Stories for December 22nd 2015

Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 15:37 UTC
Strong exchange on human rights between Macri and Maduro's representative

At a summit marked by strong differences between Argentina and Venezuela, Mercosur signed a statement in defense of the “unrestricted support of human rights”. Earlier in the day there was a serious exchange between Argentine president Mauricio Macri who demanded all political prisoners in Venezuela be set free, and president Nicolas Maduro foreign minister who replied that Macri was 'meddling' in Venezuela's affairs and was applying a 'double standard' on the issue.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 15:29 UTC
Chile calls for a South American convergence; pledges to bring together Mercosur and Pacific Alliance

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet called for “a convergence among governments” of South America despite the “political and ideological differences”, and anticipated that Chile will strongly promote the rapprochement between Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 15:19 UTC
Huge asteroid will cross the sky on Christmas eve at 11m km from planet Earth

In a new twist to the old song, it’s Santa Claus who had “better watch out” on Christmas Eve, as he shares the night sky with a huge asteroid that will make its closest pass to Earth at about the same time the jolly old fellow is making his annual deliveries.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 15:04 UTC
Paris agreement: a triumph for people and multilateralism

By Ban Ki-Moon - Seventy years ago, the United Nations was created from the ashes of the Second World War. Seven decades later, in Paris, nations have united in the face of another threat ¬ the threat to life as we know it due to a rapidly warming planet.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 14:57 UTC
Israel invites Macri and calls on Argentine judiciary to speed up AMIA investigation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made an official invitation to Argentine President Mauricio Macri to visit his country, Israel’s ambassador to Buenos Aires Dorit Shavit confirmed.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 14:49 UTC
Brazil's new minister promises the same Levy targets, but fails to convince investors

Brazil's new finance minister sought to reassure investors on Monday as he took the reins of the recession-hit economy, but the Sao Paulo stock market and the Brazilian real both fell. In his first full business day on the job, Finance Minister Nelson Barbosa held a teleconference with international investors, promising to practice the same fiscal discipline as his predecessor, Joaquim Levy.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 14:37 UTC
Rousseff's impeachment support score almost a tie, but 60% prepared to remove speaker Cunha

An estimated 42% of Brazilian Lower House lawmakers (513) are prepared to support the impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff, which is equivalent to 215 votes. But the impeachment motion requires at least 342 votes, two thirds of the total number, which means supporters are still 127 votes short. These numbers belong to a Congress members survey from Datafolha, which was taken between December 7 and 18.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2015 - 14:31 UTC
Brazil welcomes and supports Macri's policies regarding the dollar and trade

The Brazilian government has welcomed Argentina's realistic foreign exchange policy unifying the Argentine peso exchange rate, saying the latest economic measures taken by the Mauricio Macri administration will be “very positive” for the commercial relationship between the two countries.