Stories for December 19th 2018

Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 18:11 UTC
US to fund development in Mexico and beyond to curb immigration

A plan from the United States to fund several undertakings in Mexico and Central America to create jobs and discourage migration was announced Tuesday by Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 15:59 UTC
No same-sex marriage for now in Cuba's constitutional reform bill

The writers of Cuba's constitutional reform bill have yielded “to popular demand” and stricken out the paragraph establishing marriage between two people of any sex from the proposed Article 68 and which would have opened the door to same-sex marriage, State Council Secretary Homero Acosta announced.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 14:56 UTC
Trump administration bans bump stocks that can turn rifles into machine guns

The Trump administration has banned the use of bump stocks, devices that let rifles fire like machine guns, after promising to do so earlier this year. The final date to destroy or turn in the devices is 21 March, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 14:30 UTC
Macri urges Mercosur to take action against “Venezuelan dictatorship”

Argentine President Mauricio Macri Tuesday launched an appeal in Montevideo to find solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and called for the “return of democracy” in that country. He delivered that speech during the Mercosur summit where he is to take up the bloc's rotating presidency from host Tabaré Vázquez.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 10:07 UTC
Newly discovered amphibian has been named after Donald Trump

United States presidents tend to receive their fair share of honors, but Donald Trump may want to ignore his latest one. A newly discovered amphibian that buries its head in the sand has been named after him, apparently in response to his comments about climate change.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 10:01 UTC
Trump foundation to close down amid allegations of illegal misuse of funds

United States President Donald Trump's troubled charity foundation has agreed to close down amid allegations that he and others illegally misused its funds. The move was announced by the Attorney General of the state of New York, Barbara Underwood, who will supervise the distribution of its remaining monies.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 09:54 UTC
Xi Jinping recalls the forty years that have made China a super power

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed that his country will not develop at the expense of other nations, in a speech marking 40 years since China introduced major economic reforms. However, he also said that the global superpower would not be told what to do by anyone.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 09:20 UTC
Argentina officially in recession: economy sinks 3.5% in third quarter

Argentina is in recession after its economy shrank by 3.5% during the third trimester of 2018, the state statistics bureau said on Tuesday. It was the second such shrinkage in a row after the economy shrank 4.0% in the second quarter, with respect to the same period a year ago.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 09:15 UTC
GREAT Maritime law professionals visit Chile

The United Kingdom Ministry of Justice, the British-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and the British Embassy in Santiago organized a visit to Chile of UK legal professionals. The delegation of experts in maritime law visited Chile in late November to join HRH Princess Anne, who travelled to the country to join the celebrations of the Chilean Navy’s 200th anniversary.
Wednesday, December 19th 2018 - 09:12 UTC
Latin American markets and currencies cautious ahead of Fed's two-day meeting

Latin American currencies failed to gain against a weak dollar on Tuesday, as cautious investors pared exposure ahead of the end of the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day meeting on Wednesday, while Latin American stocks ticked up in line with their U.S. peers.