JOHANNESBURG – The nurse started crying when describing her work at a Johannesburg hospital: The ward for coronavirus patients is full, so new arrivals are sent to the general ward, where they wait days for test results. Already 20 of her colleagues have tested positive. “A lot, a lot, a lot of people are coming […]
Medical/Health Care
Botswana Investigates Mystery Deaths of At Least 275 Elephants
GABORONE – Botswana is investigating a growing number of unexplained deaths of elephants, having confirmed 275 had died, up from 154 two weeks ago, the government said Thursday. The dead elephants were first spotted months ago in the Okavango Panhandle region, and the authorities say they have since been trying to discover the cause. Poaching […]
WHO Urges African Countries Resuming Air Travel to Take Safety Measures
The World Health Organization called on African countries Thursday to take comprehensive safety measures to “mitigate a surge” in COVID-19 cases, as nations resume air travel. The African economy, which is heavily reliant on travel and tourism, has been struck hard by the global pandemic. “Air travel is vital to the economic health of countries,” […]
COVID-19, Africa’s conservation and trophy hunting dilemma
Wildlife conservation hasn’t escaped the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is largely due to the fact that tourism funding, which supports the conservation of wide swaths of Africa and some 23 million livelihoods, has all but dried up. Wildlife-based tourism in Africa is worth approximately US$71 billion annually. Much of this funds the management […]
Somali Elections Won’t Take Place on Schedule
Somalia’s electoral commission has announced that upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections will not take place on time, as scheduled. The chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), Halima Ismail Ibrahim, has told the Lower House of the parliament that political differences, insecurity, flooding and COVID-19 have hampered the commission’s work schedule. The parliamentary elections […]
Flight Departs UK to Deliver Virus Aid to Africa
Britain’s Royal Air Force says the first in a series of flights taking coronavirus aid to Africa has departed for Ghana with materials for a field hospital with capacity for nearly 100 people. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement that Britain is the first NATO ally to come forward with an aid flight […]