Stories for May 20th 2013

Monday, May 20th 2013 - 22:22 UTC
Brazil opens ports to private investment hoping to ease bottlenecks strangling exports growth

Brazil’s Congress approved legislation that opens up state-owned ports to private investment and lifts restrictions on the building of private ports in a bid to eliminate serious bottlenecks strangling the country’s export growth. The Brazilian Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries praised the approval of the bill and anticipate investment of 25bn dollars.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 19:56 UTC
Almirante Irizar en route to becoming another major scandal for Argentina’s navy

Argentina’ icebreaker Almirante Irizar, docked for repairs since 2007 is en route to becoming another major scandal involving the Ministry of Defence and the Argentine Navy’s fleet. In the last six years Argentina has invested the equivalent of 200 million dollars in the recovery of the vessel that caught fire in 2007 and another 75 million dollars in contracting vessels to supply the Antarctic bases and stations.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 19:47 UTC
Brazil trapped by Argentina and Venezuela economic mismanagements

Brazil’s main financial newspaper Valor Economico revealed that the recent summit between Presidents Cristina Fernandez and Dilma Rousseff from Argentina and Brazil was far from polite and enlightening, rather the contrary with “strong disagreements in the fields of trade and investment” shaking the foundations of Mercosur.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 19:41 UTC
Iran enforces memorandum with Argentina to look into AMIA terrorist bombing

The business representative of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires Alí Pakdaman announced on Monday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad endorsed without Congress approval the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Argentina and Tehran in order to investigate the AMIA Jewish centre bombing which killed 85 people in 1994.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 07:12 UTC
Falkland Islands: Argentina blasts UK’s ‘double standard’ on self determination right

Argentina questioned the UK after its negative vote at the United Nations General Assembly “to place French Polynesia back on the UN list of non autonomous territories that should be decolonised” Additionally Argentina renewed its claim over the Falkland Islands sovereignty and described the UK attitude, ‘colonial hypocrisy’.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 07:09 UTC
Pope Francis and Merkel talk economics: ‘rules of the social market have not been observed”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Pope Francis and, apparently responding to his criticism of a heartless “dictatorship of the economy” and the “cult of money”, called for stronger regulation of financial markets.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 07:03 UTC
Uruguay satisfied with the latest cruise season, but there could be difficulties ahead

The Uruguayan 2012/13 cruise season experienced a 10% increase in the number of calls to the ports of Montevideo and Punta del Este totalling 240 and approximately 400.000 visitors between passengers and crew members.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 07:02 UTC
Venezuela releases ex-general jailed on charges of inciting unrest

Venezuelan authorities have released a dissent ex-general who was jailed on charges of inciting unrest after the country’s disputed presidential election. Retired General Antonio Rivero, who is also a member of the opposition movement Popular Will, said he would “take care of my health” as he was freed late Friday.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 06:56 UTC
A single winner, in Florida, of the US lottery: jackpot 590 million dollars

A single winner in Florida has beaten incredible odds and will take home the entire 590.5 million dollars Powerball jackpot. The lucky ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, Fla., outside of Tampa, according to Florida Lottery executive Cindy O’Connell.
Monday, May 20th 2013 - 05:00 UTC
Lan privileged passengers but will review investments and expects ‘common sense’ from Argentine officials

Lan Chile admitted the company had to yield to the demands from the Argentine company Intercargo, which monopolizes ground services in all the country’s air terminals, so that they could resume normal traffic in Argentina. It also said that it was not leaving Argentine but would review future investments and expects more common sense from local authorities.