Stories for April 2020

Friday, April 24th 2020 - 08:30 UTC
2019 was the hottest year in history across Europe; records shattered by heat waves

Last year was the hottest in history across Europe as temperature records were shattered by several extreme heatwaves, the European Union's satellite monitoring surface said. In its annual report on the state of the climate, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that 11 of the continent's 12 warmest years on record have been since 2000 as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 08:28 UTC
Swiss pharma giant warns about unreliability of blood tests to check for COVID-19 antibodies

Some blood tests being marketed to tell people if they have had the new coronavirus are a “disaster”, Roche Chief Executive Severin Schwan said as he prepares to launch the drug maker's own antibody test next month.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 08:28 UTC
Brazil's Real remains at record low: overstretched budget and another interest rate cut next week

Brazil's Real eyed a fresh record low on Thursday, while other Latin American currencies were muted as markets mulled over increasingly dire economic readings due to the coronavirus.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 08:25 UTC
With oil royalties plummeting, Rio state challenged by investment funds

Already grappling with one of Brazil’s most severe outbreaks of the novel coronavirus and a budget deep in the red, Rio de Janeiro state faces a potential threat to its solvency at the hands of investment giants PIMCO and Dodge & Cox.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 08:13 UTC
Falklands introduces significant restrictions on constitutional rights and movements for twelve months

The Falkland Islands Executive Council considered this week two reports regarding further legislative proposals responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19. ExCo addressed the provisions put in place in the UK, including the Coronavirus Act 2020, and other laws.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 07:53 UTC
More COVID-19 infections on board Costa Atlantica, docked in Japan for repairs

Fourteen more coronavirus infections have been confirmed on the Italian cruise ship Costa Atlantica docked for repairs in Japan, a local official said on Thursday, bringing the total to at least 48.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 07:28 UTC
Most wanted UK born ISIS terrorist caught basking in Spanish coast; linked to bombing campaign in France and Belgium

The arrest in Spain of an infamous member of Islamic State from London who authorities thought had been killed in Syria has sparked fears among security officials that more foreign fighters survived the fall of ISIS-controlled territory than previously imagined.
Friday, April 24th 2020 - 07:08 UTC
Indonesia opens market for beef imports from Argentina and Brazil

Indonesia has issued permits to import 20,000 tons of beef from Brazil or Argentina, the Trade Ministry’s director-general of domestic trade, Suhanto, told parliament on Thursday
Thursday, April 23rd 2020 - 11:17 UTC
Argentina misses US$ 500 million payment on Wednesday; default by end of May?

Argentina said it didn’t make US$ 500 million in debt payments due Wednesday, starting a 30-day countdown to a possible default unless the government and bondholders can reach a deal on restructuring its massive foreign debt.
Thursday, April 23rd 2020 - 11:05 UTC
Argentina's foreign trade during March dropped 17,6%

Data released on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec) of Argentina showed that its foreign trade with other countries fell 17.6% in March, compared to year-ago. The trade flow reached US$7.49 billion, in the third month of the year.