While New York City had its coldest start to Valentine’s Day in 100 years on Sunday, it would seem balmy compared with the wicked wind chill at upstate Whiteface Mountain. As temperatures dropped across the Northeast from the blast of a polar vortex, the wind chill at Whiteface, near Lake Placid, made it feel like a body- and mind-numbing minus 114 degrees late Saturday and into Sunday. Central Park could only muster a minus 1 degree. The Wild Center, which works with the Atmospheric Science Research Center at SUNY Albany, recorded the frigid temperature from a research station at the mountain’s summit.(Nydailynews.com)…[+]

MUNICH — Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan delivers a speech during the 52th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb, 14, 2016. Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and other officials from Africa said on Sunday that “inclusive development” was needed to ensure security in the continent, especially when facing an enormous young population. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)…[+]

BEIJING  — Despite the current difficulties of BRICS economies, their economic fundamentals remain unchanged and better cooperation will help them tackle global challenges, said Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao.

In an article in Monday’s “Economic Daily,” Zhu acknowledged that downward pressure on the global economy and fluctuating capital flows are negatively affecting the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. However, these nations will not lose their appeal, Zhu pointed out, citing a string of factors including economic scale and cooperation within the bloc.

“Emerging economies, especially BRICS, represent the upward power on the global stage,” he wrote. BRICS accounts for over 20 percent of the global economy, and the share is expected to reach 25 percent by 2020, he noted. The bloc is also home to over 40 percent of the world’s people.(Xinhua)…[+]