Early COVID-19 Vaccine Data Positive, but...

The study is the first to publish results from the initial phase of testing of a COVID-19 vaccine. More than 100 others are in development around the world, including nine others in clinical trials.

COVID-19:Kenya Tests Herbal Treatment

Kenya has stepped up efforts to find a local treatment for COVID-19. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), East Africa’s leading medical research facility, is testing the efficacy of an herbal medicine known as Zedupex. Kenya itself has seen more than 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease so far, and about 50 deaths

COVID-19: Ghana Medical Innovations

Ghana, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred health technology innovations – from applications to track symptoms in workplaces, to online diagnosis and drone delivery of test samples. As confirmed infections continue to rise in Ghana, reaching over 6,000 cases and over 30 deaths, health tech experts want to ensure people have access to needed medicines and doctors. Stacey Knott reports from Accra

COVID-19: Surge in Claims of Herbal...

There has been a surge of claims in Tanzania of herbal cures for the coronavirus. Despite endorsements by some public officials, medical experts warn that no treatments should be taken at face value until scientifically tested

In Africa, Civil Rights vs. a...

Prompted by widespread reports of police beatings of protesters, heavy-handed enforcement of safe-distancing measures and other abuses, rights groups and academics are raising the alarm over what they see as a squeeze on basic human rights in Africa’s fragile democracies

University of Oxford Study Set to...

While laboratory evidence demonstrates hope for the drug, the results are inconclusive, prompting the creation of the international, double-blind study.

Virtual Noon Briefing by Spokesperson for...

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General holds the daily noon briefing remotely,21 May 2020

The Beauty and the Sorrow That...

Abu is a young man from Taiwan. In 2019, he rode on his bicycle to Xinjiang, traveled around the province for almost two months, and shared on social media what he saw and heard. In a video taken in Kashgar’s Old Town in southern Xinjiang, he shared details of his conversations with locals about what really happens in Xinjiang’s re-education camps, and this sparked further discussions online. Below is RFA reporter Jane Tang’s interview with Abu:

RFA: The videos you took in Xinjiang have generated a lot of response online. Now that you are back in Taiwan, can you tell us prompted you to visit Xinjiang?

Abu: I had just left my job in China, and had thought about riding my bicycle from the coastal province of Guangdong all the way to Europe. I particularly wanted to visit Xinjiang. In China, public opinion about China’s Xinjiang policy is polarized. I was hoping that I could learn more about the issue with my own eyes and ears, rather than from hearsay or the news

Ukrainian Prisoners Pay A Price For...

Detainees at Kyiv’s notoriously overcrowded Lukyanivska prison, parts of which are 160 years old, have been offered a way out of overcrowded cells with up to a dozen inmates and poor sanitation. But there’s a catch. More spacious, refurbished cells, with fewer prisoners and modern bathrooms, come at a price

Rohingya Refugees Struggle to Rebuild After...

Hundreds of Rohingya refugee families who lost their homes in a devastating fire last week are struggling to rebuild their lives. The fire in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar burned through more than 600 makeshift shanties that included homes and shops.