Stories for 2013
OAS General Assembly will hold major debate on the drug problem in the Americas
Secretary General José Miguel Insulza presented on Monday the Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas to the members of the OAS Permanent Council, in a special meeting of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) in which he expressed his hope that the document is understood “not as a conclusion, but only as the beginning of a long awaited debate.”
Brazil main opposition party elects a new leader and 2014 presidential hopeful
Brazilian opposition unified over the weekend behind Aecio Neves who was elected by a landslide president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, PSDB. His naming opens the way for his candidacy to the 2014 presidential election, when President Dilma Rousseff will be bidding for another four years.
Falklands MPA has the minimum force necessary to prevent a repeat of 1982 invasion
The UK military base in the Falkland Islands has the “minimum necessary force to prevent a repeat of the illegal invasion such as that of 1982” committed by Argentina said Foreign Office Minister of State for Latinamerican affairs Hugo Swire during an interview with the Argentine news agency, Diarios y Noticias. (*)
Argentina absorbs 93% of beef production, exports tumble behind Paraguay
Argentine government trade restrictions on overseas sales of beef have turned Paraguay into Mercosur third largest exporter behind Brazil and Uruguay. The first place last year belonged to Brazil with exports of 1.3 million tons; Uruguay, 350.000 tons; Paraguay, 210.00 and finally Argentina.183.000 tons.
Falkland Islands’ tourism industry keeps growing despite a drop in cruise visitors
The Falkland Islands International Tourism Statistics Report released to the public this week records that 2012 was the second highest year on record in terms of overnight visitors travelling for leisure. There were 7,791 overnight tourists (as opposed to day trip cruise tourists) arrivals in the Falkland Islands in 2012, of which 1,937 could be classed as leisure visitors. Overall, tourist arrivals have grown at an average annual rate of 7% per annum over the period 2000-2012.
Gibraltar ‘will never be Spanish’ and will enjoy full self-government says Chief Minister Picardo
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has told German readers of Frankfurter Allegmeine Zeitung that he is firmly convinced that Gibraltar will never be Spanish because today’s Europe is about the people rather than the states.
Brazil opens ports to private investment hoping to ease bottlenecks strangling exports growth
Brazil’s Congress approved legislation that opens up state-owned ports to private investment and lifts restrictions on the building of private ports in a bid to eliminate serious bottlenecks strangling the country’s export growth. The Brazilian Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries praised the approval of the bill and anticipate investment of 25bn dollars.
Almirante Irizar en route to becoming another major scandal for Argentina’s navy
Argentina’ icebreaker Almirante Irizar, docked for repairs since 2007 is en route to becoming another major scandal involving the Ministry of Defence and the Argentine Navy’s fleet. In the last six years Argentina has invested the equivalent of 200 million dollars in the recovery of the vessel that caught fire in 2007 and another 75 million dollars in contracting vessels to supply the Antarctic bases and stations.
Brazil trapped by Argentina and Venezuela economic mismanagements
Brazil’s main financial newspaper Valor Economico revealed that the recent summit between Presidents Cristina Fernandez and Dilma Rousseff from Argentina and Brazil was far from polite and enlightening, rather the contrary with “strong disagreements in the fields of trade and investment” shaking the foundations of Mercosur.
Iran enforces memorandum with Argentina to look into AMIA terrorist bombing
The business representative of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires Alí Pakdaman announced on Monday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad endorsed without Congress approval the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Argentina and Tehran in order to investigate the AMIA Jewish centre bombing which killed 85 people in 1994.
