Stories for January 14th 2025

Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 21:37 UTC
Uruguayan lawmakers call Venezuela's gov't “a dictatorship”

Uruguay's Parliament passed Tuesday a unilateral declaration from the ruling Multicolor coalition stating that “no one can deny” there is a dictatorship in Venezuela. The opposition Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) of President-elect Yamandú Orsi, who is to take office on March 1, submitted a text of its own excluding the word “dictatorship” and hence no consensus. However, the FA reckoned that “the Venezuelan government has deepened its distancing from the institutional framework” and that the absence of audits in the electoral process “erodes the legitimacy of the result and questions any democratic transition.”
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 21:08 UTC
The Netherlands, France, and Italy ordered to limit diplomatic missions in Caracas to three staffers

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry Tuesday instructed The Netherlands, France, and Italy to cut down their diplomatic missions in Caracas to three members each following what the Bolivarian regime described as “meddling in internal affairs.”
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 10:55 UTC
Brazil’s reacts to Meta’s decision to drop fact checking program, “social media will not become a lawless land”

Brazil’s government and Justice Branch have reacted strongly to Meta’s announcement to abandon its fact checking program. The country’s newly appointed Communication Minister Sidonio Palmeira criticized Meta's decision, calling it “bad for democracy.”
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 10:31 UTC
Peruvian court sends case against Keiko Fujimori back to square one

Peru's Third Criminal Court Monday annulled Keiko Fujimori's trial for the irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 electoral campaigns, citing a previous sentence from the Constitutional Court (TC). As per this split ruling, the case moves back to the indictment phase for Fujimori and the other more than 30 defendants.
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 10:23 UTC
Lula signs into law the banning of cell phones in elementary schools

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Monday into law Bill 104/2015 restricting the use of portable electronic devices such as cell phones in public and private elementary schools nationwide. A presidential decree is due in the next 30 days to regulate the measure so that it becomes valid by the start of the school year in February. The bill was approved by Congress at the end of last year.
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 10:18 UTC
Former Bariloche official shot in Rio dies

A 51-year-old Argentine traveler who was mugged and shot in the head in a Rio de Janeiro favela on Dec. 12, 2024, after mistakenly following GPS directions, died Monday after nearly a month in the Souza Aguiar Municipal Hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Gastón Burlón was a former Tourism Secretary in the Patagonian skiing resort of Bariloche until 2023.
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 10:06 UTC
Paraguayan exports drop but some items post improvements

Paraguay's Central Bank (BCP) released a report Monday showing that exports fell 7.7% in 2024. However, some items scored significant improvements, as sales abroad totaled US$15.84 billion, while imports amounted to nearly US$16.38 billion. This represents a 3.6% increase for a trade deficit of US$538.8 million, against a surplus recorded the year before after a 2.3% overall contraction.
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 09:49 UTC
Biden names future nuclear carriers after Bill Clinton and George W. Bush

The United States Navy's next two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named after former Presidents Bill Clinton (Democrat) and George W. Bush (Republican), incumbent President Joseph Biden announced Monday less than a week before the end of his term. Biden also said that when he told them about his decision both of them felt “deeply honored.”
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 09:23 UTC
Falklands’ government appoints new Director of Natural Resources

The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) is pleased to announce the appointment of James Wilson as the next Director of Natural Resources. James has held the role of Deputy Director of Natural Resources since May 2024 and has been appointed following a comprehensive search and selection process.
Tuesday, January 14th 2025 - 09:16 UTC
Chagos Archipelago, productive discussions between UK and Mauritius

Representatives from the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom held further productive discussions in London this week on the future of the Chagos Archipelago.