Politics

Friday, May 15th 2020 - 08:54 UTC
Strict measures among essential personnel even in virus free Antarctica bases

As the planet battles the seemingly inexorable spread of the coronavirus, Antarctica remains the only Covid-19-free continent - thanks in the main to strict security and not a little luck. The natural isolation of the frozen and desolate expanse has been taken to new extremes since the WHO declared a pandemic on March 11.
Friday, May 15th 2020 - 08:52 UTC
Brazil lowers economic outlook to minus 4,7% in 2020; pre crisis recovery level will be reached in 2022

Brazil’s government lowered its 2020 economic outlook, forecasting a gross domestic product contraction of 4.7%, which would signal the country’s biggest economic crash in more than a century.
Friday, May 15th 2020 - 08:27 UTC
Trump not interested in speaking with president Xi and suggests cutting “whole relationship with China”

President Donald Trump signaled a further deterioration of his relationship with China over the novel coronavirus, saying he has no interest in speaking to President Xi Jinping right now and going so far as to suggest he could even cut ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
Friday, May 15th 2020 - 08:05 UTC
Trump administration issues Global Maritime Advisory guidelines for ship owners and insurers

The Trump administration on Thursday issued guidelines to help ship owners and insurers avoid the risks of sanctions penalties, standards that maritime players and a senior State Department official said were modified following months of discussions with industry.
Friday, May 15th 2020 - 07:51 UTC
China's industrial output in April returned to growth but retail sales remained weak

China's industrial output returned to growth for the first time this year in April, official data showed on Friday, as the country continued its gradual recovery after the coronavirus brought activity to a near-halt.
Friday, May 15th 2020 - 07:46 UTC
Trump mobilizing the military to distribute a coronavirus vaccine when available

President Donald Trump is mobilizing the U.S. military to distribute a novel coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available and will focus first on older Americans.
Friday, May 15th 2020 - 07:40 UTC
WTO chief to step down in September: plenty of time to agree on a successor next year

The World Trade Organization chief announced on Thursday he will step down on August 31, a year before his term ends, despite the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the global economy. Brazil's Roberto Azevedo said it had been a “personal decision” reached with his family, and stressed that he was not leaving to pursue “political opportunities”.
Thursday, May 14th 2020 - 08:59 UTC
Chile orders total quarantine for Santiago's population following a virus peak of infections

Chile ordered a mandatory total quarantine for the capital Santiago's seven million people on Wednesday, after authorities reported a 60% spike in coronavirus infections in 24 hours, dealing a stunning blow to hopes the economy would soon reopen.
Thursday, May 14th 2020 - 08:57 UTC
World will have to learn to live with Covid-19, warns World Health Organization

The new coronavirus may never go away and populations around the world will have to learn to live with it, the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday. As some countries around the world begin gradually easing lockdown restrictions imposed in a bid to stop the novel coronavirus from spreading, the WHO said it may never be wiped out entirely.
Thursday, May 14th 2020 - 08:50 UTC
Fewer remittances because of Covid-19 will hit hard Central and Latin America

Remittances—the money that immigrants working abroad send home to families on a regular basis—have become a major source of funding for developing countries. In 2019, total global remittances exceeded US$550 billion, putting them on a par with levels achieved by foreign direct investment.