Voice of America - Straight Talk Africa

VOA Learning English

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:30:00 GMT

Amid Pandemic, Earlier Promotions Black Friday Takes New Shape

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:14:05 GMT

From Walmart Inc to Best Buy, retailers have overhauled Black Friday shopping, with some assigning clerks in orange vests to serve as traffic cops, taking shoppers' temperatures and offering "grab-and-go" merchandise, including toys, bikes and kitchen appliances to discourage lingering in store aisles.

Most major retailers closed on Thanksgiving this year in a nod to the stress endured by their workers during a global health pandemic. Walmart reopened stores at 5 a.m. on Friday, directing shoppers to turn right upon entering and proceed along main aisles to shop deals before paying at registers surrounded by plastic barriers.

Best Buy is opening its doors at 5 a.m. and Target, which introduced contactless self-checkout and doubled the number of parking spots for its contactless "Drive Up" pick-up service this holiday season, set a 7 a.m. opening.

Traditionally, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has launched the holiday shopping season in the United States, with retailers offering steep discounts and turning a significant profit.

But during this pandemic-ridden year, major retailers from Target Corp to Kohl’s Corp and Walmart rolled out online winter holiday promotions in October to capture any holiday-related spending as early as possible.

Overall, the National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts U.S. holiday retail sales will increase between 3.6% and 5.2% over 2019, for a total of $755.3 billion to $766.7 billion. That compares with an average annual increase of 2.5% over the past five years.

A Walmart spokeswoman said the world’s largest retailer was not selling traditional "hot-ticket doorbuster" items in stores this Black Friday. But even as health officials around the globe encouraged people to stay home and shop online, Walmart set aside some deals only for shoppers who came into its stores—advertising items including "in-store only" savings on $5 packs of Wonder Nation’s girls' and boys' underwear and socks. The spokeswoman declined to comment on the ads.

Lindsey Cox, 43, of Thomasville, North Carolina, said she noticed Walmart’s advertised in-store price for Christmas gnomes was much lower than on Amazon.com Inc. But she said she doesn’t plan to visit Walmart stores on Black Friday.

"I could not justify going into the store right now," the stay-at-home mother of three told Reuters. The savings is "not worth the tradeoff" of her or her family potentially being exposed to people who may be infected with coronavirus, she said.

On Nov. 19, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deemed "going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving" as a high-risk activity.

More than half of U.S. shoppers expect to shop online on Black Friday, despite 75% of consumers taking advantage of seasonal sales, which started earlier this year, an Adobe Analytics survey predicts.

However, 55% of consumers reported that sales on the Black Friday weekend feel less special due to promotions in the run up to the event, according to Adobe.

Adobe expects Thanksgiving Day to come in below $6 billion in total sales, with Black Friday set to cross $10 billion in sales.

The volume of Black Friday payment transactions in Britain as of 0900 GMT was down 13.2% versus last year, initial data from Barclaycard showed, with retailers of non-essential goods still shut and many in the sector spreading out online discounts throughout the month.

The end of England's second national lockdown on Dec. 2 is predicted to see a surge in transactions, surpassing Black Friday, Barclaycard, which processes nearly one pound ($1.33) in every three pounds spent in the United Kingdom, said.

Iranian Diplomat on Trial in Belgium, Charged with Plotting Attack

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:05:42 GMT

An Iranian diplomat and three other Iranian citizens went on trial in Belgium Friday for allegedly plotting to bomb a 2018 rally of the Paris-based National Council Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an opposition group in exile.

Belgian prosecutors charged Vienna-based diplomat Assadolah Assadi and the other Iranians for the alleged plot against the gathering, where the keynote speaker was U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

Assadi was arrested in Germany while on holiday and handed over to Belgium.

He refused to appear in court the first day of the trial in Antwerp, claiming diplomatic immunity through his lawyer.

"My client asked me to represent him today, he let me know he has the fullest respect for these judges but as he considers that he should benefit from immunity, they are not allowed to judge him," his lawyer, Dimitri de Beco, told reporters outside the court.

Assadi was the third-highest ranking official at Iran’s embassy in Vienna and, according to French officials, he was in charge of intelligence in southern Europe.

Tehran has repeatedly denied the charges, saying the allegations are a “false flag” stunt by the NCRI, which Iran considers a terrorist group.

This is the first time a European Union country is adjudicating a case on terrorism charges involving an Iranian government official.

VOA Newscasts

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Indian Farmers Clash with Police as They Protest New Laws

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 12:44:36 GMT

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons Friday as thousands of farmers from northern India marched to protest new laws that the government says will revolutionize the farm sector but which farmers fear will expose them to exploitation by big corporations.

Scuffles erupted on the outskirts of New Delhi as angry farmers pressed against heavily guarded concrete barricades set up along the city's border to stop the marchers. Waving flags and shouting slogans, some tried to remove the barriers.

Many farmers have traveled on their tractors and motorcycles from the northern farming state of Punjab, vowing to camp in the Indian capital until the government amends the recent laws.

It was the second day that farmers clashed with police. On Thursday security personnel used water cannons on farmers as they traveled through neighboring Haryana state to reach Delhi.

Hours after the farmers demanded to know why they were not being allowed to protest, police announced that they would be allowed to enter the city.

Criticizing the use of what he called "brute force," Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the government should initiate "immediate talks to address farmers' concerns on the farm laws and resolve the simmering issue."

The contentious legislation, passed in September, aims to reform decades-old laws under which farmers mostly sell their produce through state-run wholesale markets at prices set by the government and paves the way for them to sell their produce to private companies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the new laws as "historic" and said they will increase farmers' incomes, boost productivity and liberate farmers from dependence on middlemen. Supporters of the legislation say it could draw in private investment and help modernize Indian agriculture.

Farmers protest against the newly passed farm bills at Singhu border near Delhi, India, Nov. 27, 2020.

However, Indian farmers, who have long been protected from the free market, fear that the removal of government controls will leave them with little bargaining power with large corporations and force them to sell their produce at cheaper prices. While they have been demanding better prices for their crops, they worry that the new laws will further depress rural incomes.

Nearly half of India's population depends on agriculture, but it accounts for just 17% of India's gross domestic product. Most of the farmers own small plots of land, have tiny incomes and are often in debt.

Food and farm policy analyst, Devinder Sharma said the scale of the protests shows that farmers are "not in tune" with the government's plans.

"At no stage were the farmers of India consulted about it," Sharma said.

"The result," he said, "is that it is industry and markets who are excited about it, while the farmers are convinced it will be detrimental to them."

The farmers say they will continue their protest until the government rolls back the reforms. Many have come prepared for a long haul with their vehicles stacked with provisions and even cooking gas cylinders.

China Imposes Anti-Dumping Measures on Australian Wine

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 12:35:28 GMT

China on Friday said it would impose anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine, the latest salvo in an increasingly terse standoff between the two that has worsened since Canberra called for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.

Beijing has on several occasions used the threat of diminished access to its vast domestic market as a stick to beat Australia and has suspended imports of some products including beef and timber.

In the latest blow, China's commerce ministry announced wine importers will be forced to pay deposits of 107-212 percent of the value of their goods at customs, saying the move was in response to "substantive harm caused to the relevant domestic wine industry".

But Australia's trade minister Simon Birmingham on Friday blasted the punitive measure as "grossly unfair, unwarranted, unjustified", and called the dumping accusation "erroneous in fact and in substance".

At a news conference, Birmingham said there was a "perception" that China was engaging in a "deliberate strategy, piling on pressure in a number of different sectors".

Canberra would continue to raise with the World Trade Organization "our concerns about the number and cumulative effect of China's trade sanctions against Australia", he said.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday defended the measures as a legitimate move to protect Chinese winemakers and consumers.

Zhao instead blamed Canberra for strained ties with Beijing, saying "Australia should do some deep introspection" and "reflect on whether they have respected China's interests".

China's ministry of commerce said in August it would probe dumping -- when a country sells goods in a country for less than it costs at home -- throughout 2019, at the request of the Wine Industry Association of China.

Wine exports to China hit a record A$1.3 billion (US$900 million) last year, according to Australian government data, making it the biggest market by value for Australia.

Friday's news sent shares in Treasury Wine Estates Limited -- which owns the popular Penfolds brands -- tumbling more than 11 percent before trade was halted.

China's commerce ministry has complained Australian wines benefit from government subsidies that give them an advantage over Chinese products.

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 12:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Ethiopians Flee Tigray Capital Fearing Military Assault

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 11:39:23 GMT

Fearing an imminent assault, people are fleeing Mekele, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's order for the "final phase" of the military offensive aganist local forces.

The government has warned the city of half a million people of "no mercy" if they did not distance themselves from the Tigray leaders in time.

Abiy warned Mekele residents Thursday to disarm and stay inside as military units were ordered in. His government, however, has declared it would protect civilians.

"The last peaceful gate which had remained open for the TPLF clique to walk through have now been firmly closed as a result of TPLF's contempt for the people of Ethiopia," Abiy said in a statement Thursday, referring to the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

Final Phase of the Rule of Law Operations Commences pic.twitter.com/TAAyZxSe0U
— Abiy Ahmed Ali ???????? (@AbiyAhmedAli) November 26, 2020

Earlier this week, Abiy gave the TPLF 72 hours to surrender or face a military offensive on the state's capital of Mekele.

In the meantime, food and other items are running in short supply in the Tigray region of 6 million people. The United Nations has called for immediate access for humanitarian aid that is neutral and impartial.

Abiy's government has said a "humanitarian access route" would become available, managed by Ethiopia's Ministry of Peace.

The Ethiopian army has been battling local forces in Tigray since November 4, when Abiy sent the national defense force into the area, after accusing local forces of attacking a military base there.

Hundreds of people have been killed and more than 40,000 have fled to neighboring Sudan, recounting horrific tales of violence.

The conflict has raised alarm from rights organizations and the United Nations, which have urged Abiy to seek a diplomatic solution to the problem, noting the harm faced by civilians already victims of a weak economy and the coronavirus pandemic.

But Abiy thus far has rejected all calls for dialogue with Tigray leaders.

Fans in Argentina Mourn Death of Diego Maradona

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 02:03:34 GMT

Football fans around the world are mourning the sudden death Wednesday of Diego Maradona, one of the sport’s greatest players. In his home country of Argentina, fans gathered to pay tribute to Maradona, who died at age 60 of a heart attack. Edgar Maciel filed this report.

Camera: Edgar Maciel.

VOA Newscasts

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 02:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Trump Says He Will Leave White House if Biden Wins Electoral College Vote

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 01:34:58 GMT

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, the closest he has come to conceding the Nov. 3 election, even as he repeated his unfounded claims of massive voter fraud.

Speaking to reporters on the Thanksgiving holiday, Republican Trump said if Democrat Biden, who is to be sworn in Jan. 20, is certified the election winner by the Electoral College, he will depart the White House.

But Trump said it would be hard for him to concede under the current circumstances and declined to say whether he would attend Biden's inauguration.

"This election was a fraud," Trump insisted at the White House while continuing to offer no concrete evidence of widespread voting irregularities. Earlier Trump spoke by video link with members of the U.S. military for the holiday.

Biden won the election with 306 Electoral College votes — many more than the 270 required — to Trump's 232, and the electors are scheduled to meet Dec. 14 to formalize the outcome. Biden also leads Trump by more than 6 million in the popular vote tally.

Trump has so far refused to fully acknowledge his defeat, though last week, with mounting pressure from his own Republican ranks, he agreed to let Biden's transition process officially proceed.

Asked if he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for Biden, Trump said: "Certainly I will. Certainly I will. And you know that."

"But I think that there will be a lot of things happening between now and the 20th of January. A lot of things," he said. "Massive fraud has been found. We're like a third world country."

Desperate efforts by Trump and his aides to overturn results in key states, either by lawsuits or by pressuring state legislators, have failed, and he is running out of options.

In the United States, a candidate becomes president by securing the most electoral votes rather than by winning a majority of the national popular vote. Electors, allotted to the 50 states and the District of Columbia largely based on their population, are party loyalists who pledge to support the candidate who won the popular vote in their state.

Biden, Trump stay close to home

Biden and Trump both stayed close to home to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday as the coronavirus pandemic raged across the country.

Biden spent the holiday in the small seaside town of Rehoboth, Delaware, where he and his wife, Jill, have a vacation home. The Bidens hosted daughter Ashley Biden and her husband, Dr. Howard Krein, for the holiday meal.

The former vice president, appearing with his wife in a video message posted to his Twitter account on Thanksgiving, said his family typically holds a large gathering on the island of Nantucket off Massachusetts but would remain in Delaware this year "with just a small group around our dinner table" because of the pandemic.

In the presidential-style address to a nation that has lost more than 260,000 lives to the coronavirus, the Democratic president-elect said Americans were making a "shared sacrifice for the whole country" and a "statement of common purpose" by staying at home with their immediate families.

Trump often likes to celebrate holidays at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida. But on Thursday he remained in the Washington area, spending part of the morning at his Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, where he played a round of golf.

Argentines Bid a Raucous Farewell to Maradona Amid Clashes

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 01:12:25 GMT

Soccer superstar Diego Maradona was buried Thursday in a private ceremony attended by two dozen people — a stark contrast to earlier in the day when tens of thousands of weeping fans filed past his coffin for hours in an observance that mixed head-of-state-like honors with the chaos of a rowdy stadium.

Only family members and close friends were permitted at Jardín Bella Vista cemetery for the final religious ceremony and burial of Maradona next to the graves of his parents, Dalma and Diego.

Fans waving Argentine flags had gathered along roads as Maradona's funeral car drove by under heavy security. Many tried to touch the vehicle whenever it was stopped by traffic.

The earlier viewing at the Argentine presidential mansion was halted shortly before 6 p.m., 12 hours after it started, as Maradona's family wished. The body of the Argentine icon was taken away for burial, frustrating many who were waiting to pay their respects and causing new tensions at the gates of the cemetery.

Fans, some draped in the national flag, sang soccer anthems as they formed a line that stretched more than 20 blocks from the Plaza de Mayo, where Argentines gathered to celebrate the Maradona-led triumph in the 1986 World Cup.

A sign set up by mourning fans reads in Spanish, "Thank You God for Everything," as police block their access to the Jardin de Bellavista cemetery during the burial of Diego Maradona in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.

But with the time for viewing the coffin at the presidential palace drawing short, police moved to cut off the crowd, enraging fans who hurled rocks and other objects at officers, who responded with rubber bullets.

The crowd overwhelmed organizers and the violence resulted in injuries and arrests, which led Maradona's family to end the public visitation. The casket was placed in a car that carried the former footballer's name on a paperboard by the window.

Desperate to say goodbye, Maradona's fans climbed on the fences of the presidential mansion as if they were in a soccer stadium, while firefighters worked to clear the ground.

'Diego lives in the people'

"Diego is not dead, Diego lives in the people," people chanted as the coffin was taken to a cemetery outside Buenos Aires. The motorcade, accompanied by police, was followed on a local highway by dozens of honking cars and motorcycles.

Hundreds of fans blocked entry to the cemetery before the arrival of Maradona's casket, dancing and chanting as police moved in to open a way. The crowd continued making noise after the final ceremony began.

Maradona died Wednesday of a heart attack in a house outside Buenos Aires where he had been recovering from a brain operation November 3.

Mourners embrace as they wait to see football star Diego Maradona lying in state outside the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.

While the viewing bore the hallmarks of a state funeral, with Maradona's casket laid out in the presidential palace, the atmosphere often was that of a soccer stadium — chanting, singing, pushing and the occasional whiff of alcohol.

Fans wept and blew kisses as they passed the wooden coffin, some striking their chests with closed fists and shouting, "Let's go, Diego."

It was draped with the Argentine flag and shirts bearing his famed No. 10 from the national team and the Boca Juniors club, with other jerseys tossed around it by passing admirers.

Family, friends first

Open visitation began at 6:15 a.m. after a few hours of privacy for family and close friends. The first to bid farewell were his daughters and close family members. His former wife, Claudia Villafañe, came with Maradona's daughters Dalma and Gianinna. Later came Verónica Ojeda, also an ex-wife, with their son, Dieguito Fernando.

Jana Maradona, whom the player recognized as his daughter only a few years ago, also attended.

Then came former teammates of the 1986 World Cup-winning squad, including Oscar Ruggeri. Other Argentine footballers, such as Boca Juniors' Carlos Tévez, showed up, too.

President Alberto Fernández appeared at midday and placed on the casket a jersey from the Argentinos Juniors team, where Maradona started his career in 1976.

Relatives and friends bury the remains of Diego Maradona while police keep fans outside the Jardin de Bellavista cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.

In tears, Fernández also laid two handkerchiefs of the human rights organization Mother of the Plaza de Mayo, whose members wore them for years to protest the disappearance of their children under Argentina's military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983. Maradona, an outspoken leftist who had an image of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara tattooed on one bicep, was a friend of the Madres and other rights groups.

The lines started forming outside the Casa Rosada only hours after Maradona's death was confirmed and grew to several blocks.

A huge mural of Maradona's face was painted on the tiles that cover the Plaza de Mayo, near the Casa Rosada, which was decorated with a giant black ribbon at the entrance.

The first fan to visit was Nahuel de Lima, 30, using crutches to move because of a disability.

"He made Argentina be recognized all over the world. Who speaks of Maradona also speaks of Argentina," de Lima told The Associated Press. "Diego is the people. ... Today the shirts, the political flags don't matter. We came to say goodbye to a great that gave us a lot of joy."

Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline.

1986 march to glory

Maradona's soccer genius, personal struggles and plain-spoken personality resonated deeply with Argentines.

He led an underdog team to glory in the 1986 World Cup, winning the title after scoring two astonishing goals in a semifinal match against England, thrilling a country that felt humiliated by its loss against the British in the recent Falklands war and that was still recovering from the brutal military dictatorship.

Many Argentines deeply sympathized with the struggles of a man who rose from poverty to fame and wealth and fell into abuse of drug, drink and food. He remained idolized in the soccer-mad nation as the "Pibe de Oro" or "Golden Boy."

Many of those in line to enter the Casa Rosada wore masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they struggled to keep social distancing.

Social worker Rosa Noemí Monje, 63, said she and others overseeing health protocols understood the emotion of the moment.

"It is impossible to ask them to distance. We behave respectfully and offer them sanitizer and face masks," she said. Monje also paid her last tribute to Maradona.

"I told him: To victory always, Diego," Monje said as she wept.

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 01:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 01:00:00 GMT

Bank of Canada: Vaccine Could Trigger Swift Economic Rebound

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:00:18 GMT

Canada's economy could rebound faster than expected if consumer spending jumps in the wake of a successful coronavirus vaccination effort, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said Thursday.

On the other hand, if the economy weakens amid a second wave of infections, Macklem indicated the central bank could, if necessary, cut already record-low interest rates.

In late October, the bank said it assumed a vaccine would not be widely available until mid-2022. Since then, several manufacturers have announced potential vaccines that could be distributed starting early next year.

"It is possible, especially when there is a vaccine, that households will decide to spend more than we have forecast, and if that happens the economy will rebound more quickly," Macklem said in response to questions from the House of Commons finance committee. He described the news about vaccines as promising.

In late October, the bank forecast the economy would not fully recover until sometime in 2023, a forecast Macklem repeated in his opening remarks.

The path to recovery still faces risks, he said. Earlier this year, the bank slashed its key interest rate to 0.25%.

"We could potentially lower the effective lower bound, even without going negative. It's at 25 basis points. It could be a little bit lower," Macklem said, repeating that negative interest rates would not be helpful.

The U.S. Federal Reserve has a target for its key rate of 0 to 0.25%. The Reserve Bank of Australia this month cut its policy rate to 0.1%.

Some other central banks also have benchmark rates that are less than 0.25%, such as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.

"We want to be very clear – Canadians can be confident that borrowing costs are going to remain very low for a long time," Macklem said.

VOA Newscasts

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT