Stories for June 2018

Friday, June 29th 2018 - 16:34 UTC
Boeing’s passenger plans go hypersonic.

Boeing has unveiled a sleek, new hypersonic passenger plane capable of crossing the globe in hours and which could be available in 20 to 30 years.The US manufacturer says the concept could have passenger or military applications and is one of several its engineers are studying.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 09:13 UTC
Beijing eases limits on foreign investment in banks, car industry and agriculture

The Chinese government has eased rules that limit foreign investment in the country's banks, car industry and agriculture. The barriers have drawn criticism from trading partners, including the US. The Trump administration cited the rules as an example of unfair practices when it announced plans for tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 09:09 UTC
Apple and Samsung finally settle seven-year-long patent dispute

Apple and Samsung have finally settled a seven-year-long patent dispute, bringing to an end the long-running battle over the design of their rival smartphones. The terms were not disclosed.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 09:02 UTC
Facebook, Google and Microsoft act in an “unethical” way on privacy issues, claims Norwegian regulator

Facebook, Google and Microsoft push users away from privacy-friendly options on their services in an “unethical” way, according to a report by the Norwegian Consumer Council. It studied the privacy settings of the firms and found a series of “dark patterns”, including intrusive default settings and misleading wording.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 08:54 UTC
Brazil's currency and stock market recover on Thursday, helped by opinion poll

The Brazilian real climbed almost 1% against the dollar on Thursday, as a rout on Wednesday led to a technical correction and a key poll showed Brazil's left failing to gain steam in presidential elections scheduled for October.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 08:40 UTC
Brazil central bank slashed 2018 growth forecast to 1.6%

Brazil’s central bank on Thursday slashed its growth forecast for 2018 gross domestic product after a nationwide truckers strike paralyzed key sectors of Latin America’s largest economy. The bank sees GDP growth of 1.6% this year, according to its quarterly inflation report, compared to 2.6% previously.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 08:31 UTC
Trial of economic oil record books across Red Ensign Group

The Red Ensign Group is to carry out a trial of electronic oil record books across the thirteen British shipping registries. It was agreed by the REG’s Technical Forum, with the Isle of Man Ship Registry taking the first steps and providing industry guidance for the rest of the group.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 08:25 UTC
World Trade Organization Panel rejects claims concerning tobacco plain packaging in Australia

A World Trade Organization (WTO) Panel has ruled against complaints brought by several countries concerning Australia’s tobacco packaging law, which implements the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its Guidelines. The panel decided that Australia’s policy on plain packaging is consistent with WTO law.
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 08:21 UTC
The Protocol x Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is live

On 27 June 2018, the conditions for the entry into force of the first legally binding instrument adopted under the WHO FCTC were met, paving the way to eliminate illicit trade of tobacco products
Friday, June 29th 2018 - 08:11 UTC
UKSR gets into top five internationally for its high standards

Consistent high performance by the UK Ship Register has seen it rise four places in the world under standards set by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
It means the UKSR is now fifth under an assessment based on the total number of inspections and detentions by the Paris MoU and is effective from next month. These are based on the total number of inspections and detentions over a certain length of time.