Germany’s Wintershall sealed a 150 million dollar unconventional exploration contract with the Argentine province of Neuquén’s owned Gas y Petroleo de Neuquén to search for oil in the Vaca Muerta formation. The agreement could later be extended to 3.35bn.
Representatives from Paraguay and Venezuela are scheduled to re-take bilateral and Mercosur related discussions on the sides of the UN General Assembly this week in New York, according to Deputy foreign minister Manuel María Cáceres
President Juan Manuel Santos was grateful and ‘accepted with prudence’ his Uruguayan peer Jose Mujica offer to host a peace-talks process in Montevideo with the other big guerrilla movement in Colombia, the ELN, National Liberation Army
Gibraltar has accused Spain of a “crude, last minute” attempt to “disguise and conceal” its normal customs checks at the border, just days ahead of a visit by the European Commission. The EC team arrives on Wednesday and will consist of six experts on EU customs controls and border matters.
The new Argentine ambassador before the Organization of American States, OAS, former Defence and Home Security minister Nilda Garré begins her diplomatic job with a main line of action: ‘claiming the Malvinas Islands sovereignty” and the “resumption of negotiations with the UK”.
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and according to the official agenda has several appointments with political leaders and business representatives.
US lawmakers have narrowly voted to cut food stamp benefits from next year despite a veto threat from the White House and opposition from lobby groups. The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the bill by 217-200. But it has little chance in the Democratic-held Senate.
Francis has made one of his strongest attacks yet on the global economic system, saying it could no longer be based on a god called money and urged the unemployed to fight for work.
Just a few seats short of a majority, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she's ready to begin coalition talks with the center-left SPD, but with animosity on both sides, it's not quite clear who will be courting whom, according to German analysts.
The UK's biggest online university project has been launched, with more than 20 universities offering free courses. Students will be able to follow courses on mobile phones as well as computers. The UK's project, called FutureLearn, sees UK universities entering the global market in so-called Moocs - massive open online courses.