Stories for May 30th 2019

Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 10:51 UTC
MacKenzie Bezos pledges to donate half her fortune to charity

MacKenzie Bezos, who finalized her divorce to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos in April, has pledged to give at least half her fortune to charity. She became one of the richest people in the world following her split from Mr Bezos, and has an estimated personal fortune of US$36.6 billion, according to CNN.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:59 UTC
Bill to weaken environmental protection of the Amazon forest fails in Brazilian congress

An attempt by Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and lawmakers backed by big agriculture to weaken environmental laws protecting the Amazon forest and other biomes has failed, as Congress will not vote into law a decree that weakened existing legislation.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:58 UTC
Unions and opposition promote 24-hour strike paralyzing Argentina

Opponents of Argentina's President Mauricio Macri launched a 24-hour strike on Wednesday to protest the government's inability to reduce inflation that has reached 55% over the past year. The strike paralyzed public transport while all flights to and from the country's airports were canceled. Banks, schools and universities remained closed.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:57 UTC
It's official: Labour demands a general election or a referendum on any Brexit deal

The leader of Britain's main opposition Labour party Jeremy Corbyn - criticized for failing to take a clear position on Brexit - on Wednesday said the only way out of the political crisis was to hold a general election or a second “public vote on any deal agreed by parliament”.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:56 UTC
Oslo talks to continue, says Guaidó, but insists Maduro's removal and free and fair elections

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido said that talks hosted by Norway between his delegation and that of President Nicolas Maduro would continue despite Wednesday's discussions ending “without agreement.”
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:51 UTC
Boris Johnson to court accused of lying during the Brexit referendum campaign

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister, must attend court over allegations that he knowingly lied during the Brexit referendum campaign, a judge announced on Wednesday.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:45 UTC
Explosive alarm forces evacuation of Punta Arenas air terminal for a couple of hours

The international airport of Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile had to be evacuated on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat. Apparently the emergency was called after a passenger started yelling he was carrying an explosive device hidden in his clothes, immediately forcing airport authorities to empty the terminal.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:44 UTC
Bull shark attacks in French Pacific Overseas Territory

A fisherman has been killed by a bull shark in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, police said, days after a boy had his leg bitten off in another shark attack.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:33 UTC
Boeing CEO pledges tailored compensation to airlines for the 737MAX grounding

Boeing will tailor its compensation to airlines for the 737 MAX grounding around customer preference, and they could be paid back in services instead of cash, Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said on Wednesday.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Brexit disruption slashed UK April car production by 45%

Factory shutdowns designed to cope with disruption from a 29 March Brexit, slashed UK car production in April by almost a half. Even though Brexit is delayed the factories still closed and production fell 44.5% according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).