International

• Friday, June 14th 2019 - 22:54 UTC

  Michelle Bachelet visiting Venezuela next week to examine Human Rights situation

  

  Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, confirmed her visit to Venezuela between June 19 and 21 to meet with President Nicolas Maduro, as well as several ministers and senior officials of his Government.

• Friday, June 14th 2019 - 08:40 UTC

  The Cobra Sting: Brazil's contribution to defeating Nazism in WW 2

  

  Brazil's contribution to the Allied war effort is extraordinary but often forgotten. Though Brazil originally tried to remain neutral in the conflict, the United States eventually encouraged the country to break off relations with the Axis powers. As a result, German u-boats began to sink Brazilian shipping and kill Brazilian citizens.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:40 UTC

  Protests in Hong Kong turn into chaotic street battling with pepper gas and rubber bullets

  

  Hong Kong on Thursday postponed the legislative debate on the controversial extradition Bill for a second day,  after a massive rally that witnessed violent clashes between protesters and the police on Wednesday. “The Legislative Council will not hold a session today to debate the Bill”, said a notice to lawmakers, without elaborating further.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:20 UTC

  Wheat and barley production forecasted to increase; rains in US threaten maize crop

  

  FAO's latest forecast for world cereal production in 2019 - available in the Cereal Supply and Demand Brief- points to an increase of 1.2 percent from the previous year to reach 2 685 million tons, a sharp downward revision from the forecast made in May when global cereal production was predicted to expand by 2.7 percent.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:17 UTC

  Global food prices rose for the fifth consecutive month in May

  

  Global food prices rose for the fifth consecutive month in May, pushed up by rising prices of cheese and maize due to adverse weather conditions. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, averaged 172.4 points in May, up 1.2 per cent from the previous month while still 1.9 per cent below its level in May 2018.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:15 UTC

  First electric scooter death in Paris; controversy over regulating the popular device

  

  A man died in Paris after his electric scooter collided with a truck, sources said on Tuesday, the first such fatality involving the increasingly popular devices in the French capital as concern grows over their safety.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:12 UTC

  South Georgia Stamp Release: 3D Grytviken

  

  A new stamp issue, which gives audiences a new perspective on Grytviken, was released in May, reports the latest edition of the South Georgia Newsletter. A hundred years ago, commercial whaling came to South Georgia. Carl Larsen pioneered shore-based facilities to process their catch.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:06 UTC

  FAO's Director hails advances in IUU fishing and calls for a Port Measures Agreement

  

  FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva hailed the more than 100 countries that are committed to combating unsustainable and illegal fishing, calling the rapid international adoption of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing a “fantastic achievement”.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 09:03 UTC

  Furious Venetians march against large cruise ships, “sea monsters”

  

  Thousands of furious Venetians have marched in protest against large ships dubbed “sea monsters” clogging the city’s narrow waterways and destroying the lives of locals. An estimated 5.000 people took to the docks near Venice’s famous San Marco square to protest “bison of the sea” dominating the lagoon city that is a UNESCO world heritage site.

• Thursday, June 13th 2019 - 08:47 UTC

  US formally requested the UK the extradition of Julian Assange

  

  The US Justice Department has formally asked Britain to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face charges that he conspired to hack US government computers and violated an espionage law, Britain has confirmed.