Kasmaal  Independent Somali news and analysis website .

Avigan tablets (generic name: Favipiravir), a drug approved as an anti-influenza drug in Japan and developed by Toyama Chemical Co., a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings Co. are displayed in Tokyo, Oct. 22, 2014. (Reuters Photo)  Scientists in China have praised a Japanese-developed drug for showing “very good clinical results” and being effective against the novel […]

A plane carrying medical materials from China arrives at the Liege airport, Belgium, on March 18, 2020. A batch of 1 million donated medical masks were flown in Belgium on Wednesday, en route to France. The medical supply was mobilized by two Chinese charities to help combat the spread of COVID-19. [Photo/Xinhua] President: China will […]

A woman pushes a trolley with her dog as a police officer control bystanders on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in France, March 18, 2020. © Eric Gaillard, Reuters French police handed out over 4,000 fines Wednesday to people found violating […]

     With 116,000 tests for the coronavirus carried out and 114 returning positive, Russia’s ratio of tests to positive cases is the lowest among all of the countries infected by the coronavirus.Sergei Karpukhin / TASS Russia’s official statistics indicate that the country has virtually no coronavirus within its borders. With 116,000 tests for the coronavirus […]

Somali families feel ‘stigmatised’ by female genital mutilation safeguarding practices. Shutterstock/udeyismail Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), whereby the female genitals are deliberately injured or changed for non-medical reasons, is considered by the UN to be a “global concern”. International organisations often report statistical evidence that 98% of women and girls in Somalia/Somaliland have undergone FGM. Because of this international evidence, […]

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca holds a press conference after the Science Council Meeting on the COVID-19 (new coronavirus) outbreak in Ankara, Turkey, on March 16, 2020. (AFP Photo)  The number of coronavirus cases in Turkey has risen to 98, with 51 new cases confirmed, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced Tuesday night, adding that the disease […]

 EU leaders have agreed to prevent foreigners from entering the European bloc for 30 days as they fight to contain the deadly coronavirus. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the proposal “got a lot of support by the member states. It’s up to them now to implement. They said they will immediately do […]

While face masks are popular, scientists doubt their effectiveness against airborne viruses [Shawn Thew/EPA] How to ‘flatten the curve’ through social distancing, what to expect when you get sick, and how to survive a lockdown. Countries around the world are closing borders and putting citizens under lockdown in a bid to contain the rapid spread […]

The French government has told everyone to limit their movements as much as possible because of the coronavirus epidemic. Photo: AFP As of 12 noon on Tuesday, France is officially on lockdown, which means people are only allowed out of their homes for specific reasons and only with a special form. Here’s how it works. […]