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Beijing vows to ease local government debt woes after key meeting
Beijing vows to ease local government debt woes after key meeting
Economy
by  AFP

Chinese officials pledged Friday to help ease debt pressure on local governments through reforms to the tax system, after a key political gathering in the capital focused on jumpstarting the faltering economy. But few new policies were announced as the meeting wrapped up Thursday, with officials pledging to tackle "risks" in the economy.

Climate change threatens age-old Mauritania date harvest
Climate change threatens age-old Mauritania date harvest
Economy
by  AFP

Wandering atop a small sand dune in central Mauritania, Aliene Haimoud gazed despondently at the yellowing date palms before him –- the trees are dying if they are not already dead. In Mauritania, the government has tried to halt the desertification by planting trees to repel the onslaught of sand.