International

Thursday, July 23rd 2020 - 07:10 UTC
US orders China to shut Houston consulate; Beijing calls it a “political provocation”

The move by the United States government to shut down China's consulate in Houston is an attempt to blame Beijing for American failures ahead of presidential elections in November, Chinese state media said in editorials published on Thursday.
Thursday, July 23rd 2020 - 06:55 UTC
Twitter admits hackers read direct messages of some 36 accounts

Twitter said on Wednesday that the hackers who breached its systems last week likely read the direct messages of 36 accounts, including one belonging to an elected official in the Netherlands.
Wednesday, July 22nd 2020 - 08:15 UTC
Oxford immunologist on coronavirus vaccine: our early results look highly promising

By Rebecca Ashfiled (*) – A vaccine against COVID-19 is urgently needed if we’re to stop the virus spreading and prevent potentially millions of further deaths. We’re now one step closer to that goal.
Wednesday, July 22nd 2020 - 08:08 UTC
Chinese made vaccine against coronavirus begins testing in Brazil, with first doses in volunteers

A Chinese-made vaccine against the new COVID-19 entered the final stage of testing on Tuesday in Brazil, where volunteers received the first doses of what officials hope will be a game-changer in the pandemic.
Wednesday, July 22nd 2020 - 08:06 UTC
Putin approves a US$ 4bn loan to Venezuela

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying the protocol to the intergovernmental agreement on providing a loan to Venezuela by Moscow, which guarantees timely debt repayment to Russia.
Wednesday, July 22nd 2020 - 07:54 UTC
Johnson holds his first face-to-face cabinet meeting since March 17

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was holding his first face-to-face Cabinet meeting of top ministers since Mar 17 on Tuesday, underlining his push to encourage others to go back to work and boost an economy hurt by the coronavirus crisis.
Tuesday, July 21st 2020 - 11:37 UTC
Cruise & Maritime Voyages placed into administration in UK; affiliate in Germany faces similar scenario

Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has been placed into administration in the UK, while TransOcean Tours (owned by CMV) is facing the same scenario in Germany. All departures have been cancelled for CMV and TransOcean.
Tuesday, July 21st 2020 - 09:02 UTC
River cruises on the Danube are making a quiet comeback

River cruises are making a quiet comeback on the Danube after the COVID-19 pandemic brought global tourism to a standstill and forced companies to suspend voyages.
Tuesday, July 21st 2020 - 08:53 UTC
Chevron buys Noble Energy in a US$ 5 billion all stock deal

Chevron said Monday it would buy Noble Energy in a US$ 5 billion all-stock deal, bolstering its shale presence as a plunge in crude prices have made assets cheaper. The deal, the largest in the U.S. energy sector this year, comes more than a year after Chevron abandoned its offer for Anadarko Petroleum, outmaneuvered by Occidental Petroleum higher bid.
Tuesday, July 21st 2020 - 08:44 UTC
Climate change starving polar bears to extinction, according to latest report

Climate change is starving polar bears into extinction, according to research published on Monday that predicts the apex carnivores could all but disappear within the span of a human lifetime.