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COVID-19 shook, rattled and rolled the global economy in 2020

COVID-19 shook, rattled and rolled the global economy in 2020

DAN BURNS and MARK JOHN WHEN 2020 dawned, the global economy had just notched its 10th straight year of uninterrupted growth, a streak most economists and government finance officials expected to persist for years ahead in a 21st Century version of the "Roaring '20s." But within two months, a mysterious new virus first detected in China in December 2019 - the novel coronavirus - was spreading rapidly worldwide, shattering those expectations and triggering the steepest global recession in generations. The International Monetary Fund estimates the global economy to have shrunk by 4.4% this year compared with a contraction of just…
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After a harrowing 2020, Asia tiptoes into the New Year

After a harrowing 2020, Asia tiptoes into the New Year

AS Asia says goodbye to 2020 - a tumultuous year that saw the planet roiled by a deadly pandemic - celebrations will be smaller, shorter and more muted amid fears of coronavirus flare-ups. In Beijing, the capital of the world's most-populous country, an annual New Year light show at the China Central Television Tower scheduled for Thursday through Sunday has been called off. The Beijing Yonghe Lama Temple, a tourist site, has also cut the number of visitors allowed by half since Thursday. Many Chinese tourists are staying home or taking shorter domestic trips. The coronavirus emerged a year ago…
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A divided United Kingdom exits EU orbit, heads into the Brexit unknown

A divided United Kingdom exits EU orbit, heads into the Brexit unknown

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE THE United Kingdom has exited the European Union's orbit, turning its back on a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project for an uncertain Brexit future that will shape the fortunes of its people for generations to come. Brexit, in essence, took place at the strike of midnight, when the United Kingdom left de-facto membership that continued after it formally left the bloc on January 31. For five years, the frenzied gyrations of the Brexit crisis have dominated European affairs, haunted the sterling markets and tarnished the United Kingdom's reputation as a confident pillar of Western economic and…
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Becky Hammon makes history as first female NBA coach

Becky Hammon makes history as first female NBA coach

BOITUMELO RANTAO  WHEN San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected for protesting a foul call. He looked to assistant coach Becky Hammon to lead the team making her the first female to act as a head coach in  National Basketball Association (NBA) history    The Spurs battled the reigning NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers in a regular season game, and the moment quickly became historic before the end of the first half.  “Obviously it’s a big deal ... it’s a substantial moment," Hammon said following the game. Asked about the moment she knew she was officially taking over,…
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Pope to skip leading New Year services because of flare-up of leg pain

Pope to skip leading New Year services because of flare-up of leg pain

PHILLIP PULLELLA POPE Francis will not lead New Year's Eve and New Year's Day services because of a flare-up of his sciatica condition, which causes pain in his right leg, the Vatican has said. It was believed to be the first time since he became pope in 2013 that Francis, who turned 84 this month, will have skipped leading a major papal event for health reasons. A year-end vespers service that the pope was to lead on Thursday evening will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and the Friday Mass, marking the Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, will…
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Grid or solar: looking for the best energy solution for the rural poor

Grid or solar: looking for the best energy solution for the rural poor

SOUTH Asia has made tremendous progress in connecting rural areas to the electricity grid but the number of people in Africa without access has scarcely changed since 2010. More than half a billion people in Africa don’t have access to electricity, meaning the continent hosts 72% of the world’s non-electrified population. The UN Sustainable Development Goals have set a universal goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. To achieve this, the continent will require a big electrification push. But what kind of electricity makes sense in rural Africa to make the most…
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McConnell thwarts Trump bid for $2,000 virus relief checks

McConnell thwarts Trump bid for $2,000 virus relief checks

SUSAN CORNWELL and DAVID MORGAN U.S. Senate leader Mitch McConnell has dealt a likely death blow to President Donald Trump's bid to boost coronavirus aid to Americans, declining to schedule a swift Senate vote on a bill to raise relief checks to $2,000 from $600. McConnell said on the Senate floor that a bill passed by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, which sought to meet fellow Republican Trump's demands for bigger checks, "has no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate." McConnell, who controls the Senate's agenda and opposes the increase in aid, had introduced a competing bill combining the…
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World risks ‘moral catastrophe’ if COVID shots delayed in Africa, its CDC chief says

World risks ‘moral catastrophe’ if COVID shots delayed in Africa, its CDC chief says

THE world risks a "moral catastrophe" if COVID-19 vaccinations are delayed in Africa while wealthier regions inoculate their entire populations, the head of the continent's disease control body has said. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hopes significant vaccination campaigns on the continent will begin in April, its head, John Nkengasong, told reporters. "That's a long way to go given that this virus transmits very quickly," he said, adding that in Africa, "the second wave is here with a vengeance". Cases of the new coronavirus increased by nearly 19% since last week and deaths increased by 26%,…
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Dutch charity says employee killed in Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Dutch charity says employee killed in Ethiopia’s Tigray region

DUTCH charity ZOA said one of its employees had been killed at a refugee camp in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia where the military has been fighting rebel forces. The charity said in a statement that the 52-year-old worker was killed in Hitsats refugee camp. He had worked for the charity for 10 years and leaves a wife and seven children. It did not name him or give any details of the killing. "We confirm with great sadness that our colleague was murdered during the recent conflict while on duty for ZOA," Edwin Visser, ZOA's Chief Programme Officer, said…
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Egypt summons Ethiopia’s envoy over comments – statement

Egypt summons Ethiopia’s envoy over comments – statement

THE Egyptian foreign ministry summoned the Ethiopian Chargé d'Affairs to Cairo on Wednesday to provide clarifications over comments made by the spokesman of the Ethiopian foreign ministry, it said. The comments "addressed" Egyptian internal affairs, the ministry added without providing more details. It was not immediately clear what comments had angered Egypt. Egyptian officials were not immediately available to comment. However, Qatar's Al Jazeera Media Network reported earlier today that Dina Mufti, the Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesperson, attacked Cairo for criticizing a giant dam that Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile and using the project to cover several…
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