AFP

World greets 2025 after sweltering year of Olympics, turmoil, and Trump

Crowds will marvel at fireworks and toast champagne to greet 2025 on Tuesday, waving goodbye to a year that brought Olympic glory, a dramatic Donald Trump return and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine.It is all but certain that 2024 will go down as the hottest year on record, with climate-fuelled disasters wreaking havoc …

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Xi says China must apply ‘more proactive’ macroeconomic policies in 2025

President Xi Jinping said China will put in place “more proactive” macroeconomic policies next year, state media reported, as he addressed a top political advisory body on Tuesday.The country has struggled this year to climb out of a slump fuelled by a property market crisis, weak consumption and soaring government debt.Beijing has unveiled a string …

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China’s frigid northeast thrives on ‘little potato’ tourism boom

Animal ears and pom-poms on fuzzy hats adorn tourists’ heads on the streets of the frigid northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, which is enjoying a surge in visitors driven by social media.Photos and videos taken around the city’s landmarks flood platforms such as TikTok counterpart Douyin and Instagram-esque Xiaohongshu — many featuring tourists from the …

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Stock markets, dollar retreat

European and Asia stock markets mostly fell Monday in jittery holiday trade ahead of a potentially tumultuous 2025 when Donald Trump returns to the White House.With volumes thin, US futures were also pointing lower after losses on Friday that put paid to Wall Street’s usual holiday period “Santa Claus rally”.”We can’t drive major conclusions in …

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New year nerves hit Asian stocks

Asia stocks mostly fell Monday in jittery holiday trade ahead of a potentially tumultuous 2025 when Donald Trump returns to the White House.With volumes thin, US and European equity futures were also pointing lower after losses on Friday that put paid to Wall Street’s usual holiday period “Santa Claus rally”.Tech stocks had led the way, …

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Political turmoil shakes South Korea’s economy

After South Korea’s president and his replacement were both deposed over a failed bid to impose martial law, deepening political turmoil is threatening the country’s currency and shaking confidence in its economy.The won, which plunged Friday to its lowest level against the dollar since 2009, has been in near-constant decline since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s …

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