Stories for October 31st 2018

Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 18:51 UTC
Venezuelan refugees line up at Peruvian border as immigration deadline looms over

As Peru's deadline for granting residency nears, 6,000 Venezuelans lined up at the border Peru's Tuesday hoping to be allowed in, while 4,000 more are expected to join in the next two days, according to the ombudsman's office.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 18:47 UTC
Pompeo speaks with Bolsonaro of “vibrant partnership” between Brazil, US

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Monday congratulated Brazil's President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro for his victory and “reinforced the vibrant partnership between the United States and Brazil based on our mutual commitment to promote security, democracy, economic prosperity, and human rights,” it was reported.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 14:12 UTC
US Treasury: Maduro's Venezuela an economic, environmental threat to the region

The United States Treasury Department's assistant secretary for terrorist financing has said Venezuela was a clear threat to regional stability and warned that the economic collapse of Nicolás Maduro's government could drag down Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, all key US allies.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 12:47 UTC
Bolsonaro in favour of the right to bear arms

Brazil's President elect Jair Bolsonaro has vowed to push for a change in the current legislation which requires people to justify their need to carry a weapon in order to be given the mandatory license.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 09:04 UTC
Argentine military cemetery in Falklands now has 102 identified gravestones

Argentina's Human Rights Secretariat announced on Tuesday that the remains of another Argentine unknown combatant, buried in the Falkland Islands have been identified making him the 102nd successful case. Corporal Mateo Antonio Sbert, was born in the province of Buenos Aires in 1949, and fell on 31 May 1982, during the South Atlantic conflict, in combat against British commandos at Top Malo House. He belonged to the Engineers Corps and was a Geographic Service graduate.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 09:01 UTC
Several Army generals expected in Bolsonaro's cabinet to be announced next Monday

Brazil’s far-right president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, is likely to tap army generals and an ultra-free-market economist for key roles in his cabinet. The former army captain styles himself as an outsider, even though he has spent a long career in Congress, and has mostly sought prospective ministers with little political experience.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:58 UTC
Three seismic tremors in the Drake Passage felt in Tierra del Fuego

Three seismic tremors were felt in Ushuaia, extreme south of Argentina, on Monday, with epicenter in the Drake Passage, according to Argentina and Chile seismology services. The incidents had no major impact in the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego or in nearby Puerto Williams in Chile.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:55 UTC
Kirchner family alleged front man in court on corruption charges

The man accused of being the front-man for Argentina's former presidents Néstor and Cristina Kirchner in alleged widespread corruption schemes appeared in court on Tuesday to face charges of money laundering. Lázaro Báez is accused of participating in a money-laundering scheme known as “the K-money route.” It involves some US$60 million in alleged dirty cash.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:52 UTC
Beijing concerned a weaker Yuan could further trigger trade war with the U.S.

The Chinese Yuan weakened to a decade low on Tuesday on concerns over China's slowing economy and the US trade war, but Beijing was expected to prevent it breaking the psychologically important 7 Yuan per dollar barrier. The Yuan drifted past 6.96 to the dollar, hitting its weakest levels since May 2008.
Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:49 UTC
Foreign Office plans major embassy and staff expansion ahead of post-Brexit

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced on Tuesday announced a major expansion of Britain's diplomatic network around the world, five months before it leaves the European Union. For the first time, people from outside the civil service will be eligible to become ambassadors as the Foreign Office seeks to swell its numbers by almost 1,000.