S. Korean president's approval rating falls to 42.5 pct: poll

10:09, November 19, 2020

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  S. Africa jobless rate above 30 pct, highest since 2008: govt

  South Africas jobless rate rose to 30.8 percent between July and September, the highest level since 2008, according to government figures released Thursday.Residents walk past a fast food store inside a shopping mall in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 22, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)"In the 3rd quarter of 2020 there were significant movements in the South African labour market... which resulted in a significant increase of 7.5 percentage points in the unemployment rate to 30.8%," the national statistics agency StatsSA said."This is the highest unemployment rate recorded since the start of the (Quarterly Labour Force Survey) in 2008."

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  Hong Kong's jobless rate flat at 6.4 pct

  Photo: VCGHONG KONG, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kongs jobless rate stood at 6.4 percent from August to October, unchanged from the previous three-month period, the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Tuesday."Labor market conditions remained difficult, but showed further signs of stabilization as the local epidemic situation stayed contained during that period," Secretary for Labor and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said.The underemployment rate also remained flat at 3.8 percent, and total employment saw a slightly narrowed decline of 5.6 percent on a year-on-year comparison.Analyzed by sector, the combined jobless rate of the consumption- and tourism-related sectors, including retail and accommodation, declined to 11.2 percent in the August-October period, down by 0.5 percentage point from the July-September period. While the jobless rate for food and beverage services eased to 14.8 percent, the transportation sector saw a near-17-year high of 6.2 percent.Hong Kongs labor market has been under great pressure for months due to the impact of social unrest and the COVID-19 epidemic.The HKSAR government has rolled out unprecedented economic relief worth more than 300 billion Hong Kong dollars (38.7 billion U.S. dollars) in total to fight COVID-19 and help businesses and residents weather out the hardships, including measures on job retention and creation. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 HK dollars)

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  Vote counting gets underway in Burkina Faso national elections

  Electoral workers count the ballots at a polling station following the presidential and legislative election in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Nov 22, 2020.Vote counting is underway in Burkina Faso after voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president and members of parliament.Roch Marc C