World Bank's $500m pandemic scheme accused of 'waiting for people to die'
Bonds designed to provide fast funding for poor countries branded ‘obscene’ because of complex payout criteria
A flagship $500m World Bank scheme to help the poorest countries deal with a health emergency is “too little too late” for the coronavirus outbreak, say health experts.
The first pandemic emergency financing (PEF) bonds were launched in 2017 by Jim Yong Kim, the bank’s president at the time, after the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Designed to potentially “save millions of lives and entire economies” by speedily funnelling money to nations facing pandemics.
But critics say the “insanely complicated” terms of the high-interest bonds are heavily skewed towards investors, while for the victims any payouts may come too late, if at all.
NATO condemns Syrian airstrikes that killed Turkish troops in Idlib
NATO has met for crisis talks after Syrian airstrikes killed dozens of Turkish troops, marking a major escalation in the brutal conflict. Follow DW for the latest updates on the fallout of the Idlib offensive.'Abandoned': Bosnia's forgotten disabled children and families
Children with hands bound together and tied to a radiator, some in tears -- harrowing photos from inside an institution for disabled youth have shocked Bosnia and shed light on the lack of support for special-needs kids and their families.
The photos from the public institution outside Sarajevo were first revealed by an opposition lawmaker in November, triggering street protests and outrage over the inhumane treatment.
A probe is under way and the director of the home has been dismissed.
'Blatant suppression': Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai arrested
Self-made tycoon behind the Apple Daily newspaper accused of illegal assembly alongside two activists.
Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of Beijing, and two other pro-democracy activists have been arrested on charges of illegal assembly, local media reported.
Lai, a self-made multi-millionaire who has been a major financial patron of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, was picked up by police at his house on Friday, Cable TV and TVB News reported.
A neo-fascist party hopes for big gains in Slovakia's election
Updated 0949 GMT (1749 HKT) February 28, 2020
A neo-fascist party, whose leader is on trial for hate speech, has big hopes for the general election in Slovakia this weekend.
If things go as some opinion polls suggest, the party could even become a decisive factor in forming the Eastern European country's next government.
Political scientists here say People's Party Our Slovakia, known simply as Kotlebovci after its leader Marian Kotleba, is a textbook example of an extremist, far-right party. The group is openly, and vocally, anti-migrant, anti-Roma, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Israel, anti-European Union and anti-NATO.
Telescopes detect 'biggest explosion since Big Bang'
Scientists have detected evidence of a colossal explosion in space - five times bigger than anything observed before.
The huge release of energy is thought to have emanated from a supermassive black hole some 390 million light years from Earth.
The eruption is said to have left a giant dent in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster.
Researchers reported their findings in The Astrophysical Journal.
"I've tried to put this explosion into human terms and it's really, really difficult," co-author Melanie Johnston-Hollitt told BBC News.
No comments:
Post a Comment