JUBA, South Sudan | XINHUA |  The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared South Sudan free of the poliovirus. “South Sudan’s complete documentation for wild polio virus free status has been accepted. With this feat, WHO’s Africa Region is set to be declared wild poliovirus free 2020,” the WHO South …

ROME, Italy | XINHUA | Ilaria Cappuccioni was so enthusiastic about marrying her boyfriend, Sonny Casimirri, that she was the one to pop the question. The couple was originally scheduled to be married next week, but as Italy emerges from the coronavirus pandemic they decided to delay the ceremony until …

NAIROBI, Kenya | XINHUA | Living in Mathare, one of the largest slums in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Newton Omondi knows that he needs to maintain social distancing, wear a face mask and wash his hands regularly to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, adhering to these measures has been a …

Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | All four of Uganda Airlines new Mitsubishi CRJ-900 (Bombardier) planes went airborne Friday afternoon after 90 days on ground. Images from Flightradar24. com,  a global flight tracking service that provides you with real-time information about thousands of aircraft around the world, showed the four …

*The writer is the Country Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Uganda. The column is written on behalf of 34 agencies participating in the UN-led joint appeal against the impacts of COVID-19 in Uganda COMMENT | El-Khidir Daloum | WFP | One sunny day in June 2019, in …

Kenya elected to UN Security Council, beating Djibouti United Nations, United States | AFP |  Kenya was elected Thursday to the UN Security Council for 2021-2022, defeating Djibouti after first-round voting by the General Assembly failed to choose between the two candidates. Kenya obtained 129 votes, against 113 in the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | East Africa is bracing for a third outbreak of desert locusts, with billions of the destructive insects about to hatch and threaten food supplies in a region already reeling from damaging rains and the coronavirus pandemic. Spurred by favourable weather conditions, the migratory pests have …

Gitega, Burundi | AFP | Burundi’s new president, Evariste Ndayishimiye, took office on Thursday in a colourful ceremony where he vowed to “continue on the path” of his predecessor who died suddenly last week. Elected last month in a disputed vote, Ndayishimiye was meant to take office in August, but …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN |  Makerere University has released the official admission lists for government sponsored students for A ‘ Level applicants for the academic year 2020/2021. The courses listed are tenable at Makerere University and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) respectively. (See lists below) Also released …

  Gitega, Burundi | AFP | Burundi’s new president, Evariste Ndayishimiye, took the oath of office at a colourful ceremony in the capital on Thursday, assuming the helm of a troubled nation after the sudden death of his predecessor. Elected in May in a vote disputed by the opposition, Ndayishimiye …