Stories for October 31st 2023

Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 12:52 UTC
Rutley in Chile to celebrate 200 years of bilateral relations and to sign an Antarctica cooperation protection Letter of Intent

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office’s Minister for the Americas and the Caribbean, David Rutley MP, arrives in Chile, from Peru, to strengthen collaboration between the UK and Chile, as both nations celebrate 200 years of bilateral relations.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 11:48 UTC
Avian Influenza confirmed in Bird Island; South Georgia introduces stringent bio-security measures

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in brown skua populations on Bird Island, South Georgia. In response to the situation on Monday, the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) has introduced a comprehensive Management Plan and new regulations to further protect terrestrial habitats and the remarkable animals and plants found in those islands.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:55 UTC
Avian flu keeps killing seashore mammals along South Atlantic shores

Health authorities in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina are increasingly concerned over the appearance of hundreds of dead sea lions presumably killed by avian flu, it was reported.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:42 UTC
Brazilian FM critical of UN Security Council

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira was highly critical of the United Nations Security Council's performance regarding the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. “We failed,” said the top diplomat of the country currently chairing the body, Agencia Brasil reported.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:34 UTC
Cruise season kicks off with four Antarctic ships in Montevideo

Four Antarctic ships have been reported to be docking in the Uruguayan port of Montevideo as the 2023/2024 cruise season is already underway.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:32 UTC
Venezuelan Supreme Court annuls Machado's win in primaries

The Electoral branch of Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) has annulled the opposition's Oct. 22 primaries whereby María Corina Machado had been chosen to take on President Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 elections. The Court argued that Machado had been disenfranchised for 15 years in addition to fraud allegations affecting the process, it was reported in Caracas.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:27 UTC
12 occupants rescued as Argentine sailboat sinks off Colonia

All 12 occupants of an Argentine sailboat that eventually sank into the La Plata River off the port of Colonia were rescued by the Uruguayan Navy and local volunteers, it was reported Monday.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 10:12 UTC
Iguazú Falls closed to visitors as water levels rise above normal

Due to recent heavy rains on the Brazilian side, the tourist attraction of the Iguazú Falls has been closed to visitors at least until Wednesday pending damage assessments given a water flow 16 times higher than usual, it was reported.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 09:03 UTC
ECB leaves interest rates unchanged for the first time since July 2022

The European Central Bank, ECB left interests rates unchanged for the first time in more than a year at a meeting in Athens last Thursday. ECB said it would leave key rates unchanged at between 4 and 4.75%.
Tuesday, October 31st 2023 - 08:56 UTC
Scandal in Spain's Catholic Church: one in 200 Spaniards claim to have been sexually abused by priests

A new scandal has erupted in Spain when more than one in 200 Spaniards claim they were sexually abused by the Catholic Church when they were minors, according to an official report published in Madrid.