
A Uruguayan criminal court found no merit to continue investigating into incidents allegedly occurred in a Chinese flagged fishing vessel following on claims of 'slavery', ill treatment and beatings, presented by 28 African crewmembers.

Brazil, Argentina and Chile presidents figure among the list of the 25 most powerful women in the world according to the latest release from Forbes. Dilma Rousseff ranks in fourth place, Cristina Fernandez 19 and Michele Bachelet, 25. Only nine heads of state figure in the 100 names list.

The Argentine government is putting pressure on contractors so that the Navy's flagship icebreaker Almirante Irizar, partially destroyed by fire in 2007, can begin sea trials later this year. However over-costs and mismanagement of the funds invested, estimated at over 650 million dollars, could have purchased a new vessel of three second hand according to critics in Congress.

Grins were on the faces of China National Petroleum executives last week as they celebrated a blockbuster 30-year deal for Russian gas. It was a good day for CNPC, the state-owned colossus at the center of China's oil and gas webs and one of Eurasia's biggest energy investors.

Pope Francis said on Monday that the celibacy of priests is not a matter of Church dogma, while defending its value amid calls among some Catholics for the requirement to be dropped.

The Jamaica government is being urged to enact legislation that would decriminalize marijuana as well as establish a medical marijuana industry. The Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce said Jamaica would significantly benefit from a regulates medical marihuana industry.

A small plane crash landed on Tuesday into the Río de la Plata river with nine passengers on board. Four of them were successfully rescued and transferred to hospitals in Buenos Aires and Uruguay, and at least five people were reported dead.

HMS Portland’s ship’s company celebrated this month the ship’s 13th birthday as they enter the fifth month of a seven-month deployment as the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Patrol Ship.

Relationships between medical professionals in Southern Chile and the Falkland Islands have been strengthened following a visit by the Islands’ radiographer to Punta Arenas.

The Falkland Islands Government announced the promotion of Len McGill to Superintendent and his appointment as the new Chief of Police. Len, who is a Falkland Islands will begin his new post from 1st June, taking over from Barry Marsden who will be focusing on his role as Director of Emergency Services, where previously the two jobs were combined.