Stories for 2017

Saturday, December 16th 2017 - 17:19 UTC
Hondurans take to the streets to demand proclamation of opposition leader as president

Honduran protesters blocked roads and burned tires to press the authorities to cancel the election victory of incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez and to proclaim opposition leader Salvador Nasralla the winner.
Saturday, December 16th 2017 - 17:18 UTC
Argentina sacks the head of the Navy, first disciplinary action since the loss of ARA San Juan

Argentina fired the head of its navy a month after a submarine disappeared in the South Atlantic with 44 crew members onboard, a government spokesman said on Saturday. Local paper La Nacion had reported earlier, citing anonymous sources, that Navy Admiral Marcelo Eduardo Hipolito Srur was let go by the defense minister.
Saturday, December 16th 2017 - 16:53 UTC
Fallout from Odebrecht: Peruvian congress initiates proceedings to impeach president Kuczynski

Lawmakers in Peru initiated proceedings to impeach President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who refuses to resign after being accused of failing to disclose decade-old payments from a Brazilian company embroiled in Latin America’s biggest corruption scandal. In a brief session, 27 of 130 members of congress put forward a request to consider removing the former Wall Street banker for “permanent moral incapacity”. Lawmakers could summon Kuczynski to defend himself before congress as early as next week.
Saturday, December 16th 2017 - 16:29 UTC
A disenchanted Chile will elect the least unpopular of two candidates on Sunday

Chile faces on Sunday one of the elections with most uncertain result. Longstanding disenchantment with the center left leaning coalition that has ruled Chile since the return of democracy in 1990, and a Latin American natural reaction which erupts every now and then when an economy stalls and the blame goes to the local elite in combination with outside “treachery capitalists”, seems to be the scenario.
Friday, December 15th 2017 - 14:53 UTC
Brazilian beef exporters expect a record year in 2018: 1.68 million tons

Brazilian beef exporters expect shipments to grow 10% in 2018 after rising an estimated 9% this year despite corruption and food safety scandals that temporarily closed off major markets. Trade group Abiec on Thursday said Brazil, the world’s largest beef exporter, would likely sell 1.68 million tons of beef abroad next year, up from 1.53 million tons in 2017. Revenue is expected to rise about 11% to US$6.9 billion in 2018, after a 13% rise this year to US$6.2 billion.
Friday, December 15th 2017 - 10:56 UTC
Russian wheat for Brazil as Moscow and Brasilia look to increase bilateral trade

Brazil’s government published a decree laying out procedures importers will have to follow to be able to buy and unload Russian wheat in Brazil, a step aimed at improving trade ties with Moscow. The decree, which takes effect immediately, outlines the documents importers will have to submit to bring Russian wheat to be processed in Brazil, which had not been previously allowed.
Friday, December 15th 2017 - 10:50 UTC
Brazil postpones until February 19 vote on bill to reform pensions system

The lower house of Brazil’s Congress will delay a vote on a bill trimming social security benefits until Feb. 19, Speaker Rodrigo Maia said on Thursday, pushing a decision on the cornerstone of President Michel Temer’s fiscal reforms into an election year.
Friday, December 15th 2017 - 10:45 UTC
Internet neutrality repealed; legal challenges from consumer advocates announced

The US Federal Communications Commission has voted to repeal sweeping 2015 net neutrality rules, in a move that gives internet service providers a free hand to slow or block websites and apps as they see fit, or charge more for faster speeds. The approval of FCC chairman Ajit Pai's proposal marked a victory for internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon Communications and could recast the digital landscape.
Friday, December 15th 2017 - 08:38 UTC
Falklands' call for “the world's greenest cruise ship”, MS Roald Amundsen

From an environmental perspective, it’s easy to see how cruise ships have long been one of the harshest modes of travel. They’re big, slow, fuel-hungry, and rife with excess. However, forward-thinking cruise line Hurtigruten is looking to change the game with the launch of what they’re calling “the world’s greenest cruise ship.”
Friday, December 15th 2017 - 08:25 UTC
Volkswagen reveals its role during Brazilian military dictatorship: no apologies planned

Volkswagen said on Thursday that a historian commissioned by the carmaker found that some of the security staff at Volkswagen do Brasil had cooperated with the country’s former military regime.