Politics

• Monday, December 17th 2018 - 07:40 UTC

  Brazil refutes Merkel's comments on Mercosur and Bolsonaro

  

  Brazil’s outgoing Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said that Mercosur is ready to close a trade agreement with the European Union but it is being held up because the Europeans do not want to close a deal.

• Monday, December 17th 2018 - 00:59 UTC

  Uruguay's “Live Without Fear” to hold constitutional reform plebiscite for harsher penal code

  

  The Uruguayan “Live Without Fear” (Vivir Sin Miedo) campaign collected 376,427 signatures, way above the Electoral Court's threshold to force a a plebiscite on security matters in the next elections, Senator Jorge Larrañaga announced Saturday.

• Sunday, December 16th 2018 - 23:44 UTC

  Argentine city of Rosario to grant allowance to victims of gender violence

  

  The City Hall of Rosario has passed an ordinance whereby victims of gender violence housed in one of the city shelters are to collect a monthly allowance of 2,000 pesos (52 US dollars) during six months, it was reported.

• Sunday, December 16th 2018 - 15:39 UTC

  AMLO announces plan to reshape Mexico's oil production

  

  Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly referred to by his acronym as AMLO, Saturday launched the National Plan for the Production of Hydrocarbons in a move to strengthen the country's oil industry.

• Saturday, December 15th 2018 - 09:41 UTC

  Paraguayan judge refuses to halt Uber and clone company MUV - battle with taxis continues

  

  Judge Letizia Paredes Friday denied the request submitted by Paraguayan taxi driver unions to keep carpool services Uber and MUV from operating but she still allowed the petition for an amparo remedy to be processed by the courts, it was reported.

• Saturday, December 15th 2018 - 09:34 UTC

  UN forecasts 2 million Venezuelans will emigrate in 2019

  

  Around two million more Venezuelans are expected to flee their country during 2019, according to a United Nations forecast released Friday in Geneva. If true, the total number of Venezuelan migrants could reach 5.3 million a year from now.

• Saturday, December 15th 2018 - 09:27 UTC

  Falklands-Buenos Aires link: Argentina awards license and route to low-cost airline

  

  The Argentine government awarded low-cost airline Flybondi a 15-year license to exploit 284 domestic and international routes, including one that potentially can link Buenos Aires directly with the Falkland Islands.

• Saturday, December 15th 2018 - 09:20 UTC

  Investigation into the death of Guatemalan child in the custody of US Border Patrol

  

  An investigation has been launched after a seven-year-old girl died while in the custody of the US Border Patrol. The Guatemalan child, named as Jakelin Caal Maquin, was detained last week after crossing the US-Mexico border with her father, officials say.

• Saturday, December 15th 2018 - 09:14 UTC

  Brexit: Britons will have to pay €7 every three years to travel to EU countries

  

  Britons will have to pay €7 (£6.30) every three years to travel to EU countries, as a consequence of Brexit. The European Commission has confirmed that while UK travelers will not need a visa, they will need to apply for and buy another document.

• Saturday, December 15th 2018 - 09:00 UTC

  Johnson & Johnson shares plunge following on Reuters' report of asbestos in talcum powder

  

  Shares in Johnson & Johnson plunged more than 10% on Friday, after Reuters reported that the US pharmaceutical giant had known about asbestos tainting its talcum powder for decades.