Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to launch an investigation into its coronavirus response, after US President Donald Trump threatened to quit the UN agency and branded it a “puppet of China”. Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia threatened Tuesday to take China to the World Trade Organisation to counter a fresh round of punitive sanctions, as the two countries clashed over an investigation into the origins and spread of the coronavirus. Canberra said it may seek remedial action to overturn almost 81 …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | African nations grappling to contain coronavirus are scrambling to stop the outbreak worsening the impact of other killer diseases. Across the continent, countries regularly face surges from a raft of diseases that flourish in the humid weather and prey on weak health systems. Malaria strikes down …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government revenues – taxes, grants and non-tax revenues – suffered the hardest beating in April falling below target by a whopping 789.8 billion Shillings, the clearest indicator of how the coronavirus has battered the Ugandan economy. According to the Ministry of Finance Performance of the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Traders in Kampala have asked the government to lobby for free interest loans for their businesses that were affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. In March, President Museveni issued several measures to combat the spread of the virus. They included restrictions on the movement of …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Islamic University in Uganda-IUIU has reconsidered the suspension of all staffs’ contracts following the government’s directive permitting universities to reopen their doors for final year students. The University had indefinitely suspended contracts of both teaching and non-teaching staff and temporarily closed all its campuses. …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng has called on well-wishers to donate protective full-length gowns for medical workers to use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) fight. Although the Ministry has been receiving donations, the waterproof surgical gowns that have been specially designed to stop …

Kakumiro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kakumiro police are holding a man accused of defiling and impregnating his 15-year-old step daughter. The suspect is Innocent Bafakilira, a resident of Mpanga village in Kyabasaija sub county Kakumiro. Nelson Tumushiime, the Kakumiro District Police Commander-DPC, says the suspect was arrested on Monday following …

    Elegu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Elegu One-Stop border post in Amuru district has been allocated one mobile laboratory to accelerate testing of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among truck drivers. The lab is expected to be equipped with modern technology for testing and diagnosing most pathogens in addition to providing …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ugandan truck drivers have expressed anger with South Sudanese nationals who forcefully demand lifts while heading to Juba. The truck drivers said there are increasing incidents of South Sudan nationals waylaying their trucks and forcefully demanding for a ride, which has exposed them to …