Stories for March 12th 2019

Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 09:11 UTC
Royal Marine rows across the Atlantic, Portugal to Cayenne, in sixty days

A Royal Marine who lost a leg in an accident has completed the fastest unsupported solo row across the Atlantic, sending a powerful message that no person should be defined by their disability. Lee Spencer, 49, finished the epic voyage in 60 days, breaking the able-bodied crossing record by 36 days. In doing so he became the first physically disabled person to row from continent to continent.
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 09:02 UTC
Brexit impact has moved some £900bn in financial firms' assets out of the UK

A report into the impact of Brexit on banking and finance firms says some £900bn in financial firms' assets have been moved out of the UK. It adds this has cost £3bn-4bn and involves 5,000 expected staff moves or local hires, and that figure will rise.
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 08:58 UTC
Internet inventor says the web is “plunging downwards to a dysfunctional future”

Global action is required to tackle the web's “downward plunge to a dysfunctional future”, its inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has told the BBC. He made the comments in an exclusive interview to mark 30 years since he submitted his proposal for the web. Sir Tim said people had realized how their data could be “manipulated” after the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 08:47 UTC
Falklands Ultra Launches Inaugural Falkland Islands Ultramarathon in April 2020

The Falklands Ultra is a single-stage ultra-marathon across the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It will become an annual event and the inaugural event will be held in April 2020.
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 08:24 UTC
Chinese tourists did 150 million outbound trips in 2018

A total of 149.72 million outbound trips were made by Chinese tourists in 2018, up 14.7% from the previous year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced, Trend reported citing Xinhua.
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 08:14 UTC
FAO, OIE, and WHO launch One Health approach guide to addressing zoonotic diseases 

Zoonotic diseases continue to be a threat to global health, causing millions of deaths and economic losses every year. To support countries to control these diseases, the Tripartite organizations (FAO, OIE and WHO) launched a guide entitled ‘Taking a Multisectoral, One Health Approach: A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries’.
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 08:10 UTC
South African diver experiences “a whale of a time” but survives

A diver who ended up trapped in the mouth of a massive whale joked that he didn't have “a whale of a time” but called the unique encounter “a very special event.”   Rainer Schimpf, 51, was diving off the coast of South Africa with a documentary crew in February when the breaching whale reached the surface, its mouth wide open.
Tuesday, March 12th 2019 - 07:21 UTC
Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Day Message

The Queen has used her Commonwealth Day message to praise how the family of nations inspires its member states to find ways of protecting the planet and its citizens. Millions of people are “drawn together” because of the collective values shared by the institution, the Queen says in her address to the 53 countries of the Commonwealth.