Stories for September 2017

Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 08:31 UTC
Juncker: “Britain will regret voting for Brexit”; Farage: “Thank God we are leaving”

Britain will soon regret voting for Brexit, but the European Union will move on, the European Commission president has insisted. In a speech setting out the future direction of the bloc, Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK’s exit would be a “sad and tragic” moment, but it was “not the be all and end all”.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 08:24 UTC
Catalonia referendum: 700 mayors under investigation by Spain's top prosecutor

Spain’s top prosecutor is investigating more than 700 Catalan mayors for cooperating with a planned referendum on the region’s independence after the nation’s constitutional court ordered the vote put on hold. Catalonia’s regional police force is under orders to arrest the mayors if they refuse to appear for questioning, State Prosecutor Jose Manuel Maza’s office said.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 07:20 UTC
Falklands Offshore Minerals Environmental Legislation Consultation

The Falkland Islands Department of Mineral Resources is carrying out a public consultation on a range of proposed legislative measures applying to the offshore oil and gas industry.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 07:06 UTC
Lula da Silva questions impartiality of Judge Sergio Moro: “this is a witch hunt”

Former President Lula da Silva told a Brazilian court on Wednesday that the corruption charges against him stem from a witch hunt and questioned the impartiality of the judge. Lula's deposition in Curitiba was the second time he faced off with Judge Sergio Moro, who oversees Brazil's sprawling investigation into bribes to politicians in return for favors to companies.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 06:57 UTC
Brazilian billionaire brothers detained for suspected inside trading

Brazil’s federal police detained the CEO of JBS SA, the world’s No 1 meatpacker, saying he used insider information to avoid hefty losses related to a plea bargain signed earlier this year. Wesley Batista, who has been at the helm of JBS since 2011, was detained under an arrest warrant against him and his younger brother Joesley Batista for suspected insider trading.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 06:53 UTC
BP and Bridas Corporation form Argentina's largest private integrated energy company

British Petroleum has agreed with Argentina's Bridas Corporation to form a new integrated energy company by combining their interests in the oil and gas producer Pan American Energy and the refiner and marketer Axion Energy in a cash-free transaction. The new company, Pan American Energy Group, will be the largest privately-owned integrated energy company operating in Argentina.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 06:37 UTC
Netanyahu, in Colombia: Israel a close ally in war and in the reconstruction process

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos are pledging to strengthen ties in areas like science, security and tourism as Colombia transitions into a post-conflict era. Netanyahu arrived in Bogota on Wednesday for the second-leg of his trip as the first Israeli prime minister to visit Latin America.
Thursday, September 14th 2017 - 06:20 UTC
Piñera maintains a wide lead in polls ahead of November presidential election

Conservative presidential candidate Sebastian Piñera is maintaining a wide lead in the polls ahead of Chile's November election, though the race to challenge him in a potential runoff is tight, according to a monthly survey. Piñera, who was president of Chile between 2010 and 2014, captured 34% of voter intentions in the survey by GfK Adimark, up from 32% last month.
Wednesday, September 13th 2017 - 18:01 UTC
Mujica's wife Lucia Topolansky becomes Uruguay's vice-president

Uruguay has a new vice-president following the resignation of the questioned and discredited Raul Sendic. On Wednesday mid-morning, Lucia Topolansky, wife of ex president Jose Mujica received unanimous support from the General Assembly (123/123). Under the Uruguayan constitution the head of the most voted Senate group of the winning party in the last election, in this case the MPP (Popular Participation Movement), leads in the presidential succession line. She is the first woman to occupy such a post.
Wednesday, September 13th 2017 - 10:32 UTC
Israel's Netanyahu praises Macri for his efforts to solve the AMIA bombing

Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday used the first Latin America visit of a sitting Israeli prime minister to praise President Mauricio Macri's effort to solve the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center, AMIA, in 1994 that killed 85 people.