AFRICA

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s central bank has warned citizens against scammers visiting homes to “recall” banknotes and coins they said were contaminated with the novel coronavirus. The criminals carried fake identification badges and provided false receipts to victims, who were told they could exchange the slips for “clean” cash at any …

New York, US | THE INDEPENDENT |  Days after Mike Bloomberg launched a program to help American mayors improve their coronavirus response, Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced a new $40 million global initiative to combat the pandemic on a global scale. “Last week, we launched an effort to help US mayors …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP |  Tanzania and Somalia on Monday became the latest East Africa countries to confirm their first cases of coronavirus, as neighbouring countries shuttered borders and schools as fears of contagion rose. As the global pandemic takes root in Africa, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma announced he …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | There is no known cure for the new coronavirus, but in the medicinal herbs souq in Tunis, anxious Tunisians are consulting with herbalists and stocking up on traditional remedies. “I am afraid for my father, who is old and sick, so I have come here …

Kigali, Rwanda | AFP & THE INDEPENDENT |  Rwanda has confirmed four additional coronavirus cases, one of them being a 22-year-old Ugandan national who arrived in Kigali from London on March 15. That brings to five the number positive cases in Rwanda, as the virus hits several East African countries. …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa may still have relatively few confirmed coronavirus cases but the flailing economy’s two major foreign exchange earners —  mining and tourism — are bracing to take a hit. China holds a special place in the economy of Africa’s most industrialised country which slid …

Polokwane, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa repatriated dozens of its citizens from China on Saturday over the coronavirus, the health ministry said, the first such move by a sub-Saharan country as cases across the region continue to rise. The 114 South Africans were working and studying in Wuhan city, …

Mopti, Mali | AFP |  After years of ethnic massacres and unrelenting jihadist attacks, central Mali has been left a harrowed area of deserted villages and displaced people. An Islamist insurgency erupted in the north of the vast west African state in 2012, claiming thousands of military and civilian lives since. …

Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guinea’s President Alpha Conde has set March 22 for the constitutional referendum on his proposed reforms that opponents worry will allow him to bypass term limits and stay in power. The vote, originally set for March 1 but delayed over local and international concerns about its …

Museveni calls for equitable use of River Nile Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said all the countries that share the Nile, the world’s longest river should use her waters for the benefit of all, not at the detriment of others. Museveni was on Friday speaking …