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Britain expected to borrow 10.3 per cent of its GDP next year
Britain's borrowing is forecast to be 10.3 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) next year - with 234 billion pounds (326 billion dollars) predicted to be spent. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak told lawmakers that the amount was "so large" it had only "one rival in recent history - this year." In 2020, the British government borrowed a “record” 355 billion pounds, the equivalent of 17 per cent of Britain’s national income, with Sunak warning it will take “decades” to repay. Borrowing will, however, fall to 4.5 per cent of GDP in 2022-23, 3.5 per cent in 2023-24 and then 2.9 per ...
DPA
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Hospitals in Czech Republic report record number of Covid-19 patients
Hospitals in the Czech Republic reported a record number of Covid-19 patients, according to data on Wednesday. A total of 8,162 people are being treated as inpatients, the highest figure since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released by the Health Ministry. Among them were more than 1,660 particularly severe cases requiring artificial respiration. In the administrative region of Pardubice in eastern Bohemia, an emergency plan was activated because hospital capacities were at their limit. This is a crisis scenario, said Interior Minister Jan Hamacek, adding that the gov...
DPA
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Merkel to give testimony in Wirecard investigation on April 23
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to give testimony to a parliamentary committee that is investigating the Wirecard scandal, sources told dpa on Wednesday. Her testimony is scheduled for April 23, a day after Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is also finance minister, is expected to be questioned and just three days after the testimony of Economy Minister Peter Altmaier. Wirecard went bankrupt after admitting in June 2020 that 1.9 billion euros (2.3 billion dollars) in assets were likely non-existent. Its share price took a nosedive and former executives were arrested, prompting doubts over th...
DPA
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A classic for Vettel as Aston Martin reveal F1 car
Former Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel will look to bounce back from a disappointing departure from the red of Ferrari with new team Aston Martin in classic British racing green. "It is also a new chapter for me," said the 33-year-old German Vettel, who won four world titles 2010-2013 with Red Bull but failed to deliver a championship with Ferrari. "To win is very ambitious but we're here to win." Vettel will partner Lance Stroll, son of team backer Lawrence Stroll, in the AMR21 which was revealed in an online presentation on Wednesday. There is a Mercedes engine wrapped in the gre...
DPA
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German health minister: AstraZeneca jab to be approved for over-65s
German Health Minister Jens Spahn says the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is likely to be approved for use among over 65-year-olds despite initial claims that the data for effectiveness among elderly people was insufficient. Speaking at a meeting between the federal government and Germany's 16 states on possible steps to ease the coronavirus lockdown, Spahn said a decision by the country's Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) was imminent. He added that the decision was based on new data on the jab's effectiveness from Scotland and England.
DPA
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Scottish first minister denies trying to punish her predecessor
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon denied on Wednesday that she wanted to punish her predecessor, as she gave evidence to an inquiry into the government's handling of sexual harassment complaints against him. Sturgeon is giving evidence at the Holyrood Inquiry, launched in January 2020 to examine how her government dealt with claims made against Alex Salmond, who left the post in 2014. Sturgeon told Scottish lawmakers that the internal investigation into allegations made against Salmond were "absolutely and emphatically not" designed to "get him." "Alex Salmond has been one of the closest...
DPA
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Holund leads Norwegian 15km sweep at Nordic worlds
Hans Christer Holund took the gold in a Norwegian podium sweep in the 15-kilometres cross country ski race at the Nordic world championships as their big Russian rival Alexander Boshunov had to settle for fourth. Holund, a 50km world champion from 2019 and skiathlon bronze medallist on Saturday, took the lead at the halfway mark of the interval start race en route to victory in 34 minutes 8.9 seconds. Simen Hegstad Krueger got silver as in the skiathlon, 20.2 seconds back, and youngster Harald Oestberg Amundsen took his first major medal despite a fall in the later stages, 35.6 seconds behind ...
DPA
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Germany flirts with easing lockdown as Merkel and premiers meet
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with state premiers on Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus lockdown, as calls grow for easing the restrictions that have weighed on businesses and public life since late last year. Negotiations were in full swing ahead of the online conference, with a draft plan seen by dpa proposing a new, more lax benchmark for lifting some measures. According to the proposal, the next round of easing could be tied to a seven-day incidence rate - the number of people infected per 100,000 people during a one-week period - of 100. If this level is reached, states could cons...
DPA
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Holund leads Norwegian 15km sweep but Granerud out with coronavirus
Hans Christer Holund took the gold in a Norwegian podium sweep in the 15-kilometres cross country race at the world championships on Wednesday as their big Russian rival Alexander Boshunov had to settle for fourth. But it wasn't all good news for the Nordic skiing superpower on the day as news broke that their World Cup leading ski-jumpion Halvor Egner Granerud has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss the final two events in Oberstdorf. Two members of the Italian ski-jumping delegation also contracted the virus and no of the Italians entered into the 15km race participated as the ...
DPA
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New Schalke coach Grammozis: 'I know what I'm getting into'
Dimitrios Grammozis is aware of the daunting task he faces as coach of Bundesliga bottom club but is ready for the challenge. "I'm really looking forward to the task and I know what I'm getting into. I know what makes Schalke tick, how much the people love this club and what we owe the club," he said at his official presentation on Wednesday. "I see Schalke as a big challenge and I want to transfer the power of this football club onto the pitch with the players." Former Darmstadt coach Grammozis was in the past linked with the club and finally landed the job on Tuesday in succession of Christi...
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