Stories for January 28th 2020

Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:35 UTC
Maduro prepared to hand over the oil industry to foreign private companies

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is considering selling shares of the country's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, in an attempt to recover the country's petroleum industry and its dwindling production.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:28 UTC
Brazil floods: 54 dead, 18 missing and over 30.000 people displaced

Over 30,000 people have been displaced by heavy rains in southeast Brazil that also killed 54 people and left 18 missing. The storms in recent days caused floods and landslides, submerging entire neighbourhoods and sending homes tumbling down hillsides in the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:20 UTC
Prince Andrew wanted for questioning by US prosecutor and the FBI

The scandal surrounding Prince Andrew's friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has deepened after a leading US prosecutor said requests to interview the senior royal - including from the FBI - had been ignored.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:16 UTC
Argentina's economy minister scheduled to meet IMF officials

Argentine Economy Minister Martin Guzman will meet with International Monetary Fund officials in New York on Tuesday, an IMF spokesman said on Monday, as the government continues talks with its biggest creditor ahead of a massive debt restructuring.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:15 UTC
Reformist Brazil: government procurement contracts will be open to foreign companies

Brazil’s government is changing the rules to give foreign companies an equal shot at winning government contracts, the Economy Ministry said on Monday. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes has pledged to fight corruption and open up one of the world’s most protected countries to foreign business and the overseas investment necessary to modernize Brazil’s crumbling infrastructure.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:09 UTC
Brazil willing to discuss with OPEC, but not prepared to join the cartel

Brazil has decided to stay out of OPEC for the time being as it seeks to expand its oil production, according to media reports quoting energy minister Bento Albuquerque. “The idea is just to increase our production and to participate more in the international oil and gas market,” Albuquerque said in an interview.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 08:00 UTC
Peruvian elections return an atomized Congress to the advantage of president Vizcarra

The opposition’s crushing defeat in Peru’s legislative elections has left a fragmented Congress without a dominant party, which should help President Martin Vizcarra pass his reforms with the support of centrist parties.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 07:50 UTC
WHO admits several mistakes in assessing the severity of the coronavirus

The World Health Organization said on Monday that it remained unclear if the deadly virus is contagious during its incubation period before symptoms appear. It did not immediately confirm assertions made by Chinese authorities that people who are infected can spread the disease before they show any symptoms of fever or respiratory difficulties.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 07:43 UTC
Boeing's purchase of Embraer clears Brazilian antitrust regulator hurdle

Technical staff at Brazilian antitrust regulator Cade on Monday approved Boeing Co's purchase of Embraer SA's commercial aviation division without restrictions, according to a statement on the agency's website.
Tuesday, January 28th 2020 - 07:24 UTC
China reports 106 dead from the rapid spreading coronavirus and 4.500 confirmed cases

China said on Tuesday that 106 people had died from a new coronavirus that is spreading across the country, up from the previous toll of 81. The number of total confirmed cases in China rose to 4,515 as of Jan 27, the National Health Commission said in a statement, up from 2,835 reported a day earlier.