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Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani meets with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in Doha.
Hard Numbers: Qatar and Iran ink some deals, Hong Kong’s budget, global methane undercount, review undermines Pegasus claims
14: Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi signed 14 agreements with Doha during a visit to Qatar this week. The arrangements include cooperation on visas, trade, aviation, and culture. Tehran reportedly wants to build the world’s longest tunnel connecting the Iranian port town of Deyyar to its Qatari ally through the Gulf. Let’s see how the Saudis respond to the proposal …
22 billion: To try and boost its ailing economy, Hong Kong just released a new $22 billion budget that will include personal tax breaks as well as subsidies for struggling businesses. Along with China, Hong Kong is still pursuing a “zero-COVID” policy, which is putting a huge strain on businesses.
70: Countries have been underreporting their combined methane emissions by around 70%, a revelation the International Atomic Energy Agency has called “alarming.” Methane emissions, one-quarter of which come from agriculture, are the biggest contributors to climate change after carbon dioxide — and 80 times more potent in warming the planet.
23: An investigation by Israel’s Justice Ministry found that police did not use sophisticated spyware to illegally hack politicians, activists, and other persons of interest. The review found that in most cases – 23 out of 26 – there was no indication of hacking, and that warrants were obtained to target the other three.Chinese President Xi Jinping stands next to Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez during their meeting in Beijing
Argentina joins BRI, Azerbaijan releases prisoners, Australia set to reopen
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.