Stories for December 2024

Tuesday, December 24th 2024 - 10:23 UTC
Chile apologizes for military helicopter flying into Argentine airspace

Chilean authorities admitted Monday that a military helicopter had flown into Argentine airspace last Friday in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz. Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren described the incident as “a mistake” and insisted that the case had been handled through the proper diplomatic channels. Argentina sent a consultation note on this matter, to which “a response has been given,” he explained.
Tuesday, December 24th 2024 - 10:16 UTC
Uruguay: Topolansky says she will not recant

Former Uruguayan VicePresident and First Lady Lucía Topolansky Monday sent a letter to a group of relatives of people who disappeared during the military dictatorship saying she would not backtrack on saying that some witnesses had lied during the trials of those who committed these atrocities.
Tuesday, December 24th 2024 - 10:12 UTC
Lula issues Christmas pardon but not for sex or antidemocratic offenders

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a pardon favoring terminally ill prison inmates as well as at-risk pregnant women or those with HIV but fell short of benefitting those who committed crimes that were either heinous - such as torture, terrorism, racism, money laundering, concealment of assets - or against democracy, it was announced Monday in a special edition of the Diário Oficial da Uniao (Official Gazette).
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 23:05 UTC
Andrés Ojeda chosen to chair Uruguay's Colorado Party

Senator-elect Andrés Ojeda became the Uruguayan Colorado Party's new secretary-general in lieu of former two-time President Julio María Sanguinetti (1985-1990; 1995-2000), now aged 87. The 40-year-old Ojeda had jumped into the limelight when he ran for the presidency on Oct. 27 this year on behalf of the Colorado Party this year, clinching third place.
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 22:19 UTC
Nissan and Honda sign MOU toward merger by 2026

It was more than rumors that Japanese automotive giants Nissan and Honda were eyeing a merger by 2026 which would revolutionize the industry with the appearance of what in Reuters' view would be the third-largest auto group worldwide. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding whereby discussions about integration via a joint holding company would go on during 2025, it was announced. Earlier this month, Nissan's CEO Makoto Uchida admitted that the company's situation was “severe.”
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 11:11 UTC
Patagonian Train to run again next year

Argentine authorities announced the return of the railway service linking the city of Viedma on the Atlantic Ocean shore and the Andean resort Bariloche in the Province of Rio Negro starting Jan. 3 with two weekly frequencies.
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 10:59 UTC
Trump picks Claver-Carone for State Dept. Latin American branch

US President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday he had chosen former Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Mauricio Claver-Carone as his future State Department's Envoy to Latin America. The Cuban-born Claver-Carone was appointed to the IDB at Trump's request in 2020 but was dismissed amid an affair with a subordinate whom he had given a pay raise.
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 10:52 UTC
Lingering symptoms of Covid-19 detected among 20% of Brazilians

Brazil's Health Ministry detected lingering symptoms among 20% of South America's largest country's population having had Covid-19, Agencia Brasil reported. Among the symptoms are fatigue, memory loss, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, joint pain, and hair loss, which have also been found to be more frequent among women and indigenous people.
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 10:45 UTC
Venezuela steps up Essequibo deployment amid dispute with Guyana

Venezuela's Bolivarian regime has built a bridge reaffirming its sovereignty claims over Guyana Essequiba. The provisional structure will allow the arrival of heavier machinery for the definitive bridge, it was explained. Last Thursday, a fixed bridge over the Cuyuní River on the island of Anacoco was inaugurated as part of the Venezuelan government's efforts to reaffirm its sovereignty over that disputed region. Attending the ceremony were Defense Minister Vladímir Padrino López and Transport Minister Ramón Velásquez Araguayán, among other high-ranking officials and military commanders.
Monday, December 23rd 2024 - 10:36 UTC
Planes, buses, trucks, and automobiles crash during the weekend

At least ten people died and 17 others were injured when a private plane owned and flown by businessman Luiz Cláudio Galeazzi, 61, fell in a densely populated area on Sunday minutes after taking off from the Canela Aeroclube bound for Florianópolis, carrying ten passengers onboard, none of whom survived, Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite confirmed. At least 17 people were taken to the Gramado Hospital for smoke inhalation.