Many countries are bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the poorest are not, UN says

Open this photo in gallery: Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Programme, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Feb. 27.PAULO LOPES/Reuters Many countries are bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the poorest are not and a significant number are seeing their conditions deteriorate, the UN Development Program said Wednesday. Achim Steiner, head of the agency, said that after two decades during which rich and poor countries were coming closer in terms of development, the finding is "a very strong warning signal" that nations are now drifting apart. The Human Development Index that the agency has produced since 1990 is…