Politics

• Thursday, December 19th 2024 - 10:15 UTC

  Venezuela renames Oil Ministry to include other fuels

  

  The Venezuelan administration of President Nicolás Maduro renamed the Oil Ministry which will be henceforth known as Ministry of Hydrocarbons, Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced Wednesday. The measure seeks to boost the sector, she explained on her Telegram account.

• Thursday, December 19th 2024 - 10:07 UTC

  Chilean lawmakers want steps taken to protect tourists

  

  Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a report warning travelers to Chile that “muggings, armed robberies, pickpocketing and bag snatching are common” there. Tourists need also be aware of scams targetting them such as staining their clothes to distract them and then stealing their belongings. In response, Chilean lawmakers requested a special session of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Congress.

• Thursday, December 19th 2024 - 09:48 UTC

  UK “absolutely resolutely committed to the sovereignty and self-determination of Gibraltar and the Falklands”

  

  “We are absolutely resolutely committed to the sovereignty and self-determination of Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands,” said Stephen Doughty MP and Minister of State for the Overseas Territories on a question from a fellow Labour MP, Portsmouth North, Amanda Martin during the Wednesday Parliament session.

• Thursday, December 19th 2024 - 09:31 UTC

  Falklands/UK Airbridge: increased seat allocation for FIG passengers as of next year

  

  Following discussions between the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD), it has been confirmed that the FIG seat allocation for the South Atlantic Airbridge (SAA) is to increase from 1 January 2025 for a three-month review period.

• Thursday, December 19th 2024 - 09:11 UTC

  Uruguay: Unemployment falls in November

  

  Unemployment in Uruguay fell to 7.2% of the Economically Active Population (EAP) last month, which represented a slight improvement from October’s 7.3%, according to the latest report from Montevideo's National Statistics Institute (INE) this week. It was the lowest figure since December 2021.

• Wednesday, December 18th 2024 - 22:17 UTC

  US dollar soars in Brazil amid fiscal uncertainty

  

  Amid uncertainty stemming from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's planned measures, the US dollar soared Wednesday against the Brazilian real, hitting a new record of R$ 6.26 = US$ 1 while the stock market fell above 3%, also driven by the 0.25 percentage point interests cut by the US Federal Reserve (Fed).

• Wednesday, December 18th 2024 - 20:21 UTC

  Civic Service reinstated in Argentina

  

  The Argentine Government announced Tuesday that it was implementing a so-called Civic Service for people aged between 18 and 24 who neither study nor work. The measure was approved in a joint agreement between the Ministries of Security and Human Capital.

• Wednesday, December 18th 2024 - 10:59 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade deal: How detrimental for Mercosur and how beneficial for EU farmers?

  

  A few days after European Commission President Ursula von del Leyen signed a long-pending trade agreement with four South American nations, French farmers were back on the streets dumping manure. This time they parked the tractors near the tunnel in Calais that goes through the English Channel, according to a report from German political and business analyst Uwe Hessler.

• Wednesday, December 18th 2024 - 07:44 UTC

  Denmark releases anti-whaling activist Paul Watson; pledges to continue battling Japan’s illegal operations

  

  The Canadian-American anti-whaling activist Paul Watson was released from a Greenland jail after a five-month detention, where he was detained on an international arrest warrant by Interpol on request from the Japanese government.

• Wednesday, December 18th 2024 - 07:21 UTC

  New Mauritius government questions the Chagos archipelago agreement, “not enough benefits for our country”

  

  British media is reporting that the Republic of Mauritius has submitted changes to a proposed deal over the future of the Chagos Islands, with the country's new PM arguing the original agreement did not benefit his country enough.