Uruguayan President Jose Mujica begins on Wednesday the longest and most ambitious of his overseas trips hoping to convince China to invest in infrastructure projects that are crucial for the development of the country and its foreign trade: a deep water port and recovering the rail cargo network.
Pope Francis criticised what he called savage capitalism on a visit to a food kitchen on Tuesday, in an address in which he called for the values of generosity and charity to be revived.
For several days beginning Wednesday Uruguay, as its neighbours, Brazil and Argentina will be ruled by a woman. Lucia Topolansky, Fist Lady but also Senator and third in the succession line will become interim president since her husband is off on an official trip to China and Europe, and Vice-president Danilo Astori will be attending the Alliance of the Pacific summit in Colombia.
Uruguay's main economic problem is high inflation, and policymakers will continue to use interest rates and bank reserve requirements to bring it under control, Vice President Danilo Astori said on Tuesday. Consumer prices in Uruguay rose 8.14% in the 12 months through April, far outside the country's official annual target range of 4 to 6%.
The Argentine government is preparing for a huge political demonstration next Saturday 25 May to be held in the Plaza de Mayo to celebrate 10 years since President Cristina Fernández late husband and predecessor Néstor Kirchner took office. It will also be a test ahead of the October mid-term election.
A meeting of leading world and regional business and finance corporations representatives is scheduled parallel to the Alliance of the Pacific presidential summit scheduled for this week in the Colombia city of Cali. According to the organizers the event has 250 CEO confirmed for the First Business meeting of the alliance.
Prime Minister David Cameron has urged British overseas territories to get their house in order and sign up to international treaties on tax. He wrote to 10 territories and crown dependencies, including the Cayman Islands and the Isle of Man, which operate low-tax regimes.
Shares in cruise company Carnival have fallen more than 7% after it issued a profit warning its second in just three months. Carnival, which operates ships under brands such as P&O and Costa Cruises, said full year revenues, which were expected to be flat, would now fall 2-3%.
The Venezuelan opposition has released an audio recording that it said contains a prominent member of the ruling party discussing political strategy with a Cuban intelligence officer. Opposition lawmaker Ismael García said the recording captures a phone conversation between state TV personality Mario Silva, a staunch government ally, and a Cuban identified as Lieutenant Colonel Aramis Palacios.
Chile is the third most attractive country for copper mining investments behind Canada and Australia according to a report from the Chilean Copper Committee, Cochilco that includes fifteen leading countries in the industry and was released this week by Mining minister Hernan de Solminihac in Santiago.