Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Joint security taskforce will enforce all the previous restrictions that the government imposed on the country to counter the spread of the coronavirus. Earlier, the public had interpreted the president’s instructions to mean that the restrictions had been lifted. Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, …
Read More »Shortage of clean water in Palaro sub county worries residents
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Palaro Sub County in Gulu are worried about the shortage of clean water in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). David Ngole, the Palaro Sub County Chairperson says that locals in the area are drawing water from open springs to …
Read More »Young Tunisians eat in secret despite Ramadan and lockdown
Nicosia, Cyprus | AFP | Hiding snacks under their beds or behind piles of clothes, young Tunisians are finding ways to subvert the Ramadan fast — despite being locked down with their Muslim conservative parents. The generation gap in religious observance is not new but it took on a new dimension …
Read More »Scientists in China believe new drug can stop pandemic ‘without vaccine’
Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese laboratory has been developing a drug it believes has the power to bring the coronavirus pandemic to a halt. The outbreak first emerged in China late last year before spreading across the world, prompting an international race to find treatments and vaccines. A drug …
Read More »COVID-19: Is this the end of ‘cheap’ flights?
Airlines say social distancing onboard could mean high costs for passenger air transport Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | International Air Transport Association has warned that air ticket prices could rise up to 54% depending on the region if airlines are forced to exercise social distancing onboard due to the …
Read More »Virus pushes science and its controversies centre stage
Paris, France | AFP | Hydroxychloroquine, double-blind studies, convalescent plasma, herd immunity — the coronavirus pandemic has thrust the language of science into public view as never before. Having escaped the confines of the laboratory, these and other once-obscure terms are fast becoming part of household parlance. But familiarity with the …
Read More »WHO to review virus response as Trump renews attack
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization said it would launch an independent review of its response to the coronavirus pandemic as US President Donald Trump renewed his attack on the global body, branding it a “puppet of China”. Washington is locked in an increasingly bitter spat with Beijing …
Read More »Lancashire offer to stage Test cricket during crisis as they post strong earnings
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The coronavirus has left the English cricket season in limbo but Lancashire were dealt a devastating personal blow when they lost their chairman, David Hodgkiss. Just weeks later the Manchester-based county have returned record financial results — a fitting legacy for Hodgkiss, who died in …
Read More »Pandemic throws up additional challenges for US firefighters
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The wildfire season in the western United States is shaping up to be even more challenging this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced firefighters to rethink how they respond to disaster while also protecting themselves. “We’re focused on COVID-19, we’re focused …
Read More »‘We can get it done here’: Africa’s tech scene tackles virus
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Watching from afar as much of the world was brought to its knees by the coronavirus, African scientists, engineers and innovators have turned to homegrown solutions to prepare for the worst case scenario. By the time the virus hit Africa, where cases have risen relatively slowly, …
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