| | | The World Health Organization’s Africa director struck an optimistic note, declaring that Africa appears to be transitioning into an “endemic” phase of “living with” the coronavirus. President Joe Biden urged U.S. citizens to flee Ukraine before it’s too late. Canadian truckers’ protests brought three border crossings to a standstill. And alarming Consumer Price Index data for January caused Wall Street to tumble. All this and more in today’s PDB. | | |
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| IMPORTANT | 1 - Go Home Now! Biden Urges US Citizens in Ukraine to Leave the Country President Joe Biden has called on Americans to leave Ukraine immediately, warning that “things could go crazy quickly.” Biden stressed that he would not send troops in to rescue Americans who chose to remain. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it’s planning to invade Ukraine, but its actions suggest otherwise. Over 100,000 Russian troops are stationed on Ukraine’s borders and Moscow conducted joint military drills with Belarus earlier in the week. Another diplomatic blow was dealt late Thursday as Russia and Ukraine announced that they had failed to reach any breakthrough in talks with French and German officials. (Source: BBC) |
| | | 2 - Covid Respite for Africa? WHO: Africa Is Transitioning Out of Pandemic Phase A week after the World Health Organization’s regional head announced that Europe was entering a period of pandemic “cease-fire,” its Africa director has expressed similar hopes. “We think that we’re moving now, especially with the vaccination expected to increase, into what might become a kind of endemic living with the virus,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said. This contrasts with the warnings from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has said repeatedly the pandemic is not over. Moeti added that the number of COVID-19 infections in Africa could be seven times higher than official reports, and deaths two to three times higher. (Sources: The Guardian, Al Jazeera) |
| 3 - Border Blues Trucker Protests Close Three US-Canada Border Crossings As the Ottawa protests against pandemic restrictions drag into a third week, border crossings in Michigan, North Dakota and Montana have been cut off by truckers and anti-vaxxers on the Canadian side of the border. The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario — North America’s busiest international crossing — has been closed since Monday. Now the crossing connecting Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota, as well as the Coutts access point between Alberta and Montana have also been blocked. The mayor of Windsor said that city leaders will be in court Friday to seek an injunction against the protesters. (Source: CNN) |
| 4 - Inflation for the Nation US Prices Climb at Highest Rate in 40 Years Consumer Price Index data released Thursday showed that prices are climbing at the fastest pace in 40 years. The jump of 7.5% for the year and 0.6% in January exceeded expectations and caused markets to tumble. Especially worrying was the fact that the increases went beyond pandemic-affected goods and services to touch food, electricity and shelter prices. While most economists believe that prices will cool during 2022, all eyes are on the Federal Reserve, which might be prompted to hike inflation drastically. “My concern is that they overdo it,” said Ryan Sweet, an economist at Moody’s Analytics. (Source: NYT) |
| 5 - Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Prince Charles has COVID-19 — again. The heir to the British throne, who had the virus in 2020, has tested positive for a second time. Queen Elizabeth II is being closely monitored after seeing him on Tuesday. (Source: Daily Mail) Koalas are in trouble. The Australian government has shifted the conservation status of koalas across the east of the country from vulnerable to endangered. (Source: DW) Two PMs for Libya? Libya’s Parliament named former Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga as head of a new interim government. Asked whether the U.N. still recognized incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah as leader, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, “The short answer is yes.” (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | | Catch the Newest Episodes of The Carlos Watson Show, Season 4
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| INTRIGUING | | | 1 - Liquid Gold Can Recycling Pee Save the World? If it’s yellow, don’t just let it mellow. Scientists from Sweden to Ethiopia are seeking ways to separate urine from other sewage and then transform it into fertilizers, building bricks and electricity. Challenges abound: Current urine-diverting toilets are inefficient and urine itself is “a nasty solution” says Tove Larsen, a chemical engineer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. But new toilet designs and recycling techniques give scientists hope. Urine diversion, says Larsen, is “the only technology which can solve the problem of nutrients from households in a reasonable time. But people have to dare.” (Source: Nature) |
| 2 - Ballpoint Boredom Russian Gallery Guard Fired for Drawing Eyes on Painting The eyes are the window to the soul. A “bored” Russian security guard is being criminally investigated for doodling on Anna Leporskaya’s Three Figures during his first day working at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center in Yekaterinburg. The avant-garde Soviet-era painting features three abstract — and usually eyeless — figures. “His motives are still unknown but the administration believes it was some kind of a lapse in sanity,” said exhibition curator Anna Reshetkina. The painting, which was defaced (or refaced?) with a branded Yeltsin Center pen, is currently being restored and the guard could face three months in prison. (Sources: BBC, The Guardian) |
| 3 - Nine Lives Missing Maine Cat Found in Florida — After 7 Years When Denise Cilley got a call saying her cat had been found in Florida she was confused. “Well, I live in Maine,” she said, “and I’m not missing a cat.” But microchips don’t lie. Ashes, a young gray tabby, went missing from Chesterville, Maine, in August 2015 and, after an extensive search, the Cilleys assumed she’d fallen prey to a predator. It’s unclear how Ashes made her way to Florida, but she’s now been reunited with her owners (who own nine other cats) thanks to a crowdfunding campaign. “Everybody’s good,” Cilley said on Thursday. “Microchips work miracles.” (Sources: Florida Insider, Central Maine) |
| 4 - Wacky Wishlist Conservation Group’s ‘Most Wanted’ List for Missing Species A tap-dancing spider, a catfish that’s been compared to the Michelin Man and a flying squirrel are three of the “top 25 most wanted lost species,” according to Re:wild, a conservation group supported by Leonardo DiCaprio. The list is part of the organization’s quest to find species lost to science — and in many cases presumed extinct. Since 2017, Re:wild has confirmed the rediscovery of eight species including the world’s largest bee in Indonesia. “These stories of overlooked, but fascinating, species can be a powerful antidote to despair,” said Barney Long, Re:wild’s senior director of conservation strategies. (Source: The Guardian) |
| 5 - Close but no Cigar Shaun White Finishes Fourth in Final Olympic Event Unless he rethinks his retirement ahead of Italy 2026, the snowboarder known as the Flying Tomato will not be adding to his tally of three halfpipe golds. The 35-year-old, who briefly occupied second place during Friday’s final, was beaten to the podium by Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, Scotty James of Australia and Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer. Hirano, who landed historic triple corks in two of his runs, earned his win with 96 points — 3.50 clear of James. White got a round of applause from his competitors as he came off the Olympic pipe for the last time with tears in his eyes. (Source: ABC News) |
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