Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A sobering analysis of Uganda’s businesses during coronavirus crisis shows that at least 100,000 formal jobs have been cut revealing the scale of the carnage the virus has had on employment. Also, at least 4.4 million workers in the informal sector will either see their …
Read More »Lifting lockdown restrictions should not excite you – Health Minister
Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has cautioned that the lifting of lockdown restrictions should not be a reason for excitement in Uganda today. Instead, the public should be worried about the possible increase in COVID-19 infections. The warning comes barely a week …
Read More »DRC officials deny Corona-virus figures manipulated
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Government officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have denied any manipulation of its figures for coronavirus cases and deaths. The controversy came as health officials announced DR Congo’s latest COVID-19 figures which stand at 63 deaths from 2,025 cases, most of them in …
Read More »South America named virus epicenter as Trump seeks US reopening
Washington, United States | AFP | South America is “a new epicenter” of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization has declared, as US President Donald Trump intensified his push to reopen the reeling American economy. Brazil led the surge across South America, its death toll passing 21,000 on Friday from …
Read More »Fishermen appeal to gov’t to halt closure of illegal landing sites
Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Hundreds of fishermen operating at the shores of Lake Albert have appealed to the government to stay the impending closure of illegal landing sites until after the COVID-19 lockdown. The government, two weeks ago announced plans to close more than 200 illegal landing sites …
Read More »Kumi watermelon farmers cry out as lockdown bites
Kumi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Watermelon farmers in Kumi district have run out of option on what to do with their crop in the garden. The melons are ready for harvest; some are rotting but their market continues to be disrupted by the COVID-19 lockdown. For some farmers, watermelon had …
Read More »Government defends COVID-19 lockdown at East Africa court
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Attorney General has defended the President’s directives on curfew and lockdown at the East African Court in Arusha. The directives in mid-March were challenged by city lawyer Male Mabirizi at the East African Court of Justice saying they were unconstitutional. Mabirizi said the …
Read More »Riek Machar will not be evacuated, still in Juba
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Press secretary James Gatdet Dak has denied reports that South Sudan’s first vice president, the former rebel leader Riek Machar, has been evacuated to the UK for treatment for COVID-19. “They (Machar and wife) are currently in their residence in Juba where they …
Read More »China takes massive economic hit as Russia virus toll mounts
Beijing, China | AFP | China warned Friday that its huge economy will suffer an immense hit from the coronavirus, as the ongoing pandemic and national lockdowns cause massive global job losses and Russia faces a steep increase in deaths. As Beijing’s communist rulers failed to set an annual growth target …
Read More »Trump urges quicker US reopening from virus lockdown
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Thursday pressed for a broader reopening of the United States as coronavirus-related job losses mounted, while parts of Europe embraced post-lockdown life. With summer approaching on both sides of the Atlantic, more stores opened their doors and beaches welcomed tourists, despite …
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