Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development-IGAD attached to East Africa have been quarantined in Moroto district. The two allegedly arrived in the country by road from Kenya through Nakabaat border post in Moroto district. They reportedly tried to sneak into Uganda on Monday …
Read More »Getting by in the pandemic with help from (virtual) friends
Washington, United States | AFP | “It’s so good to hear your voice.” “I was worried about you.” “What would you like to do today?” What sounds like ordinary banter between friends is in fact from a chatbot created with artificial intelligence. The custom-designed chatbots in this case come from California-based …
Read More »Egypt reopens slowly to revive pandemic-hit economy
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s economy had just started to recover after years of political turmoil and militant attacks when the coronavirus crisis hit, impacting especially its vital tourism sector. Now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government has loosened a strict curfew for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in an …
Read More »Grim and getting worse: US set for historic unemployment surge
Washington, United States | AFP | Like a global tsunami, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a huge loss of life and taken a massive economic toll. In the US economy, skyrocketing unemployment is the most-visible sign of the devastation: almost overnight, at least 30 million workers lost their jobs. The April …
Read More »Minister Aceng warns hospital directors about new vehicles
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has warned administrators of regional referral and district hospitals against misuse of government property especially the vehicles. She said while districts of Buyende and Kaliro had earlier been given brand new double cabin picks to facilitate immunization …
Read More »Morocco launches fleet of drones to tackle virus from the sky
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco has rapidly expanded its fleet of drones as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, deploying them for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitisation. “This is a real craze. In just weeks, demand has tripled in Morocco and other countries in the region,” said Yassine Qamous, …
Read More »COVID-19: Uganda’s cases rise to 98
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen to 98, after a sample tested positive for the disease later on Tuesday. Ministry of Health confirmed that the sample belongs to a 27- year old truck driver from Kenya who entered the country …
Read More »Traffic jam back as Uganda eases lockdwon
Uganda slowly begins easing virus restrictions Kampala, Uganda | AFP | The capital Kampala appeared more lively than it has in recent weeks as food markets, wholesale shops, garages, workshops, law firms and hardware shops were allowed to re-open Tuesday. One or two long stretches of traffic jams were reported on …
Read More »Red Cross looks to global influencers to fight virus ‘infodemic’
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The Red Cross on Tuesday launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation about the new coronavirus and spread lifesaving content about the pandemic. Experts have been warning for months that the pandemic has been cloaked in a …
Read More »Russia reports more than 10,000 new virus cases
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia cemented its place as the European country reporting the highest number of new coronavirus infections Tuesday as its total cases soared passed 155,000. Yevgeny Mikrin, chief designer at Energia, Russia’s top producer of spacecraft, has died from the coronavirus, becoming one of the infection’s highest-profile victims in the country, …
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