Top of The World: A trove of leaked documents, referred to as the Pandora Papers, has revealed the secret assets of hundreds of world leaders. And, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans to walk back her government’s zero-tolerance strategy to the coronavirus pandemic. Also, American scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian have been awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine.
A new analysis of 194 countries found that women-led nations have a better handle on the coronavirus pandemic. Not only were infection rates generally lower; fatality rates were also noticeably lower, too.
Joe Biden’s selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 presidential contest is drawing attention from a wide range of groups. And, a passenger train derailed during storms on Wednesday in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland. Also, in New Zealand, government officials are looking into the possibility that freight could be the source of the first COVID-19 infections in over three months.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide topped 20 million, more than half of them from the United States, India and Brazil, as Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a vaccine against the virus.
A statue of a British slave trader in the UK and confederate statues in the US have been toppled or defaced as protesters demand a reckoning on systemic racism. Some Minneapolis City Council members said they will “begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department." New Zealand has no active cases of COVID-19 in the country. Brasilia has become a new hotspot for the virus.
Countries from Italy to New Zealand have announced the easing of coronavirus lockdowns but Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, back at work on Monday after being hospitalized with the disease, said it was too early to relax restrictions there.
US officials warn of "our Pearl Harbor moment" as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US nears 340,000. Europe and South Korea may be showing signs of hope. And, how are countries dealing with the economic impact of COVID-19 on their societies and banking systems? Also, the pandemic has changed the way people and products are moving around the world. Some hope that lessons learned can help in the fight against climate change.
New Zealand may announce new gun laws within days. That's because there isn't an equivalent to the Second Amendment, explains one law professor, so the prime minister can move faster than US politicians.
At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country's worst ever mass shooting.
Jacinda Ardern's slowness in delivering on campaign promises, particularly tackling high levels of income inequality, frustrates domestic supporters in contrast with the global euphoria around her that peaked last month.