Politics

• Monday, December 31st 2018 - 00:51 UTC

  South America does not help self-employed individuals thrive, study shows

  

  Uruguay and Argentina finished last and next respectively in a study carried out by international consultants Expert Market on the difficulties faced by self-employed individuals in 57 countries, it was reported Saturday.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 22:00 UTC

  Massive security preparations for Bolsonaro's inauguration

  

  Authorities in Brazil say they are making massive security preparations for the inauguration of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Jan. 1. Security around the future president has been high since he was stabbed with a knife on Sept. 6, causing a ruptured intestine.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 21:16 UTC

  Hemp becomes federally legal in US; estimates of a US$ 20bn industry by 2022

  

  After years of prohibition, industrial hemp is now federally legal in the United States. President Trump signed off on the 2018 Farm Bill which redefines hemp as an agricultural commodity, and more importantly, removes it from the Controlled Substances Act.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 21:12 UTC

  Argentina appoints an auditor/administrator at INIDEP to “normalize activities”

  

  Argentina has appointed an auditor/administrator for the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), former R/Admiral Marcelo Lobbosco, who was head of Buenos Aires province ports. During his 180-day term (with a possible extension of another 180 days), and according to Decree 1127, Lobbosco must try to overcome the staff disputes which have impeded the normal activity of research cruises.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 10:30 UTC

  Bolsonaro presents Netanyahu with Brazil's highest decoration for visitors

  

  Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Friday in Rio de Janeiro and sealed an alliance between the two countries, although moving the embasy to Jerusalem was reportedly not on the table. Bolsonaro presented Netanyahu with the highest national decoration for visitors in Brazil, granted in the past to former US President Dwight Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 08:06 UTC

  Rightwing coalition to rule Socialist stronghold Andalusia: first time in 36 years

  

  An alliance between the right-wing Partido Popular, Ciudadanos and Vox resulted in Ciudadanos’ deputy Marta Bosquet being voted in as Speaker of the Andalusia Parliament. She received 59 votes from the three parties, which put her ahead of left-wing alliance Adelante Andalucía’s Inmaculada Nieto who held 50 votes.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 07:49 UTC

  Identification Plan of Argentine remains in the Falklands to be extended

  

  Argentina and the United Kingdom are to discuss the extension of the current Humanitarian Project Plan to identify Argentine combatant remains buried in the Falkland Islands, to include possible errors in the names of some graves, and other burial sites such as Pebbles island, according to a report from Martin Dinatale published in the news agency Infobae.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 07:36 UTC

  HMS Montrose en route to Bahrain calls at Easter Island

  

  The crew of HMS Montrose have spent the end of Christmas week on the remote Pacific Easter Island – famous for its huge stone statues. It’s thought to be the first time this century a British warship has visited the Chilean territory, which is about the size of Sheffield – but home to fewer than 8,000 people.

• Saturday, December 29th 2018 - 07:22 UTC

  Argentina's energy secretary steps down following leaks on the increase of power rates

  

  Argentina's energy secretary resigned on Friday, the government said in a statement, less than 24 hours after news leaked that the administration of President Mauricio Macri plans to increase electricity prices by an average 35% next year.

• Friday, December 28th 2018 - 09:17 UTC

  Jerusalem controversy: Arab ministerial delegation plans to visit Bolsonaro in January

  

  An Arab ministerial delegation plans to travel to Brazil in January to convince the incoming Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, not to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an official Palestinian source said on Thursday. Bolsonaro announced in November that he intends to relocate the Brazilian Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.