Stories for 2019

Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 08:53 UTC
Fitch downgrades Argentina's long term debt, fearing the risk of default

Argentina's Peso ended a tumultuous week on Friday having shed 20% in its value against the dollar as Fitch cut the South American country's long-term debt by two notches, citing increased uncertainty and a rising risk of default.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 07:40 UTC
Trump's attempt to purchase Greenland, puts the Arctic in the geostrategic global map

President Donald Trump's reported wish to buy Greenland may have been rejected by Denmark, but it underscores the rapidly rising value of the massive, ice-covered island due to global warming and to China's drive for an Arctic presence.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 07:29 UTC
WTO agrees to a Beijing request for a dispute channel on solar channels and US tariffs

The World Trade Organization agreed on Thursday to China's request to create a dispute panel tasked with judging whether US tariffs on solar panels violate international trade rules. The trade restrictions were imposed by Donald Trump's administration last year, part of a raft of measures initiated by Washington that have triggered a tit-for-tat tariff war between the world's top two economies.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 07:00 UTC
Trump reveals “productive” trade talks with Beijing and anticipates a “fairly short war”

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that U.S. and Chinese negotiators were holding “productive” trade talks and expected them to meet in September despite U.S. tariffs on over US$125 billion worth of Chinese imports taking effect Sept 1.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 06:47 UTC
Bolsonaro administration has privatized some US$ 20bn of assets

Brazil has privatized nearly US$ 20bn of assets and investments since the election of right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, according to a government minister. Secretary of state for privatization, divestment and markets Salim Mattar announced that the government’s sweeping program of privatization was going as planned.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 02:41 UTC
Global meeting to regulate trade in 18 types of shark and ray; 30 countries back proposals

Dozens of countries will push at a global meeting for regulations on trade in 18 types of shark and ray, with conservationists warning of looming extinction for many species. “Sharks and rays are pretty much unmanaged still in fisheries around the world and are disappearing before our eyes,” Luke Warwick of the Wildlife Conservation Society told reporters in Geneva.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 01:57 UTC
Testimony of torture centre survivor in Brazil could help crush 1979 amnesty law shielding military officials

Details provided by the sole survivor of a torture centre in Brazil could lead to the imprisonment of a man accused of raping her during her captivity. The accused has so far been shielded by a 1979 amnesty law which prevents military officials from being prosecuted for crimes committed under military rule.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 01:46 UTC
July 2019, the hottest on record, and Arctic ice shrank to its lowest, NOAA reports

July 2019 temperatures were the hottest ever recorded globally; the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday, while satellite data showed polar ice shrank to its lowest levels.
Friday, August 16th 2019 - 12:55 UTC
Brazil's central bank will sell dollars in the spot currency market; first time in a decade

Brazil’s central bank announced it would sell dollars outright in the spot currency market this month for the first time in over a decade, changing its regular market operations in response to rising demand for liquidity.
Friday, August 16th 2019 - 08:04 UTC
Gibraltar releases Iranian super tanker hours before a US Justice detention request

The Gibraltar Government on Thursday released the Iranian supertanker Grace 1, which was seized on July 4 on suspicion it was shipping 2.1m barrels of crude oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.