AFRICA

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP |  Madagascar on Saturday delivered to Guinea-Bissau a shipment of a herbal tea that President Andry Rajoelina has touted as a powerful remedy against the novel coronavirus and hopes to distribute across West Africa and beyond. Baptised Covid-Organics, the drink is derived from artemisia — a …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Sunday questioned his country’s coronavirus numbers, and called on the authorities to investigate “sabotage” at the national laboratory. The East African country had recorded 480 cases of the virus and 16 deaths at its last update on Wednesday. The …

Letsitele, South Africa | AFP | From his garden in South Africa’s remote Limpopo province, Gilbert Phakola chuckled at a group of healthcare workers knocking on doors to test rural inhabitants for coronavirus. “You guys are coming to fight the virus?,” asked the 80-year old pensioner, bemused by the mask-clad parade …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Medics have deployed a robot in a Tunisian hospital caring for coronavirus victims to limit contact between staff and infected patients, in a first for the North African country. The tall, single-limbed machine is mounted on wheels and is capable of taking pulses and checking temperatures and blood oxygen levels. It …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | Tanzania’s main opposition party on Friday asked its lawmakers to stop attending parliament sessions and isolate themselves after three MPs died of unknown causes in the past 11 days. Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the opposition Chadema party, has repeatedly accused the government of covering up the true …

  Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda has announced the partial opening of its economy for some services to resume. While hotels, public and private business will resume activities on May 4, churches , bars, gyms and recreational centers will remain closed. Schools will also remain closed until September 2020. …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo has cordoned off the poshest and richest neighbourhood in its chaotic capital Kinshasa to protect it from coronavirus, dealing a body blow to thousands of street hawkers who earn a meagre living there. Gombe, a waterfront district housing ministries, top government officials, millionaires …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new campaign has been launched to increase financing for Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to raise its capacity for securing essential diagnostics and medical supplies needed for COVID-19 response in Africa. The One by One; Target COVID-19 campaign, spearheaded by Africa-CDC, the …

Genève, Switzerland | AFP | Nearly half of the entire global workforce is in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organization warned Wednesday. The ILO said the risk fell on those workers in the informal economy, and three-quarters of them, some 1.6 billion …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A key ally of DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi will appear in court on May 11 over alleged fraud totalling $51 million (47 million euros), a document received by AFP on Wednesday said. Vital Kamerhe, a veteran politician who became the president’s chief of staff …