Stories for August 2014

Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 07:26 UTC
Brazil's July auto output and sales plummet 20.5% and 13.9% compared to 2013

Auto production in Brazil during July dropped 20.5% from a year earlier, national automakers' association Anfavea said on Wednesday, while sales slid 13.9%. Compared to June, production rose 17% and sales 11.8%, as July had an additional two working days.
Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 07:22 UTC
Global system used for sovereign-debt workouts remains badly in need of repair

By Kenneth Rogoff (*) - Argentina’s latest default poses unsettling questions for policymakers. True, the country’s periodic debt crises are often the result of self-destructive macroeconomic policies. But, this time, the default has been triggered by a significant shift in the international sovereign-debt regime
Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 07:02 UTC
Argentina closer to contempt of court as it suggests bondholders to change paymaster

New York district judge Thomas Griesa and the Argentine government are again on the collision course: while the magistrate has ordered the Bank of New York Mellon to retain the funds deposited by Argentina to pay exchange bondholders and declaring the payment “illegal”, the Ministry of Economy in Buenos Aires suggested bondholder should change BONY for a new intermediary institution.
Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 06:53 UTC
Argentine football has new president; HQ raided on court's order

Argentinos Juniors and interim Argentine Football Association president Luis Segura has been ratified in the AFA post until October 2015, as confirmed following the first meeting of the body's executive committee since the passing of late chief Julio Humberto Grondona.
Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 06:32 UTC
Mercosur trade deal is a priority for the EU under Italian presidency

Foreign minister Federica Mogherini pledged that under the current Italian presidency of the European Union, top priority will be given to signing the pending trade agreements, among which that with Mercosur still under discussion.
Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 06:01 UTC
“Malvinas dialogue” demands Argentine Patagonia governor in Wales

Underlining the close links between Wales and Argentine Patagonia, where many Welsh immigrants settled for the first time 150 years ago, Chubut governor Martin Buzzi called on the British government “to open a dialogue on the Malvinas Islands”.
Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 21:21 UTC
Latam food prices at slow growth rate for third month running, says FAO

FAO’s Monthly Food Price Report notes that food prices in Latin America and the Caribbean reduced their growth rate for the third consecutive month. Regional food inflation increased only 0.5% in June, down from 1% in May and 1.2% in April, which is particularly relevant for the poorest, who spend a larger proportion of their income on food.
Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 08:54 UTC
US and India clash over food security clause at WTO and suspends TFA protocol

The failure of the two major players in global trade negotiations to bridge their differences has put paid to the adoption of the protocol of amendment for implementation of the contested Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) for the time being.
Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 08:47 UTC
Caribbean Chikungunya cases over half a million, says PA health organization

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says the number of new cases of the Chikungunya in the Caribbean increased by nearly 38,000 last week with the Dominican Republic having the most cases.
Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 08:28 UTC
Plaza de Mayo Grand-mothers head finally gets to know her kidnapped grandson born in captivity

The 83-year-old head of the Argentine human rights movement which works to track down babies stolen by the country's brutal 1976-83 military dictatorship has found her grandson after a 35-year search, a relative said on Tuesday.