Stories for 2021

Monday, March 8th 2021 - 08:00 UTC
Swiss voters backed ban on burqa by a slim margin: 51,2% to a 50,8% turnout

Swiss voters on Sunday narrowly backed a ban on full-face coverings in public places - a decision hailed by supporters as a bulwark against radical Islam but branded as discriminatory by opponents. Official results showed that 51.2% of voters, and a clear majority of federal Switzerland's cantons, supported the proposal.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:59 UTC
Bolsonaro tells Brazilians stop whining about the pandemic and Sao Paulo governor calls him “crazy guy”

President Jair Bolsonaro has told Brazilians to “stop whining” about Covid-19, as he criticized measures to curb the virus despite a surge in cases and deaths. His comments came a day after Brazil saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:59 UTC
World Bank approves US$ 420 million loan to Argentina for sanitation and housing

The World Bank Board of Directors approved a US$ 300 million loan to expand and improve water and sanitation services in Metropolitan Buenos Aires, particularly in the most vulnerable areas. An additional US$ 120 million will be available for the construction of social housing, benefiting nearly 10,000 inhabitants of Buenos Aires Province.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:55 UTC
Bolsonaro confirms his trip to Argentina and supports negotiations with IMF

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro confirmed he will be traveling to Argentina on March 26th for the celebration of Mercosur's 30th anniversary, and also offered support for the president Alberto Fernandez administration negotiations with the IMF.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:50 UTC
Social uprising in an ultra Kirchnerite province; UN and Amnesty warn about repression

Formosa in the north of Argentina, next to Paraguay is one of the poorest provinces in the country and has been under the iron fist control and patronage of governor Gildo Insfran, who rules as a feudal lord, with virtual control of the three branches of the local government and excellent relations with the federal government in Buenos Aires where his deputies and senators support the ruling coalition in exchange for fat checks that ensure his perpetuity.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:49 UTC
Maersk forecasts 3% world trade growth; regulations a challenge in Mercosur

The shipping company Maersk expects world trade to grow by 3% or more in 2021. The company sees global trade recovering, but there is still a lot of uncertainty about the size of the impact of Covid-19 on the world economy in 2021. So it is implementing a global strategy that positions it for growth in several countries, including Mercosur members.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:40 UTC
Falklands extends Rockhopper's offshore licenses until November 2022

The Falkland Islands government has agreed to extend each of Rockhopper Exploration plc’s offshore North Falkland basin petroleum licenses, including the Sea Lion discovery area, until Nov. 1, 2022. The extension includes no additional license commitments. The previous expiry date was May 1, 2021.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:35 UTC
Norway's Equinor, YPF and Shell will operate a block in North Argentine basin

Norway's Equinor and YPF have entered into an agreement with Shell to jointly farm-down 30% non-operated interests in the CAN 100 block in the North Argentine basin, offshore Argentina.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:30 UTC
Falklands: lively debate on the possibility of a salmon farming industry

The Falklands ocean coastal ecosystems are one of its biggest assets and, “its value is beyond measure,” commented Islander Josh Peck speaking against the introduction of a salmon-farming industry to the Falkland Islands, at last Tuesdays workshop on an environmental strategy held at the Chamber of Commerce, as reported by the Penguin News.
Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:23 UTC
Pandemic has pushed 20 million Latin Americans into poverty, UN report

More than 20 million people were pushed into poverty during pandemic-plagued 2020 across Latin America and the Caribbean, the U.N. economic agency for the region announced this week.