Stories for March 2019

Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 10:02 UTC
EU fines Google €1.49 billion for blocking rival online search advertisers

Google was fined €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) on Wednesday for blocking rival online search advertisers, in the third large European Union antitrust penalty for the Alphabet business in two only years.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:55 UTC
Mexico and Brazil agree on a free trade for light vehicles

Mexico’s government said it had reached an agreement with Brazil on the free trade of light vehicles, subject to a 40% regional content requirement, paving the way for more open commerce between Latin America’s two biggest economies.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:52 UTC
GM announces US$ 2.5bn investment in Brazilian car industry

General Motors Co said it would invest US$ 2.7 billion in two Brazilian factories over the next five years, sparing them from a shakeup of the automaker’s operations, a decision hailed by the governor of Brazil’s largest state.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:45 UTC
Citigroup plans to sell US$ 1.6bn of Venezuelan gold held on collateral

Citigroup Inc plans to sell several tons of gold placed as collateral by Venezuela’s central bank on a US$ 1.6 billion loan after the deadline for repurchasing them expired this month, sources said Reuters, a setback for President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to hold onto the country’s fast-shrinking reserves.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:40 UTC
Fed confirms it does not expect to raise interest rates in 2019

The US Federal Reserve does not expect to raise interest rates for the rest of 2019 amid slower economic growth. After a two-day meeting, monetary policymakers voted unanimously to keep the US interest rate range between 2.25%-2.5%.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:36 UTC
Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay re-launch bid for 2030 World Cup

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay re-launched their bid to host the 2030 World Cup following a meeting of their presidents in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. The four national presidents committed to creating a local organizing committee with a representative from each country to coordinate with CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:26 UTC
After 34 years Levi Strauss is back in the stock market with a value of US$ 6.5bn

Levi Strauss will be worth about US$ 6.5bn when the denim-maker rejoins the stock market after 34 years away. Shares in the inventor of the blue jean have been priced at US$ 17 each, just above the target range of US$ 14-16.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:20 UTC
US markets drop following on Trump's remarks about trade talks with China

US stocks have fallen after President Donald Trump said his administration was considering leaving tariffs on China for a “substantial period”. Mr. Trump said that a trade deal with Beijing was “coming along nicely”, but his comments dampened hopes a deal would be reached soon. US negotiators are due to visit China next week to resume talks.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:13 UTC
Ocean sunfish washed up on an Australian beach becomes viral

Pictures of a giant, odd-looking fish have gone viral after it washed up on a beach in South Australia. Identified as an ocean sunfish by experts, the 1.8m-long specimen was first spotted by a group of fishermen driving along the sand.
Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:00 UTC
Digital sex crime epidemic in South Korea; secret filming of some 1.600 hotel rooms

Four men have been arrested in South Korea, accused of secretly filming 1,600 hotel room guests and selling the footage via a website. Mini-cameras were installed in TVs, hair-dryer holders and sockets. The men allegedly earned US$ 6,200.