Pope Francis, wrapping up on Sunday his three-country tour of South America, urged people living in a flood-prone shantytown in Paraguay to stay united in their struggle for better living and working conditions.
President Cristina Fernández was present on Sunday in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción to hear Pope Francis give mass during his visit, and greeted the Argentine citizens who had travelled to see the leader of the Catholic church. The head of state left the open mass at around midday, handing Francis a gift before retiring after witnessing the ceremony with Paraguayan counterpart Horacio Cartés.
Alexander Jacob Betts was never exposed to any danger whatsoever from other Falkland Islanders or Britain’s Armed Forces during the 1982 conflict. This has been stated by the Falklands History Group in reference to Betts, who was born in Stanley, and lived in the Islands until the end of the 1982 conflict, but who is now an Argentine citizen.
A group of lawmakers from six Latin American countries and Argentine officials met in Ushuaia in support of Argentine 'legitimate sovereignty rights over Malvinas, Georgia and South Sandwich Islands', in the framework of UN General Assembly Resolution 2065 fiftieth anniversary celebration, which called on the United Kingdom and Argentina to reach a peaceful negotiated solution over the Falklands/Malvinas dispute through bilateral discussions.
Next 28 July Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones will be attending celebrations in the province of Chubut in the framework of the 150th anniversary of the first Welsh settlement in Patagonia, 28 July 1865. An event which in an electoral year in Argentina could become a good opportunity for president Cristina Fernandez to press on the Falkland Islands dispute, according to speculation in the Buenos Aires media.
The Embassy of Argentina in the UK celebrated Independence Day on Thursday, highlighting the importance of national sovereignty and Latin American unity. Before a packed audience of over four hundred people, the Argentine Ambassador Alicia Castro delivered a speech in which she recalled that the aim of the struggle for independence was to unite all the peoples of Latin America.
The Falkland Islands Government announced the appointment of Mr. Andrew Almond-Bell as the new Director of Emergency Services & Island Security. He will succeed Barry Marsden who left the Islands earlier this year.
Bolivian president Evo Morales revealed on Friday that Pope Francis told him that there are three pending issues in the continent, Puerto Rico, Falklands/Malvinas and Bolivia's sea outlet claim. The pope has been recognized by all sides as the 'bridge' which helped bring together Cuba and the US after over half a century of mutual distancing.
Pope Francis urged Paraguay to consolidate democracy and end corruption and drug trafficking, after receiving a colorful welcome on Friday at the start of the last leg of his eight-day South American tour.
The International Monetary Fund has trimmed its forecast for global economic growth for this year to take into account the impact of recent weakness in the United States. But the global financial institution said growth prospects for next year remain undimmed, despite Greece's debt crisis and recent volatility in Chinese financial markets.