The Great Barrier Reef is listed as one of the wonders of the natural world. But a new study by the James Cook University in Queensland has found that more than half its corals have died over the past 25 years. And scientists warn that unless firm action is taken now, the surviving corals could disappear even faster.

#GreatBarrierReef #EnvironmentalDamage #Corals

Let's move on now to Japan - a nation that natural calamities have battered for centuries. And the situation has worsened in the last few decades due to climate change, pushing the limits of Japanese ingenuity. The latest effort to protect the world's third-largest economy from acts of God lies underground. Shoaib Hasan has more.

#Japan #Flooding #NaturalDisasters

The coronavirus pandemic is proving to be a catalyst for many to re-think their careers. In the UK, not only is the unemployment rate at its highest in two years, but lockdowns and furloughs have given people time and space to reassess their lifestyles and find new passions. Natalie Powell has more.

#Pandemic #Careers #Unemployment

Spain's Catalonia region is the latest area in Europe to reintroduce a partial lockdown as coronavirus cases surge again. The continent's leaders are desperately trying to slow the spread of the virus but they're not yet implementing full lockdowns that would bring their economies to a halt. Natasha Hussain reports. Bruno Verstraete is a partner and chief economist at asset management firm Lakefield Partners. He joins me now from Zurich.

The governments of the United States, Japan, the European Union and other advanced economies have spent trillions of dollars to counter the impact of COVID-19. The International Monetary Fund says this spending is bearing fruit and returning the global economy to growth faster than expected. But similar efforts by poorer countries are piling more debt onto them. That's worsening inequality and threatening to push millions of people into poverty. Mobin Nasir reports. We got more from Torek Farhadi in Geneva. He's a former economic advisor at the I-M-F, World Bank, and the United Nations.

#IMF #Pandemic #StimulusPackages

Most Nigerians buy their basic household items from informal retailers. But since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, many traders have found it hard to restock their goods. That’s because the pandemic has disrupted supply chains. But as Aksel Zaimovic reports, a logistics firm in Lagos has a solution.

#Nigeria #Pandemic #TechStartUps

When Europe was struggling to contain the first outbreak of COVID-19, Argentina locked down early. It paid off in many ways. But with restrictions still in place six months later, millions of people have been driven into poverty. And they don't trust their leaders to work in their best interests. Now, thousands of people have marched on the capital to call for their resignations. Liz Maddock has more. For more on this, Latin American analyst, Javier Farje joined us from London.

#Argentina #Economy #Quatantine

American pharmaceutical and consumer goods giant Johnson and Johnson has temporarily paused trials of its COVID-19 vaccine, after one of the 60-thousand participants contracted an unexplained illness. That could set back the availability of a vaccine just as coronavirus cases have begun surging again. Meanwhile, doubts are rising over our ability to gain natural immunity from the virus.

#JohnsonandJohnson #COVID19 #VaccineTrail

Turkey is set to begin lithium production locally, at its new Eti Maden Technology Development Center in the country's northwestern province of Eskisehir. The plant will start small with 10 tonnes per year, but that's expected to increase to 500 tonnes annually. Turkey currently imports 12-hundred tonnes of lithium a year. The element is critical in cell and battery technologies, and will be used to make batteries that will power the country's first domestically produced all-electric vehicle, the TOGG.

#Turkey #LithiumBatteries #ElectricCar

The world is coming back' that's the cautious message from the International Monetary Fund as it released the latest World Economic Outlook. Global growth estimates are slightly up, but as Miranda Lin explains, there's a long, hard road ahead.Stephany Griffith-Jones joined us from Brighton in the UK. She's an economist and financial markets program director at Columbia University's Initiative for Policy Dialogue.

#IMF #GDP #GlobalGrowth