Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese doctor who was among the first to warn publicly about the new coronavirus outbreak — and was reprimanded by authorities for his candor — died of the infection early on Friday, his hospital announced. Li Wenliang was working as an ophthalmologist in the virus epicentre city of Wuhan …

  Paris, France | AFP | Overlapping environmental crises could tip the planet into “global systemic collapse,” more than 200 top scientists warned Wednesday. Climate change, extreme weather events from hurricanes to heatwaves, the decline of life-sustaining ecosystems, food security and dwindling stores of fresh water — each poses a monumental …

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)’s collections for the six months from July to December 2019 fell short of the target by at least 697.4 billion shillings. Doris Akol, the commissioner-general, told reporters on Thursday at URA headquarters in Nakawa that the tax body managed to collect …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis insisted Wednesday poverty could be beaten if the world’s rich play a full part in ending inequality as he attended a conference on financial inclusion. “We are neither condemned to inequality nor to paralysis in the face of injustice. The rich world …

Karamoja, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | Districts in Karamoja have deployed teams at the Uganda-Kenya border to monitor the movement of the deadly desert locusts. It stems from reports that the swarm of the desert locusts is only about 60 kilometers from Amudat and Kaabong districts in Uganda. The locusts are …

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | The decision by parliament to halt the implementation of the new lower secondary curriculum has ignited confusion at different centers where several teachers are being trained to implement the curriculum. Parliament voted to halt the implementation of the curriculum on Tuesday night on grounds …

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | The Director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute-UVRI Dr Pontiano Kaleebu has allayed fears that the HIV vaccine trials which were halted early this week in South Africa were not a waste of time. On Monday, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases …

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | Makerere University is in dilemma of fulfilling court’s directive to pay approximately 23 billion shillings to its staff under the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS). Until last year, the University Council, the supreme governing body of the institution was stuck with the heavy debt …

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gender and Culture Affairs Minister, Peace Mutuuzo has discouraged teenage girls from the practice of elongating their labia. According to Mutuuzo, the practice of elongating the labia tampers with body hormones and arouses sexual feelings, which pushes teenage girls into premarital sex leading …

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health is asking the public to disregard claims that there is a Ugandan medical student who has tested positive for Coronavirus. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said there are 71 Ugandan students in China and have …