Stories for 2019

Thursday, November 21st 2019 - 09:08 UTC
French hotel industry furious at the Olympic Committee partnership with Airbnb

French hotel owners assailed Airbnb on Wednesday over its new partnership with the International Olympic Committee, warning they would stop working on the planning for the Paris 2024 summer Games to protest against what they call an unfair competitor.
Thursday, November 21st 2019 - 09:04 UTC
Biogen, Novartis, Teva involved in major kickback controversy with US Medicare

A Florida-based charity will pay US$4 million to resolve claims that it acted as a conduit for companies including Biogen Inc and Novartis AG to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients using their high-priced multiple sclerosis drugs, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday.
Thursday, November 21st 2019 - 07:28 UTC
Australia's main cities choked by smoke from bushfires, some out of control

The fire danger was elevated across wider swathes of southern Australia on Thursday, with residents warned to avoid at-risk areas as smoke from bushfires choked Sydney and other major cities. Devastating fires along the country's east coast have claimed six lives and destroyed more than 500 homes since mid-October, with climate change and unseasonably hot, dry conditions fuelling the unprecedented blazes.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:59 UTC
Judge ratifies Wednesday's air link between Sao Paulo and Malvinas/Falklands

Argentine federal judge Luis Rodriguez ratified on Tuesday the green light for Latam's flight, beginning this Wednesday, linking Sao Paulo in Brazil and Cordoba with the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, after throwing out a request to suspend the link.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:56 UTC
Fernandez tells IMF, “we want to make a commitment that we can keep”

Argentina’s president-elect, Alberto Fernandez, has a “sustainable” plan to meet creditor obligations as well as maintain growth, he told the International Monetary Fund´s managing director Kristalina Georgieva, his office said.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:55 UTC
Brazil's Real depreciating against the US dollar, but inflation remains below target

Brazil’s Real is sliding toward an all-time low against the U.S. dollar, but the central bank appears in no rush to intervene to slow or even reverse the fall. Despite the Real’s historical weakness, the market is functioning smoothly: depreciation, so far, has been fairly orderly, volatility is low, liquidity has not dried up, and the Real is not the only emerging market currency under pressure.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:45 UTC
Bolivian forces take control of major gas plant; crucial political discussions for a new election date

Bolivian police and military forces used armoured vehicles and helicopters to clear access to a major gas plant in the city of El Alto on Tuesday, a show of strength after blockades at the facility had cut off fuel supply to nearby La Paz.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Brazilian police seek the arrest of Paraguay ex president Cartes on money laundering

Brazilian police are seeking the arrest of Paraguay’s ex-President Horacio Cartes as part of an investigation into money laundering. On Tuesday, Brazilian authorities alleged Cartes provided US$500,000 to a criminal organization at the request of Dario Messer, a Brazilian associate who was then a fugitive facing corruption charges, prosecutors told reporters.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:29 UTC
Trump again threatens China with higher tariffs if no deal is reached

The United States would raise tariffs on Chinese imports if no deal is reached with Beijing to end a trade war, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, threatening an escalation of the spat that has damaged economic growth worldwide.
Wednesday, November 20th 2019 - 09:28 UTC
Begins the recovery of Venice's Saint Mark's Basilica exposed to destructive salt water from the flooding

Venice's historic Saint Mark's Basilica will need millions of Euros of restoration work after it was flooded this week for just the sixth time in 1,200 years, leaving its delicate marble mosaics exposed to destructive salt water, its curator said.