Hard Numbers: US donates jabs, IMF cancels Sudan debt, oldest Gitmo inmate released, no fossil fuels to reach Net Zero
20 million: The US will donate 20 million doses of federally authorized COVID vaccines to countries in need. This is the first time the Biden administration has agreed to send shots approved for use in America. Washington previously pledged to send by the end of June 60 million shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which the US has stockpiled but lacks FDA approval.
50 billion: IMF member countries have agreed to clear Sudan of the roughly $50 billion it owes to the multilateral institution. This debt forgiveness will allow the transitional military-civilian government in Khartoum to gain access to the cheap international credit it needs to address Sudan's deep economic crisis following decades of isolation and sanctions under former strongman Omar al-Bashir.
17: The US Department of Justice has approved the release of the oldest prisoner at the Guantánamo Bay detention center. Saifullah Paracha, a 73-year-old Pakistani, has spent almost 17 years at the facility since he was arrested on suspicion of ties to al-Qaeda, yet never charged with a crime.
2050: New fossil fuel projects should be abandoned if the world wants to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the International Energy Agency warns in a new report. It's a big shift for the IEA, which environmental groups have long accused of underestimating the importance of renewable energy in the fight against climate change.