Pound hits three-year high on vaccination hopes
The pound has hit its highest level against the dollar in nearly three years, amid rising optimism about an end to lockdown in the UK. It surpassed $1.39 on Monday, while also hitting a nine-month…
16 February 2021
Bill Gates: Solving Covid easy compared with climate
Fifty-one billion and zero – the two numbers Bill Gates says you need to know about climate. Solving climate change would be “the most amazing thing humanity has ever done”, says the billionaire founder of…
16 February 2021
Dispute over Haiti presidential term triggers unrest
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and other cities for renewed protests against the government. They lit barricades of burning tyres and debris, demanding the resignation of President…
16 February 2021
European Space Agency: Astronaut recruitment drive for greater diversity
The European Space Agency says it wants to recruit someone with a disability as part of its call for new astronauts. Esa will be accepting applications in March to fill four-to-six vacancies in its astro…
16 February 2021
Texas weather: Deadly winter storm sweeps Texas and US southern states
A winter storm in the US has brought deadly freezing winds, ice and snow to many regions that rarely see such frigid conditions. In Texas, a surge in demand for electricity has led to widespread…
16 February 2021
Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi faces new charge amid protests
Myanmar’s detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been handed a second criminal charge on the day she appeared in court via video link. Ms Suu Kyi, who was earlier charged with possessing illegal…
16 February 2021
South African scientists on pandemic’s frontline
South Africa’s pause of its rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in response to concern about a local coronavirus variant sparked global debate — and shone a spotlight on how the country’s science has become vital…
16 February 2021
UK position on Western Sahara and support to the right to self-determination remain unchanged
UK Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly, asserted last Friday that his country’s position on Western Sahara status remains unchanged, confirming support to a political solution that provides for…
16 February 2021
Tshisekedi names Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde new DRC prime minister
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi appointed Monday Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde as Prime Minister. Mr. Sama Lukonde Kyenge, 43, was until Monday the General Director of the state mining company Gécamines (General Quarries and Mines), the country’s…
16 February 2021
As Covid-19 cases rise in Nigeria, a government policy is creating crowds and chaos
Doctors in Nigeria have criticized a mass national identification registration policy, involving tens of millions of citizens, as Covid-19 cases and deaths rise in the country. Nigeria — which has Africa’s largest population — has…
16 February 2021
