Stories for October 2020

Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 09:18 UTC
Spain becomes first Western Europe to exceed a million coronavirus infections

Spain became the first Western European country to exceed 1 million coronavirus infections on Wednesday (Oct 21), doubling its tally in just six weeks despite a series of increasingly stringent measures to control the second wave.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 09:09 UTC
Obama on the campaign trail in support of Biden who is preparing for the debate with Trump

Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday, launching a blistering attack on Donald Trump with less than two weeks to go before the Republican president’s Election Day face-off with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 09:04 UTC
US Export-Import bank signs deal to finance US$ 1 billion in trade with Brazil

Brazil and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to forge closer trade links, a step that could see U.S. Export-Import Bank finance up to US$1 billion of exports to and projects in the Latin American nation.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 09:01 UTC
Pope Francis agrees same-sex couples should be protected by civil union laws

Pope Francis has said that same-sex couples should be protected by civil union laws in some of the clearest languages he has used on the rights of gay people since his election seven years ago. He made his comments in a new documentary “Francesco” by Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky that was released on Wednesday.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 09:00 UTC
Chilean voting centers on Sunday will de disinfected with copper nanoparticles

Chile, the world’s largest producer of copper, will use nanoparticles of the metal to disinfect voting centers ahead of this weekend’s referendum on changing the constitution, the government said Wednesday.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 08:50 UTC
Britain's new polar ship Sir David Attenborough begins sea trials

Britain's new polar ship, RRS Sir David Attenborough, has left her Merseyside construction yard. Sirens and accompanying tugboats marked the Attenborough's departure from builder Cammell Laird's wet dock at Birkenhead. Four years in the making, the £200m vessel is about to venture out on a series of sea trials.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 08:49 UTC
UK/EU will resume post Brexit talks on Thursday: billions of dollars in trade at stake

Britain will resume talks with the European Union on Thursday, marking a new push by the two sides to protect billions of dollars worth of trade from the beginning of next year.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 08:28 UTC
Britain's record borrowing because of Covid-19; total public debt 103,5% of GDP

Britain’s government borrowing in the first half of the financial year was more than six times higher than before the COVID pandemic, official figures showed on Wednesday, taking public debt to its highest since 1960.
Thursday, October 22nd 2020 - 08:10 UTC
Vaccine safety questioned in South Korea: 13 people die from flu shots

At least 13 South Koreans have died after receiving flu shots in recent days, according to official and local media reports, ramping up fears about vaccine safety even as authorities rule out a link.
Wednesday, October 21st 2020 - 09:45 UTC
Bolivian president-elect: “no role” for the winning party leader Evo Morales currently exiled in Argentina

Bolivia's president-elect Luis Arce said on Tuesday that there was “no role” in his government for socialist party leader Evo Morales, who governed for almost 14 years before resigning under pressure last year and fleeing the country.