Venezuela accuses employees of stealing public money with IT software
Venezuela accuses citizens to have used AnyDesk to remotely have access to bank accounts and passwords.Three of them worked for the Ministry of Finance.…
Peru counted all votes of the presidential election
Nine days after the votes for the Presidential elections in Peru, all the ballots have finally been counted. But the winner will be announced once all the claims of irregularity will be reviewed…
U.S. federal employees soon with Juneteenth holiday
The United States Senate unanimously passed the resolution establishing June 19 as the Juneteenth National Independence Day. This legal public holiday will commemorate the end of slavery in U.S. federal agencies.…
Would Twitter be accountable for its content in India?
The new IT law in India could bring Twitter and other social media in court for their responsibility about the content published on their platforms.…
Philippines postpones withdrawal of U.S. troops again
The Philippines abrogated a military cooperation with the United States. But the suspension was postponed again.…
Indonesia plans to tax premium food items
In a fiscal optimization reform, Indonesia plans to increase the value-added tax rate and remove food or education services from the non-taxable categories.…
Moroccan King instructed affordable tickets, airline complied
The Moroccan King asked the transportation industry to allow affordable tickets for Moroccans living abroad willing to come back in the country this summer.…
Switzerland rejects climate laws
Switzerland voted for the applications of 5 laws and initiatives. All three related to climate change and the environment were rejected. The Covid-19 and Antiterrorism laws were accepted.…
Saudi Arabia announced a restricted plan for the Hajj pilgrimage
Saudi Arabia restricts Hajj only to Saudi and local residents for the second year in a row because of concerns about the pandemic situation. Only 60,000 people immune of Covid-19 can attend vs. 2.5 million in 2019.…
Nigeria blocked Twitter over political resentment
Nigeria has been blocking Twitter for a week. Yet, Twitter had just opened offices to reach the West African market. The decision comes after months of political resentment against the platform.…
Unresolved animal welfare issues exposed in Norway
In 2019, the pork industry widely promoted the guarantee of pig welfare after the publication of a documentary denouncing the animals' living conditions. But in 2021, new videos challenge the idea that the problems have been solved.…
Italy accuses Booking.com of tax evasion
According to the Italian authorities, the online booking platform didn’t pay 153 million euros of valued-added tax between 2013 and 2019.…
Instagram troll managed from Brazil’s President office
Facebook removed a fake Instagram account which published memes against former Bolsonaro allies. It was managed from public buildings' networks.…
Italian troops leave Afghanistan
After 20 years, the remaining 500 Italian soldiers left Afghanistan. Only the engineers stayed to remove the infrastructure.…
7 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in each vial with syringes in high demand
A French study proved some syringes can actually extract 7 doses in Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine vials, highlighting the importance of medical device during the pandemic.…
European court ruled Germany persistently infringed air quality directive
Between 2010 and 2016, Germany systematically and persistently exceeded the limit values for nitrogen dioxide, the Court of Justice of the European Union said.…
Record-high unemployment rate in South Africa
South Africa never recorded an unemployment rate that high. It lost 1.4 million jobs in a year, comparatively more than the United States. Discouraged work-seekers increased by 7.3% in a year.…
European countries victims of espionage by the U.S.
Denmark let the United States spy on political executives of Germany, France, Norway or Sweden between 2012 and 2014. The head of the Danish intelligence agency was dismissed in 2020 for failing to investigate indications of espionage.…
4 U.S. female runners think transgender athletes are unfair competition
After losing a lawsuit, the four girls now go to the U.S. Court of Appeal to claim transgender athletes are unfair competition. They are supported by a conservative advocacy group.…
Argentina tries to avoid defaulting on debt payment
Argentina has been trying to postpone a US $2.4 billion payment due at the end of May. Two months after the deadline, the country would be defaulting. A race against time has started.…
In the U.S., get vaccinated and become a millionaire
California launched a lottery with $116.5 million in prize money to encourage people to get vaccinated. It is the largest pot in a series of money-incentive state initiatives.…
Qatar gives $500M to Palestine; The US $360M
Qatar announced it would send $500 million to help rebuild Gaza. The United States also brings $360 million, marking a turn from Trump's policy.…
Morocco representatives vote for legal cannabis
Morocco will soon make cannabis legal for therapeutic, cosmetic and industrial use. The government sees a business and development opportunity.…
Humanitarian aid with masks and cocaine in Colombia
In Colombia, the humanitarian plane carried face masks and cocaine. The scandal reached a TV celebrity whose husband own the plane.…
First man in the world vaccinated from Covid-19 died
William Shakespeare, the homonym of the famous writer, died in a Coventry hospital from a disease unrelated to Covid-19. He was the first man in the world who received a Covid vaccine.…
Bolsonaro, one of few leaders at Ecuador’s presidential inauguration ceremony
Guillermo Lasso, a center-right politician, was sworn in President of Ecuador on May 24 after 18 years of socialist governance. As Ecuador will open its economy to the free market, Jair Bolsonaro was one of the only President to come in person to the ceremony.…
No coming back, remote higher education is the new norm in the Philippines
The Philippines Commission on Higher Education has adopted a policy in which remote learning is the new normal policy for the students this year and thereafter…
Portuguese airline adds staff representative to the Board
TAP Airlines will have a staff representative elected in the board of directors. It comes as a surprise but may give ideas to other companies in turmoil.…
The Norway‑U.S. military agreement Russia doesn’t like
Russia has been criticizing the defence cooperation agreement between Norway and the United States facilitating American military training in Scandinavia. The Arctic Council was another opportunity for Russia to be heard.…
Sudan further alleviates its debt with $5bn to be canceled by France
The French President announced he would abandon the Sudanese debt of $5 billion. The announcement from Sudan’s 2nd largest creditor is the biggest step in a series a financial relief provided by western economies since the Sudanese democratic transition.…
Argentina halts beef export for 30 days, farmers stop commerce
Argentina decided to stop the export of beef in order to halt the price increase in the country. As a reaction, the farm industry organizations will completely stop the commercialization of beef for 9 days.…
A vote may ban pesticides in Switzerland, and impact football pitch
A citizen initiative primarily targeting food and agricultural products may ban synthetic fungicides in Switzerland, which could affect the grass used in sports.…
An American rapper debuts in pro basketball in Rwanda
The American rapper J. Cole, 36, debuted a basketball professional career in Rwanda, 2 days after his latest album, “Off-season”, was released.…
Quebec wants to protect French from the decline in Canada
The French language is in decline in the Canadian province of Quebec of over 8 million people, the 2nd province of Canada in terms of population, and the regional government wants to protect it.…
Morocco evaluates the business opportunity of exporting cannabis
The business of cannabis for medical, cosmetic or industrial use could be more profitable than illegal production for farmers. The first market for export would be Europe.…
National strike against tax reform in Colombia meant to support COVID-19 costs
Colombians protested in the street against a tax reform that would collect up to 2% of the GDP. The efforts requested while the Covid-19 crisis isn't over yet draws harsh criticism from all parts.…
Ethiopia soon decides on telecom liberalization winners
Ethiopia is one of the last business opportunities for telecom operators to conquer a new market. But it isn't as attractive as expected.…
Italian island Budelli to become unoccupied
The only permanent resident of Budelli for 32 years will leave this small island between Corsica and Sardinia. Aged of 82 and tired of the fight against his eviction, he also fell in love.…
Controversy over cigarettes as essential goods in Chile
Some health organizations requested tobacco to be removed from the list of essential goods during Chile's quarantine. The authorities eventually removed the entire list, along with the controversy.…
More cycling deaths despite reduced traffic in the Netherlands in 2020
Despite a reduction in traffic and deaths on roads in 2020, the Netherlands recorded the highest number of cycling deaths in 25 years. Deaths were higher during periods of lower traffic intensity.…