AFRICA

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The COVID-19 pandemic is reversing decades of progress on poverty, healthcare and education, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said Tuesday in an annual report. The 15-year global effort to improve the lives of people around the world through the achievement of the …

Bujumbura , Burundi | XINHUA | The Burundian government on Monday kicked off a mass screening campaign in the commercial captial Bujumbura to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Three sites of a technical school, a hotel and a Catholic parish were chosen to screen people who voluntarily receive …

Abuja, Nigeria | XINHUA | The Nigerian government has said the disinfection of schools to curb the spread of COVID-19 will begin across the country on Tuesday in preparation for class resumption. The decontamination exercise will make schools safe for learning activities, Minister of Environment Muhammad Mahmood told reporters here, adding …

In April 2020, about two months after the African continent recorded its first case of COVID-19, the African Academy of Sciences undertook an extensive survey of its members. This allowed hundreds of scientists in African countries to identify COVID-19 related research priorities across a range of disciplines. The Conversation Africa’s …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is playing a role in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, an official with the SGR operator said on Monday. The last four months have seen a steep rise in the amount of bulk goods transported by rail as opposed to …

Nairobi, Kenya | PROSSY NANSUBUGA |  President Uhuru Kenyatta has reopened churches and other places of worship in the country with a maximum of 100 people. This was during a nation address at the Harambee House on Monday 6, July 2020. According to Uhuru, churches are open for congregational and individual …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | At least 166 people were killed in Ethiopia after a popular singer’s death sparked violent protests which resulted in riots in the country’s Oromia region and capital Addis Ababa, police sources said Sunday. Girma Gelam, Oromia region’s police deputy commissioner, told media on Saturday …

  Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The Confucius Institute at Makerere University, Uganda’s top university, held the 19th “Chinese Bridge” speech competition online on Saturday — its first ever to be held virtually with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The Proficiency Competition for Foreign Colleague Students in Uganda was successfully held via …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Egyptian water ministry said on Friday that no tangible progress has been made in the tripartite talks over the controversial Ethiopian Nile dam. There are still “fundamental differences at the technical and legal levels” between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the filling of the Grand Ethiopian …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Tanzania’s health authorities announced on Friday that they have shut down 74 out of 85 designated facilities for COVID-19 patients across the country. Ummy Mwalimu, the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, announced the closure of the 74 designated COVID-19 facilities shortly after …