Stories for April 2019

Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 07:29 UTC
Venezuela pledges to fulfill its commitments to Cuba despite US sanctions

Venezuela will “fulfill its commitments” to Cuba despite United States sanctions targeting oil shipments from Maracaibo to its ideological ally, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 07:18 UTC
Trump in unexpected move names a new head of the Secret Service

The head of the US Secret Service, which guards President Donald Trump and visiting heads of state, is stepping down, the White House said on Monday in the administration's latest sign of turbulence.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 07:10 UTC
Record money transfers to developing countries in 2018, but transfer costs too high claims World Bank

Money transfers to poor and developing countries hit a fresh record in 2018 and should become their largest source of external financing this year, the World Bank said on Monday. But many banks and money transfer operators charged too much, cutting into the gains of migration, the bank said in a statement.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 06:54 UTC
Standard Chartered could pay some US$ 1 billion to resolve an investigation into Iran US sanctions violations

London based Standard Chartered is expected to pay slightly more than US$1 billion to resolve a nearly five-year-old investigation of potential U.S. sanctions violations tied to its banking for Iran-controlled entities in Dubai, as well as a related U.K. probe, according to a report from Reuters.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 06:30 UTC
France approves tax on digital giants: defends fiscal sovereignty and honored to break ground

French lawmakers on Monday approved a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 06:02 UTC
Baroness Fairhead visits Argentina and Brazil to bolster trade and investment relations

Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion Baroness Fairhead, is travelling to Brazil after visiting Argentina this week to meet with key Brazilian and Argentine businesses and government ministers to discuss the UK’s commitment to trade and investment in both countries and the wider Latin American and Caribbean (LATAC) region.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 05:48 UTC
Mysterious and dangerous fungal infection, Candida Auris has emerged in hospitals and nursing homes

A mysterious and dangerous fungal infection called Candida auris has emerged around the world. It is resistant to many anti-fungal medications, placing it among a growing number of germs that have evolved defenses against common medicines.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 05:36 UTC
Russia agrees to free orca and belugas held in “whale jails”

Russian officials said on Monday they will work towards freeing all orca and beluga whales from a notorious facility in the east of the country, after a visit by US-based marine mammal advocates.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 05:27 UTC
In a trigger-happy incident Brazilian military fire 80 bullets on family car killing one occupant

Brazilian soldiers opened fire on a family driving to a baby shower in Rio de Janeiro, riddling their vehicle with more than 80 bullets and killing one of the occupants, reports said on Monday. Ten army personnel have been arrested over Sunday's incident, which also wounded two others, on suspicion of “failure to comply with rules of engagement”, the military said in a statement.
Tuesday, April 9th 2019 - 05:06 UTC
Trump designates Iran's Guards a terrorist organization; Teheran does the same with US troops in Middle East

United States President Donald Trump has designated Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. It is the first time the US has labelled another nation's military as a terrorist organization. Iran retaliated by declaring US forces in the Middle East as a terrorist organization, Iran state news reported.