The total number of casualties in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul affected by unprecedented heavy rains has been updated to 116 as bad weather has been forecast to continue over the weekend. Volumes estimated to be around 115 millimeters would again put pressure on the already overflowing rivers, according to Presidential Information Minister Paulo Pimenta.
A train collision at 10.30 am Friday in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo left many people injured but no casualties were reported. While authorities are yet to determine the cause of the accident, railway union leaders blamed the Libertarian administration of President Javier Milei for the faulty signaling which has worsened over the past few months given the increase in copper wiring thefts.
Inflation outpaced salaries in March by 11% to 10.3%, according to a report by Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec) released Friday in Buenos Aires. In yoy terms, the Wage Index increased by 200.8% on average (231.7% in the registered private sector, 183.7% in the public sector, and 129.2% in the informal private sector) and inflation was 287.9%, the survey showed. Hence, President Javier Milei's perception that salaries were recovering turned out inaccurate.
Despite Argentina's thumbs down together with eight other countries, the United Nations (UN) decided on Friday by 143 votes in favor and 25 abstentions to upgrade Palestine's status within the organization to that of a full membership, it was reported in New York. In 2012, Palestine had been admitted as an Observer State with 138 votes in and also 9 against.
The Governor of the Argentine province of Corrientes Gustavo Valdés insisted that the Foreign Ministry and the Senate should get involved after another clash was reported between unauthorized Paraguayan fishermen and the Coast Guard (Prefectura Naval Argentina - PNA). “I hope they take care and do not continue denying the conflict as they have been,” Valdés underlined.
US Southern Command (Southcom) Chief General Laura Richardson warned during her appearance Thursday at the Ninth Hemispheric Security Conference (HSC) at the Florida International University (FIU) Miami campus, organized by the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy together with the Taeda Foundation that China's growing influence in building critical infrastructure in Latin America had raised security concerns. In addition, the region hardly benefits from the resources that China extracts, the four-star general stressed.
After Thursday's general strike, Argentina's General Labor Confederation (CGT) said the measure should be as a “wake-up call to the authorities” who “must take note” of the scenario ahead. CGT co-leader Héctor Daer also mentioned that “we take note of the support” of the workers who have suffered a hefty wage reduction since President Javier Milei took office on Dec. 10, 2023.
A student movement resulting in the suppression of a course to be taught by Professor Alberto Spektorowski at Montevideo's Faculty of Humanities of the University of the Republic (Udelar) given his “Zionist” allegiance has led to a scandal in the Uruguayan capital involving the local Jewish community and various Members of Parliament.
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at its meeting ending on 8 May 2024, voted by a majority of 7–2 to maintain Bank Rate at 5.25%. Two members preferred to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 5%.
India through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20 to 30, 2024, in Kochi, Kerala. This is in line with India’s poise to facilitate constructive global dialogue on environmental stewardship, scientific collaboration, and cooperation in Antarctica.