Tag Archives: coronavirus

Paris, France | AFP | Half of the world’s school and university students affected by class closures because of the coronavirus outbreak — from pre-primary to university level — do not have access to a computer for home-schooling, the UN’s educational agency said Tuesday. Highlighting “startling digital divides” between the rich and poor, a UNESCO …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Italy’s Prime Minister said on Tuesday that by the weekend he would reveal the steps the country will take to loosen restrictions, reopen the economy and emerge from the coronavirus crisis. Italy, which has reported more coronavirus deaths than any other European country, has been under …

Paris, France | AFP |  The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating threats to press freedom around the world, with authoritarian states including China and Iran suppressing details of the outbreak, activists said on Tuesday. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual press freedom rankings the pandemic was “highlighting and amplifying the …

Paris, France | AFP |  Whether it came from a bat or a pangolin is not certain, but one thing is: the coronavirus outbreak that has killed tens of thousands and turned the world upside down comes from the animal world. It is human activity enabled the virus to jump to …

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  While much of the world labours under strict coronavirus lockdowns, Malawi has bucked the trend after a court blocked attempts to restrict its population’s movements — much to the relief of some residents. “Had the lockdown been implemented, we would certainly have died of hunger and …

Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | Centenary Bank has joined the list of corporate companies that have responded to President Yoweri Museveni’s call for well-wishers to donate money and relief items to aid the fight against the spread of coronavirus pandemic. The bank has contributed protective gear to upcountry health centres and …

Washington, United States | AFP | The Trump administration on Monday sent out the first payments meant to help save airline jobs as the industry is ravaged by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The US Treasury sent the first $2.9 billion of the plan — agreed upon last week after …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP |  It was back to business at the sprawling central market of Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, on Monday after a closure of nearly a month in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s a joy to see the market reopen its doors,” said fabric dealer …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization insisted Monday that it sounded the alarm on the novel coronavirus right from the very start and had hidden nothing from Washington about the deadly pandemic. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there were no secrets at the UN agency after being …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli has called on citizens to turn to God and to keep the economy turning, but as coronavirus cases creep up, calls are rising for the country to take stronger action. While countries across Africa have imposed curfews, partial and full …