International

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 12:33 UTC

  Google employees protest plans for a “censored search engine” in China

  

  Hundreds of Google employees have written to the company to protest against plans to launch a “censored search engine” in China. They said the project raised “urgent moral and ethical questions” and urged the firm to be more transparent.

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 10:26 UTC

  US/China announcement of trade talks come as a relief to world markets

  

  The dollar stepped back from 13-1/2-month highs against other major currencies on Friday as talks next week between China and the United States offered some hope that the world’s two largest economies will find a way to head off a full-blown trade war.

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 09:44 UTC

  Pope Francis sides with victims of 300 “predators” and wants “to root out this tragic horror”

  

  Pope Francis is on the side of victims of more than 300 “predator” priests in the US accused of abusing children in one state, the Vatican says. In a statement, it said the Church wanted to listen to the victims to “root out this tragic horror”.

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 08:58 UTC

  Argentina struggling to tame markets and inflation; talks for a currency swap with China

  

  Argentina’s central bank said on Thursday it hiked reserve requirements by 3 percentage points for the country’s largest banks, as it tries to keep its plan for reducing short-term debt from adding to already high inflation.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 21:52 UTC

  Pennsylvania releases list of 300 plus clergymen accused of sex abuse: thousands of victims in 70 years

  

  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has released a grand jury report detailing sex abuse in the Catholic Church, naming over 300 accused clergymen. The landmark grand jury investigation found more than 1,000 children had been abused by members of six dioceses in the state for the last 70 years.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 15:58 UTC

  US/Mexico joint team in Chicago to target leaders and finances of drug dealers

  

  United States and Mexican law enforcement authorities will set up a joint team based in Chicago targeting the leaders and finances of drug cartels that ship opioids into the United States, aiming to stanch a spike in overdose deaths, officials said on Wednesday.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 14:48 UTC

  US condemns Turkey's doubling of tariffs on US imports: “a step in the wrong direction”

  

  The White House on Wednesday condemned Turkey’s doubling of tariffs on U.S. cars, alcohol and tobacco imports, calling the action “a step in the wrong direction.” Turkey took the action in response to what it called the Trump's administration's attack on its economy. The United States doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum last week, which contributed to a tumble in the Turkish lira.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 14:38 UTC

  Corona beer owner investing US$ 4 billion in the cannabis industry

  

  Corona beer owner Constellation Brands is set to pour some US$ 4 billion into Canada's top cannabis producer, Canopy Growth, in a deal marking the largest investment in the industry to-date. Last year, Constellation injected US$ 200m into Canopy in a deal to produce a non-alcoholic cannabis-based beverage. The alcohol firm wants to capitalize on the growing legalization of the drug.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 14:23 UTC

  New Zealand limits investing in housing for non residents to ease strong market for locals

  

  New Zealand's parliament has banned many foreigners from buying existing homes in the country - a move aimed at making properties more affordable. The ban only applies to non-residents. Australians and Singaporeans are exempt because of free-trade deals.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 10:40 UTC

  UK inflation in July climbed to 2.5%: a blip or a trend?

  

  UK inflation climbed in July as had been expected, according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics, ONS, released on Wednesday. ONS reported that the rate of consumer price inflation, the most-watched measure, increased from 2.4% in June to 2.5% in July, reversing a trend of gradually declining inflation over the course of 2018.