‘Bad seeds’ lead Eurasia Group’s top risks for 2019

Russia's Norilsk Nickel has admitted that fluid waste was pumped into the tundra, one month after a subsidiary polluted Arctic waterways with diesel. This time, it said workers had been suspended for "violating" rules.

A multimedia firm, Prime Studio set to empower youths in photography and the cinematography in Nigeria.

It might seem like a flight of fancy, but a Japanese firm says it is one step closer to making flying cars a reality after testing a drone-like prototype. The Japanese company Skydrive, which develops urban air mobility solutions, carried out a test flight of its SD-03 electric flying car with a passenger on board. The vehicle, which operates with eight rotors and two propellers arranged at each corner, rose vertically into the air about three meters above the ground and circled a test field for four minutes.

A Japanese soundproofing manufacturer developed a one-person isolation booth for those who need a soundproof box at home during pandemic times.

Moderna said that Phase 3 stage analysis suggested its coronavirus vaccine could prevent COVID-19. The news comes a week after Pfizer and German drug-maker BioNTech announced a vaccine of their own.

"Our goal was that everyone on Earth could be supplied with drinkable water... It was immediately clear that we had to help our neighbours first," says Watergen company CEO and president Michael Mirilashvili. The densely-populated Gaza Strip has long lacked sufficient drinking water, but a new project helps ease the shortage with a solar-powered process to extract potable water straight from the air. Unusually, the project operating in the Islamist-run Palestinian enclave, which has been blockaded by Israel since 2007, is the brainchild of a Russian-Israeli billionaire, Michael Mirilashvili.

The Japanese government is attempting to encourage the military generals to end the violence against pro-democracy protesters but is reluctant to resort to sanctions.

Kaseya said its systems would be back online soon after being targeted by the biggest ransomware attack on record. The US president said the damage to American companies had been "minimal."

The Biovac Institute reached a deal with Pfizer to prepare and deliver vaccine doses for the continent. It comes amid an increase of cases in Africa, where just 2% of the population have received a first dose.

The two sides seem worlds apart after the first day of discussions, which were intended to be about rising energy prices, but ended up being overshadowed by an increasingly bitter feud over the rule of law.

On December 23, Mali was accused by several of its international partners, including France, of allowing mercenaries from the Russian private security firm Wagner Group into its territory. Though the Malian government denied the accusations, several Russian military airplanes have flown between Bamako and Russia over the past few months. We take a closer look.

The United States and Russia have set out firm lines ahead of talks on Ukraine in Geneva. Washington has warned of the risk of confrontation, while Moscow has ruled out concessions.