News Headlines - 23 July 2020
The Cabinet Office is seen declaring the end of the economy’s latest expansion from December 2012, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to power, it was learned Wednesday.
An expert group at the Cabinet Office is likely to date the most recent peak in the business cycle at October 2018. This would mean that the expansion lasted 71 months, the second-longest since the end of the war, after the 73-month boom that ended in February 2008.
▽Singapore Grapples With Dengue as Fever Rages Alongside Covid - Bloomberg
Singapore is on track to record its worst dengue outbreak in history, with new weekly cases that have surpassed Covid-19 cases in the city-state.
Recorded cases of the disease reached 1,736 in the week ending July 18, the highest number of weekly infections ever recorded, according to the country’s National Environment Agency. Dengue, also known as break-bone fever, is spread via mosquito bites and can cause symptoms like fever and body aches.
Deaths from dengue are creeping up even as health authorities in the country continue to grapple with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. So far this year, 19 people have died of dengue, the Straits Times reported Monday, about two-thirds the reported death toll of 27 people from Covid-19. Like dengue, new Covid-19 cases are still averaging a triple-digit daily rise, though the figure has tapered off somewhat from previous months.
After 50 years of flying, Qantas' last remaining Boeing 747 passenger jet departed Australia for the final time on Wednesday and left a special message for everyone in the sky - a drawing of the airline's iconic kangaroo logo.
The flight path of Flight QF7474 traced the logo in the sky after it took off from Sydney Airport for the US, where the jumbo jet will be retired, Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, said in a statement on Wednesday.
▽Nile dam dispute: Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agree to resume talks - BBC News
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's announcement came as Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agreed to resume talks over the dam, following a virtual summit.
The project has been a source of huge diplomatic tension since its construction began in Ethiopia in 2011.
Ethiopia sees the hydroelectric project as crucial for its economic growth and a vital source of energy.
But Egypt and Sudan, which are downstream, fear the $4bn (￡3bn) dam will greatly reduce their access to water.
▽Danish murder on Bornholm island raises tension in race debate - BBC News
When a young black man was murdered on the idyllic Danish island of Bornholm, it emerged one of the suspects had swastika tattoos.
The killing of the 28-year-old, who had a Danish father and a Tanzanian mother, coincided with a vigorous debate about racism in Denmark. But police are adamant there was no racial motive.
Rights groups have reacted by questioning whether potential hate crimes are being seriously investigated.
