Stories for May 2016

Tuesday, May 31st 2016 - 06:51 UTC
“Argentina needs its armed forces for peace; they have been ignored for years”, says Macri on Army Day

Argentine President Mauricio Macri said Monday that Argentina needs armed forces adapted to the 21st century, ready to carry out peace missions and come to the rescue in times of disaster, after “years” of being ignored by the government. He made the statement at an Army Day event.
Tuesday, May 31st 2016 - 06:40 UTC
Latam is suspending flights to Venezuela because of the government's mounting debts

The largest airline in Latin America, Latam, (Lan Chile and Braizl's TAM) announced it is suspending its flights to Venezuela because of the worsening economic situation. The suspension came a day after Germany's Lufthansa said it would suspend its services to the country.
Tuesday, May 31st 2016 - 06:34 UTC
Keiko Fujimori seems set to become Peru's next president on June 5 runoff

Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori built a significant lead over Pedro Pablo Kuczynski just one week ahead of Peru's runoff election on June 5. The latest Ipsos poll shows 43% of Peru’s voters support Fujimori, compared to 38% for Kuczynski. Fujimori’s five-point lead reflects political momentum in her favor since the same poll a week ago gave her a three-point advantage.
Tuesday, May 31st 2016 - 06:16 UTC
World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2016: Get ready for plain packaging

Recent moves to introduce plain (standardized) packaging of tobacco products can save lives by reducing demand for tobacco products, say the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat (WHO FCTC).
Monday, May 30th 2016 - 09:36 UTC
Suspended Rousseff claims tapes reveal her impeachment is meant to stop the Petrobras corruption probe

Suspended President Dilma Rousseff said in an interview published Sunday that leaked audio recordings of men backing her impeachment show the effort to oust her is meant to stop a wide-ranging corruption probe that has implicated numerous leading Brazilian politicians and businessmen.
Monday, May 30th 2016 - 09:25 UTC
Lula regrets having elected Dilma as his successor, according to taped conversation

Ex Brazilian president Lula da Silva regrets having handpicked suspended president Dilma Rousseff as his political heiress, according to a taped conversation leaked to the media. In the audio between former president Jose Sarney and Sergio Machado, a former head of Transpetro, a state-run natural gas company, who is believed to have entered a plea bargain with the prosecution, the two men comment on Lula's confession.
Monday, May 30th 2016 - 09:16 UTC
US top official expected in Uruguay and Brazil

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mari Carmen Aponte will travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, May 31-June 2 to lead the United States delegation at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Americas Regional Meeting.
Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:48 UTC
At the 100th anniversary of Verdun, Hollande and Merkel appeal to unity

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed on Sunday for Europe to unite to face its current challenges as they marked the 100th anniversary of Verdun, the longest battle of World War I. The 300 days of fighting in northeast France were one of the bloodiest battles of the war, claiming more than 300,000 lives before France emerged victorious.
Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:36 UTC
Venezuela's public sector will only work Mondays and Tuesdays for another two weeks

Venezuela's government on Saturday extended by two weeks a decree reducing the public sector workweek to Mondays and Tuesdays in a bid to tackle the oil-rich country's electricity crisis. The enforced leave was first announced in late April, a drastic move for a government also grappling with an economic crisis that has Venezuelans queuing for hours to buy scarce supplies.
Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:13 UTC
Chilean rescue of Shackleton's crew from Elephant Island marked at British residence

A networking reception was held in the British residence on Wednesday 25 May to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the rescue by the Chilean pilot Luis Pardo, of the Armada de Chile, of Ernest Shackleton’s crew from Elephant Island.