Prince Harry will undertake two official overseas visits in May and June this year. He will visit Estonia and Italy in May, followed by a visit to Brazil and Chile in June. Both visits are in support of the UK Government and are being organized by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy has declared that the latest incursion into Gibraltar waters, that saw London call in his Ambassador on Tuesday, “can be clarified”, and highlighted that Britain and Spain continue to enjoy “excellent relations.” He hoped such incidents will not be repeated but admitted that Spain and UK have long held opposing positions on the question of Gibraltar.
Political, business and academic leaders gathered for the ninth annual World Economic Forum in Latin America in Panama set out strategies for the region to move beyond dependence on commodity exports and face the challenges of a rapidly changing global economy.
The FAO Food Price Index rose sharply in March, up 4.8 points, or 2.3%, to an average of 212.8, the highest level since May 2013. The Index, based on the prices of a basket of internationally-traded food commodities, saw prices increase in all groups except dairy, which fell for the first time in four months (-2.5%). Sugar, 7.9% and Cereals, 5.2% climbed the most.
By Nicholas Cunningham of Oilprice.com - On March 28, the White House released a multi-pronged strategy to reduce methane emissions from a variety of sources, a step the administration says is an outgrowth of the President's Climate Action Plan announced last year. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Brazil's Congress struck down this week a proposal to impose new taxes on the internal soy market after fierce opposition from the country's agricultural sector. An amendment to apply a tax known as PIS/Cofins on soybean sales to some domestic buyers had been removed from a bill to simplify taxation of Brazilian companies abroad that was passed by the lower chamber late on Tuesday.
Coastal residents of Chile’s far north spent a second sleepless night outside their homes as major aftershocks continued Thursday following a magnitude-8.2 earthquake that damaged several thousand homes and caused six deaths. But no new major damage or casualties were reported, and a heavy police and military presence kept order.
Inflation in Uruguay during March reached 0.58% accumulating 4.74% in the first quarter and 9.73% in the last twelve months, which is seen as 'positive' and an indication that recent measures to contain prices are 'being successful', according to Economy minister Mario Bergara.
Brazil's manufacturing activity expanded for the fourth straight month in March, though at a meager pace as growth in new orders cooled, a private survey showed. The HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index for the Brazilian manufacturing sector rose to a seasonally adjusted 50.6 in March from 50.4 in February. The 50 mark separates contraction from expansion.
Uruguay's Football Association (AUF) has been suspended by South American soccer body CONMEBOL, a move the AUF said did not affect the national team's participation at the World Cup. The announcement Uruguay would be in Brazil was confirmed by statements from FIFA president Joseph Blatter from Costa Rica.