International

Friday, February 7th 2020 - 09:46 UTC
China halves punitive tariffs on US$ 75 billion of US imports next week

China said on Thursday it will halve punitive tariffs on US$75 billion in US imports from Feb 14, a month after Beijing and Washington signed a truce in their long-running trade war.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 09:45 UTC
UK expanding fisheries protection to police territorial waters in a no-Brexit trade-deal scenario

The British government is hiring additional ships for the Royal Navy amid growing Brexit tensions - with reports as many as 24 extra boats could be drafted into service. The Times reports that “Ministers are getting ready to triple the number of boats in Britain’s fisheries protection squadron to police territorial waters in the event of a no-trade-deal Brexit”.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 09:40 UTC
Bumblebees essential for pollinating, suffer drastic declines in North America

When scientist Peter Soroye first saw the figures showing estimated bumblebee populations in North America had fallen by nearly 50% in a single generation, he thought it must be a typo. He checked the numbers - the result of a long-term analysis of bumblebee populations published in the journal Science on Thursday, seven times to be sure they were accurate.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 09:37 UTC
Brazil approves quarantine rules for nationals returning from China

Brazil's lower house of Congress late approved a bill laying out rules for the quarantine of Brazilian nationals returning from China who may be infected with coronavirus, as well as other measures to combat the disease. The measures will be in force as long as the public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization is in place.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 09:01 UTC
Christina Koch shatters spaceflight record for female astronauts with eleven months in the Space Station

NASA's Christina Koch returned to Earth safely on Thursday after shattering the spaceflight record for female astronauts with a stay of almost 11 months aboard the International Space Station. Koch touched down at 0912 GMT on the Kazakh steppe after 328 days in space, along with Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian space agency.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 08:54 UTC
Chinese doctor who warned about coronavirus and reprimanded for “spreading rumors” has died of the infection

A Chinese doctor who was among the first to warn publicly about the new coronavirus outbreak - and was reprimanded by authorities for “spreading rumours” - died of the infection early on Friday, his hospital announced.
Thursday, February 6th 2020 - 09:09 UTC
Coronavirus deaths keep climbing; China increasingly isolated by air and sea

The death toll from a new coronavirus in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563 on Thursday, its third consecutive record daily rise, as experts intensified efforts to find a vaccine for a disease that has shut down Chinese cities and forced thousands more into quarantine around the world.
Thursday, February 6th 2020 - 09:05 UTC
Argentina tells IMF it can't continue servicing unsustainable debt

Argentina on Wednesday told the International Monetary Fund that Buenos Aires cannot continue servicing unsustainable debt, as the IMF encouraged it to enact efficient restructuring policies.
Thursday, February 6th 2020 - 08:58 UTC
Pope Francis calls for debt sustainability to alleviate the suffering of people

Pope Francis staged a surprise visit to admonish the International Monetary Fund chief and several finance ministers to help alleviate the debt burden of struggling countries, calling for “a new financial architecture” to ensure social justice.
Thursday, February 6th 2020 - 08:44 UTC
Statement by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Argentina

Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement after meeting with Argentina’s Economy Minister Martin Guzmán in Rome: