farmajo to appoint a …
Read More »Cyril Ramaphosa vows to fight corruption in health sector amid COVID-19
Cape Town, South Africa | XINHUA | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday pledged to combat corruption in the health sector and better manage resources dedicated to the fight against COVID-19. Since the COVID-19 outbreak in early March, social and economic relief packages have been implemented and much-needed support has …
Read More »East African leaders pay glowing tribute to Benjamin Mkapa
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tribute from around the world continues to pour for William Benjamin Mkapa, the former president of Tanzania who died earlier today. Benjamin Mkapa, who served from 1995 to 2005, as the third president of Tanzania, died in the early hours of Friday while receiving treatment …
Read More »Kenya records highest daily spike in COVID-19 cases as tally passes 15,000
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Kenya’s total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 15,601 after 796 infections, the highest ever recorded in a single day, were confirmed on Thursday, Kenya’s Ministry of Health said. Mercy Mwangangi, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health said the latest infections are from …
Read More »Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa dies at 81
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | Former Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa, 81, has died at a Dar Es Salaam hospital. President John Magufuli announced the death of Tanzania’s third president Mkapa last night. Mkapa was Tanzania’s president from 1995-2005. One of the first world leaders to send a condolence …
Read More »Ethiopian gov’t restores total internet access as normalcy returns in unrest-hit areas
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Ethiopian government on Thursday restored total access to the internet after a total shutdown since June 29 following deadly unrest in the capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country killing at least 239 people. Deadly protests erupted in the Ethiopian capital, …
Read More »UNDP calls for temporary basic income for world’s poorest people to slow COVID-19 surge
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The immediate introduction of a temporary basic income for the world’s poorest people could slow the current surge in COVID-19 cases by enabling nearly 3 billion people to stay at home, according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report released Thursday. The report, Temporary …
Read More »COVID-19 hits African health workers hard, 10,000 infected
Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | As COVID-19 infections rise on the African continent, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the havoc the pandemic is wreaking on the continent’s health workforce. Ten thousand health workers in 40 African countries are said to be battling COVID-19 at the moment …
Read More »China’s participation key to success of Africa’s free trade pact: experts
Accra, Ghana | XINHUA | China’s participation will be one of the key ingredients to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, some experts have said. Speaking with Xinhua, international trade expert Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi said the critical role China has played in Africa’s economic and …
Read More »South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero Andrew Mlangeni dies at 95
Johannesburg, South Africa | XINHUA | South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle stalwart Andrew Mlangeni has died at the age of 95. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the death as “the end of a generational history.” Mlangeni was admitted to hospital on Tuesday following an abdominal complaint. “The passing of Andrew Mekete Mlangeni …
Read More »