Stories for October 2018

Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 20:49 UTC
UK assumes Chairmanship of the Community of Democracies

As of 15 September 2018, the United Kingdom has taken up the rotating 6-month chairmanship of the Executive Committee of the Community of Democracies, CoD, which is described as a global inter-governmental coalition that aims to promote democratic values.
Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 13:13 UTC
Cuba back to tobacco production after Hurricane Michael

Cuba's tobacco planting season began this past week in the central Sancti Spiritus province, the country's second largest tobacco producer, while work to repair the damages caused by Hurricane Michael has commenced.
Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 12:46 UTC
Court of appeals upholds prison sentences for Menem and Cavallo

A Court of Appeals Friday upheld a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for former Argentine President Carlos Menem for undue bonuses paid to government officials during his administration. His then Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo was sentenced to three and a half years.
Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 11:06 UTC
Student leader banished from Venezuela; pressures rise by case Alban

Activist Lorent Gomez Saleh has been freed and secretly transferred by Venezuelan authorities to the international airport of Maiquetía, one hour from Caracas, to be “referred” to Spain.
Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 08:15 UTC
Falklands: forensic team identifies remains of the 101th Argentine combatant

The Argentine government announced on Friday that the number of identified combatants fallen during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict and whose remains are buried in the Falkland Islands has risen to 101. That means 101 gravestones at the Argentine military cemetery in Darwin now have a full name.
Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 08:02 UTC
Uruguay and Argentina elected to the UN Human Rights Council

The General Assembly on Friday elected 18 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe, among which Uruguay and Argentina.
Friday, October 12th 2018 - 22:06 UTC
Carcigenous BA underground trains to be scrapped

Used underground trains purchased from Spain for Buenos Aires' B Line in 2011 are now to be scrapped after finding they were made of an alloy containing carcigenous asbestos.
Friday, October 12th 2018 - 15:48 UTC
Pivotal South African politician Pik Botha dies, aged 86

Roelof Frederik “Pik” Botha, who served as South Africa’s apartheid-era Foreign Affairs Minister for 17 years until 1994 and then joined Nelson Mandela's Cabinet, passed away at a Pretoria hospital on Thursday night. He was 86.
Friday, October 12th 2018 - 15:11 UTC
Chile's finance minister defends newest, sharpest increase in fuel price

Chile's Finance Minister Felipe Larraín justified the seventh increase in as many weeks in the price of petrol because the Fuel Price Stabilization Mechanism (Mepco) has subsidized 50 million dollars so far this year.
Friday, October 12th 2018 - 14:36 UTC
Argentine security minister draws spotlight on complicity between social leaders and drug rings

Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich Thursday took aim before Congress at an alleged complicity between “certain social movements” and drug trafficking in villas de emergencia (shanty towns).