The UK Government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), following a case being confirmed in Germany. This means the commercial import of cattle, pigs, sheep, deer, buffaloes and their products such as meat, and dairy from Germany will now be banned to protect farmers and their livelihoods.
The German economy, the heart of European Union dynamism shrank by 0.2% in 2024, the second year in a row, according to Destatis, the German Federal Stats Office. In 2023, the German GDP, Europe’s largest contracted by 0,3%.
Ambassador Martín García Moritán has been removed from the Argentine mission in the Uruguayan capital and ordered back to Buenos Aires, according to Presidential Decree 29/2025 published Wednesday in the Official Gazette. The measure was adopted barely over a month before President-elect Yamandú Orsi's March 1 inauguration. The career diplomat had been appointed on Feb. 19, 2024.
Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas agreed on a 42-day ceasefire to come into effect on Sunday in Gaza, during which some Israeli hostages will be released -dead or alive- in exchange for convicted terrorists serving their sentences in Tel Aviv's correctional system.
Brazilian airlines Azul and Gol announced Wednesday after trading closed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa) that they had signed a memorandum of intent to finalize a merger whereby one of the largest airlines in Latin America would be created. If the plan goes through, the resulting airline would have a 60% share in Latin America's largest country, thus challenging Latam's hegemony.
Despite its iconic background worldwide, Pizza Hut will no longer be operating in Chile, Food Delivery Brands, the company handling it as well as Telepizza, announced Wednesday in Santiago. The group insisted it had made all possible efforts to keep the business afloat.
Chile's state-run oil company ENAP (Empresa Nacional del Petróleo) announced Wednesday that the South American country has proven able to produce renewable diesel out of used cooking oil. “A new step towards a greener Chile! ENAP presents its new renewable diesel, made from used cooking oil,” a statement read.
Cuban authorities began releasing prisoners Wednesday after Tuesday's decision by the outgoing US Government of President Joseph Biden to remove the Caribbean islands from the list of terrorism-sponsoring nations. Havana also said that, as per a deal brokered by the Vatican, it would be freeing up to 553 detainees, including some of those jailed for participating in anti-government rallies. However, leading Republican politicians in Washington hope to restore Cuba to that infamous category after Donald Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.
The end of the fact-checking service provided by Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp owning Meta has only been implemented in the United States (US), at least for the time being. The company made those remarks to Brazil's Federal Attorney General's Office (AGU) checking the company's compliance to the legislation in force in the South American country.
Paraguayan health authorities reported an increase in the demand for the yellow fever vaccine from people willing to travel to Brazil for the summer season.