News Headlines - 31 July 2018

▽Almost Every Single Taxi Driver in Spain Is Currently on Strike | Fortune

A taxi strike began in Barcelona last week after a regional judge rejected local rules that would have limited the number of licenses for cars from ride-hailing services like Uber and Cabify.
The strike spread, and over the weekend taxi drivers in Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Zaragoza and La Rioja began to turn off their engines in solidarity.
Not only are the drivers not offering rides but they have been blocking major avenues such as the Gran Via in Barcelona and the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid by parking their taxis mid lane to stop traffic flow, with some drivers even spending the night in tents beside their vehicles.

▽Brexit: UK warns EU of tit-for-tat measures over financial services | The Guardian

UK negotiators have told their counterparts in Brussels that about 7,000 European-based investment funds that rely on British clients for their cash and profits will be hit by regulators unless the EU changes its position on the City of London after Brexit... A section of a UK presentation made to the European commission’s negotiators last week, and seen by the Guardian, says that unless Brussels allows all UK sectors of the City of London to continue to operate after Brexit as they do today, at least initially, obstacles to European financial interests operating in the UK could also be put in place.

▽Japan pledges to reduce plutonium, but doesn’t say how：The Asahi Shimbun

Japan's nuclear policy-setting panel on Tuesday approved revised guidelines on plutonium use, putting a cap on its stockpile and pledging to eventually reduce it to address international concerns, but without giving a specific timeline or targets... Despite security concerns raised by Washington and others, the stockpile isn't decreasing due to difficulties in achieving a full nuclear fuel recycling program and slow restarts of reactors amid setbacks from the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

▽Japan Amateur Boxing Federation denies financial fraud allegations | The Japan Times

The Japan Amateur Boxing Federation has responded to allegations of fraud, including the misuse of federal grant money, saying “a lot of” the accusations made by regional federation executives and former boxers are false.
On its website late Monday evening, the JABF apologized for disappointing fans, athletes and sports officials following media reports about the complaint against the governing body of amateur boxing filed through the Japanese Olympic Committee.

▽French World Cup glory costs China firm $9 mn and counting | AFP.com

A Chinese kitchen appliance maker said Monday it has so far made refunds worth nine million dollars, fulfilling a costly pledge to reimburse customers if France won the World Cup... According to Vatti's latest figures, the Chinese firm has made refunds -- either in cash or gift cards -- of more than 62 million yuan... The total payout over the marketing stunt will amount to nearly $12 million.