Stories for October 31st 2015

Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 10:12 UTC
Chavistas “will not surrender the revolution”, even in defeat in December's elections, warned Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned that he wouldn’t let a defeat in December congressional elections derail his government even as his socialist party faces the possibility of losing control of the national assembly for the first time in 16 years.
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 09:40 UTC
UK and Brazil committed to exchange of EU/Mercosur market access offers by end of 2015

The United Kingdom and Brazil reaffirmed on Friday their support for the success of the European Union/Mercosur Association agreement negotiations in the framework of the eighth meeting of the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) which emphasizes bilateral cooperation and initiatives.
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 07:14 UTC
Falklands' visit early next year for Shadow Foreign minister Stephen Doughty

Cardiff South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty has become the shadow minister responsible for Africa, South Asia and the Falkland Islands, reports Walesonline. The Labour MP takes on the role at a time when the UK is responding to the migrant crisis in North Africa and tensions have heightened between Britain and Argentina over the future of the Falklands, the Islands which he plans to visit early next year.
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 07:04 UTC
Griesa accepts 'me too' claims and raises Argentina's bond debt to US$ 9bn

US judge Thomas Griesa on Friday accepted the priority repayment claims of hundreds more Argentine bondholders who did not join a huge debt restructuring. The ruling, on 49 complaints representing debt worth $6.1 billion, added fresh pressure on Buenos Aires which has refused to pay off two hedge fund creditors that already won court support for their claims.
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 06:51 UTC
Venezuela seeking an additional 12 Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia

Venezuela will allocate $480 million to upgrade its Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia. “President Nicolas Maduro just authorized the payment of $480 million so that the service life of our Sukhoi planes and continue to fulfill their duty and give protection to the Venezuelan airspace,” Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez was quoted, by Moscow's Sputnik news agency on Thursday.
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 06:42 UTC
Unemployment in recession-hit Brazil climbing: 8.8 million looking for jobs

Unemployment in recession deep Brazil climbed to 8.7% of active population in the quarter ending last August, the government said Thursday. The indicator shows a steep hike from the 6.9% recorded in August 2014, according to statistics of the National Study of Households (PNAD), published by the state Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 06:26 UTC
El Niño turns the world's most arid desert into a blossomed carpet

One of the driest places on Earth has blossomed after some unusual rain earlier this year. The Atacama Desert, primarily located in Chile along the Pacific Ocean, is flush with flowers after relatively heavy precipitation in March and August fell in the drought-stricken region.
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 06:08 UTC
Frustration with CCAMLR meeting: no advance on conservation proposals

The 34th meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources closed Friday in Hobart, Tasmania with the unexpected emergence of China as a supporter for a revised Ross Sea MPA. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) described the Commission’s slow progress to live up to its conservation responsibilities as “challenging”.