Graphic News Planner (news) 03/07/2020 10:08:40

July 3, 2020 -- The U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) has replaced the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), ending President Trump’s threat to break apart the three-nation free trade zone.

BUSINESS: USMCA trade deal factbox (Graphic DUE Jul 3, 14:00GMT)
GN40338
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July 2, 2020 -- Almost 78% of voters in Russia have approved amendments to the country's constitution that will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036, Russian election officials said Thursday after all the votes were counted. Kremlin critics said the vote was rigged.

RUSSIA: Constitutional vote result (Graphic)
GN40336 Graphic shows result of Russia’s constitutional referendum.
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July 2, 2020 -- The number of coronavirus cases in India has risen above 600,000, with around 18,000 deaths. The country has the fourth-highest number of Covid infections in the world, behind the U.S., Brazil and Russia.

India’s virus tally stood at 604,641 infections, with 100,000 of those infections reported in the past four days.

India’s Health Ministry said the death toll from the virus was now 17,834 people.

To contain the virus, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in late March imposed a strict nationwide lockdown, which halted much of the country’s economic activity.

The country is coming out of those lockdown measures, but a jump in daily new cases in recent weeks forced several state authorities to reinstate some restrictions.

The western state of Maharashtra, home to the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, accounts for more than a fifth of total infections in the country and nearly half of the deaths.

Countries with the most Covid-19 cases are the United States (with more than 2.6 million); Brazil (more than 1.4 million); Russia (660,231); India (604,641); and the United Kingdom (314,992).

HEALTH: India Covid-19 cases (Graphic)
GN40337 Graphic shows Covid-19 cases and fatalities across India and countries with most infections.
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July 1, 2020 -- The European Union has opened its borders to non-essential travellers such as tourists and most business people from a “safe” list of 14 countries, excluding the United States, Brazil, Russia and Turkey.

Citizens from the following countries will be allowed into the EU’s 27 members and four other nations in Europe’s visa-free Schengen travel zone: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

The EU said China is “subject to confirmation of reciprocity,” meaning Beijing should lift all restrictions on European citizens entering China before European countries will allow Chinese citizens back in.

The 31 European countries have agreed to begin lifting restrictions from Wednesday. The list is to be updated every 14 days, with new countries being added or dropped off depending on whether they are keeping the pandemic under control. Non-EU citizens who are already living in Europe are not included in the ban, nor are British citizens.

To qualify for the “safe” list, EU headquarters said that countries should have a comparable per capita number of Covid-19 cases to those in the 31 European countries over the last 14 days and have a stable or decreasing trend in the number of infections.

The Europeans are also taking into account those countries’ standards on virus testing, surveillance, contact tracing and treatment and the general reliability of their virus data.

BUSINESS: Countries permitted to enter EU (Graphic)
GN40331 Graphic shows details of “safe” countries.
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July 1, 2020 -- Music streaming accounted for more than half of the $20.2 billion recorded music revenue for the first time last year, driving the industry back to prosperity in the digital era.

In 2019, the global recorded music market grew by 8.2%, its fifth consecutive year of growth since 2014, when revenue was at a 20-year low of $14.0 billion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The latest IFPI Global Music Report, released in May, shows that music streaming revenue accounted for 56.4% of the overall recorded music revenue -- a 22.9% increase to $11.4 billion.

The growth was predominantly driven by paid streaming services -- once regarded with deep suspicion by both the artists and the labels -- with the number of paid streaming accounts rising to 341 million by the end of 2019 and associated revenue increasing by 24.1%.

The world’s top ten markets all demonstrated growth, except for Japan. There was particularly strong growth in paid streaming with all top 10 markets experiencing double-digit growth in paid streaming revenues.

For the fifth consecutive year, recorded-music revenue grew fastest in Latin America, increasing by 18.9%. Yet the region still only accounts for four per cent of the global business -- Latin America has just 45 million music subscribers out of a population of 650 million.

BUSINESS: Streaming drives music revenue (Graphic)
GN40333 Graphic shows global music revenue by sector from 2012 to 2019.
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July 1, 2020 -- China has approved a contentious national security law for Hong Kong that is seen as Beijing’s boldest move to date to clamp down on protests and reduce Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The law, which includes 66 articles and more than 7,000 words,
takes direct aim at the antigovernment protests that have convulsed Hong Kong over the past year.

It will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, heralding a more authoritarian era for China’s freest city.

China says the laws targeted at a few “troublemakers’ and accuses Britain and the U.S. of interfering in internal matters and fomenting unrest in Hong Kong.

Passage of the law came amid fears in Hong Kong and abroad that it would be used to curb opposition voices in the financial hub. The U.S. has already begun moves to end special trade terms given to Hong Kong after the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

The law’s passage “represents the greatest threat to human rights in the city’s recent history,” said Joshua Rosenzweig, head of Amnesty International’s China Team.

POLITICS: Hong Kong security law (Graphic)
GN40332 Graphic shows a guide to Hong Kong’s security law.
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July 1, 2020 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed a radical stimulus package that will see the European Union issue €750 billion in shared debt to give grants and loans to nations hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday stressed their determination to work together to try and get European economies back on track as Germany takes over the the six-month rotating EU presidency on July 1.

In May, Merkel and Macron together proposed creating a one-off 500 billion-euro ($561 billion) recovery fund that would be filled through shared EU borrowing. That is a big step for Germany, breaking with its long-standing opposition to any kind of joint borrowing.

The EU’s executive Commission expanded on the proposal, putting forward plans for a 750 billion-euro fund made up mostly of grants. It faces resistance from some countries – including Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden – that oppose grants and are reluctant to give out funds with no strings attached.

It will be up to Germany to help find a quick agreement, ideally when EU leaders meet July 17-18 for their first in-person summit in months, on both the recovery fund and the EU’s budget for seven years starting January 1.

ECONOMY: EU recovery fund beneficiaries (Graphic)
GN40329 Graphic shows top beneficiaries of the proposed EU funding package.
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July 12, 2020 -- Poland’s presidential election, to be decided in a run-off between incumbent Andrzej Duda and liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, could prove a turning point in troubled relations with the EU.

Andrzej Duda, fell short of the 50% of votes needed to win in the first round, paving the way for what is building into a very tight race in July 12 runoff.

Whether Duda ultimately wins a second five-year term in two weeks’ time will determine whether the ruling nationalist party that backs him, Law and Justice (PiS), keeps its near-monopoly on political power in Poland.

The party has been in conflict with the European Union over laws that have given it control over top courts and key judicial bodies, something the 27-nation bloc has denounced as an erosion of democratic European values.

The pro-EU Trzaskowski has vowed to block any new laws that violate constitutional norms.

An opposition victory on July 12 would be the latest sign that political illiberalism, rightwing nationalism and resistance to EU values, have been losing ground in parts of central and eastern Europe over the past four years.

POLITICS: Poland heads for presidential run-off (Graphic)
GN40327 Graphic shows main points of contention between Poland and the EU over the last five years.
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June 30, 2020 -- Facebook faces a growing boycott by advertisers unhappy with its handling of hate speech and misinformation. The rising tally is creating peer pressure on other brands to join the boycott.

Starbucks, Diageo, Pfizer and HP joined Unilever, Coca-Cola and Verizon, pledging to cut ad spending. Microsoft -- the social networking service’s third-largest advertiser in 2019, spending an estimated $116 million -- has paused global ad spending on the site because of concerns about ads appearing next to inappropriate content. Britvic, Patreon Inc. and The Clorox Co. all said they would stop advertising on Facebook while auto-maker GM said it’s “reviewing and reinforcing” its marketing policies.

Civil rights groups launched the campaign following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by Minneapolis police on May 25.

While these advertisers include big-name brands, they aren’t necessarily the biggest spenders on Facebook, according to marketing analytics company Pathmatics.

However, the growing campaign did not appear to trouble investors on Monday, as they sent Facebook shares up more than two per cent.

Facebook’s fall in stock price had wiped out $61.5 billion in market value since June 23 and shaved the net worth of Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg around $8bn, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Facebook generated $17.7bn in revenue in the first quarter, including $17.4bn from advertising. Civil rights groups say they expect more corporations to join the boycott, as peer pressure rises.

The current boycotts around Facebook’s hate speech policies and Zuckerberg’s lack of action on misinformation could cost more than $250 million in the third quarter if 25% of its top 100 buyers pull spending, according to Bloomberg.

BUSINESS: Facebook ad boycott (Graphic UPDATED Jun 30)
GN40328 Graphic shows selected Facebook advertisers and changes in social media platforms value.
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June 30, 2020 -- Iran has started building a 1,000-km (620-mile) pipeline to avoid the disputed Strait of Hormuz, allowing the Islamic Republic to continue exporting oil even if the strategic waterway is closed.

The Goreh-Jask pipeline will bring one million barrels per day of oil from the southern Bushehr province to the Iranian coast on the Sea of Oman for exports, according to S&P Global Platts.

The project, which would cost over $1.1 billion, envisages storage capacity of 10 million barrels of crude oil at Jask port.

The new terminal will be the largest after Kharg Island, which accounts for 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports and must be reached through the Strait of Hormuz.

The water channel is the key chokepoint for oil and gas ships traversing the Persian Gulf and has been the scene of military tensions between the U.S. and Iran as well as attacks on tankers.

ENERGY: Iran pipeline to bypass Strait of Hormuz (Graphic)
GN40326 Graphic shows planned Goreh-Jask oil pipeline.
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June 29, 2020 -- A growing number of companies have pulled advertising from Facebook following the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign to crack down on hate speech and misinformation on the social media platform.

Civil rights groups launched the campaign following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by Minneapolis police on May 25.

Shares in Facebook were poised to fall for a second day after more high-profile businesses, including coffeehouse giant Starbucks and British-based drinks company Diageo, joined the growing number of brands planning to halt spending on social media.

Shares continued to slide by 2.2% in early trading before markets in New York opened on Monday, adding to Friday‘s 8.3% decline after Unilever said it would stop ad spending on Facebook for the rest of the year.

By opening on Monday (June 29), Facebook’s fall in stock price had wiped out $72.5 billion in market value and shaved the net worth of Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg by more than $8bn.

Facebook generated $17.7bn in revenue in the first quarter, including $17.44bn from advertising. Civil rights groups say they expect more corporations to join the boycott, as peer pressure rises. Combined with the pandemic-fuelled economic crisis, the threat to Facebook mounts.

The current publicity around Facebook’s hate speech policies and Zuckerberg’s lack of action on misinformation continues to damage its perception and stock.

EDITORS: June 30, 2020: Please note that the Ad spending in the graphic at the bottom of this graphic relates to the total advertising spend in the U.S. in 2019 (not the spending on Facebook only) . The link to the source of this data was updated after the graphic was created. Please use GN40328

BUSINESS: Facebook ad boycott (Graphic)
GN40325 Graphic shows selected Facebook advertisers and changes in social media platforms value. EDITORS: Please note that the Ad spending in the graphic at the bottom of this graphic relates to the total advertising spend in the U.S. in 2019 (not the spending on Facebook only) . The link to the source of this data was updated after the graphic was created. Please use GN40328
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June 29, 2020 -- The death toll from the coronavirus has passed half a million people, a grim milestone in the global pandemic that has infected more than 10 million people.

HEALTH: World hits coronavirus milestones (Graphic)
GN40323 Graphic shows numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths worldwide.
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June 29, 2020 -- Russia has denied responsibility for a radiation leak detected in Northern Europe that Dutch officials say may “indicate damage to a fuel element in a nuclear power plant”.

Nuclear safety watchdogs in Finland, Norway and Sweden said last week they had found higher-than-usual amounts of radioactive isotopes harmless to humans in the atmosphere.

On June 26 the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands said that the radionuclides (radioactive isotopes) came from the direction of Western Russia.

But Rosenergoatom, the power-plant subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned nuclear group Rosatom, has said that its two nuclear power plants in the north-west – the Leningrad NPP and the Kola NPP – are working normally and that no leaks have been reported.

Russia has a history of concealing radiation leaks. Most notoriously, Soviet authorities for weeks denied the true extent of the accident at Chernobyl in 1986, the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

Western Russia has several nuclear facilities, including the vast Leningrad nuclear facility outside St Petersburg, which features four reactors of the same Soviet-era type as those at Chernobyl. Work is underway to upgrade the facility.

NUCLEAR: Suspected leak at Russia nuke plant (Graphic)
GN40324 Graphic shows map of possible source region in the 72 hours preceding the detection of the radiation leak and timeline of events.
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June 28 - July 11, 2020 -- Graphic shows anniversaries and events on this day in history. Updated now to include the data for weeks 27-28 i.e. to June 28-July 11. The events and images are the same as on the GN On This Day print graphics GN40283 and GN40284. If you are hosting GN36036 on your own servers (rather than using the embed code supplied by Graphic News), the data in the hyperesources folder can be topped up with the data for the separate weeks. These can be downloaded separately in the ZIP.clip file.

The graphic is “auto-updating”, so if you look at the graphic tomorrow it will show a different picture and selection of events to those shown today. This is because the graphic is constructed like an “interactive” graphic, but is not “interactive” in the sense that the viewer can change the events displayed; instead it “interacts” with the clock on your computer or mobile and this determines the selection shown.

The graphic is also responsive so if you view on a mobile phone it will look as good, but different, from the version seen if you view on your larger tablet or computer screen.

If you host the graphic yourself you may wish to substitute some of the events or images to give a more national or local interest. This is easy to do as there are separate files for the images and words for each day in the hyperesources folder. (Instructions available - see below).

HISTORY: ON THIS DAY “interactive” (week 27-28) (Interactive UPDATED Jun 29)
GN36036 Responsive graphic showing anniversaries and events from today’s date in history, changes automatically each day. Come back tomorrow to see anniversaries and events for that date.
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June 26, 2020 -- European Union officials are working to agree on who can visit the bloc when it reopens its borders to the outside world, based on how countries of origin are faring with new coronavirus cases. The United States will likely be excluded.

European nations appear on track to reopen their borders between each other by July 1. Their representatives in Brussels have been debating what virus-related criteria should apply when lifting border restrictions to the outside world, which were imposed in March to stop all non-essential travel to Europe.

In recommendations to EU nations on June 11, the European Commission said “travel restrictions should not be lifted as regards third countries where the situation is worse" than the average in the 27 EU member countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

That is likely to rule out people living in the United States, where new coronavirus infections have surged to the highest level in two months, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. After trending down for well over a month, new U.S. cases have risen for more than a week.

The virus outbreaks in Brazil, India and Russia are remarkably high too, and it’s also unlikely that the EU will let their citizens in.

For the EU’s executive arm, the key criteria for opening up to the outside world should include the number of new infections per 100,000 population – the exact ceiling is up for debate – and the country’s overall response to the pandemic, in terms of testing, surveillance, treatment, contact tracing and reporting cases.

HEALTH: EU plan to reopen external borders (Graphic)
GN40320 Graphic shows new Covid-19 infections per 100,000 people.
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July 1, 2020 -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to begin annexing up to 30% of the occupied West Bank, as mapped out in President Trump’s plan for peace, as soon as July 1.

Israel's incorporation of the settlements was given the green light under U.S. President Donald Trump's Vision for Peace – a plan for ending the decades old Israel-Palestinian conflict unveiled in January.

Annexation would mean applying Israeli civilian law to its settlements in occupied land often deep inside the West Bank, which are home to more than 460,000 Jews. The Israeli government is also exploring annexing the Jordan Valley, home to the ancient city of Jericho and thousands of Palestinians.

The Palestinians and most countries consider that annexation of the West Bank, would be an illegal act, a designation that Israel disputes

Among the main options under U.S. consideration is a gradual, step-by-step process in which Israel would initially declare sovereignty over several settlements close to Jerusalem instead of the 30% of the West Bank envisaged in Netanyahu’s original plan, according to a person close to matter.

POLITICS: Israel’s West Bank annexation plan (Graphic)
GN40316 Graphic shows details of Netanyahu’s annexation plan.
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June 26, 2020 -- Democrats in the House of Representatives approved a bill to admit Washington DC as a state on Friday (June 26) with a vote of 232-180.

The “Washington DC Admission Act” would make the United States’ capital the 51st state, granting voting representation in the House and Senate to its more than 705,700 residents.

The House vote on the bill, HR 51, is merely symbolic since the law would face insurmountable opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate. President Trump has vowed to veto any DC statehood legislation.

Trump told the New York Post in an interview last month that “DC will never be a state. Why? So we can have two more Democratic -- Democrat -- senators and five more congressmen? No, thank you. That’ll never happen.”

America’s Constitution spells out that the federal capital is under the exclusive authority of Congress. The seat of Government is a “neutral district” in which representatives of all the states can meet on an equal footing.

Members of Congress have filed DC statehood bills before, most recently legislation by non-voting DC delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton in 1993, also, numbered HR 51. Entitled the “New Columbia Admission Act,” it failed with a House vote of 153-277.

Norton’s latest bill carves out specific space for a capital district of government buildings surrounding the national mall and White House under federal government control.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser would take the title of “governor,” and the district council would function as the legislative body.

The 51st state to the US would change “District of Columbia” to “Douglass Commonwealth,” maintaining the “DC” abbreviation while paying homage to African-American Frederick Douglass. After escaping from slavery in Maryland in 1838, Douglass became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York.

Mayor Bowser had complained that Congress classified DC as a territory rather than a state in the CARES Act stimulus package. This distinction cost Washington more than $700 million in federal coronavirus relief funding.

POLITICS: Washington D.C. statehood (Graphic)
GN40319 Graphic shows main points of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, H.R. 51.
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June 25, 2020 -- European Union member states reported a total of 119 foiled, failed and completed terrorist attacks in 2019, with 1,004 arrests.

Nearly 120 terrorist plots were uncovered across Europe in 2019, triggering more than 1,000 arrests.

The latest figures have been shared by Europol’s EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report.

In total, 119 terrorist attacks were foiled, failed or completed last year in 13 EU countries, with ISIS responsible for all but one of 10 people killed, and 26 out of 27 people wounded. The 27th was hurt in a far-right terrorist attack.

The attacks resulted in 1,004 people being arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences in 19 EU member states. The UK had the highest figures by far, with 64 attacks foiled, failed or completed and 281 arrests.

On a brighter note, the overall number of attacks in the EU was down compared to the previous year, mainly due to a continued downward trend in ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorist attacks.

TERRORISM: EU terror attacks and arrests, 2019 (Graphic)
GN40315 Graphic shows where terror attacks and arrests were made in Europe, in 2019.
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June 25, 2020 -- The International Monetary Fund has sharply lowered its forecast for global growth this year because it envisions far more severe economic damage from the coronavirus than it did just two months ago.

The IMF predicts that the global economy will shrink 4.9% this year, significantly worse than the 3% drop it had estimated in its previous report in April. The IMF said that the global economic damage from the recession will be worse than from any other downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

For the United States, it predicts that the nation’s gross domestic product – the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S. – will plummet 8% this year, even more than its April estimate of a 5.9% drop. That would be the worst such annual decline since the U.S. economy demobilised in the aftermath of World War II.

The IMF issued its bleaker forecasts Wednesday in an update to the World Economic Outlook it released in April. The update is generally in line with other recent major forecasts. Earlier this month, for example, the World Bank projected that the global economy would shrink 5.2% this year.

For 2021, the IMF envisions a rebound in growth, so long as the viral pandemic doesn’t erupt in a second major wave. It expects the global economy to expand 5.4% next year, 0.4 percentage point less than it did in April.

ECONOMY: IMF downgrades outlook for global economy (Graphic)
GN40317 Graphic shows projected change in GDP for selected countries and regions.
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June 25, 2020 -- Germany’s €1.64 trillion “bazooka” of emergency measures protected most companies, preventing a wave of insolvencies and mass lay-offs, according to Bruegel, an economic think tank.

When Chancellor Angela Merkel set out her plan for Germany’s presidency of the EU, she said her priority was to prevent the pandemic threatening the European single market.

The task Merkel faces is enormous; Germany’s economy will not fully rebound unless Europe as a whole also recovers. That was the purpose behind the Franco-German proposal, unveiled in May, for a €500 billion post-pandemic recovery fund, financed by debt raised on capital markets by the European Commission.

Bruegel has analysed the fiscal response of 10 EU member states plus the United Kingdom and the United States in three categories.

First are “immediate fiscal impulses,” additional government spending. Second, “deferrals,” payments, including taxes and social security contributions. Third, “other liquidity provisions and guarantees,” which includes export guarantees, liquidity assistance and credit lines through national development banks.

Between March 9 and June 3, Germany’s emergency measures have totalled €1,639.7 billion -- equivalent to 47.8 per cent of GDP last year -- ahead of Italy, France and the UK with expenditures of €867.6bn, €658bn and €526.3bn (£476.0) respectively.

Germany takes the helm of the EU on July 1.

BUSINESS: Germany leads EU recovery (Graphic)
GN40314 Graphic shows fiscal stimuli by selected European countries and U.S.
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June 24, 2020 -- The world’s fastest supercomputer, Japan’s $1.2 billion Fugaku, is to use its enormous power to try to identify treatments for Covid-19.

Crowned the world’s fastest supercomputer in June, the Fugaku supercomputer is already being deployed in the fight against coronavirus, even though it will not be fully operational until 2021.

The $1.2 billion hardware is currently running simulations on how respiratory droplets travel inside trains with open carriage windows, but when complete, will be tasked with identifying potential treatments for coronavirus from 2,000 existing drugs, including those that have yet to reach the clinical trial stage.

The new system being deployed at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan, consists of 432 racks containing 158,976 nodes, each powered by a Fujitsu 48-core A64FX processor.

Its raw power is immense, capable of making 415 quadrillion computations per second – 2.8 times faster than the previous world's fastest computer, IBM's Summit.

Fugaku’s recent recognition by Top500, which ranks the world’s most powerful computer systems, has broken a long run of U.S. and Chinese supercomputer dominance, returning Japan to the top for the first time in 11 years.

TECH: Japanese Supercomputer to seek Covid-19 cure (Graphic)
GN40310 Graphic shows how the Fukagu supercomputer is constructed.
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June 24, 2020 -- The World Meteorological Organisation is looking to verify reports of a record temperature reading of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4°F) in Siberia, which would be unprecedented for the region north of the Arctic Circle.

Much of Siberia had high temperatures this year that were beyond unseasonably warm. From January through May, the average temperature in north-central Siberia has been about 8°C (14°F) above average, according to the climate science non-profit Berkeley Earth.

Russia’s Arctic regions are among the fastest warming areas in the world.

The temperature on Earth over the past few decades has been growing, on average, by 0.18°C (0.32°F) every 10 years. But in Russia it increases by 0.47°C (0.85°F) – and in the Russian Arctic, by 0.69°C (1.24°F) every decade, said Andrei Kiselyov, the lead scientist at the Moscow-based Voeikov Main Geophysical Observatory.

The increasing temperatures in Siberia have been linked to prolonged wildfires that grow more severe every year and the thawing of the permafrost – a huge problem because buildings and pipelines are built on them. Thawing permafrost also releases more heat-trapping gas and dries out the soil, which increases wildfires, said Vladimir Romanovsky, who studies permafrost at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Persistently warm weather, especially if coupled with wildfires, causes permafrost to thaw faster, which in turn exacerbates global warming by releasing large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide, said Katey Walter Anthony, a University of Alaska Fairbanks expert on methane release from frozen Arctic soil.

CLIMATE: Arctic heat record (Graphic)
GN40312 Graphic shows global surface temperature anomaly for May 2020, and Jan-May temperature anomaly for Russia.
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June 24, 2020 -- A vast plume of Saharan dust is shrouding swathes of the Caribbean, Central America and southern U.S. states. Meteorologists say it is the biggest and densest concentration of dust for half a century.

The mass of extremely dry and dusty air known as the Saharan Air Layer forms over the Sahara Desert and moves across the North Atlantic every three to five days from late spring to early fall, peaking in late June to mid-August, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It can occupy a roughly two-mile thick layer in the atmosphere, the agency said.

Each year, Saharan winds pick up over 800 million tonnes of dust. Dust can adversely affect the air quality but it helps build beaches in the Caribbean and fertilizes soils in the Amazon.

The mass is expected to arrive in the Gulf Coast states, including Texas and Louisiana, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Officials across the region warned locals to remain at home when possible and wear a face mask, especially if they already had a respiratory condition, as the dust was a powerful irritant and could contain pathogens as well as minerals.

ENVIRONMENT: Massive Sahara dust cloud (Graphic)
GN40311 Graphic shows path of the dust cloud across the Caribbean and the Americas.
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June 24, 2020 -- Gold is on the brink of challenging the $1,800 an ounce mark -- a move toward a new record price -- as the coronavirus pandemic pushes demand for safe-haven assets.

Gold has jumped as threats to the global economy forced central banks to lower interest rates, and governments to mount comprehensive stimulus programmes to rescue economies suffering from the pandemic.

Propelled by the risk of high inflation and currency debasement, investors are turning to bullion as a store of wealth. Banks including Goldman Sachs Group now forecast gold hit a record $2,000 within a year, according to Bloomberg News.

Gold futures headed higher for a fourth straight day on Wednesday (June 24), opening at $1,784.40, and pushing the precious metal toward its highest level since September 2011, when it peaked at a record $1,923.70.

Bullion has been gaining momentum since 2018, driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war with China and turmoil surrounding the Trump administration’s threat of import tariffs on Europe and Canada.

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged 25% in the week ended June 21 compared from the week before.

BUSINESS: Gold heads for record (Graphic)
GN40313 Graphic shows changes in price of gold futures since record price in 2011.
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June 23, 2020 -- Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebel movement says it launched a “large-scale” missile and drone attack against targets deep in Saudi Arabia, but the kingdom said it blocked the assault.

The Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the group for five years said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh. There was no immediate confirmation by the coalition or Saudi authorities about specific targets, Reuters said

A Reuters witness in the capital heard two loud blasts and saw billows of smoke in the sky over Riyadh close to dawn. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

“A large number of winged ballistic missiles and drones targeted the capital of the Saudi enemy ... pounding military headquarters and centres including the defence and intelligence ministry and (King) Salman Air Base,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech.

He said attacks were also launched against military sites in the southern Saudi cities of Najran and Jizan that border Yemen.

Violence between the two sides has surged after the expiry last month of a six-week ceasefire prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The coalition has responded to cross-border Houthi missile and drone attacks with air strikes.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement that the Houthi attack on Riyadh was a “deliberate hostile action designed to target civilians”.

He did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment on the Houthi report that the attack had struck the defence ministry and air base.

In a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA, Malki said the coalition on Tuesday intercepted three missiles fired towards Najran and Jizan, and several armed drones launched towards the kingdom late on Monday.

MIDDLE EAST: Yemen rebels attack Saudi Arabia (Graphic)
GN40309 Graphic shows Saudi targets and Houthi weapon ranges.
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July 1-31, 2020 -- Each month Graphic News publishes a World Agenda of forthcoming events that will shape the world in the month ahead. Events in July include a referendum on constitutional changes in Russia that could allow Vladimir Putin to stay in office until 2036; a new bridge opens in Genoa, Italy; the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is due to begin; and three nations plan to launch missions to Mars.

Events in July continue to be dominated by the global coronavirus pandemic.

July, Space: Three nations plan to launch missions to Mars. The UAE’s Hope Mars – the first planetary mission by any Arab country – will study the Martian atmosphere, while NASA’s Mars 2020 rover and China’s Tianwen 1 mission aim to investigate habitability and detect signs of life.

July, Italy: A new bridge, designed by Genoa-born Renzo Piano, could open in the city. Seen as a symbol of renewal in a nation hard hit by Covid-19, it replaces the Morandi Bridge which collapsed in 2018, killing 43 people.

July, Ethiopia: The filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam starts this month, whether or not agreement has been reached with downstream nations Sudan and Egypt, who fear dire water shortages once water is diverted from the Nile.

Jul 1, Russia: A referendum on constitutional changes could allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in office until 2036. Every Moscow resident who votes wins the chance of a gift certificate, a giveaway aimed at stimulating the economy – and boosting turnout amid fear over rising Covid-19 infections.

Jul 1, Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu plans to seek cabinet approval to annex occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. He is in a hurry – support from the White House might not be available after the U.S. election in November.

Jul 3, U.S.: Disney plans to stream a film version of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton for the Independence Day weekend. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop version of U.S. history is seen as a way to brighten up the celebrations.

Jul 4, U.S.: President Trump’s beloved July Fourth celebration of military pomp returns, despite opposition from local lawmakers. The 2020 Salute to America will include a speech by Trump before a fireworks display over the National Mall.

Jul 5/31, Austria/U.S.: Major sports restarting after the Covid-19 outbreak include Formula 1, which gets underway at a spectator-free Austrian Grand Prix, and NBA basketball, hosted in a protective bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Florida.

WORLD AGENDA: July 2020 interactive (Interactive)
GN40302 Responsive interactive graphic shows news events in July 2020.
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June 23, 2020 -- In just three months, U.S. billionaires’ wealth surged by over $584 billion while 45.5 million Americans filed for unemployment, according to independent think tank the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).

Working with the advocacy group Americans for Tax Fairness the IPS study examines changes in billionaires’ wealth from March 18 -- the rough start date of the pandemic shutdown -- when most lockdowns began. The study relies on the Forbes’ billionaire list, which uses stock-market performance.

“Remarkably, 12 billionaires more than doubled their wealth over the last three months,” said Chuck Collins, one of the study’s co-authors. One of them, Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola Motor that is building trucks powered by batteries and hydrogen, increased his wealth more than five times, from $1.10bn to $6.89bn.

However, London-based financial journalist Steven Goldstein, writing for MarketWatch, queries the ATF-IPS study.

“A more logical way to think about whether billionaires got richer, or not, is to think about the performance from the February 19 peak in the market,” writes Goldstein. “You then get to see who got richer even in the face of the crippling economic blow.”

Between March 18 and May 19, MarketWatch followed the wealth of the top 50 billionaires using the S&P 500 Index. Cumulatively, the top 50 billionaires lost $232bn between the market’s peak and May 19.

The Walton family, majority owners of Walmart stores were among the losers. Jim, Alice and Rob Walton together lost about $1bn between February 19 and June 22.

The top five billionaires -- Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison -- saw their wealth grow by a total of $108.7 billion between March 18 and June 22.

BUSINESS: U.S. richest get richer (Graphic)
GN40307 Graphic shows how the richest Americas got richer during the pandemic.
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June 22, 2020 -- President Donald Trump has announced the suspension of H-1B visas which allow high-skilled foreign workers to live and work in the U.S. for up to six years. The U.S. awards just 85,000 H-1B visas annually.

The H-1B is a temporary visa category that allows employers to petition the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for highly educated foreign professionals to work in “speciality occupations” that require at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent.

Before an employer can file a petition with USCIS, the employer must take steps to ensure that hiring the foreign worker will not harm U.S. workers.

Of the 85,000 H-1B visas, around 70 per cent go to Indian workers, mostly in information technology (IT) services.

Among U.S. technology firms, Amazon, Microsoft and Google alone had some 20,000 H-1B petitions approved in the 2019 fiscal year, followed by Facebook and Apple at more than 7,000 visas.

A majority of the most valuable public U.S. technology companies have an immigrant as the founder or chief executive. Migrants have founded almost one in two, 48 per cent, of U.S. unicorns -- startups valued at more than $1 billion.

However, since President Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” executive order in April 2017, the rate of denials for H-1B visas has surged from 13 per cent to 32 per cent, according to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy.

The sweeping ban on worker visas, combined with extending restrictions on the issuance of new green cards, will keep as many as 525,000 foreign workers out of the country.

BUSINESS: H-1B visa threat (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jun 23)
GN40306 Graphic shows rise in visa denials since President Trump took office.
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June 22, 2020 -- Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an enormous ring of Neolithic pits surrounding Durrington Walls near Stonehenge.

Archaeologists from several UK universities say they have discovered a ring of Neolithic shafts, dug thousands of years ago near Stonehenge in England.

The results of fieldwork show the arrangement was 2km in diameter, centring on the Durrington Walls Neolithic settlement – only 3km away from Stonehenge – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The circular pits had a surface diameter of around 10m or more (at least one was 20m) and a depth of at least 5m. Human-made debris recovered from the bottom of one of the excavations points to a Late Neolithic time frame – more than 4,500 years ago.

Academics believe the 20 or so shafts may have served as a boundary to a sacred area connected to the henge. About 40% of the circle is no longer available for study due to modern development.

What makes the find even more extraordinary is that it offers the first evidence that early inhabitants of Britain had developed a way to count high – constructing the ring could only have been done by tracking hundreds of paces.

The discovery was announced by a team of academics from the universities of St Andrews, Birmingham, Warwick, Glasgow and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

ARCHAEOLOGY: Huge Neolithic circle found near Stonehenge (Graphic)
GN40305 Graphic shows the location of the archaeological find in Wiltshire, UK.
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July 1-31, 2020 -- Each month Graphic News publishes a World Agenda of forthcoming events that will shape the world in the month ahead. Events in July include a referendum on constitutional changes in Russia that could allow Vladimir Putin to stay in office until 2036; a new bridge opens in Genoa, Italy; the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is due to begin; and three nations plan to launch missions to Mars.

Events in July continue to be dominated by the global coronavirus pandemic.

July, Space: Three nations plan to launch missions to Mars. The UAE’s Hope Mars – the first planetary mission by any Arab country – will study the Martian atmosphere, while NASA’s Mars 2020 rover and China’s Tianwen 1 mission aim to investigate habitability and detect signs of life.

July, Italy: A new bridge, designed by Genoa-born Renzo Piano, could open in the city. Seen as a symbol of renewal in a nation hard hit by Covid-19, it replaces the Morandi Bridge which collapsed in 2018, killing 43 people.

July, Ethiopia: The filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam starts this month, whether or not agreement has been reached with downstream nations Sudan and Egypt, who fear dire water shortages once water is diverted from the Nile.

Jul 1, Russia: A referendum on constitutional changes could allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in office until 2036. Every Moscow resident who votes wins the chance of a gift certificate, a giveaway aimed at stimulating the economy – and boosting turnout amid fear over rising Covid-19 infections.

Jul 1, Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu plans to seek cabinet approval to annex occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. He is in a hurry – support from the White House might not be available after the U.S. election in November.

Jul 3, U.S.: Disney plans to stream a film version of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton for the Independence Day weekend. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop version of U.S. history is seen as a way to brighten up the celebrations.

Jul 4, U.S.: President Trump’s beloved July Fourth celebration of military pomp returns, despite opposition from local lawmakers. The 2020 Salute to America will include a speech by Trump before a fireworks display over the National Mall.

Jul 5/31, Austria/U.S.: Major sports restarting after the Covid-19 outbreak include Formula 1, which gets underway at a spectator-free Austrian Grand Prix, and NBA basketball, hosted in a protective bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Florida.

WORLD AGENDA: July 2020 (Graphic)
GN40301 Graphic shows news events in July 2020. An interactive version of this graphic is also produced each month.
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June 22, 2020 -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours.

The UN health agency said Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the U.S. next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came in in India.

Experts said rising case counts can reflect multiple factors including more widespread testing as well as broader infection.

Overall in the pandemic, WHO reported 8,708,008 cases – 183,020 in the last 24 hours – with 461,715 deaths worldwide, with a daily increase of 4,743.

More than two-thirds of those new deaths were reported in the Americas.

HEALTH: Biggest daily rise in coronavirus cases (Graphic)
GN40304 Graphic shows new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours by WHO region, and timeline of daily cases since start of coronavirus outbreak.
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July 5-11, 2020 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the bikini, the U.S. dollar, musician Ringo Starr, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior II, Bashar al-Assad of Syria and China’s Ming Dynasty admiral Zheng He

July 5, 1946: The bikini, designed by former Renault engineer Louis Reard and named after the Pacific atoll where atom bombs were then being tested, was first modelled in Paris

July 6, 1785: The dollar was unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States. It was not until 1794 that the first dollars appeared in circulation

July 7, 1940: Ringo Starr, English musician and actor who gained global fame as the drummer for the Beatles, was born in Liverpool as Richard Starkey. He turns 80 today

July 8, 2019: Iran began enriching uranium beyond the limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal to pressure the European signatories to save the accord after the U.S. withdrawal

July 9, 1995: French navy commandos seized the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior II, which was protesting against French nuclear testing around Mururoa Atoll

July 10, 2000: Bashar al-Assad succeeded his late father as President of Syria. Initially seen as favouring reform, his mass crackdowns on the Arab Spring protesters led to civil war

July 11, 1405: China’s Ming Dynasty admiral Zheng He set sail on the first of seven far-reaching voyages that encompassed the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans

HISTORY: On this day July 5-11, 2020 (week 28) (Graphic)
GN40284 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
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June 28 - July 4, 2020 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features soccer legend Pele, the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis, the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, the first Zeppelin airship, the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2, and New York’s Statue of Liberty

June 18, 1940: Soccer legend Pele, Brazil’s top goalscorer who led his nation to three World Cup victories in 1958, 1962 and 1970, was born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento

June 29, 1995: The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis docked with Russia’s Mir space station, together forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth

June 30, 1520: Aztec ruler Moctezuma II was killed during the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, though it is unclear whether he was killed by the Spaniards or his own people

July 1, 1960: Kwame Nkrumah became the first president of the new republic of Ghana. He was prime minister of the country, and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1951

July 2, 1900: The first Zeppelin airship, the 128-metre-long LZ 1, designed by German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, made its maiden flight over Lake Constance

July 3, 2015: The solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2 completed the longest ever solo flight without refuelling, 7,200km from Japan to Hawaii in 117 hours and 52 minutes (5 days)

July 4, 1986: The Statue of Liberty was reopened after being given a centenary facelift; the New York City landmark had been closed for two years of renovation work

HISTORY: On this day June 28-July 4, 2020 (week 27) (Graphic)
GN40283 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
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June 19, 2020 -- Talks between three key Nile basin countries over a giant hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia have been halted weeks before its expected start-up, with a proposal for prime ministers to try to resolve the standoff.

The yearslong dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile pits Ethiopia’s desire to become a major power exporter and pull millions out of poverty against Egypt’s concern that the dam will curtail its critical share of the river if filled too quickly.

Sudan has long been caught between the competing interests of Egypt and Ethiopia. It stands to benefit from Ethiopia’s dam, including having access to cheap electricity and reduced flooding, but it has raised fears over the operation and safety of the Ethiopian project and says it could endanger Sudan’s own dams.

The three countries resumed negotiations on June 9 via video conference after months of deadlock. Officials from the U.S., EU and South Africa, the current chairman of the African Union, attended the talks as observers.

Sudan’s Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas told reporters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum after talks ended Wednesday that the three counties’ irrigation leaders have agreed on “90% or 95%” of the technical issues but the dispute over the “legal points” in the deal remains dissolved.

Abbas said they decided to turn to their political leadership to end the standoff. No date was set for a return to talks, he said.

Ethiopia wants to begin filling the dam’s massive reservoir in the coming weeks. But Egypt has raised concerns that filling the reservoir too quickly and without an agreement could significantly reduce the amount of Nile water available to Egypt. Both countries have made clear in the past that they could take steps to protect their interests, should negotiations fail, and experts fear a breakdown in talks could lead to conflict.

AFRICA: Nile dam talks reach deadlock (Graphic)
GN40300 Graphic shows details of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project.
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June 19, 2020 -- President Trump’s critics say his capricious leadership has significantly damaged his re-election prospects. Trump’s latest setback came on Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court blocked his bid to deport so-called “Dreamers” -- around 650,000 immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children.

The irascible president kicked off the year by sweeping aside the two-state solution in the Middle East. On January 28, during a visit to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Trump announced details of his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

Dubbed “Peace to Prosperity,” the plan excludes Palestinians from the discussions. It gives the green light to Netanyahu’s West Bank annexation plan.

In March, the president drew widespread criticism for describing the coronavirus as a “Chinese virus.” Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the phrase as “racist rhetoric.”

On May 28, Trump sparked alarm by responding to protests over police brutality and racial inequality with a threat that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

One day later, Trump said he would halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and pull out of the agency, claiming China has “total control” over the WHO.

The president’s sudden decision to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to his Group of Seven summit drew opposition from both Britain and Canada. German Chancellor Angela Merkel refused to attend, citing the pandemic. Russia was expelled from the group in 2014 in response to its annexation of Crimea.

On June 5, Trump abruptly issued a directive to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany, blindsiding both Chancellor Merkel and his officials.

The president’s job approval ratings have fallen to 39 per cent according to the latest Gallup poll. Historically, all incumbents with approval ratings significantly lower than 50 per cent have lost re-election.

POLITICS: Trump’s disruptive presidency (Graphic)
GN40299 Graphic shows recent disruptive decisions by President Donald Trump.
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June 18, 2020 -- A record 79.5 million people worldwide – or more than one percent of all humanity – were displaced at the end of 2019 as a result of conflict or persecution, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

REFUGEES: Nearly 80 million people displaced worldwide (Graphic)
GN40297 Graphic shows numbers of people forcibly displaced worldwide at end of 2019, and increase since 2010.
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June 18, 2020 -- A mounting spat sparked by defectors in South Korea sending anti-regime propaganda balloons across the North Korean border is raising the risk of a military confrontation.

North Korea said on Wednesday it had rejected a South Korean offer to send special envoys to ease escalating tension over defiance by North Korean defectors and stalled reconciliation efforts, and it vowed to redeploy troops to border areas.

The rivals have intensified their animosities in recent days, with Pyongyang unleashing fiery rhetoric over propaganda leaflets that South Korean activists have launched aboard balloons toward North Korea. North Korea on Monday blew up a joint liaison office set up on its side of the border as part of a 2018 peace agreement between the two countries’ leaders.

Many experts say North Korea is dialing up pressure on Seoul and Washington as its troubled economy has likely worsened due to U.S.-led sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. Nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington has made little headway for more than a year.

MILITARY: North Korea orders troops to border (Graphic)
GN40296 Graphic shows timeline of recent events and areas where the North Korean army is due to be redeployed.
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July 14, 2020 -- In the first planetary mission by any Arab country, the UAE’s Hope probe will study the atmosphere of Mars and explore why it loses hydrogen and oxygen gases into space.

The UAE's Hope Mars satellite mission will launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, riding on a H-IIA two-stage launch vehicle. It is due to arrive in February 2021, the UAE’s 50th birthday year.

The operation is being carried out in collaboration with the Universities of Colorado-Boulder, California-Berkley and Arizona State. The probe was built by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.

Hope will orbit Mars, collecting data for two years, with an option for a further two years if successful. The mission is designed to investigate the differences between the current and ancient climate of Mars, the loss of hydrogen and oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, and the relationship between the lower and upper atmosphere.

It is expected to provide a global daily picture of Martian weather and perhaps provide the reason behind Mars' drastic climate changes.

SPACE: UAE launching “Hope” mission to Mars (Graphic)
GN40289 Graphic shows details of the Hope mission to Mars.
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June 17, 2020 -- India and China increased their nuclear weapon stockpile over the past year while all other nuclear-armed nations like the U.S., Russia and France, continued to modernise their arsenal, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

India increased its number of warheads from an estimated 130-140 in 2019 to 150 in 2020, whereas China increased its nuclear stockpile from an estimated 290 warheads to 320 during the same time, the SIPRI report said.

China and Pakistan, which has an estimated stockpile of 160 nuclear warheads, individually have more nuclear warheads than India, the report added.

China is modernising its nuclear arsenal and ”developing a so-called nuclear triad for the first time, made up of new land- and sea-based missiles and nuclear capable-aircraft,” the report said. On the other hand, India and Pakistan were both increasing the size and diversity of their nuclear weapons, it noted.

The report, which was published on Monday, comes amid an ongoing standoff between India and China along their disputed border.

Worldwide, nine states together possessed an estimated 13,400 warheads at the start of 2020, a slight drop on 2019, SIPRI said. The decrease was largely due to the dismantling of retired nuclear weapons by Russia and the United States – which together still possess over 90 percent of the global stockpile.

MILITARY: India and China boost nuclear arsenals (Graphic)
GN40294 Graphic shows estimated number of nuclear warheads as of Jan 2020, and comparison with 2019.
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June 17, 2020 -- European car sales showed the first signs of a recovery in May as showrooms reopened after a two-month shutdown. Car sales in Europe are forecast to decline by as much as a fifth in 2020, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

In May 2020, the European passenger car market suffered another sharp drop, with new registrations falling by 52.3%, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

While that’s the worst May since ACEA started tracking the data in 1990, however, it was an improvement over the 78% plunge in April.

From January to May 2020, demand for new passenger cars in the EU-27, the European Free Trade Association and the UK fell by more than 48% compared to the first five months of 2019.

So far this year, car registrations decreased by 54.2% in Spain, 50.4% in Italy and 48.5% in France. The contraction of the German market was slightly less severe, with registrations down 35.0% over the first five months of 2020.

The industry is hoping that consumers will turn to cars for the summer holidays instead of flying.

BUSINESS: European car sales (Graphic)
GN40293 Graphic shows new car registrations in the first five months of 2020 compared with the same period of 2019.
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June 17, 2020 -- The fiercest border clash between India and China in over 40 years left 20 Indian soldiers dead and worsened tensions between nuclear-armed rivals that increasingly view each other as strategic rivals.

At least 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel, died of severe injuries suffered in sub-zero temperatures, Indian officials said, after the two sides threw rocks and traded blows in the culmination of a months-long standoff in the Galwan Valley near the Line of Actual Control that separates the two countries.

No shots were fired because neither side’s patrolling soldiers carry firearms, in accordance with the terms of the unresolved border dispute, Indian officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose information.

Still, it was the worst violence since 1962, when a war over completing claims on the remote Himalayan area ended with an uneasy truce.

Thousands of soldiers backed by armoured trucks and artillery have been facing off near the border. Scuffles are not uncommon, but Indian authorities say China upped the ante when its troops breached the line of control.

China accused Indian forces of carrying out “provocative attacks” on its troops. China’s defence ministry confirmed there had also been casualties on its side but given no numbers.

POLITICS: India-China stand-off in Himalayas (Graphic)
GN40292 Graphic shows location of the deadly fighting and of the recent clashes between India and China.
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June 16, 2020 -- Construction is underway on a major new road in Jerusalem as the coalition government begins discussions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The project, named “The American Road” after an old road
in southeast Jerusalem, is set to cost over $250 million and it is poised to be completed in the summer of 2021, according to a Reuters report.

The Bypass will connect Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, north and south of city.

Israel officials say the project will benefit all of Jerusalem’s residents but critics say the road undermines the possibility of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, cutting off these parts of the city from the West Bank.

About 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are widely considered illegal under international law, though Israel has always disputed this.

ISRAEL: The American Road (Graphic)
GN40291 Graphic shows route and facts of The American Road project.
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June 16, 2020 -- Russians will vote on July 1 to approve or reject constitutional reforms that will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power if re-elected until 2036 instead of stepping down in 2024.

On March 16, Russia’s Constitutional Court approved amendments proposed by President Putin to the country’s laws, paving the way for him to become president for life effectively.

Russia’s Communist Party has launched a campaign urging supporters to vote against the amendments. All 43 members of the Communist Party in the Russian parliament voted against the provision.

Alexei Navalny, an outspoken critic of Putin, has urged Russians to boycott the vote. “There is an epidemic going on in the country. Voting is unsafe; therefore it’s immoral to call supporters to the polls,” Navalny said, according to the Meduza news website.

On June 6, after more than two months of lockdown, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin lifted coronavirus restrictions amid suggestions that Kremlin politics lay behind his decision.

In another bid to entice voters, Moscow’s city government is organising a raffle for two million gift certificates for those turning out to vote.

Kremlin strategists have framed the July 1 plebiscite as “a celebration of victory” over the pandemic. However, since the end of lockdown, Russia has seen a surge of more than 78,380 Covid-19 cases. Moscow is the epicentre.

Last July, protests broke out in Moscow over government corruption. They followed five consecutive years of falling real incomes, a five-year rise in the pension age and a VAT rate hike to 20 per cent.

Fuelled by heavy criticism of his handling of the pandemic, Putin’s approval rating has hit a historic low of 59 per cent, according to the independent Levada Center polling agency. The Kremlin predicts a turnout of 55 per cent and expects six in 10 voters to approve the amendments.

POLITICS: Putin’s 20-year reign (Graphic)
GN40288 Graphic shows Vladimir Putin’s approval rating since he became acting president in 1999.
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June 15, 2020 -- Europe is taking a big step towards normality, with many countries reopening their borders to fellow Europeans after months of coronavirus closures in a bid to attract free-spending holidaymakers.

Border checks for most Europeans were dropped overnight in Germany, France and elsewhere, nearly two weeks after Italy opened its frontiers. The European Union’s 27 nations, as well as those in the Schengen passport-free travel area, which also includes a few non-EU nations such as Switzerland, aren’t expected to start opening to visitors from outside the continent until at least the beginning of next month, and possibly much later.

Even inside Europe, there is caution after more than 182,000 virus-linked deaths. Europe has had more than two million of the world’s 7.9 million confirmed infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Still, the need to get Europe’s tourism industry up and running again is urgent for countries such as Spain and Greece as the economic fallout of the crisis multiplies.

In a trial run, Spain is allowing thousands of Germans to fly to its Balearic Islands starting Monday – waiving its 14-day quarantine for the group. The idea is to test out best practices in the coronavirus era.

BUSINESS: Europe opens borders for tourism revival (Graphic)
GN40285 Graphic shows contribution of travel and tourism to GDP for selected European countries.
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June 15, 2020 -- Black Lives Matter protests have reignited the debate over the Confederate flag, seen by opponents as an emblem of racism and slavery but by supporters as a symbol of their heritage and history.

The national protest movement that has erupted in the wake of George Floyd's death has rekindled a fire under the cultural tinderbox known as the American Confederacy.

In the past week, NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its events and races, and the Marine Corps ordered the removal of public displays of the Confederate flag from its military installations. Statues of rebel heroes across the South have been vandalized or taken down, either by protesters or local authorities.

Nascar driver Bubba Wallace, the only full-time African-American in the top-flight U.S. motor-racing series, has got the organisation to ban the Confederate flag from events.

The Confederate flag has been a common sight at Nascar circuits, particularly in the sport's southern U.S. heartland.

Wallace, 26, became in 2013 the first black driver to win a Nascar event since Wendell Scott in 1963.

POLITICS: U.S. Confederate flag controversy (Graphic)
GN40290 Graphic shows history of the Confederate battle flag.
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June 15, 2020 -- Anger following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in the United States has prompted a new look at the slave trade between Africa and the European colonies in the Americas.

The enslavement of Africans by Europeans began in the late 15th century. Between 1441 and 1521 as many as 156,000 African slaves arrived in the Iberian Peninsula -- Portugal and Spain.

Initially, the Catholic church endorsed African slavery. In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued a papal bull that granted King Afonso V of Portugal the right to reduce to “perpetual slavery” all “infidels and enemies of Christ.” In 1454, a second bull granted Portugal the power to conquer and enslave people along the coast of West Africa. These papal bulls signalled to the rest of Christian Europe that the enslavement of sub-Saharan Africans was acceptable. The trade continued until the 19th century, contributing substantially to the wealth and development of Europe.

Professor David Eltis of Atlanta-based Emory University writes that the first direct slave voyage from Africa to the Americas was Portuguese and probably sailed in 1526. Britain became involved in the trade in the 16th century followed by France, the Dutch, and the Danes in the 17th century.

The transatlantic slave trade was primarily a triangular route from Europe to Africa, to the Americas and back to Europe. On the first leg, merchants exported goods to Africa in return for enslaved Africans, gold, ivory and spices. The ships then travelled across the Atlantic -- the so-called “Middle Passage” -- to the Americas. After selling the slaves at auction, ships loaded with sugar, tobacco and cotton sailed back to Europe.

Britain was one of the most successful slave-trading countries. Together with Portugal, the two countries accounted for about 70% of all Africans transported to the Americas. However, much of the Portuguese trade was bilateral. Slavers left Angola, headed to Rio de Janeiro, then sailed straight back to Africa.

Our artist’s reconstruction, by Mario Lendvai, is of the French slaver L’Aurore. The ship sailed from La Rochelle, France, in 1784, acquired about 600 Africans at Malembo in Angola, and sailed to Saint Domingue. Middle Passage voyages lasted from as little as three weeks to five months, depending on the weather. Slaves were kept naked and packed close together; the men chained for long periods. Slaves died from diseases such as smallpox, scurvy and measles.

Portugal abolished the slave trade in 1761, but the business continued. Although Britain prohibited the slave trade in 1807, it was the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 that finally abolished slavery within the British Empire. In the United States, the determination of the southern states led to secession and the Civil War of 1861-65. Professor Eltis estimates that during the slave trade years, some 12.5 million enslaved Africans travelled to the New World.

SLAVE TRADE: Middle Passage slave ship (Graphic)
GN40282 Graphic shows cutaway of a typical slave ship of the late 18th century, and the appalling conditions endured by enslaved Africans on board.
(219mm wide by 256mm deep) View graphic

October 6, 2020 -- Japanese gaming giant Sega is celebrating its 60th anniversary by reviving the 30-year-old Game Gear console – but in microscale.

Sega is rereleasing its 30-year-old Game Gear handheld video game system, as a mini retro console to mark the company’s 60th anniversary.

Curiously, it really will be miniature, coming in at only 8cm wide and featuring a miniscule 2.92cm screen (240x180 pixels) – the original machine was 21cm wide and featured an 8.13cm screen.

The Game Gear Micro is slated for released in Japan only, in October, costing around $50 and will be available in four colours (black, blue, yellow and red), each incorporating four games from its back catalogue. A four-pack version is available for $200 that comes with all four coloured consoles bundled with a bonus "Big Window Micro" screen magnifying add-on – an admission perhaps that Sega knows the Game Gear Micro is so small as to be virtually unplayable!

The game titles in full are as follow:

Black console:
1) Sonic the Hedgehog
2) Puyo Puyo 2 (aka Puyo Puto Tsu)
3) Out Run
4) Royal Stone

Blue console:
1) Sonic and Tails
2) Gunstar Heroes
3) Sylvan Tale
4) Bakubaku Animal

Yellow console:
1) Shining Force Gaiden
2) Shining Force Gaiden 2
3) Shining Force Gaiden Final Conflict
4) Nazo Puyo Arle no Roux

Red console:
1) Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible
2) Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible Special
3) The GG Shinobi
4) Columns

Although presently only available for preorder in Japan, Amazon.jp is accepting international orders.

GAMING: Sega to launch tiny retro games console (Graphic)
GN40269 Graphic compares the new Game Gear Micro to the original Game Gear released in 1990.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic

March 26, 2020 -- Countries around the world are struggling to control the pandemic of the pneumonia-like virus that originated in China late last year as it spreads across the globe.


The number of people around the world who have contracted coronavirus is continuing to surge, with the death toll from the pandemic rising rapidly, as the global outbreak continues to take lives and wreak havoc on economies and established routines of life.

Medical workers and health services around the world are also at breaking point and the livelihoods of millions are at risk amid a widespread shutdown caused by the virus and the damage the viral outbreak is inflicting on the global economy. Layoffs are sure to accelerate as the world sinks into a recession with revenue collapsing at restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, gyms, airlines and numerous other businesses.

HEALTH: Coronavirus pandemic interactive (4) (Interactive UPDATED May 12)
GN40054 Interactive graphic shows cases, fatalities, and recovered cases from the COVID-19 coronavirus. N.B. This data will be updated daily
(800px wide by 568px deep)

December 16, 2020 -- Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist, is a defining figure in the history of Western music, whose work marks the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras. His deafness in later life makes his musical accomplishments all the more astonishing.

Born in 1770* in the city of Bonn, in present-day Germany, Beethoven moved to Vienna as a young musician and went on to become one of the most celebrated composers of all time.

Rooted in the classical traditions of Mozart and Haydn, his art encompasses the new spirit of humanism and incipient nationalism of the age, as expressed in the literary works of Goethe and Schiller, the moral imperatives of Kant, and the ideals of the French Revolution, with its passionate concern for the freedom and dignity of the individual.

His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets.

His Moonlight Sonata for the piano and dramatic four-note opening to his Fifth Symphony are among the best known pieces of classical music ever written. His Ode to Joy, part of the Ninth Symphony, has been adopted by the European Union as the Anthem of Europe.

His personal life was marked by a heroic struggle against encroaching deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life when he had lost his hearing entirely.

*His birth date is uncertain but he was baptised on December 17, 1770, and it is thought likely that he was born the previous day.

HISTORY: 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth (Graphic)
GN40116 Graphic shows key events in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827.
(163mm wide by 252mm deep) View graphic

April 15, 2020 -- Smartphone giants Apple and Google, normally fierce rivals, have joined forces to create a coronavirus-tracking app to be installed into the operating systems of their smartphones. The app should help stop the spread of Covid-19 infections.

The app, due later this year, would alert users if they have come into contact with somebody infected with coronavirus, allowing them to self-isolate or seek medical advice.

Together, the two technology behemoths control 99% of the world's smartphones, meaning the move could significantly slow the spread of the virus.

The app is based on the “contact trace” principle, whereby a smartphone can detect the presence of other smartphones up to a range of about 2 metres around it, by using Bluetooth short-wavelength UHF radio waves.

For the system to work, people who test positive for the virus would notify a public health app in their country that they have been infected. The public health app would then link that information to the Apple or Google tool, depending on which type of phone they use (iOS or Android operating systems).

Apple or Google would then trigger alerts to handsets that have come near to the infected user's phone within the past 14 days, allowing people to self-isolate or be tested for the virus.

To allay privacy concerns, no GPS location data would be stored and all information would remain anonymous and encrypted.

Apple and Google began work on the app at the beginning of April and hope to have it installed into their operating systems within a few months.

HEALTH: Contact Trace coronavirus app (1) (Graphic UPDATED Apr 15)
GN40133 Graphic shows how the Contact Trace app would work.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital))

January 30, 2020 -- U.S. political parties select candidates for president and vice-president through a series of local caucuses and state-wide primaries in which voters cast secret ballots, culminating in national conventions.

On Monday at seven in the evening, tens of thousands of Democrats in Iowa will gather in schools, gymnasiums, churches and libraries, in all 1,678 precincts of the state, to select which of the presidential candidates they support.

Iowa’s caucuses —  caucus means “a meeting of neighbours” — hold the distinction of voting first in the process to select who represents the United States’ two major political parties in November’s presidential election. Candidates must reach a 15 per cent state-wide threshold to qualify for pledged national convention delegates. If a candidate fails to hit that threshold, the path to the nomination is pretty much impossible.

With the first fundraising reports of the 2020 cycle in, President Donald Trump has to date amassed $165.67 million in Campaign Committee funds. The dozen Democratic candidates have collectively pulled together more than $318.20 million, according to The Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington DC-based nonpartisan research group.

In Iowa, there are four Democrat candidates bunched in the top tier in polls, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden. And after spending more than $60 million in television advertising markets across the state, the contenders have made their “closing argument” ads, to use political jargon.

Sanders talks about the “fight,” while Warren delivers the powerful closing message herself: “I approve this message because I’m going to beat him.” Buttigieg’s campaign calls for a “bold vision for the next generation,” and for Biden, it’s clear: “Vote Biden. Beat Trump.” On Monday, the people of Iowa will decide.

U.S. ELECTION: Road to the White House (Graphic)
GN39931 Graphic shows dates in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
(107mm by 193mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic