BITS GLOBAL

China announced on February 14 that it will increase domestic coal supply and run coal-fired power plants at full capacity to meet industrial and residential demands.The move came weeks after President Xi Jinping told top policymakers that emission reduction measures should not hinder economic growth. The country,being the world's largest emitter, is key in achieving the target to limit global warming to 1.5ºC by curbing emissions.

In a first,Spain on February 18 announced a draft Bill on animal rights that includes a ban on sale of pets,conversion of zoos into wildlife recovery centres and prison sentences for people convicted of animal abuse.Notably,the draft does not include measures on bullfighting, a common practice in the country.Spanish lawmakers said bullfighting is a traditional sport and will be addressed separately.

Africa on February 17 confirmed the detection of the country's first wild poliovirus (WPV)case in five years in a three-year-old girl. The case was detected in Malawi, which has not seen the disease in three decades.WPV is the most commonly known form of the virus, and the strain detected now is genetically similar to the WPV1 variant endemic to Pakistan and Afghanistan. National authorities and the World Health Organization expressed serious concern on the case.

More than 100 people died and nearly 700 others were displaced after heavy mudslides and floods in Brazil's Petropolis city,following heavy downpour in mid-February. The rains were the heaviest the city has seen since 1932, said authorities.Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro visited the area on February 18 and compared it to a "war zone".