Latin America's GDP growth is projected to increase to 2.2% in 2018 from 1.3% in 2017. The Pink Tide has receded for the moment, giving rise to more centre right governments in the region. In 2018, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Venezuela will have presidential elections. Venezuela’s political and economic tragedy could get worse.
Brazil said it was suspending fish exports to the European Union in response to concerns raised by Brussels' veterinary inspectors. The move was aimed at preventing the EU itself from ordering a suspension, said Luis Rangel, the secretary of state in charge of fisheries.
A Peruvian football official accused of taking bribes has been cleared by a jury in the United States. Manuel Burga, who led football in Peru until 2014, was accused of taking cash in exchange for distributing marketing and media rights to matches. Two other South American football officials were convicted by the same jury on Friday.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko stepped down from his role as President of the Russian Football Union. Mutko told reporters in Russia he was stepping down to dispute his Olympic ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Bolivian President Evo Morales implied in a Tweet that he and Pope Francis had discussed Bolivia’s territorial dispute with Chile during a meeting at the Vatican on December 15. According to the Vatican, the 30-minute private meeting “took place in a cordial atmosphere.”
Canada has announced it is expelling Venezuela's ambassador to Ottawa, Wilmer Barrientos Fernández, and its charge d'affaires, Ángel Herrera. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the move was in retaliation for the expulsion of its most senior diplomat from Caracas over the weekend.
The world’s largest amphibious aircraft, the Chinese-made AG600, carried out its maiden flight on Sunday morning in Zhuhai, a coastal city in Guangdong province. An AG600, piloted by four crew members, took off from the Zhuhai Jinwan Airport at 9:50 am and remained airborne for about an hour before returning.
UNICEF welcomed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ announcement that Henrietta H. Fore will succeed Anthony Lake as UNICEF Executive Director when his term ends on 31 December 2017.
The Peruvian president announced on Sunday night that he granted a medical pardon to jailed former strongman Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses, corruption and the sanctioning of death squads. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski released a statement on Christmas Eve saying he decided to free Fujimori for “humanitarian reasons,” citing doctors who had determined the ex-leader suffers from incurable and degenerative problems.
The European Union now hopes to conclude a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc by February next year. EU agriculture chief Phil Hogan admitted that there were still 15 “open issues”, following a “difficult” meeting with the Mercosur countries in Buenos Aires last week.