Hong Kong is expecting to recover from its worst recession this year with a lower deficit and plans to help the unemployed. GDP in 2020 was down 6.1-percent, while the number of jobless people in the city is at a near 17-year high. Measures announced for this year's budget also include higher taxes on stock trading, which have caused shares to fall hard. Joel Flynn has more for us from Hong Kong.

#HongKong #EconomicGrowth #BudgetDeficit

Ghana has become the first country to receive coronavirus vaccines through the World Health Organization's COVAX scheme, which aims to distribute free injections to low and middle- income countries. On Wednesday, 600-thousand doses of the AstraZeneca drug arrived in the capital, Accra. Front-line workers will receive the doses first, followed by the elderly. But even with the WHO's help, there may not be enough to immunise the majority of Ghana's 31-million residents. And as Mobin Nasir reports, the rest of Africa is also facing an acute shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. For more, we spoke to Tarik Jasarevic in Geneva. He's a spokesperson for the World Health Organization. Also with us Doctor Andrea Feigl. She's the founder and CEO of the Health Finance Institute in Washington.

#WHO #Vaccines #Ghana

There is some serious competition worldwide to be on a coveted UNESCO list of cultural treasures. The list was set up in 2008 to recognise practices and skills of exceptional importance. Those that have already made it include saunas from Finland, Byzantine chanting, as well as traditional Turkish archery. Now, artisans from very different areas of creativity are hoping to win the French nomination this year. Francis Collings reports from Paris.

#France #UNESCO #Baguette

The lights are back on in most of Texas, days after unprecedented cold weather resulted in power outages in millions of homes. But the misery is far from over. Many residents in the Lone Star state have been receiving electricity bills for thousands of dollars. As Paolo Montecillo reports, it's the result of a system that works well most of the time, but puts consumers at the mercy of companies when emergencies hit.

#Texas #ElectricityBill #SnowStorm

The UK government has announced plans for lifting its third lockdown, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he's optimistic that restrictions in England will be eased by the summer holidays. But with restaurants still a couple of months from re-opening, some people are discovering a taste for the finer things in life - at home. Venues with Michelin stars are serving up meal-kits for customers to prepare themselves. For many restaurants, it's a much-needed revenue stream, as the UK's 50-billion- dollar industry reels from the pandemic. Natalie Powell has more. For more on this, we spoke to Vicky Pryce in London. She's an economist and board member at the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

#UKlockdown #BorisJohnson #UKrestuarants

With travel restrictions in place in Britain, many are turning to the world of virtual reality to escape lockdown. While headsets are often used for gaming, some people are using them to go on virtual holidays or even enjoy concerts and classes. And with the price of high-quality headsets coming down, could virtual reality be about to move into the mainstream? Natalie Powell reports.

#VirtualReality #Gaming #Lockdowns

We've been hearing much news about vaccines to prevent COVID-19 but what about treatments for people who unfortunately already have the disease? The largest clinical trials worldwide is The Recovery Trial in the UK, which is now being expanded to include patients from Indonesia and Nepal. The trial discovered the benefit of the steroid dexamethasone in reducing deaths. And has since learned that adding another drug improves outcomes even more. This research is thanks to hospital patients who are willing to try out these new treatments, as our health Correspondent, Nicola Hill, has been finding out.

#UKrecovery #ClinicalTrials #CoronavirusPatients

Boeing says some of its 'triple seven' planes fitted with engines made by Pratt and Whitney should be grounded after one suffered catastrophic engine failure in the US. The United Airlines jet managed to safely land back at Denver's airport but only after raining parts of its engine over homes. And a day later, engine fragments of a Boeing 747 cargo plane - also using Pratt and Whitney engines - fell shortly after taking-off in the Netherlands. The incidents come at a time when Boeing is trying to repair its damaged reputation after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft. Natasha Hussain reports. For more, lwe spoke to aviation analyst Alex Macheras, who joins us from London.

#Boeing #DenverEngineFailure #777s

Anti-coup demonstrations in Myanmar are swelling, with tens of thousands of people disregarding government threats of a violent crackdown to join the movement. Labour unions observed a countrywide strike on Monday. And as Mobin Nasir reports, protesters are taking aim at the economic interests of the junta. For more on this, Doctor Gareth Price joined us from London. He's a senior research fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House who has been following developments in Myanmar.

#Myanmar #AntiCoupDemonstrations #Junta

The United States formally rejoined the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement this week.. after the Trump administration withdrew from the pact four years ago. Nations that signed-on to the accord submitted pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. But will having the US back in the game make a difference? Our UN Correspondent Frank Ucciardo finds out.

#ParisClimateAccord #USClimatePolicy #TrumpAdministration