Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  The prison system in the largest US state of California plans to release about 3,500 non-violent inmates early to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 illness, officials said Tuesday. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said the first group of inmates …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Government has proposed to allocate the security sector more money compared to the Health Sector as it seeks Shillings 284 billion in supplementary funding to deal with the Corona virus pandemic. Although the Finance Ministry is seeking Shillings 284 billion to mitigate the corona virus …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The International Medical Center-IMC has decided to stop night operations because of the curfew announced by president, Yoweri Museveni. In a message to its clients issued on Tuesday IMC said, “due to the COVID19 situation in the country  and the presidential directive, IMC  has decided …

Mbale, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Hadija Mudondo, a resident of Kabwangasi sub county in Butebo district  gave birth to two bouncing babies along Mbale-Soroti Road in Mbale municipality on Tuesday afternoon. Mudondo and her little sister had walked on foot for over 15 kilometers from Butebo district to Mbale Regional …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Soldiers tower over youngsters in South Africa’s Soweto township, forcing them to do push-ups and roll on the floor as punishment for not adhering to a lockdown meant to halt the spread of coronavirus. Caught on camera and circulated on social media, they added to …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  President Yoweri Museveni has said the media is part of the emergence services that must be allowed to continue working, as the rest of the country is put under lockdown. Museveni was speaking Tuesday night to the nation to clarify some of the guidelines he …

Estonia | AFP |  For centuries on a small, forested island in the Baltic Sea, women in headscarves and striped red skirts have done most of the work: from farming to lighthouse keeping, leading church services and even dressing up as Santa at Christmas. The men of Kihnu island, 10 kilometres …

Béthune, France | AFP |  A ringing bell breaks the silence of the cemetery as five members of the Charitable Brotherhood of Saint Eloi in Bethune solemnly remove their two-pointed hats. All are wearing black capes, white gloves and, of course, face masks. Founded eight centuries ago during a plague outbreak …

New York, United States | AFP |  With the rapid rise of hospitalizations and a health system nearly at capacity, New York doctor Shamit Patel is preparing for the worst over the next few days, all while hoping he won’t have to start choosing which coronavirus patients to treat. Just 10 …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP |  A year after the unexpected downfall of Algeria’s longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the ailing octogenarian remains holed up in his plush and medically adapted home, with his detractors still demanding justice. Bouteflika assumed the presidency in 1999, reigning omnipresent over Algeria’s political life until a stroke …