Spanish regions double down on COVID-19 measures channelnewsasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from channelnewsasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the defeat of President Donald Trump in the US presidential election – and his refusal to concede – were undoubtedly the major news events of 2020. Here’s a look at these and other important highlights that shaped the year.
COVID changes the world
The World Health Organisation announced on January 9 that a deadly coronavirus had emerged in a food market in Wuhan, China. In a matter of months, the virus spread around the world, leading to lockdowns, a global recession, a stock market crash, a plunge in oil prices, huge pressure on countries’ healthcare systems, 77 million virus cases and 1.7 million deaths. Billions had to be pumped into the global economy by governments to save jobs and businesses.
Spain health minister to stand down, run for top Catalan job channelnewsasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from channelnewsasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Spain s coalition government is deeply split over a proposal to shorten the work week to four days to fight high unemployment sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure is being pushed by far-left party Podemos, the junior partner in Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez s minority government which has ruled the eurozone s fourth largest economy since January.
Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias, the leader of Podemos, announced earlier this month that the labour ministry was looking into reducing work hours, saying this could without a doubt favour the creation of employment .
He was responding during a TV interview to the proposal made by a far-left lawmaker that called for the work week to be reduced to 32 hours from the current 40 hours.