Stories for May 2021

Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 09:32 UTC
Brazil wants Mercosur to agree on a 20% reduction of the Common External Tariff

Brazil is determined that Mercosur's Common External Tariff, TEC, be reduced by 20% in two rounds of unilateral cuts, 10% immediately, and the other 10% in December. This is the official strategy and position of Brazil for the extraordinary meeting in June of the four founding members of the group, in Buenos Aires, underlined Lucas Ferraz, foreign trade secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of the economy.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 09:08 UTC
Duque picks Colombia's Vice President Ramírez for the Foreign Ministry

After Foreign Minister Claudia Blum handed in her resignation last week due to the social and political unrest Colombia is going through, President Iván Duque chose to appoint Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez as her successor.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 08:57 UTC
Brazil: Breweries fined heavily for employing undocumented Venezuelan migrants whom they deprived of basic rights

The breweries Ambev and Heineken have been fined heavily in Brazil for the illegal employment in slavery-like conditions of Venezuelan migrants, who will now receive about R $ 657,270 (the US $ 125,000) in compensation.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 08:51 UTC
Gibraltar message to the cruise industry, “we're back in business”

Gibraltar is ready to welcome back cruise ships, their passengers, and their crew. The Port of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Tourist Board have continued to work proactively during this pandemic to support the cruise industry.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 08:42 UTC
Uruguay eases down travel restrictions against covid-19

The Government of Uruguay Wednesday has decided that foreign travellers with both doses of any vaccine against covid-19 and a negative PCR test will not have to undergo a mandated quarantine upon entry.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 08:39 UTC
Astra-Zeneca vaccines produced jointly by Mexico and Argentina almost ready for delivery

The first batch of Oxford-Astra Zeneca anticoronavirus vaccines produced jointly by Mexico and Argentina are almost ready to start shipping, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced Wednesday.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 07:11 UTC
Giant iceberg breaks away from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica

A giant iceberg, larger than the size of most European cities, has broken away from Antarctica, near a British research station, the British Antarctic Survey said on Friday.
Thursday, May 20th 2021 - 05:54 UTC
US state of Texas criminalizes every abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy

Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbot Wednesday signed into law a new bill criminalizing terminations of pregnancies of six weeks or more.
Wednesday, May 19th 2021 - 21:57 UTC
Colombians march against hosting Copa America amid social unrest

Dozens of Colombian fans gathered Tuesday in front of the headquarters of the Colombian Football Federation to demand that the Copa America is not held in the conflict-ridden country, where over 40 deaths have been recorded over the last three weeks.
Wednesday, May 19th 2021 - 21:27 UTC
Argentina can take on Copa America by itself if protocols are observed, says Fernández

Argentine President Alberto Fernández Tuesday insisted his country is capable of hosting singlehandedly the Copa America football competition despite 35,543 new cases of Covid-19 and 745 deaths in one day for a record total of 71,771 casualties since the beginning of the pandemic.