Stories for February 2019

Tuesday, February 19th 2019 - 08:54 UTC
Honda will shut-down its plant in England by 2022; some 3.500 at stake

Japanese car giant Honda is expected to announce the shutdown of its plant in south west England in 2022, putting 3,500 jobs at risk, media reports said on Monday. The car manufacturer is to announce the closure of its Swindon plant on Tuesday, according to Sky News, but still keep its European headquarters in nearby Bracknell.
Tuesday, February 19th 2019 - 08:39 UTC
Brazil bans upstream mining dams following the Brumadinho disaster that killed 300

Brazil's government on Monday banned new upstream mining dams and ordered the decommissioning of all such dams by 2021, targeting the type of structure that burst last month in the town of Brumadinho, killing hundreds of people.
Tuesday, February 19th 2019 - 08:33 UTC
Citigroup poised to boost revenue as advisor of Brazilian public asset sales

Citigroup Inc expects to boost annual revenue in Brazil over the next years by advising potential public asset sales and through a revival in capital markets, its chief executive officer in Brazil told journalists on Monday. Marcelo Marangon said Citi expects its annual revenue in Brazil to grow to US$1.5 billion from US$1.1 billion over the next years. He did not specify a timeframe for the goal.
Tuesday, February 19th 2019 - 08:25 UTC
Bolsonaro fires head of president's office: “difference of opinion on important issues”

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday fired one of his most senior aides and cabinet members, Gustavo Bebianno, amid a scandal involving campaign financing for some of his party's congressional candidates. Bebianno was secretary general of the president's office.
Monday, February 18th 2019 - 10:08 UTC
Russian bank freezes Venezuela's oil company accounts, fearing US sanctions

Russian lender Gazprombank has frozen the accounts of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and halted transactions with the firm to reduce the risk of the bank falling under US sanctions, according to Reuters.
Monday, February 18th 2019 - 10:05 UTC
PM Theresa May writes to 317 Tory MPs urging to unite behind a Brexit deal

Theresa May has written to all 317 Tory MPs, urging them to unite behind a Brexit deal while warning them “history will judge us all” over the process. Efforts will resume this Monday to persuade the EU to agree changes to the “backstop” plan to prevent the return of customs checks on the Irish border.
Monday, February 18th 2019 - 10:01 UTC
MPs demand tough urgent action against Facebook to combat spread of fake news

Facebook needs for stricter regulation, with tough and urgent action necessary to end the spread of disinformation on its platform, MPs have said. A House of Commons committee has concluded that the firm's founder Mark Zuckerberg failed to show “leadership or personal responsibility” over fake news.
Monday, February 18th 2019 - 09:57 UTC
Bolsonaro learning the hard way: family and politics don't mix

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of his politician sons and his ultraconservative party were embroiled in a crisis on Sunday over a campaign finance scandal threatening the leader's anti-corruption image. The 63-year-old far-right president, who is just six weeks into his mandate, spoke with top officials in his government on Friday and Saturday to try to draw a line under the affair, after key allies turned on him.
Monday, February 18th 2019 - 09:45 UTC
Seventeen Filipino crew members rescued from a jigger on fire in Falklands' waters arrived in Montevideo

Seventeen Filipino crew members have arrived safe and sound to Montevideo, following the 11 February fire and loss of their Taiwanese flagged jigger in Falkland Islands waters last week. “Jun Rong” had a total crew of 69, and 64 were rescued and taken to the capital of Uruguay where they underwent medical attention, and are waiting to fly back to their homes.
Monday, February 18th 2019 - 09:44 UTC
Argentine Security minister making headlines with her tough on crime policy

Argentina's government, with one eye on elections later in the year, is getting tough on crime, and one figure is taking centre stage: the country's security tsar. Patricia Bullrich, 62, the security minister, is pushing a series of new tough-on-crime measures, including dropping the age for juvenile convictions, equipping cops with stun guns and trialling facial recognition at train stations.