“We believe Honduran President (Manuel) Zelaya should be restored to power,” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters on Wednesday, but he added that Washington was focused on implementing the whole agreement reached over the weekend and the process was “now for Hondurans to decide”.
Brazil's foreign reserves totaled 232.9 billion US dollars at the end of October, up from 224.2 billion at the end of September. In the first ten months of 2009, reserves were up 26.1 billion. Reserves ended last year at 206.8 billion.
Brazil's government managed oil and gas group Petrobras announced Wednesday it had signed a contract permitting the first payment from a 10 billion US dollar loan from China to help it finance upcoming investments.
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee kept US interest rates on hold at between 0% and 0.25%, as had been widely expected. Despite the US economy growing 3.5% in July to September - its first expansion since June 2008 - rates were left unchanged on Wednesday to further aid the recovery.
Fisheries landings in Argentine ports during the first ten months of the year were down 31% to 576,623.7 tons (from 832.655 tons) mainly because of the significant decline in squid catches.