23 billion: President Alberto Fernández has signed Argentina up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, hoping to secure $23 billion in investments from Beijing. Buenos Aires likely hopes this will offer more breathing room after years of its painstaking negotiations with the IMF aimed at refinancing outstanding debt.
8: After mediation by the EU and France, Azerbaijan has agreed to release eight Armenian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to get border negotiations between the two countries back on track. Though the two states agreed in November 2020 to end the military conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, longstanding disagreements over borders persist.
300: Riots and looting broke out across South Africa last summer after former President Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison for failing to appear at a hearing on allegations of corruption. A new report on the riots, which led to more than 300 deaths, found that police failed to adequately anticipate and respond to the upheaval.
24: Almost 24 months after closing its borders to foreigners amid the pandemic, Australia’s government plans to reopen to vaccinated tourists on Feb. 21. The tourism industry notably took a 17.6% hit in 2020, so a return to travel will be a boon for the economy.An oil tanker carrying nearly Russian fuel intended for Cuba has reportedly stalled 1,000 miles off the coast, per Bloomberg. It’s unclear why the ship, which has been en route since mid-April, stopped its journey to the island after Russia vowed to deliver fuel to the island while it’s in dire need. Multiple ships have diverted away from Cuba out of concern of seizure by the US Navy amid a de facto blockade of the island. Only one ship, also Russian, was able to dock in Cuba after receiving a temporary green light from the Trump administration.
Do you trust us? A recent Pew Research Center poll found that fewer than half of Americans have trust in journalists to act in the public’s best interests — a share that has been falling for years. At the same time, partisanship is surging, and generative AI is challenging the very notion of truth.
Trump suspends “Project Freedom” as Iran reviews new peace proposal, US to refresh ties with one of world’s most repressive countries, Political showdown in the Solomon Islands
Ukrainian drones are hitting targets deep inside Russia, reaching areas where once residents believed the war was too distant to touch them. For the city of Yekaterinburg, which saw residential buildings damaged by drones, the attack carries symbolic weight. The city lies in Ural Mountains and served as a base for the Soviet Union during World War II because it was considered out of range from attacks coming from Europe.