The US technology companies Google, Amazon and Microsoft are refusing to provide financial data of their customers to Hong Kong authorities for fear of retaliatory restrictions in the United States, the Financial Times writes citing sources. "Google, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft refused to agree to an offer that would allow Hong Kong regulators to access customer banking data," the...

Number of people suffering from hunger is growing every year. Results of 2019 show that their number was 690 million, according to UNICEF’s press release to the annual report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World”. Over the year, this figure has increased by 10 million, and over the past five years - by 60 million people. If the trend continues, the number of people starving on...

People began to drink less coffee as restaurants and cafes remained closed during the pandemic. According to the year’s results, consumption of the drink in the world can be reduced for the first time in almost 10 years. The consumption of coffee in the world this year will be reduced for the first time since 2011. This forecast was made by the US Department of Agriculture, reports Bloomberg....

118 policemen were injured and 153 suspected violators were detained in cities of Serbia during the two days of unrest that accompanied the protests against the return of quarantine measures, said Serbian Police Director Vladimir Rebić. According to him, "citizens witnessed incredible violence, not only in Belgrade, but also in Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac." He called this violence unacceptable...

According to McKinsey & Co’s estimates, global GDP is losing up to 15% of its volume annually due to premature mortality and morbidity in the population of various countries. By 2040, these losses can be halved by already known measures, such as improving the environment, spreading a healthy lifestyle and preventive medicine. Reducing the harm from already known diseases can also reduce...

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who repeatedly called COVID-19 “mild flu,” refused to impose a national quarantine and defiantly ignored recommendations for wearing masks. Recently, he became infected with a coronavirus. He was added to the list of more than 1.6 million cases in Brazil, which ranks second after the United States in this indicator. Moreover, in a number of regions of the...

Ecuador, whose economy is in the midst of an economic crisis, has agreed to restructure its external debt with major lenders, said President Lenin Moreno. "We have reached an agreement with the most important group of debt holders, which will reduce debt by $ 1.5 billion, reduce the interest rate from 9.3 to 5.2%, extend the payout period by another 10 years and get a 5-year grace period," he...

European Union countries agree that the European Commission needs to borrow money on the market for a new anti-crisis fund, said Ursula von der Leyen, Head of the European Commission, at a press conference. According to her, the Union countries agree that the European Commission is allowed to borrow money for the fund in the market and transfer it through European programs to support the region’s...

According to the estimates of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the working hours in the world have decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic by 14%, which is comparable to the loss of 400 million jobs. Such data, however, may reflect new ways of adapting of the the global labor market to a crisis by reducing staff time instead of firing people. As follows from the new release of labor...