It is perhaps Germany's most dangerous island: the Baltic island of Riems is home to a research centre for deadly animal diseases. Established 100 years ago, the Friedrich Löffler Institute tests the world's most dangerous viruses on animals, such as African swine fever, which has been devastating China since mid-2018.

Under international pressure, Council of Patriots (COP) Chairman Henry P. Costa agreed to reschedule the widely publicized December 30 protest over President George Weah's handling of the economic crisis to January 6.

Two years after Liberian President George Weah stormed to power on a promise to create jobs and battle corruption in a country where the majority of people live below the poverty line, frustration with his government is growing. Many accuse Weah of gross economic mismanagement - and also of reluctance to seek justice for the victims of the country's bloody civil wars. We speak to Liberian activist and political analyst Ibrahim Al-bakri Nyei.

Governments across Africa are scrambling to increase their capacity to deal with an expected surge in cases of COVID-19. Several countries are putting the focus on ramping up detection and prevention measures. We take a closer look at Liberia: The West African country had to deal with a devastating Ebola outbreak that ended just four years ago. Have lessons been learned and is its health infrastructure ready for another potential crisis? Finally, we report on the situation in Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe.

President George Weah turned to the United States for help after the deaths of four Liberian tax officials provoked public suspicion and outrage. The West African country has been grappling with corruption.

First DNA forensic laboratory launched in Adamawa

Online study aids used by US soldiers stationed at nuclear bases around Europe have been found to contain sensitive details. An investigation by Bellingcat uncovered the leak.

An environmental activist in Uganda has made defending the Zoka Forest his life, despite receiving death threats from illegal loggers. He speaks to communities and has managed to covert a few loggers into activists.

A black diamond on the plate: Sniffing out the secrets of French truffles. The truffle is a luxury fungus that's become a delicacy in French gastronomy. Being a truffle farmer requires years of patience and hunting for the "black diamond" cannot be done without the unrivalled sense of smell of man's best friend.

A stampede at a church gathering in Liberia's capital Monrovia killed 29 people overnight, the deputy information minister told state radio on Thursday. A large rush of people at a church gathering in Liberia's capital Monrovia has left at least 29 people dead overnight into Thursday, according to authorities.

Nature has its very own information storage technology: DNA. For millions of years, the double helix has been the primary code for all living things. But could DNA also become the ultimate storage solution for our digital information? We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth.

We take a look at how DNA tracing used to catch serial killers is now being applied to poachers. But first, we see how the press is covering an honour killing in Pakistan, Vladimir Putin's theatrical, de-escalation meeting with Sergei Lavrov and Valérie Pécresse's "flop' of a French presidential campaign rally.