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From restaurants to water towers, unrest dents Senegal’s economy

From restaurants to water towers, unrest dents Senegal’s economy

A KFC restaurant was ransacked. Public transport torched. Glass-panelled stations for a multi-million dollar electric bus link shattered. A water plant was vandalised. Senegal is taking stock of the damage after the jail sentencing of prominent opposition figure Ousmane Sonko sparked the worst civil unrest in decades that threatens to dent progress in one of Africa's fastest-growing economies. Sixteen people died and hundreds were injured. Rioters attacked banks, supermarkets and petrol stations. Small businesses were also hit. "There was a clear intention to affect the normal functioning of our economic activity. Targets were not chosen fortuitously," Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome said over…
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Gyms, restaurants re-open in South Africa

Gyms, restaurants re-open in South Africa

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE South African government has, in the face of consistent rise in infections, hospitalisation and deaths, maintained the country at a strict lockdown alert level four for another 14 days, but has made minor adjustments in terms of which restaurants will be allowed to operate In a special address to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that gyms will also be allowed to operate, under strict health protocols.  Sale of agricultural livestock, as well as game auctions, will also be allowed. However, Ramaphosa said the sale of alcohol will remain prohibited as well as all social, religious…
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FACTBOX-Back to pubs, gyms and movies: plotting the road back to normal

FACTBOX-Back to pubs, gyms and movies: plotting the road back to normal

AS the COVID-19 vaccine rollout gains momentum, many countries are planning a gradual return to normal, opening borders and letting people back into restaurants, shops and sports venues after more than a year of on-off lockdowns. Here are some of their plans, in alphabetical order: BRITAIN Non-essential retailers in England reopened on April 12 along with pubs and restaurants operating outdoors. Indoor hospitality, cinemas, theatres and sports halls reopened on May 17. Britain also allowed international travel to resume, with quarantine rules still in place for most arrivals. The government aims to lift most remaining restrictions in England on June…
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Europeans savour croissants and beers as cafes reopen

Europeans savour croissants and beers as cafes reopen

YIMING WOO and LEO FOEGER FOR Parisian Elie Ayache, the world felt a little more normal yesterday: he was back at his favourite cafe, drinking his morning coffee and eating a croissant. Cafes, restaurants and beer gardens in France and Austria resumed serving customers on the premises, bringing to an end long shutdowns mandated by their governments to try to contain the spread of COVID-19. "I was impatient to get back to my life, and to the person that I was before," said Ayache as he sat at the terrace outside Les Deux Magots, a cafe that was once a…
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Egypt to close stores, restaurants early

Egypt to close stores, restaurants early

THE closing hours of Egyptian stores, malls and restaurants will be brought forward to 9 pm (1900 GMT) to help contain the coronavirus for two weeks from today, straddling the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Eid celebrations, the prime minister announced yesterday. Large gatherings and concerts will be banned over the same period and beaches and parks will be shut between May 12-16, Mostafa Madbouly said in a televised address. The number of new coronavirus cases has been steadily rising in Egypt in recent weeks and officials have warned of infections spreading further as families…
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Can’t eat out? In locked down Paris, a chef can come to you

Can’t eat out? In locked down Paris, a chef can come to you

MANUEL AUSLOOS PARISIANS yearning for haute cuisine dining since the COVID-19 pandemic closed down restaurants have found an alternative: private chefs who serve up meals in customers' homes. Fatiha El-Kaddaoui is a trained chef who takes bookings from private individuals, brings her ingredients to their home and uses their equipment to prepare and serve restaurant-quality dishes. She was busy before the pandemic. But now, she said, she is having to turn away up to 30 bookings per month. "There's very, very big demand," she said. "This demand exists because those people used to go to restaurants one, two, three times…
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