Stories for January 2019

Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:26 UTC
Colombia working on a (conservative) replacement for Unasur

Colombian President Ivan Duque said he is talking with like-minded conservative leaders to create a regional bloc that would replace the Venezuelan-influenced Union of South American Nations, Unasur.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:23 UTC
Macri praises Chinese investment in hydropower projects in Patagonia

Argentina's president Mauricio Macri on Monday said the joint Argentina-China hydropower megaproject is “highly important” and “emblematic” in terms of renewable energy and economic development. Macri made the remarks during his first official visit to the construction site of the project, where two hydroelectric dams, Condor Cliff and La Barrancosa, are being erected along the Santa Cruz River in Patagonia to boost national energy output.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:20 UTC
The salary is tripled in Venezuela: Increases to 6 dollars

Nicolás Maduro ordered an increase of 300% of the minimum wage on Monday, the 26th time he makes an announcement of this kind during his term. Also, an increase in the petro cryptocurrency was decreed and the president highlighted the economic management of his government, which he said in his annual report helped to turn Venezuela into the country with “greater socioeconomic equality”.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:19 UTC
Ireland's Sinn Féin attends Maduro's inauguration and praises Venezuelan election

A Sinn Féin MLA has defended his attendance at the inauguration of the Venezuelan president and denied that the election was fraudulent. Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as Venezuela's president last Thursday.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:12 UTC
Argentina sued again by hedge fund on bonds tied to GDP growth

Aurelius Capital Management LP, one of the lead hedge funds that settled a massive litigation over defaulted bonds with Argentina in 2016, is suing the country again, this time over US$ 84 million in payments it says the nation owes. The case is Aurelius Capital Master Ltd. v. the Republic of Argentina, 19-cv-351, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:08 UTC
Macri flies to Brazil for a first face to face meeting with Bolsonaro

Argentine President Mauricio Macri will hold talks with his new Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday likely to center on consolidating trade ties between South America's two biggest economies, officials said. Battling recession and seeking re-election this year, Macri needs to boost Buenos Aires's side of a steep trade imbalance with its main trading partner.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:01 UTC
Supermodel Gisele is a “bad Brazilian” claims Agriculture minister Dias

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen is a “bad Brazilian” whose environmental activism has harmed the country’s image abroad, the nation’s new Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias said on Monday.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 08:52 UTC
Auto industry calls on Trump and Congress to end government shutdown

Leading automakers on Monday called on the Trump administration and Congress to resolve trade disputes, and end the US government shutdown, saying political uncertainty is costing the industry, Reuters reports.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 08:44 UTC
Theresa May and Parliament in their Brexit labyrinth

British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing likely defeat in Parliament when she asks MPs to approve her Brexit deal this Tuesday. That result would trigger huge uncertainty about the future of Britain's exit from the European Union.
Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 08:41 UTC
China's trade figures point reveals a strong weakening of the economy, and global demand

Chinese exports saw the steepest fall for two years in December, according to the latest trade figures. Exports from China fell 4.4% last month compared with the year before, while imports fell 7.6%. The figures indicate a further weakening in the strength of the world's second biggest economy and sent Asian stock markets lower on Monday.