Stories for December 29th 2017

Friday, December 29th 2017 - 14:32 UTC
Falkland Islands debates the landing fee for cruise visitors

The Falkland Islands Environment Committee, held a lively debate on the cost of the landing fee for cruise visitors which is scheduled to be increased to £25 per passenger, and which was described as “the highest in the region” by the head of the Islands Tourist Board.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:35 UTC
Venezuelan Observatory of Violence published its annual report

This Thursday, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (VVO) published its annual report, in the hands of its director, the sociologist Roberto Briceño León, which shows a 2017 full of irregularities by the State and a high rate of abuse of the same and towards it.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:30 UTC
Gibraltarian woman has been appointed deputy mayor of Jerusalem

The daughter of Sir Joshua Hassan, a very outstanding political figure from Gibraltar, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, has been appointed deputy mayor of Jerusalem. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo congratulated Fleur on Twitter, highlighting that her appointment was “a living demonstration of the strong links between Gibraltar and Israel”.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:26 UTC
Argentina aggressively promoting cruise tourism with lower costs for large vessels

Argentina is expecting 490.000 cruise visitors this season and is targeting a million visitors in the following years, and to promote this policy it has announced a drastic cut in port fees and costs, with special emphasis on those vessels which are over 300 meters long.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:19 UTC
Kuczynski and Keiko Fujimori questioned by prosecutors on alleged Odebrecht payments

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and one of his leading political rivals appeared on Thursday before prosecutors investigating payments to politicians by Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. Kuczynski and ex congresswoman Keiko Fujimori are being investigated by anti-corruption prosecutors in separate probes. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:14 UTC
UN human rights experts condemn pardon of ex president Alberto Fujimori

Condemning the pardoning of former President of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, a group of United Nations independent human rights experts have said that the move undermines the work of the judiciary and the international community to achieve justice.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:09 UTC
Valparaíso planning a cruise pier that can handle a pair of 300-meters ships

The Chilean port of Valparaíso has plans for a specific cruise ships pier, where calls have dropped due to berthing conflicts with the cargo business. Agencias Universales SA, Agunsa, has proposed the pier, designed in conjunction with the Dutch engineering company Royal HaskoningDHV, and it would be able to handle a pair of 300-meter ships simultaneously, with the possibility to expand for bigger vessels in future.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:06 UTC
Brazil's main stock market, Ibovespa ends the year with a 26.85% increase

Ibovespa, the benchmark stock market index in Brazil, ended the last trading session of the year with a 0.43% rise to 76,402.08 points amid a lack of negative political news and tracking stock markets abroad.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 10:04 UTC
Temer clashes with Supreme Court over Christmas pardon list that included corruption-related convicts

The head of Brazil’s Supreme Court suspended parts of a Christmas decree from President Michel Temer granting pardons to convicted criminals on Thursday, saying Temer’s actions needed further examination by the court. Cármen Lúcia ruled largely in favor of a legal challenge by Brazil’s top prosecutor, Raquel Dodge, who said on Wednesday that the pardons were unconstitutional and threatened a probe into the country’s largest-ever corruption scandal.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 09:57 UTC
Relatives and friends honor 132 police officers killed in Rio de Janeiro in 2017

Relatives and friends of some of the 132 police officers killed in Rio de Janeiro this year have taken part in a protest to honor their loved ones. It was organized by human rights NGO Rio de Paz. Police uniforms stained with red paint and red roses in their pockets were hung alongside plaques with the names of the officers killed in 2017.