NEWS ANALYSIS

Electoral Commission ignores local firms, awards ballot printing to foreign firms Kampala, Uganda | MUBATSI ASINJA HABATI | Uganda’s Electoral Commission will go ahead with printing ballot papers with foreign companies, even when the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) strongly advised that the ballot printing tender …

With a rapid increase in demand for wood in sectors from construction to household furniture, is there anything Kenya can do to ensure a better supply? | TOM COLLINS | On both sides of the congested Ngong Road in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, informal carpenters known as “fundis” spend …

The East African country has descended into an increasingly bloody civil conflict | SIMON MARKS | Violence in Ethiopia’s northern state of Tigray has escalated in recent weeks, with hundreds of soldiers and an untold number of civilians killed in a worsening dispute between regional forces and the national government. …

Large group gatherings and mobility have been identified as risk factors for increasing the spread of COVID-19 | THE INDEPENDENT | With the end of year approaching and many African families planning get-togethers, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to be on high alert for a possible surge …

Troubled history provides clues why | FRANCESCA BALDWIN AND HEIKE I SCHMIDT | Ethiopia’s government, under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, is carrying out a military offensive in Tigray, Ethiopia’s most northern state. A six month state of emergency has been declared in the region. Dozens of casualties have been reported …

A key difference is that the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate must be stored at –70°C, whereas Moderna’s can be kept at –20°C Jon Cohen | SCIENCEMAG.ORG |  Now, there are two. Another COVID-19 vaccine using the same previously unproven technology as the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech – the U.S. and German …

From Early Warning to Early Action; a view from the International Crisis Group Unless urgently halted, the ongoing armed confrontation between Ethiopia’s federal forces and those commanded by the northern Tigray region’s leadership will be devastating not just for the country but for the entire Horn of Africa. In a …

Promising results – here’s what needs to happen next | ANNE MOORE | Preliminary data from the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trial suggests it provides 90% efficacy at preventing the disease. At the very least, this news will result in a large sigh of relief across the vaccine community. It signifies …

The excitement that greeted the news of a vaccine candidate that may be highly effective against COVID-19 was indeed something to behold. If the final results show anything like the numbers quoted in the press release, then the world can indeed be pleased and the scientists behind the scenes very …

A highly polarised society with an uncertain future | KARUTI KANYINGA | When Tanzanian voters went to the polls on October 28, the incumbent President John Pombe Magufuli and his party Chama Cha Mapinduzi showed all the signs of being confident about victory. This confidence resulted from the way in …