Argentine Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli said that the sinking of the destroyer ARA Santísima Trinidad could have been a planned sabotage attack, but also confessed that when President Cristina Fernandez asks him why the ship sank his face drops with embarrassment.
A British Member of Parliament called for greater military support for France in Mali as a way of committing Paris in the event of an Argentine ‘invasion’ of the Falklands. However the British government downplayed any military attempt from Argentina and reiterated that no ground troops will put foot in the African country.
The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, highlighted the “important role that Peru is playing in the Latinamerican region,” assuring that Peru will participate “very constructively” in the EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) summit, in Santiago de Chile, on 26-27 January.
Miniature cameras attached to a penguin's head have given Japanese scientists a bird's eye view of the creature's incredible underwater hunting skills. Using video cameras weighing just 33 grams and equipped with accelerometers, depth gauges and thermometers, researchers were able to see exactly what the Adelie penguin sees when it goes out to catch krill and other prey in its native Antarctica.
Research in Brazil has revealed that so-called 'biotic' additives are nutritionally feasible replacements for growth promoters and the animal husbandry indices of animals treated with these additives were similar to those of animals fed the normal rations and the use of additives contributed to improvements in the meat quality.
LatinFocus Consensus Forecast panellists expect regional GDP to expand 3.7% this year, following an estimated 2.9% increase recorded in 2012. The stable figure reflects rosier prospects for Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, which were offset by downward revisions to Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay.
Germany and France have warned UK Prime Minister David Cameron that Britain cannot pick and choose EU membership terms after he pledged a referendum. PM Cameron said a poll would be held if the Conservatives were returned to power at the next general election, which is expected in 2015.
Three members of Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth Antarctica team became the first humans to have visited and photographed a newly-discovered 9.000-strong colony of emperor penguins on Antarctica’s Princess Ragnhild Coast.
Brazil’s powerful manufacturers’ lobby openly criticized the “illegal barriers” imposed by the government of President Cristina Fernandez on Brazilian produce, and also lashed at President Dilma Rousseff for her administration’s “permissive attitude” towards Buenos Aires, a position that has “paralyzed Mercosur”.
Banco Santander chairman Emilio Botin denied this week that he is selling his company’s assets in Brazil and said his bank is only interested in “buying” in Latinamerica’s leading economy.