Stories for December 3rd 2019

Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:50 UTC
Uruguay president elect hopes pragmatism prevails over ideology in Mercosur

Mercosur faces a tense future, the president-elect of Uruguay said on Monday, referring to a diplomatic spat between regional heavyweight economies Brazil and Argentina. Brazil’s right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina’s incoming leader, left-leaning Peronist Alberto Fernandez, have sparred openly.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:48 UTC
Cristina Kirchner accuses the Judiciary and media of demonizing leaders of popular democratic governments

Argentina's ex-president Cristina Kirchner arrived in court on Monday to give evidence in a corruption trial in which she is charged with diverting public funds, just a week before she returns to the country's government as vice president.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:45 UTC
Brazilian unemployment statistically stable at 11.6% in the Aug/Oct quarter

Brazil's unemployment rate fell to 11.6% in the quarter ending in October, from 11.8% in the quarter ending in July, the country's Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced. The rate also fell slightly, compared with the same period of 2018 when it was at 11.7%.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:40 UTC
Mexican women shocked and furious over a femicide and a lenient magistrate

A former head of Amazon Mexico is wanted for questioning after his wife was apparently killed by a hitman in Mexico City. Abril Pérez Sagaón was shot dead in a car on Monday in front of two of her teenage children.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:35 UTC
New Falklands Books: The Falkland Islands Journal 2019

Ian Strange, who died in September 2018 aged 84, was a naturalist, accomplished wildlife artist and photographer who championed wildlife conservation in the Falkland Islands from the early 1960s.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:18 UTC
Antarctica Day celebrates the signature of the Antarctic Treaty, 1st December 1959

Antarctica Day was inaugurated in 2010 to celebrate the 1st December 1959 signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which was adopted “with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind.” Antarctica Day was initiated by the Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces as an annual event to build global awareness of this landmark institution, celebrating this milestone of peace in our civilization with hope and inspiration for future generations.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 09:15 UTC
The 2019 Literature Nobel Prize award implodes in the scandal-hit Swedish Academy

Two external members of the Nobel literature prize committee quit on Monday after criticizing the scandal-hit Swedish Academy. The 233-year-old Academy was forced to introduce several new measures after a sex scandal involving the husband of a former member escalated into a bitter row that meant it had to postpone the award for 2018.
Tuesday, December 3rd 2019 - 08:52 UTC
US react to French digital services tax threatening with duties on champagne and cheese

The U.S. government on Monday said it may slap punitive duties of up to 100% on US$2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, after concluding that France’s new digital services tax would harm U.S. tech companies.