Reading Time: 2 minutes Zimbabwean telecoms billionaire Strive Masiyiwa has offered to pay doctors on strike in the country in order to get them to return to work.

Masiyiwa plans to set up a US$6.25 million (100 million Zimbabwean dollars) fund to financially support up to 2,000 doctors, by providing each doctor a subsistence allowance of about US$300 a month to help pay for transport and living costs.

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus, together with Huanggang and Ezhou – all located in Hubei province – are currently on lockdown, as 830 people have reportedly been infected with the virus, the last count so far recorded on the morning of January 24 Hong Kong Time (HKT).

A number of 26 people have died from the coronavirus, with 24 deaths taking place in Hubei province, one in Hebei province, which is the first death outside the epicenter, and one more in Heilongjiang – the second outside the epicenter.

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Doomsday Clock was moved 20 seconds closer to midnight on Thursday, January 23, signifying the world getting closer to global disaster. As it stands, the clock is only 100 seconds to midnight.

The move was largely in response to two key indicators – climate change and the threat of nuclear war. This is especially in the context of degradation to the “international political infrastructure” – meaning the world’s leaders are failing to work together to solve these issues in a meaningful way.

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Trump administration will impose new visa restrictions aimed at making it harder for women to travel to give birth in the US so that their children receive automatic US citizenship, a practice known as “birth tourism.” The rules were published Thursday in the Federal Register and take effect Friday.

Under the new rule, consular officials will have the authority to deny a temporary unless the applicant can prove they must come to the US to give birth for medical reasons and they have the money to pay for it, not just because they want their child to receive US citizenship.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Recent advancements in an immune cell cancer treatment made by a Cardiff University team has found a new part of our immune system that can be used to treat all cancers.The study is still in its preliminary stages and has yet to be tested on people.

Go beyond the headlines…

– How does the immune cell treatment differ from chemotherapy or radiation therapy treatments?
– Is the new immune cell therapy really a one-size-fits-all cancer cure?

Reading Time: 2 minutes Thousands of protestors took to the streets on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos in response to the country’s ongoing refugee situation. The protests come as migrant numbers on the islands continue to rise.

At Moria, the largest migrant center on Lesbos, some 19,000 asylum seekers are being housed. Its official capacity is only 3,000 people. Some of the refugee camps on these islands suffer extreme overcrowding, several holding approximately ten times the recommended number.

Reading Time: 2 minutes A US federal proposal will limit the types of animals registered as emotional support animals on commercial airlines. An emotional support animal is a type of assistance animal that alleviates a symptom or effect of an individual’s disability. It is not a pet and is generally not restricted by species. It differs from a service animal.

The US Department of Transportation is to permit airlines to control and tighten regulations regarding what can be classified as emotional support animals on planes.

Reading Time: 2 minutes South Korea’s first transgender soldier will reportedly be suing the country’s military over her dismissal from the army. The 22-year-old Byun Hui-soo was enlisted in the South Korean army as a man, but underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2019.

“I will continue to fight until the day I can remain to serve in the army. I’ll challenge the decision until the end, to the Supreme Court,” she said during an emotional appearance in front of the media. Byun was a staff sergeant and was stationed in Gyeonggi Province north of Seoul, the nation’s capital.

Reading Time: 4 minutes A study published on Jan. 16 from the activist group Avaaz revealed that YouTube is “actively promoting” climate disinformation on its platform, which some of the biggest companies and environmental groups in the world are funding by advertising on the videos.

Go beyond the headlines…

– What did the study find?
– Which companies are involved and what was their response?
– What was YouTube’s response?

Reading Time: 4 minutes Puerto Rico’s emergency manager, Carlos Acevedo, was fired on Saturday after a warehouse full of donated relief supplies was discovered.

The emergency aid is believed to be from when Hurricane Maria hit the island two years ago, according to Puerto Rico’s governor, Wanda Vázquez. The heads of Puerto Rico’s housing and family departments were fired the next day, on Jan. 19.

Go beyond the headlines…

– What was discovered in the warehouse?
– Who were the officials responsible?
– How did the Trump Administration respond to the discovery amid residents’ frustrations over lack of aid from US?

Reading Time: 3 minutes Leaked documents on Sunday allege that Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman and daughter of Angola’s former president, built her wealth through corruption and by exploiting her country. 

The files were initially obtained by the Paris-based anti-corruption charity Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), which shared them with the New York-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which then publicly released the documents.

Go beyond the headlines… 

– How is Angola removing dos Santos influence?

Reading Time: 3 minutes The impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump began Tuesday in the Senate. Journalists are pushing back against proposed rules that would limit press access.

Here is a look on previous impeachments to understand the role the press can play in the procedures.

Go beyond the headlines…

– What is the new limit on access and electronic devices?
– What has been the reaction to the rules?
– What are the historical precedents for Trump’s impeachment trial?