Politics

• Sunday, March 28th 2021 - 08:53 UTC

  Mercosur has no raison d’être if members go rogue according Argentine Foreign Ministry top official

  

  In the aftermath of Friday's presidential clash between Alberto Fernández and Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou over the Mercosur's alleged lack of “flexibility,” Argentine Foreign Ministry's Cabinet Chief Guillermo Chaves said Saturday in a radio interview that the bloc's fundamental identity was to negotiate jointly on behalf of all members, but if each partner was allowed to hold deals individually, the association would lose its raison d'être.

• Saturday, March 27th 2021 - 10:23 UTC

  Presidents of Uruguay, Argentina clash during Mercosur online summit

  

  Argentine President Alberto Fernández told his Uruguayan counterpart Luis Lacalle Pou his country did not want to be “a burden on anyone” when the latter called for signs of “flexibilization” on the part of Mercosur to allow member states to seek unilateral foreign trade agreements elsewhere without the bloc's approval.

• Saturday, March 27th 2021 - 10:01 UTC

  OAS Almagro backs Cuban activists on hunger strike

  

  Organization of American States Secretary-General of Luis Almagro Friday accused Cuba's government of applying “state terrorism to those who think differently” and held the current authorities of the Caribbean island accountable “for the health and well-being” of the 55 Cuban human rights activists on hunger strike.

• Saturday, March 27th 2021 - 09:45 UTC

  Biden invites Alberto Fernández to virtual Summit on Climate Change

  

  United States President Joseph Biden has invited his Argentine colleague Alberto Fernández to take part in a virtual summit on climate change to take place between April 22 (Earth Day) and 23, it was announced.

• Friday, March 26th 2021 - 10:55 UTC

  Presidents of Bolivia and Mexico warn OAS to do its job and nothing more

  

  The presidents of Mexico and Bolivia signed a joint statement warning Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro to stay away from their countries' domestic matters.

• Friday, March 26th 2021 - 10:48 UTC

  Argentina halts all flights to/from Brazil, Chile and Mexico

  

  Starting this coming Saturday, no passenger flights will be allowed into Argentina from covid-ridden Brazil, Chile and Mexico, in a move to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly the Amazon or P1 strain as well as the British variant which is also causing havoc in the country's health system.

• Friday, March 26th 2021 - 10:03 UTC

  Brazil: over 100,000 new Covid-19 infections detected in just one day

  

  More than 100,000 Sars-CoV-2 infections in a 24-hour period were reported Thursday in Brazil for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic which has already killed over 300,000 people nationwide.

• Friday, March 26th 2021 - 10:02 UTC

  Chile lockdown 86% of its population due to new strains of Covid

  

  The government of Chile Thursday decided to tighten the anti-covid-19 measures already in force after 64 cases of the British strain and 45 of the Brazilian ones were detected out of a total of 7,023 new daily cases of coronavirus were reported.

• Friday, March 26th 2021 - 09:59 UTC

  Brazil's Foreign Minister hangs on to his job as pressure for his departure mounts

  

  Ernesto Araújo's days as Foreign Minister of Brazil seemed to be counted Thursday as he made what was perceived to be the last effort to stay on the job, while advisers to President Jair Bolsonaro already deem his departure inevitable.

• Thursday, March 25th 2021 - 17:55 UTC

  UK: Green energy transition backed by the historical North Sea deal

  

  The United Kingdom becomes the first G7 country to agree a landmark deal to support the oil and gas industry’s transition to clean, green energy. The UK government announced on Wednesday a landmark North Sea Transition Deal is agreed with industry and high-skilled oil and gas workers will not be left behind in the transition to a low carbon future.