Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development-IGAD attached to East Africa have been quarantined in Moroto district. The two allegedly arrived in the country by road from Kenya through Nakabaat border post in Moroto district. They reportedly tried to sneak into Uganda on Monday …
Read More »Germany eyes accelerated return to normality
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Germany is eyeing an almost complete return to normality in May, with plans to send all pupils back to school and to restart the top-flight football Bundesliga, according to a draft agreement seen by AFP Wednesday. “Even after initial steps to open up were introduced from …
Read More »Getting by in the pandemic with help from (virtual) friends
Washington, United States | AFP | “It’s so good to hear your voice.” “I was worried about you.” “What would you like to do today?” What sounds like ordinary banter between friends is in fact from a chatbot created with artificial intelligence. The custom-designed chatbots in this case come from California-based …
Read More »Egypt reopens slowly to revive pandemic-hit economy
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s economy had just started to recover after years of political turmoil and militant attacks when the coronavirus crisis hit, impacting especially its vital tourism sector. Now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government has loosened a strict curfew for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in an …
Read More »Grim and getting worse: US set for historic unemployment surge
Washington, United States | AFP | Like a global tsunami, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a huge loss of life and taken a massive economic toll. In the US economy, skyrocketing unemployment is the most-visible sign of the devastation: almost overnight, at least 30 million workers lost their jobs. The April …
Read More »Can Italian infrastructure reboot post-virus economy?
Rome, Italy | AFP | A sleek new bridge in Genoa built in record time is being acclaimed in Italy as a model for rebuilding the economy by investing in major infrastructure projects. Such stimulus is sorely needed as the country slides towards its worst recession since World War II because …
Read More »COVID-19: Parliament economy committee tasked on possible rescue package
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Parliament National Economy Committee is expected in a few days to start interfacing with sections of the Private Sector on the Covid-19 overall impact on the economy and among others discuss possibilities for a rescue package to Ugandans. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga directed the committee …
Read More »Women hail victory as Sudan moves to ban genital cutting
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Hakam Ibrahim was seven when, like most Sudanese girls, she became a victim of female genital mutilation — an age-old practice decried as horrific that the post-revolution government is now banning. A mother-of-four in her 40s, Ibrahim vividly recalls the traumatic experience of what remains a …
Read More »Minister Aceng warns hospital directors about new vehicles
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has warned administrators of regional referral and district hospitals against misuse of government property especially the vehicles. She said while districts of Buyende and Kaliro had earlier been given brand new double cabin picks to facilitate immunization …
Read More »Morocco launches fleet of drones to tackle virus from the sky
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco has rapidly expanded its fleet of drones as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, deploying them for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitisation. “This is a real craze. In just weeks, demand has tripled in Morocco and other countries in the region,” said Yassine Qamous, …
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