Stories for November 17th 2016

Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 12:12 UTC
Argentine Congress approves special pensions scheme for Malvinas veterans

The Argentine Senate unanimously (58/58) passed a bill with a special pensions' scheme, described as exceptional and optional for those citizens who were involved in the Malvinas war. The vote was cheered by the veterans present at the session's discussion.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 10:07 UTC
Santos in US for medical exams; the president underwent prostate surgery in 2012

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has travelled to the United States for medical exams after follow-up tests for a 2012 case of prostate cancer came back abnormal, he said. Santos, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner for his efforts to reach a peace deal with Marxist rebels, announced the trip in a brief statement as he left a clinic in Bogota where he has undergone regular check-ups since having surgery to remove a small prostate tumor four years ago.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:59 UTC
Trudeau due in Buenos Aires Thursday morning

Straight from Havana and enroute to Lima, the Canadian Prime Minister seeks to assert regional leadership following the tied caused by Donald Trump's election for the presidency of the United States.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:54 UTC
Soros believed to be behind counter-revolutions where the other party wins elections

Anti-Trump protests so strong and well coordinated make spontaneity unlikely to the reasoning observer who makes out that ”someone is stirring the pot because America has never traditionally had a problem with accepting the outcome of an election,” as one analyst put it.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:48 UTC
Narrative Prize for Cristina Fernández namesake in Spain

Catalonian writer Cristina Fernandez Cubas was awarded the National Narrative Prize for her work 'Granny's Room' (La Habitación de la Nona) by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. The author will receive 20,000 euros.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:38 UTC
Putin eyes Russia's withdrawal from International Criminal Court after Crimea ruling

The draft for a presidential decree, available on the internet, would mean that Russia will “accept the proposal of the Russian Ministry of Justice in agreement with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other federal bodies of executive power, along with the Russian Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation and the Russian Investigative Committee, about sending the Secretary General of the United Nations notice of the intention of the Russian Federation to no longer be a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:29 UTC
Embargo imposed on those responsible for Buenos Aires Herald newspaper

Judge Marcelo Aguinsky imposed an embargo of over 5 million pesos for unpaid taxes and pension contributions on the assests of those responsible for running the Buenos Aires Herald, a daily newspaper originally conceived for the English-speaking community, which saw its last print edition come out in October.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:21 UTC
Argentina unable to lower crude imports depite Minister Aranguren's preferences

Despite Energy Minister Juan José Aranguren's plans, Argentina will end up importing in 2016 almost as much crude as in 2015. Freighters from Nigeria and Angola reported to be on their way with some 3 million barrels.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 09:10 UTC
Argentina's central bank cuts benchmark rate despite Peso's depreciation

Argentina's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate for the second time in two weeks in a surprise move amid market expectations it would hold steady after a high inflation reading and U.S. elections last week.
Thursday, November 17th 2016 - 08:54 UTC
Demonstrators break into the Brazilian Lower House

About 50 demonstrators on Wednesday invaded the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies causing chaos and forcing lawmakers to suspend the congressional session. The protesters, who had been demonstrating against social budget cuts outside the chamber, managed to get through the door and into the lower house itself after deceiving security agents tasked with restricting access.