Stories for October 15th 2018

Monday, October 15th 2018 - 19:16 UTC
New 50 bolivianos bill released as scheduled

Bolivia's Central Bank (BCB) Monday launched the new 50 bolivianos note (worth around 7.3 US dollars), following the recent release of the 10 and 20 bills.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 14:34 UTC
Key Naseed-Jaber, Quneitra crossings reopened as Syria reaches out to neighbours

The strategic Naseeb crossing between Syria and Jordan on the Damascus-Amman international highway was reopened Monday, just one day after both countries agreed to it. The crossing had been closed since 2015 when the rebels took over that area in Syria's southern province of Daraa. Also Monday the only crossing point near the Syrian border town of Quneitra between Syria and the Golan Heights, under Israeli occupation since 1967, was reopened for United Nations observers, four years after closing due to the civil war, following a deal between Israel, Syria and the UN.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 08:29 UTC
East Falkland, among most plastic contaminated shores in South Atlantic Islands

The amount of plastic washing up onto the shores of remote South Atlantic islands is ten times greater than it was a decade ago, according to new research published in the journal Current Biology. Scientists investigating plastics in seas surrounding the remote British Overseas Territories, including East Falkland, discovered they are invading these unique biologically-rich regions. This includes areas that are established or proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 08:24 UTC
Preparing Antarctica's Rothera to accommodate the RSS Sir David Attenborough

An international team of builders is preparing to ship an entire kit of parts from the UK to create a new wharf in the Antarctic. The work is part of the £100m upgrade of the Rothera research station to accommodate its new vessel, the RSS Sir David Attenborough. Almost 4,000 tons of equipment and materials will be shipped 11,000km next month.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 08:15 UTC
FAO food price index down in September because of growing inventories

Global agricultural food commodity prices fell in September due to growing inventories of key staples. The FAO Food Price Index declined 1.4% from August and is now 7.4% below its level during September 2017.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 08:04 UTC
UK economic low growth anticipated for next three years, with or without a Brexit no deal

United Kingdom can expect low economic growth for the next three years, while a no-deal Brexit could dent growth even further, says a forecasting body. The EY Item Club predicted GDP growth of 1.3% this year and 1.5% in 2019, down from 1.4% and 1.6% respectively in its previous outlook three months ago.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 08:00 UTC
The £50 note will survive in a plastic redesign, announced the Bank of England

The £50 note will not be scrapped and will instead get a plastic redesign, the Bank of England has said. Fears that the largest denomination was widely used by criminals and rarely for ordinary purchases had prompted a proposal to abolish it. But ministers said the new version, to be printed in the UK, would be more durable, secure and harder to forge.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 07:38 UTC
Countdown for Mrs. May: EU Brexit talks on Sunday faltered on Irish “backstop”

The UK can still make progress in Brexit talks despite serious unresolved issues, Downing Street has said. Talks between Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and EU negotiator Michel Barnier faltered on Sunday over the so-called Irish “backstop”, which could see the UK remaining in the customs union. However Number 10 said the government was still “committed to making progress”.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 07:17 UTC
Bavaria's CSU loses its majority in regional election; blow for Merkel's coalition

Angela Merkel's sister party has suffered massive losses in Bavaria's state elections, exit polls suggest, in a blow to the German chancellor. The CSU is set to lose its absolute majority in the state parliament, while the Greens surged into second place and the anti-immigration AfD entered the state parliament for the first time.
Monday, October 15th 2018 - 04:42 UTC
Two Chilean bishops no longer priests due to their involvement in cases of sexual abuse

Pope Francis Saturday stripped two Chilean bishops of their priesthood after having been found to be involved in the country's widening sexual abuse crisis, the Vatican said on Saturday. A Vatican statement in Spanish said the pope's decision was definitive and not open to appeal.