Stories for April 2019

Saturday, April 13th 2019 - 07:53 UTC
Hammond admits the idea of a second Brexit referendum is very likely

The idea of a second Brexit referendum is very likely to be put before Britain's parliament again although the government remains opposed to any new plebiscite, the British finance minister said on Friday.
Saturday, April 13th 2019 - 07:44 UTC
Bolsonaro prepares to open Amazon reserve to mining: pledges no bureaucratic impediments

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday the country could open a vast reserve in the Amazon rainforest to mining, a move attempted by his predecessor that was quickly rescinded following an international environmental outcry.
Saturday, April 13th 2019 - 07:40 UTC
US hands Argentina thousands of declassified documents from the military dictatorship

The United States handed thousands of documents on Friday to Argentina on disappearances by the military dictatorship (1976/1983), completing Washington's biggest-ever transfer of documents to another government.
Saturday, April 13th 2019 - 07:25 UTC
World Bank grant for Colombia to help deal with Venezuelan refugees

Colombia will receive a US$ 31.5 million grant to help deal with the flood of refugees from neighbouring Venezuela, the World Bank announced on Friday Colombia has received about a third of 3.7 million refugees who have fled the worsening crisis in Venezuela in recent years - the most dramatic and fastest exodus in the world after war-torn Syria, according to the United Nations.
Saturday, April 13th 2019 - 07:17 UTC
Facebook spent US$ 22.6m in CEO Zuckerberg's security in 2018

Facebook Inc more than doubled the money it spent on Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's security in 2018 to US$22.6 million, a regulatory filing showed on Friday. Zuckerberg has drawn a base salary of US$1 for the past three years, and his “other” compensation was listed at US$22.6 million, most of which was for his personal security.
Saturday, April 13th 2019 - 07:09 UTC
France calls for more Euro solidarity, otherwise the EU project is “unsustainable”

Widening differences over economic policy among Euro area countries are “unsustainable” and could undermine the currency union itself, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday.“There isn't enough solidarity in the Euro-zone,” Le Maire told reporters on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring meetings.
Friday, April 12th 2019 - 21:33 UTC
Instead of agrochemicals, Uruguay uses wasps to develop non-genetically modified soy

In Uruguay, non-genetically modified soy (GMO) soy is being developed in order to compete in a market saturated by the volume of crops in the region. Nevertheless, the country’s government hopes Uruguayan soy will stand out for its quality rather than for the volume of harvests motivating soy producers to use “biological controls” to combat pests.
Friday, April 12th 2019 - 21:17 UTC
Tourists are cashing in on Argentina’s economic woes

International travelers are flocking to Argentina, taking advantage of the poorly performing peso to boost the value of their holiday spending money, according to latest data.
Friday, April 12th 2019 - 18:06 UTC
Swiss government wants to get rid of its coffee emergency stockpile

The Swiss government wants to put an end to its emergency stockpile of coffee after declaring that it is “not essential” for human survival. Switzerland began storing emergency reserves of coffee between World War One and World War Two in preparation for potential shortages.
Friday, April 12th 2019 - 18:03 UTC
Doctor finds four live small sweat bees living in a woman's eye lid

A Taiwanese doctor removed four small sweat bees living inside a woman’s eye lid, and they were all still alive. The woman, who was reportedly identified as Ms. He, was apparently doing some work outside when the minuscule insects flew into her eyes. The bugs caused agony in He’s eye for hours until she finally received medical attention at a hospital in southern Taiwan.