Stories for August 2016

Tuesday, August 30th 2016 - 04:47 UTC
Rousseff claims impeachment is a new type of coup; street protests in her support

Brazil's suspended president, Dilma Rousseff, took the stand on Monday at her impeachment trial in the Senate, delivering a last-ditch defense to prevent her final removal from office. “Don’t expect from me the obliging silence of cowards,” Ms. Rousseff, 68, said in a withering attack on her opponents at the start of her testimony.
Tuesday, August 30th 2016 - 04:38 UTC
Mercosur members who disagree and don't accept consensus “can walk out”...

Paraguay said Mercosur will continue to function and is waiting for a reply from Uruguay to confirm a collegiate presidency of the block, until Argentina takes the helm at the end of the year. If not, “Mercosur members are well aware that the the same way they decided to belong to the group, they can walk away...”
Tuesday, August 30th 2016 - 04:07 UTC
HMS Protector crew parade next to the Chilean navy to honor Pilot Pardo in Punta Arenas

Sailors and Royal Marines from Ice Patrol HMS Protector participated on Sunday in a major parade in Punta Arenas, next to members from the Chilean Navy, local Fire fighters and two schools, as part of the commemorations to honor pilot Luis Pardo Villalón, the Chilean navy officer who a century ago rescued the 22 survivors of Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition “Endurance”.
Tuesday, August 30th 2016 - 03:52 UTC
Lighting kills more than 300 wild reindeers in Norwegian national park

More than 300 wild reindeer were recently killed by lightning at a Norwegian national park, officials say. The Norwegian Environment Agency has released haunting images of reindeer—including 70 calves—that seemingly fell over where they stood in the grasses of Hardangervidda, the largest high mountain plateau in northern Europe.
Monday, August 29th 2016 - 06:49 UTC
Germany admits US/Europe trade talks have failed; growing fears of populism reactions

Talks aimed at setting up a U.S.-European free trade zone have run aground because of intransigence on Washington's part, a top German politician said Sunday. The Obama administration and the 28-member European Union have been in talks to set up the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, which would be the world's largest free trade zone.
Monday, August 29th 2016 - 06:41 UTC
Morales claims killing of minister and three miners was a coup attempt

Morales claimed that the violent miners protests this week that resulted in the beating and killing of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes and the deaths of three demonstrators were the latest unsuccessful attempt by his political enemies to forcibly remove him from office.
Monday, August 29th 2016 - 04:27 UTC
Obama creates largest protected marine area in Hawaii

United States President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahnaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 1.5 million sq km of the Pacific Ocean.
Monday, August 29th 2016 - 04:11 UTC
Venezuela and Iran announce new “dynamic bilateral relations”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro named Chief General Jesus Gonzalez as the country's new ambassador to Iran on Saturday, while announcing the beginning of a new dynamic era in Caracas-Tehran bilateral relations.
Monday, August 29th 2016 - 03:59 UTC
Court ruling and economy contraction push Argentine inflation down in August

Inflation in Argentina during the current month of August could drop to 0.7% because of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the hikes in natural gas prices for residential users, according to the official stats office Indec. Similar stats also indicate a strong contraction of the Argentine economy.
Sunday, August 28th 2016 - 03:59 UTC
Eight Paraguayan soldiers executed by rural guerrillas following an attack on a patrol

Eight Paraguayan soldiers died on Saturday in a rural roadside explosion, followed by execution of survivors, 500 kilometers north of the capital Asunción, the government said, blaming it on a criminal group which identifies itself as the EPP, acronym for Paraguayan People's Army.