Stories for February 12th 2020

Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 11:24 UTC
Heathrow may fall behind Paris as Europe’s number 1 airport hub

Despite record-breaking start to the year at Heathrow, latest figures show that EU competitor, Charles de Gaulle, is growing at twice the rate and is set to overtake as Europe’s leading hub airport within the next 2 years.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:52 UTC
Argentine flatworm and predator Obama nungara, has become a plague of French gardens

One of the consequences of globalization is the inadvertent human-mediated spread of invasive species. The presence of a new invader, named Obama nungara, is reported in France by an international team led by Jean-Lou Justine of ISYEB (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France). This is the first study of this invasion, reported in an article published in the open-access journal PeerJ.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:45 UTC
Brazilian minister Guedes apologizes for calling state employees as “parasites”

Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes apologized on Monday for using the term “parasite” to describe state employees, risking a backlash as the government tries to push forward a bill that would reduce public sector costs and benefits.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:38 UTC
New chapter of the legal saga: Google will appeal a 2.4bn Euro penalty from the EU's antitrust regulator

Google and the EU have a big day in court on Wednesday as the search engine giant enters a new phase of a legal saga that began a decade ago. The Silicon Valley juggernaut is appealing a 2.4 billion Euro (US$2.6 billion) fine from 2017 that was the first in a series of major penalties from the European Commission, the EU's powerful anti-trust regulator.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:32 UTC
Brazilian governor believes less protection of sugar will mean lower prices for consumers

The governor of Sao Paulo said on Monday at an industry conference that less protection of sugar would guarantee better access and lower prices for consumers. “Sugar is the most protected product in the market, the reduction of tax and non-tax barriers would guarantee better access,” Joao Doria said in his opening remarks at a three-day industry meet in Dubai.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:30 UTC
Guaido returns to Venezuela greeted by supporters but also attacked by Maduro government thugs

Opposition leader Juan Guaido returned to Venezuela on Tuesday following a 23-day international tour in which he defied a ban on leaving the country imposed by President Nicolas Maduro's government. Guaido announced his return on Twitter before being greeted by a throng of cheering supporters at the Caracas international airport, where he arrived on a flight from Portugal.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:29 UTC
Argentina delays bond maturity date from 13 Feb to 30 Sept: “the country will not be held hostage by foreign investors”

Argentina said it won’t make a local bond payment on time after failing to refinance the debt, declaring it won’t be “held hostage” by foreign investors demanding their money back. The maturity date for the note will be delayed to Sept. 30 from the original Feb. 13, the Economy Ministry said in a statement.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:28 UTC
Challenging week for the Fernandez administration as the IMF mission arrives in Buenos Aires

A challenging week for the administration of Argentine president Alberto Fernandez and his foreign debt strategy. IMF negotiators land in Buenos Aires this Wednesday for their first mission since Fernandez took office in December. Before agreeing to any changes in the terms, negotiators will want to see Fernandez’s blueprint for tackling more than US$ 320 billion in total debt and for rescuing an economy that’s forecast to shrink for a third straight year.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:25 UTC
The Danish central bank experience with record negative interest rate could be coming to an end

Denmark and Switzerland have long shared the world record in negative interest rates, at minus 0.75%. But that may be about to change. Economists at some of the biggest Nordic banks say Denmark, which pegs the krone to the euro, is likely to raise its key rate in the coming months.
Wednesday, February 12th 2020 - 09:20 UTC
Coronavirus, COVID-19, “Public Enemy Number 1” and more powerful than a terrorist attack, WHO chief

China's coronavirus outbreak poses a “very grave threat for the rest of the world” and should be viewed as “Public Enemy Number 1”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.