Stories for April 19th 2018

Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 22:24 UTC
Miguel Díaz-Canel becomes the new president of Cuba: there is no chance of a Trojan horse

Miguel Díaz-Canel has been ratified on Thursday by the National Assembly of Cuba as the new president of the Council of State, the country's first leader in practice. The parliament ratified the former vice president with 99.83% of the votes of the deputies present. Diaz-Canel replaces the General Raúl Castro, who retires from power after 12 years at the head of the country. However, the new president clarified that Raúl Castro “will lead the most important decisions” for the country.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 19:16 UTC
International coffee house and Mexican partner open first store in Montevideo

Starbucks has opened with great success its first store in Uruguay at the Montevideo Shopping mall in the capital city Montevideo. The store has a unique design and offers a wide range of Starbucks beverages and food, including Starbucks 100% arabica coffees from Latin America and around the world.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 18:17 UTC
UK unions up in arms over MOD plan to invite foreign companies to build RFA ships

Overseas shipyards including some in Spain are “eyeing up” a £1 billion order for three new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, a UK union claims. The GMB said the UK Government should reverse a decision to put the contract out to international tender later this month.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 18:15 UTC
US/China trade war reaches Midwest sorghum with tariffs of 178.6%

United States sorghum farmers fear they will lose their largest export market if China follows through with a tariff on their crop. China imposed preliminary anti-dumping tariffs of 178.6% on U.S. sorghum this week as part of its ongoing trade dispute with the U.S.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 18:08 UTC
UK inflation in March falls to 2.5%, lowest rate in twelve months

UK consumer price inflation fell in March to 2.5%, the lowest rate in a year, according to the Office for National Statistics. It fell from 2.7% in February after prices for women's clothing rose at a slower pace than last year. The data appears to show that the squeeze on UK households may be coming to an end as wages rise.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 11:43 UTC
Facebook asking UK users to allow facial recognition technology

Facebook has begun asking users in the UK to allow the platform to use facial recognition technology to identify them in photos and videos. The technology has been used in most parts of the world for six years, but was initially removed in the EU in 2012 following protests from regulators and privacy advocates.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 10:32 UTC
G7 foreign ministers' statement on the Salisbury attack

We, the G7 foreign ministers, of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal, using a nerve agent in Salisbury, United Kingdom, on March 4, 2018. A British police officer and numerous civilians were exposed in the attack and required hospital treatment, and the lives of many more innocent British civilians have been threatened. We express our deepest sympathies to them all and our admiration and support for the UK emergency services for their courageous response.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 10:12 UTC
G7 leaders: statement on chemical weapons use in Syria and Salisbury attack

The G7 leaders have united in condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and support recent actions by the US, UK and France to degrade and deter further use. Likewise G7 foreign ministers condemned the nerve agent attack and share the UK's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation was responsible.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 10:07 UTC
President Macri recognized as first World Leader for Travel & Tourism

President Mauricio Macri of Argentina was recognized by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) at its first World Leader for Travel & Tourism. The recognition was announced at the opening ceremony of the 2018 WTTC Global Summit which is taking place on 18 and 19 April in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 10:06 UTC
Starbucks “embarrassed” by accusations of racial profiling in US cafes

Starbucks' executive chairman has said he is “embarrassed” by the recent accusations of racial profiling in the company's US cafes. Howard Schultz's comments came after Starbucks announced it will close US stores on 29 May for company-wide “racial bias training”.