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 …

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 …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The majority of the world’s the population remains susceptible to COVID-19, even as countries have started easing restrictions which were initially put in place to tame the virus. Addressing the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States attending the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly …

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 …

Bududa, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Over 20,000 children in Bududa district have missed out on the self-study materials disbursed by the Education and Sports Ministry to keep the learners busy during the Covid19 pandemic. Vicente Matanda, the Bududa Senior Education Officer, says they received 34,921 materials for primary learners yet …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

Washington, United States | AFP |  A half-trillion-euro European fund laid out by France and Germany sparked optimism Monday about fighting economic fallout from the coronavirus, as did encouraging early results on vaccine research by a US biotech firm. Global markets surged as Europe pushed towards normality with major landmarks reopening …