Politics

• Saturday, March 25th 2017 - 10:00 UTC

  Mexico prepared to “step away” from NAFTA if negotiations don't benefit the country

  

  Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said that if North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations don't benefit all parties involved, the country is willing to “step away” from it. In an interview with Bloomberg, he said pulling out of NAFTA would be a last resort.

• Saturday, March 25th 2017 - 09:44 UTC

  Maduro asks United Nations to help with supplies of medicines

  

  Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has asked for help from the United Nations to boost the country's supplies of medicines. Maduro said the UN had the expertise to normalize the supply and distribution of drugs in the country.

• Saturday, March 25th 2017 - 09:29 UTC

  Argentina closer to energy self sufficiency: US$ 2.3bn investment in Vaca Muerta shale fields

  

  Argentina's Tecpetrol, part of the Techint Group, said on Thursday it would invest US$2.3 billion in the Vaca Muerta shale fields through 2019, the largest announcement in the formation in years. Tecpetrol said in a statement the investment was made possibly due to measures from President Mauricio Macri's government, including a deal with labor unions earlier this year and a definition of price supports this month.

• Saturday, March 25th 2017 - 09:21 UTC

  Icebreaker Almirante Irizar ready to begin sea trials after a decade in repairs

  

  Argentine foreign and defense ministers Susana Malcorra and Julio Martínez toured on Friday the recently repaired and refurbished Navy's icebreaker and Antarctica flagship, Almirante Irizar which a decade ago almost became a wreck after she caught fire on return from the annual Antarctic mission.

• Friday, March 24th 2017 - 19:42 UTC

  Comodoro/Falklands link: “approval of route” does not mean “approval of flights”, cautions Malcorra

  

  Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra downplayed enthusiasm about a possible air link between Comodoro Rivadavia and the Falkland Islands arguing that the “approval of routes” does not mean the “approval of flights”.

• Friday, March 24th 2017 - 11:55 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez will stand trial on charges of financial mismanagement

  

  A judge in Argentina has ruled that the former president, Cristina Fernandez should stand trial on charges of financial mismanagement. Fernandez is accused of fraudulently administering state funds in 2015. The former economy minister, Axel Kiciloff, and the former head of the central bank have also been charged.

• Friday, March 24th 2017 - 11:50 UTC

  Temer close aide sworn as a Justice in Brazil's Supreme Court

  

  Jurist Alexandre de Moraes was sworn into office as a Justice in Brazil's Supreme Court on Wednesday. Moraes will fill the seat left by Justice Teori Zavascki, who died in a plane crash in January. Moraes headed the Ministry of Justice when was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Michel Temer. His nomination to the top court was confirmed by the Senate last month. He is expected to take charge of 7,500 cases as he joins the court.

• Friday, March 24th 2017 - 11:43 UTC

  Falklands should be left to develop and establish links with other regional countries

  

  UK ambassador in Argentina Mark Kent reiterated Falkland Islands sovereignty was not in the bilateral agenda, although the two countries can cooperate in other areas of mutual interest, letting the Islanders to develop and establish links with other South American countries.

• Friday, March 24th 2017 - 11:09 UTC

  Workers at the world's largest copper mine in Chile end 43/day strike

  

  Workers at the world's largest copper mine, BHP Billiton's Escondida in Chile, ended a lengthy strike Thursday that had caused turbulence on global copper markets. But the company warned they had only made matters worse by pushing negotiations back another year and a half.

• Friday, March 24th 2017 - 11:02 UTC

  Maduro desperately selling assets to pay US$ 3.7bn in debts

  

  In an effort to handle its overdue debts, Venezuela is all but giving away oil assets. President Nicolás Maduro is reportedly so desperate to pay the US$ 3.7 billion in debts that he is selling off the assets to Russia.