Money Talks

Development banks and states have pledged 14 billion dollars over the next four years to the African Union's Great Green Wall initiative in the Sahel. The pledge was made at the One Planet Summit in Paris. The project aims to plant 100-million trees in a region hit particularly hard by the climate crisis, and to counter the effects of desertification by creating jobs, boosting food security and reducing migration.

Britain's Prince Charles has also launched a 10-billion dollar initiative to provide businesses with a roadmap to a more sustainable future by 20-30. Terra Carta promotes investment in 'natural capital' and urges businesses to put people and the planet first in a bid to restore biodiversity. Gavin Edwards joined us from London. He's the global co-ordinator of New Deal for Nature and People at WWF International.

#GreatGreenWallProject #OnePlanettSummit #Deforestation

One of the world's top consumer electronics show kicks off on Monday. It's usually held in Las Vegas, within giant convention halls packed with people, and dazzling displays of the latest in all things tech. But this year, the buzzworthy technology showcase will be very different. Liz McLaughlin gives us a preview of what will be on display this week.

#ConsumerElectronicsShow #Covid19 #DigitalConference

Donald Trump still has more than a week in office, but it seems Big Tech's already done with him. Amazon, Apple and Google have cut ties with Twitter rival, Parler, which is a favourite among the president's supporters, forcing the app to shutdown. It follows moves by Twitter and Facebook to de-platform the president over fears he might user their services to incite more violence in the wake of last week's Capitol riots. But it's raising questions over the role social media firms should play in public debates. Paolo Montecillo reports. For more, we spoke to Jonathan Broughton in London. He's a tech industry expert and the managing director at Work-Share Consulting.

#Parler #Amazon #DonaldTrump

The top Democrat in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has called for Donald Trump to be immediately removed from office after the president encouraged a mob of rioters that stormed the US Capitol. Hours earlier, Trump agreed to an orderly transition of power following the ratification of Joe Biden's victory in Congress. Four people died during the rioting, which some have called an attempted coup. Others are asking why security forces didn't use their full power to stop the unprecedented assault sooner. And many are laying the blame directly at the president's feet. Liz Maddock has the details.

#CapitolHillRiots #Joebiden #DonaldTrump

From the start of his political career, Donald Trump has weaponised his Twitter fingers to take down rivals. Now, tech giants are cracking down on the commander-in-chief's social media habits, after the violence in Washington he's accused of inciting. Paolo Montecillo has more.

#SocialMedia #Twitter #Facebook

When you hear of drones, many people think of aerial videos and photography. But in Malaysia, a new type of drone is taking off in the farming sector. And as Natasha Hussain reports, this one's good for the environment.

#Drones #Farming #Pineapples

The Scottish port city of Aberdeen has long been home to many of the world's top petroleum companies. But as Miranda Lin reports, the "Oil Capital of Europe" is also becoming the centre of a green movement to transform the country's transport system.

#HydrogenPoweredTransport #Scotland #CarbonEmissions

Co-ordinated arrests have taken place across Hong Kong in the biggest crackdown yet on the city's opposition camp. They've been detained over unofficial primary elections last year, which authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing warned would violate the city's new national security law. Michelle Hennessy has more from Hong Kong.

#HongKong #ProDemocracyActivists #Arrests

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made a surprising admission of failure in front of a gathering of ruling party members.

In a rare and unexpectedly frank speech, Kim admitted that his five-year economic plan had failed to achieve its goals "in almost all areas." South Korean financial analysts suggest North Korean trade with China has plummeted almost 80 percent in 2020.

And estimate the country's GDP has contracted by more than 9 percent compared to a year ago.

#NorthKorea #EconomicPolicy #KimJong-un

Oil prices have risen to 11-month highs after OPEC and its allies reached an agreement to keep output steady through March. They made the decision to bolster prices, as the return of lockdowns around the world threatens to further reduce demand for crude. Saudi Arabia has agreed to make additional cuts to its production of 1-million barrels per day in February and March. That's the equivalent of about 1-percent of the world's oil supply. Russia and Kazakhstan will increase their production by a combined 75-thousand barrel per day.

#OPEC #OilPrices #BrentCrudeOil