Venezuela's annual inflation rate rose to 49.4% in September, from 45.4% in August. Consumer prices increased 4.4% month-on-month, the central bank said, compared with 3.0% in August. It was the highest annual rate since the Venezuelan government changed the formula used to calculate the figure five years ago.
Argentina’s “Congress” Consumer Price Index which is an average of private consultants and is released by opposition lawmakers, showed that inflation in September increased 2.11%, the highest September since 1991, accumulating 25.44% in the last twelve months.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) to Latin America displayed moderate growth in the first half of this year, compared with the 2012 similar period, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The 13 countries of the region that provided data received 102.951 billion dollars, which was 6% higher than the first six months of the previous year.
A controversial bill imposing a 10% tax on grains and oil seeds exported in their natural state was finally approved by the Paraguayan congress. The bill presented in 2012 was passed in the Senate, rejected in the Lower House and again ratified by the Upper House, however Deputies could not round up the necessary 53 votes to again reject it.
A total of 6,164,682 requests for tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup had been received when the initial application period ended on Thursday 10 October 2013, of which 70.86% were from Brazil, with the remaining 29.14% from the rest of the world.
“Only God sets an ultimatum” said Uruguay’s President José Mujica in a laconic reply to Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman demand (and countdown) to return to negotiations regarding the UPM pulp plant and Montevideo’s decision to allow an increase in production.
Gunmen this week seized Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from a hotel in central Tripoli, releasing him shortly afterwards, but making it clear that post-Gaddafi Libya is a failed state and that the government is incapable of taking full control over its oilfields and export terminals
Argentina will offer 500 million dollars in sovereign bonds to resolve disputes with corporations at a World Bank arbitration panel, a financial daily newspaper reported on Thursday.
Argentina will grow at an enviable rate compared to other countries in the region, Chief Economist for the World Bank’s Latin America and Caribbean Office Augusto de la Torre said this week, commenting on the institution’s projections for next year.
The Argentine government and the World Bank agreed on Thursday in Washington on a new Strategic Partnership involving an estimated 3 billion dollars in the next three years which will concentrate on loans for education, health care and rural development.