A white woman who called police on a black man bird watching in New York’s Central Park has had the criminal case against her dismissed. Prosecutors say Amy Cooper completed a therapy course addressing racial bias and asked for her charge to be dropped. A video of Ms Cooper went viral in 2020 and sparked outrage across the US. In it she was seen threatening Christian Cooper, no relation, with the police after he reportedly asked her to put her dog on a lead. The incident happened the same day that unarmed black man George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, triggering weeks of national and global anti-racism protests.(BBC)…[+]

North Korea attempted to steal Covid-19 vaccine technology from US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, according to South Korean intelligence officials. It is currently unclear as to what, if any, data was stolen. South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency privately briefed lawmakers about the alleged attack, reported local news agency Yonhap. The BBC has asked Pfizer for a comment but it has yet to respond . North Korea has yet to report a single case of coronavirus. However, the country is due to receive two million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in the coming weeks. North Korea closed its borders in January last year soon after the virus began to emerge in China. In November, Microsoft said at least nine health organisations including Pfizer had been targeted by state-backed organisations in North Korea and Russia. It said North Korean groups dubbed Zinc and Cerium, and a Russian group nicknamed Fancy Bear, were responsible. The Kremlin has denied targeting other countries’ vaccine research. While many of the break-in attempts failed, Microsoft warned at the time that some had been successful.(BBC)…[+]

Myanmar’s detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been handed a second criminal charge on the day she appeared in court via video link. Ms Suu Kyi, who was earlier charged with possessing illegal walkie-talkies, is now also alleged to have violated the country’s Natural Disaster Law. It is not clear what the new charge, issued on Tuesday, relates to. Myanmar’s military earlier repeated its promise to hold fresh elections and relinquish power as protests continue. Anti-coup demonstrators are demanding the release of their elected leaders, including Ms Suu Kyi, following the military coup on 1 February.In the military’s first news conference since toppling the government, spokesman Brig Gen Zaw Min Tun said the armed forces would not remain in power for long, and promised to “hand power back to the winning party” following a planned election.(BBC)…[+]

In India’s southern city of Bangalore, Disha Ravi was a cheerful, familiar figure among local climate activists. The sprightly 22-year-old helped clean up lakes, plant trees and campaigned against plastic. She attended workshops, walked the streets demanding climate action, loved animals and spoke out against sexism and capital punishment. A vegan and the sole-earning member in her family, she worked with a local company that makes plant-based food.

Ms Ravi is also one of the founders of the local wing of Fridays For Future, a global movement begun by climate change activist Greta Thunberg. Here, she participated in campaigns to preserve the lion-tailed macaque in an Indian bio-diversity spot, and stall a hydro power plant, among other causes. Living in a low-lying neighbourhood in a city which would get easily flooded during rains, she worried about climate change. Bangalore, she said, was experiencing severe rainfall and flooding these days. She had lived in the family home for 13 years, and found that the city had never experienced such heavy rains as it had in recent years.(BBC)…[+]

Myanmar’s military has warned anti-coup protesters across the country that they could face up to 20 years in prison if they obstruct the armed forces. Long sentences and fines will also apply to those found to incite “hatred or contempt” towards the coup leaders, the military said. The legal changes were announced as armoured vehicles appeared on the streets of several cities. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests in recent days. The demonstrators are demanding the release from detention of their elected leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Fifteen people in South Africa are facing fraud charges relating to the funeral of the former president, Nelson Mandela, in 2013. They include prominent members of the ruling African National Congress in the Eastern Cape province. They have not commented on the allegations.Prosecutors accuse them of corruption and money-laundering amounting to nearly $700,000 (£500,000). Mandela was the country’s first black leader after apartheid ended in 1994. The allegations first emerged in 2014, months after Mandela’s funeral in Qunu, Eastern Cape, in December 2013, which was attended by heads of state from around the world. Those facing charges include the health minister of Eastern Cape province, Sindiswa Gomba, a number of business figures, and other lawmakers from the governing ANC. Among them are regional chair Pumlani Mkolo, former Buffalo City metro mayor Zukiswa Ncitha and council speaker Luleka Simon-Ndzele.

France’s health authority is recommending that anyone previously infected with Covid-19 should only receive one vaccine jab, instead of the normal two doses. People who recover from Covid have some immunity and should be inoculated three-six months afterwards, it said. France is the first country to issue this advice. It has delivered nearly 2.8 million vaccinations so far, the health ministry said. “A single vaccine dose will… play the role of reminding” the body of someone previously infected with coronavirus how to fight the disease, the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) said. The recommendation comes as governments around the world are rushing to vaccinate their populations and try to return life to normal. At least 3.4 million people in France have had confirmed Covid-19 infections but the true figure is thought to be higher. Around 81,000 people have died – the seventh-highest figure in the world.(NU)…[+]

Donald Trump’s defence lawyers are presenting evidence in the US Senate, denying charges he incited insurrection in the Capitol riots of 6 January. In his opening remarks, lawyer Michael van der Veen called the impeachment a “politically motivated witch hunt”. The team has indicated it may take up only four of its 16 hours, and so move the impeachment trial to a speedy end. They are expecting an acquittal, as most Republicans have indicated they will not vote to convict Mr Trump. Five people died amid the Capitol riots, and Democrats have accused Mr Trump of inciting supporters to attack the Capitol building to stop Joe Biden’s election victory being certified. Senators sat through two days of minute-by-minute accounts featuring video and audio footage, as Democratic prosecutors sought to show that Donald Trump had a pattern of condoning violence, did nothing on the day to prevent the riot, and had expressed no remorse. They argued that an acquittal could see a repeat of the attack on Congress.(NU)…[+]

The prominent Saudi women’s right activist Loujain al-Hathloul has been released from prison, her family says. Ms Hathloul, 31, was instrumental in the movement to allow women to drive in the kingdom. She was detained in 2018, just weeks before the ban was lifted. In December a court found her guilty of seeking to change the political system and damage public order. She was sentenced to nearly six years in a maximum security prison, but two years and 10 months were suspended. Her family have warned that she is “not free” and will face numerous restrictions while on probation, including a five-year travel ban.(BBC)…[+]