Major biodiversity conference kicks off in less than two weeks

The Global Landscapes Forum Biodiversity Conference will be held under the theme, ‘One World—One Health’ and will run on 28 and 29 October 2020 from 9 a.m. Bonn (UTC/GMT+1). WHAT: Halting biodiversity loss is essential to tackle the climate, food and global health crises, but how to turn ambitious green recovery pledges into concrete solutions that are feasible…

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UN calls for sustainable investment in food systems

The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Maria Ribeiro has called for sustainable investment in food systems to achieve healthy diets for all. In her remarks to mark this year’s World Food Day held under the theme “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together with Nature” Ms. Ribeiro called on stakeholders to invest in a healthy and sustainable relationship…

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The Evolution Of COVID-19 Rapid Tests Paves The Way For At-Home Lab Tests

Dr. Bertalan Mesko In January of this year, oblivious of the fact that we were about to engage in a twisted round of real-life Jumanji, we released our annual digital health trends e-book. Among one of our 12 forecasts for 2020 was that at-home blood tests would gain traction and become the new direct-to-consumer DNA testing in terms…

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COVID-19: Hélène sur l’Everest to climb Mount Everest in supporting medical research

Hélène sur l’Everest (27) is currently doing her residency in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care. Her recent experience in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit made her think about what is important in her life and the causes that she would like to support in the future. Her project links two of her passions: medicine and sport. With…

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POTRAZ brings smiles to the less privileged in Gwanda

The Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) today handed over groceries and personnel protective equipment (PPE) to the less privileged and vulnerable members of the Gwanda Community, which is being done under the Authority’s Corporate Social Responsibility program. By way of background, POTRAZ last year established a Corporate Social Responsibility unit that would…

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U.N. chief: time for national plans to help fund global COVID-19 vaccine effort

By Michelle Nichols, Stephanie Nebehay NEW YORK/GENEVA (Reuters) – U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday it is time for countries to start using money from their national COVID-19 response to help fund a global vaccine plan as the World Bank warned that “broad, rapid and affordable access” to those doses will be at the core of…

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Irvine’s partner orphanage to celebrate this year’s World Egg Day

By Anyway Yotamu The country’s leading egg and chicken producer, Irvine’s Zimbabwe celebrated this year’s World Egg Day by donating and sharing breakfast with Kudakwashe Children’s Home in Harare. To commemorate this year’s World Egg Day the company has donated 3000 eggs and 100kg of chickens to the orphanage which houses 27 children in Stoneridge…

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Desperation builds in Dadaab, as promises of durable solutions falter in the face of COVID-19

Angela Makamure (Press Officer, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Southern Africa) A mental health crisis is growing in the Dadaab refugee complex, where hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been stuck for decades now. A fatal mix of pent-up despair, anxiety, and fear, combined with new uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, is forcing refugees…

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Crown Princess Akishino of Japan to attend the 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has announced that Her Imperial Highness (HIH) Crown Princess Akishino of Japan will attend the 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health, to be held virtually for the first time from 20-24 October 2020, and will speak at the conference Opening Ceremony on 20 October. As Patroness of the…

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World Bank, ZIMSTAT avail data on COVID-19 Impact on Zimbabwean Households

On 8 October 2020, the World Bank (supported by the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund) and the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) held online dissemination of the first round of results of the Rapid Poverty Income and Consumption Expenditure Survey (PICES) conducted by telephone among 1,747 households during July 6–24, 2020 to measure the socio-economic impact of COVID-19…

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Siemens continues its humanitarian relief efforts in Sudan with delivery of protective gear

Siemens – in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) – has developed multiple programs that deliver humanitarian, economic and educational benefits to the marginalized people of Sudan Siemens (www.Siemens.com) delivered 3,000 personal masks to Sudan’s Ministry of Health last month to assist in the battle against Covid-19, the company’s latest humanitarian investment…

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Bill Clinton and Dr. Tedros will speak at Union World Conference

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) yesterday announced that President Bill Clinton and World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will both address the opening ceremony of the 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health (Union World Conference), taking place virtually 20-24 October 2020. Some 7000 delegates are expected to attend. President Clinton will give the keynote…

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Turkey-Africa: Partners in Resilience in Post-Pandemic World

The COVID-19 outbreak shows the necessity of multilateral responses, international cooperation and global solidarity. In this regard, the strategic partnership centered on mutual-benefits and economic development between Turkey and Africa has been maintained even during the pandemic. Download Brochure (French): https://bit.ly/36xPKc6 Turkey’s bilateral trade volume with Africa increased fourfold from 2003 to reach 22 billion dollar….

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Sally Mugabe Central Hospital Nutrition Garden feeding patients

At a time when the nation is grappling with hunger, the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital nutrition garden has been hailed as an innovation to feed the patients and ensure a healthy citizenry. In an interview with Spiked Online Media, Richard Ngwende, the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital Agronomist said the nutrition garden was started in February…

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Public Health COVID-19 Regulations and Lock-down Order: More Amendments

By Veritas In Bill Watch 57 of 2020 [link] and 61 of 2020 [link], we analysed the Public Health (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) (No. 2) Order [SI 200 of 2020] and the amendments made to it.  Then last Wednesday the Minister of Health and Child Care published further amendments to the Order in SI 223 of 2020 [link], and yesterday…

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Erdoğan wants disputes in the Mediterranean resolved on an equitable basis

Turkish President Erdoğan said: “We primarily opt for a settlement of disputes regarding the sharing of political and economic potential in the Mediterranean on an equitable basis.” Speaking at the opening session of the 4th Legislative Year of the 27th Term of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), President Erdoğan said: “As Turkey, we are never…

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The Most Reliable COVID-19 Online Resources: Your Ultimate Guide

By Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD In the era of fake news, mask naysayers and, dare we say, covidiots, relevant news often gets lost under the rubble of conspiracy theories and what not. 2020 already feels like a lucid fever dream as it is and we would be better off being well-informed by trustworthy sources of information. However, even leading authorities…

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Delivery of COVID-19 vaccine: DHL study shows how PPPs can partner for success

White paper identifies critical challenges in COVID-19 logistics Global delivery of 10 billion doses of serum needs scaled-up medical supply chains; White paper identifies critical challenges in COVID-19 logistics; A framework is provided to tackle future health emergencies beyond COVID-19. With first emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines expected to be effective in the last…

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COVID-19: ECOZI prioritizes safe learning as schools re-open

By Desire Tshuma  Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) on Tuesday 29 September held it’s the third quarter back-to-school campaign at Cresta lodge in Harare to discuss further on the safe learning environment in schools during the COVID-19 era The campaign was based on the role of the civil society organizations on how best they can…

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Spike in negative paternity test results alarming: Global DNA Zim

By Sowell Chikwari THE disintegration of family setups, largely attributed to increased infidelity, has become a major cause of concern amid startling revelations of an increase in negative paternity  Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test results in the country. DNA testing, which was made widely accessible in Zimbabwe by Global DNA Zimbabwe, has brought relief to many through…

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National Policy on elderly and vulnerable people imperative: Prof Mavima

By Anyway Yotamu The government has plans to launch the national elderly policy document in partnership with stakeholders that will guide programs and other developmental issues on the matter.                                                             Speaking to this publication on the sidelines of the commemorations of the International Day of Older Persons at Mazowe River Bridge Old People’s Home in Rushinga…

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ZimGold donates to the underprivileged in Chitungwiza.

By Anyway Yotamu One of the country’s cooking oil manufacturer, Pure Oil through its brand ZimGold has donated cooking oil to underprivileged homes in Chitungwiza as part of their ZimGold Givers community social responsibility initiatives meant to assist needy families during this Covid-19 pandemic period.                          Speaking to this publication, Lesley Gibbons  said the cooking oil…

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MSF hands over successful HIV, cervical cancer project to Health Ministry

Angela Makamure (Media Liaison Co-ordinator, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Southern Africa) After nearly 10 years of providing quality HIV and cervical cancer treatment and prevention services in Gutu District, Zimbabwe, the international medical humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is handing over its project activities to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and…

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United Methodist Church in US$24 000 COVID-19 response campaign

By Bernard Chiketo MINISTER of State for Manicaland Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba has commended the United Methodist Church (UMC)’s US$24 000 Covid-19 prevention response targeting 38 000 people through 96 rural schools across Manicaland province. This comes as the country is relaxing lockdown regulations, reopening schools, and allowing local and international travel, thereby increasing the risk…

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Zimnat honours Jah Master for “making life better”

Zimnat, a leading financial service provider in the country has honoured rising musical sensation Jah Master of the “Hello Mwari” fame through a treat to some of their products and services. The honour is in recognition of his contribution in making life better during the COVID-19 induced nation lockdown through his song which has become…

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Embrace gender-sensitive policies in HIV response: PAPWC-Zim

The Pan African Positive Women’s Coalition (PAPWC-Zim) has said the incidence of HIV is higher among girls and women compared to boys and men hence the need for gender-sensitive policies that address the disparities. In his keynote address at the Zimbabwe Women Living With HIV National Forum Leadership (ZWLWHNF) and Governance Workshop that roared to…

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Covid-19 Taking A Toll On TB Response, New Survey Finds

Aayushi Pratap The Covid-19 pandemic has likely had serious health implications for patients living with tuberculosis, suggests a new global survey conducted by several health advocacy and civil-led groups. Seven out of ten healthcare workers who participated in the survey reported a decrease in the number of people coming to health facilities for tuberculosis testing….

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Afreximbank provides $100 million for the procurement of COVID-19 supplies

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the pan-African multilateral EXIM bank, announces $100 million financing to enable its Member States to procure COVID-19 related medical resources through the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP). The funding is available to African governments to acquire medical supplies through the AMSP in the form of pre-approved overdraft limits for each African…

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Proposed changes to US Global Gag Rule threaten wider harm

Seipati Moloi (Media Liaison Co-ordinator, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Estimates put the number of unsafe abortions each year at over 25 million—97% of them in developing countries—leading to at least 22,800 deaths and millions of serious complications. The United States policy known as the Global Gag Rule has had a devastating impact on women’s access…

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COVID-19: UNFPA, partners solicit for access to contraceptives for women and girls

In the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic and on World Contraception Day, the UN’s reproductive health and rights agency – the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners have called for greater efforts to ensure access to contraceptives for women and girls of reproductive age. This is towards “Zero unmet Need for Contraception” even…

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Fastjet resumes flight services in Zimbabwe

As Zimbabwe relaxed the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and opened up flights and other tourism services, Fastjet has resumed its domestic flights in Zimbabwe. This reporter witnessed a remarkable improvement in security at the Robert Mugabe and the Joshua Nkomo International Airports in as far as COVID-19 preventive measures are concerned. Mr. Felix Nyangani, the Head…

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US government committed to improving Zimbabwe’s health sector

By Anyway Yotamu The United States of America through USAID has announced that it is fully committed to improving the country’s health sector which is on its knees. The challenges in the health sector are due to shortages of much-needed equipment in hospitals and the deteriorating economic hardships precipitated by the outbreak of the COVID-19…

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Rugby Africa Concludes Biggest Solidarity Campaign in its History

COVID-19 relief campaign supported 31 member unions through a dedicated solidarity fund In June Rugby Africa (http://www.RugbyAfrique.com) announced the immediate release of EUR 170,000.00 from a solidarity fund for its member unions. The Rugby Africa Executive Committee had initiated the relief campaign given the current health crisis and the immediate impact it had on the…

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Innovating against COVID-19: Two Zimbabweans feature in UNDP Africa’s special online magazine

On the 22nd of September 2020, the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, released a special edition of an online magazine showcasing how 50 young Africans are resourcefully helping fight the COVID19 Pandemic. The magazine – dubbed Africa Innovates, is timely as the world grapples with a response and recovery to a global pandemic. Africa Innovates…

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UN Secretary-General Outlines Development Measures For Landlocked Developing Countries

United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres has noted that landlocked developing countries face a myriad of challenges but emphasised that there is a ray of hope for overcoming them through a raft of measures he proposed through his office and UN partners worldwide. Below, Spiked Online Media shares the UN Secretary-General’s remarks at a meeting…

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Mike Bloomberg to deliver keynote address at Summit on Tobacco Control in May 2021

Mike Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP, three-term Mayor of New York City, has been announced as a keynote speaker at the inaugural Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control, to be held virtually from May 6-7 2021. Bloomberg will be joined at the event by heads of state and national and subnational governments, prominent global…

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