World Bank: COVID-19 to push five million more Nigerians into poverty in 2020

A new report on terrorist activity in the EU has highlighted the threat of online propaganda during the pandemic. The research shows Islamist and far-right extremists have posed the greatest threat.

As Afghan civilian life continues to suffer following the Taliban's takeover, the World Bank is the latest international organisation to suspend dispersements of development funds to the country. This, as western governments increase pressure on the insurgents by squeezing their cash flows, while negotiating a safe exit for people wanting to leave. Also, the "naked baby boy", on the iconic cover of Nirvana's 1991 album "Nevermind", sues the band and record labels for child sexual exploitation.

African economies are due to emerge from recession this year, but their recoveries remain fragile, according to the World Bank's Africa's Pulse report. Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, tells FRANCE 24 that rising inflation has led to more food insecurity across Africa. He wants the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be accelerated in order to get 40 percent of the continent fully vaccinated by the end of the year.

African economies are due to emerge from recession this year, but their recoveries remain fragile, according to the World Bank's Africa's Pulse report. Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, tells FRANCE 24 that rising inflation has led to more food insecurity across Africa. He wants the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be accelerated in order to get 40 percent of the continent fully vaccinated by the end of the year.

Amnesty said that many governments had used the pandemic as an opportunity to further restrict freedom of expression. It also cited the role of social media in the spread of misinformation.

The World Bank is backing Nigeria’s quest to get rid of fuel subsidy. The Country Director of the World Bank Shubham Chaudhuri, who led his team on a courtesy visit to The Guardian Group on Tuesday, November 30, explained why fuel subsidy is not sustainable. Chaudhuri, nevertheless, advised the Nigerian government to build consensus before its scheduled removal of the controversial subsidy policy.

As COVID-19 continues to harm economies globally, it's the developing and emerging economies that are suffering most says the lender's Franziska Lieselotte Ohnsorg.

With one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Spain is looking at an exit strategy from the pandemic. Its government says it's time to start treating COVID-19 like any other endemic seasonal respiratory disease. DW's Jan-Philipp Scholz reports.

Developing economies were hit hardest by the global economic recession brought by the pandemic. A looming debt crisis could make things much worse, according to a new report.

Baky Meïté is a former captain of the Ivory Coast rugby team. Back in the spring of 2020, he put his rugby career on hold to work as a janitor in a geriatric hospital in Paris. He has now published a book, "Les Chiffons Bleus", as a tribute to his former colleagues who appear somewhat forgotten today. He joined us for Perspective.

Ethiopia has agreed a reconstruction and recovery grant with the World Bank, to be used to rebuild basic services in conflict-hit regions of the country.

The agency has warned of the risk of 1970s-style stagflation persisting in the coming years amid soaring commodity prices and low growth. Developing countries are expected to be some of the worst hit.