Stories for June 20th 2024

Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 22:04 UTC
Two die as Chilean trains clash head-on

Two people died and at least nine others were injured Thursday after a head-on collision between two trains in Santiago, Chile. The units involved were a freight convoy of the company Fepasa and a passengerless test formation belonging to the Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE). “We regret to report the death of two workers on the freight train,” the state-owned company said in a statement.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 20:19 UTC
Milei now hopes May Pact will be signed on July 9

Argentine President Javier Milei Thursday relaunched his so-called May Pact initiative during the Flag Day celebrations in Rosario. The agreement between the federal government and the provincial Executives was to have been signed on the May 25 National Holiday; hence its name.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 19:17 UTC
Montevideo remains the most expensive city in the region

Montevideo remained South America's most expensive place to live according to the Mercer Ranking released this week, closely followed by Buenos Aires, a place that has been moving up fast since President Javier Milei's Dec. 10, 2023, inauguration. The list helps multinational employers plan their strategies regarding compensations and other expenses, it was explained. Hong Kong stayed at the top, followed by Singapore, and Sitzerland's Zurich, Geneva, and Basel.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 18:21 UTC
Falklands Representative attends services for Liberation Day

Last week, the Falkland Islands Government Representative to the UK & Europe, Richard Hyslop, visited St Paul’s Cathedral, London, and attended the annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving at the Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel, Pangbourne College in order to mark Liberation Day.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 15:55 UTC
Falklands: Consultation to begin on Sea Lion offshore oil development, north of the Islands

Following an extraordinary sitting of Executive Council on Monday 17 June, the Falkland Islands Government has agreed that there will be a public consultation from Monday 24 June to Monday 5 August 2024, on the Environmental Impact Statement for the Sea Lion Field Northern Development Area, Phase 1 and 2, which has been submitted by Navitas Petroleum Development and Production Limited.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 15:29 UTC
“If you have to deny the existence of a people, your argument does not work”, Falklands reply to Mondino

“If you have to deny the existence of a people to make your argument work, your argument doesn’t work,” has been the public reply of Falkland Islands lawmaker MLA Teslyn Barkman to the piece of Argentina's foreign minister Diana Mondino addressed to Falkland Islanders, during this week's session of the Special Decolonization Committee, or C24, held at the United Nations, New York.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 15:25 UTC
Fearing inflation ahead, Brazil's central bank leaves basic rate unchanged at 10,50%

With budget overspending and prospects of higher inflation in weeks ahead, the Brazilian central bank, independent from the Executive, kept the Selic rate unchanged at 10.50%. This means there are no expectations for a resumption of the rates easing cycle this year.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 10:55 UTC
Petrobras CEO says oil will lead Brazil's energy transition

Despite being de-facto the new CEO of Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras for a while, Magda Chambriard took her oath of office Wednesday during a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Agencia Brfasil reported. In her speech at the event attended among others by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chambriard insisted that oil would lead the way into energy transition progressively reducing carbon emissions and zeroing them by 2050.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 10:43 UTC
Nationwide blackout hits Ecuador after heavy rains kill 17

Entire cities across Ecuador were left with no electricity Wednesday at around 3.30 pm just two days after Energy Minister Roberto Luque ruled out that possibility when he downplayed the importance of the cessation of activity of at least three hydroelectric power plants due to heavy rains that caused at least 17 deaths according to preliminary reports. In mid-April, a series of outages led to the dismissal of Luque's predecessor Andrea Arrobo.
Thursday, June 20th 2024 - 10:35 UTC
Argentina declassifies intelligence report on AMIA bombing

Argentina's judiciary Wednesday declassified a confidential intelligence report dated in 2003 which delved into Iran's role in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) headquarters in Buenos Aires.