International

• Saturday, August 15th 2020 - 09:31 UTC

  European Union agrees to buy 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine

  

  The European Union has agreed to buy at least 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine in its first such advance purchase deal, which could weaken plans led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a global approach.

• Saturday, August 15th 2020 - 09:29 UTC

  Taiwan to purchase 66 new generation F-16 fighters; Beijing furious

  

  Taiwan finalized the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin on Friday, in a US$62 billion, a 10-year deal sure to anger Beijing. Underscoring the sensitivity of the transaction, the Pentagon announced the contract without specifying the buyer, but a source confirmed it was Taiwan.

• Saturday, August 15th 2020 - 09:22 UTC

  Argentine soy oil contracts under pressure from “wash out” by Chinese importers

  

  Chinese importers have started to practice “wash out” with Argentine soy oil contracts, which is having an impact on the local industry.

• Saturday, August 15th 2020 - 09:21 UTC

  US extends ban on border crossing with Canada and Mexico until September 21

  

  The US Department of Homeland Security said on Friday that a COVID-19 ban on non-essential travel through border crossings with Canada and Mexico was being extended until Sep 21.

• Friday, August 14th 2020 - 10:32 UTC

  Conservative party will hold its spring conference in Newport, Wales

  

  The Conservative Party will hold its UK spring conference in Newport, during the run-up to May's Senedd election. The party said up to 8,000 people will attend the event, at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales, and inject £20m into the local economy.

• Friday, August 14th 2020 - 09:34 UTC

  WHO and USDA downplay risks of contracting coronavirus from food and food packaging

  

  Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in cargoes of imported frozen food, local authorities said on Thursday, although the World Health Organization downplayed the risk of the virus entering the food chain.

• Friday, August 14th 2020 - 09:16 UTC

  Virus resurfaces in NZ: Auckland lockdown extended for at least 12 days

  

  New Zealand on Friday extended a lockdown of its largest city Auckland by at least 12 days, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced, as authorities struggled with a growing new COVID-19 outbreak.

• Friday, August 14th 2020 - 08:58 UTC

  Trump brokers a deal between Israel and United Arab Emirates: full diplomatic relations in exchange for an end to West Bank annexations

  

  President Donald Trump on Thursday managed to pull off a rare victory for US diplomacy in the Middle East ahead of his Nov 3 re-election bid by helping to broker a deal between American allies Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

• Friday, August 14th 2020 - 08:56 UTC

  UK imposes 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France, Netherlands, Spain, Malta and Belgium

  

  The United Kingdom will impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France on Saturday because COVID-19 infection rates there are too high, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Thursday.

• Friday, August 14th 2020 - 08:50 UTC

  China suspends poultry imports from a plant in Brazil following chickens' wings test positive for Covid-19

  

  A sample of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen from Brazil has tested positive for coronavirus, the city government said on Thursday, raising fears that contaminated food shipments could cause new outbreaks.