Stories for December 28th 2015

Monday, December 28th 2015 - 13:49 UTC
Unions challenge Macri's government over review of public-sector contracts

Argentina's two largest state workers unions have warned they will be carrying out a strike on December 29 as a response to president Mauricio Macri's government vow to review public-sector contracts.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:50 UTC
Uruguayan officials invited to London to learn about Public-Private-Partnership

Uruguayan representatives of public entities who travelled to the United Kingdom and Brazil fed back on their experiences on Public-Private Partnership in an event held in the central office of the National Development Corporation (CND) in Montevideo.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:38 UTC
Argentine central bank building reserves: much depends on farmers and bankers

This short week and the month of January will test if the Argentine administration of president Mauricio Macri can continue to build up Central Bank reserves following on the decision to end the dollar clamp, let the foreign exchange float, together with the prospect of loans and hoarded grain sales.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:28 UTC
Chile approves free university education for 200.000 students, one of Bachelet's campaign promise

Chile’s Congress has approved a law granting free university education to many of the country’s students. The law was approved by both houses of the legislature last week before Christmas. The measure is a pillar of President Michelle Bachelet’s reform promises and is expected to aid about 200,000 students at state universities.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:14 UTC
Cruise ship troubles cut South Georgia season down to size

A serious fire on board a cruise ship in November led to a large-scale rescue operation off the Falkland Islands and means that three visits to South Georgia in the new year are likely to be cancelled, according to the latest South Georgia Newsletter.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:59 UTC
UK largest banks paid no corporation tax in 2014, by offsetting past losses

Five of the largest banks in the UK paid no corporation tax in 2014, despite making billions of pounds in profits, analysis by Reuters has shown. JP Morgan, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Nomura Holdings and Morgan Stanley paid no corporation tax at all, the news agency said. The banks offset past losses against their taxable income for 2013-14.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:46 UTC
Tierra del Fuego applauds end of dollar clamp in Argentina but cautions about domestic and Mercosur tourists

Tierra del Fuego tourism industry praised the Argentine government's decisions to end the dollar clamp and make more transparent the foreign money exchange because “this will make the country, and Tierra del Fuego, highly competitive internationally”. However they also cautioned that consideration must be given to domestic and regional tourists which make up almost 45% of the number of the people visiting the extreme south of Argentina.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:31 UTC
Argentina issues US$ 5bn in bonds to pay importers; some restrictions persist

The Argentine government will issue bonds worth US$5 billion to be auctioned this week to pay back debt from imports during the previous Cristina Fernandez administration, according to a resolution published by the current government.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:14 UTC
Argentina's MOU with Iran sponsored by Cristina Fernandez, dropped by Macri

Argentina's divisive 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran was finally dropped became after Argentine Federal Judges Juan Carlos Gemignani and Angela Ledesma accepted a request filed by the president Mauricio Macri administration Justice Ministry to drop the Executive’s appeal to the Federal Cassation Court.
Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:00 UTC
Malvinas 'a constitutional issue, not optional'; plans for a South Atlantic secretariat which includes Antarctica

Argentina's foreign minister Susana Malcorra stated that the conflict with the United Kingdom over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty is “a constitutional issue, not optional”, and described the position of the former Cristina Fernandez administration on the matter as “too tough”, while pledging that the “conflict must and will be integrated into a wider perspective”.