Stories for December 24th 2018

Monday, December 24th 2018 - 18:40 UTC
Writer, historian Osvaldo Bayer dies at age 91

Argentine writer and historian Osvaldo Bayer died Monday at the age of 91, his daughter Ana confirmed on social media. “Unfortunately I have to give a sad news, my dad Osvaldo Bayer has died,” she wrote on Facebook in Spanish, Italian and German.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 14:24 UTC
Venezuelan Navy repels oil exploring ship, triggers international diplomatic conflict with Guyana

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has demanded that Guyana respect its sovereignty after two ships of the transnational company ExxonMobil were repelled Saturday from what the Bolivarian Navy deemed to be their country's waters. But both the governments of the United States and of Guyana claim it was Venezuela who was in breach of international law.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 13:18 UTC
Bolsonaro adds Nicaraguans to the list of unwanted guests for his inauguration

Brazil's Presdient-elect Jair Bolsonaro will not welcome any Nicaraguan delegation at the inauguration ceremony in Brasilia on January 1, his future Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo announced on Twitter.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 12:31 UTC
Chilean lawmakers to parley with Mapuche leaders in January

Chile's Speaker of the House of Deputies Maya Fernández-Allende has agreed to hold a special session during the second week of January with Mapuche leaders to discuss as violence in La Araucanía and the murder of Camilo Catrillanca, it was announced.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 09:50 UTC
Merry Christmas from MercoPress

MercoPress wishes a Happy Holiday Season to all its readers and sponsors!
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 09:30 UTC
Hundreds killed and injured after tsunami hits Indonesian coastal towns

At least 220 people have been killed and 843 injured after a tsunami hit coastal towns on Indonesia's Sunda Strait government officials say. There was no warning of the giant waves which struck at Saturday night, destroying hundreds of buildings, sweeping away cars and uprooting trees.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 09:23 UTC
“Peace on earth and goodwill to all, needed as much as ever”, Queen's Christmas message

The Queen will say in her Christmas Day broadcast that the Christian message of “peace on earth and goodwill to all” is “needed as much as ever”. She will say the message is “never out of date” and can be “heeded by everyone”.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 09:05 UTC
Syrian crisis: Trump names Patrick Shanahan acting Defense secretary forcing Mattis to leave earlier

United States president Donald Trump has forced Defense Secretary James Mattis to leave his post early, appointing an acting successor to take over in the new year. General Mattis, 68, strongly hinted at policy differences with Mr. Trump when he resigned on Friday.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 09:03 UTC
Colombia announces that a guerrilla leader has been found and killed

Walter Arízala, known better under his alias Guacho, was wanted for the murder of two Ecuadorean journalists and their driver earlier this year. On Friday, Colombian President Ivan Duque said he was killed in an operation near the Ecuadorean border.
Monday, December 24th 2018 - 08:54 UTC
US banks confirm “ample liquidity”, following Wall Street markets' plunge

United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has made calls to the heads of the country's six largest banks, a move to reassure investors after huge falls in US stocks. Last week, US stocks suffered one of the worst weekly falls in a decade as an interest rate rise and US-China trade tensions rattled markets.