International

• Wednesday, August 19th 2020 - 09:19 UTC

  Some 21 million tons of micro plastic floating in the Atlantic ocean

  

  There are 12-21 million tons of tiny plastic fragments floating in the Atlantic Ocean, scientists have found. A study, led by the UK's National Oceanography Centre, scooped through layers of the upper 200m of the ocean during a research expedition through the middle of the Atlantic.

• Wednesday, August 19th 2020 - 09:15 UTC

  “We need to prevent vaccine nationalism”, WHO chief Tedros

  

  Nations that hoard possible COVID-19 vaccines while excluding others will deepen the pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, issuing a last-ditch call for countries to join a global vaccine pact.

• Wednesday, August 19th 2020 - 08:58 UTC

  Airlines prepared to accept passengers with a negative Covid-19 test within 48 hours before travel

  

  Airlines and airports have asked a United Nations-led task force meeting on Monday to recommend that countries accept a negative Covid-19 test within 48 hours of travel as an alternative to quarantines that have decimated demand for travel, according to a document seen by news agency Reuters.

• Wednesday, August 19th 2020 - 08:46 UTC

  Citigroup with a record clerical error of US$ 900 million; a beneficiary refuses to hand back US$ 175 million

  

  Citigroup asked a US judge on Tuesday to freeze funds it mistakenly sent Revlon Inc creditors amid a lawsuit over one of the largest clerical errors by a bank in years. Last week, Citi repaid a nearly US$900 million loan made to Revlon, a day after lenders sued the cosmetic company over its restructuring tactics, but the repayment was made in error.

• Wednesday, August 19th 2020 - 07:09 UTC

  Diabetes Type 1 among children in UK almost doubled during Covid-19 peak, Imperial College

  

  Cases of type 1 diabetes among children in a small UK study almost doubled during the peak of Britain's COVID-19 epidemic, suggesting a possible link between the two diseases that need more investigation, scientists said on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, August 19th 2020 - 06:02 UTC

  Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hits back at Trump statements

  

  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday hit back against United States President Donald Trump for saying her country is experiencing a “big surge” in Covid-19, calling the remarks “patently wrong”.

• Tuesday, August 18th 2020 - 08:54 UTC

  Brazil and China drafting a protocol for chicken slaughterhouses to avoid Covid-19

  

  Following China's claims to have found traces of the new coronavirus in chicken wings from Brazil, the two countries are in negotiations to establish a protocol to prevent contamination of Covid-19 in slaughterhouses that export to the Asian largest economy.

• Tuesday, August 18th 2020 - 08:45 UTC

  Brazilian congressional leader confident the tax reform will be approved this year

  

  Brazil's lower house speaker Rodrigo Maia said on Monday he is convinced Congress will approve tax reform and that it should be done this year to avoid the debate from being influenced by the 2022 presidential election.

• Tuesday, August 18th 2020 - 08:20 UTC

  Diageo adds Aviation American Gin to its gin portfolio, co-owned with actor Ryan Reynolds

  

  Diageo (DGE.L) is paying up to US$ 610 million for Aviation American Gin, co-owned by Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, and a clutch of other spirits brands, adding to a gin portfolio which already includes Tanqueray and Gordon’s.

• Tuesday, August 18th 2020 - 08:15 UTC

  Belarus dictator facing widespread protests offers to hold new elections and hand over power

  

  Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, said on Monday he would be ready to hold new elections and hand over power after a constitutional referendum, an attempt to pacify mass protests and strikes that pose the biggest challenge yet to his rule.