Two Chevening scholars from British Overseas Territories visited the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and were impressed at the number of staff focused on the Falklands and their knowledge and proactive stance towards the Islands.
President Nicolas Maduro's government declared a 90-day “emergency” in Venezuela's electricity sector this week to speed up infrastructure work and equipment imports needed to prevent politically-contentious power cuts.
“The Falkland Islands is about people; it is not about rocks. It is about people’s right to lead lives as they wish to lead them. As people in Argentina can: to live in peace, prosperity. It is about making their choices and leading their lives and having their home as an expression of their wishes, not somebody else’s wishes. They should be able to self-determine their own futures”.
Tourism ministers and government representatives from Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador have agreed to collaborate on the implementation of a joint smart visa system. The system will allow visitors to the region to benefit from a facilitated and more secure entry.
Landlocked Bolivia sued neighboring Chile on Wednesday in the Hague before the International Court of Justice as it pressed a longstanding claim to recover land lost in a 19th century war and thus regain access to the sea.<br />
Chile quickly responded that the issue was not negotiable.
Three Latin American presidents called for inclusive growth in the region through comprehensive reforms at the opening of the 2013 World Economic Forum on Latin America which is taking place in Lima, Peru.
The UK government has launched a legal challenge against plans for a European financial transactions tax (FTT), according to the BBC. The FTT will be adopted by 11 EU states, but not by the UK and Ministers fear it could be imposed on UK firms trading with businesses based in one of the 11 states.
China unveiled plans to build more aircraft carriers after commissioning its first last year, as the country extends its influence amid territorial disputes with neighbours including Japan and Vietnam. China already has the world’s second-biggest military budget after the US.
The US dollar in Argentina’s ‘blue’ or parallel market skyrocketed on Wednesday to 8.91 and 8.94 Pesos, beating the previous record of 8.75 Pesos from March 20, previous to Holy Week. The official rate meantime remained relatively stable and closed trading at 5.13 and 5.18 Pesos, which means the gap between the two markets stands at 71%.
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will travel to Buenos Aires on Thursday for a two-day meeting with her Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernández and discuss political and trade matters between the two countries after an imports drop in Argentina last year and the cancelling by Brazil of a major investment project.