International

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 05:24 UTC

  China calls for de-escalation in Myanmar and “it's time for dialogue”

  

  China called on Wednesday in the UN Security Council for a “de-escalation” in the crisis in Myanmar, where the junta has pursued a violent crackdown against peaceful anti-coup demonstrators.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 09:55 UTC

  Austrian coalition will block EU/Mercosur trade accord if it goes against the European Green Deal

  

  Austria’s coalition government has confirmed it will block the landmark EU-Mercosur trade agreement – which should create the biggest free-trade area in the world – saying it goes against the EU’s environmental ambitions set out in the European Green Deal.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 09:30 UTC

  UK/EU controversy over “vaccine nationalism” and exports bans

  

  European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday rejected charges of “vaccine nationalism” leveled against the EU, saying that while Britain and the United States have outright bans on exports of COVID-19 shots, the EU had not stopped exporting.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 09:20 UTC

  European Parliament votes to lift immunity to Catalan leaders, wanted by Spanish justice

  

  The European Parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of lifting immunity from the former leader of Spain's Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont. Lawmakers also waived immunity for Toni Comin, the former Catalan health minister, and former regional education minister Clara Ponsati.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:49 UTC

  Chinese foreign trade booming in the first two months of 2021

  

  China's total goods imports and exports expanded 32.2% year on year to 5.44 trillion Yuan (some US$ 838.16 billion) in the first two months of 2021, sustaining growth momentum in previous months, official data showed. Exports jumped 50.1% while imports rose 14.5% in Yuan terms, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:46 UTC

  Global economy forecasted to grow 5,6% this year if vaccination rollout is effective

  

  Global gross domestic product (GDP) will grow at 5.6% this year if vaccination rollout is fast and effective enough across the world, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Tuesday in its Interim Economic Outlook.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:34 UTC

  Inflation in China falls 0,2% in February; pork prices drop 14,9% year on year

  

  China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, fell 0.2% in February from a year earlier, paving the way for China's steady economic recovery in the post-COVID era as the price trend kept stable, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:34 UTC

  Countries and airlines discuss “health passports” hoping to re launch travel

  

  From digital certificates to “health passports”, countries and airlines across the globe are hoping to re-launch travel by letting people prove their Covid-free status. But with patchy vaccine access around the world and mounting concerns over data privacy, questions are swirling about how the measures will work in practice.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:05 UTC

  Finland turned down Chinese Polar Institute offer to lease an Arctic airport

  

  The city of Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland turned down an offer made in January 2018 by China’s state-funded Polar Research Institute to buy or lease the city’s airport, after it informed the Finnish Armed Forces. But the matter is only now being made public.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 07:30 UTC

  “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members”

  

  Queen Elizabeth II said on Tuesday that the British royals were saddened by the challenging experiences of her grandson Harry and his wife Meghan Markle and promised to privately address revelations about a racist remark about their son.