Stories for August 7th 2012
Mercosur has only benefited Brazil in the last ten years with a surplus of 36.8bn
Brazil is the only country that in the last ten years has benefited from Mercosur with an intra-zone trade surplus of 36.8 billion dollars while the other three full members, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay have accumulated huge deficits in the same period, according to Argentine economist Orlando Ferreres a regular columnist from La Nacion with graduate studies in Harvard.
Argentine president declared assets valued in 8.6 million dollars
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has assets of almost 40 million Argentine Pesos according to her latest income statement before the Anti Corruption office. This includes the 31 million inherited from her late husband Nestor Kirchner who died in October 2010.
Rice supply outstrips demand despite lower 2012 production according to FAO
The United Nations’ food agency cut its 2012 global rice production forecast but said supply would still outstrip demand and that there was no increased risk of a food crisis as long as countries do not resort to export bans.
Spain says the Gibraltar dispute is back on the ‘Brussels process” bilateral track
Spain’s new Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Federico Trillo-Figueroa, has claimed that his Foreign Minister, Jose Garcia Margallo, has managed to revive bilateral dialogue with UK over Gibraltar within the Brussels context.
Argentine supermarkets must keep records of clients that spend plus 210 dollars
Argentine supermarkets must keep records of sales of plus 1.000 Pesos which must be available to tax inspectors, according to the latest decision from AFIP the tax revenue office. A thousand Pesos at the official rate is equivalent to 210 dollars and in the parallel 140 dollars.
Argentine foreign currency credit cards included in the strict dollar “clamp”
Credit card companies operating in Argentina have also fallen under the net work of the tax office AFIP, and now must request authorization and approval to purchase US dollars to balance their clients’ accounts.
Norwegian organization to help with demining in the Chile-Peru border
Chilean and Peruvian authorities meet Friday in Lima with the humanitarian organization Norwegian People’s Aid which will be responsible for the demining of the two countries border area, announced Peruvian Foreign minister Rafael Roncaglio.
Professional fishermen to catch sharks that are attacking surfers in Reunion Islands
France will hire professional fishermen to kill some 20 sharks off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion this week in an effort to understand the reasons for a series of attacks in the surfing hotspot.
Removed Paraguayan president says he can run again for the Executive office
Former Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo who was removed from office last June following a political impeachment in Congress said he can again be a presidential candidate in the coming April elections.
Food inflation in Latin America reached 8.9% in June, the highest in 2012
Food inflation in Latin America and the Caribbean reached 8.9% in June compared to the same month in 2011, which means the highest so far this year, according to a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.
