London, UK | Xinhua | British lawmakers on Thursday approved an investigation into Prime Minister Boris Johnson over claims he misled the parliament about rules-busting parties in Downing Street during lockdown, casting further doubts on his political future. A Labour-led motion called for the Committee of Privileges to examine allegations that …
Read More »UK PM to be fined over COVID-19 lockdown-breaking parties
London, UK | Xinhua | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will be fined by the police for attending parties during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown, the Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday. Johnson and Sunak “have today received notification that the Metropolitan Police (Met) intend to …
Read More »Police stuck with 5,000 impounded motorcycles
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Police is stuck with 5,015 motorcycles impounded over criminality, violation of road safety and traffic regulations during the lockdown. Police have urged the public, especially those whose motorcycles were impounded during lockdown to pick them up with documents or prepare answers to the …
Read More »UK PM refuses to resign as nation awaits key report on lockdown parties
London, UK | Xinhua | Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday defiantly fended off calls for his resignation ahead of the expected release of the findings of an official inquiry into parties that allegedly took place in Whitehall and Downing Street in the past two years in breach of the …
Read More »Kitgum schools to rely on learners ability, mental state before promotion
Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Headteachers in a cross-section of schools in Kitgum district have said they will promote learners to the next class depending on their mental state and if they were engaged in home-based learning during the lockdown. The decision is in contrast to a directive for the …
Read More »Parents, schools embroiled in fees dispute ahead of reopening
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is a deepening row between school operators and parents on the recovery of school fees paid during the term that prematurely ended in June this year, at the start of the second COVID-19 lockdown. Several parents had just paid school fees for their children …
Read More »More boys dropped out of school after first school closure: NAPE report
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More boys dropped out of school after the first school closure, according to the National Assessment Progress in Education-NAPE report. Uganda went under the first lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic between March and September 2020. The lockdown impacted learners and teachers in different ways. …
Read More »Students in Bunyoro resort to fishing due to prolonged schools closure
Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Many students in the districts of Hoima, Kikuube, Bullisa and Kagadi have ventured into the fishing industry due to the prolonged closure of schools following the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. On 18th March 2020, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ordered the temporary closure of …
Read More »Uganda’s teenage pregnancies five times higher than Covid-19 positive cases
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 644,955 teenage pregnancies were recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda, according to the United Nations Population Fund-UNFPA. Figures from the agency show that since March 2020 when COVID-19 hit the world, an estimated 354,736 teenage pregnancies were reported following the closure of …
Read More »Festive season blues
Mixed views on opportunities for traders Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | How will perennial festive season spenders behave amidst slow economic recovery that has not enhanced peoples’ disposable income? What are the chances that traders will make some money this time around given that COVID-19 lockdown measures are somewhat …
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